Floor Statements

Mr. President, for the Committee on Armed Services I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators .

Madam President, I rise today in support of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promises to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, also known as the Honoring our PACT Act.

Our Nation asks a great deal of our servicemembers and their families. We ask them to be ready to fight and to win against a wide range of security challenges across the globe. Our Armed Forces know and understand the threats they may face on the battlefield. Unfortunately, servicemembers also face threats that aren't as apparent--exposure to toxic materials. These exposures can result in rare and sometimes fatal medical conditions.

From exposure to Agent Orange to radiation from nuclear tests, veterans have carried an extra burden because of their service. It has too often been a struggle to recognize and address those impacts.

Now, a new generation is dealing with the long-term effects of toxic exposure. Indeed, during their service, up to 3\1/2\ million veterans have been exposed to toxic burn pits. As the name implies, burn pits are pits where all forms of waste, including toxic waste, are disposed of by burning. Our servicemembers lived and worked in close proximity to these burn pits, often without knowing the potential consequences to their long-term health or any way to avoid it.

Since 2009, the Department of Defense has recognized the harm burn

pits can cause. The health consequences are so serious that in the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, within that legislation, we included a provision that says that the only way the Department of Defense can now use a burn pit overseas is if the Secretary of Defense personally issues a waiver. It is an authority that cannot be delegated to anyone else in the Department.

The bill we have before us today would really honor our obligation to care for other veterans by acknowledging the injuries and illnesses they sustain in serving our country and providing them with treatment.

The bill would expand eligibility for VA healthcare for the 3\1/2\ million veterans who were exposed to burn pits. It would also eliminate the burden of proof for veterans for 23 conditions presumed to be caused by toxic exposure. It will create a new framework for the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to evaluate the science around burn pits and establish other presumptive conditions associated with toxic exposure. It will also provide significant resources for the VA to carry out the expansion of benefits in this bill, including provisions on staffing, retention, pay, and leasing of new VA facilities.

Every generation of Americans has had men and women who were willing to serve our country in uniform. As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, I have had the honor of traveling across the globe to meet with our deployed servicemembers, including numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Our servicemembers and our veterans truly represent what is best in our country. We honor and venerate their heroism in combat, but too often in the past, we have overlooked and dismissed the long-term health effects of their service.

This is changing.

With this bill, we will do the right thing for our toxic-exposed and combat veterans and their families. We can ensure that they have access to the care and services they deserve and have earned.

I hope all of my colleagues will join me in supporting this important piece of legislation.

Before I yield the floor, I must recognize the extraordinary work of Senator Jon Tester and Senator Jerry Moran, the chair and ranking member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. This was an extraordinary effort. It was bipartisan. It was motivated by the recognition on both sides of the aisle of the service and sacrifice of thousands and thousands of men and women. But we would not be here today without the undaunted and unflagging dedication of Jon Tester and Jerry. I salute both of them.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have 14 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, on behalf of myself and Senator Inhofe, as chairman and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the cochairs of the Senate Army Caucus, it is our honor to pay tribute to a great leader and exceptional advocate for the U.S. Army, LTG Guy C. Swan III, U.S. Army, Retired, as he retires from his current position as vice president of the Association of the United States Army, AUSA. For the past 10 years, Lieutenant General Swan led education and professional development for AUSA. Lieutenant General Swan exemplifies a lifetime of commitment and service to the Nation and to others.

A 1976 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Lieutenant General Swan was commissioned as a second lieutenant to be an armor officer. Throughout his distinguished career, he was frequently recognized for his exemplary leadership skills, holding command assignments at every level and in many theaters. His career culminated as the commanding general, U.S. Army North/Fifth Army. Along the way, he served in critical staff assignments such as chief of staff and director of operations in Multi-National Forces-Iraq and in high visibility roles including commanding general, Military District of Washington. Placing mission and Nation first, he excelled in every endeavor.

Between assignments leading soldiers, Lieutenant General Swan demonstrated his longstanding commitment to continuous learning. He earned master's degrees in military art and science from the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies and in national security studies from Georgetown University. Seamlessly stitching his knowledge gained in academia with his military experience, Lieutenant General Swan made considerable contributions as a thought leader in national security throughout his career. He served as a national security fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Aspen Institute Homeland Security Group, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency-- FEMA--National Advisory Council.

Following his retirement in December of 2011 from the U.S. Army, Lieutenant General Swan continued to serve in support of soldiers, their families, Army civilians, and veterans as vice president for education at AUSA. Through his committed leadership, vision, and always positive outlook, Lieutenant General Swan responded to ever-changing interests and needs of the Army by expanding and improving AUSA's support for professional development and education. His work also heightened public interest in the appropriate role of the Army in defense of our Nation. His priority programs to achieve these goals included creating AUSA's world-class ``ARMY'' magazine, building a family readiness program that reaches out to Army families worldwide, refocusing AUSA-sponsored writing contests to build critical thinking and research skills in the Army, expanding the AUSA book program to include discussions with authors having expert knowledge on the Army and the Nation's security challenges, and establishing an AUSA fellowship program to provide professional development opportunities for mid-level Army officers. In developing and supporting these diverse efforts, he ensured AUSA made the Army, across all of its components, a more professional and capable organization.

He also continued to give back to his alma mater, West Point, serving as a Presidentially appointed member of its Board of Visitors. In this capacity, he contributed to the development of the next generation of academy graduates entrusted with the privilege of leading American soldiers.

Lieutenant General Swan has served the Nation he loves with great distinction and has been an exemplary leader for the servicemembers, families, and civilians of the Armed Forces. His steady leadership, positive outlook, and professionalism have been a sustaining source of strength for those he has led, coached, mentored, and taught through four decades of service.

On behalf of the Senate and the United States of America, we thank Lieutenant General Swan, his wife Melanie, and their entire family for their commitment, sacrifice, and contributions to our Nation. We join our colleagues in wishing him a long and joyful retirement. Well done.

Mr. President, I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 200, the confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 857, Evelyn Padin, of New Jersey, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of New Jersey. Had I been present, I would have voted yea.

I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 201, the confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 915, Charlotte N. Sweeney, of Colorado, to be U.S. District Judge for the District of Colorado. Had I been present, I would have voted yea.

I was unavoidably absent for rollcall vote No. 202, the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar No. 806, Sandra L. Thompson, of Maryland, to be Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Had I been present, I would have voted yea.

Mr. President, for the Committee on Armed Services I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the RECORDS on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators.

Madam President, soaring fuel prices are impacting every corner of the globe and hitting the pocketbooks of American families and businesses. Today, a gallon of gas costs $4.52--nearly $1.50 more than a year ago. From food to clothing to rent, growing transportation expenses are pushing already rising prices even higher.

Yet, while the American people are taking a hit, while the local mom- and-pop stores pay more for energy and goods, big oil companies are announcing giant profits. They have hit the jackpot.

Over the first 3 months of the year, ExxonMobil reported $5.5 billion in profits, Chevron recorded $6.3 billion, and Shell raked in $9.1 billion--its largest quarterly profit ever. In just 3 months, these three companies made nearly $21 billion in profits.

Now, robust profits are usually a signal for companies to invest in capital and labor and build the foundation for future growth, but Big Oil has different priorities. Rather than increasing business investment or production, these companies have almost uniformly pumped profits directly to their executives and wealthy shareholders.

In February, even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine sent gas prices skyrocketing, the Financial Times reported that seven of the largest oil companies--including Exxon, Chevron, BP, and Shell--were expected to return $38 billion to shareholders through buybacks this year, plus another $50 billion in dividends. Big Oil hasn't hidden its strategy: Hold back production, and rake in the profits.

In a March 2022 survey, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas asked oil executives for the primary reason that publicly traded oil companies were restraining production despite high oil prices. The No. 1 answer they gave, reflecting the view of nearly 60 percent of those surveyed, was that it was ``investor pressure to maintain capital discipline.'' To put it another way, they were saying that they don't want to produce more oil because more production will hasten the end of high oil prices and exorbitant investor profits.

Some oil company executives have been even clearer. Just last month, Chevron's chief financial officer confirmed that the company's top priority is its dividends, not investing in its business, and BP's CFO made similar comments during his company's first quarter earnings call--so much for BP's advertising campaign that it is investing in green energy.

