Floor Statements

Madam President, I am going to make some comments in regard to the energy policy for the United States. But, first, I would like to make a couple of comments, starting with commenting in regard to my good friend and colleague from West Virginia Senator Manchin.

Senator Manchin is the current chair of the Energy Committee, and I am on that Energy Committee. And I am going to reference two pieces of legislation--two bills--which just passed the Senate. I am going to start by thanking him as chairman of the Energy Committee because, without his help--and he supported both of these bills--but without his help and agreeing to bring them to the committee to get them passed through the committee so that they could be on the floor here and we could pass them on the floor, which we just said, it wouldn't have happened.

So, Mr. Chairman--Chairman Manchin--thank you, once again, for your support.

And I would further note for the record that Senator Manchin and I actually were Governors together for--I don't know--two terms, at least--6 years. That sounds right. We crossed over 6 years, and we worked together. And Joe developed a reputation as somebody who would work with anybody--and did--and he was always cheerful about it and fun to work with and was really good at bringing people together from both sides of the aisle.

He certainly developed that reputation as Governor and brought it to the Senate. He and I worked together here for 14 years on a whole number of things, including, in 2013, passing S. 1, which was the Keystone XL Pipeline. And that is just one example.

I know that he is leaving the Senate at the end of this year. And all of us will very much miss both Joe and Gayle. They are just incredibly good people. I know there are a lot of folks who have and will continue to say a lot of nice things about the Manchins, all well-deserved, about his acumen at passing legislation, working across the aisle--all of those things and more. I just want to make sure that the Record reflects that he is a great guy.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate it.

North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Acts

Madam President, the two bills that I want to reference that we just passed are the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act and then, also, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act, and just a few brief comments on each.

The North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act, actually, will help my home State better develop its land and minerals to support education and also to provide Tribal nations--we have five reservations in North Dakota. But it will also help provide those Tribal nations greater ownership over the lands within their reservation boundaries.

Senator Cramer, my colleague from North Dakota, joined me in introducing this important legislation, and, also, Kelly Armstrong, who is actually the current Governor, on the House side, worked on it as well.

Currently, North Dakota holds more than 130,000 acres of minerals and over 31,000 surface acres that are located within Tribal reservations. They are not developed because they are located--they are State-owned, but they are within the boundaries of the reservation. So they are not being developed.

So this bill is absolutely a win-win by helping our State generate revenue for education and other priorities, while allowing the Tribes to regain the fragmented lands and minerals located within their boundaries, because we are trading. We are trading land for outside the reservation for ownership within the reservation, which is going to help development both on the reservation and off. So it truly is a win- win. It is a win for the Tribes and a win for our State as well.

And it is supported by the State of North Dakota, by the Tribal nations, all of the Tribes within our State, and all of the western counties and the grazing associations that are involved in our State.

We have multiple use throughout the Federal lands and the other lands--private lands, Federal lands, BLM lands, national grasslands-- but this is a great example of how we all worked together and accomplished a win-win.

So I want to thank my cosponsor on the bill, Ben Ray Lujan, the Senator from New Mexico--or as we like to affectionately call him, ``Ray-Ban''--and, also, Richard Blumenthal, Peter Welch, and Senator John Cornyn, who were helpful today in getting this completed.

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act

Madam President, the other bill is the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Act. Teddy Roosevelt first traveled to the Dakota Territory in 1838 to hunt bison. It is bison, by the way. Some people say ``bi-son''; but it is ``bi-zon,'' and it is our national mammal--at least that is how we say it. Anyway, he went there to hunt bison and returned in 1884 while mourning the passing of both his wife and his mother.

President Roosevelt called the Dakota Territory home for 3 years while he enjoyed the vast beauty that the Badlands have to offer. As President Roosevelt proudly claimed, he would not have ascended to the Presidency had it not been for his formative years in North Dakota.

