Floor Statements

Mr. President, today, along with Senator Blumenthal, we honor the life and mourn the loss of Judge William Greenberg, who dedicated more than 50 years of his life to public service in the U.S. military and as a civilian judicial leader.

In both Kansas and Connecticut, we understand the value and sacrifice of military service. Judge Greenberg served our Nation proudly, enlisting in the 117th Cavalry, 50th Armored Division of the U.S. Army in 1967 and serving as a cavalry scout. He would go on to commission in the Judge Advocate General's Corps and remained in the Army Reserves for 27 years, eventually retiring as a brigadier general.

After his time in uniform, he received his law degree from Rutgers University and said the highlight from his law school experience was his civil procedure class that was taught by future Supreme Court Justice, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Following a judicial clerkship within his home State of New Jersey's Superior Court, he began a long and distinguished career as a trial lawyer.

In 2009, he was appointed Chairman of the Reserve Forces Policy Board, where he advised the Secretary of Defense and led efforts to expand legal support for wounded and injured servicemembers. His dedication earned him the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service, the Department of Defense's second-highest civilian honor. In November 2012, he was nominated to the Court of Veterans Appeals by President Barack Obama.

Judge Greenberg dedicated his life to serving those who served our country, including founding a program in New Jersey that provides free legal assistance to reservists called to Active Duty and advocating for wounded servicemembers going through the medical discharge process. His commitment rightfully earned him national recognition, including being awarded the Medal of Honor from the New Jersey State Bar Foundation.

The Court of Veterans Appeals was created in 1988 by President Reagan to examine claims for service-connected disability compensation and other benefits that are appealed by veterans and their families upon decisions by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the VA Board of Veterans Appeals. This court was the first of its kind and provided a forum for veterans and their dependents to advocate for themselves when they disagreed with VA. Judge Greenberg was the 17th judge appointed to serve on the court and did so faithfully for 13 years.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, then-chairman Senator Johnny Isakson charged Judge Greenberg to ``be an outspoken judge, just as you have been an outspoken lawyer.'' As judge, he lived up to this. He would go on to write more separate opinions than all of his colleagues, besides former Chief Judge Bruce Kasold.

Judge Greenberg always looked for ways to improve the lives of his fellow veterans, and he should be an example for each of us to follow as we continue to seek to improve care, benefits, and services for veterans, servicemembers, and their families, caregivers, and survivors. We know his legacy will live on in the veteran community and with the people he loved. He will be sorely missed and our prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Cekada nomination be waived.

Madam President, later this evening, the Senate will consider the nomination of Robert Cekada to serve as the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or what we call the ATF.

In my capacity as the chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that provides funding to the U.S. Department of Justice, including the ATF, I have had many opportunities to get to know Rob.

In his current role as the Deputy Director of the ATF, Mr. Cekada is a ``lawman.'' He worked the frontlines as a New York City police officer and rose through the ranks of the ATF. He is an honorable man who believes in serving his community, enforcing the rule of law, and promoting public safety.

The ATF is a multifaceted Agency, and its regulation of firearms--a constitutionally protected right--has made it, at times, a politically challenging Agency to lead.

Rob's work and influence with State and local law enforcement is often demonstrated to me in the conversations I have with local sheriffs and police chiefs. Their respect for Rob is apparent, and Kansas law enforcement has shared with me how the ATF's partnerships have helped reduce gun violence in their areas.

This was evident when Rob was in Wichita last November to help announce the opening of the ATF's new field office--an effort that reflected his commitment to strengthening partnerships on the ground and supporting law enforcement where they need it the most. That same approach carries through in the Agency's broader work, including its leadership in crime gun intelligence, particularly through the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, which has been a game changer for fighting violent crime.

In Kansas, Wichita State University supports this work, and next month, we will open a new Crime Gun Intelligence Laboratory on campus, further expanding the ATF's ability to provide cutting-edge forensic support to law enforcement nationwide.

Simply put, the ATF is a significant component of our efforts to combat violent crime and to support law enforcement, and I think no one is better prepared to lead this Agency than Rob Cekada.

I urge my colleagues to support his nomination.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I have one request for a committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committee was authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Madam President, the residents of Hill City, KS, a county seat town in Northwest Kansas will experience something new next winter: a new boys basketball coach will be on the sidelines for the Hill City Ringnecks. After 58 seasons as the head coach of Hill City High School, Keith Riley has officially retired.

