Floor Statements

Mr. President, today I want to recognize a Kansan who will be celebrating his 100th birthday this month, a man who has served others throughout his entire lifetime: Robert Watson of Overland Park, KS.

Robert came of age during the Great Depression and went to work at a young age. His work ethic and dedication were evident early on, and at the age of 12, he earned the nickname ``Rapid Robert.'' During World War II, Robert was deployed to Germany and served as a second lieutenant in the Army. As an officer in the Army, he attended the Nuremburg Trials, but his experiences in Europe didn't end there. Robert was conveniently just the right height and weight for the Italian Olympic bobsled team, and while visiting Switzerland after the war, he trained with the team.

When he was finally back in the U.S., Robert was recruited from the Army by Southwestern Bell to help write the first manual for the home telephone in New York City. After working for Southwestern Bell, he moved back to Kansas to start a printing press company. Like so many World War II veterans, Robert's service didn't end after his time in the military. His service to others only deepened during his time in Kansas, serving as a pastor at Community Covenant Church in Lenexa for 35 years and as a church organist for 60 years. Even amidst his busy life, Robert found time to compete in the Senior Olympics in Kansas, earning a gold and silver medal in tennis and another gold in golf. In between his achievements and accomplishments, of which there are plenty, Robert also takes time to travel to nursing homes in Kansas, playing his piano to brighten the day for many seniors. His selfless service to others continues still and has blessed many people.

Members of the Greatest Generation likely didn't realize the full magnitude of their sacrifices or the history they were witnessing firsthand. They simply went about life with a work ethic second to none. This describes Robert; he went where he was needed, made an impact in the lives of others, and set a remarkable example for many.

Mr. Watson, our country is grateful for you and your service to others. You have made our Nation, the State of Kansas, and your community proud. You are a dedicated father, grandfather and great- grandfather; and your family loves you dearly. Your grandson Tom, who shares your work ethic when serving Kansans daily through my office, is proud of you too. May your special day be filled with joy as you are surrounded by family and friends. Congratulations on this incredible milestone. Happy birthday.

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

Mr. President, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated October as National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. We have been honoring that month ever since. We are attempting to ensure that Americans have had the opportunity to celebrate and recognize individuals with Down syndrome and those individuals' contribution to our world.

Since 2015, I have served as the cochair of the Congressional Down Syndrome Task Force, a bipartisan, bicameral caucus dedicated to promoting policies that enhance the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome.

Last September, the task force partnered with leaders in Down syndrome advocacy groups and the medical research sector to host a roundtable discussion on recent scientific advances in Down syndrome research. During the roundtable, self-advocates brought awareness to the issues important to their communities, such as work and education opportunities, policies to improve independent living, support for their loved ones and caretakers, and medical research.

Hearing the firsthand testimonies from individuals of Down syndrome and medical professionals who have dedicated their careers to the understanding of Down syndrome in order to better care for the community was meaningful to me, and it helped us better understand the needs of the Down syndrome community.

Through my interactions on the task force, I have also had the privilege to meet amazing parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, advocates, and caregivers who support individuals with Down syndrome in living successful and fulfilling lives. The dedication to improving the lives of those in the Down syndrome community is appreciated not only this month of October, but in every month, every day, every year.

As a cochair of the task force, I have worked to advocate for Federal resources for the Down syndrome community to support medical research and enable individuals with Down syndrome to live a full and independent life.

Through congressional commitment to expand Federal resources, Down syndrome research has improved significantly in recent years. In May of 2022, the National Institutes of Health report stated Federal investment in Down syndrome research had increased from $18 million in fiscal year 2014 to around $124 million in fiscal year 2022. This increase in funding is a recognition of the gaps in our medical research and works to make certain that we prioritize learning more about Down syndrome.

As we take this month to celebrate the Down syndrome community and their families, I look forward to building on recent successes and urge Congress to renew its commitment to pursuing policies that support the Down syndrome community and improve the quality of every American's life.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. President, last week, in Kansas, I met with Kansans at the Jewish Community Center. It is in Overland Park, and it serves our State and the parts of Missouri in the Kansas City region. I heard from leaders from those communities. They were saddened, of course, and outraged at the barbaric terrorist attacks against Israel. I join them in that outrage, and I pray for a justice that comes that those who are being held captive are released.

It has been 10 days since the world saw the images of carnage that Hamas has wrought against innocent men and women and children in Israel. The images depict crimes that are brutal and heinous and cause decent human beings to look away in disgust and horror. But we cannot look away. We cannot look away. We cannot ignore what happened. Hamas targeted elderly Israeli citizens waiting at bus stops, young children and infants at home and in daycare, and a crowd of defenseless young people at a music festival, among many, many others.

As we continue to take stock of the impact of what transpired last week, it is important to note that more Jews were murdered on October 7 than on any single day since the Holocaust, and among the 1,400 dead are at least 30 American citizens, as well as others from around the world.

While security has seemingly been reestablished in southern Israel, the ideology which provided the rationale for the attack is still espoused by many and is celebrated by many more, a fact made apparent in the demonstrations in capital cities and on university campuses in the days since the attack.

