Floor Statements

Mr. President, I have five 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 ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 201 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Kelly substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to H. Con. Res. 24, which was received from the House.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 4; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume Calendar No. 119, Michelle Bowman, of Kansas.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. President, today, I would like to recognize a fellow Kansan and friend Fred J. Logan, Jr., for dedicating his professional and personal life to representing and serving the people of Kansas and congratulate him on his retirement.

Fred spent most of his childhood in Indianapolis and earned both his bachelor's degree and juris doctorate from the University of Indiana. During his time in law school, Fred served as a law clerk to Lawrence County, Indiana Circuit Court Judge H. Wayne Baker.

Through this experience, Fred developed his passion for public service through practicing law. After receiving his law degree, he later moved to Overland Park, KS, and remained a resident of Johnson County for over 50 years.

For the past 39 years, Fred has represented clients, advised regional businesses, and served as council for various local government entities as a partner of Logan, Logan & Watson, a firm that he originally founded with his brother Scott.

Fred's longest client was the Johnson County Library, for which he oversaw the negotiations of the library's governance structure and contributed to the successful growth of the library system across the Johnson County area. In addition to his time practicing law, Fred has dedicated much of his personal life giving back to his local and State community, serving on numerous boards across a variety of disciplines.

One issue Fred is keenly passionate about is advancing educational success in his community. Fred has served as vice chair of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees, and vice president of the Johnson County Community College Foundation. He also served as the chair of the Kansas Board of Regents alongside my wife Robba. Fred has been a member of the University of Kansas Dole Institute of Politics Advisory Board and the Shawnee Mission School District Committee for Excellence, just to name a few.

Fred has not only been a champion for education, he also has dedicated much of his time to community service, serving as the president of the United Community Services and Friends of Johnson County Library and a board member and youth coach of the Great American Basketball League.

Throughout his career, Fred has earned a reputation as a mentor and a problem solver who has strived and succeeded in bettering his community and leaving a positive impact on everyone he meets.

I have also had the pleasure of getting to know Fred's son Andy who, like his father, has dedicated much of his life in service to Kansans. Andy was one of the first members of my team when I entered the Senate back in 2011, assisting and advising me on healthcare and education issues. Andy

has continued to follow in his father's footsteps, practicing law and working as a partner for Logan, Logan & Watson.

While he may not originally be from Kansas, we are proud to claim Frank as one of our own. After an impressive career and decades of service, I want to congratulate Frank on his retirement and thank him for his service to Kansans.

Mr. President, the call to feed the world has been answered by many Kansans, from farmers and ranchers to Senator Bob Dole and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. American farmers are linked to global markets and, by extension, to the well-being of people everywhere.

Two of our Nation's most successful programs for delivering American- grown food to the hungry around the

world are Food for Peace and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education Program, both rooted in my State of Kansas.

At the recommendation of a Kansas farmer way out in Northwest Kansas, Kansas Senator Andrew Schoeppel introduced the Food for Peace Act in the Senate to purchase commodity surpluses to feed the hungry around the world. It was signed into law by another Kansan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1954. Later, Senator Dole became the key champion of its reauthorization. Since its creation, Food for Peace has reached more than 4 billion people in more than 150 countries using American-grown commodities.

Another food aid program, the McGovern-Dole Program, was established in 2002 through the farm bill. It originated from the partnership between Senator Bob Dole of Kansas and Senator George McGovern of South Dakota. Since the beginning, McGovern-Dole has delivered more than 5.5 billion school meals to children around the globe.

The mission of these programs is more urgent now than ever. In 2023, more than 735 million people around the world faced chronic hunger. That is 1 out of every 10 people on the planet. Food security also contributes to our national security. When governments cannot feed their own people, chaos and violence often follow. Food assistance provided by the United States leads to greater stability in regions of the world important to America's strategic interests.

Hunger can drive children to join militias or nations to descend into chaos, opening up an opportunity for adversaries to step in and coerce a country for natural resources or military capabilities.

Hunger fuels desperation, and desperation fuels unrest. In the Sahel region of Africa, violent extremism is on the rise. Terrorist groups exploit food insecurity to win recruits and enforce loyalty. Programs like Food for Peace and McGovern-Dole break that cycle.

In Lebanon, where economic collapse has shredded the supply chain, Food for Peace delivered over 100,000 metric tons of wheat last year. In fiscal year 2023, McGovern-Dole provided school meals to more than 2.5 million children in developing countries like Bangladesh, where families fled ethnic cleansing and rely upon rations to survive.

