Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues in calling

attention to the devastating fentanyl fallout, made significantly worse by 4 years of failed Democrat open border policies and to note the return of commonsense border security policies led by Senate Republicans and President Trump.

In March, Border Patrol agents encountered just 7,181 illegal immigrants attempting to cross the border--the southern border, 7,181. This is in stark contrast compared to just 1 year ago, when, under President Biden, the total encounters for the month of March totaled 137,473. That represents a 95-percent decrease in crossings, from over 137,000 to about 7,000.

This sharp drop of illegal encounters is thanks to a new administration and a new Republican majority in the House and Senate, which has prioritized securing our border by resuming policies that brought historically low encounters just 4 years ago. And, I mean, policies that we put in place 4 years ago that worked then, we have put them back in place. They are working now.

So all that discussion on the part of the Biden administration saying, oh, my gosh, they needed some new law somehow, just isn't so; is it? The numbers make that abundantly clear.

And, of course, that means reinstating the migrant protection protocols, or the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy. Again, commonsense policies. Reinstating these policies helped curb illegal entries of individuals at our border and has begun the process of making our country safe again.

But the work is not done. While taking advantage of the failed border policies of the prior administration, cartels and other transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, flooded the border and gained a criminal foothold in our country. The presence of the cartels and other bad actors operating within our borders led to criminal acts like drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other illegal activities.

On his first day in office, President Trump signed a series of Executive orders addressing the border crisis that had been affecting our country and began the process of removing criminals who had illegally entered under the previous administration.

These Executive actions have served as the first steps in reversing the catch-and-release policies that allowed members of cartels, gangs, and violent transnational criminal organizations, like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, to remain in the United States while operating criminal enterprises.

By declaring an emergency at the border, DHS, DOD, and DOJ were able to take a whole-of-government approach and begin working together to identify the criminals that were illegally operating these networks within our country.

The result of these harmful Democrat open border policies has been felt by us all and has turned every State into a border State.

Leadership for the DEA Omaha Division, which includes my State, said it plainly and simply--the repeated presence of fentanyl in our communities is due to outside forces.

The precursor chemicals are coming from China. They go down

to Mexico and from there, they're pushed up into our

communities.

The numbers reflect this. In 2023, officials in North Dakota seized 21,000 more fentanyl pills than the year before, 30 pounds more meth, and 2\1/2\ times more pounds of cocaine.

Last month, the Republican majorities in both Chambers, the House and the Senate, voted to continue funding for key programs at DHS and DOJ that combat the rise in illicit drugs like fentanyl. Unfortunately, our colleagues across the aisle voted against that effort.

While the United States stands prepared to take on the scourge of fentanyl that is impacting our citizens, other countries must step up as well.

As a result of the actions taken by this administration, both Canada and Mexico have begun to be engaged partners on this issue.

In February, the President of Mexico agreed to send 10,000 National Guard troops to help secure its northern border with the United States.

The Canadian Government has named a fentanyl czar, listed Mexican cartels as ``terrorist groups,'' and launched a Canada-U.S. joint strike force to combat organized crime, fentanyl, and money laundering. Additionally, the Canadian Government increased its law enforcement presence at the border, with a 56-percent increase in border personnel at land borders and ports of entry.

CBP officers, Border Patrol agents, and State, local, and Tribal law enforcement are stepping up to take on the fentanyl crisis at our borders.

I urge our Democrat colleagues in a bipartisan way to join us and support the effort to continue securing our border and to go after the criminals that have illegally entered our country and continue to do harm.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the Lawrence nomination.

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

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss our continued efforts to reverse the Biden administration's regulatory overreach, specifically as it relates to energy. This includes our efforts to work with President Trump to unleash America's full energy potential and truly make our Nation energy dominant--not just energy secure but energy dominant. Energy security is national security, and so it is vitally important for our country.

We have worked diligently in the Senate to swiftly confirm President Trump's Cabinet officials, and we continue to do that. We made it a priority to ensure that the President's Department heads are in place as we work to empower the United States to produce more energy from all of its abundant and affordable coal, oil, and gas reserves.

The key to this effort was confirming Doug Burgum of North Dakota--my State--as Interior Secretary, Chris Wright to be Energy Secretary, and Lee Zeldin to serve as Administrator of the EPA. We look forward to working with President Trump's newly established National Energy Dominance Council, chaired by Secretary Burgum and vice-chaired by Secretary Wright.

We also continue legislative efforts to get our country back to energy dominance.

Soon, the Senate will vote on my resolution to nullify the Democrats' natural gas tax rule, using the Congressional Review Act. We will be voting on that today. This new tax was mandated by the Democrats in their so-called Inflation Reduction Act. It should have been called the Inflation Acceleration Act. Not only did it increase spending for their Green New Deal, it also put taxes on things like natural gas. No wonder, under their watch, inflation went up to 9 percent. That hits low-income, hard-working Americans the hardest of all. So we are going to change that.

This tax actually puts a fee on emissions from facilities that produce natural gas. It starts at $900 a ton and goes up from there, eventually up to $1,500 per ton. So essentially what you are looking at is putting a 5-percent-plus added tax on natural gas. Now, think about that. Everybody uses natural gas to heat their homes or to cook their meals and for many other purposes as well. So it is a tax on every consumer, and it is regressive. It hits low-income individuals the hardest.

This, of course, has a disproportionate effect on small oil and gas producers in States like mine, in North Dakota, Montana, and other States. It hits small businesses the hardest. Of course, ultimately, it is paid by consumers.

It will impact the energy bills of consumers across the country who, as I said, are already struggling with high inflation because of the Biden administration.

Today, the United States is the world's largest oil and gas producer, and at the same time, we have led the world in emissions reduction.

Here is a stat I am going to talk about for a minute, and it is important to focus on this because at the very same time that the Biden administration is putting additional taxes and fees on natural gas, we are reducing emissions from natural gas.

Since 1990, we have reduced emissions from methane by 20 percent. Now, that sounds pretty good, right--a 20-percent reduction in methane emissions since 1990. But think about this: In that same time, we have doubled how much natural gas we produce. So we have doubled the amount of natural gas we produce and still reduced overall emissions by 20 percent. Remarkable. Remarkable.

Biden's and Democrats' response to that is, well, gee whiz, let's raise taxes on everybody that uses natural gas.

Obviously, not only does that drive up prices, it curtails production. Instead, what we need to do is support

the innovation and empower the technology development that has enabled us to reduce emissions while producing more natural gas. That is the answer. That is the solution. That is exactly what President Trump and Republicans have done and will continue to do, and that is an important part of, again, making our country truly energy dominant.

We are also working with the Trump administration to replace the Biden administration's rules that closed off access to vast areas of taxpayer-owned energy resources. That includes both offshore and onshore.

For example, in my State, the Bureau of Land Management's--BLM-- public lands rule essentially enables environmental groups to lock away Federal coal, oil, and gas reserves under the argument that they are somehow undertaking conservation. The reality is, in North Dakota, for example, this Biden administration--what they call their Resource Management Plan closes off leasing to 45 percent of the Federal oil and gas acreage in our State and nearly 99 percent of Federal coal.

But it doesn't just end there. When they close off those Federal lands from development, they also impact everybody else because Federal minerals are often colocated in our State and other States with privately owned minerals under non-Federal surface acreage. Their Resource Management Plan prevents other mineral holders and owners, private owners, from exercising their private property rights and limits the ability to develop minerals that are owned by the State, by the Tribes, and by private individuals.

That is why I am working with Senator Cramer, Congresswoman Fedorchak, and Secretary Burgum to overturn the BLM's Resource Management Plan and maximize access to North Dakota's energy resources. That approach is not just important in my State, it is vital for energy-producing States across the country.

This truly is about taking the handcuffs off our energy producers and empowering them to increase supply and help bring down prices for American families and businesses.

There is an energy component in every product and service we consume, and when we make energy more plentiful and bring down that price, that helps reduce inflation. When we bring down energy and make it more plentiful, that helps us grow our economy, create more jobs and opportunities, and, in fact, not only provide for national security through energy security but help our allies as well so that they are not dependent on Russia or on OPEC or on Venezuela or anyone else--any of those bad actors--for their energy because they can get it from the United States.