Fittingly, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library will be located adjacent to another important national treasure named in his honor--and that is the purpose here. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is in North Dakota, and now his library will be as well. I think we have already exceeded more than $250 million--already over a quarter billion dollars--being raised for this library. We have broken ground, and we had a beam-laying ceremony. It is going to be just unbelievable, just unbelievable.

This S. 4129 will help support the construction of this important initiative to honor our Nation's 26th President and ensure that future generations of Americans can access the rich history and enduring impact of President Theodore Roosevelt.

Again, I want to thank my bipartisan colead on the legislation, Senator Blumenthal, along with cosponsors Senator Cramer, Senator Heinrich, and Senator Mitt Romney.

Clean Coal

Madam President, I would like to turn to some remarks regarding our national energy policy, specifically clean coal.

If you saw President-elect Trump's interview recently, he talked about clean coal and the amazing technology that we are bringing to bear to utilize this baseload power source that is so vitally, vitally important to our Nation, not just in terms of energy independence but, really, energy dominance for our country. During his press

conference, I was pleased to hear President Trump highlight our shared commitment to restore America's energy dominance and that clean coal is going to be a vitally important part of it. He emphasized that, and I appreciate it very much.

He talked about how it is reliable, affordable, and incredibly abundant--an energy source that is going to be available for many, many, many years. North Dakota alone has over 700 years of coal supply, and our coal-fired electric industry works to ensure that homes and businesses have access to affordable and reliable power on a 24-hours- a-day, 7-days-a-week basis--baseload. Regardless of weather conditions--on the hottest day, on the coldest day, whether the wind is blowing or whether it is not; whether the Sun is out or whether it is not--24/7, that baseload is available and is incredibly important for our grid. That is what provides grid stability for intermittent sources of energy. The fact remains that our Nation needs more energy, not only more electricity but more baseload electricity, as I say, so that it is available 24/7 and so that our grid can operate in a reliable fashion.

North Dakota is fortunate to have the most advanced--and this is where the clean-coal technology really comes in. North Dakota really is in a position and is leading the way on this. We are fortunate to have the most advanced coal-fired power plants in the world while also leading the way in reducing emissions like SOX, NOX, and mercury--so, SO2, nitrogen oxides, and mercury. We are reducing those emissions. We have led the way on that.

To meet this growing demand for more energy, we have been working to crack the code on carbon capture, utilization, and storage, or CCUS, and enable the next generation of clean, coal-fired electric power. We have worked over the past 15 years to put the legal, tax, and regulatory environment in place to establish North Dakota's leadership in advancing carbon capture.

North Dakota became the first State to be granted regulatory primacy for class VI wells to ensure CO2 is safely and securely stored below the surface. We recently secured a multihundred-million- dollar demonstration grant from the Department of Energy to advance Project Tundra, which will enable the coal-fired Milton R. Young power plant to capture and store 4 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

At the same time, we have worked hard to put into operation the largest coal-powered carbon capture energy project in the world. Basin's Dakota Gasification synfuels plant is currently in operation and will capture up to 2.25 million metric tons of CO2 per year. Let me repeat that: 2.25 million metric tons of CO2 per year--the largest in the world.

I look forward to working with President Trump to take the handcuffs off of our energy producers and empower them to develop the latest, greatest technologies to produce more energy with better environmental stewardship.

This really is about unleashing our Nation's vast coal reserves and one of our country's most important strategic assets. By leveraging technology and unlocking clean coal's full potential, we will be able to increase the supply of affordable, reliable electricity and bring down the prices for American families and businesses that are struggling with the impact of inflation.

North Dakota is leading the way in clean coal technologies, and this will be an important part of our efforts, in working with the Trump administration, to make America not only energy secure but energy dominant.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I come to the floor today to talk about the National Defense Authorization Act. The act that is called the NDAA covers a wide range of topics, but, overall, it helps us chart a course to defend our country during these very dangerous times.

Russia, China, and Iran are working together to undermine U.S. interests across the globe. A world led by those nations is, in fact, a very dangerous world. And it is a world where the economic well-being of ordinary Americans suffer.