Today, I pay tribute to his career, not just as a coach on the basketball court and the track field, but also as a teacher in the classroom.

His success was the result of his genuine interest in the well-being of the students who walked the halls of Hill City High School. Whether kids played for him or simply took his industrial arts classes, Coach Riley sought to help them achieve their full potential.

Like so many educators, he cared about his students, and they knew he cared. He freely gave his time to kids who asked to spend an extra hour in the evening shooting hoops or a Sunday afternoon in the spring learning to pole-vault.

When class projects were due at the end of the school year, he stayed in the woodworking shop late into the evening so his students could apply that last coat of varnish.

Under his leadership, Coach Riley's team won more than 800 games and 3 State titles--plus another 6 track and field championships--and his students won class projects; they won competitions there.

In those seasons where there was less success, his expectations for his players remained unchanged. Talent wasn't required to play hard and do the fundamentals well.

Teaching basketball over decades required him to be a student of the game himself. He would watch KU practice under Ted Owens, Larry Brown, Bill Self and take those ideas home to Hill City from Lawrence. He learned from other peers at coaching clinics and befriended many of them. His own work ethic and that of his players would result in him being inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2018. But for Coach Riley, personal accolades were far less important than the success of his kids, in high school and beyond.

Many of his players went on to become teachers and coaches too, no doubt running the same plays they learned from him. His assistant coaches became head coaches and won State titles on their own. Those who pursued other professional paths also credit Coach Riley's impact on their lives.

For Coach and his wife Merriel, his players were like their boys, in addition to their sons Brian and Geoff both who played for him. Players from his first year as coach still call him to check in, or if they are in town, they drop by his house.

He has always credited any success to those who played for him. I lived briefly in Hill City shortly after Coach

Riley won his second State basketball championship. The Mid-Continent League was known for its football towns, like Smith Center and Plainville and Norton, but under Coach Riley, Hill City was definitely a basketball town. You knew where most of the community would be on Tuesday and Friday nights during the winter.

While Coach's voice will no longer ring out from the sidelines, the gym in which he spent countless hours teaching kids the game he loves appropriately bears his name. Keith Riley Fieldhouse boasts many State title banners, won over nearly six decades, but his true legacy can be seen in the lives he changed along the way.

Coach Riley, congratulations on a legendary career, and I wish you and Merriel all the very best in your retirement.

I yield the floor.

(Mr. MORAN assumed the Chair.)

(Mrs. BRITT assumed the Chair.)

Mr. President, I have one request for a committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committee was authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. President, the recent decision to waive oil sanctions on Russia and Iran in an attempt to stabilize oil prices frees up both of these adversaries to sell their oil at market prices.

Waiving oil sanctions now enriches the very countries that we wish to harm. It advantages the countries that wish to do us harm.

Iran and Russia are actively working to place Americans and other innocent lives at risk. Iran has provided Russia with critical drone technology to use in terrorizing Ukrainians. And Russia is reportedly providing intelligence that allows Iran to target U.S. facilities and critical infrastructure throughout the Middle East.

I urge the administration to immediately delist these waivers and not renew them once they expire after 30 days.

Last October, President Trump took the extraordinary step of imposing sanctions on Russia's two largest energy producers, LUKOIL and Rosneft. This move was long overdue, and it corrected yet another error of President Biden's handling of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Here in this body, in the Senate, more than 80 Senators have added their names to legislation to further sanction Russian oil, and there is significant support to get this legislation passed.

In the months following President Trump's new sanctions, Russia's revenue dropped significantly. Vladimir Putin was beginning to feel the budgetary pressures, forcing him to choose between which domestic program to cut to sustain his war of aggression in Ukraine.

The effect of President Trump's sanctions policy is now at risk of being reversed. To combat rising oil prices, the Treasury Department recently lifted sanctions for a period of 30 days on Russian oil already at sea.

The Financial Times estimates that Russia is earning $150 million a day, or nearly $2 billion, since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed at the start of the month. In the span of a 30-day waiver, Russia could reap nearly $5 billion in a single month.

Similarly, with the waivers for Iran announced last Friday, one report says Iran could make as much as $14 billion from their sales. It makes no sense. It makes no sense to provide financial relief to a country that we are currently fighting.