All these things go with producing more energy. All those benefits, all those things go with truly making America energy dominant. That is absolutely what President Trump and that is absolutely what Republicans intend to do.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I am pleased to come to the floor again today to discuss my resolution to block the Democrats' natural gas tax, which I will call up right after we vote to affirm President Trump's national energy emergency declaration.

The Biden administration's tax and regulatory onslaught over the past 4 years have driven up the cost of energy and led to a national energy emergency for our Nation.

One of the most egregious examples is a new tax on natural gas, and that is why I am leading S.J. Res. 12, a Congressional Review Act resolution to block this tax from taking effect.

My resolution will rescind the rule implementing the Democrats' natural gas tax that the Biden administration finalized late last year.

Congressional Democrats and President Biden mandated this new tax under the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, which was, of course, the Inflation Acceleration Act, taking inflation all the way up to 9 percent. The Environmental Protection Agency issued its final implementing rule on November 18 of last year.

The EPA's natural gas tax rule imposes stringent methane emissions charges on qualified petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, starting at $900 a ton for emissions in 2024; it then goes up to $1,200; and then, ultimately, up to $1,500 per ton in 2026 and subsequent years.

Unless overturned, this would be the first time the Federal Government has ever imposed a direct tax on emissions. This new charge can equate to an effective tax increase on natural gas on top of other taxes of more than 5 percent.

This will have a disproportionate impact on small oil and gas producers in my home State of North Dakota and across the country, many of which already operate on thin margins and cannot afford the high costs to comply with this onerous rule.

Simply put, this is a punitive tax that will be passed along to consumers and will force energy developers to shut in production. That means higher prices to heat your homes. That means higher prices to cook your food. That means higher cost of natural gas for all consumers. Also, less supply of domestic energy means higher gas bills for consumers and an increased reliance on energy imports.

Instead of new taxes and regulations designed to stifle production, we should be supporting innovation to maximize the use of our abundant and affordable oil and gas reserves.

Our energy producers utilize the latest and the greatest technology, enabling more energy production with the best environmental stewardship.

Today, the United States is the world's largest oil and gas producer, and at the same time, we have also led the world in emissions reductions

Since 1990, U.S. natural gas production has doubled--this is an interesting stat. Since 1990, U.S. natural gas production has doubled; yet at the same time, we have reduced total emissions by 20 percent-- double the output--double the output and a 20-percent reduction in emissions. We have been able to increase crude oil production by 60 percent over the same time period.

When I was Governor of North Dakota in 2000, our State was producing less than 100,000 barrels a day. We took that up to 1.5 million barrels of oil a day. This doesn't just happen overnight. It is because we work to provide the regulatory certainty to empower innovation and entrepreneurial spirit to unlock the potential for energy development in our State and in our country.

As North Dakota became an energy powerhouse, our State producers have worked hard to meet the challenges of managing growing volumes of natural gas associated with oil production.

North Dakota producers have endeavored to dramatically increase the targeted gas capture rate from 74 percent to 95 percent over the past 10 years, again, through innovation, through technology--the latest and greatest methods that we have implemented.

Producers want to improve on that rate--and we continue to--but the Biden administration and its Green New Deal allies tried to make it-- and, in fact, did make it--harder to permit the very gathering systems that we needed to capture that natural gas. So they impeded our ability to reduce emissions.

Instead of supporting more gathering lines and interstate pipelines, the Biden administration's natural gas tax will hinder domestic production.

Further, because our Nation generates over 40 percent of our electricity from natural gas, burdensome taxes on natural gas producers will result in more expensive and less reliable electricity, more inflation for consumers across the country as a result.

Also, less production at home makes other nations and our allies abroad more dependent on adversarial nations that have no regard for environmental standards. Think Russia. Think Venezuela. Think OPEC.

At the end of the day, energy security directly impacts our economic and national security. This is about taking the handcuffs off and empowering our energy producers to increase supply and bring down prices for American families and businesses. That is why we are working to roll back the Biden administration's disastrous policies on energy, like this natural gas tax.

I want to thank EPW, Chairwoman Capito, and the 25 other cosponsors of my resolution.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this Congressional Review Act resolution.

I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues and the Trump administration to repeal this misguided tax on natural gas, while increasing energy production across the board in this country with good environmental stewardship that will truly make America energy dominant once again.

I yield back all remaining time.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 14, S.J. Res. 12.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a correction to an appointment made on February 25, 2025, be printed in the Record. For the information of the Senate, this correction is clerical and does not change membership of the British-American Interparliamentary Group Conference made by the appointment.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 99, submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, February 27; that following the prayer and the pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume Calendar No. 14, S.J. Res. 12, the Hoeven Methane Fee CRA; further, that at 12 noon, all time be expired and if the Senate receives H.J. Res. 35, the Senate vote on passage of the House joint resolution, as provided under the CRA; finally, that upon disposition of the joint resolution, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of Executive Calendar No. 24, Linda McMahon, and that the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture at 1:45 p.m.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of Senator Whitehouse.

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

Madam President, I am pleased to come to the floor today to urge my colleagues to confirm Chris Wright to be Secretary of Energy.

Mr. Wright has demonstrated tremendous leadership in the energy industry over the past more than 30 years. He is a true pioneer in advancing new technologies that unlocked the shale energy revolution in our country.

When I started as Governor of North Dakota in 2000, our State was producing about 100,000 barrels of oil per day, but that production was declining. We produced from the old traditional vertical wells, going down as much as 2 miles in some cases, some cases more. So we had to do something different. We started a new energy plan. We called it EmPower North Dakota to promote the development of all of our energy resources to help make our State the energy powerhouse that it is today.

We developed the right regulatory and tax climate to encourage energy development. We worked to bring talent to our State with the best entrepreneurial mindset. That included energy leaders like Mr. Wright, people that have the latest and greatest understanding of new technologies and the power to innovate.

Mr. Wright has said he became fascinated with energy at a young age, working on fusion energy and later solar energy during his studies at MIT and then graduate school at UC Berkeley.

He started Pinnacle Technologies, the company that actually started the hydraulic fracturing mapping industry. He was a pioneer in that effort, helping to locate more commercially viable shale energy reserves. He then started another company, Liberty Energy, to unlock the potential of those reserves and to do it with the smallest footprint and the best environmental stewardship. Mr. Wright worked to advance new breakthroughs in hydraulic fracturing, commercializing new technology to improve the productivity of oil wells in the Bakken shale formation.

As a result of innovators like Mr. Wright, North Dakota went from producing less than 100,000 barrels of oil a day when I started as Governor to a high of 1.5 million barrels of oil a day.

Our Nation's vast energy reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas are not a liability; they are one of our most important strategic assets. Each additional barrel of U.S. oil offsets production from Russia, from Iran, from Venezuela, and from other adversaries with little to no regard for environmental standards.

Mr. Wright understands that affordable and reliable energy is foundational to our economy, to our quality life, and, in fact, our national security. As energy demand continues to grow both at home and abroad, Mr. Wright knows it takes innovation, not regulation, to rise to this challenge. For example, in North Dakota, we are leading the way to crack the code on carbon capture technologies.

Mr. Wright will bring the right vision to the Department of Energy, supporting the deployment of all these new technologies so that we can truly become not only energy independent, energy secure, but, in fact, energy dominant.

Mr. Wright received strong bipartisan support from our Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support his confirmation to be the next Secretary for the Department of Energy.

I yield the floor.

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

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

Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of Governor Doug Burgum from my home State of North Dakota to serve as our Nation's 55th Secretary of the Interior.

Whether it is energy, grazing, outdoor recreation, water supply, the National Park Service, or Tribal relations, Doug Burgum is an outstanding choice who fully understands the vast responsibilities under the Department of the Interior.

I have had the pleasure to know Doug for over 30 years, and throughout his career, Doug has gained well-deserved national recognition as an innovative leader.