Instead of resuming the production they cut in 2020, oil companies have kept output constrained, turning a 50-percent increase in prices at the pump over the past year into record-setting profits.

Make no mistake, our domestic producers have the capacity to produce more. Indeed, domestic crude oil output is below 2019 levels--that is right, domestic crude oil output is below 2019 levels--and over 12 million acres of leased Federal lands remain untapped.

My Republican colleagues are quick to try to weakly blame President Biden and ``regulation'' for lagging production, but that is not what the oil executives say. Look back at that Dallas Fed survey I mentioned earlier. Only 6 percent of the oil executives surveyed said that ``government regulation'' was the reason they weren't producing more. Sixty percent said it was higher profits. Six percent said it was regulation.

Now, I understand private companies are going to pursue high profits. That is business, that is free enterprise, and that is a competitive market. But when Putin and OPEC have outsized influence on the market, can we really call it a competitive market?

Look, the major oil companies can't control what Putin or OPEC does, but there is no doubt that Putin's war is taking their profits into the stratosphere.

And oil companies clearly think this is a great time for more dividends and more buybacks, not more production, lower prices, and giving the American people a break. In fact, just last month, Exxon announced it would triple its stock buybacks this year and next to $30 billion. Thirty billion dollars is an astonishing number.

One of the things about buybacks is that they essentially raise the price of the company's stock. If you are an executive whose major compensation is stock options, you are giving yourself a huge raise, and that is part of this too. It is self-aggrandizement. It is something that does not square, I think, with the feelings of the American people and also the needs of the American people.

It is clear that the oil companies are not interested in helping Americans on their own, so the Federal Government needs to step in. We need responsible solutions that bring down prices and help families pay for the basics.

We must use every tool at our disposal. I fully support the President's pledge to release a million barrels of oil per day from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help stabilize volatile prices. One can imagine the price at the pump if the President was not doing this. It would be even further in excess of what is, I think, appropriate.

I have introduced the Food and Fuel Family Savings Act, which would provide most households with $600 per person, specifically to cover higher gas and grocery costs this year. My bill would be fully paid for, targeted to those families making under $80,000, and would also ease medium- and long-term inflation by crafting a fairer tax code. Instead of waiting for inflation to disappear, it would provide immediate and real help to Americans.

I have also joined my colleague Senator Whitehouse in introducing legislation to return some of those windfall profits that oil companies are handing out as dividends and buybacks back to consumers.

These are important short-term efforts that will help Americans struggling with higher costs. But to truly lower costs in the long term, we must make the transition to clean energy and break our reliance on Big Oil and hostile foreign actors. I am proud that in Rhode Island, we are leading the way on offshore wind, a good renewable resource that when deployed will lower costs for consumers.

The bipartisan infrastructure law is also making key investments to advance this transition, including over $60 billion primarily for new major clean energy demonstration and deployment programs.

The President has been calling for additional funding to enable this clean energy future. We need a package that includes tax credits and grants that would make clean energy, clean vehicles, and other clean technologies more affordable and competitive.

If we do these things, we will make ourselves less vulnerable to the whims of oil companies and cartels that depend on Americans paying more than they should. We will make our world cleaner, lower costs, and finally achieve the energy independence that we have wanted all along.

One of the many lessons of the past 2 years is that we cannot rely on oil for

plentiful, affordable energy. It is clear that allowing our energy needs to be held hostage by leaders like Vladimir Putin and organizations like OPEC is dangerous, but placing our faith in Big Oil is equally foolhardy given their preoccupation with profits over people.

As we battle inflation, it is the American people, not executives and wealthy shareholders, who should be the focal point of our energy and economic policy.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting policies that will help families now and in the future.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, today I wish to recognize the dedicated public service of Michele Mackin, who retired on April 30 as managing director for contracting and national security acquisitions with the Government Accountability Office.

For 34 years, Michele has helped Congress analyze the Federal Government's largest acquisition programs, from the Air Force's C-17 and C-130 aircraft to the Navy's Littoral Combat Ship, Ford-class aircraft carrier, and Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, along with scores of other systems and related services that the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security have procured to make our Nation safe.

