Floor Statements

Mr. President, Idaho small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the lifeblood of our communities, but rising costs and inflation have brought increased challenges to Main Street establishments across our state. This holiday season, I am proud to relaunch Support Local Gems All Season Long, a holiday revival of the statewide Support Local Gems initiative, which encourages Idahoans to do their holiday shopping at the small businesses that make the Gem State special. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor Royal Theaters as one of Idaho's Local Gems.

With two locations in Idaho Falls and one in Blackfoot, Royal Theaters is beloved by southeast Idaho's moviegoers. Kent and Ingrid Lott purchased the Centre Theater, originally a 1913 Vaudeville Theater, in 1993. Once a single-screen theater, the Lotts turned the balcony into a second theater 3 years after its opening. Royal Theaters' second Idaho Falls location boasts four screens, while the Lotts' Blackfoot location houses seven.

The Lotts' passion for the movie business is evident in their renovation projects throughout the years. In 2013, Royal Theaters upgraded the 35mm film projectors to digital projectors. In their latest project, the Lotts remodeled both Idaho Falls locations with stadium seating and VIP seats. For more than 30 years, Royal Theaters has offered a special moviegoing experience for southeast Idaho.

Congratulations to the Lott family and the employees at Royal Theaters. You are an outstanding example of what it means to be one of Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.

Mr. President, Idaho small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the lifeblood of our communities, but rising costs and inflation have brought increased challenges to Main Street establishments across our state. This holiday season, I am proud to relaunch Support Local Gems All Season Long, a holiday revival of the statewide Support Local Gems initiative, to encourage Idahoans to do their holiday shopping at the small businesses that make the Gem State special. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor Vickers Western Store as one of Idaho's Local Gems.

Vickers Western Store has outfitted southeast Idaho cowboys and cowgirls since 1976. Bill Vickers, an Idaho State University alum, opened the western wear store in Pocatello, which offers a vast inventory of apparel, accessories, home decor, a pawn shop, and boot repair operation. Vickers' 22 employees offer the highest quality customer service, enticing customers to come back time and time again. In 2001, Vickers' booming success encouraged Bill to expand and open a second store in Idaho Falls.

Bill Vickers operated Vickers Western Store until he passed away in 2013. Bill enjoyed rodeo, winning All-Around Champion at the Idaho State High School Rodeo Finals, and announcing rodeos throughout the West. Bill was later inducted into the Idaho Cowboy Hall of Fame. In memory of Bill, the Vickers family founded the Billy D. Vickers Memorial Endowment for Idaho State University students passionate about rodeo. Even after Bill's passing, Vickers continues to provide the high-quality, phenomenal customer service he championed and founded the store on. Bill's memory lives on through his family and his store. The Vickers family continues to operate the store in southeast Idaho.

Congratulations to the Vickers family and all of the employees at Vickers Western Store. You are an outstanding example of what it means to be one of Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great state proud, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.

Mr. President, Idaho small businesses are the backbone of our economy and the lifeblood of our communities, but rising costs and inflation have brought increased challenges to Main Street establishments across our State. This holiday season, I am proud to relaunch Support Local Gems All Season Long, a holiday revival of the statewide Support Local Gems initiative, to encourage Idahoans to do their holiday shopping at the small businesses that make the Gem State special. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor White Cross Pharmacy and Compounding as one of Idaho's Local Gems.

In 1922, White Cross Pharmacy opened its first location in Priest River. In its 101-year history, only five owners have ever operated the store, which shows their strong commitment to helping keep our communities happy, healthy, and well-informed. Since 1922, the pharmacy has grown to serve Sandpoint, Oldtown, and Spirit Lake. Today, Gary de Blaquiere, Rich de Blaquiere, and Shannon McGlashan own and operate the pharmacy, which truly stands out by providing student work positions under hard-working pharmacy staff, who diligently serve the community.

Due to its rural Idaho location, White Cross Pharmacy, like many rural pharmacies, plays a vital role in providing healthcare for residents, including the elderly. Rural pharmacies are often the only healthcare facility for miles around. In these towns, the pharmacy employees treat customers like family, and in turn, customers trust pharmacists with critical healthcare services. This is the niche filled by White Cross Pharmacy in Oldtown, Priest River, Spirit Lake, and Sandpoint.

White Cross Pharmacy offers patient services ranging from treatment protocols for minor and self-limiting ailments to advice on over-the- counter remedies to guidance on prescription medication. But the pharmacy is not stopping there because it is looking to add new services to better serve the community. It works to help those in need by donating money to assist those who cannot afford their medications and actively participating in community events and donating to local food banks.

Congratulations to de Blaquiere Enterprises, Inc., and all of the employees at White Cross Pharmacy. You are an outstanding example of what it means to be one of Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Idaho's Ginger ``Mama'' Passarelli and the Soup Ladies, a nonprofit organization she founded to serve first responders fresh meals following Hurricane Katrina. Since 2004, the Soup Ladies have served countless meals to those responding to tragedies across the country.

From hurricanes on the East Coast, wildfires across the West, and tornadoes in the South, Ginger and the Soup Ladies provide fresh meals to first responders, police and fire departments, search and rescue teams, and military personnel. Most recently, the Soup Ladies' pink trucks and trailers traveled to the southern border, where they cooked fresh meals for Border Patrol agents working the frontlines of our illegal immigration crisis. When the Soup Ladies are not responding to national emergencies, they support emergency personnel and law enforcement agents in their local communities. They recognize the important sacrifices first responders make to selflessly serve their communities and support them as they support us.

The Soup Ladies now consist of more than 80 volunteers across the country and serve countless meals each year. All Soup Ladies are certified in crisis management because they meet first responders where they are, on the frontlines. When the Soup Ladies answer a call, they aim to feed at least 100 people on site within an hour. Their favorite recipes include soup, stroganoff, and chicken pot pie for their nutritional value and convenience. In addition to recognition by communities across the country, the Soup Ladies's honorable work has received national attention from Mike Rowe on ``Returning the Favor'' and the Today Show.

Thank you, Mama Passarelli, for your commitment to supporting the emergency personnel, search and rescue teams, military personnel, and law enforcement officials who selflessly serve and protect our citizens. You are truly ``warming the world, one bowl at a time.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to speak for up to 2 minutes and Senator Cardin be permitted to speak for up to 5 minutes prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to this nomination, and I rise in support of our strong support for Israel. I understand it is important to move as quickly as we can to have an ambassador in Jerusalem. We are at an important moment in history with the events in Israel. This makes the stakes so much higher and important that we get it right. I believe it means we should take the time to get it right.

This appointment that has been made is very disappointing. As my colleague just mentioned, it really ignores the fact that the underlying problem here is our policy and policies toward Iran. Certainly, we all talk about Hamas. They have done horrible things. The horrific attack on Israel, where they beheaded babies, killed innocent men and women in their beds sometimes, really, really deserves a response. But it also deserves for us to look at the underlying problem here, which is Iran.

Hamas would not exist if it were not for Iran. Iran arms them, trains them, finances them, and directs them. We all know that. So how does that fit in with this particular appointment?

Well, Mr. Lew did some things which were very much contrary, I believe, to what needs to be done in order for us to redo our policies toward Iran. When it came to the JCPOA--which, as we all know, there was a difference between our side of the aisle and the other side of the aisle on whether we should do the JCPOA or not--Mr. Lew was heavily involved in that. He promised us in the committee that he would not allow Iran to have access to the U.S. financial system. We know, for a fact, that after that, although he denied it, he did, in fact, attempt his very best to have Iran have access to the U.S. financial system. This is borne out by an official report of the U.S. Senate by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. They interviewed the banks that Mr. Lew attempted to twist their arms to give Iran access to the financial system. There was a very detailed investigation that was done on the facts. The facts are contained in this report.

My good friends will say: Oh, but that wasn't a bipartisan report. It is an official report by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. My friends on the other side of the aisle, though, will not deny the facts that are in this report. And the facts are that Mr. Lew is involved in this, as I have described.

I want to support Israel. I think everybody on this floor wants to support Israel. The last thing we need is somebody who is very contrary to our view on how Iran should be handled.

Mr. Lew's response to this was: Well, everybody knew what Obama's policies were, and, therefore, everybody should have known that we would do anything to blindly support the policies.

That is wrong. This is the wrong way to go about it. This is the wrong person, at the wrong time, in the wrong place. We should vote no and support Israel.

Mr. President, I rise in opposition to my friend's motion to discharge this from our committee.

Let me start where he left off. He is asking that we remove our troops from hostilities in Niger. Let me say this as clearly as I can: We have no troops involved in hostilities in Niger. If we did, this would be a big deal and this place would be full and we would be talking about combat operations. We do not have that.

The United States is not involved in combat operations in Niger. We do conduct focused intelligence operations to protect our troops in the region as well as our partners and allies and, most importantly, to monitor threats.

It is inaccurate to equate routine security assistance in counterterrorism operations and monitoring with involvement in hostilities. This incorrect assumption threatens U.S. security assistance around the globe.

A swift U.S. withdrawal from Niger, as proposed in this resolution, would weaken our regional reconnaissance efforts to monitor terrorist activities, which, of course, are in the national security interests of the United States of America and all American citizens. It would also leave the door open for Russia to come in and take over our facilities.

In early 2023, AFRICOM Commander Gen. Michael Langley told Congress that ``Africa is the epicenter of international terrorism,'' an understatement, at best, and something we all knew. Since then, the threat has nothing but grown against U.S. interests and partners in the Sahel. As it has grown, Iran and the Wagner Group, backed by the Kremlin, seek to exploit Sahel's weakness by aligning with military juntas.

Despite the recent coup in Niger weakening the country's security, invoking U.S. restrictions on aid, Niger remains vital for Western counterterrorism in the Sahel and for observation purposes.

America cannot be the policemen of the world, but that does not mean we should not have observation posts, we should not do counterintelligence and national security monitoring, and it doesn't mean that we shouldn't do intelligence operations.

With all due respect to my friend, I know that this is well- intentioned, but the result would be very negative for U.S. national security.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, very briefly to respond to my good friend from Kentucky, first of all, we are not conducting drone strikes out of Niger. We have not. We are not. We will not.

As far as the four troops who were killed in 2017, the good Senator knows that was well investigated; it was not during combat operations that they were killed that U.S. troops were involved in. It was a one- off that certainly was accidental. We are not engaged in hostilities or combat in Niger.

Madam President, I rise today to acknowledge MaryBeth Clare for her significant contributions to the Mountain Home Air Force Base and Idaho's blind community through the AbilityOne Program.

The AbilityOne Program, a partnership with the National Industries for the Blind--NIB--and a network of agencies, give individuals who are blind an opportunity for employment. Employment creates a sense of purpose through hard work and independence. Every individual should have the opportunity to feel this sense of fulfillment, regardless of a disability.

MaryBeth Clare has been a familiar face at the AbilityOne Base Supply Center at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Mountain Home, ID, for more than 3 years. She does not let her loss of vision hinder her creativity or innovation on the sales floor. MaryBeth has made notable efforts to feature AbilityOne products in the store, increasing sales significantly during her time on the base. MaryBeth's hard work has led her to be named a NIB Winner of the 2023 Peter J. Salmon Direct Labor Employee of the Year Award. This honor is well earned.

I commend MaryBeth for her hard work and service at the Mountain Home Air Force Base. You make Idaho proud.

Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Grizzly Bear Review and Resource Restart Act.

The grizzly bear was originally listed under the Endangered Species Act, ESA, in 1975 with the worthy intent to recover the species. The ESA has succeeded and grizzly bear populations have rebounded. However, the overly-broad listing, which covers all of the lower 48 States, has led courts to block the Fish and Wildlife Service from delisting populations which by all measures are recovered and no longer require strict ESA protections.

This has prevented the ESA from being what it is meant to be, a temporary assistance for wildlife recovery. It was never intended to provide a permanent designation for robust species. If enacted, the Grizzly Bear Review and Resource Restart Act will remove the unreachable recovery targets based on the erroneous first listing and allow wildlife managers to focus on areas in the lower 48 which actually host grizzly bears, not the 30 States currently listed where bears never were in the first place.

Giving the opportunity to ``delist and relist'' based on scientific and historic data rather than a panicked first plan from 1975 will help mitigate human-bear interactions, protect rural communities, and emphasize and recenter the role of science in grizzly bear recovery. It will also allow funding and focus to be given where it is needed most: to grizzly bear populations and other species actually at risk.

Madam President, I rise today to introduce the Grizzly Bear Review and Resource Restart Act.

The grizzly bear was originally listed under the Endangered Species Act, ESA, in 1975 with the worthy intent to recover the species. The ESA has succeeded and grizzly bear populations have rebounded. However, the overly-broad listing, which covers all of the lower 48 States, has led courts to block the Fish and Wildlife Service from delisting populations which by all measures are recovered and no longer require strict ESA protections.