Governor Burgum is a proud native of Arthur, ND, earning his bachelor's degree from North Dakota State University--home of the Bison--and his master's in business administration from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

After working as a consultant at McKinsey, he returned home to North Dakota, and he literally bet the family farm to purchase a nascent accounting software company, Great Plains Software. Over time, Doug hired thousands of North Dakotans to build and grow Great Plains Software, eventually launching a public offering in 1997. Then, ultimately, Great Plains Software was purchased by Microsoft in 2001, and it is now known as Microsoft Business Solutions. The vision of Microsoft actually goes back to the company that he built and to this day I think employs several thousand people in and around Fargo, ND.

Great Plains Software, as I said, became Microsoft Business Solutions. He remained at Microsoft for a number of years, actually hiring the current CEO during his time there. He then left Microsoft in 2007, started a number of other companies, went into philanthropy and helped really revitalize downtown Fargo, continued his support for NDSU, and just had a very significant impact in many different aspects of business of philanthropy.

It is because of his countless contributions to North Dakota that, in 2009, during my time as Governor, I named Doug as the 37th recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, which is our State's highest honor.

I remember he looked at me at that time and said--it was kind of funny. We had this big event for him and gave him this nice State honor. He looked at me and said, ``Gee, John, this is really great, but I sure hope I am not done accomplishing things at this point,'' you know, as he was getting the award. I remember that very clearly. Obviously, he was far from done.

In 2016, Doug was elected as the 33rd Governor of North Dakota, and then he was reelected in 2020. He has been a true partner as we worked together to grow North Dakota into an energy powerhouse for our Nation.

When I started as Governor, we produced less than 100,000 barrels of oil a day, going down, and we have gotten it up all the way to 1.5 million barrels of oil a day--at that point, second only to Texas. It has gone back a little bit under the Biden administration, but we look forward to continuing to grow not just oil and gas but all the different sources of energy--coal-fired electricity, renewables, hydro. Just a real energy powerhouse for our country. So he brings that incredible energy experience to his new role.

Doug did a great job as Governor, and then he ran for President. He was the first Presidential candidate, when he left the race, to endorse President Trump--first one to do it.

President Trump knows the importance of a big energy agenda, and he knows what energy dominance means for our country, for our economic and national security. President Trump saw that Doug is not just the right fit to head the Department of the Interior as Secretary; President Trump also tapped Doug to lead the newly formed National Energy Council. Doug will do a tremendous job leading this integrated effort to truly make our country energy dominant, and he will work with President Trump to do that--vitally important for our economy, vitally important to bring down inflation, vitally important for national security, and vitally important to our allies so that they get energy from the United States rather than buying oil from countries like Russia or Iran and fueling either Russia's war machine or Iran's state sponsorship of terror.

But Doug not only understands energy, he is also a rancher, a hunter. He loves our national parks, and he loves the great outdoors. That is what you want in a Secretary of the Interior because all of those are part of his portfolio at Interior.

He has extensive experience in Native American affairs, and not only does he have the support of all of the Tribes in our State, he has the support from more than 180 Tribes from across the Nation.

Doug received overwhelming bipartisan support from our Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He came out of committee 18 to 2. So I strongly urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for his confirmation when we vote here very soon on his approval to be the next Secretary of the Interior for the United States of America.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I join my colleagues in looking forward to January 20, when we can turn the page on the failed border policies of the Biden-Harris administration and get back to the commonsense--commonsense--approach to border security under President Donald Trump.

During 4 years of the Biden-Harris border policies, our country saw the highest annual total of illegal alien crossings, the highest monthly total of illegal alien crossings, and the highest total of individuals on the Terror Watchlist attempting to cross our border.

These are the plain and simple facts. The Biden-Harris administration has made our country less safe, less secure, and more vulnerable to threats from abroad.

The American people saw beyond the Biden-Harris administration's false claims that the border was secure and last November gave a very clear and compelling mandate: Secure the border. Secure the border.

Already, the new Republican Senate majority is taking a first step to protect the American people against the consequences of the Biden- Harris administration's policies by working to pass the Laken Riley Act.

Under this bill, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will be required to detain illegal immigrants who have committed theft-related offenses and issue an immigration detainer request to local law enforcement for illegal aliens who have committed related crimes.

