Floor Statements

Mr. President, I would also like to speak to Julie Smith and her qualifications to be Ambassador to NATO.

Julie is, really, very well qualified to represent the United States within our biggest and most significant security alliance. Her 25-year career has focused on transatlantic relations and security. She has served the country as Deputy National Security Advisor and Acting National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Biden.

In 2012, she was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense's Medal for Exceptional Public Service. She has worked at some of the country's most esteemed think tanks that address European issues.

As the U.S. confronts challenges around the world, we need to convey our firm commitment to our allies and our alliances. For this reason, it is absolutely critical that we put Julie Smith in place as Ambassador to NATO as soon as possible.

I am really very pleased that those who had a hold on her nomination have finally lifted those holds. It is unfortunate that it has taken so long because, as we look at what is happening in Eastern Europe in particular, and as we look at the migrants who are being used by Belarus--and I assume that Vladimir Putin is behind this, as well, to send those migrants to the Polish border as a way to distract from what is happening in Eastern Europe--clearly, the more equipped NATO is to help deal with those challenges, the better.

If we are going to participate with NATO, we need to have an Ambassador on the ground. It should have happened several months ago, when she was nominated. So I am very pleased that she is going to be able to assume her ambassadorship very soon. As co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, I look forward to working with her in her new role.

But this should serve as a wake-up call to those people in this Chamber who continue to have holds on critical nominees who are important to this country's national security. As I talk to U.S. allies, it is clear that the delay in sending Ambassadors to posts around the world is having a real impact on our relations with our partners; and in the absence of U.S. representation, they are questioning our commitment to our bilateral relationships.

Now, I would like to think that my colleagues who have put these holds on our nominees aren't doing it in an effort to undermine America's security and to undermine this administration in protecting the United States, but, clearly, that is the impact of what they are doing.

I have heard from a lot of my colleagues over the last months about U.S. standing in the world after our withdrawal from Afghanistan. Yet, as they are blocking administration nominees who would work with our allies, who would engage in our shared priorities and values, who would listen to concerns, and who could work together, they are just exacerbating any issues that may exist.

I don't know why they are doing this, but, right now, there are 58 other State Department nominees who are awaiting confirmation on the floor. Every day that passes that we have no Ambassadors in place in countries around the world, our national security is compromised, and I have got a very close-to-home example.

Earlier today, I met with Diane Foley, the mother of James Foley, who was the first American killed by ISIS, and she has done yeoman's work with her foundation to try to help the families of hostages who are being held in countries around the world. She was talking about what we could do to help those families and to do everything to try and help them get their loved ones back--to free the hostages who are being wrongly held around the world.

Well, one of the things we talked about is the fact that, in many of those countries, we don't have Ambassadors because we have holds on those folks who are so important to help those families and to help address American interests in those countries. So what our colleagues are doing by holding up these nominees is undermining the national security of the United States. By grinding to a halt our State Department nominees, a small group of my Republican colleagues has allowed partisan brinkmanship to pervade a critical aspect of our national security.

You know, there was a very important principle established after World War II about partisan politics ending at the water's edge. It is unfortunate that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are not continuing to support that principle.

We are stronger and safer when our diplomatic corps--those individuals who support Americans and U.S. foreign policy around the world--are supported by capable, Senate-vetted, and Senate-confirmed Ambassadors.

So I hope we will see in the coming weeks a willingness of those few people--it is only two or three people on the other side of the aisle who have held people up--to release those holds in the best interests of America and of our security.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss what are, sadly, the harmful impacts of ongoing partisan obstruction in the Senate.

Earlier today, at the Small Business Committee, our colleague, Senator Cardin, who is chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, held a business meeting--I think about the fifth one--to try to advance the nomination of Mr. Dilawar Syed to be the Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

As we know, the Small Business Administration is a very important Agency under the best of circumstances. It does great work, but during this pandemic, for the past year, it has become absolutely indispensable as we tried to address the continuing economic impact of COVID on our small businesses.

In order for it to operate effectively, in order for us to hold the Agency accountable for administering the small business relief programs that Congress has designed to pass, we have an obligation to ensure that the Small Business Administration has a fully functioning and Senate-confirmed leadership team.

Unfortunately, as Senator Cardin and others witnessed just a few hours ago, Republicans, again, on the Small Business Committee--all of the Republicans on the Small Business Committee--have orchestrated a complete blockade of Mr. Syed's nomination, preventing it from even coming to the floor of the Senate for debate and consideration.

And what is so confusing, Mr. President, is that there doesn't seem to be a reason to the Republicans' objections to Mr. Syed. It keeps changing. No one has raised any questions about Mr. Syed's competence or his experience or his suitability to serve as Deputy SBA Administrator.

In fact, several months ago, we tried to advance the nominee in our first effort in a business meeting by a voice vote, and several Republican Members of the Small Business Committee who are now participating in this obstruction voted yes at that time, including the ranking member.

Now it appears that this boycott is part of a pattern by just a handful of Members who simply want to stop any action that would allow the Biden administration to have a full complement of Senate-confirmed officials at critical Federal Agencies so they can then carry out their work as directed by Congress.

Unfortunately, I would also note that this partisan brinkmanship and obstruction doesn't end with domestic and economic matters. I want to point out, again, the dangerously slow confirmation process of our State Department nominees and ambassadors. Again, we have a few Republican Members of the Senate who are not just threatening our economic recovery and the health of our small businesses; they are threatening our national security by slowing the process to schedule nomination hearings for qualified nominees and by placing holds on their confirmation because of their own personal political issues.

I appreciate that some of those issues are very important. Nord Stream 2, I support, but holding these ambassadors, holding these State Department officials is not going to change what happens with Nord Stream 2. All it is going to do is make the United States less effective and less secure in the world.

Today, only 30 Ambassadors have been confirmed by the Senate. This administration had to wait over 200 days--200 days--for its first Ambassador to be confirmed, compared to only 62 days for the previous administration.

For the first 300 days of the previous administration, 55 State Department nominees were confirmed by the Senate. In the first 300 days of Biden's Presidency, the Senate has confirmed one-quarter of that number.

Actions speak louder than words. If our colleagues care about our national security, they would match deeds with words and swiftly confirm the 59 State Department nominees who are awaiting confirmation on the Senate floor.

