Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act.

This legislation would permit individuals who have lived in the United States continuously for at least 7 years to file for lawful permanent residence here.

The Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 Act will provide long-term residents of the United States a path to lawful permanent residence.

Specifically, this bill would amend the existing registry mechanism in the Immigration and Nationality Act by opening the application to register permanent or adjust status to long-term residents who have lived in the United States for at least 7 years at the time of filing.

This bill would also allow long-term residents who have been in the United States for at least 7 years, waiting patiently for a visa number to become available, to immediately file an application to register permanent or adjust status.

This legislation has the added benefit of creating a much needed pathway to permanent residency for Dreamers and forcibly displaced individuals, such as TPS holders, who have been stuck in legal limbo for years.

By making the eligibility cutoff rolling, this bill would also preempt the need for Congress to repeatedly update the registry's cutoff date to a specific year of entry into the U.S.

There is strong precedent for Congress to advance the registry date, which it has done on a bipartisan basis four times since it first codified the registry in 1929. In 1958, Congress opened the registry mechanism to long-term residents of the United States who had entered the country improperly, overstayed visa, or otherwise violated the terms of a temporary period of entry. Congress clearly intended the registry to allow undocumented immigrants to adjust to lawful permanent resident status.

Currently, the eligibility cutoff date for the registry is January 1, 1972, more than 50 years ago. Just a handful of immigrants can currently satisfy this cutoff entry date requirement, rendering the 1972 entry cutoff all but meaningless. From 2015 to 2019, only 305 individuals adjusted their status based on the registry, compared to the 58,914 individuals who did so between 1985 and 1989. If this legislation passed today, long-time, hard-working immigrants who are critical to our communities and economy would become eligible to apply for permanent residency through registry.

Today, about 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States. It would significantly hurt the U.S. economy to remove those people, who are essential to our workforce and fill critical gaps across industries. The overwhelming majority of these undocumented immigrants have established roots in the United States and are law- abiding community members. They work essential jobs, pay taxes, and even serve in our military. Leaving them without a path to permanent residency relegates them to second-class status and denies them the opportunity to fulfill the American dream.

It is imperative that we create a path to permanent residence status for immigrants who lack certainty about their futures. This uncertainty is especially salient now as the Trump administration conducts indiscriminate arrests of immigrants who have no criminal records whatsoever, who have U.S. citizen family members, and who are workers in critical industries driving our economy. There is no strategic benefit to removing people that have been living and working in this country for 7-plus years. We can invest in our local communities and make our economy stronger with legislation like this.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Mental Health for Latinos Act to boost our continued efforts to reduce stigma and promote mental wellness, while meeting the diverse needs of Latino communities across the country.

This bill would require SAMHSA to develop a strategy to increases awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses and provide information on evidence-based interventions and treatments that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

The evidence is clear: We are experiencing a mental health crisis in the Latino community. Disparities within our healthcare system are preventing members of Latino communities from receiving lifesaving mental health services.

These barriers to care are causing too many to suffer in silence, and this must change. Only 47.4 percent of Hispanic adults ages 18 or older with any mental illness received services in 2023. Between 2010 and 2020, the suicide rate among male Hispanic adults, ages 20 to 64, increased by 35.7 percent and the female rate increased by 40.6 percent.

As our Nation confronts an unfolding mental health crisis, this critical legislation reinforces the timeless message that there is zero shame in asking for help and that seeking support is a sign of strength.

I would like to thank Congresswoman Salinas for leading this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Mental Health for Latinos Act as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Mental Health for Latinos Act to boost our continued efforts to reduce stigma and promote mental wellness, while meeting the diverse needs of Latino communities across the country.

This bill would require SAMHSA to develop a strategy to increases awareness of symptoms of mental illnesses and provide information on evidence-based interventions and treatments that are culturally and linguistically appropriate.

The evidence is clear: We are experiencing a mental health crisis in the Latino community. Disparities within our healthcare system are preventing members of Latino communities from receiving lifesaving mental health services.

These barriers to care are causing too many to suffer in silence, and this must change. Only 47.4 percent of Hispanic adults ages 18 or older with any mental illness received services in 2023. Between 2010 and 2020, the suicide rate among male Hispanic adults, ages 20 to 64, increased by 35.7 percent and the female rate increased by 40.6 percent.

