Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to yield back all time and the vote begin immediately.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Riley for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Riley is a native of Upton. She recently graduated from the University of Wyoming, where she obtained a bachelor's degree in international studies. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Riley for her dedication to our office. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team.

Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Sophia for her hard work as an intern in the Senate Republican Conference. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Sophia is a native of Tennessee. She attends the University of Mississippi, where she studies journalism and Spanish. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Sophia for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.

Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Katie for her hard work as an intern in my Washington, DC, office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Katie is a native of Casper. She attends the University of Wyoming, where she studies international relations, philosophy, and Spanish. She has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made her an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of her work is reflected in her great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Katie for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have her as part of our team. I know she will have continued success with all of her future endeavors. I wish her all my best on her journey.

Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Gunner for his hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Gunner is a native of Mississippi. He is currently attending Casper College and plans to attend the University of Wyoming in the fall. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Gunner for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Bryan for his hard work as an intern in my Casper office. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Bryan is a native of New Hampshire. He attends Arizona State University, where he studies political science. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Bryan for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

Madam President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Kody for his hard work as an intern in the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office, as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Kody is a native of Idaho. He recently graduated from Boise State University, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in health informatics and information management. He has demonstrated a strong work ethic, which has made him an invaluable asset to our office. The quality of his work is reflected in his great efforts over the last several months.

I want to thank Kody for the dedication he has shown while working for me and my staff. It is a pleasure to have him as part of our team. I know he will have continued success with all of his future endeavors. I wish him all my best on his journey.

First, Madam President, I thank my colleagues who are on the floor today--Senator Tuberville for his leadership, Senator Budd, and Senator Ernst--for their efforts in the protection of women and girls in sports. As a doctor, I share their concerns, share their passion in terms of fairness, in terms of safety, and I congratulate them on their efforts and continue to join them in those efforts to provide the protection for women and girls in sports.

Energy

Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk about the high price of Democrats' misguided energy agenda. It is a high-price crisis entirely of President Biden and the Democratic Party's own making.

Last year, when energy prices were already at historic highs, what did Democrats do? Well, they voted 10 times--time after time after time--against increasing American energy production. Instead, Democrats jammed through the Senate and the House the largest climate bill in American history. The climate extremists applauded this.

Let me just say, hold the applause, because the American public is suffering. Families all across this great land are hurting. Democrats' reckless spending in the past 2 years has driven up the cost of energy and, of course, as everyone knows, this has fueled inflation.

Inflation reached a 40-year high because of Democrats' spending. Prices today are over 15 percent higher than they were the day Joe Biden took office. Energy prices have gone up even more than that. Americans are paying 36 percent more for energy today than they were in January of 2021. Gas prices to fill the tank are up 46 percent. That is a 5-month high. They are going to continue to go up during this summer's driving season.

The lower gas prices that the administration desperately and irresponsibly depleted our Nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to achieve last year has hurt our economy and has hurt our country and has hurt our national security.

Democrats were wrong to raid our emergency supplies of petroleum products in a desperate attempt to lower gas prices leading up to the November 2022 elections.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is our Nation's emergency reserve. Now it is out of gas. It is down to the lowest level it has been at in 40 years. Not refilling it. Oh, no.

Joe Biden knew we needed more energy than that. So he went on bended knee to foreign dictators, begging them to produce more oil to help lower gas prices here in America but not letting us produce it here at home--and we have plenty.

This President did everything he could to try to lower gas prices except the thing the American people know would work, and that is to produce more American energy. So American families are once again facing that double whammy of an energy crisis coupled with an inflation crisis.

Democrats are doing absolutely nothing to help solve the problem. Remember, the Biden administration began working on day No. 1 to choke off America's energy resources: killed the Keystone XL Pipeline, canceled oil and gas leases.

America's energy revolution turned us into the world's energy superpower. Our economy had a wonderful, competitive advantage. It is good for families, good for workers.

We challenged dictators without having to worry about our energy supply. We had affordable, reliable, and available American energy. This administration and the Democrats in this body squandered the gains that we had achieved.

They attacked American oil, natural gas, and coal at every turn along the way. Then they raised taxes to make it even more expensive. They instituted burdensome regulations to make it more difficult to produce the American energy.

They have put up roadblock after roadblock on every type of American energy. And yet Joe Biden and the Democrats, open-mouthed, looked with surprise: Why have the prices skyrocketed?

Anybody could have predicted that choking off our energy supply would lead to record-high energy prices and to increase dependence on our adversaries--Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela.

Last week, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm testified before the Energy Committee. I specifically asked her about the administration's plan to lower gas prices and energy prices across the board, because they are up across the board. They are up for heating energy; they are up for driving energy.

Her solution: government mandates, phase out anything powered by oil,

natural gas, or coal. Take away our gas stoves, take away our gas- powered water heaters, force-feed us expensive electric cars that don't work for many people across the country.

They may be OK for rich people in the big cities who don't have to drive very much, who can afford to pay $16,000 more for a vehicle than for a traditional car. But for Wyoming families and Wyoming farmers and Wyoming ranchers, they just don't work.

People want affordable, reliable vehicles. And for people all around rural America, electric cars are not it.

Americans don't support the Democrats' climate extremism. Look at the polls. Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they don't want to buy an electric car. They don't want to be force-fed by Joe Biden. They don't want to have the government in the driver's seat.