Unfortunately, the holdup is not only on the floor of the Senate but also in the Foreign Relations Committee. Eleven nominees in committee are awaiting business meetings, and 21 haven't even been able to have a hearing to advocate for themselves and their qualifications.

What is worse from my perspective, the nominations that are being affected by this obstruction are disproportionately women. In a Foreign Service where men still outnumber women and where we are trying to become a more diverse State Department, it is critical that we confirm these qualified women.

Amid increased Russian aggression toward our Ukrainian allies, it is particularly important that we confirm without delay the nominee to be Ambassador to NATO, Julie Smith.

How can we advocate for American interests abroad, how can we represent American citizens abroad, how can we support our economic interests if we don't have people in place who can do that?

When we look at the increasing global threats to the United States, operating with a depleted diplomatic corps jeopardizes our national security. It jeopardizes U.S. interests and the safety of Americans at home and abroad. The political games that are being played by a few Members of this body are risking very serious consequences.

I see my colleague from Ohio, who is the cochair of the Ukrainian Caucus, has come in. Perhaps he would work with me to try to get Julie Smith, our Ambassador to NATO, confirmed so that we have somebody there who can help as we are looking at the crises that are happening in Eastern Europe. I know we can work together in a rational, bipartisan way to address our country's basic needs because we have just seen it. We saw it with the bipartisan infrastructure bill that was just signed this week. Confirming Presidential nominees is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of the Senate. It is the heart of article II in the Constitution.

What we have seen to date is no substantive objection to the nomination of Dilawar Syed to be Deputy SBA Administrator or to the nominations to fill numerous critical national security and foreign policy positions. This is obstruction for obstruction's sake, and it has very real consequences for our country, for our small businesses, and for our national security and foreign policy. I hope that we will be able to work together on both sides of the aisle to address those nominees, who must be confirmed if we are to represent American interests at home and abroad.

Again, I want to thank Chairman Cardin for his hard work as head of the Small Business Committee and for the work that he has done on the Foreign Relations Committee as we have tried to address those people who need to be confirmed. Obviously, he has worked very closely with Senator Menendez, the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee. These are two committees that I have the honor of serving on, and they have historically operated on a very bipartisan, very collaborative basis. That is why it is so disheartening to see the breakdown that is occurring.

I hope that our colleagues will have a change of heart, that we will be able to move forward, and that we will be able to work together. I look forward to doing everything I can to make that happen.

I yield the floor.

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, I rise today to introduce the fiscal year 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, CJS, Appropriations Act. As chair of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, I developed this bill in partnership with my vice chairman, the Senator from Kansas, Jerry Moran. In order to draft this bill, the CJS Subcommittee held substantive hearings, considered 2,084 individual and group requests from 88 Senators, and worked in a bipartisan way to meet the needs of the Nation and our individual States.

The end result is legislation that provides $79.7 billion to invest in important priorities for New Hampshire and the Nation, including funding for key Federal programs that respond to the substance use disorder crisis, help domestic and sexual violence survivors, invest in law enforcement programs, and assist Granite Staters in recovering from the far-reaching consequences of the pandemic.

I am particularly pleased that the bill delivers the greatest funding ever

to Violence Against Women Act programs, as well as substantial funding to help communities and first responders address substance misuse and the climate crisis. But we can't limit our action to the immediate problems of today; we also need an eye towards the future. That is why this bill also invests in American competitiveness on the global stage--ensuring our workforce is poised to lead in scientific innovation and space exploration in the years to come. These priorities are all essential to the success of families and communities across New Hampshire and our Nation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the administration to see this bill signed into law.

I would like to highlight a few specific items included in this legislation.

Highest, funding level ever for Violence Against Women Act Programs. Once again, this subcommittee has provided increases to law enforcement and grant programs that fight gun violence and violent crime. For the fifth year in a row during my tenure on this subcommittee, the CJS bill provides the highest funding level ever for Violence Against Women Act programs, totaling $760 million for the Office on Violence Against Women, OVW. This is a 48-percent increase from last year's funding level and will support training officials to improve services for victims, rape prevention programs, college campus violence prevention programs, domestic violence hotlines and women's shelters, and transitional housing support services. Funding is provided for several new initiatives, including a restorative justice program, a National Deaf Services Line, and special assistant U.S. attorneys to address violence against women in Indian Country.

Critical funding for Department of Justice anti-opioid grants. To combat the substance use disorder epidemic, the bill provides $615 million to help communities and first responders respond to substance crises, including opioid addiction and drug trafficking. This is $73.5 million higher than the fiscal year 2021 funding level and includes $447 million for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, grants. These grants support programs like drug, mental health and veteran treatment courts and substance use disorder treatment programs administered by State and local correctional facilities.

Bolstered funding to support victims of violent crimes and bolstered legal services. This year, we have heard from Crime Victims Fund, CVF, State administrators and victim service providers about the impacts of lower CVF funding. That is why we provided $2.65 billion of spending from the fund this year--$635 million more than last year. This fund provides direct assistance and programs to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes. But I remain concerned that receipts into the fund will not be able to sustain this needed level of spending. That is why the passage of the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act earlier this year was so important.

The bill also provides $515 million for the Legal Services Corporation, which is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the country with counsel on family law, domestic violence, housing and financial fraud.

Support for law enforcement and to enhance police-community relations. Department of Justice law enforcement agencies are funded in the bill $23.8 billion--$1.1 billion more than last year. This increased funding will allow the hiring of additional agents, deputy marshals, intelligence analysts, and other personnel to help keep our communities safe. There is also $640 million for the Byrne-JAG Program, which helps law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire and across the country, strengthens the criminal justice system, and bolsters services for victims of crime. Within Byrne-JAG, $416 million will go to support State and local criminal justice systems, an increase of $56 million more than last year. Additionally, $248 million is allocated for community oriented policing services, COPS, hiring, an increase of $11 million from the fiscal year 2021 level. This program supports State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies' ability to hire, preserve, and/or rehire law enforcement officers and increases community policing efforts.

The bill provides $283 million for State and local law enforcement assistance and COPS Office grant programs to support programs that improve police-community relations. This is an 84-percent increase from last year's funding levels and will support programs on deescalation, implicit bias, crisis intervention, and training to respond to situations where individuals are mentally ill or disabled.