She has also been a leading voice on Federal contracting issues and a vigilant watchdog who consistently brought important issues related to the improper use of contracts to light. In so doing, Michele has obtained the respect of the Members of this body and the deep affection of her colleagues, who for decades have been drawn to her fine example of public service.

Michele has been a trusted voice on this Nation's shipbuilding programs, and Congress has relied greatly on her clear analysis and recommendations to guide us in our oversight role. Since first becoming a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2013, Michele has testified before Congress 11 times for a variety of committees--voicing concern on the Littoral Combat Ship program, raising questions about the Navy's acquisition strategy for the Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, highlighting risks in the Coast Guard's Deepwater program, and advocating for contracting and acquisition reforms at the Departments of Navy, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs.

Michele epitomizes what Congress and the American public value about the Government Accountability Office: the honest broker. In embracing the idea that oversight of programs and contracts represents a sacred trust, Michele has been a tireless, effective advocate for both the American taxpayer and the men and women serving the government's many and varied missions. She has inspired her teams with the notion of stewardship that the American people should get what they have paid for, that government should operate fairly and transparently, and American warfighters should get the capabilities they need to defend this great Nation.

We wish Michele a fond farewell and thank her for her distinguished service to Congress and the American public.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Electric Vehicle Grid, Improvement, and Development Act, which would take important steps to prepare our electric grid for the deployment of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure that is essential to meeting our climate goals.

Our Nation's dependence on fossil fuels has created serious challenges for our security, economy, and environment. The electrification of our transportation system will play a crucial role in confronting those challenges. Indeed, electric vehicles will help reduce our dependence on oil, lower carbon emissions and save Americans money at the pump.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act took great strides in advancing the deployment of electric vehicles. The bill provided $15 billion for electric vehicles, including $7.5 billion to create a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. Of these funds, Rhode Island should receive $23 million for the deployment of new charging stations across the State.

Investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure must be paired with grid readiness measures to ensure we can decarbonize as quickly as possible. To that end, the EV GRID Act would direct the Department of Energy to complete a study on the anticipated demand of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on our electric grid. It would also direct the Department, once the study is completed, to submit a plan with recommendations for policymakers to help the electric system meet demand.

This bill is critical to ensuring a smooth transition toward a cleaner, decarbonized transportation sector. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense legislation.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Electric Vehicle Grid, Improvement, and Development Act, which would take important steps to prepare our electric grid for the deployment of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure that is essential to meeting our climate goals.

Our Nation's dependence on fossil fuels has created serious challenges for our security, economy, and environment. The electrification of our transportation system will play a crucial role in confronting those challenges. Indeed, electric vehicles will help reduce our dependence on oil, lower carbon emissions and save Americans money at the pump.

The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act took great strides in advancing the deployment of electric vehicles. The bill provided $15 billion for electric vehicles, including $7.5 billion to create a national network of electric vehicle charging stations. Of these funds, Rhode Island should receive $23 million for the deployment of new charging stations across the State.

Investments in electric vehicle charging infrastructure must be paired with grid readiness measures to ensure we can decarbonize as quickly as possible. To that end, the EV GRID Act would direct the Department of Energy to complete a study on the anticipated demand of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on our electric grid. It would also direct the Department, once the study is completed, to submit a plan with recommendations for policymakers to help the electric system meet demand.

This bill is critical to ensuring a smooth transition toward a cleaner, decarbonized transportation sector. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense legislation.

Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senators Capito, Van Hollen, and Murkowski in introducing the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research, STAR, Reauthorization Act of 2022. This legislation is an extension of ongoing bipartisan efforts in the Senate over the past decade to get us closer to the goal of hopefully one day curing cancers in children, adolescents, and young adults. Representatives McCaul, Speier, Butterfield, and Kelly are introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

I first started working on this issue after meeting the Haight family from Warwick, RI, in June of 2004. Nancy and Vincent lost their son, Ben, when he was just 9 years old to neuroblastoma, a very aggressive tumor in the brain. The heart-wrenching story of Ben Haight highlights the importance of this legislation. It is my hope that one day Ben's story, and thousands of other children like him, will be one of survival. With the strong support of families like the Haights, I introduced bipartisan legislation that eventually was signed into law in 2008 as the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act--the first effort to provide increased research and improved treatment options for childhood cancers.