The legislation can empower States to hold Federal officials accountable when they fail to enforce Federal immigration law.

This important legislation is one we should have never had to pass, but because the Biden-Harris administration played politics with our country's borders and immigration policy, Senate Republicans are here today ready to work on behalf of the American people.

Working with the Trump administration, we will prioritize the enforcement of policies that protect our southern border, which include reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols or ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, enforcing safe third-country agreements, and resuming construction of the border wall.

In his first 100 days in office, President Biden revoked 94 Trump-era Executive orders and reversed crucial border security policies.

In less than a week, President-elect Trump will be sworn into office. He has committed to taking Executive action on day one to reinstate the policies that will secure our border. I look forward to these changes and working further to address the crisis created under the Biden- Harris administration.

I also look forward to the debate that will take place in the coming weeks regarding how Republicans will secure the border through reconciliation. We are already hard at work on that. This will be an important legislative tool that will help refocus resources so that the professionals at ICE, CBP, and U.S. Border Patrol can focus on the mission of securing our border, removing criminal aliens who should not be in the United States, and addressing potential threats to the homeland.

To accomplish these goals, we must recruit and retain more border security professionals, modernize our border security tools like autonomous towers, and better utilize technology like the counter- unmanned aircraft systems along the border. The cause of these threats to our homeland is clear: President Biden's failure to secure the southern border.

Senate Republicans stand ready to work with President Trump to advance the policies that kept our border secure during his first administration. That is exactly what my colleagues and I will be working to accomplish every day in the coming months because border security is national security.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today, along with my colleague from North Dakota, Senator Kevin Cramer, to honor the 2024 NCAA FCS national champions, the North Dakota State University Bison--and, yes, it is pronounced ``buy-zuhn.'' Anyone from Bison Nation, which is the ardent fan base that supports this great program, will tell you that.

On Monday night, the Bison finished another impressive football season by winning their 10th FCS national title--correct, their 10th. The Bison broke their own record for the most FCS titles of all time, including their wins in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and now 2024. They have won, actually, 19. That is just 10 since 2011. They have actually one 19 NCAA football championships.

The game was on national television, with more than 3 million people watching as it neared its exciting conclusion. I had the opportunity last night to talk to President Trump about it, and right away, he said: You guys have a great team. Senator Cramer was there as well, and as a matter of fact, I think Senator Cramer texted him either during or right after the game. I am not sure. He will tell us. But, needless to say, I waited until Wednesday night to talk to the President. But he, right away, said: You have a great team, a great program, and of course we want them back at the White House.

We had them there, Kevin, I think it was 5 years ago.

To say it was a great visit would be an understatement. I mean, it was unbelievable. The President took time to talk to all of the football players, and he had them come to the Oval Office, and I think he had a great time. It was a great experience, and so we are very excited about going back and truly, truly appreciating President Trump's hospitality and willingness to have this great team back.

Also, you realize that President Trump is a real sports fan.

He really is. He knows about our Bison team and, of course, about everybody else's team too. He knows his sports.

It was a hard-fought game. I have to say it was a hard-fought game. We played a truly worthy opponent, the Montana State University Bobcats. The Bobcats actually had an unbeaten season going at that point and really had steamrolled a lot of very good teams, and they are to be commended as well.

As a point of interest there, their coach, Brent Vigen, is an outstanding coach and a class guy. You saw that in the way he handled the game. Obviously, it was very--you know, they played their hearts out. It was a tough

loss for them, but they showed absolute class, starting with their coach and their fan base and certainly the team. Actually, he was a player for the North Dakota Bison. He was a tight end on our football team a number of years back and was an offensive coordinator. So he was a coach at North Dakota State University.

He has turned that Montana State program around. They are a tough, tough program and will continue to be. He is an outstanding coach.

So the championship capped off a great season for the Bison. They ended 14 and 2 and proved once again that they really are a dominant force when it comes to FCS football.

I just want to take a minute now to recognize and congratulate the players and the coaches who are so vital to this success.