As our Nation confronts an unfolding mental health crisis, this critical legislation reinforces the timeless message that there is zero shame in asking for help and that seeking support is a sign of strength.

I would like to thank Congresswoman Salinas for leading this legislation in the House of Representatives, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Mental Health for Latinos Act as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, 2 weeks ago, I informed Senate leadership of my intent to object to the Senate proceeding to Trump's nominee to serve as Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau. So I rise today to both publicly and clearly explain my hold on this nomination and to demand that the Trump administration release all remaining U.S. military forces from the unnecessary and political deployment to Los Angeles.

Earlier this week, the Trump administration did announce that they would be releasing 2,000 National Guard troops from deployment--no, not from an overseas mission, not from some disaster response to a region in need, but from a deployment against their own fellow citizens.

Around 2,000 National Guard women and men and an additional 700 marines are still in Los Angeles today. Why? Because Donald Trump needs a distraction.

Think back to about a month ago. The President found himself at the lowest point of his Presidency thus far. He was drowning in negative headlines, everything from his failing tariff wars that continue to raise prices and costs on working families, to Vladimir Putin embarrassing him on the world stage, to a messy, public breakup with Elon Musk. So in order to change the news cycle, which he does so often, to shift the headlines away from his many, many failures, President Trump chose to ramp up ICE raids in California.

When Californians took to the streets to exercise their First Amendment rights by peacefully protesting, Trump responded by federalizing the California National Guard, and then later the U.S. Marines were ordered in to intimidate the people of Los Angeles.

It was the first time that the National Guard has been deployed against the wishes of the State's Governor since 1965.

None of these servicemembers signed up to become a political prop, but Trump has put them in this impossible position that he knew would escalate tensions in the region and take them away from their critical missions elsewhere.

That is exactly why, in late June, a few weeks ago, the head of U.S. Northern Command requested that Secretary Hegseth return at least 200 troops from the National Guard's wildfire unit who were stuck in Los Angeles for Trump's political purposes, because every day that those troops were unnecessarily deployed to Los Angeles was another day that their primary mission went unmet. We are talking about undermining firefighting and fire mitigation efforts as we are approaching peak wildfire season. This is dangerous and unnecessary.

Because the Trump administration continued to keep thousands of troops in Los Angeles, 2 weeks ago, I exercised my constitutional duty as a U.S. Senator to advise and consent to nominations in order to block the nomination of LTG Thomas Carden.

Lieutenant General Carden currently serves as second in command of Northern Command, the combatant command that has overseen Trump's orders to militarize Los Angeles.

But I want to be very clear about something. My objection is about more than Lieutenant General Carden. None of what we are seeing in Los Angeles through this militarization is business as usual. Deploying the Guard against the wishes of the Governor, against the wishes of the mayor, and against even the wishes of local law enforcement--the sheriff, the police chief--none of that is normal.

So today, I am making it clear to all of my colleagues of my intent to oppose any expedited consideration of this nomination until two conditions are met:

First, every last guardsman and marine must be released from this deployment in Los Angeles. Stop militarizing our cities and using our servicemembers as political pawns.

Second, I will maintain my hold until I have been given sufficient commitments and assurances from this administration that no guardsmen from other States will be sent to enforce the President's political demands on California.

Until both of these conditions are met, I will maintain my hold on this nomination.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the life of Dr. Jaime Regalado--a beloved father, grandfather, U.S. Navy veteran, and former executive director of the Pat Brown Institute for Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles--Cal State

Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate Arturo Vargas on a remarkable career spent in service to others as he steps down after more than 30 years as CEO of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials--NALEO--and the NALEO Educational Fund. As a CEO, a demographics expert, a mentor, and a friend to so many, Arturo has dedicated his career to growing civic participation and representation for Latinos in California and across our country.

Arturo Vargas was born on July 13, 1962, in El Paso, TX, to Jose Vargas Castillo and Antonieta Valverde Vargas. After meeting in Ciudad Chihuahua, Mexico, his parents moved to New Mexico and Texas before eventually settling down in Los Angeles in 1964, where Arturo and his siblings were raised. Arturo earned a bachelor's degree in history and Spanish and later a master's degree in education from Stanford University.

After graduation, Arturo set out on a career that took him from the National Council of La Raza to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund--MALDEF--to chairing the 2030 Census Advisory Committee. During his time at MALDEF, Arturo contributed to a historic increase in Latino representation in California, working both for accurate enumeration of Latinos in the census and to grow the number of Latino elected officials.