Over the last several years, I have also had the pleasure of getting to know Grace Carey and her parents, Rebekah Ham and Russell Carey, of Providence, RI. Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer at 5 years old and stands as a proud survivor of childhood cancer. Grace and her family are powerful advocates in the fight against childhood cancer, having worked with the St. Baldrick's Foundation to support the original Childhood Cancer STAR Act, which I introduced in 2015 with Senator Capito and was signed into law in 2018.

The STAR Act took the next needed steps to advance pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments, while also improving childhood cancer surveillance and providing resources for survivors and those impacted by childhood cancer.

If a treatment is working, doctors elsewhere should know immediately. The same should happen if a treatment isn't working or if other major medical events occur during the course of a particular treatment. It is critical that doctors, nurses, and other providers are able to effectively communicate information about the disease, the treatment process, and what other health and development impacts children can expect to experience. As such, the STAR Act helped build a comprehensive children's cancer biorepository for researchers and improved surveillance of childhood cancer cases. Our reauthorization will build on these efforts and aims to make the biorepository easier for researchers to use, improving access to biospecimens.

In addition, we must do more to ensure that children survive cancer and any late effects so they can live a long, healthy, and productive life. The STAR Act enhanced research on the late effects of childhood cancers, improved collaboration among providers so that doctors are better able to care for this population as they age, and began to explore improved models of care for childhood cancer survivors. Since implementation of the STAR Act, the National Cancer Institute has awarded over $16 million in new survivorship grants. It is critical that we reauthorize the STAR Act to continue funding these vital projects.

I look forward to working with Senators Capito, Van Hollen, Murkowski, as well as Representatives McCaul, Speier, Butterfield, and Kelly, along with advocates like the St. Baldrick's Foundation, to build support for the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act.

Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senators Capito, Van Hollen, and Murkowski in introducing the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research, STAR, Reauthorization Act of 2022. This legislation is an extension of ongoing bipartisan efforts in the Senate over the past decade to get us closer to the goal of hopefully one day curing cancers in children, adolescents, and young adults. Representatives McCaul, Speier, Butterfield, and Kelly are introducing companion legislation in the House of Representatives.

I first started working on this issue after meeting the Haight family from Warwick, RI, in June of 2004. Nancy and Vincent lost their son, Ben, when he was just 9 years old to neuroblastoma, a very aggressive tumor in the brain. The heart-wrenching story of Ben Haight highlights the importance of this legislation. It is my hope that one day Ben's story, and thousands of other children like him, will be one of survival. With the strong support of families like the Haights, I introduced bipartisan legislation that eventually was signed into law in 2008 as the Caroline Pryce Walker Conquer Childhood Cancer Act--the first effort to provide increased research and improved treatment options for childhood cancers.

Over the last several years, I have also had the pleasure of getting to know Grace Carey and her parents, Rebekah Ham and Russell Carey, of Providence, RI. Grace was diagnosed with brain cancer at 5 years old and stands as a proud survivor of childhood cancer. Grace and her family are powerful advocates in the fight against childhood cancer, having worked with the St. Baldrick's Foundation to support the original Childhood Cancer STAR Act, which I introduced in 2015 with Senator Capito and was signed into law in 2018.

The STAR Act took the next needed steps to advance pediatric cancer research and child-focused cancer treatments, while also improving childhood cancer surveillance and providing resources for survivors and those impacted by childhood cancer.

If a treatment is working, doctors elsewhere should know immediately. The same should happen if a treatment isn't working or if other major medical events occur during the course of a particular treatment. It is critical that doctors, nurses, and other providers are able to effectively communicate information about the disease, the treatment process, and what other health and development impacts children can expect to experience. As such, the STAR Act helped build a comprehensive children's cancer biorepository for researchers and improved surveillance of childhood cancer cases. Our reauthorization will build on these efforts and aims to make the biorepository easier for researchers to use, improving access to biospecimens.

In addition, we must do more to ensure that children survive cancer and any late effects so they can live a long, healthy, and productive life. The STAR Act enhanced research on the late effects of childhood cancers, improved collaboration among providers so that doctors are better able to care for this population as they age, and began to explore improved models of care for childhood cancer survivors. Since implementation of the STAR Act, the National Cancer Institute has awarded over $16 million in new survivorship grants. It is critical that we reauthorize the STAR Act to continue funding these vital projects.

I look forward to working with Senators Capito, Van Hollen, Murkowski, as well as Representatives McCaul, Speier, Butterfield, and Kelly, along with advocates like the St. Baldrick's Foundation, to build support for the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act.

Mr. President, for the Committee on Armed Services I report favorably the following nomination lists which were printed in the Records on the dates indicated, and ask unanimous consent, to save the expense of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that these nominations lie at the Secretary's desk for the information of Senators .

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Ship Agent Licensure Act along with my colleague Senator Whitehouse. This legislation seeks to improve supply chain efficiencies and port safety and security by creating a Federal standard and licensure for independent ship agent companies, just as we already do for transportation intermediaries like Freight Forwarders and Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers, NVOCCs.

Ship agents are one of the most important yet least understood stakeholders in the international marine trade supply chain, but in the United States, there is no Federal licensing for these essential players.

A ship agent can best be understood as the general contractor of the port call, tasked by ship owners and charterers with managing thousands of vendors to ensure a safe, secure, and cost efficient port call. This includes coordinating critical Federal Government clearances and inspections for Agencies that include the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, the EPA, USDA, and others. Government officials rely on ship agents to fulfill their critical role of facilitating commerce, and protecting life, property, and the environment. More than any other stakeholder, the ship agent facilitates efficiencies at the Nation's ports of entry, the frontline of the supply chain.

While the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has established minimum international standards for ship agent competency, quality, and fiduciary responsibility, there is no requirement for independent ship agent companies to abide by these, or any set of standards in the United States. Many domestic independent ship agent companies voluntarily certify through third-party accreditation associations in accordance with these international standards, but not all do. When ship agents are not properly trained and do not carry the appropriate bond and insurance, it creates delays and inefficiencies during vessel calls, jeopardizes port entry and clearance, and increases risk for Federal Agencies.

That is why it is critical to require Federal licensing for independent ship agent companies. Indeed, such a licensing requirement represents a unique opportunity for the United States to adopt its own uniform nationwide standards, consistent with the existing international standards, to ensure that ship agents have the knowledge, experience, and skills needed to manage these high stakes vessel calls and help our government agencies fulfill their responsibilities.

I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation.

Mr. President, today, I am introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation with Senator Collins and Senator Merkley and Congressman Sarbanes that targets the fundamental goal of public education, which is to equip the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to understand the world around them and their ability to shape it. In the face of a global climate crisis, it is essential that all students graduate with environmental literacy skills to secure and sustain their future. The No Child Left Inside Act will ensure that our students will have the opportunity to develop environmental literacy.

Environmental education provides broad benefits. It has been shown to enhance student achievement in science and other core subjects and to increase student engagement and critical thinking skills. Moreover, it promotes healthy lifestyles by encouraging kids to get outside.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how vital understanding the environment is to our own health, well-being, and ability to carry out our daily activities. As the pandemic took hold, Rhode Island's environmental educators sprung into action, creating outdoor learning support opportunities and virtual programs for students as they did school from home. We need this to work on a national level for all students.

The No Child Left Inside Act authorizes $150 million annually to supports States in the development and implementation of environmental literacy plans to integrate environmental education and field experiences into the core academic program in public schools, with an emphasis on professional development in environmental education for teachers. With this funding, States will provide grants for partnerships between school districts and parks, natural resource management agencies, educator preparation programs, museums or other organizations with expertise in engaging young people with real world examples of environmental and scientific concepts. The legislation also establishes a pilot program for outdoor school education programs that offer intensive, hands-on learning experiences, such as residential programs and summer camps.

The No Child Left Inside Act will also help coordinate the Federal efforts on environmental education. It requires the Secretary of Education to establish environmental literacy advisory panel to coordinate and report on environmental literacy activities across Federal Agencies. It also will prove easy access to environmental education resources through the Department of Education's website.