Increased funding for the Economic Development Administration and trade. The bill provides $10.7 billion for the Department of Commerce, of which $395 million is for the Economic Development Administration, EDA, which awards infrastructure and planning grants to communities around the country. This level is an increase of $49 million above the prior year. It is estimated this funding will generate $3.5 billion in local and private investment and support more than 30,000 American jobs this year. EDA has recently awarded grants to Granite State communities for a wide variety of projects ranging from flood control infrastructure in Plymouth to economic development projects in the Monadnock region. The EDA funding also includes $5 million to assist communities recovering from biomass plant closures.

The bill includes $1.5 million for the Bureau of Economic Analysis to continue the annual assessment of the economic value of the outdoor recreation industry--a key sector supporting local economies across New Hampshire. This report, which was created as a result of the enactment of my bipartisan legislation, the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act, provides a comprehensive assessment of the role that outdoor recreation plays in supporting jobs and economic growth, allowing policymakers to craft legislation to further support the sector. The bill also provides $584 million for the International Trade Administration, ITA, which promotes American exports, supports small and medium-sized businesses, and ensures fair trade practices on the global stage. This marks a $43 million increase above fiscal year 2021.

Investments in science and to advance U.S. space exploration, The National Science Foundation, NSF, is funded at $9.49 billion--$1 billion higher than last year's level. This funding will support U.S. competitiveness in key areas like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and climate science, as well as help build an innovative workforce fueled by a diverse pipeline of scientists and engineers. The bill supports the creation of a new technology directorate, similar to what the Senate endorsed in the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, to ensure that research is translated into the technologies and products that will drive economic growth for the next several decades. There is also $1.49 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, to invest in STEM programs that improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and strengthen domestic supply chains, which is a 35-percent increase above fiscal year 2021.

The bill also provides $3 million for NIST to continue research into the prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, n firefighter personal protective equipment--marking a $1 million increase from last year's funding. This research is a key component of my legislation, the Guaranteeing Equipment Safety for Firefighters Act, which was signed into law last year and will help to address concerns regarding firefighters' occupational exposure to PFAS chemicals.

To support America's continued leadership in space, NASA is funded at $24.8 billion. This is $1.5 billion higher than the fiscal year 2021 level and will support climate research, space missions, and the launch of the powerful James Webb Space Telescope. The bill also includes funding to support the International Space Station and returning humans to the Moon. Additionally, within the $7.9 billion for NASA Science, $825.7 million is for NASA Heliophysics, an increase of $74.7 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. The University of New Hampshire is a leading heliophysics research institution, with instruments on 16 of 22 operating heliophysics missions.

Support for ocean research and conservation efforts and weather satellites. The bill provides $730 million to

support National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, research, including critical research to combat the climate crisis, marking a 19-percent increase from 2021. This funding will help coastal communities in New Hampshire and across the Nation bolster their resilience to changing climate, as well as support ocean health and research. In addition, the bill invests in successful job-creating programs, sustainable economic development, and environmental restoration. The bill provides full funding to cover the full cost of at-sea monitoring in the New England groundfish fishery and an increase of $14 million for research and conservation efforts to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, including $10 million to help defray costs paid by the lobster fishing industry to protect right whales. The bill includes $6.5 million specifically targeted for research related to key New England seafood species, including to study the effects of climate change.

Finally, there is $405 million to continue construction of polar weather satellites, which help forecast weather to protect property and economic security for families in New Hampshire and across Nation. One- third of U.S. GDP is affected by climate and weather--from farmers in the North Country trying to protect livestock and crops to climate disasters costing billions of dollars of damage.

Mr. President, these are just a few of the highlights of the fiscal year 2022 CJS bill. While I wish we could consider this bill under regular order, have a conference with the House, and enact it into law, I know the reality is that to finish the work on all 12 appropriations bills by the time the continuing resolution runs out, we will likely be negotiating an omnibus. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to come to agreement with us soon on how to allocate funding among the bills so the Appropriations Committee can get to work. I look forward to working with Senator Moran and our House colleagues to craft a final CJS bill that will assist crime victims, invest in scientific research, and spur innovation in our communities--critical needs that we all support.

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the fiscal year 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, CJS, Appropriations Act. As chair of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, I developed this bill in partnership with my vice chairman, the Senator from Kansas, Jerry Moran. In order to draft this bill, the CJS Subcommittee held substantive hearings, considered 2,084 individual and group requests from 88 Senators, and worked in a bipartisan way to meet the needs of the Nation and our individual States.

The end result is legislation that provides $79.7 billion to invest in important priorities for New Hampshire and the Nation, including funding for key Federal programs that respond to the substance use disorder crisis, help domestic and sexual violence survivors, invest in law enforcement programs, and assist Granite Staters in recovering from the far-reaching consequences of the pandemic.

I am particularly pleased that the bill delivers the greatest funding ever

to Violence Against Women Act programs, as well as substantial funding to help communities and first responders address substance misuse and the climate crisis. But we can't limit our action to the immediate problems of today; we also need an eye towards the future. That is why this bill also invests in American competitiveness on the global stage--ensuring our workforce is poised to lead in scientific innovation and space exploration in the years to come. These priorities are all essential to the success of families and communities across New Hampshire and our Nation, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the administration to see this bill signed into law.

I would like to highlight a few specific items included in this legislation.

Highest, funding level ever for Violence Against Women Act Programs. Once again, this subcommittee has provided increases to law enforcement and grant programs that fight gun violence and violent crime. For the fifth year in a row during my tenure on this subcommittee, the CJS bill provides the highest funding level ever for Violence Against Women Act programs, totaling $760 million for the Office on Violence Against Women, OVW. This is a 48-percent increase from last year's funding level and will support training officials to improve services for victims, rape prevention programs, college campus violence prevention programs, domestic violence hotlines and women's shelters, and transitional housing support services. Funding is provided for several new initiatives, including a restorative justice program, a National Deaf Services Line, and special assistant U.S. attorneys to address violence against women in Indian Country.

Critical funding for Department of Justice anti-opioid grants. To combat the substance use disorder epidemic, the bill provides $615 million to help communities and first responders respond to substance crises, including opioid addiction and drug trafficking. This is $73.5 million higher than the fiscal year 2021 funding level and includes $447 million for Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, CARA, grants. These grants support programs like drug, mental health and veteran treatment courts and substance use disorder treatment programs administered by State and local correctional facilities.