They say the price is too high. It is $64,000 on average. The batteries are unreliable. Charging them is inconvenient. It is time- consuming. It takes a long time to get a battery charged, and it can't go all that far.

And then who benefits from all of this? China. That is because most of the critical minerals that are needed to build these batteries come right out of China. Just look for the ``made in China'' sticker on the batteries of the electric vehicles.

This country should be focusing on strengthening our energy independence, not finding ways to become more dependent to China or Russia.

So the reality of Secretary Granholm's so-called solution to lowering prices is that Americans will just pay more; not really concerned about affordability, but I didn't hear that word at all.

The way to lower prices is to unleash American energy. Now, the House recently passed legislation to do just that. And I support their efforts.

Senator Capito and I are going to soon introduce our own legislation in the Senate. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee is going to hold a hearing on the critical issues in the coming weeks.

We can only unleash American energy if we fix our broken permitting system process. Right now, new energy projects are bogged down by a maze of redtape and lawsuits.

Our legislation is going to include enforceable timelines on environmental reviews and filing legal challenges. We are going to move forward faster with an all-of-the-above American energy agenda. We need it all.

My Democratic colleagues have stated before that they do want permitting reform. Well, we will see. They are going to have an opportunity to speak up and to vote; because if they are serious, real reform is possible. If they are serious, we can tell the American people that real relief is on the way.

We do need a long-term commitment in this country to American energy. Making life more affordable for every American should be a bipartisan priority. It hasn't been for the first 2 years in the Biden administration and now going into the third.

We need to get back to a point where we can make energy affordable, available, and reliable--instead of focusing, as the Democrats do, on only renewable energy, regardless of the cost and regardless of the consequences.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to celebrate 120 years of continued community service by the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce of Wyoming.

For 120 years, our city has grown and flourished, due in many ways to the efforts of the Casper Area Chamber. The chamber aims to provide organizational structure to build a better Natrona County and to improve opportunities for all businesses in the community. The chamber was founded in 1903 as the Casper Industrial Association by Alfred James Mokler, then publisher of the Natrona County Tribune. A small number of businesses banded together to create the association. Some of their early goals were to pave the streets, install a water and sewer system, and to construct public parks, a courthouse, a city hall, a Federal building, and a railway. All of these goals were realized. Today, the chamber has over 600 members and continues to grow each year. The mission now is the same as it was 120 years ago, to actively create business opportunities by ``connecting, informing, leveraging, and collaborating with their members.''

After the first World War, the Casper Industrial Association reorganized and became the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce. At that time, just over 11,000 people were living in Casper and 14,000 in Natrona County. During the 1930s, the chamber was a key player in the construction of a north-to-south rail line from Montana to Colorado by the Wyoming-Montana Railroad Company. The chamber also ensured that freight rates were competitive. This allowed local industry to bring in new services and hire competitively. During the 1960s, the chamber worked to make Casper the convention center of Wyoming. They held over 100 conventions, attracting over 20,000 visitors.

Progress continued into the 1980s when the chamber designed the Leadership Casper program, organized legislative luncheons, and created professional networking opportunities. During the 2000s, the chamber focused on developing the west side of Casper. The first ``Shop Local'' campaign was established. In 2020, the chamber was instrumental in connecting businesses with the Federal funding they needed to stay open through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Casper Area Chamber of Commerce is part of a long and rich local history. It was instrumental in moving Natrona County forward. Their positive influence over the past 120 years can be seen today in our thriving community.

The Casper Area Chamber of Commerce is the foundation on which the economy of Casper is built. They work hard to maintain a prosperous business environment. This ensures the longevity of tourism, industry, and small businesses.

In Wyoming, we value community, leadership, and service. The Casper Area Chamber of Commerce puts these values into practice. As board chair, Sabrina Kemper said, ``Without commerce, our community cannot thrive.''

Today, the Chamber Staff and Board of Directors include:

Staff

Tina Hoebelheinrich, Executive Director

Sabrina Kemper, Board Chairman

Katie Schultz, Past-Chairman

Phillip Rael, Board Member

Gena Jensen, Chairman-Elect

Amanda Disney, Treasurer

Jereca Lutz, VP of Development

Kim Coleman, VP of Marketing and Communication

Darcie Holscher, VP of Special Events

Officers

Ken White

Nikki Hawley

Robert Ratliff

Tom McCarthy

Bryant Hall

Michael Morrissey

Paul Nash

Sonya Gruner

It is an honor for me to rise in recognition of this significant milestone for the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce of Wyoming. The impact and opportunities the chamber has created for Casper businesses is incredible. Bobbi joins me in extending our congratulations to the Casper Area Chamber of Commerce for 120 years of community service.

Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the tremendous service provided by the Boys and Girls Club of Douglas, WY.

On April 22, 2023, the Boys and Girls Club of Douglas will host its ninth annual Commit to Kids fundraising event. Douglas Mayor Kim Pexton will be the emcee. Former Police Chief Ron Casalenda is the live auctioneer. Esther Martin of Cheyenne, the Wyoming Boys and Girls Club 2023 State Youth of the Year, will also speak.

For over 20 years, the Boys and Girls Club of Douglas has made a positive difference in the lives of children in Converse County. Every day, the Club fulfills its mission ``to inspire all youth, especially those who need us the most.'' The Club strives to help young people reach their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens.

