Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to oppose the nomination of Tracy Stone-Manning to be the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.

This morning, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee voted on her nomination. Every Republican on the committee voted no. Before our business meeting was over, Senator Schumer came to this floor, to that desk, and he praised this nominee to the skies. President Biden and the Democrats have wrapped their arms around this nomination, and they won't let go.

So the question is, Who is this nominee whom the Democrats are embracing and every Republican voted against? Well, Tracy Stone-Manning is a graduate student who collaborated with ecoterrorists. Now, these are people who hammered hundreds of metal spikes--500 pounds of metal spikes--into trees in our national forest in Idaho. This is the kind of metal spike that they used--10 inches long, very thick; 500 pounds of these into the national forest.

Tree spiking involves nailing, hammering these rods into a tree. What happened? Why did they do that? Well, they want to stop progress in terms of logging. They want to stop progress in terms of firefighting. Because if a logger or a firefighter were to hit this rod with a chain saw, the chain saw would shatter. Devastating injuries have occurred as a result. If the saws used in timber mills or sawmills were to hit one of these as they are planing through the tree to produce boards, the entire blade shatters. It has been described to me by someone who has worked in one of these mills--it is like a hand grenade going off, damaging people all around in the vicinity. Well, the results can be fatal, and there are examples around the country where this has actually happened. Now, even the Washington Post has labeled tree spiking as ecoterrorism.

Tracy Stone-Manning, as a member of a radical group, edited, typed, and then anonymously sent a profanity-laced letter threatening the U.S. Forest Service. Here are just a few quotes from the letter.

She typed:

You bastards go in there anyway and a lot of people could

get hurt.

She typed:

I would be more than willing to pay you a dollar for the

sale, but you would have to find me first and that could be

your WORST nightmare.

This is the letter she typed to the U.S. Forest Service. She then mailed this threatening letter to the target of the tree spiking, and the target was the U.S. Forest Service.

She and her circle were investigated. They were investigated for their involvement with this ring of ecoterrorists and this ecoterrorist attack that actually occurred to the U.S. forest. She was subpoenaed. She was ordered to give hair sampling, palm sampling, handwriting sampling, and fingerprint samples to the investigators.

She knew full well who the tree spikers were, and she could have easily gone to the authorities to identify them. She didn't. She covered it up for 4 years. She refused to cooperate with investigators.

Recently, within the last couple of months, Tracy Stone-Manning came before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. She came for her confirmation hearing. Since that hearing and the statements that she made to the committee and affidavit she swore under oath and signed,

since that time, in the last couple of months and more recently than that--actually last week in one case--several people involved in her original case have come forward to the press and to the committee to set the record straight from the record and the story that she told the committee at the time.

So the lead investigator on this case wrote a letter to Chairman Manchin and to me. I am the ranking member on the committee. That investigator, who I will tell you has worked as a special criminal investigator for the U.S. Government for 28 years, has been a longtime member of the U.S. military, served in Vietnam, and retired as a criminal investigator because of death threats made to him and to his family by the group who worked on this ecoterrorism--he retired from that. But he wrote to the committee. He came forward, and he said that she was the nastiest of suspects. He said that not only did she have knowledge of the plan to spike the trees, he said she was one of the planners.

He wrote to us and said:

It became clear that Ms. Stone-Manning was an active member

of the original group that planned the spiking of the Post

Office Timber Sale.

So there he is, a criminal investigator. Then just last week, one of the convicted tree spikers, one of the people who actually went to jail because of that--he came forward in an interview in the press. In an interview with E&E News, the convicted tree spiker confirmed that Tracy Stone-Manning knew of the plan to spike the trees, in his words, ``well in advance.''

Now, according to the investigator's letter, Ms. Stone-Manning's lack of cooperation actually set back their initial investigation many years. Eventually, when she was identified and received an investigation target letter, she had to make a decision. The lead investigator said she only agreed to testify after she was caught and after her lawyer negotiated an immunity deal.

Tracy Stone-Manning--she helped plan the tree spiking. She covered up for the terrorists and their activity for years. She refused to cooperate with authorities, and she only testified when she was caught and given immunity.

After all this, she created a story and lied to our committee about the incident. On a sworn affidavit to her committee questionnaire, she said it was an alleged tree spiking and that she was not the subject of an investigation.

I specifically asked her: Did you have personal knowledge of, participate in, or in any way directly or indirectly support activities associated with the spiking of trees in any forest during your lifetime? Her response under oath was no.

Both the cop, the criminal investigator, and the criminal, the man who went to jail as the group went to jail for this--they both came forward after her hearing to say that Tracy Stone-Manning was lying to the Senate.

Over the past 30 years, she has made contradictory statements about the ecoterrorist incident and the network. In 2013, she told a Montana State Senate committee that she was intimidated into sending the letter by a stranger. Yet, in courtroom testimony, she admitted that the tree spikers were her friends. She was one of the ring leaders of the group.

There are many qualified Democrats who could run the Bureau of Land Management. Within the Federal Government, this is the group who oversees one-eighth of all the land in the United States. It is astonishing to me that Democrats are digging in to defend a proven liar and an ecoterrorist collaborator.

So Senator Schumer came to the floor today and made it very clear that he is going to support this deeply flawed nominee. Will other Democrats do it as well? Will other Democrats who have millions of acres of BLM land in their States--will they join him?

Things have certainly changed, and it is interesting what has happened to the Bureau of Land Management and the nominees, because President Obama's BLM Director, Bob Abbey, came forward. He said that her actions should disqualify her from leading this important Agency. We are talking about President Obama's Director of the Bureau of Land Management says her history and her past and her activities should disqualify her.

One Biden administration official admitted to NBC News--this was in the last week--her nomination was described as ``a massive vetting failure''--``a massive vetting failure.''

Now, there is going to be more to say about this nominee when an attempt is made to discharge her out of the committee, if they get to that point, a cloture vote on the floor, and again, a vote on confirmation. Lots to be said. More information will come out.

It is just hard for me, as the ranking member of that committee, to imagine a nominee more disqualified than Tracy Stone-Manning. She has collaborated with ecoterrorists, she has lied to the Senate, and she continues to harbor truly extremist views that most Americans find reprehensible.

I strongly oppose her nomination. I urge all of my colleagues to do the same. Tracy Stone-Manning is unfit to serve.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, I come to the floor to talk about the need for integrity in our elections.

On Monday, the Democrats on the Rules Committee took a field trip. The Democrats went to Georgia. They continued their efforts there to start a panic about election laws. Now, I am sure they will take more field trips in the months ahead. Taking over State election laws seems to be the Democrats' No. 1 priority. It was their No. 1 bill in the House, H.R. 1. It was their No. 1 bill in the Senate, S. 1. The Democrats claim that they are only responding to reforms passed in the States, and they say it is just the reforms passed in the States this year. Yet the election takeover bills that the Democrats have introduced were first drafted years ago. It is not in response to anything.

Don't let the Democrats kid you. It is an attack on States' rights and an attempt to stack the deck. After Democrats took over Washington, they rushed this takeover bill right through the House of Representatives, with Nancy Pelosi at the helm. Then they tried to rush a similar bill through the Senate, and they failed. Senator Schumer continues to say the Democrats will try again.

At the State level, most recently in Texas, the Democrats are obstructing the democratic process in order to block election reforms from becoming law. Rather than allow an election reform bill to pass, Texas Democrats fled the State. They took private jets to Washington, DC. They hobnobbed with the Vice President, and they hobnobbed with the Speaker of the House and with many Democratic Senators. They sent out a lot of fundraising emails in the process, and they did a lot of television interviews. They took a lot of pictures of themselves, published them on social media, and told everyone they were making a heroic effort. They said it was a sacrifice.

Well, six of the Democrats became infected with the coronavirus. Then they spread the virus. It wasn't enough they infected each other; they spread the virus to staffers at the White House and here on Capitol Hill. It was a political stunt, and it turned into a coronavirus superspreader event, and I am sure they still consider themselves heroes. The hypocrisy is astonishing.

In the name of the democratic process, they actually blocked the democratic process, disregarded the will of the voters, and shut down the function of State government. They took a joyride on a private jet and endangered the health of many others. They believe in winning at any cost, and they put democracy in second place. This whole stunt is not about voter rights; it is about power. The Democrats are going to keep trying to keep the panic alive.

President Biden went to Philadelphia last week, and he spread even more falsehoods about the law. Now, I can understand why President Biden is doing everything he can to change the subject from the failures of his current administration. We have an open southern border that Americans are very disturbed about; we have surging violence in Democratic cities in the streets; and we have rising inflation that is hitting every family in America. Of course, President Biden doesn't want to talk about his one failure after another after another. So, instead, he throws rhetorical grenades at the Republicans, and he tells stories.

The Democrats' scare tactics on State voting laws are not going to work.

Their claims are false, and they have been repeatedly disproved.

The American people are finding out what is in the Democrats' election bills, and they do not like it. It is not pretty. It is ballot harvesting, which people reject. It is automatic voter registration, which many, many reject. It is taxpayer funding of political activities and campaigns, which Americans reject. It is giving the vote to felons on parole, which Americans reject.

It is 800 pages of mandates, which Americans hate, and it is banning voter ID laws nationwide at a time when voters across the country from both parties, all political persuasions, think voter ID laws are critical to ballot integrity and security. The more the American people find out what is in these bills, the more they oppose them.

You know, it has never been easier to vote in the United States. You take a look at the statistics from this past election year, never been easier. The American people know it.

American people support commonsense laws, which make it easier to vote and harder to cheat, but they do not support the Democrats' radical election takeover.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Bridger 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.

Bridger is a native of Cheyenne. He is a student at the University of Wyoming, where he is studying economics and 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 Bridger 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.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to

express my appreciation to Reba for her hard work as an intern in my Cheyenne office. I recognize her efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Reba is a native of Nebraska. She is a graduate of the University of Wyoming, where she studied physiology and molecular biology. 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 Reba for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was 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 next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Sabrina 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.

Sabrina is a native of Laramie. She is a student at the University of Wyoming, where she studies economics, math, and honors political science. 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 Sabrina for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was 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 next journey.

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

Gabe is a native of Casper. He is a student at Belmont University, where he is studying politics and public law, and music business. 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 Gabe 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.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Cassie 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.

Cassie is a native of Casper. She is a student at the University of Utah, where she studies business management and international relations. 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 Cassie for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was 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 next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Brian for his hard work as an intern in the Senate Republican conference. I recognize his efforts and contributions to my office as well as to the State of Wyoming.

Brian is a native of New York. He is a student at Providence College, where he is studying history and 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 Brian 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.

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

Kayla is a native of Casper. She is a student at Casper College, where she is studying general studies and political science. 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 Kayla for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was 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 next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Rudy 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.

Rudy is a native of Cheyenne. He is a student at the University of Wyoming, where he is studying mechanical engineering. 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 Rudy 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.

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

Julia is a native of Story. She is a student at Loyola Marymount University, where she studies political science and Irish 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 Julia for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was 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 next journey.

Mr. President, I would like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to Carolanne 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.

Carolanne is a native of Colorado Springs. She is a student at the University of Wyoming, where she studies communications and public relations. 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 Carolanne for the dedication she has shown while working for me and my staff. It was 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 next journey.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to oppose Democrats' latest multitrillion-dollar spending spree.

It has only been 4 months since the Democrats passed a $1.9 trillion spending bill, and it was done through Congress on a party-line vote. Not a single Republican voted for the bill. The Democrats put the whole thing on a credit card. The bill is going to be paid for by our kids and our grandkids, and they are going to have to pay for it with interest.

To me, that bill was completely unnecessary. It was a big payoff to the people who run the Democratic Party--$86 billion for union bosses, hundreds of billions for bankrupt blue States, and free vacation time for DC bureaucrats. There was a big expansion of Medicaid. There was an even bigger expansion of ObamaCare. Millions of dollars went for so- called climate justice.

The bill flooded the country with cash, and it did so without adding goods or services to the country. So what happens? Well, prices go up. It is no wonder that prices have gone up since Joe Biden took office.

Experts from both parties warned that the so-called stimulus bill would actually cause inflation, and that includes President Obama's economic adviser Larry Summers. Critics also included former Obama economic adviser Jason Furman. I want to make sure I get the quote right. He said: ``I don't know any economist that was recommending something the size of what [we passed].'' Didn't know a single economist who recommended it.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said we don't need any stimulus funding. Well, that didn't stop the Democrats. The Congressional Budget Office said our economy would be back to normal, they said, this summer without a dime of additional spending.

Democrats, of course, ignored the experts. They got their hands on America's credit card, and they just couldn't resist using it.

One measure of inflation is now the highest it has been in nearly 30 years.

Filling up a pickup truck in my home State of Wyoming--and I was there again this past weekend--is now about $25 more expensive than it was the day Joe Biden was inaugurated. For 3 months in a row, prices have gone up faster than wages. In effect, the American people, because of the inflation exceeding wages and growth, have taken a pay cut.

Two things I hear about every weekend in Wyoming: one, the cost of things, and then I hear from small businesses trying to hire people, trying to get people back to work.

We know, nationally, nearly half of all the unemployed people have been making more money by staying at home than they would have by going to work. That is because Washington Democrats continue to pay them unemployment bonuses on top of the unemployment earnings that they make in their own State. States have unemployment programs to compensate people who are out of work, but Washington Democrats said: Not enough. We are going to pay everybody a big bonus on top of that.

At the end of June, a poll estimated that 1.8 million people were staying home from work because they were making more money not working than they would make by working. These people aren't lazy. They are logical. They see what the incentives are. Democrats are printing money, and people are not going to work because they are getting paid to stay home. No wonder that we have inflation combined with a record number in this country of unfilled jobs.

Both inflation and worker shortages were created by this Democratic spending bill. It seems the Democrats still haven't learned basic economics, and now the Democrats are getting ready to make the same mistake all over again. This time, it is even on a bigger scale. The Democrats are spending taxpayer dollars like it is Monopoly money.

Democrats are getting ready to cram another bill through Congress on another party-line vote, ignoring all the warning signs. Even the Treasury Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen, admitted last week--she said ``several more months of rapid inflation''; ``several more months of rapid inflation.''

Democrats see the inflation and say: Don't worry about it. We will just send you another government check. Democrats seem to want the entire country getting a government check.

The latest spending spree massively expands ObamaCare, just like the last one. This new spending spree would lower the age of Medicare even though life expectancy has gone up since Medicare was created.

This reckless spending spree would also give amnesty to millions and millions of illegal immigrants. The amnesty includes nothing to strengthen our borders. That is where the work needs to be done. It just creates more incentives to come here illegally. No wonder we are seeing the highest numbers of illegal aliens in 20 years, right now. Many illegal immigrants have admitted they came here because Democrats promised to give them government benefits: free healthcare, plus the assurance that they could stay in this country.

The spending spree is larded up with giveaways to the Democrats' favorite groups: union bosses, trial lawyers, leftwing professors. It includes taxpayer funding for full-time professional climate activists.

So this morning, this very morning, Representative Ocasio-Cortez of New York and 80 other Members and Democrats sent a letter to Senator Schumer demanding funding of these activists. Senator Schumer went straight to the floor, and he said he would include it.

Now, these full-time climate activists would get a government paycheck, free healthcare, free childcare, free college tuition, free housing--part of the Democrats' goal of replacing middle-class jobs with government checks.

The majority leader came to the floor and talked about hiring hundreds of thousands of climate activists--a climate corps. Think about all the activists against the Keystone Pipeline, against drilling in the Arctic. They would now be paid by the Federal Government.

This bill that we are going to be considering, the budget that the Democratic Party is bringing forth, also includes supersizing the Internal Revenue Service. In total, the bill is the single most expensive spending bill in the history of this Nation. It costs almost as much as America's entire role in World War II. It might not be infrastructure, but it is a bullet train to socialism.

This new spending bill raises taxes. Yet it gives carve-outs to rich people in blue States and owners of electric vehicles.

Let me be very clear. Not one Republican is going to vote for this budget bill--not one in the House, not one in the Senate--not for this loaded, reckless spending spree with all the taxes included. That is why all it takes is one Democrat in the Senate or a handful in the House to stop this freight train to socialism.

This means all eyes will now be on the Democratic caucus. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi want absolutely every one of them to walk the plank. One Democrat could stop this sprint to socialism, stop this massive amnesty, stop these crippling tax increases. If none do, every single Democrat will be held responsible for the consequences of their actions.

The consequences mean more inflation, with higher costs of gas, goods, groceries, more worker shortages, and more debt for our Nation. Democrats did enough damage with their last spending blowout. The new spending spree is twice as big, and the timing is even worse.

I yield the floor