Bolstered funding to support victims of violent crimes and bolstered legal services. This year, we have heard from Crime Victims Fund, CVF, State administrators and victim service providers about the impacts of lower CVF funding. That is why we provided $2.65 billion of spending from the fund this year--$635 million more than last year. This fund provides direct assistance and programs to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, human trafficking, and other violent crimes. But I remain concerned that receipts into the fund will not be able to sustain this needed level of spending. That is why the passage of the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act earlier this year was so important.

The bill also provides $515 million for the Legal Services Corporation, which is the largest funder of civil legal aid in the country with counsel on family law, domestic violence, housing and financial fraud.

Support for law enforcement and to enhance police-community relations. Department of Justice law enforcement agencies are funded in the bill $23.8 billion--$1.1 billion more than last year. This increased funding will allow the hiring of additional agents, deputy marshals, intelligence analysts, and other personnel to help keep our communities safe. There is also $640 million for the Byrne-JAG Program, which helps law enforcement agencies in New Hampshire and across the country, strengthens the criminal justice system, and bolsters services for victims of crime. Within Byrne-JAG, $416 million will go to support State and local criminal justice systems, an increase of $56 million more than last year. Additionally, $248 million is allocated for community oriented policing services, COPS, hiring, an increase of $11 million from the fiscal year 2021 level. This program supports State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies' ability to hire, preserve, and/or rehire law enforcement officers and increases community policing efforts.

The bill provides $283 million for State and local law enforcement assistance and COPS Office grant programs to support programs that improve police-community relations. This is an 84-percent increase from last year's funding levels and will support programs on deescalation, implicit bias, crisis intervention, and training to respond to situations where individuals are mentally ill or disabled.

Increased funding for the Economic Development Administration and trade. The bill provides $10.7 billion for the Department of Commerce, of which $395 million is for the Economic Development Administration, EDA, which awards infrastructure and planning grants to communities around the country. This level is an increase of $49 million above the prior year. It is estimated this funding will generate $3.5 billion in local and private investment and support more than 30,000 American jobs this year. EDA has recently awarded grants to Granite State communities for a wide variety of projects ranging from flood control infrastructure in Plymouth to economic development projects in the Monadnock region. The EDA funding also includes $5 million to assist communities recovering from biomass plant closures.

The bill includes $1.5 million for the Bureau of Economic Analysis to continue the annual assessment of the economic value of the outdoor recreation industry--a key sector supporting local economies across New Hampshire. This report, which was created as a result of the enactment of my bipartisan legislation, the Outdoor Recreation Jobs and Economic Impact Act, provides a comprehensive assessment of the role that outdoor recreation plays in supporting jobs and economic growth, allowing policymakers to craft legislation to further support the sector. The bill also provides $584 million for the International Trade Administration, ITA, which promotes American exports, supports small and medium-sized businesses, and ensures fair trade practices on the global stage. This marks a $43 million increase above fiscal year 2021.

Investments in science and to advance U.S. space exploration, The National Science Foundation, NSF, is funded at $9.49 billion--$1 billion higher than last year's level. This funding will support U.S. competitiveness in key areas like quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and climate science, as well as help build an innovative workforce fueled by a diverse pipeline of scientists and engineers. The bill supports the creation of a new technology directorate, similar to what the Senate endorsed in the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, to ensure that research is translated into the technologies and products that will drive economic growth for the next several decades. There is also $1.49 billion for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, to invest in STEM programs that improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturers and strengthen domestic supply chains, which is a 35-percent increase above fiscal year 2021.

The bill also provides $3 million for NIST to continue research into the prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, PFAS, n firefighter personal protective equipment--marking a $1 million increase from last year's funding. This research is a key component of my legislation, the Guaranteeing Equipment Safety for Firefighters Act, which was signed into law last year and will help to address concerns regarding firefighters' occupational exposure to PFAS chemicals.

To support America's continued leadership in space, NASA is funded at $24.8 billion. This is $1.5 billion higher than the fiscal year 2021 level and will support climate research, space missions, and the launch of the powerful James Webb Space Telescope. The bill also includes funding to support the International Space Station and returning humans to the Moon. Additionally, within the $7.9 billion for NASA Science, $825.7 million is for NASA Heliophysics, an increase of $74.7 million above the fiscal year 2021 level. The University of New Hampshire is a leading heliophysics research institution, with instruments on 16 of 22 operating heliophysics missions.

Support for ocean research and conservation efforts and weather satellites. The bill provides $730 million to

support National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, research, including critical research to combat the climate crisis, marking a 19-percent increase from 2021. This funding will help coastal communities in New Hampshire and across the Nation bolster their resilience to changing climate, as well as support ocean health and research. In addition, the bill invests in successful job-creating programs, sustainable economic development, and environmental restoration. The bill provides full funding to cover the full cost of at-sea monitoring in the New England groundfish fishery and an increase of $14 million for research and conservation efforts to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale, including $10 million to help defray costs paid by the lobster fishing industry to protect right whales. The bill includes $6.5 million specifically targeted for research related to key New England seafood species, including to study the effects of climate change.

Finally, there is $405 million to continue construction of polar weather satellites, which help forecast weather to protect property and economic security for families in New Hampshire and across Nation. One- third of U.S. GDP is affected by climate and weather--from farmers in the North Country trying to protect livestock and crops to climate disasters costing billions of dollars of damage.

Mr. President, these are just a few of the highlights of the fiscal year 2022 CJS bill. While I wish we could consider this bill under regular order, have a conference with the House, and enact it into law, I know the reality is that to finish the work on all 12 appropriations bills by the time the continuing resolution runs out, we will likely be negotiating an omnibus. I urge my colleagues across the aisle to come to agreement with us soon on how to allocate funding among the bills so the Appropriations Committee can get to work. I look forward to working with Senator Moran and our House colleagues to craft a final CJS bill that will assist crime victims, invest in scientific research, and spur innovation in our communities--critical needs that we all support.

Mr. President, I think the Senator from Ohio is mistaken. In fact, this would--the Afghan refugees who are coming here are going to be properly vetted.

In a September 2 letter led by Senator Cotton, he said that ``[o]ur immediate priority is the safety and well-being of American citizens, permanent residents, and allies who were left behind in Afghanistan.''

But it seems that that concern for our allies only extends so far for Senator Cotton and this amendment. As our Afghan allies are being brought into the United States on humanitarian parole, he wants to limit their ability to settle into a new life.

We need to vote no on this amendment.

