Floor Statements

Madam President, 18 days ago, terror shook the Middle East. Eighteen days ago, Hamas tore children from their parents and tore mothers, fathers, brothers, and sisters from their families. Eighteen days ago, terrorism swept across Israel, destroying everything in its path.

We all know this. We have heard about these attacks repeatedly with every news cycle. Even as we continue reading articles, hearing analyses, and seeing new information, let us not forget the reality of these terror attacks, the seriousness of such a massive loss of human life.

Hamas killed over 1,400 people, over 1,400 innocent civilians, in its attacks this month. Death touched thousands of friends and family members, and its aftereffects are still rippling across Israel and across the world.

Let us resist our modern impulse to leave this tragedy behind in favor of the next headline, the next crisis. Let us allow the abuse, the torture, and the murder of Israelis and Americans alike to strike a fresh sense of grief and anger in our hearts every time we hear about them. That grief and anger must drive us to respond to the horror of terrorism.

Israel is responding, yes, but the response to terrorism should not be bound by Israel's national borders because terrorism itself is not bound by national borders.

Hamas killed American citizens in its attack on innocent people across Israel. Terrorists are still holding American citizens hostage in Gaza. Hamas has American blood on its hands.

One American, Hayim Katsman, hid in a closet with his neighbor as Hamas militants rained gunfire on an Israeli village. A neighbor told CNN that Katsman covered him with his body and saved his life by absorbing the bullets.

American Deborah Matias and her husband sacrificed themselves for their 16-year-old son, acting as human shields against Hamas's fire.

Two American brothers, Igal and Amit Wachs, died together, both trying to save those around them. Amit, who volunteered as head of the village's self-defense unit, ran outside to help his neighbors at the beginning of the attack. In the process, he was killed. Igal was killed as he searched for a weapon to defend himself and his family.

These are real people--real Americans--whose lives were extinguished far too early by the terror in Israel.

It is critical that we see the return of every American stranded in Israel or held hostage in Gaza. Every American must be accounted for and safely brought home.

Following the coldblooded slaughter of both Americans and Israelis, the United States must stand firmly with Israel. We must send a clear message to Hamas, to Hezbollah, and to their state sponsor, Iran: We will not equivocate in our support for Israel. We will stand with them and provide the assistance they need as they make difficult decisions to defend their sovereign nation.

Congress and the administration must work together to gather all of our diplomatic and economic strength against Iran. We must work together to aid Israel, whether through economic support, lethal aid, or increased intelligence sharing.

We know Israel will need more defensive capabilities, including Tamir interceptors for its Iron Dome air defense system, the backbone of its missile defense architecture. I support the Department of Defense's current plans to send our two Iron Dome batteries to Israel to bolster their security.

My colleagues and I introduced a bill to reallocate aid funding to Israel's Iron Dome that could have ended up in Hamas's pocket. This legislation would be an important first step in defending Israel against future attacks.

We know Israel will need more offensive capabilities, including precision-guided munitions to hit specific ground targets. We know Israel will need our intelligence on the Middle East so it can eliminate the Hamas threat completely. And we know standing with Israel against terror will buttress and fortify our own national defense and our own national security. Our support for Israel will help it triumph over terrorism, and our support for Israel will help us show strength and deter our adversaries. By protecting Israeli interests, we will promote American interests as well.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, on August 30, Nebraska made history. Thousands of spectators streamed into Lincoln's Memorial Stadium for two women's volleyball matches: the first between the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Wayne State College and the second between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University of Nebraska Omaha.

On Volleyball Day in Nebraska, we broke a world record. Our Nebraska team set the new record for attendance at a women's sporting event: 92,003 fans. Volleyball Day in Nebraska took months of preparation to pull off, but the University of Nebraska did it successfully. Our Nebraska colleges planned and worked hard in anticipation of this new record. It is a picture of Nebraska. We are a State that is defined by dedication, drive, and--most of all--by community.

Nebraskans showcased that dedication and drive as they came together to get as many people as possible in the stands. And when they got there, they supported and encouraged players and fans alike. Whether the spectators were Husker, Maverick, Lopers, or Wildcat fans, they showed sportsmanship and good will.

In response to Nebraska's exciting new record, we are passing a resolution today that would celebrate women's collegiate athletics in our home State. This resolution will recognize the historic Volleyball Day in Nebraska on a Federal level.

In addition to attendance at a women's sporting event, Volleyball Day in Nebraska broke several other records. The event exceeded the previous attendance record for NCAA women's volleyball. The new women's volleyball record of 92,003 fans in attendance is almost five times more than the old record of 18,755. The August 30 match also exceeded the attendance record for UNL's Memorial Stadium.

Our resolution specifically honors Nebraska's former coach Pat Sullivan, who started the University of Nebraska volleyball program in 1975. It also honors former coach Terry Pettit, who built the volleyball program from 1977 to 1999, and current coach John Cook, who has sustained excellence in this program since the year 2000.

And the team has sustained excellence ever since Volleyball Day in Nebraska. Our UNL women's volleyball team won the battle of the undefeated against Wisconsin this past weekend, and our team is now ranked No. 1. This Senate resolution celebrates a special day for women, for volleyball players, and for all Nebraskans. I am proud to bring well-deserved recognition to this unique accomplishment. As we often say, there is no place like Nebraska.

And I would yield the floor to my colleague from Nebraska, Senator Ricketts.

Mr. President, I would like to thank my colleague Senator Ricketts for his great comments in recognizing the women's volleyball team, the State of Nebraska, and the great people that we have.

Mr. President, and with that, I would ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 428, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, along with Americans all across our country, I am appalled at what has happened in Israel over this last week. It is hard to watch the brutality of Hamas's attack on Israel. It is hard to believe that the terror Hamas perpetrated is something human beings are capable of doing.

Last week, Hamas militants stormed the Israel-Gaza border in a despicable, deadly attack against Israeli civilians--men and women, children, and the elderly, Israelis and foreigners, Americans. Hamas killed person after person with no regard for human dignity. The militants seized and kidnapped almost 200 hostages, including many of our own American citizens. When civilians in small Israeli towns came out of hiding after sheltering for their lives and praying they would be spared, they came out to find corpses in their streets, doors riddled with bullet holes, the ground stained with human blood, houses burning and collapsing. They have told journalists of the horror they felt when they stepped out into the wreckage and were met with the smell of decaying flesh.

