Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be able to complete my remarks prior to the scheduled lunch recess.

Mr. President, the Senate will soon confirm Colin McDonald to be the Assistant Attorney General for National Fraud Enforcement.

Now, this is an entirely new position, a new division inside the Department of Justice. It reflects President Trump's forceful actions to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption.

I met with Mr. McDonald in my office a few weeks ago, and he is the right person to lead this effort. His

track record as a prosecutor in California, as well as Hawaii, as well as the Department of Justice, is exceptional.

He has successfully taken down drug traffickers, human smugglers, and corrupt officials. He has proven to be especially experienced in investigating and prosecuting fraud.

Mr. McDonald is a noble public servant, and I strongly support his nomination. He is going to be a dedicated fighter of fraud. America needs a fighter of fraud on the job immediately.

And let me remind you why we are here doing this in the first place. It is because in cities and States across the country, criminals are stealing staggering sums of money from hard-working American taxpayers.

The American people are being robbed, and they know it. They see waste. They see fraud. They see abuse. They see corruption. And people are sick and tired of it.

Americans are fed up with welfare criminals and the elected officials who tolerate them. Democrats in the big cities and liberal States look the other way, and the criminals know it.

Remember the fraudulent daycare center in Minnesota? No children were actually enrolled. It was a front. It was set up to syphon money from the Federal Treasury. State officials in Minnesota looked the other way, and criminals became more and more emboldened.

Democrats are complicit in turning the U.S. Treasury into an automated teller machine. The Treasury has become an ATM for crooks, for criminals, and for corruption.

The fraud epidemic in Minnesota happened when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were in the White House. The current Governor Tim Walz is still in office today. And recall he was Kamala Harris' Vice Presidential nominee in the 2024 Presidential election. Fraud spread like wildfire on their watch.

In one particular outrageous scheme, criminals falsified diagnoses of autism. They bribed parents with thousands of dollars of government money to use their children's names on falsified documents. The records show that many parents actively negotiated to be paid even higher rates for the bribes. The parents who were in on the scams even threatened to move their children to competing fraudulent providers unless they received even more money--and these were children without autism; they didn't need treatment.

Let me show you how bad this was. In 2018, the Minnesota Medicaid Program, which was designed to help children with autism, spent a grand total of $6 million. That was in the year 2018. Five years later, due to massive criminal fraud and as elected officials looked the other way, the pricetag ballooned from $6 million to $193 million. Evidence of fraud doesn't get much clearer than that.

Of course, Minnesota isn't the only liberal State with substantial fraud. There is also widespread fraud in California's Medicaid Programs. CBS News just last week reported that over a third of hospice providers in Los Angeles ``trigger multiple red flags for fraud.'' These are people who are supposed to be taking care of people in their final days of life--people with cancer and debilitating diseases. There are multiple red flags for fraud, and California officials look the other way.

A vote for Mr. McDonald is a vote to attack this fraud epidemic head- on. It is a vote to prosecute criminals, and it is a vote to protect hard-working American taxpayers.

I want to congratulate Mr. McDonald on his nomination. We need him on the job immediately, and I look forward to voting for his confirmation.

Department of Homeland Security

Mr. President, on a separate matter, for 5 weeks now, TSA agents have not gotten paid. Most continue to show up for work anyway. These TSA agents are struggling. They need to provide for their families. But as a result of the Democrats' shutdown, some TSA agents are calling in sick or are seeking new employment.

On Sunday, 2 days ago, nearly 3,500 TSA agents were absent from work. More than 400 have quit. They have done that since the shutdown of February 13. It is worse when you look city by city. In Atlanta, GA, 42 percent of the TSA agents didn't show up for work on Sunday. In Houston, 40 percent were absent. In New York City and Philadelphia, one in four TSA agents was absent. This is the reason we see the very long lines at the airports.

Immediately funding the Department of Homeland Security is the only way to end the shutdown. We need to make sure it is funded. The Democrat shutdown is dangerous and disgraceful, but once again, Democrats are proving on this very floor that they care more about illegal immigrant criminals than they do the safety and security of the American people.

I yield the floor.

Nomination of Colin McDonald

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 629.

Keeping food affordable starts with keeping farmers in business. As natural disasters become more frequent and more devastating, bipartisan, bicameral legislation like this is exactly what our agricultural producers need.

Hawaii is still recovering from the Kona low storms that tore through our islands this spring, leaving behind damage that communities and producers will be rebuilding from for years to come.