Americans of both political parties have shown moral outrage at similar acts of barbarity in the past. The appropriate responses to terrorism are grief, followed by resolve--grief over the inhumanity of the terrorists and the tragedy of their crimes, and resolve to protect innocent Israelis from further harm and achieve justice for the families and the entire Nation.

Israel's right to defend itself is not open to debate, nor is its right to exist. America will stand with Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East. We must not delay in approving any supplemental request that makes certain Israel has what it needs to defend itself against terrorism.

We must help deter other enemies who may use this opportunity to escalate the war against Israel. Hezbollah, entrenched in Lebanon, to Israel's north, will find no safe harbor if it attempts to intervene. And Iran's leaders must know the fury of the United States awaits--the fury of the world, I hope--if they become directly involved.

Iran's complicity in the recent violence and suffering around the Middle East has to be undeniable. For years, tens of millions of dollars and weapons and other support flowed to Hamas from Iran. Iran's close alignment with Hezbollah puts Israel at risk of an arsenal of 150,000 advanced missiles, and Syria's Bashar al-Assad has brutally suppressed a revolution with Iranian backing.

For too long, the Biden administration has failed to enforce the sanctions passed in a bipartisan fashion in this Senate, in the House, and signed by a President to choke off Iran's oil revenue. The results are stark: Last year, Iran earned $30 billion in oil exports. From 2020 to now, Iran's foreign reserves rose from a paltry $10 billion to $40 million--a four-time increase. That is a lot of money to spread to its terrorist proxies.

The administration should no longer delay in trying to choke Iran's revenue stream, and that starts with freezing the $6 billion that was recently released by the Biden administration. American foreign policy in the Middle East must reestablish deterrence against Iran to prevent future acts of terrorism.

For decades, Americans have committed to maintaining the principle that terrorism--the use of violence against civilians for political goals--is an unacceptable form of welfare. Now is the time to stand against terrorism and its enablers and its supporters. Now is the time to stand with our Jewish communities here in the United States and around the world. And now is the time to stand with Israel.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I don't expect this to be the best formed set of remarks that I have ever made on the floor of the U.S. Senate, and I would guess that they could be refined and improved--and maybe somebody will edit them and make them in a better form--but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to express my views in regard to several things that occurred in the U.S. Senate, in the Congress, in this country last week.

I think our country faces perhaps the greatest challenges ever faced in my lifetime, certainly in my time as an elected official. It seems to me that the array of challenges from our adversaries are real, are increasing, and are threatening.

I have always been an optimist. I expect us to be able to do the things necessary to change the course of history, to make sure that the United States remains the country that it is today.

Perhaps my fears arise because Robba and I are now grandparents. Perhaps it is this love of another generation and the desire to see that they experience the things that I have been able to experience in my lifetime.

I want to highlight a recent and important essay penned by a former Secretary of Defense. Robert Gates, a fellow Kansan, warns of our government dysfunction at a moment in history in which our Nation confronts graver threats to its security than it has in past decades-- perhaps ever.

Our constituents, from time to time, pay attention to what we do here, but I want us to recognize that perhaps even more intently, our adversaries pay attention to what we do or don't do here.

What we do and how we do it either strengthens or harms the future of the United States. It can increase the trust placed in us by our allies or it can embolden our adversaries because if I am right, our future is in the balance, and we need to work to increase those who decide to be on the side of freedom and liberty, of stability, of a better life for all people. We need to be the leader of a coalition that understands the values and the American ideals and how they alter lives, and we need to make certain that those who should be on the side of right are not sitting on the fence.

During my time in the U.S. Senate, I have never been more angry or more sullen than those few days that week or so in which our country left Afghanistan. Our unprepared actions and void of leadership resulted in the deaths of Americans, American servicemembers, and it stranded thousands of Afghans--Afghan allies--behind enemy lines. I raise this because I want to tie it to what may now be happening here. Those few days may have been among the most costly in emboldening those who seek our country's demise, and I fear today that we are about to again demonstrate to the world our feckless ambivalence to lead. I don't want us to lead as a superior or to be in the face of our allies, but I want people who care, countries that believe in peace and prosperity and freedom around the globe to be part of an alliance that the United States is an important component of.

Normally, when we think about the challenges we face from adversaries abroad, we would think: Well, it is time to increase defense spending. We need more assets. We need to make our military stronger. My view-- and I believe the correct view--is that is true. But of equal importance, we need to demonstrate resolve, resolve in the support of allies and resolve in the resistance to enemies.

When I say that I fear today we are failing, I speak of the ambivalence of our commitment to support the efforts to repeal, repulse, remove the Putin invasion across the borders of Ukraine. Should we fail to live up to the necessary deeds and actions that need to be taken, in my view, we are once again replicating the message that we sent in our chaotic and unfortunate manner in which we withdrew from Afghanistan. To my colleagues who might criticize one but look the other way to the other, I think it is a view that cannot be sustained. Failure to do right, to do things right, is the same, and the consequences are the same. Leadership depends upon reliability.

