Floor Statements

Madam President, this week, the U.S. Capitol will welcome a bronze statue of a determined young woman with short-cut hair, a curious smile, and a bomber hat in hand. For almost everyone around the country, this young woman is easily recognizable as the adventurer and aviator Amelia Earhart.

Amelia Earhart, the most famous woman in aviation, soared into the history books, setting flight records and breaking barriers. But before she became known worldwide as the Queen of the Air, she was the daughter of a small town in Kansas, Atchison.

Amelia Earhart was born in 1897 in Atchison, KS, a rural community that had a population then of about 500 people. As a young girl, Amelia kept busy with her sister Muriel. The girls were constantly exploring their own neighborhood, climbing trees, and playing with animals. During her high school years, Amelia excelled in chemistry, which inspired her to go to medical school--a goal unthinkable for woman at the time. Her independence and ambition were evident from a very young age.

Amelia's go-getter attitude propelled her to become an innovative entrepreneur--working as a stenographer, an author, a social worker, a truckdriver, and even a fashion designer.

Later in life, when Amelia was asked how she maintained such a fervent work ethic, she stated:

The most effective way to do it is to do it.

This can-do spirit was the catalyst for Earhart's daring and fast- paced career as an aviator. Amelia fell in love with flight when she took a plane ride at a California airshow in 1920, and it wasn't long after that experience before Amelia started her first pilot lessons.

She completed her aviation courses in 1921, making her only the 16th woman in the world with a license to fly. Earhart quickly purchased her own plane and wasted no time in becoming one of the world's most notable aviators.

Following Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic, interest grew to see a woman fly across the Atlantic. On June 17, 1928, Earhart took off but only as a passenger. After landing in Wales some 20 hours later, she recalled how she felt like she was ``just baggage, like a sack of potatoes,'' and added, ``Maybe someday, I'll try it alone.''

Shortly after that trip, Amelia announced she would fly the same path that she did in 1928 but this time on her own, solo. When the pilot was asked what prompted her to reattempt this flight, she stated:

There's more to life than just being a passenger.

In 1932, Earhart became the first woman to complete a solo transatlantic flight in a record time of 14 hours 56 minutes, despite being faced with a number of challenges during the trip.

Earhart continued to break records by completing the first-ever solo flight from Hawaii to California, from Los Angeles to Mexico City, and reaching the highest altitude a female pilot had ever reached at the time.

Her spirit of adventure led her to attempt the greatest feat: a flight around the world. Amelia would be the first person to attempt this by taking the equatorial route, starting in the west and making her way east. This was an astonishing 29,000-mile route, with the last 7,000 miles occurring over the Pacific Ocean.

She left with her navigator, Fred Noonan, on June 1, 1937, making stops in South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Every stop on her journey, she came closer and closer and closer to achieving her goal.

On July 2, 1937, the day of the longest leg of her journey, her quest ended too soon in radio silence somewhere over the Pacific. Intensive searches continue to this day, most recently by the renowned oceanographer and Kansan Dr. Bob Ballard, but have left the world continuing to wonder what ever happened to Amelia.

She captivated the hearts and the minds of many and inspired the next generation of pilots to love the sky in the same way she did.

Undeniably, the State of Kansas has a long history steeped in the aviation industry, but without pioneers like Amelia Earhart, our State would not be the epicenter of aviation that it is today.

Now, in celebration of her accomplishments and legacy, Amelia Earhart will join President Dwight D. Eisenhower as bronze beacons representing Kansas in our Nation's Capitol as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. Tomorrow, this Wednesday, we will unveil Amelia's statue to the world, just 3 days after what would have been her 125th birthday.

This week would not have been possible without the efforts of Jacque Pregont, Karen Seaberg, and Reed Berger, all with the Atchison Amelia Earhart Foundation.

Thank you for your extensive and determined efforts. This partnership has made so much progress to get us to the day that we now arrive at.

I look forward to the dedication ceremony on Wednesday and seeing Kansans fill Statuary Hall to honor and preserve Amelia Earhart's legacy.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, thank you for the opportunity to address you and my colleagues here on the Senate floor this afternoon.

While Kansans are dealing, Americans are dealing every day with skyrocketing gas prices, record-high inflation, and supply chain shortages, President Biden traveled to Saudi Arabia to make a plea for greater oil production availability. What he should be doing is asking Americans and giving them the opportunity to unleash the potential of our own ability to supply oil. We have seen days and we enjoyed the days in which America was generally energy independent, and it would be a wonderful day to return to.

My State of Kansas is an energy-producing State, and we could help increase supply and cut costs at the pump, but instead President Biden chooses our foreign adversaries for assistance. Kansas ranks 11th in oil production and 14th in the production of natural gas. Kansas is also the ninth largest ethanol-producing State. That industry supports over 115,000 oil and gas jobs in Kansas.

Our producers and our refiners stand ready to meet the growing demand for American energy. But since the first day in office and really before assuming office, the President has sought to constrain the oil and gas sectors' access to capital. I don't know how many times in the Banking Committee we were dealing with this issue of whether or not a regulator could regulate financial institutions, with the goal of eliminating their ability to finance oil and gas production.

In addition to trying to limit access to capital, he blocked construction of pipelines and has proposed burdensome new regulations on oil and gas producers.

My guess is that this is done for the purposes of reducing the use of fossil fuels, the environment-climate agenda. But it is so hypocritical for us, as Americans, for President Biden to be asking others who produce oil to increase their production. If it is about the environment and about climate, you wouldn't ask anybody to increase their production. And I have no doubt that here in the United States, we do it right as far as refining oil and gas into other products in a way that is the most environmentally sound way of doing it compared to places like Venezuela, Libya, where the President also asked that they increase their production for the benefit of American consumers.

The thing to do for us to increase our energy production and reduce the price at the pump--and we talk about prices at the pump so easily. The cost of oil and natural gas has a consequence on things way beyond the price at the pump. It is not just about gasoline. Natural gas, for example, is used in the production of fertilizer for our farmers who struggle today, with the cost of production being astronomically higher than it was before, but almost every product that we buy that is more expensive today than it was previously has an oil and gas component to it.

The request by President Biden to reach out to our adversaries for oil on the world stage, appealing to our adversaries for increased production, not only singles out our weakness but is also unnecessary. The United States has the resources, the expertise, and the domestic demand to be an energy-independent nation, and Kansas has the opportunity to be a participant in that, with additional jobs and a better America.

We should see the impending energy crisis in Europe as a case study for why domestic energy production ought to be supported to the fullest extent in the United States. Additionally, our dependence upon energy from someplace else has huge consequences in our foreign relations, our military preparedness, and our national security.

A far more enduring solution than wandering around the world with a tin cup out--far more stable and affordable energy prices to fill our vehicles, power our homes, or to operate our farms--is for the President to support an all-out, ``all of the above'' domestic energy strategy. This includes investments in new and existing energy infrastructure like refineries; expanding oil, biofuels, and ethanol production; and new EV manufacturing--incidentally, although certainly not an incidental thing, like the $4 billion Panasonic EV manufacturing plant we announced last week

for Kansas. We ought to be interested, again, in solar and wind energy. Kansas is the third highest producer of wind energy, wind power, in the United States.

The Biden administration must--I asked them to shift course and promote an ``all of the above'' strategy that produces more U.S. energy from all sources. It benefits America; it benefits the world; and it especially benefits the consumers who are hurting so much at the grocery store and the gas pump and utility bills.

We need to weaken our reliance on foreign adversaries, and we need to increase the production of energy in the United States.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I would like to recognize Dale W. Moore for dedicating more than 40 years of his professional life to being a champion for agriculture in the public and private sector.

For the past 10 years, Dale has served farmers and ranchers as a leader at the American Farm Bureau Federation, first as executive director, public policy, then vice president, public affairs, and finally spending the past 4 years of his career serving as the executive vice president.

Dale served as chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under four Secretaries of Agriculture, served as legislative director for the House Agriculture Committee, and as a legislative assistant for then-Representative Pat Roberts, who represented the ``Big First'' district of Kansas.

Dale's Kansas roots run deep. He is a native of Copeland, KS, with a population of approximately 250 people. Dale grew up on a livestock, hay, and grain farm, where he learned firsthand the intricacies of agriculture, the value of hard work, and fostered an appreciation of rural America that he carried with him throughout his entire career.

Dale received a bachelor of science in animal science and biology from Fort Hays State University, located in Hays, KS, where he participated in activities such as Rodeo Club, Block and Bridle Club, and Delta Tau Alpha.

In all of his roles throughout his illustrious career, Dale earned a reputation that continues with him today as a mentor, problem solver, counselor, and storyteller whose commitment sets a shining example for policymakers across the political spectrum. Dale has not only been an advocate for farmers and ranchers, but has contributed to the strength of American farm and ranch families, serving as a trusted friend and advisor to many.

On behalf of this body, the U.S. Senate, it my honor to recognize and thank Dale W. Moore for his dedication to agriculture and service to the American Farm Bureau Federation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Congress and to congratulate him on his retirement.

Mr. President, thank you for that emphatic recognition.

In the next few minutes, the Senate will vote on the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022.

This is a significant--I would say historic--moment. This bipartisan legislation, not only is it significant and important because of the content, but it is also significant and perhaps historic because of the cooperation that has

been garnered to put this act together and presumably pass it and send it to the President of the United States.

This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic exposure package the Senate has ever delivered to veterans in our country's history.

Generation after generation, Americans, one by one, have answered the call of duty with the promise that we--the United States of America, the citizens of this country--would take care of them and their families after their time in uniform. Yet generation after generation, veteran after veteran, these servicemembers returned home only to be met with a piecemeal process as they work to cobble together the care that they earned and the benefits they deserved from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans have spent years fighting bureaucracy to get the care they need, and, sadly, there are those who have been fighting, up to this point, who are no longer living, to receive the benefits that this legislation will provide.

Chairman Tester, the Senator from Montana, and I made a commitment to get to this point today. I am proud that we are doing so together in a bipartisan way. And, most importantly, this bill will deliver healthcare and benefits to thousands of veterans who are ill due to their exposure to burn pits and other toxic exposures.

There is no doubt that the cost of taking care of our veterans is high, but the truth is freedom is not free. We say that. This is evidence that we believe that, upon the passage of this legislation.

There is always, always a cost to war. It is always high. It is always dramatic. It is always something that costs people their lives. But we make a decision when we send those service men and women to war that we are going to do what we said we are going to do and care for them. The decision is made when we send someone to war about whether we are going to spend money to care for them when they return. The cost of war is not fully paid when the war is over.