This is obscene. This is hideous. We can and should all agree on that.

Secretary of State Blinken, on his visit to Israel, said he saw images of a baby covered in bullet holes, soldiers who had been beheaded, and people burned alive in their cars.

He said:

If images are worth a thousand words, these images may be

worth a million.

How do we respond to such a tragedy? Not only are these actions depraved and inhumane, they have been perpetrated against one of our closest partners in the world. Hamas's goal in this attack--its goal in kidnapping babies and elderly women--was to shock Israel to the core, to bring it to its knees, so that vicious terrorist groups could get the upper hand--Hamas from the west and now Hezbollah to the north.

Hamas and Hezbollah will not get the upper hand. Israel will defend its sovereignty and its people, standing tall. And we will support them.

Now is not the time for the United States to shrink back from the world stage and let Israel stand in isolation. We must stand up against terror. We must stand up against the kidnapping of little babies. We must stand up against the rape and torture of innocent citizens. We must stand up against those who would grasp at political power by committing war crimes. If we can't stand up against this, what can we stand against?

And, in response to this terror, we must stand with Israel. In response to a brutal attack on its sovereign territory, we must stand with Israel. In response to the heinous massacre of its citizens, we must stand with Israel. Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend itself against this unconscionable aggression. We must provide its government with the support it needs to defend its territory and its citizenry. We must take steps that allow Israel to regain its footing and make the difficult decisions it needs to make as a sovereign nation.

The United States and Israel are bound by shared values and strategic interests, and we are now further bound by shared tragedy. Hamas has American blood on its hands after this attack. Some of our own citizens are being held hostage underground in Gaza. We must act to show terrorist groups and their close friend, Iran, that we will not abide the slaughter and kidnapping of Americans.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee, I am working with my colleagues and the administration to ensure that the United States is able to provide Israel with the support and the resources it needs to eliminate this threat.

Our allies and partners, as well as our adversaries, are closely watching how our country will respond to Hamas's loathsome attack. Our actions should encourage allies and partners to follow suit in supporting Israel and in denouncing this terrorism; and our actions must deter our adversaries from taking advantage of the volatility in the Middle East and further destabilizing that region.

Our focus in the region must turn to one adversary in particular: Iran. The Iranian regime bankrolls terrorist activity throughout the Middle East. Iran provided Hamas with the weapons it used against Israel. The regime directly supports Hezbollah--the group that Israel is now facing from across its border with Lebanon.

For the time I have served in the Senate, I have supported efforts to curb Iran's incessant attempts to sow chaos in the Middle East; and, today, those attempts are coming to a head. We need to gather all of our economic and diplomatic strength so we can send a strong message to Iran. By countering Iran, we will help Israel, but it will advance American interests as well. We all know that Iran is hell-bent on destroying the United States of America. Its proxy forces continue to attack our forces regularly in Iraq and in Syria. The risks are too great to allow Iran to accelerate this conflict.

My Republican colleagues and I sent a letter last week urging President Biden to immediately convene the G7 nations and take coordinated action to isolate Iran using severe sanctions. Our letter also called on the President to reverse a decision allowing Iran access to a $6 billion fund, which had previously been frozen under sanctions.

We urge President Biden to, instead, lead America's partners and allies in securing agreements from as many nations as possible, agreements to take the most severe economic and diplomatic action possible under the law against Iran. The U.S.--the United States--must lead in imposing multilateral sanctions against Iran and continue to lead in making certain that those sanctions are then enforced.

This week, my colleagues and I introduced legislation that would revoke the $6 billion fund. The United States must not allow funding to flow to state sponsors of terrorism. As Americans, we must come together in a bipartisan manner to keep terrorism in check and to stand with our ally Israel.

I call on my colleagues here in Congress, as well as the administration and people across our country, to continue to unequivocally condemn the evil acts committed by Hamas, Hezbollah, and their primary sponsor, Iran. We must stand together to support Israel and to protect both Americans and Israelis being harmed by the conflict and the bloodshed in the Middle East.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, when it comes to the economy, we hear a lot of statistics. Since President Biden took office and put his Bidenomics plan into action, prices have risen by 17.37 percent. Rent is up by 17 percent, grocery prices by 25 percent, and energy costs by 43 percent. Gas prices have risen by an unbelievable 65 percent.

As alarming as those percentages are, I am most concerned about the individuals who are hurting because of these increases. That is why I was struck by new numbers I saw last week from the Census Bureau. Bidenomics is making life harder for children in Nebraska.

The number of children living in poverty in my home State increased by almost 5,000 from 2021 to 2022--5,000 more kids living in poverty. That is thousands more families who are living below the poverty line, thousands of families who are struggling to pay bills, to buy food, to afford a place to sleep. Some of these 5,000 children are from families who cannot afford any of these things. They are going hungry. They are couch surfing--or worse. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Bidenomics is making life harder for the more rural parts of Nebraska. Soaring prices caused by inflation are especially affecting those areas in my State. They are especially affecting kids in more rural areas. According to an analysis by an Omaha nonprofit, from 2021 to 2022, there was a 25-percent increase in the number of kids below the poverty line who are located in nonmetro areas of Nebraska. A quarter more kids living outside urban areas come from families that are barely getting by.