I have walked farms across our State and seen firsthand the waterlogged fields, crops buried in mud, and equipment totally destroyed beyond repair. Our farmers are resilient, but resilience alone cannot pay the bills after disaster strikes.

Hawaii is far from alone. This year, producers across the country have faced devastating freezes, severe winter storms, flooding, drought, and wildfire. These events are no longer isolated incidents. They are becoming the reality of farming in America.

For many producers, the challenge isn't simply recovering from the disaster. It is finding enough cash on hand to begin recovery in the first place.

Today, even after USDA approves assistance, farmers are often forced to pay costs up front and wait for reimbursement. For many family farms, that delay can mean the difference between recovery and closure. That is why this legislation matters.

Cash is king after a disaster, and flexibility is key. By extending advance payments, this bill helps ensure USDA programs can meet farmers and ranchers where they are and provide assistance when it makes the greatest difference, not months later, but when recovery work must begin.

If this authority had been available following the Kona low storms, eligible producers could have started rebuilding immediately instead of scrambling to find the resources needed to bridge the gap. They could have repaired damaged infrastructure, restored farmland, and returned fields to production sooner.

This is a practical, commonsense policy that recognizes a simple reality: When disaster strikes, recovery delayed is often recovery denied.

Passing legislation is only half the job. The disaster after the disaster would be enacting proactive policies like this while lacking the workforce needed to deliver them. USDA programs are only as effective as the workforce responsible for getting that help to farmers on the ground.

Since the start of this administration, the Farm Service Agency workforce has declined by more than 24 percent, while at least 158 county offices are operating without an FSA employee.

We cannot control Mother Nature. We cannot stop the next storm, drought, wildfire, or flood, but we can ensure USDA has the staffing capacity necessary to get assistance out the door quickly and efficiently when producers need it most.

Our farmers and ranchers are not asking for a handout. They are asking for a fighting chance to recover, rebuild, and continue producing the food, fuel, and fiber our country depends on.

Let's give USDA the tools they need to meet this big challenge.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support S. 629. I thank my colleagues for their strong support of this bipartisan, bicameral legislation.

Before we vote, I want to reflect on why this matters. When the Kona low storms swept across Hawaii this spring, they left farms flooded, infrastructure damaged, and producers facing months of costly recovery. Many are still working to restore their operations today.

Even as that work continued, a 6.0 earthquake struck our island chain just last month, less than a month ago, damaging roads and water systems on Hawaii Island, our State's largest agricultural producer.

It is a reminder that disaster doesn't wait for recovery to finish before the next challenge arrives. Whether storms, drought, wildfire, or earthquakes, our producers are increasingly operating in a world where disruption is becoming the norm rather than the exception.

That is why S. 629 is so important. This bill recognizes that timing matters. For farmers and ranchers trying to get back on their feet, access to resources when recovery begins can make all the difference in how quickly they can restore production and keep their operations viable.

While the need is clear, success depends on more than good policy alone. Congress can provide USDA with the right tools, but those tools must be backed by the workforce needed to put them into action. Passing legislation without the capacity to implement helps no one.

We cannot prevent every disaster that comes our way, but we can make sure the Federal response is faster, more flexible, and better equipped to support the people who grow the food we depend on.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to strongly support S. 629, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 629) to amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to remove barriers to agricultural producers in accessing funds to carry out emergency measures under the emergency conservation program, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 629, the Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025, introduced by Senator Fischer of Nebraska.

The Emergency Conservation Program and the Emergency Forest Restoration Program are two critical cost-share programs available to landowners following a natural disaster. Given the natural disasters we have witnessed, including wildfires, hurricanes, and flooding, these programs have remained critically important.

Wildfires continue to present significant challenges, especially in the West, due to their increasing intensity and the extensive number of acres burned each year. Forest managers and wildfire experts have predicted that 2026 will be a particularly challenging fire year. So far this year, we have already witnessed approximately 2.7 million acres burned in over 34,000 fires, and it is only June.

Recently, devastating wildfires have occurred in the plains of Nebraska, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas, instead of just being confined to the forest and mountains of the West. This year, we saw approximately 300,000 acres burn after multiple wildfires ignited in Oklahoma and Kansas this past February.

In addition, due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we have observed significant needs for emergency assistance resulting from the devastation in southeastern States, including the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. Natural disasters have inflicted great damage on private property across the country at no fault of the landowners.