We are now on the verge of honoring that commitment to America's veterans and their families. Back home in Kansas, MG Lee Tafanelli said this legislation ``will have a great impact in the lives of our veterans long after their service. The knowledge that the obstacles formerly in their way have now been streamlined will provide peace of mind as our veterans move on with their lives.''

I spoke on Memorial Day at a cemetery in Kansas, and a Navy veteran came up to me after my remarks and said: I served in the Navy. My dad served in the Navy. We both encountered toxic substances, and we are fortunate we have no symptoms that cause any problems in our lives, but that doesn't mean we don't think about it every day; that what happens if we do have those consequences in the future and there is nothing there for us and, more importantly, for our families.

This legislation helps provide some level of certainty. I am sure every member of our service, when they serve our Nation, recognizes they run risks, but I doubt that any of them believe that they are creating risks for their spouses or their children. They carry the burden for themselves, but there is also the necessity of caring for their families, particularly if they get to a point at which they cannot do so.

Not only will this legislation provide long-overdue healthcare and benefits to the 3.5 million post-9/11 veterans who were exposed to burn pits, but this legislation will deliver care for all generations of veterans, including Vietnam veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange.

I am at an age at which it would seem like the Vietnam war was a long time ago and we would have taken care of those who served, but we have those who served in Vietnam who are still waiting for their benefits.

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson PACT Act would not be on the floor today without the hard work of numerous veterans service organizations, veteran families, survivors, advocates, and the veterans themselves who came to Washington to meet with Senator Tester and with me and with every Member of the U.S. Senate, to have a conversation, to tell their story. And they are the most effective advocates there could be. And many of them, and others, testified before our Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee.

This legislation is not just a product of Senator Tester's and mine; it is a product of so many. It is so much more. And perhaps--no offense to Senator Tester, but perhaps our role is really insignificant when you look at the people who have encountered these challenges but used those challenges as an opportunity to fight not just for themselves but, in most instances, probably more likely to fight for other veterans in similar circumstances.

I thank them for their service. I thank them for their work in helping us deliver long-lasting solutions and comprehensive reforms for those who served. And I especially want to thank Heath Robinson's family, who turned their own loss and heartache into action. This bill will help many veterans like Heath face the challenges that he faced that ultimately ended his life.

I thank Senator Tester, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs. And for all the members of our committees, Republicans and Democrats, I remind my colleagues and I remind the American people that the original version of this bill passed the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee unanimously, with every Republican and every Democrat voting yes.

After the passage of that legislation, we worked further to find consensus but, more importantly, to find better solutions and a path forward that would allow us to be to the point we are today. Secretary McDonough deserves our gratitude as well, and I thank him for his input, his testimony, and the numerous, numerous telephone and personal conversations. I appreciate his advice, and it made this bill better for veterans.

Once we pass this legislation, the real work of implementing it will fall to the Department of Veterans Affairs. But we as a committee and we as Senators need to make certain that we do the appropriate oversight, that we make certain that these are not just words on paper but that the results that we are looking for are finally delivered.

Too often, I think, the moment of glory comes on the passage of a bill or the press release announcing the passage of a bill, the signing of a bill, but whether or not it works still remains the most important aspect of our work. A lot of work remains, and the VA has significant challenges as it moves forward to help these veterans. The real work is still ahead of us, and I stand ready to do all I can to make certain that we are able to deliver the intended results contemplated by this legislation.

A long list of thank-yous to my colleagues, certainly to my colleagues on the committee, my colleagues in the Senate, but especially to folks in the VA community, the VSO community: Shane Liermann, Lawrence Montreuil--Shane is with the DAV; Lawrence is with the American Legion--Pat Murray with the VFW; Kristina Keenan, VFW; Cory Titus, MOAA; Aleks Morosky, WWP; Candace Wheeler, TAPS; Bob Carey, Independence Fund; Tom Porter, IAVA; Kaitlynne Hetrick, IAVA; Jennifer Burch, IAVA; Rosie Torres, Burn Pits 360; Jon Stewart; and Jon Feal.

And I thank the Kansas leaders who, over a long period of time--I don't know what year it was, but the Vietnam Veterans of America held a conference in Wichita, KS, which I attended, at which the topic was toxic exposure. And it has to be at least 10, 12 years ago. And I thank them for, at that point in time, sticking in my mind that there is work to be done.

And I appreciate other Kansans: Lee Hursey, who is the commander of the Kansas VFW; Jeremy Ehart of the Kansas American Legion; William Turner; Eric Owens; Lee Tafanelli; David Dennis; GEN Mike Dodson; Pat Proctor; Paul Chapa; COL Timothy Marlar; and COL John Buckley, all of whom are Kansans who are working on behalf of other veterans in our State to see that we get this right.

And nothing in this body gets done because Senators do all the work. Senators have ideas and occasionally a few words here and there, but we are surrounded by people who every day make those words and those thoughts come to life on a piece of paper called a bill. And my staff on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and in my office have been unending in their efforts to

get this right and to work to find an agreement that could become law. Lindsay Dearing leads that list; Asher Allman; Michele Payne; Tiffanii Woolfolk; Emily Blair Rubright; Kelsey Baron; Brian Newbold; Mark Crowley; Emily Brady; Brian Mann; David Shearman; and our leader, Jon Towers; and Tom Brandt; Angela Lingg; and Miranda Moore. And as to Senator Tester, Tony McClain, his chief; and Simon Coon.

I appreciate the opportunity to be on the Senate floor at this moment for what I hope will be a resounding victory not for Senator Tester, not for Jerry Moran but for the veterans of America who served our Nation admirably, did what they were asked to do, and encountered things they should not have encountered, the consequences of which have lasted throughout their lives. We are here to fulfill a commitment and a promise, and we begin that, we move forward on that today.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak for up to 5 minutes, followed by the Senator from Montana, Senator Tester, for up to 5 minutes, prior to the scheduled rollcall votes.

Mr. President, thank you for the opportunity to address the U.S. Senate and the American people.

In a few moments, the Senate will vote on the Tester-Moran Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act.

For far too long--way far too long--our Nation's veterans have been living with chronic illnesses as a result of exposures during their time in uniform. Today, we are continuing to take the steps necessary to right this wrong with our legislation that will provide veterans and their families with the healthcare and benefits that they have earned and that they deserve.

In March, Secretary McDonough testified before our committee, the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and he stated that the House toxic exposure bill needed additional work before being brought to the full Senate for a vote. Because of the improvements we have made in the House bill, the VA Secretary yesterday told our committee that he can now ``certify'' this legislation will be implemented without negative operational impacts on existing disability claims and healthcare for veterans.

All along, I have had concern about the consequences of this legislation and the volume of cases that the VA will now encounter, what it may mean for those veterans as well as veterans who need VA care and benefits who are not toxic-exposed. Secretary McDonough yesterday went on to say: ``We're ready for it, we've been preparing for this. . . . I think we can do this and do it well and in all cases do it transparently.''

While I appreciate the Secretary's assurance, our committee must continue its oversight of the VA and make certain that this bill is implemented correctly and that all those with toxic exposure and all veterans can rely upon the system for benefits and for healthcare. We still have our work cut out as a Congress, as a Senate, to make sure that the promises that are made in this bill are promises that are kept and that the promises that are made to other veterans are kept.

This bill is designed to fix a broken system that has been cobbled together over decades of patchwork fixes. Congress has been trying to solve these problems. The Department of Veterans Affairs has been trying to solve these problems. Finally, we bring together a solution that should make things significantly better for many.

While I continue to insist my GOP colleagues should be allowed to offer and debate and to vote on amendments, it is time to advance the Tester-Moran substitute and bring us one step closer to connecting all generations of toxic-exposed veterans with the care they need and they deserve and to provide veterans with certainty and support.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, this afternoon, I want to recognize a longtime Manhattan, KS--known as the Little Apple--a Manhattan, KS, public servant, C. Clyde Jones, on his 100th birthday.

Before building his life in Manhattan, he grew up in West Virginia and then swore an oath to our Nation in 1943 to serve our country in the U.S. Navy during World World II.

Following his service, he returned to focus on his education, earning a bachelor's, master's, and doctorate concentrated on social science and history. After serving several universities in the South and Midwest, he received a phone call to come interview at Kansas State University. And while his initial reaction to living in the Sunflower State was less than thrilled, Kansans easily won him over when he visited. The beauty of the Flint Hills, where K-State is located, also didn't hurt. That was 60 years ago, and in that time, Clyde has left a tremendous impact both on Kansas State and the larger Manhattan community.

He was hired to head the business department within the College of Arts and Sciences; but with his leadership, it resulted in the transformation of the department into an accredited college. In 1962, he opened the Kansas State University College of Business as its first dean.

His involvement in campus life was all-encompassing, also serving as chair of the athletic council as it spearheaded the construction of the current football stadium, now known as Bill Snyder Family Stadium. It continues to welcome thousands of Wildcats to each Saturday's home game throughout the fall season.

His reach extended beyond campus as he invested in the larger community, serving on various community boards, including the United Way. He also worked as president of the Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2001, the annual Chamber Volunteer of the Year award was renamed in his honor.

Clyde has also become a staunch advocate for Shepherd's Crossing, a local ministry focused on providing caring assistance to those in need of financial support. Over the 20 years since its founding, Clyde has held every position within the Shepherd's Crossing organization. Even today, he holds the title of chief development officer; and in this role, he has increased donations to support the work they are doing by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Clyde's love and dedication to Manhattan has been demonstrated in everything he has done for over 60 years. Our community has been made better and stronger because of his countless hours of service.

Clyde, thank you for being an example of a solid, true, and faithful public servant. You are what I have in mind when I say we need more civics and less politics in our community, State, and Nation. I wish you the happiest of birthdays and hope that you can ring in 100 years surrounded by the ones you love. Know that there are many of us who love you.

Happy birthday, Clyde.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, as we know, the Senate is currently considering the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act. This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic exposure bill ever considered for veterans.

Passing toxic exposure legislation has been a priority for Senator Tester, the chairman of the committee, and for me, the ranking member, and we wanted to do it this Congress, and we are close to accomplishing that.

Last Congress, we were able to deliver landmark mental health legislation for veterans, and this Congress, we were committed to passing long-lasting solutions that will reform the VA's process by which veterans who were exposed to burn pits and Agent Orange receive their benefits and healthcare.

About a month ago, Senator Tester and I announced a bipartisan agreement and introduced the historic Heath Robinson PACT Act. Part of the agreement between the chairman and me was that two amendments would be considered for this legislation.

I offered an amendment to strike the creation of a fund which would classify over $116 billion in discretionary costs associated with the bill as entitlement spending. I believe that this untested and unique way of classifying spending lessens congressional oversight at a time of massive debt and deficits, and it sets a bad precedent.

Senator Lee has an amendment requiring the Secretary to use science when evaluating presumptions established in the bill. That amendment has been filed.

Senator Ernst has an amendment requiring the Secretary to certify that with the resources and authorities provided through this bill, there won't be a negative consequence for veterans in the system.

There are at least three amendments proposing to offset the cost of the bill or at least a portion thereof with spending reductions elsewhere.

I am hopeful that in the days ahead, before final passage of this bill, we will let our colleagues be heard through an amendment process, pass or fail.

I have also hoped that the two amendments that I expected to be able to offer would be made in order. That hasn't been the case to date, and therefore I ask unanimous consent that it be made in order for the following amendments to be made pending to the substitute amendment No. 5051 by their sponsors or their designees: One, the Ernst amendment, Secretary of VA certification, No. 5072; two, the Lee amendment to modify the authority to create presumptions, No. 5048; the Johnson amendment to pay for COVID money, amendment No. 5055; the Paul amendment, to pay for this legislation from USAID, No. 5060; the Blackburn community care amendment, No. 5075; my amendment, the community care amendment, No. 5064; my amendment to strike section 805, No. 5063; the Marshall amendment on collective bargaining, No. 5071; the Murkowski amendment on appraisals for housing loans, No. 5069; and the Inhofe amendment concerning Camp Lejeune, No. 5094. I further ask that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate vote in relation to these amendments in the order listed; further, that upon disposition of the amendments listed, all postcloture time on the substitute amendment No. 5051 be expired and the remaining pending amendments be withdrawn, with the exception of the substitute amendment No. 5051, as amended, if amended, and that the Senate vote on adoption of the substitute amendment, as amended, if amended; and finally, that upon disposition of amendment No. 5051, as amended, if amended, the cloture motion with respect to the underlying bill, H.R. 3967, be withdrawn, the bill, as amended, if amended, be read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended, with 60 affirmative votes required for passage.

Mr. President, I would conclude by encouraging the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs to use his substantial level of influence with the leaders that he described as necessary to approve the consideration of these amendments.

He speaks of the word ``trust,'' and I have great trust in his ability to accomplish the desired outcome that I have.

Mr. President, may I make an inquiry of the Senator from Montana through the Chair?

Mr. President, if I answered the question, Mr. Chairman, would that be considered derogatory?

Perhaps it is a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, as you know, the Senate is currently considering the Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act. This bipartisan legislation is the most comprehensive toxic exposure bill ever considered for veterans.

My colleagues deserve a fair consideration of common sense and reasonable amendments to improve this bill for our veterans. The House of Representatives had six votes and adopted 27 amendments. Part of the agreement between the chairman, Chairman Tester, and I was that amendments would be considered for this legislation; and, specifically, I have pushed for two amendments to be considered.

Given the magnitude and size of this legislation, there needs to be a bipartisan process, and given the magnitude of the bipartisan support of this legislation, there needs to be a bipartisan process on the Senate floor; and I would ask the leadership of the Senate to make certain that is the case.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, secondly, I would ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak even though it may go a moment or two longer and that the vote be delayed to allow me to complete my remarks.

Mr. President, I want to speak this morning really to America's veterans and provide an update on our work to get our toxic exposure legislation across the finish line.

The Senate is in the midst of considering the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our PACT Act. This is historic. It is bipartisan.

I hope that we can keep it becoming, when something is bipartisan, that it is historic because we ought to be able to solve these problems for veterans and really for Americans in a way that brings us together and not pulls us apart, and this is an effort to show that that can be done. This legislation will deliver on a promise we made as a country to take care of our service men and women, both when they deploy and when they come home.

The Heath Robinson Act will provide access to healthcare and benefits for millions of veterans who are sick from illnesses connected with toxic exposures.

When we send our warfighters into harm's way, it is with the understanding that we will have their back. When they come home bearing physical, mental, or invisible wounds of war, we care for those wounds. Toxic wounds should not be treated differently.

John Buckley, a retired U.S. Army colonel from Andover, KS, told me:

Our Soldiers were put into dangerous situations in Iraq and

Afghanistan. And many who suffered from their wounds or made

the ultimate sacrifice have been cared for by our nation.

Unfortunately, many too have been overlooked and ignored.

Especially those who are suffering from injuries after having

recurring and prolonged exposure to toxic fumes, burn pits

and other environmental hazards.

This legislation is designed to address what the retired colonel told me.

Another Army colonel, this one from Leavenworth, KS, Pat Proctor, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, shared that many of the men and women he served with are facing health challenges from being exposed to toxins while deployed. He said:

There is no telling--[there is no telling]--how many of us

will be impacted as we get older.

I know many of our veterans live with the lingering fear, will the toxic exposures from their service catch up with them and leave them with a debilitating disease? And if that happens, will the VA be there? Will Americans be there for them with the healthcare and benefits they need?

William Turner, the former deputy commander general of support for Kansas's own Fort Riley First Infantry Division, told me:

Our Veterans have served in multiple locations where they

have been exposed to a number of toxins that have resulted in

them developing serious illnesses, and they often struggle to

gain access to health care and benefits that help alleviate

some of the pain and suffering they are experiencing.