Some of these children live in sparsely populated areas where it can really take hours to get to the grocery store, the pharmacy, or to a hospital. When gas is 65 percent more expensive and groceries will break the bank, families are going to struggle with those long trips. They are in dire need of resources. But inflation is ripping away their ability to access those resources. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Bidenomics is making life harder for anyone who pays rent, mortgage, or utilities in Nebraska. The most basic of necessities--affording a place to live--is now a huge financial strain. Close to half of the renters in Nebraska are spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Almost 20,000 more renting households are considered ``financially burdened.'' That is 20,000 more in just 1 year. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Bidenomics is making life harder for businesses and their employees. As rent encroaches on a larger percentage of people's incomes, the incomes themselves are getting smaller. Nebraska's median income declined by 3.6 percent in 2022. Businesses can't pay their employees as much when all of their money is being spent on rising utility and rent prices. Rising inflation means higher costs, lower salaries, and a harder time earning a living. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Mr. President, I am thankful that my home State of Nebraska has many nonprofits that are ready to help those who are struggling from inflation. These organizations make a real difference in people's lives, and they are part of a rich tradition of charity in my State. Charities can do good work to minimize damage, but they cannot do surgery on an injured economy. The only way to stitch our economy back up is to get rid of this administration's suffocating regulations once and for all. The Biden administration must hear. It is time for a new approach to the economy.

So how do we heal the economy? We roll back the regulations that are still poisoning it, including those from the ironically named Inflation Reduction Act. We unleash American energy, which will lower the gas prices that

have climbed by 65 percent. We can heal our economy by turning the page on Bidenomics and adopting a new economic strategy, one focused on getting rid of wasteful policies and bringing down costs for everyday Americans.

Nebraskans are experiencing Bidenomics. The American people are experiencing Bidenomics. Bidenomics is an economic plan that inflates prices, hurts real families, real children, real businesses, and real employees. The American people don't want to experience Bidenomics anymore.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, China is on track to triple its nuclear arsenal by 2035. Russia continues its saber-rattling in Ukraine. North Korea is hell-bent on developing the capability to deliver nuclear weapons at longer ranges, conducting dozens of missile tests in this last year, and Iran is weeks away from obtaining nuclear weapons. But on Sunday night, President Biden said, and I am quoting him:

The only existential threat humanity faces even more

frightening than a nuclear war is global warming going above

1.5 degrees in the next . . . 10 years.

The leader of the free world believes that global warming is a bigger threat to global security than nuclear war.

Now, I am not dismissing the importance of our climate. We should continue to take responsible, commonsense action to address climate change, and we should support an ``all of the above'' energy strategy. We should promote policies to ensure that we have clean air, clean water, and we should do that without hindering economic prosperity or burdening hard-working Americans and their families. But the President's claim that global warming is more frightening than nuclear war sends the wrong signal to our adversaries and to our allies. It demonstrates a total ignorance of the instability of today's global threat environment.

The Strategic Forces Subcommittee, where I am ranking member, specifically oversees our country's nuclear

forces, and based on the hundreds of official hearings, briefings, and documents we have analyzed, I can tell you with all confidence that the most frightening threat to global security today is the Chinese Communist Party.

The CCP made it crystal clear that it wants to fundamentally alter global deterrence dynamics. China's relentless military buildup has outpaced anything that we could have imagined. Like I said earlier, China wants to triple its nuclear arsenal over the next decade, and it is well on its way to meeting that goal, if not exceeding it.

U.S. Strategic Command, or STRATCOM, is located in my home State of Nebraska, and they confirmed earlier this year that China possesses more intercontinental ballistic missile launchers than we do here in the United States. China is developing a subsonic stealth bomber that is essentially a copycat of our B-2 bomber. It is continuing work on Jin-class submarines capable of carrying over 12 nuclear missiles at a time.

To the people of the United States, let me say this: For the first time in history, the United States will face two adversaries who are peer nuclear powers--China and Russia--and that is the biggest national security threat we face.

When the President says that climate change is more frightening than nuclear war, he is downplaying the serious, terrifying possibility that China puts its nuclear weapons to use.

This administration neglects our nuclear arsenal while our adversaries, well, they prioritize theirs. This administration has done things like try to cancel the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Program, or SLCM. SLCM would fill a known--a known--capability gap. It would allow us to more effectively deter China or Russia from using a nuclear weapon, which is part of their ``escalate to deescalate'' strategy.

Well, Congress has pushed back on the President in a bipartisan and a bicameral way when it comes to him canceling SLCM. It is past time for this administration to get serious about the existential threat that China poses. The President needs to tackle this issue head-on and not trivialize it.

One way that President Biden can do this is by signing this year's National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate successfully passed this year's NDAA by a significant bipartisan majority, 86 to 11. I led provisions to accelerate the modernization of our nuclear triad--our land-, our sea-based nuclear weapons, and our air-based ones. These military capabilities that we have are essential to keeping adversaries like China in check. China will be less likely to use its weapons if it believes that we can and that we will hit back harder.

Once the NDAA gets to the President's desk, he should sign this legislation without hesitating for a moment. Let's not put nuclear war on the back burner. Let us step forward. Let us show China that it has no chance against the United States of America.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, 22 years ago, Apple released the first desktop version of its macOS operating system. The first Harry Potter movie and the first Lord of the Rings movie both came out. Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child were topping the charts, and Bill Clinton left office.

Twenty-two years ago was also the last time that mortgage rates were as high as they are now. Yes, they are higher now than they were during the 2008 financial crisis. Mortgage rates were the lowest in American history in January of 2021. Then Joe Biden became President. Over the past 2\1/2\ years, mortgage rates have almost tripled. In the meantime, inflation rates are still climbing higher.

This past month, as I traveled Nebraska during the Senate's State work period, I visited with dozens and dozens of middle-class Americans. It is truly the best part of my job--meeting with small business owners, ag producers, schoolteachers, nurses, students, and employees all across my home State, but this year it was so frustrating to hear about the economic struggles that Nebraskans are facing.

Middle-class Nebraskans are scraping by financially, and what is ironic is that they are doing it on the watch of a President who calls himself ``Middle-Class Joe.'' President Biden's line recently has been, ``When the middle class does well, everyone does well.''

You know, I agree with him. I would just add that, right now, everyone is not doing well. That is especially true for the middle class, and it is because this administration's ill-advised policies keep pumping air into an economy that is already bloated. The so-called Bidenomics agenda is poison, described as a ``cure-all'' for middle- class Americans. That is not an exaggeration. Last month, I saw Bidenomics up close in Nebraska so let me tell you how it is going.