In his three decades as CEO of NALEO, Arturo dedicated himself to the challenging work of building power

and representation for Latinos in America. During his tenure, he took what was already an important and impactful organization and turned it into a highly respected national platform not only for Latino elected officials, but for any political, corporate, or philanthropic leader wanting to speak to the political leadership of the Latino community.

Thanks to his work, Latinos across the country now see ourselves represented at nearly every level of government--from State and local government to the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and the Supreme Court. Our community and our country are more inclusive and better off because of the work of Arturo Vargas.

On a personal note, as a former president of NALEO myself, I have had the privilege of seeing Arturo's dedication up close. Whether it was calling on him for his unparalleled expertise--or even just to talk Dodgers baseball--I consider myself fortunate to call Arturo an ally and a friend.

As we look ahead to the 50th anniversary of NALEO and all the fights that lie ahead, I take comfort knowing that future generations of Latino leaders will have a roadmap for representation, leadership, and advocacy that Arturo carved out to follow.

I thank Arturo's husband, the Honorable Michael Fitzgerald; his siblings Jose, Jorge, Maria Antonieta, and Rogelio; and his entire family for sharing him with us for all these years.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Equal Health Care for All Act, which appropriately frames healthcare discrimination as a civil rights issue.

Inequitable access to quality, affordable healthcare is the result of centuries of structural and systemic racism, all of which continues to result in poorer health outcomes in communities of color.

Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals are disproportionately more likely than their White counterparts to suffer from a range of illnesses, from asthma, to heart disease, to prostate cancer.

Inequitable outcomes are not exclusive to racial trends, however. Women are both diagnosed with and die from lung cancer at a higher rate than men, even when they don't smoke. And while rates of lung cancer have dropped for men, they have risen for women.

The Equal Health Care for All Act seeks to address structural inequities by establishing a legal definition of ``inequitable healthcare'' and creating a formal process to enforce the standard.

The bill would also establish a grant program to assist hospitals and other providers in implementing reforms to ensure equitable care and would establish a permanent Federal Health Equity Commission to study and make recommendations on health equity issues.

I would like to thank my coleads, Senators Booker and Schiff, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Equal Health Care for All Act as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the Equal Health Care for All Act, which appropriately frames healthcare discrimination as a civil rights issue.

Inequitable access to quality, affordable healthcare is the result of centuries of structural and systemic racism, all of which continues to result in poorer health outcomes in communities of color.

Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous individuals are disproportionately more likely than their White counterparts to suffer from a range of illnesses, from asthma, to heart disease, to prostate cancer.

Inequitable outcomes are not exclusive to racial trends, however. Women are both diagnosed with and die from lung cancer at a higher rate than men, even when they don't smoke. And while rates of lung cancer have dropped for men, they have risen for women.

The Equal Health Care for All Act seeks to address structural inequities by establishing a legal definition of ``inequitable healthcare'' and creating a formal process to enforce the standard.

The bill would also establish a grant program to assist hospitals and other providers in implementing reforms to ensure equitable care and would establish a permanent Federal Health Equity Commission to study and make recommendations on health equity issues.

I would like to thank my coleads, Senators Booker and Schiff, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact the Equal Health Care for All Act as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act of 2025, which I introduced today.

I firmly believe that all workers, including our most vulnerable workers, such as Nation's farmworkers, construction workers, and day laborers, deserve to have their health and safety protected at work. It has been nearly, 20 years since Asuncion Valdivia tragically lost his life to heatstroke while picking grapes in 105-degree heat under the Central Valley Sun. Mr. Valdivia's death was completely preventable, yet his story is not unique.

Heat protections continue to be a matter of life and death for millions of workers across the country doing backbreaking labor amid increasingly extreme temperatures. This bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish an enforceable standard to protect indoor and outdoor workers at risk for hazardous heat stress with measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat related illness. It also directs employers to provide training and hazard advisories to their employees about heat stress in the language their employees understand and in a format appropriate for their literacy and education levels. An interim final rule must be in place within 1 year of the bill's enactment.

This critical legislation will hold employers accountable and ensure commonsense, enforceable workplace protections are put in place to prevent workers from falling ill, collapsing on the job, or even losing their lives due to heat stress. As we continue to see increasingly extreme weather worldwide, workers across the country will be more at risk, but we can prevent these injuries with commonsense heat protections.