Through these programs, Kansas wheat, Arkansas rice, and Iowa soybeans are feeding the hungry around the world who are facing famine, war, and national instability.

Food for Peace also provides a critical market for our producers. This is an issue that matters to Kansas farmers and farmers around the country. It allows them to sell nearly $2 billion worth of excess commodities every year, so farmers don't have to let the crops go to waste and shoulder the losses.

For years, Food for Peace has been hampered by bureaucratic delays, mismanagement, and abuse within USAID. The inefficiency of USAID hasn't just wasted taxpayer dollars; it has weakened the reach and effectiveness of some of our most vital humanitarian aid programs.

Thanks to its extensive infrastructure and hands-on experience in both domestic and international operations, the USDA is uniquely positioned to manage Food for Peace. In February, I introduced a bill with my colleague from Kansas Senator Marshall and our colleague from North Dakota Senator Hoeven and Representative Tracey Mann--the occupier of the seat in the First District of Kansas--in Congress to move Food for Peace out of USAID and under the Department of Agriculture in an effort to prevent waste and bring the program closer to the farmers who depend upon it.

Right now, USDA runs two highly successful foreign assistance programs and already handles all domestic commodity purchases for Food for Peace Title II.

Most importantly, USDA has the trust of American farmers. They know the Agency. They understand their work, and it can deliver results. I am grateful that USDA Secretary Rollins has expressed a willingness to take on this program and for their commitment to preserving and strengthening the program's mission.

By placing Food for Peace under USDA's authority, we make certain the program can continue to bring revenue to American agriculture producers.

In fiscal year 2023, Food for Peace purchased $713 million worth of U.S.-grown commodities and McGovern Dole purchased another $33 million--both direct investments into rural communities across Kansas and the country.

I cochair the Hunger Caucus in the Senate. I cochaired the Hunger Caucus in the House. I took on that responsibility to try to make a difference. I have seen the differences these programs can make around the world, and I support their continuance, even if it needs to be in a new form.

I often tell farmers in Kansas: Farming is a noble profession. Feeding people is a worthwhile cause, and God gave you a purpose. God gave you, a farmer, a purpose for your life.

It was Kansas farmers who came up with the idea for Food for Peace as a moral and commonsense solution to prevent excess American food from going to waste and using it to feed the hungry across the globe.

For 70 years, the United States of America has made the difference between life and death for millions of people around the world and has made circumstances better for farmers here at home.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to seek the confirmation of Retired Army CPT Sam Brown to be the Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.

President Trump nominated Captain Brown for this important position. Sam Brown demonstrates a history of service, love of country, and commitment to serving other veterans. A West Point graduate, Afghanistan combat veteran, husband, and father of three, Captain Brown understands the sacrifices the men and women of the U.S. military and their families make every day and is well-qualified to undertake the significant responsibility of being the Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs.

The National Cemetery Administration's mission is to honor the memory of our Nation's veterans by caring for their final resting places and providing services to their surviving loved ones. Captain Brown, if confirmed, will fill this position with the utmost respect, honoring and remembering those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

More than 4 million Americans are interred in NCA's 156 national cemeteries. Kansas is home to 3 of those cemeteries, where more than 62,000 Kansas veterans and their family members are buried.

Another responsibility of the National Cemetery Administration is safeguarding the veterans' legacies by documenting their stories. In doing so, NCA helps to make certain that no generation of Americans forgets the sacrifices made for our freedoms.

Mr. President, notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 85, Sam Brown, to be Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs; that the Senate vote on the nomination, without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, on the last Monday of May--less than 2 weeks away--we observe Memorial Day. As Americans, we gather at cemeteries and memorials worldwide to honor the courage, sacrifice, and legacy of the men and women who served and are now in their final resting place.

With the approach of Memorial Day, the U.S. Senate has the responsibility to honor the servicemembers who died in service to our Nation. And we can, in part, do so by confirming a qualified leader as the Under Secretary of Memorial Affairs, CPT Sam Brown. We can do that while we wait for other things to occur. These things are not mutually exclusive. Captain Brown could begin to perform the duties of his office.

I urged my colleagues to do so today. Those laying of our veterans to rest with honor, serving their families with dignity--it is not a Republican or a Democratic issue--and our committee has worked side by side over a long period of time in that manner.

I am discouraged that we cannot work in that manner today to confirm this qualified and capable leader for the National Cemetery Administration. That position is responsible for carrying out our Nation's most solemn responsibilities in burying our veterans. It is incumbent upon us to confirm a nominee to lead the NCA and to lead it well. I believe CPT Sam Brown would do just that.

In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Captain Brown shared his story of suffering excruciating burns in the line of duty in Afghanistan. He recounted how, in the midst of his suffering and anguish, he heard his gunner shout the words: Sir, I've got you, as he worked to extinguish the flames, ultimately saving Captain Brown's life. That declaration of rescue, that cry for support, that message of hope is the same message of hope that Sam Brown will take with him to the National Cemetery Administration.

Under his leadership, NCA will be there to tell veterans' family members and loved ones: We've got you.

The National Cemetery Administration puts veterans first. Sam Brown will put veterans first. And it was my hope that this body could come together to put veterans first today.

I yield the floor.

I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Rigas nomination be waived.

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

Mr. President, this week, the Senate Banking Committee-- the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs--advanced the nomination of Michelle ``Miki'' Bowman to be the Vice Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve. Miki Bowman is my constituent. She is a Kansan, a native of Morris County. Miki has deep roots in rural America.

After graduating from the University of Kansas, followed by Washburn University's Law School, she came to Washington, DC, working across Capitol Hill and the executive branch. Like many good Kansans, Miki eventually found her way back home, and she became the vice president at Farmers and Drovers Bank, a community bank in Council Grove, KS. That occurred in 2010. In 2017, Miki became the Kansas State bank commissioner, where she was responsible for overseeing hundreds of State-chartered banks, trust companies, money transmitters, and other nondepository entities.

When President Trump chose Miki to serve as the community bank representative on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, it was clear she was a great choice, the right choice to give small lenders and rural communities a voice at the Fed. Not only did Miki exceed the qualifications for the position set by law, but her time living and working in rural Kansas helped guide her decision making.

With immense experience working in and supervising community banks, I am confident Miki will continue to be a champion for those community banks but really, more importantly, for those those community banks serve, the people of States like mine and the Presiding Officer's. She will serve those people and those communities well.

The Vice Chair for Supervision plays the critical role of overseeing the regulatory environment and the supervision of many of our Nation's financial institutions, large and small. This Vice Chair position will be responsible for both rightsizing regulations for smaller lenders and finalizing the Basel III Endgame.

Not only do I trust Miki's professional experience, but I have come to know her as an independent, forthright, intelligent, quality individual with a demonstrated record of service to her State and Nation. Miki will make an excellent Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision. I look forward to voting to confirm her nomination here in the full Senate, and I urge my colleagues to support her confirmation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, today, I want to recognize National Donate Life Month. Throughout the month of April, our Nation observes National Donate Life Month to highlight the lifesaving impact organ donations continue to have in Kansas and around the world.

Each year, more than 100,000 potential recipients wait for news that they will be receiving an organ transplant and thousands more are waiting for tissue or cornea transplants. Sam Allen, a native Kansan and currently an intern in my Washington, DC, office, was a recipient of an organ transplant. Sam's story as a beneficiary of this lifesaving procedure is one of many stories about how the generosity of organ donors can transform lives.

The need for this critical healthcare is ever-growing. Another person is added to the transplant waiting list every 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the need for organs is much greater than the supply. The waiting list grows daily, and many people face barriers to accessing organ donation. Sadly, 20 people die each day in the U.S. waiting for an organ transplant. These are not just numbers; they are fathers, mothers, children, and friends whose lives tragically ended too soon.

National Donate Life Month is a time to raise awareness about organ donation, which is an act of kindness and compassion, offering life and hope to those in need.

Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked to reduce these barriers and make certain Kansans have greater access to the organ donation process, most recently in facilitating the passage of the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement Transplantation Network Act.

This month, we honor organ donors and their families, but there is more to do. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue to highlight the barriers to receiving these lifesaving procedures and support fair policies to make certain all Americans have the opportunity of a second chance through organ donation.

As we celebrate National Donate Life Month, I would like to thank those who are registered as organ donors or have made the sacrifice to be a living donor. Your generosity is an inspiration.

I look forward to continuing the work to create a future in which waiting for a transplant is no longer a crisis and where everyone has the chance to live a full and healthy life.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, clearly, this is an important issue and one that has received attention by the Committee on Veterans' Affairs and will continue to make certain that the decisions that are made by Department officials and by the administration are compatible with the well-being and best interests of those who served our Nation and are now veterans.