This has prevented the ESA from being what it is meant to be, a temporary assistance for wildlife recovery. It was never intended to provide a permanent designation for robust species. If enacted, the Grizzly Bear Review and Resource Restart Act will remove the unreachable recovery targets based on the erroneous first listing and allow wildlife managers to focus on areas in the lower 48 which actually host grizzly bears, not the 30 States currently listed where bears never were in the first place.

Giving the opportunity to ``delist and relist'' based on scientific and historic data rather than a panicked first plan from 1975 will help mitigate human-bear interactions, protect rural communities, and emphasize and recenter the role of science in grizzly bear recovery. It will also allow funding and focus to be given where it is needed most: to grizzly bear populations and other species actually at risk.

Madam President, I rise to speak on behalf of amendment No. 1055, and I am happy to be a cosponsor with Senators Wicker, Kennedy, Hawley, and Sinema. I am pleased we are able to come together on this. Everyone on this floor wants to see that not a penny is wasted in Ukraine or goes where it shouldn't go.

We have several audits going on there right now, as all of us know. This really strengthens the audit function we are doing. These are enhancements that do not duplicate or undermine the current IG structure. The IG structure is currently run by State, USAID, and DOD. This brings them together and puts them under one head.

Unfortunately, the Paul amendment, which we are going to vote on side by side next, would undermine their work. It duplicates the current oversight structure, creates permanent bureaucracy, extends to areas far outside of Ukraine, and tries to superimpose a structure designed for Afghanistan, which was a very different war than what we are involved in now.

Thanks to efforts of Members of both parties, in the past year, we have enacted 39 legislative oversight provisions covering all money that has been appropriated to support Ukraine since the war began. These provisions have led to the completion of 35 oversight evaluations thus far, and another 67 more are planned or underway. To date, there has not been any substantiated evidence of illicit weapons transfer or misuse of U.S. taxpayer dollars.

The special inspector general for Afghanistan that Senator Paul's amendment proposes does not make sense for Ukraine. There are no U.S. forces fighting in Ukraine. Ukraine does not have the same security and defense concerns that Afghanistan did, and the war in Ukraine is dramatically smaller than the other war.

The State, DOD, and USAID have the capacity to do this.

This amendment is a good amendment. I would urge you to vote for this and against the next amendment.

I yield to Senator Wicker.

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

Mr. President, today, the Senate is considering the Chile tax convention. This treaty has been approved by substantial bipartisan majorities in the Foreign Relations Committee in four separate Congresses and has been pending since 2012. It is past time to approve it and provide needed relief to U.S. investors and businesses in Chile.

Without ratifications, Chilean taxes on U.S. company operations in Chile will rise up to 44 percent in 2027 when the special waiver expires. Meanwhile, our competitors with Chilean operations would only pay a 35-percent rate. That includes companies with headquarters in Japan, Canada, Australia, Britain, and, of course, China.

Tax treaties help the business community by minimizing uncertainty and promoting a favorable business environment. A tax convention with Chile eliminates double taxation, provides certainty, and is a natural counterpart to our free-trade agreement with Chile.

This treaty provides tools to ensure U.S. taxpayers will be treated equally and fairly in Chile. It allows them to invest and compete with the knowledge that they will not face discriminatory barriers. The treaty provides tools to help resolve tax disputes between the United States and our tax treaty partners. Without such tools, U.S. investors would have limited ability to resolve these problems on their own. It is not just businesses that will benefit from this treaty; the convention imposes reasonable limits on the amount of tax Chile can impose on U.S. persons who might live or work in Chile. Finally, this treaty will help us prevent tax fraud in Chile.

The tax convention has been held up for a decade. I am pleased that we are finally moving it forward today. I urge my colleagues to approve this Chile convention. It is a treaty, of course, and requires two- thirds vote.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I thank the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee for his work on getting bipartisan agreement on this declaration. This declaration is necessary, given the reservation amending article 23.

The reservation regarding article 23 amends language addressing the scope of double tax relief in connection with income earned by a Chilean subsidiary of a U.S. company. That reservation, which was initiated by the current Treasury Department, calls into question whether article 23 provides sufficient relief for double taxation; specifically, in the case of a U.S. company owning at least 10 percent of a Chilean company, whether the U.S. would provide a credit under the treaty for income taxes paid or accrued to Chile by or on behalf of that U.S. company with respect to earnings that were also subject to U.S. tax under the global intangible low-taxed income, or GILTI, provision enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA.