Under ECP, landowners can receive both technical and financial assistance for repairs and restoration of land adversely affected by natural disasters, including floods, hurricanes, wildfires, and droughts. Additionally, EFRP provides financial assistance to nonindustrial private forest landowners to support recovery efforts following similar natural disasters.

While these programs are critical, participants have reported ongoing issues with payment delays and insufficient upfront assistance to cover the costs of urgent conservation needs.

To address this issue, S. 629 allows for advanced payments of up to 75 percent of the total project cost for both programs, clarifies eligibility for cost-share payments, and allows for a longer period for the use of ECP payments.

In addition, since receiving recommendations from both the Government Accountability Office and the USDA Office of Inspector General, USDA has indicated that the Department is taking actions to improve the integrity and the administration of ECP. Given the significant challenges that our producers and forest landowners are facing in the aftermath of recent natural disasters, as well as the increased risk of extreme fire damage this year, it is my hope that we can enhance this program's integrity, while also providing timely assistance to those in great need.

Mr. Speaker, I support this legislation and encourage my colleagues to vote favorably.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I simply want to thank my colleague for her efforts on this piece of legislation and on the floor today.

The challenges that this bill is designed to address are real, and they are not just one particular locality, whether it is Hawaii, various States on the East or West Coasts, or across the country. We need to pass this legislation to make the process work more efficiently.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, my home State of Nebraska is currently facing devastating wildfires, the worst in our State's history. Yesterday, I, along with Senator Ricketts, Congressman Adrian Smith, and our Governor Jim Pillen welcomed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins to Nebraska so that she could meet firsthand with responders and ag producers who have experienced incredible damage.

Across the State, more than 800,000 acres and counting have burned, turning grasslands to ash. We saw this firsthand up close. Family farms and ranchers have watched hundreds of miles of fences burn. They have done everything they can to protect their livestock.

The coming weeks and months will be difficult. Fences will need to be rebuilt. Grazing plans will need to change. Entire seasons of work will likely need to be reconsidered.

While recovery will be difficult, we should do everything in our power to ensure that disaster recovery programs at the USDA can support our farmers and ranchers during this difficult time.

It was feedback from ag producers in previous years' wildfires that led me to introduce my bipartisan Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act. The goal of this legislation is to expedite Federal cost sharing following these natural disasters, just like the wildfires burning across Nebraska right now.

My bill would ensure that the Emergency Conservation Program eligibility can be triggered faster in response to a wildfire and provide flexibility for the producers completing the rehabilitative work.

In times of crisis, Nebraskans deserve relief, not additional burdens. The Emergency Conservation Program's current distribution system, well, it too often fails to provide the support it was designed to offer. We need to streamline the recovery process so we can restore agricultural land more quickly following emergencies like these tragic wildfires.

This legislation won't solve all the challenges Nebraska's producers are facing, but it would meaningfully improve this disaster recovery program.

That is why I am asking my colleagues to join my bipartisan effort to improve the Emergency Conservation Program. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation that has already passed through the Senate and the House Ag Committees in various packages.

Farmers and ranchers not only in Nebraska but all across America will have more security and stability because of it.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry be discharged from further consideration of S. 629 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Colin McDonald to be Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division. Before Mr. McDonald's hearing, I had many questions about this newly created division. I still don't have answers.

But one thing is clear: Mr. McDonald is more committed to scoring political points for President Trump than he is to fighting waste, fraud, and abuse--much of which is being perpetrated by this administration. Mr. McDonald supervises the so-called Weaponization Working Group, which he coled with disgraced nominee Ed Martin prior to Mr. Martin's demotion due to alleged improper handling of grand jury materials.

According to Mr. Martin, the goal of this working group is to ``name'' and ``shame'' the President's political opponents, even if they haven't committed a crime.

The working group also employs Jared Wise, who stormed the Capitol on January 6 and was charged with assault after encouraging rioters who were attacking law enforcement by yelling, ``Yeah, f*** them! Yeah, kill `em!''

During his hearing, Mr. McDonald repeatedly refused to confirm whether he ever witnessed members of the Weaponization Working Group violate the Justice Department Manual or the law. He also refused to condemn Mr. Wise's continued employment.

President Trump has more than doubled his net worth since returning to office, and fraudsters who made massive contributions to the President have regularly been rewarded with pardons. Mr. McDonald refused to condemn these and other pardons or commit to cracking down on the ongoing pay-for-play pardon scheme. He has demonstrated that he is unwilling to stand up to President Trump and his administration of grifters.

I oppose Mr. McDonald's nomination. I urge my colleagues to join me.