Madam President, I rise today to honor the life of Christopher Cartwright, who passed away in May 2021, at age 52. Chris was a dedicated civil servant with a brilliant mind, a vast well of patience, and boundless compassion. He spent most of his 30-year career with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and served most recently as the Director of NOAA's Budget Office.

Chris created an environment of trust and collegiality everywhere he went. He was unflappable in navigating the budget and appropriations process and always applied a calm and thoughtful approach to achieving NOAA's mission. Through it all, Chris was unfailingly kind and humble. His gentle leadership inspired his team and those around him to be better people, leaders, and public servants.

Chris was a proud graduate of Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, where last year he had the honor of leading the graduating class in recitation of the Athenian Oath. True to the oath he held so dear, Chris ``strived unceasingly to quicken the public sense of civic duty.'' We are grateful for his service.

I appreciate my colleague from Texas being willing to turn over the floor so that I can give my remarks.

Mr. President, I am here today to discuss my concerns about the ongoing partisan obstruction in the Senate. First, as everyone here knows, September 30 is the end of the current fiscal year, and without action by the Senate on a continuing resolution--the mechanism to continue to fund the government--our government is going to shut down at midnight on the 1st.

So what happens if we don't pass that continuing resolution and the government shuts down? Well, critical operations will shutter. We have seen this picture before. Our national parks will close. We can tell our government researchers, including Nobel Prize-winning scientists, to leave their labs, and we would be doing this in the middle of the greatest health crisis of our lifetime.

A government shutdown also means that we ask essential Federal workers to work without pay. FBI agents, Border Patrol agents, TSA workers, weather forecasters, and others would be forced to continue their essential work, and they would be doing it for IOUs. We would promise them we would pay them, but there is no guarantee.

Now, it is puzzling to me because other countries don't do this to themselves. Government shutdowns put America behind. Look at the government shutdown that we had that went from December 2018 to January 2019, the longest government shutdown in our history. While our space scientists were at home, China landed the first rover on the dark side of the Moon--something that we had not done.

The continuing resolution before us also includes resources that will help Americans whose homes were flooded, homes were destroyed by raging wildfires or by hurricanes, including Hurricane Irma. They deserve our help, not more political infighting or partisan bickering.

We also owe it to our Afghan allies, who put their lives on the line to assist U.S. soldiers, to pass this bill. It contains critical assistance to help them resettle after facing imminent danger from the Taliban.

So from emergency housing assistance to resources for health screenings, job training, and other essential services, we can't let our allies down. We have already let some of them down because we weren't able to get everyone out of Afghanistan, and we are still working on that. But to then say ``You are on your own'' despite years of helping the United States? That is just patently unfair.

Secondly, as we are discussing the continuing resolution and keeping the government open, one of the things that our colleagues, our Republican colleagues, have said is that they are not going to increase the debt limit. I think we in Congress have a solemn obligation to protect the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government.

Treasury Secretary Yellen has told Congress that the Treasury will exhaust extraordinary measures that they have been using to pay our Nation's bills sometime next month. And let's be clear. The prospect of the first-ever default on our Nation's debt obligations would be disastrous for our economy at a time when we can least afford it.

Raising the debt ceiling is not about whether or not we should spend more money or incur more debt; raising the debt ceiling is about paying the bills we already owe, the bills that come due from the previous administration.

Minority Leader McConnell himself has voted to increase or suspend the debt limit 32 times. And when President Trump was in office, Democrats in this Chamber--and I was one of them--supported raising the debt ceiling three times because we understand that it is grossly irresponsible for us to renege on obligations that our government has already incurred.

As a former Governor, one of the worst fears I had as New Hampshire went through challenging times during a recession, during a court- ordered change in how we funded our schools, was that the State would have its bond rating lowered. That would mean we would have to pay more on money owed. It would have an impact on everyone in New Hampshire. This is sort of the equivalent of having the bond rating lowered for New Hampshire, only 100 times, 1,000 times over. No; this is that on steroids.

Now, because we have a Democratic President, Republicans are saying they won't lift a finger to prevent this catastrophic outcome for our economy, for our currency, for the full faith and credit of the United States of America. This is not a game. The stability of our economy and the financial security of working Americans are at stake, and we have an obligation to pass legislation that has been sent to us by the House to keep our government open and to raise the debt limit. This isn't just about the United States; this has implications for our entire global financial system.

Sadly, Mr. President, the partisan brinkmanship and obstruction doesn't end with domestic and economic matters. I am also very concerned about the dangerously slow confirmation process of our State Department nominees and Ambassadors. What we have seen is a few Members of this body who are threatening our national security by slowing the process to schedule nomination hearings for qualified nominees, preventing votes on those State Department nominees who have

been approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Today, only two Ambassadors have been confirmed by the Senate. This administration has had to wait over 200 days for its first Ambassador to be confirmed, compared to only 62 days for the previous administration. For the first 300 days of the previous administration, 55 State Department nominees were confirmed by the Senate, and now, as we approach the first 300 days of the Biden Presidency, this Senate has only confirmed 14 appointees.

Now, I agree with my colleague from Texas about the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline. I think we need to sanction it. But I am not willing to shut down the government, to allow the actions of this government to grind to a halt because I am concerned about that issue.

If Senators are concerned about our national security, they would match deeds with words and confirm career State Department nominees who have been waiting for months. When we look at the increasing global threats to the United States, operating with a depleted diplomatic corps jeopardizes our national security, U.S. interests, and the safety of Americans at home and abroad.

These political games are really risking serious consequences. It must stop. I know we can work together in a rational, bipartisan way to address the country's needs. I have seen it. I believe my colleagues who are holding things up love this country, but I am concerned that their actions don't show that they love the country.

There is no excuse for delaying or hindering the basic functions this legislative body is constituted to perform, and I urge all of our colleagues to join us, to get to work. Let's get this done. Maybe, if we do that, we can address some of the other concerns that we have that we ought to be able to work together and compromise to get done. That is what I am going to continue to try to do, Mr. President.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

I had intended to come to the floor earlier today with Senator Grassley so that we could talk about our legislation that we are introducing this week, that would build upon our efforts to protect the survivors of sexual assault in the criminal justice system.

Unfortunately, I got delayed, but Senator Grassley was here on the floor. I want to recognize all of his efforts to address this critical issue, and appreciate, again, his willingness to work with me.

The effort to extend rights for sexual assault survivors across the country is critically important, and I am hopeful that when the bill that we introduced gets to the floor, that all of our colleagues will join us in passing this bipartisan legislation.

I first became involved in the precursor to this legislation in 2015, when a young woman named Amanda Nguyen of the Rise organization contacted my office. She had been traveling from office to office here in the Senate, trying to find somebody to listen to her story.

Amanda is a survivor of sexual assault, and she is a fierce advocate for change in the way our criminal justice system treats survivors. When she detailed her harrowing story of sexual assault and subsequent interactions with the criminal justice system, it was very clear something had to change.

Amanda described a system that further traumatized survivors and provided scarce protection of their rights. Evidence of assaults was being destroyed without survivors even knowing about it, and survivors were forced to periodically follow up with law enforcement to preserve evidence of their assaults.

The broken process that survivors were forced to endure resulted in a system where they were often revictimized. This system forced survivors to confront the trauma of reliving their attacks each time they sought to preserve evidence or gather information about their cases.

Working with Amanda, I introduced the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act to ensure survivors were guaranteed basic rights while pursuing justice. The legislation created the first legally recognized set of rights for survivors to enforce in a court of law.

I am so grateful that Senator Grassley worked on this effort with me, and he included the legislation in the Adam Walsh Reauthorization Act so that it could be signed into law.

The legislation that we passed back in 2015-2016 provided survivors with greater protections in Federal cases with a focus on notice, access, and the preservation of sexual assault evidence collection kits.

By creating this set of court-enforceable rights at the Federal level, Congress established a model for all States to adopt similar legislation to protect the rights of survivors. And that has happened in many States, including in my home State of New Hampshire. States have adopted legislation to guarantee survivors certain basic rights in the criminal justice system.

Unfortunately, we have a lot of other States that have not followed suit and don't have legislation that protects survivors. That is why the bill that Senator Grassley and I came to the floor today to discuss is just so important.

The Survivors' Bill of Rights in the States Act would establish a grant program accessible to States that have in place a law which guarantees the rights contained in the Sexual Assault Survivors' Rights Act. States could then use the funds to implement survivor rights, preserve sexual assault evidence collection kits, reduce the backlog of kits, and provide support for victim services.

Now is the time to pass this legislation. The risk of sexual assault and domestic violence has increased during this coronavirus pandemic. We can look at any of the statistics and they show us that

We need to ensure that States provide the same level of protection for these survivors as they receive at the Federal level. No survivor should be compelled to bear the indignity of petitioning law enforcement merely to ensure that they are given a fair shake in the criminal justice process.

It is my hope that this legislation will lead to an increase in States passing bills that protect survivors' rights. Let's again show survivors that Congress is behind them and that we will stand up for their rights. Let's pass the Survivors' Bill of Rights in the States Act.

Again, I want to thank Senator Grassley for all of his efforts. I hope together, with the support of other sponsors in this body, that we can get this bill across the finish line.

Senator Wicker, that is my understanding.

Madam President, I am here on the floor today to speak in support of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is the bipartisan legislation that is before the Chamber that will make historic investments in our Nation's core infrastructure, and I am pleased to follow my colleague and friend from Utah, Senator Romney, who was one of those whom I worked with to help negotiate this package.

This is historic legislation that provides $550 billion in new Federal investments over the next 5 years to respond to the needs that are facing our country. This bill will rebuild crumbling roads and bridges and tunnels across the country. It will provide clean drinking water in homes and address harmful contaminants. It will increase connectivity in our communities to bring broadband to even the most rural parts of our country. It will prioritize sustainable solutions to improve our infrastructure systems for future generations. And it will combat climate change by making the monumental investments in our clean energy grid and electric vehicle infrastructure that we must make.

Now, this bill was a long time in the making, as I am sure my colleague from Utah would agree. Over the past 3 months, there have been many late nights, early mornings, and countless conversations about how to make the best use of this opportunity to invest in our Nation's infrastructure.

I very much appreciate the continued good faith and negotiations from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and the White House and the leadership of Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Rob Portman to deliver this bipartisan infrastructure agreement. I also appreciate the work of the chairs and ranking members of relevant Senate committees who laid the foundation for so much of the bipartisan work that has gone into this bill, as well as the leadership of both parties for giving us the space and time to get this agreement to the floor

Now, I could spend all day talking about the many aspects of this legislation that meaningfully invest in our communities and in our country, but today I want to specifically talk about two key areas that I worked on. Both of these issues, water and broadband, speak to the critical needs in New Hampshire and across the country.

Water and wastewater infrastructure is one of the major investments we make in this bill, with $55 billion invested in this area. Now, no parent should have to worry about the safety of their family's water when they turn on the tap, but, unfortunately, as most of us know, this is not the case for too many Americans, because compromised water supplies, due in part to our rundown water infrastructure, is an issue across this country and in some places in New Hampshire.

This was a problem for decades before the pandemic hit, but looking at a crisis like COVID-19 has illustrated just how basic and essential clean and safe drinking water is for our communities. Righting this wrong starts with investing in our water systems, which have been severely underfunded for too long.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, drinking water utilities will need to invest $472.6 billion over the next 20 years in order to provide safe and sufficient drinking water to the American public. Well, fortunately, we have a big chunk of that as a down payment in this proposal. And earlier this year, the Senate passed overwhelmingly, on a bipartisan vote, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act. That bill makes a historic investment in our water infrastructure through authorizations. And in addition to putting significant funding toward that effort, the bipartisan infrastructure package before us includes $15 billion to replace lead service lines, which is a huge public health priority, and it is an issue that has long plagued communities across this country.

Another real public health concern that is addressed in this bill is the presence of per- and polyfluoralkyl substances, or PFAS, in our water supplies. Preventing exposure, cleaning up contaminated sites, and understanding the full scope of the health implications associated with these chemicals is critical for so many affected by PFAS in their water.

As I have heard again and again from New Hampshire families, discovering that you have been drinking contaminated water can produce a range of emotions from anger and fear to guilt. That is what I heard from so many parents who had children at the former Pease Air Force Base, where they were in childcare, and parents thought they were safe in those childcare centers. But they found out that they had been drinking water contaminated with PFAS. That contamination at the former Pease Air Force Base forced the city of Portsmouth to shut off three drinking water wells in 2014. The contamination was created by the use of firefighting foam by the Air Force when Pease was an Air Force base.

One of those wells that was shut down, the Haven well, has just come back online this week, after 7 years. It was inoperable for 7 years.

PFAS contamination surrounding the Saint-Gobain manufacturing plant in Merrimack, NH, and in areas around the Coakley Landfill Superfund site in the Seacoast create an ongoing worry for Granite State families also because of PFAS contamination. So you can imagine what those parents felt like when they found out that their children had an elevated level of PFAS in their bloodstream, and they didn't really understand what that meant.

I remember talking to one mother who told me she had taken her daughter to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center for her health exam, and she talked to the doctor about the elevated levels of PFAS in her blood. She said: The doctor didn't know what I was talking about, because this is an emerging contaminant.

But thanks to the work of so many of those affected--people like Andrea Amico in Portsmouth, who helped found a group called Testing for Pease, and folks involved with the Merrimack Citizens for Clean Water-- they have raised awareness and worked to find solutions to clean up our drinking water. We owe it to them, to all of those families affected by PFAS and contaminated water supplies, a serious commitment to stop this problem where it starts and to give them the peace of mind that they so deserve. The comprehensive measures to address our water infrastructure that are contained in this historic bill will help do just that.

Now, water infrastructure is a serious issue that New Hampshire shares with many other States throughout the country. Like water, another shared issue is access to broadband or high-speed internet service.

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic--just as I highlighted the challenge of not having enough access to clean water--highlighted just how important it is for our communities to have fast and reliable access to the internet. Whether we like it or not, we live in a digital world. We all relied on that digital world more than ever during the COVID crisis so that our kids could go to school, so our grandparents and families could keep their medical

appointments, and so our businesses could stay afloat. Of course, even before the pandemic started, the digital divide created an equity issue that deepened disparities in education, health, and business.

If you live in a community in northern New Hampshire, how can you attract business to your community if you don't have access to high- speed internet, if the business can't open a website and tell people what they do?

Just last month, I met with representatives from several towns in southwestern New Hampshire, another part of our State where they have been struggling to bring high-speed internet service to their residents. Due to their rural nature, these towns and others like them are unable to attract a provider to work with them. About a quarter of those that live in these towns are considered unserved and far more are underserved.

At that session, I talked to a woman named Molly Miller. She is a telecommunications committee member from Hancock, NH, a town with about 1,600 residents. She talked about the challenges that her family had experienced trying to work and do school from home during the pandemic. She said everyone had to disconnect while her youngest son was participating in college classes, and she shared a story about her son. She said: He was unable to turn in his final exam from one of his courses because the file was too large. He couldn't print it because they didn't have enough speed--download speed in their house. By the time he made it to the library to print out the file, it was too late. His exam was not accepted.

That is just the kind of everyday challenges that families, who don't have access to high-speed internet, face. And broadband access isn't a partisan priority. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the need for significant investments to ensure that all of our workers, our students, and our families are able to connect to the critical resources that are provided by the internet.

This infrastructure bill commits $65 billion to bring high-speed internet to communities in New Hampshire and all across the country. These bold investments are what we need to create jobs, to enhance the safety of our infrastructure networks, and to improve this Nation's competitiveness.

Now, had I written the bill before us on my own, I am sure, like everyone in this Chamber, it would have included different priorities than what is before us in some cases. But, as we know, that is not how the give and take of negotiations work. It is not how compromise works. You give and you get. And the fact is that New Hampshire and the United States are going to get a whole lot in this infrastructure package.

We also know that legislation that has broad bipartisan support stands a better chance at lasting longer without threats of being repealed or reversed. President Biden supports this package, and we have received strong support across the aisle through the procedural votes that we have had so far.

I am proud to have worked with my colleagues to help craft this bipartisan bill, and over the coming days, I know that I will work with even more people in this Chamber as we try and move this legislation through the Senate. Thank you. I look forward to a strong, positive vote by the end of this week.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, I rise to urge my colleagues to vote against this Barrasso amendment because there is nothing in the underlying provision that would in any way promote prohibiting natural gas, and that is what Senator Barrasso is suggesting is in the bill.

Now, if it were such as Senator Barrasso says, I don't think we would have received strong letters of support for this specific provision from both the National Association of Home Builders and the American Gas Association.

I have the letters right here. I would actually like to read from the Home Builders' letter.

The Home Builders support section 5101, which was the original section in the Energy bill as it passed the committee.

Cost-Effective codes implementation for efficiency and

resiliency.

And this is the important point:

This section promotes technical assistance and funding for

code adoption while maintaining the flexibility for state and

local governments to deliver safe, energy efficient, and

affordable housing.

Why would we want to get in the way of what States and communities are already doing?

I ask unanimous consent that both of these letters be printed in the Record

As many of my colleagues know, it is unprecedented to get the American Gas Association, the National Association of Home Builders, and the energy efficiency advocates all in agreement, and that is the result of the extensive negotiations that went into this section of the bill that Senator Barrasso would overturn.

Now, Energy Chairman Manchin wasn't able to get here to speak to this provision and this amendment, but he opposes it. And if he were here, he would say: ``Let's not mess with a good thing.''

This provision doesn't ban--it doesn't even touch natural gas. So I strongly support the bill as written and urge my colleagues to vote no on this amendment.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote that is scheduled begin immediately.

Mr. President, I am very proud to be here with the rest of my colleagues to present this bill that will make the biggest investment in infrastructure, as Senator Collins said so well, since the Interstate Highway System back in the 1950s.

This is really an extraordinary work product that results from the leadership of Senators Sinema and Portman and from the cooperation of everybody on this floor. There were an equal number of Democrats and Republicans--a number who are not here tonight who have worked on this bill--the work of committee chairs and ranking members in the Senate who have done so much to put together underlying bills that we used in moving this forward and, of course, all of the staff from our personal offices, from the Appropriations Committee, from all of the committees that worked on this bill.

As has been said, this is the biggest investment in infrastructure with $550 million--billion in new spending over the next 5 years. It builds on annual appropriations. It is an investment in roads and bridges, in water and wastewater, and transit, the electric grid.

We have got to do this because right now we are investing less than our competitors--less than China, less than India, less than Europe; less than we were spending in the United States in the 1960s. And if we are going to stay competitive, if we are going to provide opportunities for the people in this country, we have got to make these investments.