In September 2002, the Boys and Girls Club started meeting at a local primary school. With an increase in membership, they then relocated to the Douglas Roller Skating Rink. The need for a dedicated facility became clear. In 2020, the dream of their own building was realized.

The Club's new facility, located at 802 Riverbend Drive, has over 13,000 square feet. The Club successfully funded the innovative new space primarily with donations and private partnership funds. Designed with the local youth in mind, the building provides a safe, nurturing, and inspiring space to develop and learn. There is also administrative space, a teen center, an arts and crafts area, tech room, game area, a kitchen, and a gymnasium with climbing wall.

The Club serves 300 youth, ages 5-18, by focusing on three priority outcomes: academic success, good character and citizenship, and healthy lifestyles. Club members participate in afterschool, summer, and teen programs with academic, career development, character and leadership, sports and recreation, and homeschool curricula. Meals are provided for all members who need them. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many kids fell behind in their schoolwork. With the Club's reading program, students were able to get back on track. Every August, there is no better place to be than the Wyoming State Fair Parade in Douglas. I look forward to seeing the Boys and Girls Club float, along with the bright and engaged faces of its members.

Never losing sight of its values, volunteers, staff, and board members remain dedicated to meeting the needs of children as they grow into young adults. Today, the Club staff and board members include:

Jay Butler, Board Chairman

Travis Wells, Board Vice-Chair

Lindsey Hanks, Board Secretary

Catherine Nicholas, Board Treasurer

Carl Kosters, Board Member

Joe Schell, Board Member

Paige Rider, Board Member

Shawn Wilde, Board Member

Todde Moore, Board Member

Joe Burke, Chief Executive Officer

Robert Ricks, Unit Director

Carrise Moon, Special Programs Coordinator

Amy Lolley, Grants Manager/Marketing Specialist

Amy Rudloff, Bookkeeper

Tania Malone, Office Administrator

Heidi Toone, Kitchen Manager

Brendon Amble, Health & Wellness Specialist

Addy Sexson, Life Skills Specialist

Holly Winters, STEM Specialist

Baylea Senger, Art Specialist

Whitney Tomlinson, Teen & Workforce Specialist

Taylor Ward, Youth Development Professional

Zoey Redfern, Youth Development Professional

Katelynn Hill, Youth Development Professional

Hesston Haskins, Youth Development Professional

A special thank you to board chairman Jay Butler, along with his wife Linda, who provided a matching gift of $100,000 in honor of this event. All funds raised will go to current Club operations.

It is an honor for me to rise in recognition of the great work done by the Boys and Girls Club of Douglas, WY. The Club demonstrates how important it is to invest our time, experience, and resources in the children of our communities. Bobbi joins me in extending our very best wishes.

Madam President, I, too, come to the floor today to talk about the soft-on-crime policies of Democrats in Washington, DC.

In 2020, Democrats all across the country started their movement to defund the police. Almost immediately, we saw burning cities across the country, from the east coast all the way to Portland, OR.

Democratic leaders turned their backs on police officers all across the country. As a result, police officers began to retire or resign, and they did so in record numbers. The results were as painful as they were predictable. Violent crime skyrocketed all across America. We saw the fastest murder rate increase in our history. Homicides rose to a 25-year high. This is no surprise. If police officers are not able to do their jobs, then the streets of each town in America are not safe.

Well, today on the floor, Madam President, Senate Republicans are going to act to stop this recklessness. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Hagerty, who is leading our discussion and our efforts, Senate Republicans are going to vote to stop Washington, DC's radical new legislation, this legislation that lets criminals get out of jail free. Senate Republicans are going to vote to make our Nation's Capital a safer place to visit, a safer place to live, and a safer place to work.

Wyoming families ask me all the time if it is safe for them to visit Washington, DC, or if it is safe for their kids to come to Washington, DC, for something like History Day, an opportunity to see the Nation's Capital. Imagine that: many American families actually afraid to visit or have their children visit our Nation's Capital.

Liberal cities all across the country have become danger zones. Families in Wyoming watch the nightly news. They can't believe their eyes. They see smashed storefronts in New York and in Chicago. They see innocent people getting mugged on the streets. They see it in New York, and they see it in Washington, DC. The cities run by liberals are not safe. Across the country, we have hit new records for carjackings, for assaults. But instead of backing the blue, Democrats are turning cities into safe havens for criminals. That is exactly what has happened here in Washington, DC.

So the city council here in Washington, DC, recently voted to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for every crime except for first- degree murder. Well, there is a value in mandatory minimum sentences. It tells judges the bare minimum punishment for criminal behavior. Mandatory minimum sentences stop liberal judges from going soft and softer on crime. So it is no wonder that Democrats have waged war on mandatory minimums for at least the last decade.

The new DC law would also reduce maximum sentences for violent criminals like carjackers. For some gun charges, the maximum sentence would go from 15 years down to less than 5. The new crime law in the District of Columbia would mean more violent criminals free to roam the streets of our Nation's Capital and prey on innocent people.

Even the liberal Washington Post has said that the bill that passed the DC City Council is a bad idea.

Carjacking is already a major problem in Washington. We are seeing it in liberal cities all across the Nation. Carjackings in DC have tripled since 2019, and we just heard on the floor of the Senate today that a carjacking has recently taken place right down the street from the Capitol Building. That is today. Under the new Criminal Code, the maximum sentence for armed carjacking would be cut almost in half.

Why would the DC City Council reward the criminals who are creating this chaos in our Nation's Capital? These criminals and the liberal DC City Council members are driving away tourists from my home State of Wyoming who want to see their Nation's Capital. It is a part of education for so many young people.

Democrats in the House got behind the DC soft-on-crime policies when over 170 Democrats in the House voted to protect the criminals, not the citizens.

So Joe Biden is now trying to hide his soft-on-crime record. He just very recently announced that he would now support our Republican position.

This resolution we will soon be voting on will be a victory for every American who wants to feel safe when they visit their Nation's Capital. But Washington, DC, is just one city. It shouldn't stop here. Democrats' soft-on-crime policies remain in effect in liberal-led cities all across America. Democratic lawmakers and especially Democratic mayors need to take notice of this action by the U.S. Senate today.

It is time to start enforcing the law. It is time to get rid of prosecutors who are weak and prosecutors who are woke. They are not helping our country. We need to stand with law enforcement. We need to ensure police officers have the resources they need to protect our communities.

The American people overwhelmingly reject the soft-on-crime policies of Democrats in Washington. America is based on the rule of law. Lawlessness should have no place in this Nation. It is time to stop the crime, time to stop the chaos we are seeing in cities all across our country.

Republicans are united by solutions--solutions to make American communities safer. That is what this body is going to vote on today: to improve the security and the safety of those in our Nation's Capital.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne. This is a hands-on service organization making a profound impact on the development of Wyoming's youth. The club is committed in every way to the betterment of the community.

On March 10, 2023 the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne will celebrate its 100th anniversary at the Little America Hotel and Conference Center in Cheyenne. Seven years after the official recognition of Kiwanis International, the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne was formed on January 27, 1922. The international mission to serve the needs of area children extended to Cheyenne. Sixty-five men gathered at the Plains Hotel, electing William Bradford Ross as their first president. Ross was elected Governor of Wyoming within a year from the club's charter date.

One of the club's first major accomplishments was the creation of Kiwanis Park, a notable landmark in Cheyenne. In 1922, the city solicited help from local service clubs to build parks in the vicinity of Cheyenne's lakes. To this day, club volunteers care for the park. The Kiwanis Club remained involved in the lake area by helping to establish the Kiwanis Community House. This is a large, multi-purpose meeting space in what remains of the Cheyenne park system. The house is used for meetings, reunions, weddings, and small trade shows. The city opened a new park in east Cheyenne in 2021. The park was adopted by the Kiwanis Club, with members committed to both labor and financing. On June 27, 2022, the Cheyenne City Council voted to name the park ``Kiwanis Park.''

The Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne strives to ``develop by precept and example, a more intelligent, aggressive, and serviceable citizenship by providing World Class leadership development for the young people of our community.'' That dedication to Wyoming's youth encompasses a variety of programs. The Stars of Tomorrow talent show showcases the incredible skills of Wyoming's youth. Key Club provides adolescents with opportunities to develop leadership skills, build character, and participate in service projects within the community.

The needs of Cheyenne's youth were also addressed with the establishment of a ``student's fund.'' For many years this scholarship program helped area high school students attend the University of Wyoming. The club participates in the Friday Food Bag program ensuring all Laramie County students have dependable access to nutritious food during weekends. Other youth organizations and individuals to benefit from Kiwanis Club support include the Future Farmers of America--now known as FFA--Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, the City's Youth Alternative Program, orphaned boys, and underprivileged children through the vocational guidance committee.

Since their beginning, the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne has never stopped its charitable outreach. Their positive impacts on the community keep growing. While assisting youth is their main focus, the club helps other groups as well. Their outreach extends to those with disabilities. The Kiwanis Aktion Club, the only service club for adults with disabilities, helps members become ``competent, capable and caring leaders'' through service-oriented projects. The Kiwanis Club's financial support was pivotal in the early days of Magic City Enterprises. This company helps disabled individuals learn, develop and retain necessary skills to live successfully.

A cornerstone of Cheyenne Frontier Days since 1952 is the delicious pancake breakfasts served to locals and tourists. This includes the famous ``chuck'' of the pancake over the cook's shoulder. This past year, Kiwanis Club members and volunteers dedicated their time to prepare 19,285 pancakes free of charge in 1 week. This level of sheer commitment to the community by the members and volunteers of the club exemplifies the strong character and selflessness of all participating club members. The club's outreach is expansive and impressive. Not only are the needs of Wyoming's youth met, but the needs of the Cheyenne community are guaranteed to be addressed with resolute dedication.

The Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne is led by:

Renee Brower

President

Laura Drake

Secretary

Debbie LaFaso

Treasurer

Margaret Cox

President Elect

Larry Walters

1st Vice President

Lisa Trimble

2nd Vice President

Pamela Freeman

Assistant Secretary

Kim Lovett

Assistant Treasurer

Samuel Weinstein

Past President

Rhianna Brand

Board Member

George Costopoulos

Board Member

Scott Royce

Board Member

Richard Russell

Board Member

Rich Wessenberg

Board Member

Patrick Brady

Board Member

Denise Newell

Board Member

Deborah Dancik-Paxton

Board Member

Melissa Stutz

Board Member

Travis Vogel

Board Member

It is an honor for me to rise in recognition of this significant milestone for the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne. Bobbi joins me in extending our congratulations to the Kiwanis Club of Cheyenne on their 100th anniversary.

Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk about the priorities, misguided priorities, of the Democrat majority in the Senate.

So far this year, Senate Democrats have ignored the most important issues that are facing our country. Democrats are focused on cramming through Joe Biden's radical leftwing nominees.

Looking at the Senate floor, you would think that everything is going well in the world and well across the United States. I have news for Joe Biden and for Chuck Schumer: People all across this country are not happy. The country is heading in the wrong direction.

In meeting after meeting in Wyoming last week, as I traveled the State, people talked about sky-high prices, the sky-high debt that we have as a nation, and China's spy balloon.

Under Joe Biden, America is in crisis--inflation crisis, energy crisis, crime crisis, and a spending crisis.

Inflation went up again in January. The numbers came out Friday. The headlines don't lie. They said inflation remains entrenched-- entrenched--and that is what people are feeling all across the country.

In addition to inflation, drugs are pouring across the southern border, killing record numbers of people, even in my home State of Wyoming. When the numbers are like they are in Wyoming, that tells you every State is a border State.

Crime is out of control in Democrat strongholds in cities like Washington, DC. We see it here. We see yesterday in Chicago, the mayor didn't even make it through the primary process--didn't finish first, didn't finish second, not even in the runoff. And according to people I have talked to from that State and watching the news reports, the No. 1 issue is crime; the No. 2 issue is crime; and the No. 3 issue is crime.

Internationally, Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly going to Moscow. Why? Well, to strengthen his ties with Vladimir Putin.

The list goes on and on of failures and crises that this administration is facing and, for the most part, has caused and created. Democrats are doing nothing to deal with it.

There is a lot we should be doing in the U.S. Senate. We should be unleashing American energy. We should stop the reckless tax and spending that the Democrats continue to promote. We should secure the border. Stop this flow of illegal drugs. We need to crack down on the criminals who are terrorizing communities. We need to put China on notice. Yet the Democrats are disinterested and ignoring it all.

Senate Republicans are going to force a vote today that will actually help people. We are going to vote to protect America's retirement savings accounts.

The American people know that Joe Biden continues to spread lies about Social Security and Medicare. If Joe Biden is so concerned about people's retirements, he needs to look in the mirror. The only politician meddling with people's retirements is Joe Biden. That is right. The only politician actually meddling with people's retirements is President Biden.

The Biden administration wants retirement plan managers to invest people's retirement funds based not on the best return for the money-- nope--but based on woke ideology. Democrats want this so they can funnel trillions of dollars to their climate elites.

It is called ESG: environmental, social, and governance. The more accurate name might be ``extreme socialist greed.'' Now, this is going to rob American people of a lot of money. ESG is legalized theft from American workers.

Numerous studies have shown that these woke investments are bad investments. People wanting to maximize their savings and their investment and the investment income to benefit their families long term are being held hostage by these new regulations coming out of the Joe Biden administration.

Bloomberg analysts looked at these numbers of the people who invest in this ESG. What did they find? Well, they found that the return for the ESG investments fell way behind the general market--way behind. Year after year, that means less money growing in your retirement account.

This is a slap in the face to the working men and women of the country who are trying to save for their future. I am proud of the State of Wyoming because we have actually sued the Biden administration to stop this.

Retirement accounts are not for promoting a political agenda. They are for helping people retire with money in the bank. They are about giving people some safety, some security, and peace of mind. If woke investors want to promote a political agenda, then they should do it with their own money, not force investors to do so. The only people who benefit from ESG are the climate elites and the professional activists. Everyone else loses money.

Now, let me point out that the analysts from Bloomberg not only said that the return is much less but that the expenses of investing in those programs, with the management fees, is much higher. So you get hammered at both ends: lower returns and higher expenses.

ESG means you can't invest in things like oil, gas, coal, American energy. It means less American energy for people in our country. It means higher energy costs. It means fewer energy jobs and less money in people's retirement accounts.

This is an all-around disaster for the American people, but it is what the Biden administration and so many Democrats want. Democrats know the American people would never vote for this; it would never become law. That is why the Democrats attack American energy through the bureaucracy and through the courts, through their wealthy friends on Wall Street.

Now, Democrats have friends on Wall Street who have been doing their bidding for years. A couple of examples: Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank. They refuse to finance oil and gas projects near the Arctic. Citibank refuses to fund coal mining. HSBC refuses to fund any oil, gas, or coal projects.

The American people need to remember this next time Democrats say they oppose the big banks. Democrats and the big banks are practically joined at the hip.

Citigroup won't give a loan to a coal company, yet Citibank is happy to do business with China. Some Chinese companies have higher ESG scores than American companies. These include Chinese companies using slave labor.

This tells you ESG is a scam by the radical left. Now, Joe Biden wants the ESG scam at every bank in America--every bank, every savings account, every investment. That would mean trillions of dollars funneled to politically driven, woke investments. People who have saved their entire lives under this Democrat scheme would actually retire with less money in their accounts.

So I am going to join all of my Republican colleagues today to vote to stop this. Republicans are ready to stand up and say no to Joe Biden and the administration and this reckless policy. No more command and control from Biden's bureaucratic bullies, no to defunding American energy, no to woke corporations, and no to Democrats meddling in people's retirements.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk about the threat posed by China.

On February 4, our Air Force shot down a Chinese spy balloon. They did it over the coast of South Carolina. The balloon had spied upon the United States for up to a week. One of the places that it monitored and hovered over was my home State of Wyoming.

Now, Joe Biden did absolutely nothing until the balloon had already crossed thousands of miles of the United States. To me, this is another national failure from a President who already brought us surrender in Afghanistan.

People in Montana could see the balloon from the ground. That is the way America found out about it. It wasn't from the administration. It wasn't from the military. It was from a reporter on the ground with a telephoto lens. The man took a picture from his driveway.

I am not convinced that Joe Biden would have done anything if that photographer in Montana hadn't published those pictures online.

It is hard to imagine any other President letting a spy balloon fly over our country for nearly a week. Imagine John F. Kennedy allowing a Soviet spy plane over the United States. To me, it is unimaginable. No President, Republican or Democrat, would tolerate this, until Joe Biden.

On Thursday, the Senate received a classified briefing on the spy balloon. I am not alone when I say I was disturbed and disquieted about what we learned. To me, Joe Biden did too little, too late, and then he did what he always does. He bragged about it. He said he had done everything right. To quote him, he said:

We did the right thing.

No, Joe Biden did the weak thing, as usual. He had to be shamed into shooting down the balloon--way too late.

On Thursday, Joe Biden defended himself again. He said the balloon was ``not a major breach''--``not a major breach.'' It reminds me when Joe Biden signaled he would let Vladimir Putin make a minor incursion into Ukraine. President Biden is defending the indefensible.

Just days after the balloon incident, he gave his annual State of the Union address. We were there. There were a number of bizarre moments in the President's speech, and one of the most bizarre to me was when he talked about China.

He said no world leader would want to be Xi Jinping--no world leader would want to be Xi Jinping. He actually yelled it several times.

What was he trying to say? Does he still think that China is not a threat?

Communist China is our No. 1 geopolitical threat. They are our rival. They have the second largest economy in the world. They have over 2 million active military personnel. They have the largest navy in the world, and China plans to build more than 100 new ships, 300 new missile silos, and hundreds of nuclear missiles by the end of this decade.

China is working day and night to get stronger. China is working to challenge the United States as the world's superpower.

And Joe Biden seems to be doing the opposite. He is making our own country weaker and poorer and less prepared.

China isn't the one opening the border to the whole world to come in. China isn't the one spending themselves into bankruptcy. China isn't the one shutting down their energy production. It is Joe Biden who is doing those things--a President who is soft on China.

Now, he has been soft on China his entire career. When he was in the Senate, he helped China join the World Trade Organization. He helped China pay low tariffs under Bill Clinton. This helped China flood our country with cheap, poorly made consumer goods.

By the time Joe Biden was Vice President, the threat from China was obvious, but he was still soft on China.

When he was Vice President, Joe Biden said ``The growth of China is overwhelmingly in our interest.'' That was Joe Biden as Vice President.

He should tell that to the factory workers who lost their jobs all across America. He should tell that to the families who have buried their children because of Chinese fentanyl.

When he was running for President, Joe Biden repeatedly downplayed any threat from China. He said of China, in his announcement to run for President, he said China is ``not bad, folks.''

Now, he should tell that to the 1 million Uighurs who are living as slaves and forced to work in the west of China.

As a candidate, Joe Biden said China is ``not competition for us.''

Well, I have got news for Joe Biden. China's economy has grown 12- fold in the last 20 years. China now has more missile launchers than we do. It is painfully obvious that China is trying to compete with us. Joe Biden is the only one who doesn't get it.

On Friday, former Senator Max Baucus, who I served with, from Montana, revealed that China wanted Joe Biden to be President.

Now, Senator Baucus was a Member of this body, and then he was tapped to be President Obama's Ambassador to China. So Senator Baucus knows a lot about China, knows a number of Chinese officials. And on Friday, he admitted Chinese officials told him that China wanted Joe Biden to be elected President.

Of course they did. In recent weeks, we found out that Joe Biden kept classified information at his home and in his private office.

So where was this private office? Well, the office was at something called the Penn Biden Center at the University of Pennsylvania. The university paid Joe Biden nearly $1 million to do virtually nothing. Joe Biden says he was a professor yet never taught a single class. And he left classified documents at the Penn Biden Center.

Now, reportedly, these documents were related to Iran and Ukraine. I haven't seen the documents, but those are the reports.

And what is the relationship with China and this center? Well, Chinese donors gave $61 million to the university between 2017 and 2020.

Both the House and the Senate need to investigate whether these donations were legal, and we need to know if Chinese money is influencing the Biden administration's policies.

On Thursday, I came to the floor and spoke about how Joe Biden's energy policies are helping China. Later that day, we found out yet another connection between Joe Biden's energy policies and China. We found out that the White House and the Secretary of Energy met with an environmental group with ties to China.

The group is, interestingly, called the Rocky Mountain Institute, and the group was paid by the Chinese Government to study green energy.

Now Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm wants their advice too.

Enough is enough. It is time to act with strength against China. The sanctions that the administration announced are just a slap on the wrist.

The House passed a resolution condemning China for violating our airspace. The vote was unanimous. Every Republican voted for it and every Democrat voted for it. Why aren't we taking it up here in the Senate?

There is a whole host of legislation we need to pass here in the Senate to stand up to China.

I have introduced legislation to ban administration officials from going to work for China.

The top lawyer today--the top lawyer today in our intelligence community used to work for China. Before that, he worked in the Obama White House. Revolving door--Democrat administration, China, Democrat administration.

He worked for the Obama White House. He worked for Huawei--of course, we know Huawei is a telecommunications company controlled by the Chinese Government. Now he is one of the top lawyers on the payroll of Joe Biden.

There is much more that needs to be done in relation to China. China is going to try to spy on us again. China is going to keep challenging us. It is time for us to stand up to the challenge.

Now, what happened with this spy balloon can never be allowed to happen again. America cannot afford Joe Biden's policies of weakness.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about the Biden administration's war on American energy.

Over the last 2 years, Joe Biden's energy policies seem to have been based on two principles. One is restricting American energy production, and the second, regrettably, is a policy that benefits China.

Time and again, Joe Biden's energy policies have hurt America and have helped China. On Joe Biden's first day in office, he shut down the Keystone XL Pipeline, and I think he did it for spite. It would have brought 800,000 barrels of oil to this country every single day.

Joe Biden then stopped all new energy leases on Federal land, and in Wyoming we have a lot of Federal land. He did it in a way that was blatantly illegal. A Federal judge actually ordered Joe Biden to follow the law, to sell energy leases.

Follow the law, Mr. President.

As of today, Joe Biden has leased fewer acres of Federal land for energy than any President in modern times, and he raised the royalty rate for oil and gas development on Federal lands. Now, this is the fee that the government collects for energy that is produced on Federal lands. He raised it by half, and he did it overnight. These higher fees will get passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices, and--oh, by the way--people are noticing the price at the pump is going up-- again.

Joe Biden also raised taxes on natural gas by billions of dollars. He raised taxes on coal by $1 billion as well. As a nation today, we are still producing about 2 million barrels of oil less than was projected we would be producing every day, a number of years ago, before the pandemic.

With lower production and higher taxes, it is no wonder that energy prices have been painful for the American people--punishing for the American people--who are just trying to make ends meet. Working families have lost nearly $3,000 specifically because of Joe Biden's radical leftwing energy policy. We are paying a lot more than that for additional causes of inflation, but on energy alone, it has been about $3,000 more than they should have spent in a normal situation.

And who have been the big winners under all of this? Well, regrettably, it has been China. We are really less independent, less competitive, and more dependent on China. This is compared to the day that Joe Biden took office. I am going to give you a couple of examples.

First, Joe Biden ended America's role in helping developing countries--other developing countries--explore for energy. Many countries are very poor, but they do have massive energy resources. They just need some help in getting to use them. Millions of people could have benefited and been lifted out of poverty if we had helped them use the energy that they already had.

Joe Biden stubbornly refuses. As a result, now these countries that need money to develop their energy resources--what are they doing? Go talk to a high school class. Joe Biden ought to try that. They will tell him what is happening. Those countries are turning to China. More and more countries, of course, then will owe money to China.

We know China uses debt and loans as a weapon. More debt to China means more control by China, overall, of these additional countries. Joe Biden won't let us in the United States help these countries or help the World Bank or help other lending institutions lend to those countries--and we see it all over Africa--because Joe Biden is too pure, and he doesn't like their energy. So he just turns them right over to China for predatory lending.

Joe Biden's obsession with electric vehicles also is turning over American power and money to China. The batteries in electric vehicles require a specific set of critical minerals--a specific set of critical minerals that goes into the batteries of electric vehicles. Well, we can mine it in this country. Oh, no, we can't. Joe Biden says: No, don't mine it in America. He is actually shutting down mining in this country, and he has been doing it since the day he took office. We are not going to let you use the minerals that are critical for the electric vehicles that he wants us to use that come from the United States.

So where are we going to go? Oh, but let's send more money to China. With supply and demand, our demand goes up. China has it to supply, and prices go up as well.

Just in the past few weeks, Joe Biden has shut down proposed copper mines in Minnesota and in Alaska. Well, where are we going to get the minerals for the electric vehicles that Joe Biden and the Democrats want us to buy? China and countries under the influence of China.

China produces three-quarters of all of the lithium-ion batteries. China also has 70 percent of the world's production capacity for the key parts of EV batteries. China has a majority of the world's lithium, a majority of the world's cobalt, a majority of the world's graphite processing and refining capacity. All of these are necessary for the electric vehicles that the Democrats and Joe Biden say we must buy. Where are these going to come from? There is only one place, and they won't let us have it from America. They won't let us use what we have here.

China now dominates copper and cobalt mining in places like the Congo. The conditions at many of these mines--and this has been widely reported--are inhumane: child labor, brutal conditions. These are not like the mines that we have here in the United States or the mines like we have in Wyoming. Our mines in Wyoming and in the United States are technically sophisticated and professional. Many of the mines and the miners in the Congo are not professional at all. We are talking about young mothers who are working for a few dollars a day and are controlled by China. That is Joe Biden's answer to electric vehicles and every Democrat's answer to electric vehicles.

These young mothers often bring their babies with them to the mines. Not in the United States--oh, no, we are too pure here in the United States to be able to mine for the chemicals that are needed for the electric vehicles. So Joe Biden wants mothers to take babies into the mines in the Congo for the minerals for the electric vehicles that he is mandating that we drive here in the future.

So what happens to these mothers and these babies? Well, they inhale toxic cobalt all day long.

According to a United Nations report, 40,000 children are scavenging for cobalt in the Congo, for the electric vehicles, so China can sell us the chemicals that Joe Biden and the Democrats will not let us get out of the ground here in the United States. Most people would call this criminal. Women and children in Africa are inhaling toxic minerals so that the climate elites in San Francisco can drive their electric vehicles.

I guess that is the American dream. That is the Democrat dream for America: Force these people into this kind of labor so they can drive the electric vehicles of their dreams.

China also sells less expensive EVs, and they are for sale all over Europe. Well, they may be on the road in San Francisco and in Manhattan in just a few years.

Then there is the bloodshed and brutality that China uses to make solar panels. Joe Biden loves solar panels as much as he loves wind turbines. Well, there is a shortage of solar panels in

this country right now. Why? Because of the law we passed 2 years ago to stop buying Chinese products made by forced labor. Well, solar panels require something called polysilicon. Nearly half of the world's polysilicon is made now by forced labor in China. Democrats have to choose between their green energy fairy tales and upholding basic human rights. It seems like the church that they worship, the church of wind and solar and wishful thinking, is what they have chosen over human rights.

I hope the Democrats agree with me that we should not make a green transition on the backs of forced labor. The Democrats seem to feel more guilt about burning oil than about solar panels being made by slave labor. It is hard to imagine. This is just another in a long line of Democrat delusions.

As if this all weren't enough, Joe Biden is even giving our tax dollars to China. Two weeks ago today, the Department of Energy announced that Joe Biden was sending another $1.6 million to a green energy company with ties to China. The company is called LanzaTech. It is a carbon capture company. Joe Biden has already given them $10 million. He gave them money right after they signed a partnership with China's official energy company, Sinopec.

This company, LanzaTech, has disclosed that ``the Chinese Government may intervene or influence our operations at any time.''

So let's get this straight. Joe Biden is giving money to a company that says the Chinese Government ``may intervene or influence our operations at any time.''

What do we know about this company? Well, we know that it has some ties to the Democratic Party's top donors--the top donors--the people who contribute to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Members of this body who go and ask them for more money.

Who is on the board? Well, former President Obama's campaign manager is a member of the board. Is this just a coincidence that, then, Joe Biden would move money, U.S. taxpayer dollars, to that company? Maybe it is not.

The Department of Energy has announced a $200 million grant to a battery manufacturer with close ties to the communist Chinese Government. The company's financial filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission admit--and I had these filings at the Energy Committee just last week to show these to the Secretary of the Department of Energy. The filings say this--now, remember, this is a company to which the Democrat Department of Energy announced a $200 million grant.

The FEC filing says that China ``exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must conduct our business activities and may intervene at any time with no notice.''

In other words, the company admits that it is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese Communist Party is controlling the company's U.S. Department of Energy's $200 million grant.

So I wrote to the Department of Energy about the Department's review process for this grant. How can you do this? It says it in the filings.

Finally, last Thursday, I got a response. It says that now--now, this year--even though they did the grant last year of $200 million, just now, they are going to do a due diligence review of the grant. That is from their letter.

My question is, Why don't we do a due diligence review in this country before we announce we are going to give $200 million to a company so completely tied and controlled by the Chinese Communist Party? Why? Why doesn't the Department of Energy do their homework?

Last week, the Deputy Secretary of Energy testified before the Energy Committee. He said money hasn't yet gone out the door. I hope he is right. I hope money hasn't gone out the door. We need to stop it now before it goes out the door. We don't need to send any more money--our tax dollars--to China.

If we want carbon capture, it should come to Wyoming. They don't need to put money in these companies. We do it in Wyoming. We have a School of Energy Resources. We have a wonderful location. It is being done in the right way. They had a whole XPRIZE granted to the research being done at the University of Wyoming through the School of Energy Resources. The administration, it seems, when it comes to energy, would much rather go to China than go to the United States. That is Joe Biden's view of the world right now. Wyoming is ready to do carbon capture better than anybody in the world.

I am not sure why the administration turns to China rather than to America, just like I don't know why they have gone to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, or Russia in the past for energy rather than in America.

Joe Biden's policies continue to rob the American people and pay off China. Joe Biden even sold 1 million barrels of oil from our emergency petroleum reserve to China. Then he said he was doing all of us a favor because he was going to bring down prices. This is a President who has been wrong and wrong and wrong.

I have introduced legislation to ensure we never sell any of our emergency stockpile to China ever again. The House of Representatives has already passed legislation to do that. The legislation was actually bipartisan. It got 100 Democrats who voted for it. Why doesn't Chuck Schumer bring it to the floor of the Senate today? Why not? Why isn't he here? A hundred Democrats joined Republicans to say we shouldn't do this.

People in this body get it. The White House clearly doesn't. The Department of Energy clearly doesn't. The administration doesn't. Joe Biden is held hostage by the far left of his party.

Our Strategic Petroleum Reserve is for us, not for our enemies. America's energy policy is supposed to be for us, not for our enemies. It is not what we have gotten from this President.

Next week, I am going to introduce legislation to ban administration officials from going to work for China. For 2 years, Joe Biden has strangled American energy production; at the same time, he has made us more dependent on China for critical minerals and for so much of what this Nation needs.

It is time for Joe Biden and the Democrats in this body to remember whom we work for, and that is the American people.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.