The impacts of these waivers will be immediate. Russia can now more easily fund its war machine, from producing more drones and ballistic missiles to offering more pay for enlistees.

The influx of cash is a gift to one of our Nation's greatest adversaries intent on continuing its war in Ukraine; dividing NATO; and cooperating with China, Iran, and North Korea to undermine American interests.

The infusion of money for Tehran will enable it to rebuild capabilities that have been degraded over the past several weeks. Iran can also fund its proxy networks that threaten our interests in Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. The waivers signal desperation to the Iranian regime and reinforces that their strategy of taking the Strait of Hormuz hostage is working.

Since Putin began his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he has wagered that he can outlast the United States of America. He can outlast Europe and other nations supporting Ukraine.

Likewise, the Iranian regime believes it can endure pain for longer than its neighbors and the United States. It is up to us to make sure that that bet they both lose.

Here at home, Americans are not immune to the sacrifices that come from waging war. Certainly, our servicemembers and their families are paying a price, but it is not expected that Americans can go without suffering as well.

This is a reminder of the urgent need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and strengthen domestic energy production. Energy touches every aspect of daily life, whether heating our homes, irrigating our crops, operating a business, or simply filling up the tank.

To secure a stable and affordable energy future, we must pursue a long-term strategy that expands and diversifies our domestic energy portfolio. That includes drilling more oil domestically, permitting reform and advancing biofuels, hydrogen, and the next generation of nuclear technologies and

hydropower resources that can bolster our resilience and reduce vulnerabilities to global markets.

I have long supported allowing the year-round, nationwide sale of E15. Expanding access to this affordable fuel blend gives consumers more choices at the pump and strengthens markets for our Nation's farmers and ethanol producers.

Now is the time to continue to invest in our own energy production so we are not dependent upon foreign countries to supply us with energy.

In both Russia and in Iran, the economic pressures of sanctions had begun to bite. Russia cannot achieve a breakthrough on the battlefield, and more money is needed to bribe ordinary Russians to fight.

In Iran, mismanagement of the economy under sanctions led to major protests over the past decade.

President Trump's sanctions are an essential component to the efforts to pressure Putin into ending his war and forcing Iran to come to the negotiating table. This tool is more important now than ever. Now is the time to keep the pressure on through the use of sanctions and choke off Russia and Iran's oil revenues that is funding their military operations. They are our adversaries. We should keep the sanctions on.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following resolutions, en bloc: S. Res. 372, for Officer Hunter Simoncic, who was killed in the line of duty on August 26, 2025, and S. Res. 425 for Officer Scott Heimann, who was killed in the line of duty on September 27, 2025.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls in relationship to the Senate amendment No. 4421 and the Schumer motion to suspend rule 25.

So I look forward to you having your nine Democrat colleagues back from the posh California--

Mr. President, I chair the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, and my colleague, the ranking member of that committee, Senator Blumenthal was just here on the Senate floor discussing the importance of the Major Richard Star Act. That bill is not in the jurisdiction, at least at this point, of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. It is a matter for the Armed Services Committee. But it is one that is important to veterans across the country.

The issue behind the Richard Star Act is hugely important to veterans across the country. We saw that today with the joint hearings that we have annually with the House Veterans' Committee.

The VFW and other veterans service organizations highly prioritize the Richard Star Act's passage. That act--this legislation--would make certain that veterans who are medically retired due to combat or combat-related injuries would receive their earned VA disability compensation and their full retirement pay without one payment being reduced because of the other. So, today, there is an offset. The Richard Star Act would eliminate that offset.

No veteran, in my mind, should have their retirement that they earned decreased because they also were eligible for disability compensation due to an injury that they sustained during their military service. So you earn your retirement by years of service, but then that is diminished if you have a disability as a result of the service.

While the Richard Star Act, as I indicated, is not within the jurisdiction of

the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I want to make clear that I will continue to work with my colleagues in a bicommittee, a bicameral, and a bipartisan way to make certain we find a path forward for the passage of this legislation.

The VFW, as I said, just completed their testimony before our joint committee, and their advocacy and that of other veterans service organizations have prioritized this piece of legislation for years.

It is widely sponsored by Members of the U.S. Senate, but we have been at this for about 5 years. And while the vast majority of Senators support the bill, as evidenced by their sponsorship of the bill, it has not been considered in a legislative manner sufficient for it to have moved forward.