I would like to thank Senators Cortez Masto and Markey for coleading this bill with me and Representatives Chu and Scott for leading this legislation in the House. I hope our colleagues will join us to urgently address the threats posed by extreme heat as the climate crisis becomes more severe.

Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury, and Fatality Prevention Act of 2025, which I introduced today.

I firmly believe that all workers, including our most vulnerable workers, such as Nation's farmworkers, construction workers, and day laborers, deserve to have their health and safety protected at work. It has been nearly, 20 years since Asuncion Valdivia tragically lost his life to heatstroke while picking grapes in 105-degree heat under the Central Valley Sun. Mr. Valdivia's death was completely preventable, yet his story is not unique.

Heat protections continue to be a matter of life and death for millions of workers across the country doing backbreaking labor amid increasingly extreme temperatures. This bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to establish an enforceable standard to protect indoor and outdoor workers at risk for hazardous heat stress with measures like paid breaks in cool spaces, access to water, limitations on time exposed to heat, and emergency response for workers with heat related illness. It also directs employers to provide training and hazard advisories to their employees about heat stress in the language their employees understand and in a format appropriate for their literacy and education levels. An interim final rule must be in place within 1 year of the bill's enactment.

This critical legislation will hold employers accountable and ensure commonsense, enforceable workplace protections are put in place to prevent workers from falling ill, collapsing on the job, or even losing their lives due to heat stress. As we continue to see increasingly extreme weather worldwide, workers across the country will be more at risk, but we can prevent these injuries with commonsense heat protections.

I would like to thank Senators Cortez Masto and Markey for coleading this bill with me and Representatives Chu and Scott for leading this legislation in the House. I hope our colleagues will join us to urgently address the threats posed by extreme heat as the climate crisis becomes more severe.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the America's Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act.

After a 26-year absence, the Olympics are making a big return to American soil with Los Angeles, CA and Salt Lake City, UT, set to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, respectively.

The America's Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint and issue coins in commemoration of these games. The 2028 summer games--or LA28--will be the ninth time that the United States and the third time that Los Angeles will host the modern Olympics. The 2034 winter games will be the 10th time that our Nation and the second time that Salt Lake City will host the modern Olympics.

The proceeds from the sale of these coins will support the hosting of the

2028 and 2034 Games and aid in the execution of their legacy programs, including the promotion of youth sports in the United States. It is also worth noting that this bill would come at no cost to the Federal Government.

As you may know, the United States is one of the only countries with an Olympic committee that does not receive funding from the Federal Government. All U.S.-hosted Olympic Games must instead rely on corporate partnerships, proceeds from broadcast agreements and ticket sales, and philanthropic contributions.

Historically, Congress has authorized commemorative coins to honor the Olympic Games and Olympic athletes, including for the 1984, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games in the United States. The 2028 games are 3 years from today, and preparations for this grand event have already been underway in the region. This legislation can help ensure the 2028 and 2034 games have the resources necessary to be world-class events and showcase all that America has to offer.

I thank Senators Curtis, Schiff, and Mullin for introducing this legislation with me in the Senate, as well as Representatives Sherman, Lucas, Calvert, Kamlager-Dove, and Moore for leading the companion in the House. I hope all our colleagues will join us in supporting this bill to ensure that Los Angeles, CA, Salt Lake City, UT, and our entire Nation are able to put on successful and memorable Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mr. President, I rise to introduce the America's Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coins Act.

After a 26-year absence, the Olympics are making a big return to American soil with Los Angeles, CA and Salt Lake City, UT, set to host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, respectively.

The America's Olympic and Paralympic Games Commemorative Coin Act would direct the Treasury Department to mint and issue coins in commemoration of these games. The 2028 summer games--or LA28--will be the ninth time that the United States and the third time that Los Angeles will host the modern Olympics. The 2034 winter games will be the 10th time that our Nation and the second time that Salt Lake City will host the modern Olympics.

The proceeds from the sale of these coins will support the hosting of the

2028 and 2034 Games and aid in the execution of their legacy programs, including the promotion of youth sports in the United States. It is also worth noting that this bill would come at no cost to the Federal Government.

As you may know, the United States is one of the only countries with an Olympic committee that does not receive funding from the Federal Government. All U.S.-hosted Olympic Games must instead rely on corporate partnerships, proceeds from broadcast agreements and ticket sales, and philanthropic contributions.

Historically, Congress has authorized commemorative coins to honor the Olympic Games and Olympic athletes, including for the 1984, 1996, and 2002 Olympic Games in the United States. The 2028 games are 3 years from today, and preparations for this grand event have already been underway in the region. This legislation can help ensure the 2028 and 2034 games have the resources necessary to be world-class events and showcase all that America has to offer.

I thank Senators Curtis, Schiff, and Mullin for introducing this legislation with me in the Senate, as well as Representatives Sherman, Lucas, Calvert, Kamlager-Dove, and Moore for leading the companion in the House. I hope all our colleagues will join us in supporting this bill to ensure that Los Angeles, CA, Salt Lake City, UT, and our entire Nation are able to put on successful and memorable Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act of 2025. This bill aims to reduce pollution along the U.S.-Mexico border and improve water quality throughout the Tijuana River and New River watersheds. It would designate the Environmental Protection Agency as the lead Agency to coordinate all Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies to build and maintain needed infrastructure projects to address pollution along the border.

The Tijuana River watershed is in the midst of an environmental crisis, as stormwater flows from the upper watershed, originating in Tijuana, Mexico, and carries trash, sediment, and sewage into San Diego County.

Imperial County, like San Diego County, also faces serious impacts from the raw sewage, industrial waste, and trash that is carried by the New River from Mexicali, Mexico, through the city of Calexico before ultimately draining into the Salton Sea, where local families face exposure to dangerous pathogens.

Since 2019, more than 100 billion gallons of sewage have flowed across the U.S.-Mexico border into the Tijuana River Valley and neighboring communities, forcing long-lasting beach closures, including the closure of Imperial Beach for more than 1,200 days in a row.

Needless to say, this transboundary pollution crisis has disproportionately harmed underserved communities along San Diego's southern border for decades. U.S. military personnel, Border Patrol agents, and the local environment and economy have also suffered harmful impacts from waterborne and airborne transboundary sewage.

This bill will build upon the past several years of work I have undertaken alongside the late Senator Feinstein to bolster the resources of the Environmental Protection Agency and the International Boundary and Water Commission to repair, rehabilitate, and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, including securing $300 million in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and more than $250 million through fiscal year 2025 appropriations legislation.

Establishing a program for the Tijuana and New Rivers is critical for the EPA to integrate and coordinate water quality restoration and protection activities by stakeholders across the region and will facilitate better coordination by Federal, State, Tribal, local, public, nonprofit, and other relevant stakeholders. California communities have suffered the impacts of transboundary sewage for too long, and this legislation will facilitate longawaited solutions to manage stormwater flows to reduce negative impacts to nearby communities and the regional economy and restore water quality and ecosystems throughout these watersheds.

I want to thank my colleagues, especially Senator Adam Schiff, Senator Cory Booker, and Congressman Juan Vargas, for reintroducing this bill with me. I hope my colleagues will join me to pass the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act of 2025 to address this public health and environmental crisis.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Clean Shipping Act of 2025. This bill aims to reduce harmful emissions from oceangoing vessels and improve air quality for the nearly 40 percent of Americans that live within 3 miles of a port.

Globally, maritime shipping is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, emitting an estimated 1 billion tons of GHG emissions per year and roughly 3 percent of total anthropogenic global-warming carbon-dioxide emissions. According to the International Maritime Organization, global shipping emissions could more than double between 2018 and 2050.

That is why the United States signed two shipping declarations at COP26 to call for zero-emission fuels on international commercial vessels by 2030 and the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes b the middle of the 2020 decade.

This bill would establish a pathway to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all oceangoing vessels that do business with the United States. It would protect air quality and public health in near-port communities, reduce climate pollution from large marine vessels calling on U.S. ports, and ensure the global maritime sector cuts emissions-- all while giving the EPA the flexibility needed for smooth implementation.

More than 90 percent of global trade is transported by oceangoing vessels, which produce an estimated 3 percent of global anthropogenic emissions. Yet these emissions are unregulated in the United States.

The International Maritime Organization's Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships plans to meet at the end of the month.

This bill would send a strong signal of our commitment to our international partners, empower the EPA to set standards to reduce harmful pollution in accordance with our national and international climate goals, provide certainty to the global shipping industry, and catalyze research and development to transition oceangoing vessels that rely on diesel engines.