Sometimes we think these issues are something people in Washington, DC, are talking about, but what we are trying to address is the real circumstances of real Americans who have served our Nation and who are deserving of our attention.

The former deputy commanding general went on to say--to note this:

It is absolutely imperative that we pass this bill to

guarantee exposed veterans receive permanent access to health

care.

Moving legislation through Congress can be a slow and frustrating process. However, this week, when the Senate began debate on our bill, I was encouraged by the resounding show of confidence. This bill--to move forward on this bill, that vote was 86 Senators in favor.

We are now focused on an amendment process and will continue working as quickly as the Senate will allow to get this bill to the House and back on its way to the President's desk.

Whether Democrat or Republican, every Member of this Chamber represents veterans at home, and I firmly

believe that every Member in this Chamber cares about those veterans. Issues related to veterans often have a way of bringing us together to find consensus, and that is what we have been attempting to do and we will continue to do as we sort out what amendments could be considered.

We were able to deliver veterans choice through the MISSION Act, landmark mental health legislation through the John Scott Hannon Mental Health Improvement Act, and I believe we can do that again on this legislation to deliver care and benefits to all generations of toxic- exposed veterans.

This country is good at recognizing the physical wounds of war, and we are getting better at recognizing the mental wounds of war, but no longer can we ignore the wounds of war from toxic exposure--the wounds, like Agent Orange before it, that may not arrive until years later.

Throughout the remaining procedural votes on the Heath Robinson Act, I urge my colleagues with remaining questions or concerns to reach out so we can all, together, deliver on this promise to those who have borne the battle. I look forward to working with my colleagues to see that this bill crosses the finish line soon.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak up to whatever additional minutes necessary for me to complete my remarks before the 11:30 vote.

Madam President, I certainly rise this morning, going into this afternoon, in advance of a vote on a motion to proceed, a cloture vote, on the SFC Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, and I would call upon my colleagues to do the same thing.

I appreciate what I just heard from the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and how he made the case for why this is important legislation and why we have little excuse not to see its success here in the next few days.

I mentioned last night when I spoke on the Senate floor that I am not a veteran. I mentioned that my experience in high school in seeing those who are just a year or two older than me returning from their service in Vietnam caused me to reach a conclusion that I would do everything I could in my life to compensate for the ill treatment those men and women returning from service in Southeast Asia received from their fellow Americans. I was going to pay respect. I was going to honor them. I was going to say thank you. That is what a 16-year-old kid thought he should do to make certain that we compensate for those who served our country and deserved something better than what they received.

I never envisioned being a Member of the U.S. Senate, never thought that was something that would happen to me in my life, but because I now serve in this capacity, I have an obligation to do much more than saying thank you. There is nothing wrong--it is a good thing to tell those who served ``Thank you. I appreciate your service. I respect you,'' but that is just the beginning.

Certainly, as a member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and a Member of the U.S. Senate, I and all my colleagues owe those who served in Vietnam and every other battle of our Nation more than just saying thank you.

My guess is that nearly all of us, the 100 of us, probably said these words at services across our States on Memorial Day weekend. We have said it hundreds of times: ``Thank you for your service.'' I will continue to say ``thank you for your service'' hundreds and hundreds of times myself.

But this week we have the opportunity to do something significantly more and that is to actually provide the benefits that men and women who served in Vietnam and who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the globe--the benefits they are entitled to and the benefits which they desperately need.

We were with a group of veterans--certainly a group of veteran organizations--this morning on the Capitol lawn, and, to my knowledge, every veterans service organization, every organization that represents veterans is asking us to pass this legislation. But I also was surrounded by family members and veterans themselves who have experienced horrendous circumstances in their lives and their families' lives as a result of exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam and toxic burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan.

And you can see the challenge that people face in their lives because of their service. And we no longer have the capability, if we ever did, to say: No, we can't help you yet; we will wait for--we will wait for more science, more medicine; we will wait until the Department of Veterans Affairs completes another study.

We can't wait because they can't wait.

During my time at home over that Memorial Day weekend, a Navy veteran said he and his father were both exposed to toxic exposures in their service to their country and, to their knowledge, they have no consequences, no physical ailments that resulted from that. But they said: Every day we worry about it because we don't think--we don't know that if we do develop those symptoms, that the Department of Veterans Affairs and, really, the American people are going to be there to take care of us. So every day of our lives, knowing that we have been exposed to toxic substances during our military service--every day we wonder, if something does develop, what is going to happen to our spouse? what is going to happen to our kids? what is going to happen to me, the person who served, if we don't know that the VA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, is going to be there with the benefits that we need to care for ourselves, our health, and our family members?

The bill that we take up today is a culmination of years of work, and people across the country have come to their Congress over those years, knocked on our doors, made phone calls, and asked us: Please do something to take care of someone we love who has been exposed to these terrible substances and causing death and ill health in their lives.

So, across the Senate, many of us have introduced legislation over those years, legislation in recent years, and with the leadership of our Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, we had begun the process of sorting out bills that our colleagues were asking us to pass to deal with toxic exposure, and now we have combined the best of those pieces of legislation from many Members of our Senate, members of our committee, into the Heath Robinson Act.

We have incorporated important fixes to the House version of this bill. We have worked to make sure the mitigation--this has been one of my concerns from the beginning is how do we take care of a lot more veterans who desperately need to be cared for and not disadvantage other veterans who are already waiting in line for services at the Department? And we have worked to mitigate, to reduce, to eliminate those disruptions in VA operations.

We have streamlined the disability claims process for toxic-exposed veterans. We have prescribed a lasting framework for the future VA decisions that is transparent and driven by scientific evidence, all with the effort and hopefully the consequence of not negatively impacting veterans already in our system. This lasting framework is a win for veterans, requiring the VA to be proactive in evaluating diseases for service connections.

We have had the opportunity, over a long period of time, to say: Well, the VA has the authority to take care of you. That really wasn't a very good explanation because it never seemed to happen fast enough, and in the process of us waiting on the Department of Veterans Affairs to act, more and more service men and women became ill and too many died waiting for a result.

With this bill before us today, we are called to act for veterans, and we should answer that call. The Heath Robinson Act is a solution for a problem that has plagued veterans for too long and left way too many families either uncertain about whether they would be cared for or actually left them without the care they desperately need. This is a responsible approach to fix a broken system that has been cobbled together through decades of patchwork fixes. As we all tried to do something, we never got enough accomplished. But we tried, and we have put this patchwork system together that has failed those who need our help. This legislation is our chance to make certain that future generations of toxic-exposed veterans can get the healthcare and disability compensation that they deserve without delay.

Every member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs has voted for the original bill in front of our committee, now nearly a year ago. The bill was passed out of committee with the understanding that Senator Tester and I would work to find some fixes to problems that people recognized. In my view, both Republicans and Democrats had concerns about certain aspects of this legislation, and we have now spent the last year and particularly the last several months trying to fine-tune this bill in a way that certainly reduces some damage and fixes the process, increases the assets in personnel and resources that the Department of Veterans Affairs has for determining disability claims and for providing healthcare for those who serve. This is a better bill as a result of our efforts, and I thank Chairman Tester and my committee colleagues for their partnership and work to get us where we are today.

There was a lady on the Capitol lawn this morning in the group that Senator Tester and I spoke to, and she was telling me that her husband was exposed to toxic substances in the Middle East, that he is experiencing growing symptoms of challenges as a result of that exposure. He is waiting to see whether this bill passes, and he is hoping that even if he is the last veteran alive to see the legislation passed that he will have accomplished something that is important for him because he will pass knowing that the problems he is creating for his family due to his service are being addressed.

There is sadness in that, that one who is challenged by these conditions wants to know that we have done our job so that he can know he has done his job as a father and a husband. Today begins the day in which we can demonstrate that we are capable of doing our job, and I ask all of my Republican and Democratic colleagues to join me

in supporting this historic bill for our veterans today and for the generations of veterans to come.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, it is an honor to be here on the Senate floor tonight to talk about a topic, and it is an honor to have you in the Chair as I do so.

I rise late this afternoon to discuss a piece of legislation that will be before the Senate perhaps for a good portion of this week and maybe even into the next. It is the most comprehensive toxic exposure package the Senate has ever considered in our Nation's history.

Since September 11, 2001, up to 3.5 million deployed servicemembers have potentially encountered toxic exposures from burn pits. During a deployment to a war zone, military personnel are often exposed to toxic hazards, many of which have been associated with chronic health issues.

Not really as an aside but unrelated to this piece of legislation, a cause I now undertake and have been pursuing since this topic arose is to make sure that in the future, there are no burn pits that our service men and women encounter in their service to our Nation. While we are preparing to take care of those who have experienced burn pits in the past, let there be no more burn pit experiences.

Until almost 2010, the U.S. military kept burn pits on bases for the disposal of chemicals, plastics, medical waste, and other substances that were just burned with jet fuel, creating toxic substances, toxic smoke.

Currently, the VA can provide service-connected disability claims related to burn pit exposures; however, due to lack of evidence, scientific data, and information from the Department of Defense, at least 70 percent of the claims are denied.

Over the past 2 years, nearly every veterans service organization has testified before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs and emphasized the importance of fixing the process the VA uses to provide healthcare and benefits to toxic-exposed veterans. Jon Tester, the Senator from Montana, the chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, and I have worked in a bipartisan fashion with these veterans organizations, with veterans, with advocates, with the VA, and with our Senate colleagues on and off of the committee to craft a comprehensive bill to deliver all generations of toxic-exposed veterans long-overdue healthcare and benefits.

Three weeks ago, Senator Tester and I announced the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022. It has many priorities, but among those, this historic legislation will, one, expand VA healthcare eligibility; two, improve the VA's presumption process; three, bolster the VA's toxic exposure training and resources; four, strengthen toxic exposure research; and five, set up VA and veterans for success.

Last week over Memorial Day, our country paused to remember and honor those who served our Nation. My expectation--my guess is that almost every Member of the U.S. Senate in some fashion over the weekend spent time with veterans, paying respect, giving them honor.

One Kansas veteran, when I was in Wichita, told me that he and his dad

both served in the U.S. Navy and that both had an experience with exposure to hazardous and toxic materials. He said he didn't believe that either one of them suffered any major health issues from their exposure. It caused me to think that this is a veteran who is not necessarily going to care about this legislation, but what he said was that it was a concern that there would not be any help from the VA if they did, and they lived in fear and uncertainty.