I am an original cosponsor of this legislation, and I want to make certain that combat-injured veterans receive their full benefits. They upheld their oath. They fulfilled their duty, and the question before us is whether we will fulfill ours.

I am committed to continuing to work closely with my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee and with Senators from both sides of the aisle to find a responsible path forward and a solution that ultimately leads to the passage of the Major Richard Star Act in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, and eventually for it to make its way to the President's desk to become law.

Our Nation's combat-wounded veterans--and we say this particularly at this point in time, with what is going on in the world, with men and women from the United States in harm's way. Our Nation's combat-wounded veterans should not have to continue fighting for benefits they already earned, and it is time for Congress to act.

Mr. President, I have five requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

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

Mr. President, today marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin believed his so-called military operation would be over in 2 weeks, but, as the fifth year of the war begins, Russian forces have fought Ukraine longer than they fought the Germans in World War II. Because of the bravery and innovation of the Ukrainians, aided by American and European support, Vladimir Putin's objective to conquer and control the Ukrainian Government remains unattainable. His war is a strategic failure.

While the Russian military is making incremental gains in the east part of Ukraine, it is at an exorbitant cost. Since the invasion began in February 2022, 4 years ago, Russian forces have seized only 12 percent of Ukrainian territory. Because of the way they fight and how Ukrainians defend, Russian forces simply cannot achieve breakthroughs after the breach of Ukrainian positions. Today, nearly 20 percent of the Donbas remains out of Putin's grasp and Russian forces, already struggling to take territory, face the ``fortress belt'' of the region's remaining cities.

Putin has abused his country's manpower advantage by employing a strategy of attrition with devastating consequences. Russian forces have suffered 1.2 million casualties in 4 years, and one-third of those are estimated to have come in the last year alone.

A recent report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies observes:

No major power has suffered anywhere near these numbers of

casualties or fatalities in any war since World War II.

As these casualties mount, the monetary cost to lure new recruits is increasing. Russian regions are increasing their signing bonuses for contract soldiers, indicating that Russian recruitment is beginning to struggle to meet its goals. From the war's beginning, when Putin was resorting to mobilizing convicts, now, average Russians do not want to fight in this war.

Russia's economy has been degraded as the war has been prolonged. The move to impose sanctions on Russian's energy companies last year--which should have happened earlier in the war--has made it more difficult to export oil, the foundation of the Kremlin's budget. Moscow has had to offer buyers steep discounts of 25 to 30 percent below market value, increasing their budget deficit to 2.5 percent of GDP.

Sustaining Putin's war depends upon China's continued support. Beijing purchases nearly half of Russia's crude exports and provides critical dual-use technologies for Russian materiel.

Putin is overseeing a war effort that is succeeding in feet rather than miles, and it is coming at considerable cost to the future of his country. This is no time to permit him to claim a victory, either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table. We must share the resolve of Ukrainian people and make certain that Putin's invasion remains the blunder it was when it started 4 years ago.

While both Washington and Brussels have engaged in public debate, Putin should not mistake that debate for disengagement. The United States continues--continues--to provide substantial military and intelligence support, and our allies have increased their contributions. There must be no doubt in Moscow about our enduring commitment to Ukraine. The U.S. expanded intelligence sharing last October to assist Ukraine in targeting energy infrastructure deep inside Russia, and the United States lifted range limitations on certain weapons. Likewise, our European allies have stepped up to assume some of the financial support for the war, most recently agreeing to a $105 billion loan for Ukraine.

There is much more I believe both sides of the Atlantic can do to assist Ukraine. I called for providing Tomahawk missiles last summer, and the European Union should use Russian foreign reserves to help pay for Ukraine's war effort. Congress should enact sanctions to discourage the purchase of Russian oil.

Last March, before the Senate Intelligence Committee, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told me:

I want to say that with regard to the Ukrainian resistance,

the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military have been

underestimated for a period of several years. . . . I'm

convinced that they will fight with their bare hands if they

have to.

Ukrainians are coming out of the most difficult winter yet, with temperatures at their most frigid of the war, and Russian bombing campaigns aimed at energy infrastructure have taken a toll. Instead of being convinced to sue for peace on Putin's terms, Ukrainians remain unwavering in their commitment to remain an independent and sovereign nation. We must commit to share in their resolve. I say that again. We must commit to share in their resolve and support the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to yield back all time.

Mr. President, I have eight requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.

Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: