Floor Statements

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, 1 year ago, Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cut law. It is landmark legislation. It helped put more money in people's pockets, and just about every American working family has benefited.

Today, I want to talk about the impact of the Working Families Tax Cut law on American energy. This new law marks a dramatic shift in America's energy policy. America has now stopped apologizing for producing the energy that our Nation needs.

Energy is called the master resource, and we are unleashing it once again. Today, America has become the largest energy producer in the world. We produce more oil than the next two biggest producers combined. We produce as much natural gas as the next three largest countries combined. And we have more clean coal than any other nation in the world. We are also living in a time of cutting-edge nuclear technology. America is blessed with boundless gifts when it comes to energy, and when we use all of our energy resources wisely, as we do, America wins.

The Biden administration got energy completely wrong. Joe Biden told his Cabinet to prioritize climate over energy that was available, affordable, and reliable.

Democrats closed Federal lands to new energy production. Democrats raised taxes on energy producers. Democrats force-fed Americans electric vehicles that people didn't want and couldn't afford. Democrats handed out billions of dollars in subsidies to green energy companies, and these are companies that would never survive without government handouts.

So what were the results? Under Joe Biden, families and businesses paid more for energy. Energy workers in Wyoming and across the country lost good-paying jobs. America grew more dependent on foreign nations for energy--energy that we could and should be producing ourselves.

The Working Families Tax Cut law cleared the way for American energy dominance. The Working Families Tax Cut law opens more energy production onshore, offshore, and in Alaska. That includes oil and gas, as well as clean coal.

This is a major change from the Biden administration. Joe Biden presided over the fewest energy lease sales since President Harry Truman.

Republicans are strengthening U.S. energy production. We are streamlining burdensome regulations. At the same time, we are protecting Federal lands.

The Working Families Tax Cut law repealed the Biden-era tax on natural gas. This saves American families money when they try to cool their home this summer.

The new law also lowered the tax rate for coal production on Federal land. This matters enormously in my home State of Wyoming. Our Powder River Basin produces nearly half of the coal in America.

Coal means good-paying jobs in our State. It means revenue for our schools. It means affordable, available, reliable power for millions upon millions of Americans.

Now, producing clean coal is more competitive.

Republicans promised to unleash American energy and lower costs, and we have done it. That is what the Working Families Tax Cut law did when we passed it, a year ago, and it continues to do it today.

Every single Democrat in this Chamber voted against the Working Families Tax Cut law. They voted to raise taxes by $4 trillion.

Every Democrat voted to keep high taxes on natural gas. They voted to keep American energy trapped in the ground.

If the Democrats had their way, American families would be paying more for everything.

We need to protect the energy progress that we have made with the Working Families Tax Cut law. Democrats want to go backward. They have said it.

We must not impose new government mandates that raise costs for American families.

America's small refineries are the unsung heroes of affordable American energy. Washington, DC, often overlooks them. Working families depend upon them. And I represent several of those small refineries that are in Wyoming.

The refineries employ thousands of people. They make gasoline prices more affordable. They strengthen our Nation's energy security. And proposed new mandates on small refineries would harm them and harm the people who work there.

Republicans spent the last year cutting taxes and removing barriers to energy production. We should not spend the next few months imposing costly new mandates on American refineries.

Americans want, need, and deserve energy that is affordable, available, and reliable. It is good for our workers, it is good for our economy, and it is good for the safety and security of our Nation.

We, as this Nation, are an energy superpower, and with the Working Families Tax Cut law, we are actually acting like it again.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell), and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) would have voted ``yea.''

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell) and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick).

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cruz), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Curtis),the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell), and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) would have voted ``yea'' and the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Young) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture motion with respect to the House message to accompany H.R. 6644.

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to say that Republicans believe Americans who work hard and who play by the rules deserve to have a good life.

Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cut law to promote the American dream.

Americans deserve to keep more of what they earn. The Working Families Tax Cut law put more money into their pockets. It means financial relief not just tomorrow but today.

Over 60 million Americans benefited from at least 1 of the Republicans' new tax cuts. Tax refunds were supersized this year. The Department of Treasury has confirmed that 97 percent of Americans received a tax cut this year. They went on to point out that the people who benefited the most were Americans earning less than $200,000 a year. Republicans cut taxes for working families all across America. Families can use the money however they want. They can use it to pay down debt, to cover everyday expenses, or to save for the future.

Every single Democrat in this Chamber--every single one of them-- voted against the Working Families Tax Cut law. Democrats instead voted to raise taxes by $4 trillion. Had Democrats gotten their way, everything would cost much more.

Democrats talk about affordability; Republicans delivered. We delivered more money into the pockets, the purses, and the paychecks of the American people. For most Americans, this money is for their families, not for the government.

At the State of the Union, Americans heard the story of a mother who homeschools two children during the day, and in the evening, she goes out and waits tables. Her husband operates heavy machinery, and he works a lot of overtime. The Working Families Tax Cut law was written for families like theirs. The family is going to take home an extra $5,000 this year. Why? Well, no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, and the expanded child tax credit--all three of those advantages passed in the Working Families Tax Cut law.

The Working Families Tax Cut law helps families today, and it builds more opportunities for families tomorrow. And this is only the beginning. This week, the Senate is going to move to address the cost of housing.

Buying a home in America costs too much. Building a home in America takes too long. Everyone from President of the United States to the mayor of New York City agrees housing is too expensive. Americans who want to buy a home worry they won't ever be able to afford a home. That must change.

Today, the median age of first-time home buyers is 38 years old. Young Americans should not have to wait nearly four decades to buy their first home.

A headline from USA TODAY illustrates the problem. It says: ``Why is housing so expensive? There simply aren't enough homes.'' Supply and demand.

Well, then, what is the reason there aren't enough homes? The reason is burdensome government regulations.

Regulations account for a quarter of the cost of a new home. This is the cost of applying for zoning permits from the local government, the county government, and even the State government. It causes delays and money expense. There is the cost of studies on environmental impact and on the impact on traffic. There is the cost of energy efficiency mandates for home appliances. Then there is the cost of Federal workplace regulations.

Of course, there is the cost of delay created by all of these problems, all of these regulations, many of which are duplicative. By some estimates, regulators add an extra $130,000 to the cost of a home.

Fortunately, we have on the floor this week a solution to unlock the American dream. It is called the ROAD to Housing Act. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina has led the effort.

This bipartisan bill includes dozens of Member-driven policies. It is going to increase the supply of housing, it will lower the cost of housing, and it will expand the ability of families to own a home. It does all of this the right way without imposing one-size-fits-all Washington mandates.

The American dream should not be regulated out of reach; it should be within reach for every American willing to work for it. And the Senate is ready to get the ROAD to Housing Act signed into law.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven) and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven) would have voted ``yea.''

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven), the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell), the Senator from Florida (Mrs. Moody), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville).

Further, if present and voting: the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Hoeven) would have voted ``yea''.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Steel and Holding nominations.

Mr. President, wildfire season is officially here. Across the West, wildfires are devastating many communities, and this certainly includes my home State of Wyoming. The past two wildfire seasons were some of the most destructive that Wyoming has seen in decades.

The drought we are experiencing makes conditions this year especially concerning. As summer continues, rural communities are bracing for another devastating wildfire season.

America is in a wildfire crisis, and the crisis isn't going to be one that will solve itself. Our Federal forests are in dire need of effective management.

The Federal Government must manage our Nation's forests in a serious way and a credible way. For too long, the Federal Government has ignored forest management, and this approach has failed to keep communities safe.

Today, tens of millions of acres of Federal land are at severe risk of wildfires. Overgrown forests have become a tinderbox for large fires. Wildfires threaten our homes, our air quality, our watersheds, and our wildlife.

Without proper forest management, we are going to continue to see costly and deadly wildfires.

We know that active forest management works. This includes the thinning of overgrown forests. It includes using prescribed fires, and it includes grazing. All of these are tools that measurably reduce the risk of wildfires.

Wyoming has led the way. We have shown that, when you treat more acres and work with local partners, you get healthier forests and safer communities. The rest of the country should follow our example.

At the Federal level, we have seen the Trump administration rightly return to forest management policies that work. Still, Federal Agencies need help. That is exactly why I introduced the Wildfire Prevention Act. The Wildfire Prevention Act is going to reduce the risk of wildfires in our communities. At the same time, it is going to restore the health of our Federal lands in Wyoming and across the rocky Mountain West.

My bill is a pro-first responder piece of legislation. Our Nation's wildland firefighters risk their lives to protect our forests and our communities from these wildfires. Hotshot crews are our heroes in Wyoming. They are highly trained, highly specialized, and their courage and ability keep us safe. My bill gives them the tools and the support that they need to better prevent wildfires and also to fight them more effectively.

My bill also gives Federal Agencies the clear direction that they currently lack to manage our forests properly. Now, this is good for humans, and it is good for wildlife. Our proactive measures are designed to prevent wildfires.

This bill will set real standards to increase thinning, prescribed burns, tree removal, as well as grazing. It will allow Agencies to sell more timber. It will cut unnecessary redtape and streamline management.

These are basic, bipartisan protections. Every responsible landowner follows them. We should expect nothing less from the Federal Government.

It is also important for Washington, DC, to collaborate effectively with States to prevent fires before they happen. That is why my bill includes an important update to codify the repeal of the so-called Roadless Rule. The Roadless Rule was put into place 25 years ago. It was put in place by President Bill Clinton. It has been called a midnight regulation because it was done in January of 2001. Clinton did it in the final week of serving 8 years as President. He waited until the very end, and then, as he was going out the door, he said: Hey, let's put this into place.

The Roadless Rule remains a one-size-fits-all, Washington restriction that obstructs responsible forest management on a State-by-State basis.

I have opposed the Clinton Roadless Rule from day one, and the Trump administration rightly repealed it. My bill makes the repeal permanent. At the same time, it protects the rights of each State to set its own rules. That is the right approach. It is the responsible approach. It is going to promote public access, wildlife health, as well as smart management.

Local control and local conditions should drive forest management decisions. We can't allow a Washington mandate imposed on States, a quarter of a century ago, to continue to undermine our ability to manage our forests.

Republicans and Democrats have talked about the need for better forest management. We have talked about it for years. Both parties know we need to do better.

The Wildfire Prevention Act builds on what works. It gives Federal Agencies the tools they need to succeed. Our shared forests and our local communities deserve nothing less.

I yield the floor.

The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Justice) and the Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell).