Floor Statements

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I rise today in recognition of National Police Week, where we honor, remember, and support public servants who dedicate their lives to keeping our communities safe.

Today, I specifically recognize Louisiana law enforcement officers who lost their lives in 2020 performing their duty. We should all thank God for law enforcement officers and their willingness to put their lives between us and danger, knowing that they may have to sacrifice their lives, as 15 did in Louisiana this past year.

To the families, wives, husbands, and children of these fallen Louisiana police officers, we share your pain, and we share your pride for he or she who was here for us all.

These are the officers in Louisiana who died this past year in the line of service: Deputy Constable Levi Kelling Arnold, New Orleans First City Court; Trooper George Bowman Baker, Louisiana State Police; SRO/Dare Officer Kejuane Artez Bates, Vidalia Police Department; Reserve Captain Raymond Andrew Boseman, New Orleans Police Department; Probation and Parole Officer Kaitlin Marie Cowley, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections; Captain Steven Michael Gaudet, Jr., Pearl River Police Department; Deputy Sheriff Claude Winston Guillory, Jefferson Davis Parish Sheriff's Office; Senior Police Officer Mark Albert Hall, Sr., New Orleans Police Department; Lieutenant Glenn Dale Hutto, Jr., Baton Rouge Police Department; Correctional Deputy Kietrell Michael Pitts, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office; Deputy Sheriff Donna Michelle Richardson-Below, DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Office; Captain Kevin Paul Trahan, Church Point Police Department; Captain Randy Michael Vallot, Richland Parish Sheriff's Office; Officer Marshall Lee Waters, Jr., Mangham Police Department; and Senior Police Officer Sharon M. Williams, New Orleans Police Department.

Their passing--each of theirs--was felt throughout our States, and they are tragic reminders of the danger law enforcement officers face every day when they report for duty. And they know it; they accept the risk; their families accept the risk; and their spouse and their children. We must honor their sacrifice.

I ask that we all join in prayer for the families of these fallen officers and that we keep in prayer those who protect us during the day. It is a difficult time, but knowing our country supports them can make all the difference.

Just last week, the Audubon Zoo canceled the annual Blue at the Zoo event that seeks to promote and foster positive, interactive experiences with the New Orleans Police Department. The New Orleans Police Department superintendent, Shaun Ferguson, said he was ``disheartened as a result of that decision.''

Any opportunity for a positive conversation is an opportunity to improve relationships between law enforcement and communities. We need more events, not fewer. We have much work to do.

But today, let's acknowledge those who put their lives on the line every day they put on a uniform. Let's remember those we have lost too soon. Let's honor the work they do to keep us safe.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, the year 2020 was a year filled with sadness and grief for me, but, unfortunately, that sadness and grief struck again in the year 2021.

Last Tuesday, 100-mile-per-hour winds capsized a lift boat with a crew of 19 off the coast of Grand Isle, LA, just south of Port Fourchon. The U.S. Coast Guard and a group of Good Samaritan boats rescued six crew members as winds continued between 80 to 90 miles per hour and waves were 7 to 9 feet high.

The Coast Guard credits those Good Samaritans with saving four of the six rescued crew members. So, fortunately, in the midst of a terrible tragedy, it turns out a crew of Coast Guard men and women were on a boat doing a trial run when the SOS went out. And although technically not Coast Guard, they were coastguardsmen, and they went out and aided in the rescue. We are eternally grateful for their efforts, their hard work, and for the risk they took to themselves to bring those crew members back to shore safely, who returned safely.

In this tragedy, which affects us in Louisiana but, in a sense, affects us all, any loss of life is heartbreaking. But there are some who may not be found, and we pray their families find closure. To date, six have been confirmed dead, including Anthony Hartford of New Orleans, James ``Tracy'' Wallingsford of Gilbert, Captain David Ledet of Thibodaux, Ernest Williams of Arnaudville, Lawrence Warren of Terrytown, and Quinon Pitre of Franklin.

Seven are still missing. Each day that passes, the prognosis--the chance of finding them--obviously decreases. I would like to take a moment to recognize those still missing:

Jay Guevara, Dylan Daspit, Gregory Walcott, Chaz Morales, Jason Krell, Darren Encalade, and Chris Rozands.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew members of the capsized vessel, their loved ones, and their communities.

While we mourn this loss, we also rise to recognize the heroic efforts of the Coast Guard, the Good Samaritans, and all involved in the search-and-rescue efforts that continued for 6 straight days.

In just 40 hours, the Coast Guard covered more than 1,440 square miles of the Gulf of Mexico, searching for missing crew members. To put that in perspective, that is an area larger than the State of Rhode Island. By Friday, this area grew to a size larger than Hawaii, searching through sea and air.

Late last week, the National Transportation Safety Board announced they will open an investigation. The team arrived in New Orleans on Thursday, and a preliminary report will be released within the next 2 weeks.

We deeply appreciate the volunteers who assisted the men and women from the Coast Guard and many others in the search and rescue, particularly during the terrible weather. In the light of this tragedy, this team effort demonstrates the best of humanity.

We grieve with the families. We shall always remember the lives of those we lost.

May God watch over their souls. May they find eternal peace.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The

yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is

what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has

reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something

without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously

or unconsciously, he has been

caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of

Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South

America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving

with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of

racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has

engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand

why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has

many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must

release them. So let him march; let him make prayer

pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides--

and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed

emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek

expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact

of history.

So I have not said to my people: ``Get rid of your

discontent.'' Rather, I have tried to say that this normal

and healthy discontent can be channeled through into the

creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this

approach is being termed extremist. But though I was

initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist,

as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a

measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an

extremist for love: ``Love your enemies, bless them that

curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them

which despitefully use you, and persecute you.'' Was not Amos

an extremist for justice: ``Let justice roll down like waters

and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.'' Was not Paul

an extremist for the Christian gospel: ``I bear in my body

the marks of the Lord Jesus.'' Was not Martin Luther an

extremist: ``Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me

God.'' And John Bunyan: ``I will stay in jail to the end of

my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.'' And

Abraham Lincoln: ``This nation cannot survive half slave and

half free.'' And Thomas Jefferson: ``We hold these truths to

be self evident, that all men are created equal . . .'' So

the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what

kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate

or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of

injustice or for the extension of justice?

In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were

crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified

for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were

extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their

environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for

love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his

environment.

Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire

need of creative extremists. I had hoped the white moderate

would see this need. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I

expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that few

members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans

and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still

fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted

out by strong, persistent and determined action. I am

thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the

South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and

committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in

quantity, but they are big in quality. Some--such as Ralph

McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry Golden, James McBride Dabbs, Ann

Braden and Sarah Patton Boyle--have written about our

struggle in eloquent and prophetic terms. Others have marched

with us down nameless streets of the South. They have

languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the

abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as ``dirty

niggerlovers.'' Unlike so many of their moderate brothers and

sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and

sensed the need for powerful ``action'' antidotes to combat

the disease of segregation. Let me take note of my other

major disappointment.

I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church

and its leadership. Of course, there are some notable

exceptions. I am not unmindful of the fact that each of you

has taken some significant stands on this issue. I commend

you, Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand on this

past Sunday, in welcoming Negroes to your worship service on

a nonsegregated basis. I commend the Catholic leaders of this

state for integrating Spring Hill College several years ago.

But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly

reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do

not say this as one of those negative critics who can always

find something wrong with the church. I say this as a

minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was

nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its

spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as

the cord of life shall lengthen.

Madam President, I rise today to speak to the fortitude of the students, faculty, and staff of LaGrange High School. Located in Lake Charles, LA, LaGrange High School educates over 1,000 students and is led by their Principal Monica Guillory. As you may know, on top of a global pandemic, southwest Louisiana was ravaged by two major hurricanes last year. In most cases, people would try to return to some sense of normalcy or return to the status quo following a deadly virus and multiple natural disasters. However, the LaGrange High School girls' basketball team, known as the Lady Gators, would not accept the status quo. Led by head coach La'Keem Holmes, and assistant coaches Patrick Woodard, Sharde Henry, and Sean Andress, these ladies carried their school and community through troubled waters and became back-to-back Class 4A State champions. This is the first school in the Lake Charles area to be State champions back-to-back. These young women gave their community something to rally behind during hard times, the purple and white. What a gift that is. It is my honor to visit them and learn of all the great things they are accomplishing.

Mr. President, we have got an issue in this country related to the pandemic but, more specifically, related to children not going back to school. And one thing that is of incredible concern is it appears that the Biden administration, which campaigned saying that they were going to follow science--alleging that the previous administration was not--seems not to be following science but to prejudice their recommendations to fit a political agenda.

With that, let me develop my case. The harms of prolonged closure to school children are remarkable. They are well known. It has been up to a year since the schools have been closed, and in the Presiding Officer's home State of California, there are some school systems that are still not reopened.

Now, think about this: Places where children go, not just to learn but to have social workers make sure they aren't being abused at home, a dietary staff to make sure they have adequate nutrition--but also to learn--have been closed for a year.

Now, we can say: Wait a second, don't worry about that because the children have been given remote learning. There is ample data which shows that particularly the children from lower income families are not logging on even when they are given a broadband computer--given an internet-equipped computer to take home or given WiFi access to use at home. We can imagine it. Mom has to work. There is no one to supervise the child, so the 7-year-old is home by herself while mom is working.

We can also imagine that a family does not have a culture of being online. We can imagine a big family of seven or eight kids where things just kind of get lost in the shuffle, and there is not enough room for someone to be by themselves. Whatever, it is established that there are kids being left behind by not being in the classroom, and those kids, disproportionately, are poor. And that is why the Biden administration's pledge to follow science resonated, and that is why early indications that they are not is not just disappointing, it is a betrayal--and not a betrayal of a campaign pledge, a betrayal of those children who are at home.

Now, by the way, data shows that children can safely go back to school. There was a CDC study from January of 2021 finding little evidence of virus spread in a school setting when the recommended precautions were taken, which kind of calls them--and, by the way, there is a recent study by the following doctors--Henderson, Gandhi, Hoeg, and Johnson from universities such as the University of Chicago, UC Davis, and UC San Francisco--showing how safe it is to go to school, not get infected, and social distancing as minimal as 3 feet distant one from the other--OK, just 3 feet distant.

Now, that is important because if you say you can't bring kids back to school because you don't have enough classroom space for smaller classes, it is one thing if you say there must be 6 feet between each child and another if there only needs to be 3 feet. So these doctors from these prestigious universities found you only need 3 feet.

That begs the question: Why did the Centers for Disease Control, in their February 26 document, say that 6 feet was needed? Now, you may say: 6 feet, 3 feet, why does it make a difference?

Because schools aren't reopening, and their excuse is they need 6 feet between students. They are finding a reason to keep kids at home not learning--a spurious reason.

The doctors who wrote this paper just put an editorial in USA Today in a nice quote here. I say ``nice.'' It kind of summarizes. It is disappointing that they have to say this. It is that--they open up with ``The only thing we have to fear is fear itself,'' which is a quote from Franklin Roosevelt. But they go on to say--they speak up for lost wages, for families, and the poverty and eviction that this is resulting in but that the research says there is greater risk to life expectancies with schools closed versus schools open, but they then ask that we overcome fear by following the science. And the science says we can safely reopen our schools now--full-time, nonhybrid--and keep them open. Unfortunately, that is not what the Centers for Disease Control is saying.

Now, by the way, there is a clear agenda here. Part of the agenda is that teachers unions in certain communities have not wanted to reopen. They are more concerned about the union than they are about the children. So whether it is a Democratic mayor of Chicago trying to force the teachers union in Chicago to reopen, whether it is Los Angeles or San Diego, which are still not reopened, with teachers unions objecting to reopening there, this is not based upon science, not based upon risk to the teachers or the children. They would just rather not be at work. Isn't that amazing?

Now, let me tell you who has been open. First, in Louisiana, over 75 percent of our schools have reopened. Hats off to my State. Private and parochial schools have been open. Hats off to them. They are kind of the business model: If you don't get paid, you show up for work. They show up for work. So let's give a hats off.

And that is why there should be school choice. If a parent can't get their child educated in Los Angeles, in San Diego, or in Chicago, then why are we keeping that child from going to a private school? ``Oh, they can go,'' you say. Not if they are poor. If they are poor, they don't have the revenue.

We should take the money that we are giving to those public schools that will not open because the teachers unions oppose it and give it to the parents so their children can go to a school where their children will actually be educated, and the fact that we don't do that is politics over what is best for that child. It is a betrayal of those children.

This administration's policy, 4 months into their 4 years, demonstrates betrayal after betrayal after betrayal. Let's safely reopen schools now. We know we can do so. We knew that a year ago. The science and the data show it. Congress had provided $68 billion before this latest bill in order to make sure we had everything we needed in order to do that. A lack of funding has not been an excuse to reopen. What is clear is a lack of will, and I will repeat where I started: This administration is betraying the most vulnerable children in our country. Reopen schools now.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on March 15, 2021, having served the Louisiana District United Pentecostal Church in the role of district secretary, 1998-2005, and district superintendent, 2005- Present, Reverend Kevin Cox will retire from his current role, though remaining active in ministry.

Kevin was born in St. Paul, MN--spent his early years in Missouri-- before moving to Bogalusa in 1974, when his father became pastor there. He is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University, where he earned a BS in accounting. In addition to his ministerial license, he holds CPA credentials. He married the love of his life, Delisa, in 1979. She passed away in the spring of 2012. Kevin and Delisa served as pastor in Wewahitchka, FL, from 1980-1986 before returning to Bogalusa where they joined Kevin's parents and assumed the pastorate of First Pentecostal Church of Bogalusa for 12 years. With his election as district secretary, the Cox Family--Kevin and Delisa, along with their two sons, Andrew and Stephen--relocated to the Campground in Tioga.

As district superintendent, in addition to being responsible for the oversight of the ministers and churches of Louisiana, Reverend Cox has continued to coordinate the Louisiana United Pentecostal Camp Meeting. This annual Camp Meeting event has convened for over 100 years here in Louisiana and consists of a week of worship, fellowship, and fun. The Bible speaks of laying up crowns in heaven as a reward for good works on earth. I hope it is many years before Kevin Cox ascends to heaven. When he does, he will have many crowns.

I call up my amendment No. 1161 and ask that it be reported by number.

I ask unanimous consent for 2 minutes of debate, equally divided.

Mr. President, on a bipartisan basis, the December COVID relief bill included emergency assistance to private and parochial schools, reimbursing for things such as disinfectants, technology, and

How many seconds do I have left?

I ask unanimous consent for 10 seconds, please.

This is the exact same language that we used in December. It targets children with private schools. To say that you are going to restrict it further than that is merely a way to keep the kids from having it. Seven percent of kids in poverty go to private schools. About 7 percent of this money will go to private kids. We should support the children.

Vote on Amendment No. 1161

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 1162 and ask that it be reported by number.

I ask unanimous consent for 2 minutes of debate equally divided.

Mr. President, I rise on behalf of myself and Senators Cotton and Cruz. Our amendment prevents $1,400 stimulus checks from going to inmates.

You heard that right. This bill sends $1,400 stimulus checks to people incarcerated for heinous crimes. Prisoners

have all their living and medical expenses paid for by the taxpayer. They don't pay taxes. They don't contribute to the tax base. They can't be unemployed. In other words, inmates are not economically impacted by COVID, and inmates cannot stimulate the economy. But under this bill, Democrats are giving prisoners--again, sometimes incarcerated for heinous crimes--a $1,400 stimulus check. If we eliminate these, we save taxpayers $1.9 billion.

Now, I know my Democratic colleagues aren't going to agree, but this spending should be on real needs. Stimulus checks for inmates is nontargeted, inappropriate, and is a total waste of money. I ask my colleagues to support the amendment.

I will reply, it only applies to people incarcerated for a year. That is not true.

Vote on Amendment No. 1162

I call for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I send a question to the desk.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment, No. 483, and I ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, I rise in support of my amendment which would prevent taxpayer dollars from going toward economic impact payments for prisoners.

You may not realize it, but the first $1,200 checks we sent went to every inmate in the United States. And I am thinking: That can't be right. And I am told it was a drafting error.

Well, then we sent out the last checks, and I said: We have got to stop this. And I was told that there were those who wished that those checks go to inmates.

When my constituents hear about that, they think it is a total example about how Congress is incontinent in spending money.

Now, prisoners do not contribute to the tax base. Taxpayers are already paying the entirety of their care, and they cannot reasonably stimulate the economy, and still they are eligible for stimulus checks.

I argue that all spending on COVID relief must be targeted toward real needs. This is a perfect example of untargeted, inappropriate spending. I ask that my colleagues support this commonsense amendment.

Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, and the waiver provisions of applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for purposes of Senate amendment No. 483.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks before the scheduled rollcall vote.

Madam President, I rise today to recognize and thank three long-serving aides who have served my office but more importantly served our Nation proudly, and they are now moving on to the next chapters of their lives.

First, Chris Gillott. Chris Gillott was my legislative director and for 8 years has been my right-hand person on policy. He never failed to take the ideas we discussed together and craft the actual policy needed to make a meaningful difference in the lives of folks in Louisiana and the lives of all Americans.

He was a master at navigating the partisan divide to find areas of consensus upon which we could build to advance real solutions. I was always struck that he was on a first-name basis with the legislative director of--and fill in the Democratic Senator's or the Republican Senator's name. You have a sense that in the era before Zoom calls, they would go out and have a beer on a regular basis, and that helped us tremendously.

We saw this fully on display recently as Chris was a central figure in the so-called 908 Coalition, which jump-started stalled COVID relief packages. And it wasn't just the relationships between the Senators but, again, as I said, between the different legislative directors from both parties in all offices.

His efforts were also central to passing legislation to ban surprise medical billing--a more than 2-year effort that will have a direct and positive impact on the pocketbooks of American families. He was crucial in our effort to make healthcare more affordable and pass generational tax reform. For every major legislative pursuit, I could rely upon Chris.

What many in Louisiana may not know is that he has also been a central figure engaged in some of the most pressing issues affecting our State, including offshore energy production, revenue sharing, energy regulation and permitting, the National Flood Insurance Program, and public works related to flood protection. These are all important to the well-being of our State and the folks who live there, as well as our entire country, and all these were regularly under assault.

Chris was a fearless advocate for energy production and for the jobs that energy production creates to not only help meet America's energy needs but to meet the individual families' financial needs. He has been on the frontlines to prevent changes to revenue sharing that would gut the money used in my State for hurricane protection, flood mitigation, and coastal environmental renewal. He has defended the National Flood Insurance Program to ensure that this critical lifeline remains accessible to people across the country and, importantly, to those in Louisiana.

Thank you, Chris, for all you have done for me and for those of Louisiana.

Madam President, the next person I will speak of is Allison Kapsner Solley. Allison is a Minnesotan. She said she grew up on the upper end of the Mississippi, but she found a home in the lower end of the Mississippi--or at least the office that represented Louisiana. She joined my staff at the beginning of my first Senate term as a scheduler but through sheer excellence became deputy chief of staff and a close confidant.

Trust is so important. I learned I could always trust Allie's judgment and her ability to accomplish anything. She is irreplaceable. She has had an impact on this office, ensuring that we better serve Louisiana, but that impact has meant that we will better serve Louisiana even after her departure.

Some examples. For any office to succeed, it needs to run efficiently and effectively. I knew this, that we had to have systems. Allie figured out the systems. She implemented them across all the offices here in DC and Louisiana. She kept things running smoothly. And she has a skill of identifying an individual's strengths and helping that individual leverage those strengths into results that contributed to the whole but also to the future of the individual.

I am about to say this about Allie, but I could say it of Chris and also of David, whom I am about to speak of. In Mark chapter 10, versus 42 through 45, Jesus speaks about servant leadership, and in there is a quote that ``the greatest among you shall be your servants.'' Allie is someone who has served others and helped others serve as well. Whether it be our staff, our mission, our constituents, the State of Louisiana, or the United States of America, she served creatively and tirelessly. She will be greatly missed, but I am looking forward to all that she achieves as she enters the next phase of her career.

Madam President, now let me speak of David Mills, a Louisiana native and a man of tremendous character and deep faith who has served for 5 years on my staff. He came to Washington because he felt called to give back to his State and Nation through public service. He was working in Congress for the right reasons, and his work reflected that.

David handled pro-life issues and other legal issues for my office. He was key in last year's impeachment trial as an attorney providing quick, reliable research to supplement my understanding of the testimony that we heard.

David also has the ability just to note something others don't notice and then very gently suggest some modification of how I would handle a situation, and that modification, although nuanced, could be so important, and I really learned to trust those insights.

David also handled privacy issues and has laid the foundation for work that

will continue after he has left us. As society becomes more technologically centered, we must ensure that data privacy laws keep up. David was on the forefront of that, thinking, how do we protect the privacy of consumers?

As I mentioned, this will be an important issue in this upcoming Congress, and just let me be specific. David developed legislation on questions regarding the data that is collected from a wearable, a smartwatch, a contact tracing app, and other information that provides personal health information but which is not covered by current personal health information laws. Our office will continue to build on David's work in those areas, and I thank David for all he has done.

Sometimes people say: Oh my gosh, those folks who are younger than those of us in the Senate--is there something lacking? I can promise you, among these, there is nothing lacking. They are the leaders who will take your place and my place as we pass the baton to the next generation, and, in turn, they shall pass to another to leave our future brighter than it has been in the past