Quarterback Cam Miller just had an incredible game. He had an incredible year, but he really showed his mettle in this final game. He led the team. He was, of course, named the most outstanding player. He rushed 18 times for 121 yards. So he rushed 18 times, 121 yards, and 2 touchdowns, and he completed 19 of 22 passes for almost 200 yards. Now, those are the kinds of stats that are just off the chart. But his leadership all year long and certainly in the playoffs was just unbelievable.

I also want to acknowledge Marty Brown. He is a freshman running back who won the Jerry Rice Award as the freshman of the year and obviously just had an incredible year. It is a very prestigious award. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored 14 touchdowns during the year.

Also, I want to recognize wide receiver Bryce Lance, a tremendous young receiver. He tied the record on Monday for the most single-season touchdowns in Missouri Valley Conference history, which is the conference that the Bison play in, and he had a total of 17 touchdowns.

We honor the whole team, though. It takes a team of incredible players, incredible senior leadership, a number of whom are going to be drafted--no question about it. There will be high draft choices. It was well-coached by Tim Polasek, who is a first-year coach. He is a former Bison as well. He was a coach under Craig Bohl for the Bison. He came back, and this was his first year as head coach, so obviously it was exciting for him to win the title in his first year.

There are also some other coaches I want to mention. I specifically want to mention Coach Randy Hedberg, who is a longtime friend of mine. He is the quarterback's coach, and this guy is a quarterback whisperer. He coached quarterbacks who are in the NFL now--Carson Wentz, who is with the Chiefs; Easton Stick, who is with the Chargers; and Trey Lance, who is with the Dallas Cowboys.

This guy was actually a professional quarterback himself. Amongst other teams, he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the first game the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won--John McKay was the coach--in the very first game they won as an expansion team, Randy Hedberg was the quarterback. He has the gift.

So we get these great players, and we have a string of players who go to the NFL, and no doubt Cam Miller will as well.

Coach Devin Klieman, who is the son of former Bison Head Coach Chris Klieman, who is now at Kansas State--you know, the legacy goes on, and Chris Klieman's son Devin is with us.

Carlton Littlejohn is a standout linebacker. I remember watching him play.

Then also there is Coach Grant Olson. He is a former player, and Amy, his wife, is a professional golfer. So this is an athletic family. Those kids are going to be something else, I will tell you that. He was selected to the 2025 class of the American Football Coaches Association's 35 Under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute. He did a tremendous job with the defense.

To all of them--to all of the coaches and, of course, most of all, to these incredible young student athletes--they were just awesome this year. They did an incredible job. So I want to congratulate all of them and congratulate Athletic Director Matt Larsen and another individual who is a good friend of both of ours, Dave Cook, the president of the university--a class act. Big kudos to him.

I have to conclude on Bison Nation. Oh, I forgot. Here are my posters. I will show them quickly.

Here they are celebrating after the big win in Frisco, TX. We kind of like to refer to Frisco, TX, as Fargo South.

One of the high schools in Fargo is called Fargo South. Maybe that is how it got started. But we love Frisco. We love Frisco, TX. Having won 10 championships there may have something to do with it, but it is a marvelous place. Here they are celebrating afterward, and then here is the coach. Here is Coach Tim Polasek holding up the trophy there. I think you can see Kevin Cramer in the back. Oh, I guess not. I guess we were here.

So we weren't there, but we would have loved to have been there.

Bison Nation really supports this team, and you can't do it without that kind of fan base, although I have to tell you that the Montana State Bobcats were there in force, because I talked to players or I talked to some of the folks who were there, some of the alumni and fans who had gone to the game, and they said that Montana State really supported their team well.

So with that, I am going to turn to my colleague Senator Cramer, who is going to offer some more remarks. Like I said, we are excited because our work is not done. We will continue working with the team and look forward to a White House visit.

Senator Cramer.

That is good.

Just a final comment, just so the folks can see our ties, because I really want to commend you on your outstanding choice of the green and yellow NDSU--North Dakota State University--tie.

I have the weak version of the tie, Mr. President. I know in Nebraska, you understand how important agriculture is.

So we are proud of our school for our football teams but also because it is one of the leading schools of agriculture in the country, and for so many other reasons as well.

Thank you, Mr. President. We yield the floor.