One Saturday this August, I visited a small town in Western Nebraska. That afternoon, a small business owner told me that his electricity bills had shot up over the past couple of years both for his home and for his business. Electricity, groceries, gas--you name it--these essentials are tough to afford, if not impossible to afford, for the average middle-class American. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Business owners and families alike shared that they can hardly pay increasingly high rents and mortgage rates. In fact, all year, an increasing number of middle-class Nebraskans has resorted to asking the Salvation Army for money so that they can pay their utilities. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

As I traveled the State, the issue of childcare affordability came up over and over and over again. Childcare costs have skyrocketed, and dads and moms are at a loss as to how to afford these rising rates. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

The Bidenomics agenda has made many promises, but I haven't seen the administration keep a single one. Remember the President's American Families Plan? Almost 2\1/2\ years ago, the President promised that low- and middle-income families would spend no more than 7 percent of their income on childcare.

In leading up to the fourth year of Biden's Presidency, here is what family life looks like: Nebraska's families are already struggling due to inflation. They have seen price increases on bills, groceries, and almost everything else. In many cases, both parents need to work so they can make enough so that they can pay off debt or afford those high mortgage rates. When childcare costs are through the roof, it is impossible for both parents to work. According to the Economic Policy Institute, childcare costs rose 24.4 percent more per year than the average rent and 53.5 percent more than instate college tuition--53.5 percent per year. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

From the American Families Plan to the Inflation Reduction Act, this administration's efforts to grow our economy from the middle class out have totally failed.

My message to the President is this: When the middle class does badly, everyone does badly.

We need to undo the harmful, excessive regulations that are making middle-class Americans suffer. We need to put the priority on reducing costs for everyday Americans. We need to unleash American energy to lower our gas prices. We need to support an economic plan that will lower inflation, and we need to pull the plug on wasteful policies that don't help anyone.

So stop with the slogans, Mr. President, and spend more time listening to real Americans' concerns.

Bidenomics is not working in Nebraska, and let's be honest, it is not working in the other 49 States either. This administration needs to hear this. It is 2\1/2\ years past time to make a change.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, earlier this month, the Chinese Communist Party's relentless propaganda efforts rose to the forefront of international discussion yet again. China's authoritarian government squashes opposition at home without hesitation, but its censorship and propaganda spreads far beyond China's borders.

The CCP uses an array of insidious means to push its messages across national boundaries. Concerns that the CCP's influence is seeping into Hollywood continues to grow. This issue flared up once again this month. Why? Well, in a word, ``Barbie.'' You heard me right. A movie about a plastic doll is the last place you would expect national security questions to arise, but it has.

One trailer for the ``Barbie'' movie depicted a cartoon map of the title character's world travels. On the map is a roughly drawn continent of Asia, but it might be more than just a cartoon character's doodle. The map includes a dotted line extending out from the east shore of China.

Well, that line is curiously similar to what is known as the nine- dash line. Everyone in the defense space is familiar with this line. It is a Chinese-drawn boundary in the South China Sea. China uses this boundary to claim ownership of maritime territory, even

though the United Nations International Court of Justice rejected its claims on that territory in 2016.

The country's neighbors, including Vietnam and the Philippines, they certainly contest these claims as well. China appeals to this false boundary when its naval presence creeps into new areas of the South China Sea, and it intimidates boats, fishermen, and others from neighboring countries who cross that invisible line.

Now, ``Barbie,'' the movie, it is a great movie. Americans loved it this past weekend, but the ``Barbie'' movie, well, it treads a little too closely to depicting what looks like the nine-dash line. Hollywood needs to become aware of the ways that the CCP tends to push its propaganda. Use of the line is a trigger for geopolitical sensitivities, including its likeness on a map, even as part of a child-like drawing, that has real global ramifications.

Now, you may say: Oh, come on, it is just a movie. But Vietnam's authorities banned ``Barbie'' from playing in theaters because of its offensive, alleged depiction of the nine-dash line. And members of the Philippines Government, they raised concerns as well, eventually deciding to blur the map line in showings across their country.

Despite the ``Barbie'' movie's content, allegations of Chinese propaganda in Hollywood are not child's play. China continues to take advantage of our unprecedented global media network to do real damage. It is no accident that China is financing some of the biggest films, and China runs the second largest box office in the world, second only to North America.

When a movie doesn't play in China, Hollywood loses literally billions of dollars. Remember the controversy around ``Top Gun's'' sequel last year? The Department of Defense, they worked with Paramount Pictures to make that movie happen, but when ``Top Gun: Maverick's'' first trailer was released in 2019, viewers noticed that the Japanese and Taiwanese flags that were on Tom Cruise's bomber jacket, well, they had been replaced in an attempt to appease China.

The studio wisely reversed course on that decision after a public outcry, but that is not where the CCP's influence ended. The film made no mentions or even implications of the United States' primary adversary, and that is China. Any movie related to our national defense that doesn't bring up China, well, it must be set in an alternative universe because that is the biggest defense challenge facing our country. This isn't a conspiracy theory.

The Presiding Officer is on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and we know well China's strategy. The defense world is well aware that China maintains a well-oiled propaganda machine that is enmeshed in our modern media.

So you may say: Oh, come on, it is just a movie. No, this is a serious problem, so serious that it is one our government should address. We can't allow our Federal Agencies to help elevate messages that support the CCP's goals, and we certainly cannot involve our own Defense Department and taxpayer dollars in entertainment projects that are beholden to Chinese propaganda.

As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have successfully secured language in the last two National Defense Authorization Acts to prevent our government's Department of Defense from participating in entertainment projects with ties to the CCP.

Thanks to our persistent efforts, the Department of Defense recently released new regulations around how the Department of Defense can provide assistance to entertainment projects. Pursuant to these NDAA provisions, the Department is now prohibited from assisting with entertainment projects that censor the content of the project in a material manner to advance the national interest of the People's Republic of China.

It is my hope that this new policy will ensure that taxpayer dollars are never involved in anti-American messaging efforts as well as send a clear signal to the CCP that we will no longer turn a blind eye to its propaganda efforts. This is just one example of the many provisions in this year's NDAA that stand up to China and advance our national security.

I encourage my Senate colleagues to vote yes on the NDAA so that we can deliver a strong package that keeps China in line.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, when it comes to the economy, we hear a lot about numbers, the inflation rate, how much more groceries cost, or how many businesses are struggling to find employees. Those numbers are important.

They tell us the big picture story of where our economy is and where it is going. And right now, that is not a pretty picture. But as elected representatives, we work for our people. It is critical that we listen to the voices of the people who live in our States and who are being deeply affected by the numbers we read in Bloomberg or the Wall Street Journal.

In a speech he made last week, President Biden promised that his economic policy is helping across the board ``in rural America, the heartland, all across America.''

He claimed that Bidenomics is the silver bullet for financial struggles among middle-class Americans around the country.

I don't know who the President is talking to, but my experience hearing from Americans in the heartland is a lot different than what he said in that speech. Many Nebraskans are struggling under an unforgiving load of inflation, kick-started by this administration's almost $2 trillion stimulus package in 2021.

So today let's zoom in on Nebraska. When I am back in my home State, I am constantly hearing stories of hardship from my fellow Nebraskans, whether they are farmers, teachers, or small business owners. It is truly painful to hear about some of the experiences people are having due to inflation.

So let me tell you about Bidenomics in Nebraska. When I stopped by a coffee shop in 2022, the owner told me his electric bill had skyrocketed from $40 a month to over $300 a month, and that coffee shop owner is now gone. He couldn't afford Bidenomics, and he closed his shop. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

A year later, not much has changed. As one of our Nebraska farmers told me a few weeks ago, ``prices take the elevator up, but the stairs down.''

Inflation causes costs to rise quickly, and they stay up there for a long time. One big economically irresponsible move from the administration--well, that sets the stage for years of struggle. That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

Several rural businesses in the States shared their struggles with the local newspaper earlier this year. Many of these business owners feel ``at a loss'' for what to do as their livelihoods crumble under the pressure.

A honey farmer shared that consistently rising prices squeeze his family into a difficult position when doing things as simple as putting their honey in jars. Sometimes they could only afford to get the container; sometimes they could only afford to get the lids--but not both.

He said:

We're kind of forgotten about way out here.

That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

That doesn't line up with the President's boasts of an economy that works for middle-class Americans in the heartland. Instead, while the Biden administration chatters on about its support for the middle class, thousands of people in that category are pulling out all the stops to pay their necessary expenses.

The Salvation Army of Lincoln, NE, reported a couple of months ago that it has seen a 50-percent increase in service requests in just a year. People are going to charities to get help paying rent and utilities as the economy suffers.

A Salvation Army officer said:

For people who are on medical equipment, having their

electricity on is a very important aspect.

That is Bidenomics in Nebraska.

The President has a middle-class problem. Average Americans are hollowing out their savings, and they are taking on record debt just to keep up with the stunning levels of inflation--or as the White House likes to call it, Bidenomics.

The President said last week:

Bidenomics is just another way of saying restoring the

American Dream.

Wrong.

Since when does the American dream include taking a second job just to be able to afford rent, or having to choose between containers and lids for honey jars, or racking your brain for ways to catch up on an electricity bill that will not stop rising?

The President should step off the podium; he should stop delivering empty promises; and he should actually get down to business fixing the bloated economy that he has created.

Nebraskans are not listening to the administration's inflated claims about helping the middle class, but they are listening to the mortgage increases and to their dwindling savings accounts. Americans know what Bidenomics looks like, and it looks like failed leadership.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, last week, we celebrated the birth of our Nation. The first Americans took long, dangerous journeys across the Atlantic Ocean in search of better lives, far away from a regime that stripped away their God-given rights and their freedoms all too often.

Our Founders fought a revolution against absolute power. They chafed against the control of the British Empire. Americans united against encroachments on liberty and emerged victorious, just as we have done many times since then from Great Britain to the Soviet Union.

As we look back on our history, we should consider our future as well. The United States faces a threat environment growing more dangerous by the day. Authoritarian adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, are accelerating their efforts to chip away at global stability and undermine America's national security.

A couple of weeks ago, a radio host asked me an important question: What is the point of modernizing our nuclear deterrents? Don't we already have the capabilities we need to defend ourselves? And, if we build up a stronger arsenal of nuclear weapons, doesn't that just increase the risk of nuclear war?

My answer was related to the history I have just discussed: From the Revolutionary War to the world wars to the Cold War, Americans have prioritized a strong national defense and the tools we need to achieve that when we are faced with existential threats. The character of war changed after the advent of nuclear weapons. And during the Cold War, the United States recognized that we needed to have a strong nuclear deterrent to preserve the hard-fought peace that we had won. We worked overtime to ensure that our Commander in Chief had every option to deter and, if necessary, to fight back against threats.

We were successful. We deterred the Soviet Union from using its nuclear weapons destructively because its leaders knew we could hit back harder with a push of a button. It is comparable to a game of chess: You are never going to make a move that leaves your king threatened on all sides. If the Soviet Union had deployed a nuclear weapon, it would have quickly been surrounded on all sides by a retaliatory strike Moscow knew it might not survive.

A diverse and effective nuclear deterrent gives our country the ability to say: Checkmate. Not today. And it makes other nations think hard about what moves they might make. In other words, it deters authoritarian regimes from attacking the United States and attacking our allies.

During the Cold War, we prioritized the production of nuclear weapons and delivery systems because we recognized their essential role in deterring nuclear conflict. We must return to that mindset if we want to get ahead of today's looming national security challenges.

Our adversaries understand this. Earlier this year, the U.S. Strategic Command--STRATCOM--publicly confirmed that China possesses more intercontinental ballistic missile launchers than we do here in the United States. China is on track to triple--to triple--its nuclear arsenal by 2035. That is just a decade away. Stated plainly, one of the most ominous authoritarian regimes in modern history is building a nuclear force that is fundamentally altering global deterrence dynamics, and they are doing it at a pace faster than anyone imagined.

As our adversaries race to expand their nuclear arsenals, what are we doing here in our country? Well, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, our Nation has sidelined our nuclear enterprise. We have underinvested in the modernization of our nuclear triad.