I have visited key U.S. allies and partners in recent years, and I am convinced that when we are strong--when the United States is strong--as a nation, we attract like-minded partners who will work with us to push back on our adversaries and defend freedom, not only here for our country but across the globe. And the NDAA is about bolstering our defenses and strengthening those very partnerships.

This bill, for example, establishes a Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. Now, that is modeled after the Indo-Pacific and Ukraine's security assistance initiatives, and it is designed to enable Taiwan to maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities, vitally important in the Pacific and vitally important that we not work just with Taiwan but with all our allies in the Pacific: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and others.

And also, this pact requires the Department of Defense to provide Israel with intelligence and advice in support of their war effort in the Middle East against Hamas and other terrorist organizations, including the largest sponsor of state terrorism in the world, Iran.

In addition, the NDAA supports a handful of missions that are both critical to our security around the globe and of particular interest to my State.

First, for example, UAS and counter-UAS. It is a huge issue right now, not only in terms of the battlefield, what we are seeing in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and other places, but even here in our own country, civilian uses of drones and counter-drones is certainly very much at the forefront of the

public's attention. And we have real problems with UAS threats across all of the areas that we operate, here at home and overseas.

Now, we still have a patchwork approach that has grown out of an ad hoc response to specific threats to domestic military installations. The Department of Defense very much needs a coherent strategy and clear guidance when it comes to drones and countering drones.

This bill takes a number of important steps toward addressing the issue, including: directing the Secretary of Defense to develop a strategy for countering unmanned aerial systems and the threats they pose to Department of Defense facilities, personnel, and assets. And that means not only here at home but across the globe where we have personnel and where we have military installations.

So having that strategy for drones and counter-drones is very, very important right now. And it is very complex, as we are seeing.

This legislation also requires standing up a counter-UAS--unmanned aerial system--drone task force to review and update all of DOD guidances to provide clarity and expedited decision-making processes and information processes so that the public knows what we are doing and has confidence in what we are doing.

In North Dakota, we have a UAS ecosystem that is ready to support this initiative, both in the military aspects and in the civilian aspects. And we have had that focus on UAS technology going back all the way to 2005.

And again, I think we are one of the only air bases in the country, at the Grand Forks Air Force Base, where we operate military and civilian, manned and unmanned aircraft, all at the same base, as well as our connection to the lower orbit satellites through the Space Defense Agency.

So we have established what we call their Project ULTRA. Project ULTRA is specifically designed to move unmanned aerial systems and to counter unmanned aerial systems from the drawing board to the warfighter. As I say, we have been at that for almost 20 years.

As DOD contemplates this counter-UAS strategy, we are ready to bring industry partners, and I mean some of the leading industry partners like Northrup Grumman, like General Atomics, like Raytheon, and many others as well. They are already operating. They are in the Grand Sky Technology Park on the Grand Forks Air Force Base. And we are ready to bring those partnerships--those companies that have developed these technologies--together with the Department of Defense under the directive in this legislation to defend, like I say, not only our military installations but to do more in the civilian airspace so that the public can have confidence that when they see a drone flying in our national airspace, that it has been accounted for and properly dealt with.

Second, the second huge issue in the NDAA is nuclear modernization. Our nuclear deterrent is the foundation of global stability and is prerequisite for the success of our conventional forces.

If we have a nuclear deterrent that no adversary ever questions, then they will never go beyond conventional forces. We have the finest military in the world. Our conventional forces are more than a match for anyone in the world. And so that could create the temptation for somebody to actually use nuclear forces. But if they know our deterrent is so strong, then they will never actually challenge us. So it is the bedrock or the foundation on which our conventional forces reside. We are facing an increasingly dangerous nuclear world where we must deter multiple nuclear powers at the same time.

Now, several years ago, I led efforts to ensure that the Department of Defense kept our inventory of silos for our intercontinental ballistic missiles and preserve a full deployment of these missiles to support deterrence.

Today, we need those missiles to support deterrence against China, which is building up its forces incredibly, as well as Russia and North Korea.

This NDAA continues to carry language preserving the number of ICBMs that we deploy. It also creates a new Assistant Secretary of Defense to oversee nuclear deterrence policies and programs across the Department of Defense.

And most importantly--most importantly--it authorizes the next steps in modernizing not only the ICBM force but all three legs of the nuclear triad--bombers, the missiles, and submarines. It provides more than $5.6 billion in authorizations for modernizing these programs; for example, Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, which is the only dual nuclear base that we have, both the bombers and the missiles. But it also updates the aircraft, the Sentinel, which is the new missile program, the LRSO, long-range stand-off, which is the new air-launched cruise missile, which is part of the bomber fleet; the B-52s, the new B-2 bombers, as well as our other long-range stand-off missile programs.

All of those things, as well as our submarines, form the nuclear deterrent that is the bedrock of our military forces. With the evolution of technology, the environment, and our own ambitions--the military environment I am talking about--and the near-peer challenges that we face with Russia and particularly with China, we have no choice but to make sure that we are updating and modernizing our nuclear forces so that no one ever challenges the United States or our ability to defend ourselves and our allies.

Space Development Agency--I mentioned that just a minute ago--another area of emphasis that is very important in this legislation. We know that space is an increasingly important part of defending our Nation and our interests around the globe. When we look at Russia, when we look at China and what they are doing in space, we must not only keep up, we must continue to exceed what they are doing. It is vitally important to making sure that our nuclear forces have the best technology and a technological advantage in warfare over our adversaries.

This legislation authorizes more than $4 billion for the Space Development Agency, including how the Low Earth Orbit Satellite Program is operated. This program is significant and will fundamentally change--the low Earth orbit satellites, which we are putting out in space now, and we will have many of them, I mean, hundreds of them. This program is significant and will fundamentally change the way our forces operate around the globe.

Every soldier, every weapon system, and every mission will benefit from getting information from these low Earth orbit satellites. And we are taking steps in this bill and in the appropriations processes to do just that.

And so when you look at SpaceX, sending those rockets in space, many of those have low Earth orbit satellites that we are already putting out in space.

Those low Earth orbit satellites will be controlled from one Army base and from one Air Force base. The Army base is the Redstone Army base in Alabama. And the Air Force base is the Grand Forks Air Force Base in my State.

Some other provisions that I want to mention are noteworthy as well. First, greenhouse gas emissions. This NDAA extends a prohibition that we passed last year on any rules that would force contractors to report on greenhouse gas emissions.

I fought hard against these types of regulations, which would add unnecessary redtape and delays, drive up costs, and provide no benefit to the warfighter.

The purpose of our weapons systems must be to make sure that our forces have a superior advantage to any other forces in the world in lethality. And that is exactly how they need to be designed. And that is what this provision is designed to ensure.

Support for our servicemembers, this bill includes a number of provisions that I have heard about in regard to strongly supporting our servicemembers and their families; for example, pay increases. It authorizes a 14.5-percent pay increase for junior enlisted servicemembers, E-4 and below, and a 4.5-percent basic pay increase for all other servicemembers.

Second, access to mental health. The bill improves access to services for mental health, making it easier for telehealth providers to offer services and expand accreditation opportunities for behavioral health providers, which is a big need.

Specialty care travel allowances. The bill includes a provision I supported to require the Secretary to reassess the

travel and transportation allowances provided to servicemembers and dependents seeking specialty care--healthcare, within a hundred miles of their duty station.

Military spouse professional licensing permanently grants authority to the Department of Defense to make transferring professional licenses between States easier for military spouses.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion: It is important that our military members can put mission first, and this bill eliminates authorizations for a range of disruptive DEI programs while establishing a 1-year freeze on hiring for DEI work at the Department of Defense.

Like I said at the beginning of my remarks, the NDAA helps us chart a course to defend our country during these dangerous times. With the passage of the NDAA, we will have the authorization for these important programs, and as a member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, we are ready--I and others are ready--to get to work to fund these important programs for our Nation's defense. We have the finest military in the world, and we must do all that we can to support our men and women in uniform.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, 2 weeks ago, President Trump was reelected, and the Senate Republicans reclaimed the Senate majority. As we prepare for the 119th Congress, I join my colleagues today to discuss Republican solutions to the challenges our Nation faces.

Among these important efforts, we will work with President Trump to unleash more American energy and not only make our country energy independent once again but actually make the United States energy dominant. We will do that by cutting the redtape that has handcuffed our energy industry. And instead of strangling regulations, we are going to boost innovation. That is the right kind of approach for energy policy in our Nation.

Energy security directly impacts our economic and national security. That is why we must act on day one to reverse the Biden administration's regulatory onslaught. From the very beginning of his tenure, President Biden has sought to curtail American energy. I would like to take a moment to recap some of these harmful regulatory policies.

Just last week, the Biden administration finished implementing a new natural gas tax. Think about that: a tax on natural gas at a time when the country has been fighting inflation. That natural gas tax was authorized as part of the Democrat partisan tax-and-spend bill.

Importantly, I intend to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to block the Biden administration's new natural gas tax rule, and we will work with President Trump to repeal it. Again, this is part of reducing an inflation that affects every single American.

This costly tax comes in addition to new burdensome rules and higher fees on Federal energy production imposed by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management.

But the Biden administration isn't just increasing costs for producers. They are working to outright prevent the development of vast amounts of taxpayer-owned energy resources on public lands.

This year, BLM issued a new public lands rule enabling radical environmental groups to lock away more of our energy reserves under a so-called conservation leasing approach. In my State of North Dakota, the Biden administration is proposing to close off leasing to 45 percent--45 percent--of Federal oil and gas acreage and 95 percent of Federal coal acreage.

Let me repeat that. In my State of North Dakota--we are one of the largest energy producing States in the country. We are an energy powerhouse for this country. In my State, the Biden administration is proposing to close off leasing to 45 percent of Federal oil and gas acreage and 95 percent of Federal coal acreage. At the same time, the Biden administration's regulatory agenda is making electricity more expensive and less reliable. Think about that. We need more electricity, not less. These policies not only increase the price of the electricity that we get, but it prevents us from producing more electricity.

Under President Biden, the EPA has issued overreaching power sector regulations that inflict utilities with billions of dollars in compliance costs. Worse still, these burdensome regulations could force the premature retirement of reliable coal-fired baseload powerplants, and we need that baseload to maintain the integrity of the nationwide electric grid.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, and multiple independent grid operators are sounding the alarm of a coming reliability crisis.

Each of these actions by the Biden administration was specifically designed to make traditional energy more expensive and to produce less of it. That is why, in partnership with the incoming Trump administration, we will take off the handcuffs of our energy producers and empower them to increase supply and bring down prices for American families and businesses.

I would also like to thank President Trump and offer my congratulations to Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota on his nomination to serve as Secretary of the Interior and the head of the newly formed National Energy Council. The Department of the Interior is incredibly important in North Dakota and Western States, overseeing more than 247 million acres of Federal land and approximately 30 percent of the Nation's minerals.

As Governor of my home State of North Dakota, Doug has the right background and experience to lead the Department of the Interior and all of the new administration's energy efforts. He has been a great partner as we have worked together to make North Dakota an energy powerhouse for our country, and I know he will bring that experience to bear in a positive way for our country. He understands the importance of productive multiple use of

our vast Federal estate for energy development, grazing, recreation, tourism, and all of the multiple uses we enjoy.

I look forward to continuing our efforts together, and he will be in a tremendous position to help us roll back the harmful policies of the last 4 years and unlock our country's energy potential. That means making the best use of our Nation's abundant energy resources-- including our vast oil, gas, and coal reserves--while advancing new innovations to produce more energy with better environmental stewardship. That is the right way to do it.

Like I said at the beginning, we are not just going to make our Nation energy independent; we are going to make our Nation energy dominant.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise to join my colleague from West Virginia, talking about some of the important issues that we worked on over the past month. I am really pleased that she talked about the importance of getting a farm bill. It is just incredibly important.

In my State of North Dakota, we are No. 1 as an ag powerhouse and then also an energy powerhouse. In the energy realm, we produced more than 1.2 million barrels of oil a day. That is as much as some of the OPEC countries for the whole country. And then we supply electricity to coal-fired and other sources of electricity that are probably in each region. So we are really an energy powerhouse, and that is a big part of our economy.

But ag is still No. 1 for us. We produce probably more than 40 different crops, as diverse as--we are the No. 1 State for producing honey, and we produce a lot of sugar. But then we have got all the row crops--corn and soybeans and all those kinds of things. We have got wheat. We have got the pulse crops. We actually have more cattle than people--millions of head of cattle. So we are very diversified in the ag world.

Needless to say, a farm bill is incredibly important to us, and it is incredibly important to our country. When I talk about farmers and ranchers and the farm bill, I like to start by saying that every single American benefits every single day from our farmers and ranchers, who produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. So when we talk about good farm policy, we are talking about something that benefits every single American every single day.

Americans spend less of their budget on food. They have the best food. They have the best choice, the best quality. And we spend less of our budget on food than virtually any other developed country. All that is brought to us every single day by our farmers and ranchers.

I want to take a few minutes today to talk about how important it is that we get a farm bill done. It is not just important for our farmers and ranchers but, as I say, for every single American.

During the recent work period, I was out, and I, of course, visited with farmers and ranchers across our State and continued to get their input. But, also, they really are seeing challenges out there in farm country.

They don't control the weather, obviously. They don't control trade, and they don't control the price. But they have to deal with all three every year. So what we are seeing right now is a decline in commodity prices, which is putting real pressure on farmers and ranchers across this country.

As part of my efforts, I also convened a field hearing of the Senate Ag Appropriations Subcommittee near, actually, Fargo, ND, to discuss the future of ag research and also ag development.

We are one of the leaders in precision agriculture. The technology in farming and ranching now is unbelievable. At North Dakota State University, combined with our world-class farmers and ranchers, we are really leading that effort forward with a new concept called Grand Farm, where we are displaying, on a national basis, the incredible advancements in technology that are an important part of precision agriculture there.

I was pleased to be joined by colleagues on a bipartisan basis. Senator Boozman was there, as well as Senator Klobuchar and Senator Smith--so bipartisan, all members of the Ag Committee with me. We had a very robust and substantive discussion about precision agriculture.

But while we focused on the future of agriculture research and all those kinds of things, we also heard from witnesses on the need to pass a farm bill and what needs to be in that farm bill in order to make sure that it works. That means a strong commodity title. That called for updating crop insurance and making sure we update the reference prices, meaning we update the countercyclical safety net. Those two tools--our crop insurance and the countercyclical safety net--that is how our farmers manage risk in a world where they don't control prices, they don't control weather, and they don't control trade.

We produce fuel and fiber not just for this country but for the world, and the farmers don't have any control over those things, which is why it is so important that we have the right kind of farm policy. That is reinforced this week by more than 300 commodity groups--farmers and ranchers--coming from across the country, who are here

this week in support of getting this farm bill done.

We are already operating under a 1-year extension. So we are already 1 year past due getting a new 5-year farm bill in place.

As I say, farmers and ranchers from across the country are here talking to policymakers about the need to get this done rather than facing yet another yearlong extension.

Again, the message is very, very clear: We need to update the countercyclical safety net and crop insurance. That is the heart and soul. That is how our farmers manage risk. That is the key to getting a farm bill done.

As I mentioned, economic conditions in farm country continue to worsen. Last week, the farm income forecast from the USDA came out and indicated that lower commodity prices, high input costs, and elevated interest rates continue to create a real challenge for our producers.

For 2024, USDA is projecting net farm income, which is a broad measure of farm income, at $140 billion, which is a decrease of $6.5 billion from 2023.