The No Child Left Inside Act has the support of nearly 100 organizations, representing educators, parks, museums, environmental organizations, and community-based organizations at the national, State, and local levels. They stand ready and willing to partner with schools across the Nation. The Federal Government should be a partner too. That is why I urge my colleagues to join me in cosponsoring the No Child Left Inside Act.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Food and Fuel Family Savings Act, FFFSA, along with Senator Whitehouse, Senator Feinstein, and Senator Merkley. Price increases, particularly for basic necessities like food and gas, are weakening household buying power and cutting family budgets across the country. Americans are struggling, and it is critically important that we both address the long-term factors driving inflation and support the millions of families facing higher prices right now. That is why we are introducing this legislation, which would provide eligible individuals and families with debit cards to cover higher food and fuel prices in the short term and help tame inflation in the medium and long term.

A number of factors are driving our current bout of inflation. Pandemic-driven supply chain snarls, a surge and shift in demand towards goods, and corporate consolidation have created an imbalance between supply and demand. Energy prices have risen particularly quickly, as OPEC limits output and oil companies refuse to invest in domestic production to meet growing demand. Russia's invasion of Ukraine has also decreased global oil, fertilizer, and wheat supplies, moving prices higher for food and energy. These wide-ranging pressures pushed the Consumer Price Index up 7.9 percent in February--its fastest increase in 40 years.

Hard-working Americans are not at fault for these global price pressures. Yet, these households, which often put a large share of their income towards basic necessities, are being forced to bear the burden of higher costs. Indeed, U.S. grocery prices rose 8.6 percent in February, the largest annual increase in over 40 years, and U.S. gas prices were up a whopping 38 percent. While the wealthiest Americans can afford more expensive everyday goods, higher prices erode working families' buying power and can force them to delay or reduce critically needed purchases. We need to help them.

Our bill would take the burden off the shoulders of working Americans by providing targeted relief to low- and moderate-income individuals and families. It would provide eligible households with debit cards loaded with $600 per family member that work exclusively at grocery stores and gas pumps. The average American household would receive $1,500. Using estimates from Bloomberg economists, this payment should cover the additional $183 the average family will spend each month on food and fuel for the rest of 2022. In other words, our legislation would ensure households can put food on the table and gas in the car this year.

Importantly, this fiscally responsible legislation is fully paid for. In fact, offsets would pay for the cost of the debit cards and slash the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars. More than that, it would tamp down inflation in the medium and long term. Indeed, this bill would help families weather today's inflation while cooling price increases in the years ahead.

Congress must continue working on other measures to foster a stronger, more resilient postpandemic economy. Our legislation would aid these long-term efforts while providing Americans the financial help they need right now.

I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Ship Agent Licensure Act along with my colleague Senator Whitehouse. This legislation seeks to improve supply chain efficiencies and port safety and security by creating a Federal standard and licensure for independent ship agent companies, just as we already do for transportation intermediaries like Freight Forwarders and Non-Vessel Operating Common Carriers, NVOCCs.

Ship agents are one of the most important yet least understood stakeholders in the international marine trade supply chain, but in the United States, there is no Federal licensing for these essential players.

A ship agent can best be understood as the general contractor of the port call, tasked by ship owners and charterers with managing thousands of vendors to ensure a safe, secure, and cost efficient port call. This includes coordinating critical Federal Government clearances and inspections for Agencies that include the Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, the EPA, USDA, and others. Government officials rely on ship agents to fulfill their critical role of facilitating commerce, and protecting life, property, and the environment. More than any other stakeholder, the ship agent facilitates efficiencies at the Nation's ports of entry, the frontline of the supply chain.

While the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development has established minimum international standards for ship agent competency, quality, and fiduciary responsibility, there is no requirement for independent ship agent companies to abide by these, or any set of standards in the United States. Many domestic independent ship agent companies voluntarily certify through third-party accreditation associations in accordance with these international standards, but not all do. When ship agents are not properly trained and do not carry the appropriate bond and insurance, it creates delays and inefficiencies during vessel calls, jeopardizes port entry and clearance, and increases risk for Federal Agencies.

That is why it is critical to require Federal licensing for independent ship agent companies. Indeed, such a licensing requirement represents a unique opportunity for the United States to adopt its own uniform nationwide standards, consistent with the existing international standards, to ensure that ship agents have the knowledge, experience, and skills needed to manage these high stakes vessel calls and help our government agencies fulfill their responsibilities.

I urge our colleagues to join us in supporting this commonsense legislation.