The Department of Veterans Affairs does need reform. The status quo is not acceptable. We need to make certain that every veteran, every member of our military who is now a veteran and seeks services in the Department of Veterans Affairs, that their needs are met.

It has been a longtime goal of mine to make certain that the promises that were made to those who served are promises that are kept. We know things aren't as they should be at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

All of us in this Senate have staff members who work on cases--what we call casework--to try to solve the challenges that a veteran meets in dealing with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

We all walk the streets of our home States. We have meetings and have conversations with those. And, often, it is a veteran who comes to tell us the story of what help they still need.

While I continue to believe that nearly everyone--most who work at the Department of Veterans Affairs, many of whom are veterans themselves, are working diligently to make sure their colleagues-- veterans they shared that service with--are treated in a fashion that provides them with the best quality care and provides them with the benefits they have earned. Yet we know the system is still far from being able to accomplish that goal.

In fact, the Department of Veterans Affairs--so many times, we have reports from the inspector general, who outlined dramatic changes that need to be made and outlined instances in which the Department of Veterans Affairs has failed in significant ways in meeting the needs of those who served our Nation.

We have about 150-, 200,000 veterans in Kansas. They are a significant component of the nature of our State. They are respected and admired by their fellow Kansans. It is important for us to make sure that the Department of Veterans Affairs is living up to its commitment. It is our job as Senators and it is our job as members of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs to do those things.

The Senator from Connecticut is right. We have provided the tools to the Department, new opportunities for veterans to be better served and served in more ways--combating suicide; making sure that mental health services are more readily available; providing services through telemedicine; and most recently--well, almost most recently--the PACT Act, which provided new and additional benefits, both healthcare and financial, to those who served in Southeast Asia and served in Iraq and Afghanistan in regard to toxic exposure; and even more recently than that, care for and support for caregivers, those who serve their loved ones, family members who help veterans throughout the day in their circumstances--the Elizabeth Dole Act.

So we are actively engaged in trying to make certain and hopefully making progress in making certain that more veterans receive better care at every opportunity. But the VA still needs a serious and thorough evaluation, and a component of that is workforce.

My goal is to make certain that the Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates how many people it needs to meet its mission and then adjusts accordingly, whether that is more or less, but to right-size the VA to make certain that those veterans who are in need of care, who deserve their benefits, are well cared for and receive the care and compassion they deserve.

So I am going to offer a resolution myself, and in order to get to that point, I need to object to the Senator from Connecticut's resolution--his unanimous consent request.

Madam President, I intend to ask for a unanimous consent agreement in regard to this issue of our care and the well-being of our veterans.

I would indicate that, to my knowledge, the Department of Veterans Affairs has 1,500 fewer employees today than it did at the beginning of the year.

While there is conversation and talk and, in fact, a stated goal about the sizing of the Department, those steps, either because they are not yet ready at the Department of Veterans Affairs to take those steps, the evaluations and understanding of what is necessary for the right-sizing of the workforce, haven't been completed or courts have put in place a stay against any reductions in the workforce. Today, we are 1,550 fewer employees at the Department than we were at the beginning of the year.

I would also remind my colleagues that in the last administration, late in the budget request by the Biden administration, there was a request for the reduction of 10,000 employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The goal that we would say in our sense of the Senate is that the Secretary of Veterans Affairs should make

certain that staffing levels at the Department of Veterans Affairs meet veteran demand to efficiently deliver timely, high-quality healthcare benefits; that the Secretary, in close coordination with Congress, with veteran service organizations, and other such stakeholders as the Secretary would deem necessary, needs to consult with them in reshaping the workforce of the Department; and that we should further enhance our efforts to reduce veteran suicide and improve veterans' mental care.

The Secretary should faithfully follow the MISSION Act in allowing for care in the community. The Secretary should conduct a comprehensive review of policies governing official time to ensure that taxpayer dollars are utilized efficiently and that the primary mission of the Department of supporting veterans is fully prioritized and that the Department's leadership and management should have the ability to act swiftly to ensure we remove employees who have engaged in misconduct or whose actions and performances fall short in providing high-quality care and benefits.

The Secretary should enhance the efficiency, accountability, and cost management in the acquisition programs in the Department.

We need to make changes at the Department of Veterans Affairs, and this resolution would indicate our support for doing so.

I would now say, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of my resolution, which is at the desk. I further ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

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

Mr. President, we are in the process of reaching a conclusion in debating at least the first step--maybe now the second step--of reconciliation. It is an opportunity for us to make the Tax Code more permanent, an opportunity for us to reduce spending and to hopefully get the budget better in balance to bring our debt under control.

But, today, I just want to highlight a small portion of what this debate ultimately will consider, and that is the issue of Medicaid.

As does the Presiding Officer, I come from a very rural State. Medicaid is a component of how we provide healthcare to low-income individuals and how we care for and provide medical treatment for those with disabilities. I want to highlight from my own

personal point of view how valuable that is, the necessity of our finding ways for low-income individuals and individuals with disabilities to be able to access healthcare.

As this conversation and debate continue, I want to make certain that my colleagues know, in my view, the value of making certain we do no harm to those in desperate need of healthcare in Kansas and across the country. I am certain--perhaps without a doubt--there are flaws in the system and that abuse occurs, and our focus should be on eliminating those flaws and that abuse.

I want to also talk about another aspect of Medicaid funding. A lot of what I have worked on as a U.S. Senator and before that as a Member of the House of Representatives is trying to make certain that rural America--rural Kansas in particular--has a future and that the community that I grew up in--now with a population of less than 2,000-- has a future and an opportunity for people to come there, live there, raise their families there, educate their children there, and to retire there. Rural America is hugely important to me and, in my view, is hugely important to the country.

One of the challenges we face in rural Kansas and in Kansas generally is having access to healthcare. Our community hospitals are hugely important. Our ability to maintain those hospitals and keep their doors open is a major priority for me. During COVID, we took extraordinary steps to make sure we didn't lose a healthcare provider and that the citizens of Kansas and the country could access healthcare.

One of the components that pays for that healthcare is Medicaid. It is not the hugest component. Medicare, private insurance, other sources, and private pay are utilized for the hospitals to generate the revenue to be able to keep their doors open. This keeping of hospital doors open matters.

As I stated, my goal is making sure that rural communities have a future, but that future disappears in the absence of having access to healthcare. So a significant portion of that effort of mine to preserve, protect, and defend rural Kansas--and our State generally is rural--is to make sure the hospitals have the capability and the revenues necessary to provide the services the community needs. Medicaid is a component of that. Nine percent of hospital revenues come from Medicaid. It is also true that Medicaid only covers 65 percent of the costs of the healthcare provided to someone who receives Medicaid benefits.

The average operating margin for a Kansas hospital is a negative 7 percent, meaning that the revenues don't cover the costs, and there is $1.1 billion in uncompensated care. In other words, the hospitals of Kansas, our healthcare providers, have a shortfall. They take in a certain amount of revenue, but that revenue is $1.1 billion for uncompensated care. That revenue doesn't exist.

Eight hospitals have closed in our State since 2015. I have visited every hospital in Kansas--most of them numerous times. I have talked to hospital administrators and patients and board members and the CFO.

I know one of my standard questions is often: So, are you in the red or the black?

The most common answer to that question is: Well, it depends on what day you ask.

My point in making these statements is that as we debate reconciliation and as we debate the instructions--in the case of the House, instructions to the Energy and Commerce Committee, and in the Senate, instructions to the Finance Committee--those instructions in the bill that we are considering right now are significantly different. The instructions to the House Energy and Commerce Committee are to cut $888 billion from Medicaid. The instructions to the Senate Finance Committee are to cut $1 billion. Now, in both of these circumstances, these are minimum amounts.

But I wanted my constituents to know that, in my view, before this product is concluded, before this legislative endeavor is concluded and we have sent the instructions to the committees and the bills come back from the committees, I want to make sure that we take into account the importance--the importance--of people who are low-income and have disabilities and the importance of Medicaid to them but also the broader issue of what it means to a community to lose its hospital. Often, that hospital is the largest employer in communities across Kansas. That is a component.

The reality is that our citizens move away. If you are a young family and you are looking for a place to live or you are a young family who has grown up in a community in the absence of access to healthcare--and it is broader than just hospitals. It is the hospital; it is the nursing home; it is the community pharmacist; it is the physician; it is the nurse practitioner; it is the chiropractor; it is the optometrist. All of those individuals and their professions matter as to whether or not communities across my State will be around for time to come.

I want to highlight this issue today because the process is beginning that will set the stage for whether or not the future is bright for individuals and the communities in which they live in Kansas and across the country.

I yield the floor.