Today, Americans cannot go it alone. We are not the only power in the world. The burdens of today's challenges are too immense to carry alone. Our allies are force multipliers, and failing to lead in Ukraine lets those most in danger--those in the neighborhood of Ukraine--change course and look elsewhere for a path forward.

It is always easier to duck responsibilities, but almost never is it the right course of action.

Our European allies and those elsewhere in the world continue to look to the United States of America for leadership. The end of American support to Ukraine would be another indication--just as I believe it was in our withdrawal from Afghanistan--that we are not the leaders that are necessary in today's dangerous world. Never do we want to be seen by those waiting to pick a side--we would never want them to reach the conclusion that the United States cannot be relied upon.

Another Cabinet Secretary just like Robert Gates--this one is from Wichita, KS, as well--former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and I penned a joint opinion piece. We made the case of helping Ukraine. While I pointed out how it matters to the world, what we pointed out is how it matters to America, to the American citizens and to the future of our country, and that we benefit, the United States, by the Ukrainians' success in their country.

All of this discussion last week about whether Ukraine should continue to receive funding was surrounded by another development in our body politic--in the way that we do business in this Congress and in the way that we make decisions about the right course forward. So let me tie to the concerns I have about the decision that was made in regard to Ukraine to the difficulties we had in what should be straightforward: funding the government into the future.

Every county commission, every school board, every city council in Kansas can come up with a budget and make decisions about the funding of their business, the funding of their purpose into the future, and we turned what should be routine decisions--I say ``routine,'' but they are decisions made with care and thought. There is no question that the spending path we are on is not sustainable. We are on a different path. Even the appropriations bills--the 13 that have passed the U.S. Committee on Appropriations--are on a different path than what we have been on in increasing spending.

Those are important decisions, but we don't need to manufacture a crisis to make a point. The crisis doesn't solve the spending problem. Yet, in so many instances, we look for the highlight, the television time, the social media responses that sometimes seem to reward the behavior that is the most disruptive and the least effective.

The challenges we face require setting aside unnecessary disagreement and disunion. Last week demonstrated our system as creating disunion when we need unity and common ground in a dangerous world. Of all the times that I would expect Americans and their elected officials to come together would be when we see the actions, when we know the dangerous nature of our world: when we see what China is doing and what its intentions seem to be; when we know what is taking place in Iran and their efforts around the globe; when Russia invades a neighboring country's borders; when North Korea fires missiles.

We have united as a nation numerous times in our history, and we need to return to those circumstances. When things are so different, Americans need to pull together, and that can happen if there is leadership here in Congress to do so.

Again, one would think--if you believe those challenges are real, as I do, and if you care about the next generation of your own family and Americans whom you will never meet, it seems to me that now would be the time to lower the temperature and to find that common ground that puts us in a position that we can be optimistic about our Nation's future. It doesn't mean that we don't face challenges, and it doesn't mean that we don't have disagreement. It does mean that there is value in finding a solution as compared to accentuating the differences on the evening news. It means explaining to our constituents why, yes, we disagree with a colleague from another State, why we disagree with the Democrats and we disagree with the Republicans and we think we are right. It doesn't mean giving up what you believe in or what you know to be right, but it means, isn't there a path by which we can turn down the fire and pull people together?

So last week--I am giving these remarks because I spent the weekend rethinking what transpired last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and really what has transpired over a much longer period of time. I concluded that, at the first opportunity, I wanted to make the case that our future is bright, but it is only bright when we work together.

I would say that it is incumbent upon us to send a message--but it is more than that--send a message that we are a reliable partner, to encourage allies around the world to be helpful to Ukraine. The Europeans are now a little bit ahead of us in the support that they now envision now that they plan for support for Ukraine. We have asked for that. They have now moved in that direction, but it will disappear and disappear quickly if we don't demonstrate that we are going to do what we set out to accomplish.

By the way, we had a conversation about our borders. Our borders need desperate attention, and it is another national security issue. As we work to right the cause for America's well-being, enhancing Ukraine's chance for success in defeating Putin, we should also resolutely move forward in ending the failure to protect our own country on our own border.

We have work to do. We can look the other way or we can decide that we are going to do what, over the long period of time, is right. We can decide that it would be nice to be popular at the moment but that it would be better to be right in the long term.

I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve in the U.S. Senate, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve with the colleagues I do. Last week was a discouraging moment in my time in public service, but I am an optimist. And this week and next week and the next week that follows--the next 47 days--can be times of good work for the American people and a safer and more secure United States and world.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I rise this afternoon to have a conversation with my colleagues and with my constituents to talk about an issue that is important to our Nation here in the Nation's Capital for the well-being of our country but, certainly, an issue Kansans care greatly about, and that is our crisis on our southern border, in particular, but border security across and around the country.

The administration's continued failure to control the border has created not just a humanitarian crisis but also a national security crisis as well.

It is no secret that the lack of operational control of the border has led to the apprehension of Chinese nationals, individuals with ties to ISIS, and others who wish to do this country harm, serious harm.

Perhaps the biggest failure of the nonchalant approach of this administration to the border is the rampant flow of harmful drugs into the United States. Deadly drugs, such as methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, and most critically in today's world, fentanyl--fentanyl being freely carried into this country and distributed to the cities, towns, and neighborhoods. It is a real detriment to our children and the most vulnerable. Those drugs are distributed to cities in Kansas and causing the death and misery of many Kansans and Americans today.

A bright spot in this effort to combat fentanyl and other drugs is the Drug Enforcement Agency. This morning, I was at their headquarters to celebrate with them the DEA's 50th anniversary.

I am the ranking member of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee; therefore, Senator Shaheen and I are responsible, generally, for the appropriations of the Drug Enforcement Agency. I have seen firsthand the critical results achieved by the DEA and their personnel in this fight.

DEA agents, investigators, analysts, chemists, attorneys, and support staff have provided invaluable services to the public since the creation of the DEA 50 years ago in 1973.

The DEA has faced increasingly well-equipped, well-financed, and well-resourced international drug trafficking organizations pushing more complex drugs: synthetic opioids which mimic controlled substances, including fentanyl.

I would like to commend the DEA for their work. I would like to recognize their 50th anniversary in that process by thanking those in the DEA today. We need to be reminded of the number who have been wounded and injured in the line of duty, including 79 individuals who have received a DEA Purple Heart.

This administration, this Congress, this Senate--we owe it to the dedicated individuals at DEA and to the lives and family members of those who lost loved ones to put forth the effort required to create a whole-of-government approach to securing the border to cut off the pipeline of drugs into this country.

In 2022 alone, there were around 110,000--let me say that correctly-- there were around 110,000 overdose deaths. That is a little over 300 deaths

a day. Around 70,000 of these deaths were attributed to synthetic opioids and fentanyl, including 1,200 individual Kansans.

Mr. President, I find this next fact staggering. So far this year, the DEA has confiscated more than 62,400,000 pills, and it estimates that 70 percent of those pills contain a lethal dose of fentanyl--70 percent of 62 million. This puts at risk the lives of 43 million Americans.

We know that Mexican drug cartels control much of the fentanyl market, and in the United States, the amount of fentanyl available has allowed the market price to drop to as low as 50 cents a pill.

Further, we also know that many of the precursor chemicals for these synthetic drugs originate in China. These chemicals are extremely difficult to interdict. They are used in everyday items such as cheese and soap. They can be easily hidden in shipping containers.

This is a full-blown national security crisis, and it is time the administration reacts to treat it like what it is--a national security crisis, a humanitarian crisis, and loss of lives of American citizens.

I was in Mexico with several of my colleagues earlier this year, and I discussed this issue with President Lopez Obrador. I urged him to take this issue up with Chinese officials, and I do believe that we have a willing partner, in this instance, in Mexico to combat this problem.

The fiscal year 2024 CJS bill that has just been passed from the Senate Committee on Appropriations is our effort with Senator Shaheen, and it recognizes the challenges the DEA faces, including $66 million of additional funds over the fiscal year 2023 level.

I know we are talking about fiscal responsibility today. That comes at a time in which our appropriation bill is reduced from last year by $1.3 billion. So I would indicate to my Kansans that I share their concern about the levels of spending and the balancing of our books.

In the bill that I am most responsible for in the appropriations process, we have reduced spending this year from last year $1.3 billion. But within the amount of money that we can spend, we prioritized the fight against drugs. The Fiscal Responsibility Act has made our work more difficult but moves us more closely toward balancing the budget, and it shows that we can work together in this case in support of combating the fentanyl--and other drugs--crisis in our country in a bipartisan manner.

While law enforcement efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking are bipartisan, we have not yet had bipartisan support to seriously close the border to drug traffickers. There are a lot of challenges we face. It also is important to recognize that we need less demand in the United States, and Americans are buying the drugs that come here. We need to make certain that we do the things that are necessary to make certain Americans certainly know the consequences of drug use and the consequences to them, their families, their loved ones, and even to our Nation.

While law enforcement efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking are bipartisan, we have a lot more work to do when it comes to the U.S. border with Mexico and our other borders. For all the work the DEA does to disrupt drug trafficking and distribution networks, the border is by far the single most important line of defense.

We are debating whether or not to proceed on a continuing resolution to continue funding the Federal Government. I oppose a shutdown of government, in part because a shutdown would make the crisis that we face at our border even worse. Our DEA and Border Patrol agents are already starved for resources, and many cannot afford to miss a paycheck while continuing to put their lives on the line to secure the border.

This body must take seriously the crisis we face, and while funding the government is important in this battle, we also have a lot more that we can do. We need to make certain that the appropriations bills that I just talked about, the 12 appropriations bills that have been reported by the Senate committee, work their way across this Senate floor, recognizing that the continuing resolution is only a pause. While government continues to function, we continue to work.

I look forward to every opportunity to see that we do more at the border, that we put Americans on notice about the importance of avoiding drug abuse and drug use in this country, and that our national security is at risk. I look forward to that conversation, but more importantly, I look forward to the results.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, on Sunday, our Border Patrol reported more than 7,500 migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border--7,500 migrants crossed the border on Sunday. Then on Monday, there were more than 8,000 arrests along the southern border as a new surge of migrants tried crossing on that day.

These numbers still haven't provoked any significant, meaningful response from the Biden administration, even though they are just shy of that single-day record for the year that was recorded in May after the end of title 42.

Every day, I think that there is going to be a response, a reply, a significant effort. It isn't necessarily a partisan issue. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams stated last week that New York City is being destroyed, and it will cost $12 billion after an influx of 110,000 migrants from the southern border have landed in the city. And while 110,000 migrants clearly are a massive number for any city to absorb, it is only a tiny fraction--a very tiny fraction--of the 2.76--2.76 million migrants who crossed the border in fiscal year 2022.

The unending catastrophic situation on the border has continued for so long that it seems like the Biden administration has grown numb to what, in any circumstance, would be considered a crisis--a crisis for the people who are crossing, a crisis for the people in the United States, a crisis for the people in New York City.

Gone are the days when the migrants showing up at our borders were from our neighboring country to the south. Now migrants are flooding in on trains from El Salvador, Haiti, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and most significant to me, China.

We have a gaping hole in our national security that stretches from California to Texas and, I assume, our other borders as well, and our adversaries are already using that circumstance to their advantage.

I visited the border with a bipartisan group of Senators earlier this year and witnessed Chinese nationals being apprehended--apprehended--by our border agents.

This week, it was reported that approximately 18,000 Chinese nationals had been encountered at the southern border. This is compared to 2,000 in 2022 and only 450--still a big number--in 2021. It was also reported that some of these individuals potentially had ties to the Chinese Communist Party and that not one of them was detained for any length of time.

This failure to respond to the arrival of the Chinese succeeded the FBI report that I had read, with great concern, about migrants with ties to ISIS who had been permitted to enter the country. The Customs and Border Patrol, which is overworked and understaffed, released an individual on the terrorist watch list into the country. The American people deserve answers from Secretary Mayorkas and from the Biden administration.

I have been on this floor previously, numerous times, like many of my colleagues, to make the case that the crisis at the southern border is causing an influx of illegal, deadly drugs--like fentanyl from China-- to enter the United States and is leading to the overdose deaths of thousands of Americans. I made the case that this is a humanitarian crisis as mothers and children attempt to make the long, dangerous trek across Mexico. Along the way, they face hunger, heat waves, human trafficking, and drug cartels. Caravans with thousands of migrants continue to march on our southern border. Border agents have been pulled away to deal with the record number of migrants and are left without the manpower to try and stop drug and human traffickers, spies, and potential terrorists.

For a long time, we have worried about people just coming across our border who are violating our sovereignty and taking our jobs; but it is even more significant and more critical that we respond now as our law enforcement deals with drug cartels, human trafficking, and now our national security--harmed significantly by those who enter our country illegally to do us harm.

President Biden must act to ensure the stricter enforcement of our immigration laws, reinstate the construction of a wall or fencing in areas that are largely unprotected, and the administration must send a message, loud and clear, that our border is closed to unlawful entrants.

It is way past time--way past time--we finished the wall and gave our law enforcement agents the tools they need to better protect our border. Instead, this administration is sitting on resources and paying storage fees for the unused border wall panels. With the President's lack of action, it is just an amazing circumstance we find ourselves in. Our national security is at stake, and we have failed to respond.

I would say that we can do more than one thing at one time. I also believe that the Senate should act to deliver lasting solutions to keep our border secure, to keep our communities safe, and to ensure the humane treatment of migrants. We could start by taking a vote on the Secure the Border Act. Securing our southern border shouldn't be--and I hope isn't--a Republican or a Democratic issue. It is not a Texas or a New Mexico or an Arizona issue. It is a national security issue.

Speaking of national security, I would be remiss if I didn't raise the importance of passing a supplemental appropriation that includes not only support for our efforts to contain the influx of people on our southern border and on our borders generally but that also includes money to support the efforts by the Ukrainian people to have a free country. While Ukrainian forces have not made a decisive breakthrough in their counteroffensive, they are making incremental progress that deserves our ongoing support.

The commitments made by our European allies now surpass America's, and the assistance that the United States has sent to Ukraine has been accounted for by multiple inspectors general. A failure on our part to remain committed would shake the confidence in the United States of allied capitals around the world. This, in turn, could lead to more aggression by more adversaries. Now is not the time to give up on Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is counting on our doing so. His only way to win--his only way to win--is to hang in long enough until the West-- until the United States--and our allies grow tired or otherwise become distracted. America's resolve against Russia's aggression should be unwavering.

The world is watching and judging American dependability. If we are found unreliable, the world will become an even more dangerous place. If we fail, the world becomes a more dangerous place. This is certainly about Ukraine, but it is about the security and safety of the people of the United States. Looking the other way is not an option.