That word ``triad'' refers to the three military fronts of land, sea, and air. The land-based leg of the triad is comprised of our intercontinental ballistic missile fleet. The sea-based leg of the triad refers to our ballistic missile submarines, and the air-based leg of the triad refers to our bomber fleet and certain fighter aircraft.

A full triad expands the number of options that our Commander in Chief has at his disposal. Each leg of that triad presents unique advantages. Military planners need diverse capabilities to ensure that our Nation can act decisively in any scenario. If we can strike from anywhere at any time, our adversaries will hesitate before taking aggressive action.

The problem is that we have been too slow to replace and upgrade those systems. As former STRATCOM Commander Admiral Richard testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee last year, we have ``submarines [that were] built in the `80s and `90s, an air-launched cruise missile built in the `80s, intercontinental ballistic missiles built in the `70s, a bomber built in the `60s--part of our nuclear command and control that predates the internet, and a nuclear weapons complex that dates back to the Manhattan Project.''

Our nuclear deterrent only serves to deter our adversaries so that no one will ever use a nuclear weapon if that deterrent that we have is safe, reliable, and effective. To ensure it remains so in the future, it must be modernized. Underinvesting is a huge mistake, and we need to tip the scales back in our favor by bringing our systems rapidly into the 21st century. The good news is that there is big bipartisan support for modernization.

I am the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, and

our subcommittee overseas STRATCOM, which is headquartered in my home State of Nebraska. STRATCOM does indispensable work at the helm of our Nation's strategic nuclear deterrence.

Over the last 10 years, I have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle so that we can get key modernization provisions into the annual National Defense Authorization Act. We have continued this vital support in the fiscal year 2024 NDAA, which the Senate will consider this month.

This year, I have also fought to keep the Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Program--or SLCM--fully funded by the NDAA.

In the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, where we have held multiple hearings and briefings, classified and unclassified, with senior military and civilian leaders as well as a number of outside experts, we concluded--again, on a bipartisan basis--that the Biden administration's attempts to cancel the SLCM Program would make our nuclear deterrent less effective in the 2030s and beyond. So we have included a provision in the bill to create a program of record for SLCM. This will prevent the premature cancelation of the program without future congressional consent.

I also fought to secure provisions that would support the Sentinel Program, which will replace our aging ICBMs across the country. This program is the most significant and complex weapons system in recent U.S. history, and it will cover an aggregated land area almost as large as the State of South Carolina.

Both Chambers of Congress are considering their versions of the NDAA this month. I am proud of the work that my colleagues and I have accomplished with this legislative package that is coming to the floor. I urge my fellow lawmakers as well as the President to support the vital measures that we have included in this bill. I will continue to support modernization efforts, and I am confident that we will produce a strong final NDAA to send to President Biden's desk.

But our work in the Senate isn't done when the NDAA passes. We still have to back our defense priorities up with real dollars through the appropriations process. I am a member of the Appropriations Committee, as is the Presiding Officer, and I know that we are committed to working together to be able to allocate all the funds that are necessary so that we can maintain a strong national defense.

The world has changed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and we are now, for the first time in history, facing two peer adversaries with significant nuclear arsenals. Now is not the time to shortchange our national security. It is a time for us to work together to strengthen our national security. This means that President Biden needs to cooperate with Congress so that we can get our NDAA passed.

America was born by uniting in defiance of outside threats, and we have done it many times since then. I am hopeful that we will live up to our history as new challenges loom.

As a Member of Congress, I will continue working with colleagues from across the aisle to strengthen our national security. For the sake of our safety, our legacy, and our freedom, I urge my fellow Members and the President himself to do the same.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, in just a moment, the U.S. Senate will vote to override President Biden's veto of my legislation that would stop yet another aggressive environmental regulation.

This specific regulation is an EPA rule that would impose stricter emissions standards on heavy-duty vehicles. While this might sound well-intentioned, let's be very clear about the facts.

First, the EPA's own economic analysis projects that the cost to Americans associated with this new regulation could reach up to $55 billion from 2027 to 2045. That is because, when you force truckers to purchase new, expensive equipment in the name of climate, you are asking the American people to foot the bill. Any product transported by trucks, whether that is food headed to your local grocery store or something that you bought off of Amazon, each one of these products will cost more due to massive inflationary burdens this rule will place on the trucking industry. That means every American consumer will feel the effects of this rule and its price increases.

Every agriculture producer and every local business will feel its effects. If you are an ag or an energy-heavy State like Texas, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Illinois, Nebraska, California, or Montana, your local economy will be especially impacted by these higher freight costs.

That is not to mention the 3 million Americans who work as commercial truckers. Many truckers work for mom-and-pop operations--small businesses that simply don't have the financial resources to handle a spike in cost. Many of these businesses and the good-paying jobs that they support won't survive this rule.

And do you know? The real irony here is that the way this ``green'' regulation is structured, it actually undermines its own stated goal of reducing emissions. Think about it. If the price of newer vehicles shoots up, the government is incentivizing businesses to hold on to their older, higher emitting trucks.

So let's tell it like it is. The Biden administration's emissions rule is a political move that won't even be effective. The administration is making an ineffective climate statement at the expense of millions of Americans' livelihoods.

We in the Senate should know that we are not playing a political game of chess. We are dealing with real people. We are not moving pawns. That is why my CRA passed the Senate and the House with bipartisan support, and that is why we need to push back against the President's insistence on playing these regulatory games, because working families don't have the luxury for these games. They are reeling from inflation and economic turmoil caused by this administration.

So I would encourage my colleagues to join me in choosing our economy, our truckers, and, ultimately, the American people over another politically charged mandate from a power-hungry White House.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following speech be printed in the Record.

Madam President, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service, 46 million Americans live in rural areas. This includes 35 percent of the residents in my home State of Nebraska.

Often, in the government, we focus on the majority of Americans living in urban population hubs, but we have just as much of an obligation to the millions of rural citizens in our country.

Communications access is foundational to our quality of life, especially in rural areas where the closest neighbor can be many miles away. And that is what I want to focus on today.