As my partner in broadband said, if kids are going to have an equal opportunity for the future, then they need to have access to high-speed internet.

More important, I think, is the point that all of my colleagues so far have made, and that is that this bill shows that Republicans and Democrats can work together to address the needs of this country; that our government is not broken. We can make it work if everybody works together.

So I know we have a lot of work ahead of us to get this bill through the floor of the Senate and then through the House, and get the help out to the American people. But I know that in this Chamber we are committed to getting that done and to making sure that we make these investments to move the country forward.

So thank you, Mr. President.

I yield to my colleague from Alaska, Senator Murkowski.

Madam President, nearly 20 years ago, the United States invaded Afghanistan to prevent that country from being exploited as a platform for terrorism and extremism. In doing so, the U.S. worked side-by-side with international and Afghan forces to remove the Taliban from power, facilitate democratic elections, build democratic institutions, and promote human rights throughout Afghanistan. Because of these efforts and the commitment and dedication of the Afghan people, the Afghanistan of 2021 is far different than the Afghanistan of 2001. And now that Afghanistan has made this progress, we must work with our Afghan partners to do everything in our power to preserve these gains and leave a stable country behind us. It is both a moral obligation and a national security priority that we do so.

As U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan, the safety and security of our Afghan allies who put their lives on the line to help our servicemembers and diplomats must be a top priority. This is about fulfilling a sacred promise that we made to those who served the U.S.- led mission in Afghanistan. It is a service that many Afghans have already paid for with their lives. Like U.S. personnel, our Afghan partners

died on the battlefield alongside Americans. But unlike our own servicemembers, when the Afghans went home, they were not safe from danger.

Earlier this year, National Public Radio shared the story of ``Mohammad'' and his family. ``Mohammad'' is not his name, but a pseudonym used because of the threats made upon him and his family by the Taliban. Mohammad was an interpreter who served his country and the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan. For this, the Taliban threatened him and his family. They labeled him a traitor and forced him to seek safety in the United States through the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program. Mohammad was murdered by the Taliban in January, shortly after his visa to the U.S. was approved--10 years after he applied. Last month, his family finally arrived in the United States--to safety--but they did so without Mohammad. His wife and six children are here without their father, who gave his life in service to his country and the U.S. mission.

Unfortunately, Mohammad's story is not unique. The Taliban has made their intentions clear. They call in the dead of the night and leave notes affixed to houses: ``We know who you are and will kill you.''

The Taliban's brutality against vulnerable populations like our Afghan allies has increased over the last several months, but as the U.S. withdrawal nears completion, conditions on the ground have become all the more dangerous. If the United States does not act quickly to uphold its promise to these Afghans, our opportunity to get our partners to safety will pass us by. U.S. action must start with bolstering the program that was supposed to protect Mohammad, the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa--SIV--program, and include a secure and efficient evacuation of our partners by the Biden administration.

There has long been bipartisan support for the Afghan SIV program in Congress, which I originally championed with the late Senator John McCain. John personally understood the need to fulfill our moral obligations to our partners and the strategic value in taking care of our allies. His example of bipartisan leadership continues today, and it has served the SIV program well: There is bipartisan, bicameral determination to take action. That is why Senators Ernst, Durbin, Wicker, and I introduced the Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2021 and why I am pleased that Congress has taken decisive action to pass this language with the supplemental budget appropriations bill. President Biden signed the bill into law today. These actions provide additional visas and make urgently needed process fixes to the program, which maintains broad bipartisan support across the political spectrum. This is necessary to help the U.S. fulfill its obligation to our Afghan partners, not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because of what it means for U.S. credibility in future engagements. We must send a strong message to our current and future allies: If you stand by our side on the battlefield, we will have your back.

However, these improvements to the process are just the first step in ensuring our Afghan allies do not suffer for their service. The Biden administration must now take immediate steps to implement this legislation and provide for the safety of Afghan SIV applicants. Congress has demonstrated that there is bipartisan support for immediate action to protect and support our Afghan SIV applicants and friends. Our allies around the world are watching.

There is no easy answer on Afghanistan. But one thing is clear: We cannot leave our Afghan allies behind. With this legislation now law, we must concentrate all U.S. efforts on supporting and protecting those who worked with the U.S. Government, as well as those whose work is diametrically opposed to the views of the Taliban, such as women's equality advocates. To not do so is to make a grave moral and security mistake.

I look forward to continuing to work with the administration and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in support of our friends in Afghanistan.

Mr. President, I join Senator Leahy and others who have come to the floor this afternoon to urge clean passage of the VOCA Fix Act so that we can secure greater deposits into the Crime Victims Fund and ensure continued support for crime victims.

I am currently the chair of the Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Subcommittee. Senator Moran from Kansas is my ranking member. Before that, Senator Moran was chair of the committee, and I was the ranking member. Together, we have committed to a target of spending from the fund at a minimum of the 3-year average of collections. That is a practice that was started by former Appropriations Committee and CJS Chair Senator Mikulski, along with Senator Shelby, back in 2015.

All deposits made into the Crime Victims Fund should stay in the fund. Our subcommittee directs the amount that is released by the Justice Department from the fund for victim services. But every dollar stays in the fund and is available in future years if it is not used for victim services.

If Senator Toomey's amendment passes, if appropriations bills contain less than the 3-year average, either the entire cap falls, depleting the fund in one fiscal year or, more likely, the appropriations bill would be stopped from moving forward on the floor.

Now, I appreciate what Senator Toomey is trying to do. He wants to address budget reform and the impact of mandatory spending, but this is not the way to do that. That needs a thoughtful process that goes through the committee that there is debate on. This should not be done as an amendment to a bill that is at a process that is critical to help the victims of crime.

Victims groups and direct service providers are asking for the clean passage of this act, the VOCA Fix Act. They are urging us to vote no on Senator Toomey's amendment.

We have all heard from victims groups requesting clean passage of this bill. I have heard from individuals and organizations from across New Hampshire, as Senator Leahy said, organizations like the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Granite State Children's Alliance which both benefit from the Crime Victims Fund because they get funding for those people who are injured.

This bill has already passed the House. If we pass this legislation today without amendment, it can be quickly signed into law, and we can get these much needed changes to shore up collections into the fund so that the victims of crime can get the help that they need. It will make a meaningful impact to ensure there is adequate funding for survivors now and in years to come.

I would urge a ``no'' vote on the Toomey amendment.

I yield the floor