Although the Treasury Department did not agree to include a specific clarification in the reservation with respect to that question, the declaration in the resolution confirms that Treasury acknowledges that, in light of TCJA's substantial changes to the international provisions of our Tax Code, additional work is needed to evaluate the policy of article 23 and whether it is sufficient in addressing relief from double taxation. In other words, this declaration helps ensure that outstanding questions regarding the scope of double tax relief provided by article 23 are resolved before similar language is used in future tax treaties.

Ranking Member Crapo, can you discuss why such a clarification is so important with respect to future income tax treaties to which the U.S. is a party?

I completely agree with the ranking member of the Finance Committee. I will carefully review and consider future U.S. income tax treaties to both ensure we resolve this important issue and to make sure Treasury follows through on its commitment to further address relief from double taxation in our tax treaties. I thank Ranking Member Crapo for his leadership on this issue, and we will continue to work together to hold Treasury to its commitment.

Mr. President, Idaho small businesses are the backbone of our economy and our communities. These small businesses not only employ friends and neighbors, but they showcase Idaho's creativity and values. Idaho small businesses provide invaluable goods and services and are an intrinsic element of the Gem State. These small businesses deserve to be celebrated for the integral role they play in our communities. I am proud to relaunch Support Local Gems, a statewide initiative, on June 9, to encourage Idahoans to support the small businesses that make the Gem State special. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor Love at First Bite Mercantile as one of Idaho's Small Businesses of the Month for June 2023.

Love at First Bite opened its doors in Idaho Falls in 2009. Despite the recession, Juli and Mike Richards took the opportunity to make their dream a reality. By 2012, they had doubled in size and, in 2019, were able to expand again. Love at First Bite began when Juli and her daughter combined their chocolate and cupcake businesses but has since grown to offer a wide variety of products. In addition to gourmet food items, Love at First Bite is known for their line of specialty oils and vinegars, specialty drinks, home decor, beauty products, and jewelry.

The Richards are active members of the community and regularly contribute their sweet treats to community fundraisers and school events. Each summer, Love at First Bite donates products to local libraries as a tasty incentive for youth reading programs.

Congratulations to Juli and Mike Richards and all of the employees at Love at First Bite Mercantile for being selected as an Idaho Small Business of the Month for June 2023. You are an outstanding example of what it means to be one of Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great State proud, and I look

forward to your continued growth and success.

Mr. President, Idaho small businesses are the backbone of our great State's economy. These small businesses deserve to be celebrated for their great work in preserving the values unique to our communities. I am proud to relaunch Support Local Gems, a statewide initiative, on June 9, to encourage Idahoans to support the small businesses that make the Gem State special. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I am pleased to honor Fancy Pants in Boise as one of Idaho's Small Businesses of the Month for June 2023.

Fancy Pants was established in 2006 in the heart of downtown Boise. Owners Courtney Holden and Jaime Petrilli created a space unlike any other boutique. Their vision was a shop featuring the best pieces your favorite brands have to offer, accompanied with styling advice and shopping assistance.

From the original 1,200-square-foot store to a now double in size and space on the corner of 9th and Idaho, Fancy Pants has built an expansive and loyal customer base for 17 years. Courtney and Jaime carefully curate inventory tailored to fit the diversity of their clients' needs and lifestyles, including pieces by A.L.C., Alice + Olivia, Veronica Beard, Vince, and Rag and Bone.

Fancy Pants is a key member of the small business community of downtown Boise and a proud supporter of local causes including the Women's and Children's Alliance of Boise, Dress for Success, and the Boise Festival of Trees. At the heart of their mission, Courtney and Jaime strive to make everyone feel confident and comfortable. When you are at their store, you will discover hand-selected pieces along with knowledgeable, friendly employees to help you find that perfect pair of jeans. From casual to fancy or trendy to classic, there is something for every occasion.

Congratulations to Courtney Holden, Jaime Petrilli, and all of the employees at Fancy Pants for being selected as an Idaho Small Business of the Month for June 2023. You are an outstanding example of what it means to be one of Idaho's Local Gems. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to your continued growth and success.