As a member of the Senate Commerce and Agriculture Committees, I have the privilege of regularly advancing communications policy that benefits all Americans, including those in rural areas.

I have led multiple pieces of legislation to improve broadband mapping to benefit unserved rural areas, including the broadband funding map that the President signed into law as part of the bipartisan infrastructure package. It is vital that every last mile and acre of our country has access to reliable internet, whether for telehealth appointments or to make use of the more efficient agricultural technologies.

But broadband isn't the only type of communication rural communities rely on, especially for households without internet service. They rely on television programming to keep updated about the world around them. The well-being of rural Americans and a robust media made up of diverse viewpoints are important to me, and they are important to Nebraskans throughout the State. And access to rural and agricultural programming benefits all Americans.

Farmers and ranchers in Nebraska depend on this content for relevant news, information, and lifestyle programming. We are talking about everything from in-depth reports on weather patterns, agribusiness news, and commodity market swings, western sports, and a lot more.

This programming delivers essential information to producers that directly impacts the way that they manage their operations and the way they plan for the future.

At the same time, Americans on the coasts and in major urban and suburban areas also benefit from programming that helps them understand major issues affecting the country that originate in the heartland. And we both know that rural programming doesn't mean old reruns of ``Green Acres'' or of ``The Beverly Hillbillies.''

Rural and agricultural programmers are in a unique position to educate the public and what it means to be a family farmer or a rancher, on how producers are some of the best stewards of our natural resources, and on what the future of agriculture and producing the food that we all need looks like.

This is one reason that I was pleased, as ranking member of the Rules Committee, to recently approve RFD-TV to be added to the Senate TV network. RFD-TV is one of the preeminent sources of rural news in the country.

Networks like RFD-TV work hard to cover issues affecting the agricultural sector and rural communities. The senior Senator from Minnesota and I approved its addition to the Senate TV network because that unique perspective and that expertise is a must-have here in Washington, where we all work on policies affecting rural America every single day.

And it is not just TV programming that provides critical news and information to rural communities. Millions of Americans use AM radio to stay up to date on what is affecting them.

In Nebraska, we have a long history of farm broadcasters who help farmers and ranchers thrive. Today, there are still over 40 AM stations that are based in my State.

Unfortunately, there are some who have lost sight of the fundamental role broadcast radio plays in rural America. A number of automakers announced plans this year to remove AM broadcast radio access from some of their vehicles.

This would deal a blow to the millions who need AM radio access in order to receive emergency alerts in remote areas as well as to be aware of local news, weather conditions. AM radio is not just a luxury; it is the backbone of our emergency alert system. It can be a question of life or death for people during natural disasters and severe storms.

My colleagues and I are concerned about how this decision will affect the safety of Americans. And that is why we introduced a bicameral, bipartisan bill to preserve AM radio access, despite some automakers' efforts to get rid of it.

Our bill, the AM for Every Vehicle Act, would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a rule that would require all motor vehicles to have access to AM broadcast stations. The legislation is already having an impact. It recently spurred Ford Motor Company to reverse course and to restore access to AM radio in its upcoming car models.

But passing our bill is the only way to prevent other automakers from abandoning AM radio, and it is against the best interests of the millions of people in rural areas where wireless warnings--well, they can be difficult to impossible to receive.

The American people who travel to work and school on rural roads each day are relying on us to ensure that they don't lose access to local news, weather, emergency alerts, and public safety announcements from AM radio.

As Members of the U.S. Senate, we represent millions--millions--of people in rural communities across the country. We cannot let rural voices be set aside while we prioritize other issues.

Let's continue to appreciate rural TV and radio and advance legislation that supports the critical services that they provide.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, this week is National Police Week. It is an opportunity to show our gratitude to the men and women in blue who risk their lives every day for our safety, as well as honor those who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

This Police Week I want to tell a story of a police chief in my home State of Nebraska.

Local broadcast outlet KETV recently interviewed the new police chief of Ashland, a city of about 3,000 on the eastern side of the State. According to KETV, Chief Ryan Brady worked 19 days in a row at one point last year. He logged over 170 hours in a 2-week period. Chief Brady clocked more than 800 overtime hours last year. But he is on salary. So he is not paid for any of it.

I am amazed at Chief Brady's dedication to the job. He works day shifts, night shifts, and picks up his partners' shifts when they get sick.

But why does he have to do all that work? Why does he have to do so much? Well, because his department has encountered a staffing crisis. Between retirements and trouble recruiting, the Ashland Police Department has dwindled down to only a handful of officers.

Chief Brady told KETV:

Somebody's got to work. So the buck stops here. So, you

know, if no one else can work, I work.

I have spoken with police officers and sheriffs all over my State, and I can tell you this is not a problem that is unique to Ashland. No, it is not even a problem unique to Nebraska. Severe police staffing shortages are affecting departments all across our country.

The Police Executive Research Forum found that agencies are losing officers faster than they can hire new ones. There were 47 percent more resignations in 2022 than in 2019, in addition to 19 percent more retirements over the same time period. That means that large groups of officers are leaving the force while few are trickling in. Understaffed staffs are doing their best to keep up with these changes, but there are also roadblocks we can help them remove when it comes to hiring.

Over the past year, I have worked with police departments across Nebraska, as well as national law enforcement groups representing departments across this country. From these conversations, I introduced the Recruit and Retain Act, which would help police departments tackle these staffing roadblocks.

This bipartisan bill would boost officer recruitment opportunities through the Justice Department's Community Oriented Policing Services hiring grants. These grants can keep departments afloat. But recruitment expenses like background checks, psychological evaluations, and other tests are not currently included in the eligible expenses. So this bill would allow COPS grants to cover these specific costs and make it easier to onboard new officers. Reducing the cost of hiring would go a long way in helping law enforcement raise staffing levels.

My bill would also establish the Pipeline Partnership Program, a new initiative aimed at fostering youth interest in law enforcement careers. Departments and local schools would work together to launch mentorship opportunities, job fairs, and other activities that give young people better insight into law enforcement work. This program would bolster community relationships. It would help to open up stronger local hiring pipelines for police departments too.

Finally, the bill would direct the Government Accountability Office to study both the causes of this latest recruitment and retention challenge as well as the effects they have on public safety.

I would like to thank Senator Coons for working with me on this bill for many months, as well as Senators Cornyn and Klobuchar. It was great that we saw the Judiciary Committee pass this bill by voice vote today, and I look forward to its advancement.

I was also glad to join my colleague Senator Cornyn to help introduce two bills that further support law enforcement's tireless work. The Project Safe Neighborhoods Act of 2023 would reauthorize the Project Safe Neighborhoods program through fiscal year 2026. The PSN program is an effective bipartisan solution to violent crime that has been working since 2001.

In Nebraska, PSN coordinates enforcement and prosecution partnerships among Federal, State, and local law enforcement, in addition to involvement with Nebraska communities to bring violent offenders to justice.

The second bill, the Back the Blue Act, would protect police officers by creating new Federal criminal penalties for attacking law enforcement officers. Too often police officers are harmed rather than honored in our country, and it is time that we make a Federal statement that attackers will be punished.

Another vital area to continue addressing is the mental health of our police officers, who face daily strains from the intensity of their jobs. I am planning to reintroduce a bill that would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to create a publicly accessible online dashboard so that organizations, including law enforcement groups, can easily search for Federal funding opportunities that support mental health. Potential applicants would be able to search for the

right mental health grants and track the status of those grants. This bill could truly be a lifeline to officers reeling from staffing issues or difficult cases.

In his interview, Ashland Police Chief Brady said:

I love this community. The hours that I'm putting in are

because of my care for the people.

That dedication is what we honor during National Police Week, but let's not leave our appreciation for our selfless hard-working police officers behind on Saturday when Police Week ends. I urge my colleagues to continue backing the blue throughout the year and, especially, to pass these very critical bills.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, over a decade ago, when President Obama was in office and Apple's iPad was just hitting the market, our intelligence agencies began to notice a disturbing pattern. Chinese- made communications equipment was multiplying across our country, placed on top of cell towers throughout the Midwest.

Equipment made by Chinese State-backed companies like Huawei and ZTE spread across my own home State of Nebraska, as well as nearby Colorado and Montana.

Curiously, these technologies were clustering near critical military locations in midwestern States. Nebraska is home to sensitive areas, like Offutt Air Force Base and a number of nuclear missile silos.

Well, the FBI looked into it. And they discovered that at least one Chinese company--Huawei--was regularly selling its equipment to rural providers at cheap prices that appeared unprofitable. But once installed, the equipment would be located right next to American military assets.

The Chinese Communist Party is actively seeking ways to disrupt Department of Defense communications. And that is why we cannot allow communications equipment made in China next door to our military sites.

This is just one example of the pervasive threat Chinese-made equipment in our communications networks poses to our national security.

We know that the Chinese Communist Party intends to exploit these vulnerabilities for all kinds of activities, including espionage.

That is why, in 2020, the Federal Communications Commission banned the use of its funds to expand or maintain networks containing any Huawei or ZTE equipment. Since then, the Commission banned all equipment authorizations for several Chinese tech firms that pose threats to national security--blocking their imports and sale.

We also passed a law in Congress approving $1.9 billion to secure our communications infrastructure--to rip out the Chinese network gear and replace it with secure equipment.

It has been years, but not all of this dangerous Chinese gear has been replaced. Approximately 24,000 pieces of Chinese-made equipment remain in 8,400 different locations across our country. Nearly all of the 85 companies approved by the FCC are still waiting for that Federal reimbursement money, because they aren't able to pay to replace the technologies without help.

The FCC's program is facing a budget shortfall of $3.08 billion. The sum of money that we first approved based on initial estimates is not going to cut it.

That financial uncertainty means smaller, regional carriers--after being mandated by the Federal Government to rip out the equipment-- won't receive the money they need to replace that high-risk Chinese technology.

I have heard from rural carriers that this basically leaves them with two options: one, go out of business; or, two, to never replace the equipment after they remove it, and, instead, that would reduce the size of their wireless networks.

Either option would be devastating for communities, especially communities in rural areas. We need more, not less, connectivity. And we need more, not fewer, jobs.

That is not just true in Nebraska but across this country.

Think about it. If these carriers go out of business or they reduce coverage, that is going to leave thousands of residents without wireless services--services that are essential for work, emergencies, and life in the 20th century. And people traveling through these vast areas of our country, they often won't have any services either.

Addressing this funding shortfall is urgent. The FCC has a July 15 deadline by which reimbursement requests are due. If Congress doesn't act quickly to fix this issue before that July deadline, there won't be enough funds to cover costs. This would impact communities in 49--49-- States, plus our United States territories.

Without action now, we face incomplete removal of high-risk Chinese equipment from U.S. networks--wasting the money that Congress has already passed.

I have introduced the Defend Our Networks Act to remedy this problem. Protecting our national security is vital, and it is also vital that we ensure the government's response to protect our security does not put smaller companies out of business.

The Defend Our Networks Act does both. It would allocate $3.08 billion of unobligated COVID-19 emergency relief funds to the rip and replace program. That is only 3 percent of the unobligated emergency funds.

I introduced this bill with my colleague Senator Hickenlooper because securing our communications infrastructure, it is a national, it is a bipartisan, issue. The FCC commissioners, including Chairwoman Rosenworcel, have come out in strong support, demonstrating the importance of getting this done. Just a week ago, I had the opportunity to question Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo about this big problem that we have, and she agreed that we must address it immediately.

Over the coming weeks, I expect that we will continue to gain more bipartisan momentum. And I will continue to push for the swift passage of the Defend Our Networks Act, even as standalone legislation.

Spy balloons and secret police stations have recently reminded us of the Chinese Communist Party's sly and underhanded espionage tactics. If we cannot completely remove risky Chinese telecommunications equipment, how can the American people expect us to defend them from the threats that China poses?

We did the right thing when we passed the Secure and Trusted Communication Networks Act to establish the rip and replace program. Now, let's do the right thing again by completing the funding so that we can follow through on what we said we would do.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.