This bill enjoys the support of environmentalists and industry stakeholders alike who recognize the urgent need to reduce emissions from the shipping sector.

I want to thank my colleagues, especially Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Robert Garcia, for reintroducing this bill with me. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Clean Shipping Act of 2025 as quickly as possible.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act of 2025. This bill aims to reduce pollution along the U.S.-Mexico border and improve water quality throughout the Tijuana River and New River watersheds. It would designate the Environmental Protection Agency as the lead Agency to coordinate all Federal, State, Tribal, and local agencies to build and maintain needed infrastructure projects to address pollution along the border.

The Tijuana River watershed is in the midst of an environmental crisis, as stormwater flows from the upper watershed, originating in Tijuana, Mexico, and carries trash, sediment, and sewage into San Diego County.

Imperial County, like San Diego County, also faces serious impacts from the raw sewage, industrial waste, and trash that is carried by the New River from Mexicali, Mexico, through the city of Calexico before ultimately draining into the Salton Sea, where local families face exposure to dangerous pathogens.

Since 2019, more than 100 billion gallons of sewage have flowed across the U.S.-Mexico border into the Tijuana River Valley and neighboring communities, forcing long-lasting beach closures, including the closure of Imperial Beach for more than 1,200 days in a row.

Needless to say, this transboundary pollution crisis has disproportionately harmed underserved communities along San Diego's southern border for decades. U.S. military personnel, Border Patrol agents, and the local environment and economy have also suffered harmful impacts from waterborne and airborne transboundary sewage.

This bill will build upon the past several years of work I have undertaken alongside the late Senator Feinstein to bolster the resources of the Environmental Protection Agency and the International Boundary and Water Commission to repair, rehabilitate, and expand the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant, including securing $300 million in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and more than $250 million through fiscal year 2025 appropriations legislation.

Establishing a program for the Tijuana and New Rivers is critical for the EPA to integrate and coordinate water quality restoration and protection activities by stakeholders across the region and will facilitate better coordination by Federal, State, Tribal, local, public, nonprofit, and other relevant stakeholders. California communities have suffered the impacts of transboundary sewage for too long, and this legislation will facilitate longawaited solutions to manage stormwater flows to reduce negative impacts to nearby communities and the regional economy and restore water quality and ecosystems throughout these watersheds.

I want to thank my colleagues, especially Senator Adam Schiff, Senator Cory Booker, and Congressman Juan Vargas, for reintroducing this bill with me. I hope my colleagues will join me to pass the Border Water Quality Restoration and Protection Act of 2025 to address this public health and environmental crisis.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Clean Shipping Act of 2025. This bill aims to reduce harmful emissions from oceangoing vessels and improve air quality for the nearly 40 percent of Americans that live within 3 miles of a port.

Globally, maritime shipping is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, emitting an estimated 1 billion tons of GHG emissions per year and roughly 3 percent of total anthropogenic global-warming carbon-dioxide emissions. According to the International Maritime Organization, global shipping emissions could more than double between 2018 and 2050.

That is why the United States signed two shipping declarations at COP26 to call for zero-emission fuels on international commercial vessels by 2030 and the establishment of zero-emission shipping routes b the middle of the 2020 decade.

This bill would establish a pathway to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from all oceangoing vessels that do business with the United States. It would protect air quality and public health in near-port communities, reduce climate pollution from large marine vessels calling on U.S. ports, and ensure the global maritime sector cuts emissions-- all while giving the EPA the flexibility needed for smooth implementation.

More than 90 percent of global trade is transported by oceangoing vessels, which produce an estimated 3 percent of global anthropogenic emissions. Yet these emissions are unregulated in the United States.

The International Maritime Organization's Intersessional Working Group on the Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships plans to meet at the end of the month.

This bill would send a strong signal of our commitment to our international partners, empower the EPA to set standards to reduce harmful pollution in accordance with our national and international climate goals, provide certainty to the global shipping industry, and catalyze research and development to transition oceangoing vessels that rely on diesel engines.

This bill enjoys the support of environmentalists and industry stakeholders alike who recognize the urgent need to reduce emissions from the shipping sector.

I want to thank my colleagues, especially Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Congressman Robert Garcia, for reintroducing this bill with me. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Clean Shipping Act of 2025 as quickly as possible.