What is happening at our southern border and, in fact, what is happening well beyond our borders in Europe needs a serious response. The security of our country, the security of American citizens, the security of Kansans depends upon it.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, the Chase County Courthouse is a striking monument situated in Cottonwood Falls and visible across much of the surrounding prairie. Built in 1873, the courthouse's limestone exterior, walnut staircase, and distinctive red roof have made it a landmark on the plains. Designed in French Renaissance style by John G. Haskell of Leavenworth, the courthouse is the oldest Kansas courthouse still in use.

This year marks the courthouse's 150th anniversary of service to the community. In 1856, several families moved to the south side of Cottonwood River, and soon after, the Chase County boundaries were drawn. The pioneers who established Cottonwood Falls decided to build a local courthouse and workers began construction on the courthouse. The community chose a courthouse that would stand 113-feet tall, containing a three-story spiral staircase made from trees near the Cottonwood River. The limestone used to construct the courthouse came from Chase County and is known as Cottonwood limestone. This same limestone was used in the Kansas State Capitol, Kansas State University, and can be found in the U.S. Capitol forming the base for the statue of Amelia Earhart. In 1917, the courthouse was entered in the National Registry of Historic Places and the Kansas Historical Site Register and serves as a tribute to the pioneers who made the Flint Hill their home and the builders who constructed the courthouse.

I have visited downtown Cottonwood Falls many times and have seen the community grow over the years. Rural county courthouses play an important role in preserving these communities. The courthouse is a place where justice is administered, wedding vows are made, election votes are tallied, wills are signed, and disputes are resolved.

On the 150th anniversary of the Chase County Courthouse, I am honored to recognize and commemorate this courthouse which is the pride of Cottonwood Falls and a monument on the plains.

Madam President, it was a few weeks back that I was on the Senate floor visiting with my colleagues about the Federal Reserve's response to the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, and I again am here today, this time to, in more specific terms, indicate there needs to be a pause in any new banking regulations until an independent investigation of the Fed's response to the failure at Silicon Valley Bank.

I asked for and would again reiterate the importance of an independent review and indicate that that review should be done prior to the enactment of new capital requirements in order to ensure that these new regulations are properly tailored. Led by a nonpartisan financial expert uninvolved in the Federal response, an independent investigation would allow a clear picture of what reforms are truly necessary. Instead, new capital requirements are largely based upon the Fed's ``holistic review,'' the origins of which are vague at best.

Regulators have now proposed a host of new requirements and rules for midsized banks to conform to the same capital standards of the country's largest lenders. Lumping regional lenders in with global, systemically important banks ignores the congressional intent laid out in the bipartisan piece of legislation S. 2155. Independent oversight might reveal these regulations to be an overprescribed or plainly unnecessary response to SVB's failure.

While some measured regulations may be in order, implementing new capital requirements on healthy, well-run financial institutions will do little to prevent a similar crisis. Healthy levels of capital are necessary for strong banks and their ability to lend, but the lack of attention paid to downstream effects of higher capital requirements in the proposal is concerning. This is a sentiment that is shared--my sentiment, and it is shared by multiple Federal Reserve Board Governors.

Meaningful oversight from regulators requires objectivity and must be done without having a predetermined outcome in mind. It should come as no surprise that the Fed's remedy does virtually nothing to address the root cause of recent bank failures, poor bank management, and lacks supervision. Instead, I worry that the regulations set in motion will serve as an opportunity for regulators to push a preestablished regulatory agenda that will dry up lending.

It is widely acknowledged that the increase in capital requirements go hand in hand with a reduction in credit availability, and with interest rates near a 20-year peak, access to credit for families and businesses is already shrinking.

The draft proposal from the Federal Reserve would drive up the cost of home ownership for low-income households, underserved borrowers, and those unable to afford large downpayments. Affordable housing is in short supply, and with midsized lenders forced to pull back on home loans, mortgage lending will continue to be pushed outside the highly regulated banking system. With continued labor shortages, elevated input costs, and supply backlogs, less credit availability is the last thing--the last thing--our housing market needs.

To put it simply, there should be no new regulations until an independent review of Silicon Valley Bank's failure is completed. We need to know what we are doing before we attempt to do it. Regulation this significant warrants increased transparency from the Fed. We need that transparency.

An additional review would alleviate concerns about impartiality of the ``holistic review'' and ensuing capital requirements. The Federal Reserve itself recognized in its recent ``Financial Stability Report'' that American banks as a whole were already well-capitalized.

Tightening capital requirements at the expense of lending will not prevent another SVB-type failure. A comprehensive response from policymakers and regulators would address the glaring supervisory shortfalls that preceded Silicon Valley Bank's collapse.

I yield the floor.

Recognition of the Minority Leader

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks prior to the scheduled rollcall vote.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and to mourn the passing of a Kansan whom I was privileged to know for many years and to work with for many years--Bill R. Fuller. Mr. Fuller touched lives, the lives of everyone who knew him, and he left the world and our State a better place.

He is, in many ways, a traditional, typical Kansan. He was raised on a family farm in rural Ottawa County. Bill knew--as farmers do, as kids growing up on farms know--he knew the value of hard work, he knew the value of service, and he practiced that and he preached that.

He attended Miltonvale Rural High School and graduated in 1956. He was the chapter president of his FFA chapter. He participated in band and choir, was a member of the National Honor Society, and was a member of the mile relay team that set a new record at the K-State indoor meet.

Wheat harvest, like to many Kansans, was an important part of Bill's life, an important part of his early life. And during his childhood years, his family was selected to be part of the Harvest Brigade during World War II, agreeing to follow harvest across the country with Massey-Harris Model 21 new-technology harvesting machines--something we now call the combine.

After graduating from Kansas State University with a degree in agriculture, Bill moved his young family to Miltonvale to continue working on the family farm and to be a teacher.

Years later, he was elected in 1979 to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives, the Kansas Legislature. It is here that I first met him. He had a really close working relationship with a Senator that I served with in the State senate--Senator Ross Doyen of Concordia. They served and worked together on issues and committees related to agriculture and livestock and where he--Bill Fuller--would later become its chairman.

After leaving the legislature, he took a position as assistant director of public affairs for the Kansas Farm Bureau. Bill was known and respected as a champion of agriculture in the halls of the Kansas statehouse and here in Congress. He was later appointed by President George W. Bush as the executive director of USDA Kansas Farm Service Agency, FSA, and there he supervised more than 500 employees, managed a $41 million budget, and administered 30 programs for conservation, farm loans, and disaster relief and benefits to Kansas farmers and ranchers.

In 2007, he was selected to receive the Administrator's Honor Award. He served from March 12, 2001, and retired January 29--birth date of our State--in 2009. He served two full terms as FSA director.

Bill worked tirelessly to make government work better for farmers and ranchers across Kansas. And we felt it; we saw it; we enjoyed working with him on behalf of agriculture in Kansas.

Bill also took the time to mentor and inspire many young people to be involved in agriculture, both as a teacher and, later, with the Kansas Farm Bureau. Members of my staff have been students of Bill's, and I am grateful for his willingness to mentor and teach the next generation of farmers and those creating farm policy.

I know I will speak for many others when I say we will all miss his wisdom, his knowledge, but also his kindness and his caring. It is just a joy to be with him. In Kansas, we know the value of community, and we rely upon our neighbors in time of need. Bill demonstrated his connection with his neighborhood, with his community, as a member of the Lions Club, as a leader of his Lions Club, and his work as a volunteer in the rural fire department. Rural fire districts are very important in our State, and Bill understood the value and spent much of his free time repairing and constructing firefighting equipment.

Bill's life is an example of the difference that a person can make. I am glad he lived the life he lived. I am glad he made the difference that he made. And I know his legacy will live on in the agriculture community in the State that he loved. My prayers are with his wife Janice, his three children, and the entire Fuller family and all in Kansas who knew and loved him.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, this weekend, in the town of Nicodemus in western Kansas, folks from all over will gather to celebrate and commemorate the history of this town. This year they will celebrate the 145th Homecoming Emancipation Celebration.

Nicodemus holds a unique place in American history. In 1877, newly freed slaves migrated West determined to create a community where freedom and equality could flourish. Out of the resolve of those early settlers emerged Nicodemus. Nicodemus was the first Black community west of the Mississippi River and is the only predominantly Black community west of the Mississippi that remains a living community today. Far from other towns or the railroad, life in Nicodemus wasn't easy, but the early settlers were determined to build a life for themselves--farms, homes, and a community that was their own.

The Homecoming Emancipation Celebration serves as a poignant reminder of the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation, a proclamation that shattered the shackles of slavery and ignited the spark of hope and liberty across the Nation. Throughout the years, the Homecoming Emancipation Celebration has been a time of reflection, remembrance, and unity. Families gather to pay homage to their ancestors and cherish the sacrifices made by those who sought a new life and new opportunities.

The celebration this weekend is a time for grandparents to pass down stories and memories to the younger generations, ensuring that the legacy of Nicodemus lives on in the hearts and minds of all. I hope that this celebration is a chance to remember the history of Nicodemus and celebrate the men and women who bravely made the journey west to find a place of their own.

I hope anyone passing through western Kansas will take time to visit Nicodemus to learn the history of this brave little town on the plains of Kansas.

Mr. President, today I come to the Senate floor to pay tribute to the Stockton Lions Club and recognize their contributions to the community. This organization has been a part of the community since the 1950s, and its presence will be missed.

Lions Club International is the world's largest service organization, with more than 1.42 million members and 47,000 clubs in over 200 countries. In Kansas, 216 clubs serve various community needs. The international focus of the Lions Club is helping the visually impaired or blind. This cause came from Helen Keller at the International Convention at Cedar Point, OH, in June of 1925. She challenged the Lions to be the ``Knights of the Blind.'' From holding eyeglass drop- offs in the community, to paying for eye appointments and glasses, the Stockton Lions Club answered this challenge.

As a member of the Kansas Lions Club for almost 40 years, I have witnessed the hard work and dedication these members put forward to serve others. At its core, the Lions Club's mission is to empower communities through acts of service, and it has touched countless lives. Their willingness to devote their time, talents, and treasure to helping others is inspiring. Over the years, I have enjoyed attending Lions Clubs meetings in Stockton to visit with folks about the issues important to them. I will miss attending the Stockton Lions Club but want to take time to remember this community organization. The dedicated members of the club demonstrated that, together, they could make a difference in their community.

Whether by sponsoring the annual Free Watermelon Feed during the Rooks County Fair or taking students to the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, the Stockton Lions Club made an incredible impact. Thank you to the Stockton Lions Club members for bettering Kansas.

Mr. President, I appreciate the comments that I heard this morning from Senator Klobuchar and appreciate her leadership and efforts to see that the Afghan Adjustment Act becomes law. I think I am followed by my colleague on the Veterans Committee, Senator Blumenthal from Connecticut.

This has been a bipartisan effort to make certain that legislation was drafted, introduced, and that lives were protected and changed. From my perspective, one of the saddest days--or few days--of my time as a U.S. Senator was when the United States withdrew from Afghanistan--not necessarily the withdrawal but the manner in which it occurred and the number of people--some Americans, many of them Afghans who helped Americans during our time in Afghanistan--who were left behind and the manner in which those who were able to escape, what they had to endure in many instances to do so.

As we approach the second anniversary of this disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, many of those Afghans who escaped to the United States now face--continue to face--uncertainty in their lives-- uncertainty as their original parole status is set to expire soon. Most of that status for their legal presence in the United States expires 2 years from their arrival to the United States. And in many instances, that is now the month of August 2023.

I joined my colleague Senator Klobuchar in introducing the Afghan Adjustment Act to make certain that Afghans who sought refuge in the United States are able to apply for a permanent legal residency after undergoing additional vetting.

This amendment, this legislation, is now an amendment pending on the National Defense Authorization Act. I hope we are able to have a vote on this amendment--that it is included, the vote occurs, and I hope that vote is successful.

This amendment establishes a pathway for Afghan partners to begin a more certain and, perhaps, new life.

The rushed and chaotic withdrawal created a potential loophole for bad actors to be admitted to the United States. So if you are interested in our national security--which I know we all are--this amendment establishes a critical vetting process to reduce the threats to that national security. Failing to pass this amendment, failing for this bill to become law, means that none of the refugees will undergo the necessary additional vetting. Undergoing that vetting then can create the opportunity for certainty in the lives of those Afghan refugees who are here.

For two decades, countless Afghans stood by our servicemembers and risked their lives and their families' lives to support our troops in Afghanistan. This withdrawal and the current circumstance resulted in more than 1,000 contacts with my office asking for help in getting someone out of Afghanistan, someone who served side by side with a soldier from Fort Riley--our hometown pastor's daughter and husband-- missionaries, Christian missionaries in Afghanistan--looking for help to get out of Afghanistan--those people who are Christians in that country.

The vast majority of people who are in this uncertain stage were people who, either through our domestic operations, our opportunity to try to stabilize Afghanistan, or our military--they are the ones who are now living a life of uncertainty and potential return or removal from the United States.

Under the present regulations, our Afghan allies admitted under temporary humanitarian status can only attain permanent legal status through our overburdened, nonworking, dysfunctional, asylum system or the long-winded special immigrant visa process. As a result, thousands face this troubling uncertainty as they strive to create a new life here.

Recently, in the town we live in, Manhattan, KS, a block party was created to host Afghan residents of our community. It was pleasing to see the Afghan culture celebrated, and it was pleasing to see the community support their new neighbors.

It is always a good thing to see when people come together. The practical help offered to our Afghans is priceless, but all that community support and assistance will do little good if we don't pass the opportunities that the Afghan Adjustment Act provides these individuals.

The amendment before us today will help provide certainty to many of our Afghan partners and work to help other Afghan partners who are stranded in other countries. So we have the challenge of Afghans in the United States who soon will have no legal status, and we have those who are still trying to get out of Afghanistan. And, finally, we have those who have escaped Afghanistan to another country but can't yet migrate any further. Those people are stranded. They need our assistance.

We also need to make sure that our vetting requirements protect our national security. This legislation does both. It protects our national security and increases our opportunity to treat individuals--human beings--in a humanitarian way.

I thank Senator Klobuchar for her invitation for me to join her here today in this bipartisan effort. Senator Klobuchar mentioned a number of veterans organizations and veterans who endorsed this legislation and, thus, this amendment.

This issue was brought to me most directly by the Iraqi and Afghan veterans of America who support this legislation and who brought information and encouragement to me to help see that this legislation is passed. But it is also supported by Blue Star Families, by the American Legion, the VFW, and many other veterans and veterans organizations.

Those who served our country--those Americans who served our country--care about those who helped save their lives in Afghanistan, and they would like to see the U.S. Senate take the steps that we are asking be taken today.

I yield the floor.