The veteran who didn't think he or she had any negative consequences from exposure to toxic substances still worried about ``What would happen if I did? What would happen if my health deteriorates'' and worried that the VA would not be there for them or their families.

After hearing the news of our comprehensive toxic exposure bill, this veteran said:

You have now changed that for thousands of veterans and

their families.

The uncertainty, the fear is diminished and maybe gone.

It is time to advance this legislation and bring us one step closer to connecting all generations of toxic-exposed veterans with the care they need and deserve and to provide veterans with certainty and support.

I honor, I thank, I have great gratitude for every generation of veterans, and in my family's lifetime, those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan are among the most significant to us. But Vietnam is a part of my life as a 16-year-old boy, a junior in high school. In fact, if you were a senior in my high school--my high school of 71 kids in my class, so I know them all--if you were just a year older than me, you served in Vietnam. And I saw how they were treated when they returned from their service, and they were treated terribly by fellow American citizens.

As a 16-year-old kid, I told myself, I am going to do everything I can to honor and respect those who serve, see if I can compensate for the circumstances these people--many of whom I knew personally--can I compensate for what they are experiencing today in the early 1970s and the midseventies?

I never expected to be a Member of the U.S. Senate. Nothing in my life would suggest that that would be the case--the grace of God, the kindness of Kansans. But upon my arrival in Congress, in the House and now the Senate, it became important for me to do something more than just honor and respect veterans, to do something more than saying ``thank you,'' to do the things that I can do as a Member of a legislative body to make certain that the Department of Veterans Affairs does its job but most importantly, that I as a Member of Congress do mine.

It is important for us to pay respect, but it is also perhaps even more important for us to make certain those who serve our Nation receive the care and benefits that they are entitled to and that they deserve. It is beyond just saying ``thank you''; it is saying ``thank you'' by action.

It is time to advance this legislation and bring us one step closer to connecting all generations to the circumstances that war brought to them and their families. And I hope that after Memorial Day, we brought back with us as we return this Monday--Memorial Day being a week ago today--that we brought back with us a sense of what their sacrifice means and commit to living our lives and doing our jobs worthy of their sacrifice.

Decade after decade, service men and women have deployed to countries around the globe in defense of freedom, and we have seen just within the last year that there is no moment in which everyone is safe. There is no moment in which we may not have to ask people to continue to serve, to serve longer, or to begin their service in defense of freedom in the United States and freedom around the world.

Unfortunately, throughout history, many of them were exposed to harmful toxins during that service that resulted in life-altering health conditions.

Too many veterans--far too many veterans--face too many battles when they return home and are seeking the care and benefits they desperately need. Our veterans deserve better, and they are tired of waiting for solutions.

This week, this body--the U.S. Senate--will discuss the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Act at great length, and I look forward to speaking more about this historic legislation on the Senate floor and with my colleagues so that we can deliver to all generations of toxic- exposed veterans the relief, the assistance, and maybe, yes, just the lack of fear, the lack of uncertainty that they deserve.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to express my appreciation for a dedicated public servant, Mr. Lee J. Lofthus of Maryland, who is retiring after nearly 40 years of public service at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Lee received his MBA from American University in 1982 and joined the Department shortly thereafter. Since then, he has served in a number of positions, including the last 16 years as its Assistant Attorney General for Administration, the highest ranking career position at the Department of Justice. In this role, he has been responsible for many duties, including serving as the Department's chief financial officer, leading its financial reporting, annual financial statement, budget formulation and execution, accounting operations, asset forfeiture fund support and debt management support. As Assistant Attorney General, he has also been the Department's chief ethics official while also overseeing its facilities, procurement, human resources, and planning. Lee also served as the Department of Justice career Agency Transition Director for every Presidential transition since 2008. His leadership has been essential to the Department's operations.

I know Lee from his role as the top Department of Justice liaison with the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. In my time as both chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, I have seen firsthand Lee's deft understanding and management of the congressional appropriations process. He has been an asset to both the Department and the Appropriations Committees and will be missed by all of those who have worked with and for him.

Lee has many interests outside of his work, and he will now have the opportunity to focus more time on those interests, foremost among those his wife Dawn and his sons Mike and Austin. I also expect Lee will dedicate more time to caring for animals, including his affinity for dachshunds and his occasional adoption of a wayward bird. Lee may even find some time to indulge his devotion to Bob Dylan.

The one activity to which I am certain Lee will be devoting his time is enhancing his status as one of the Nation's leading numismatists. Lee's role as the Department of Justice's CFO makes even more sense once you learn that he has long been a nationally recognized, published, and award-winning expert on U.S. paper currency. Lee's particular emphasis is on National

Bank Notes, which were effectively a form of national currency until being discontinued in the 1930s. The ledgers Lee is familiar with are not just the ones involved in the Department's budgeting, but also the original Treasury Department ledgers tracing the return and destruction of these notes. I wish Lee continued success in this field.

Above all else, Lee will leave behind a legacy of strong, calm, and effective leadership. Few can fill the multifaceted role he held at the Department but even fewer can do so in the universally respected and admired manner that he did so.

The Nation and the Department of Justice have lost a great asset. I commend Lee for his many accomplishments and for his selfless service to this country. He will be missed. On behalf of Kansans and a grateful nation, I personally thank Lee for his service to our Nation and congratulate him on his retirement; he has earned a long and fulfilling one.