Adjusted for inflation, the 2024 net cash farm income projections for crops like corn, soybeans, and wheat--important not only to my State but throughout the Midwest and beyond--represent the worst numbers that we have seen since the USDA began collecting this data for the past 15 years.

We have the opportunity to address that through the farm bill, and we need to do it. We need to get it done.

Senator Boozman, who, as I mentioned, joined me in North Dakota several weeks ago, has put forward a framework for that farm bill. I think it does exactly what it needs to do: It provides that support that farmers and ranchers need.

Also in the House, the House Ag Committee chairman, GT Thompson, also has moved through their full Ag Committee a bill that I think works as well. So the framework in the Senate is there. The bill that has come out of committee in the House is there. The bill in the House needs some tweaks, but it is going in the right direction.

The reality is that we are in position to get it done, but we need to come together on a bipartisan basis and address updates to the reference prices in the countercyclical safety net, as well as the updates for the crop insurance we need, which I have put in a marker bill that lays out very clearly what needs to happen. We need to come to agreement on it. We need to get this farm bill done.

I ask unanimous consent to use a prop during my remarks.

I rise to support my colleague, the senior Senator from Arkansas, and golf enthusiasts everywhere in cheering on Team U.S.A. in the Solheim Cup.

North Dakotans love their sports, and when it comes to golf, that is certainly no exception. You may be surprised to know that in North Dakota, we have many golf courses and actually rank very high in number of golf courses per capita. And for competitive golfers in the State, we have many different tournament opportunities for both men and women alike and, of course, people young and old. That is the great thing about golf. It is a game you can play all your life. Senator Boozman, even when you are old like you and me, you can get out there on the links and hit it and have a great time.

Most of the time, right.

But even if you are not playing well, it is a great place to take a walk. There is nothing better. North Dakota has produced top-notch golfers, including, right now, PGA tour winner Tom Hoge from Fargo, and although she just retired, a tremendous women's golfer, Amy Anderson, from Oxbow, and many others as well. Even growing up, a fellow by the name of Mike Morley, who is a fellow I knew--I always looked up to him. He was a little older when I was out there caddying on the golf course. He went on to become a touring pro as well.

We have great golfers, and obviously they are world-class athletes. In the case of Amy Anderson, she retired from professional golf this year, but when she was at North Dakota State University, she won 20 collegiate events, an NCAA record for Division 1 wins.

Again, for those traveling to the great State of North Dakota, I certainly encourage you to bring your clubs--Senator Boozman-- particularly in the summertime.

The Solheim Cup was actually created by PING founder, Karsten Solheim, in 1990. Like the Ryder Cup for men, it meets every 2 years to put the top women golfers in the United States against the top golfers in Europe. I have got to tell you, Karsten Solheim--he and his family-- he had his sons in the business with him, too, which was primarily based out of Phoenix. But we have this incredible Norwegian festival in North Dakota every year. It is the largest Norwegian festival outside the country of Norway. The Solheim family used to come up to that great celebration celebrating their Norwegian heritage. He is the founder of this great tournament and, of course, pits the U.S. top women golfers in the United States against the top women golfers in all of Europe. So we are taking on all of Europe, right? It is pretty cool.

This competition reflects the best in sports, with players not playing for money but playing for their country, playing for their teammates, and for so many young women who watch and of course are hoping one day to be in their shoes.

I have to tell one quick story because I know the senior Senator from Arkansas will enjoy it very much. I actually

played in an LPGA event. I actually played in an LPGA event. Now, you might think that sounds funny, but, of course, golf aficionados know that they have a member, you know, guest day the first day, and I was fortunate enough to get to play in an event, and it was just great, great fun. It is just amazing to see these incredible women golfers and just how great they are at the game.

Senator Boozman, yes, they hit it a lot farther than you do off the tee--no question about it--and me too, of course.

This year's competition in nearby Gainesville, VA, will be a great match, with the previous competition, as Senator Boozman said, in 2023 resulting in a 14-14 tie, which means Europe got to retain the cup. So we need to get it back. It looks so good here in America, we need to keep it here in America. I know that our women athletes will rise to the challenge. I like our chances this year.

To Captain Stacy Lewis and the 12 players on Team USA, we wish you the very best of luck as you compete here, and we look forward to an exciting weekend of skill and sportsmanship.

I already have talked to somebody on this very floor who knows some of the golfers and is going to go watch the tournament. Of course, the rest of us will get the opportunity to watch it on television.

With that, I yield back to my very good friend and colleague, the senior Senator from Arkansas--who, by the way, was an incredible athlete himself, although I don't think it was on the golf course. I think it might have been on the gridiron, although you do have the svelte physique of a golfer. I think it might have been as a Razorback.

Madam President, I rise to join my colleague from Alabama and other colleagues and outline the importance of maintaining and continuing to strengthen our Nation's support for our essential ally in the Middle East, Israel.

The U.S.-Israel partnership is vital for Israel. It is vital for the United States. It is vital for security in the world. It is vital in this global fight against terror.

Israel needs our help. It needs our help to fend off numerous attacks from Iran and its proxies, and I am proud of the contributions our Armed Forces have made in helping defend Israel from a wide variety of drone and missile attacks. The skill of our committed airmen, airwomen, soldiers, sailors, marines, special forces--their skill, unbelievable; their bravery, courage under fire; the technology that we have utilized, it is just incredible. The things that they have been able to do in terms of helping Israel, it is just beyond belief. And so we commend all of them.

But we need to continue. We need to continue. We need to help Israel defeat Hamas. They need our help to completely destroy Hamas's military capability, and we can't relent until that is done. This is not a one- way partnership. This is not just the United States supporting our ally Israel. Israel is really the tip of the spear.

Israel plays a vital role in standing against terror and deterring Iranian aggression across the Middle East. When you look at Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis, and other groups, these are terrorists that are financed, trained, sponsored, and directed by Iran. We need to recognize that. We need to take a tough stance on sanctions and other measures against Iran and recognize that these proxies for Iran are conducting its missives, its directions.

We are deeply appreciative of Israel's efforts to push back on Iran, on the Houthis, on terrorists, and all those who seek to destabilize not only the Middle East region, but across the world.

And as we have heard Prime Minister Netanyahu say many times of these extremists: If they are not stopped in the Middle East, they will set their sights on America. They will, and they have, and they will continue to do so.

Our partnership with Israel is based on our shared values and our shared commitment to freedom. Without that partnership, terrorists, extremists, and authoritarians would run rampant across the Middle East and other parts of the world, threatening the global economy and positioning themselves to threaten the United States directly.

And so the peace and stability we seek in the Middle East will come as the result of a strong U.S.-Israel partnership, and that is emblematic of the type of relationships that we must have with our allies. We must stand with our allies and stand up against our adversaries. And standing with our allies means not second-guessing them; for example, when Israel is conducting this war, they know how to defeat Hamas. And we need to help them do it, not second-guess how they are doing it.

That is why it is so important that we heard from Prime Minister Netanyahu in person today. We needed to hear directly from him about exactly what is going on as Israel prosecutes this war and the support that they need to be successful in defeating Hamas. And now we need to move in a bipartisan fashion to continue to strengthen that relationship.

There is really no time to lose. Iran's time to a nuclear breakout is down to a very short period. We need to stand together and prevent Iran from developing and, potentially, deploying a nuclear weapon.

Hamas remains a dangerous terrorist organization. Hezbollah presents a growing threat in northern Israel. The Houthis, backed by Iran, pose a threat to Israel and the wider region in the

Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, attacking shipping from many different countries.

So it is essential that we make sure that Israel has the military assistance required to stand against these threats. Again, they are the tip of the spear. They are doing the fighting, and we need to help them. We need to offer all the support we can in every form, and we must oppose anti-Semitism in all its forms and wherever we find it.

I want to express my appreciation for Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit and for his remarks to our joint session of Congress today. I thought it was an incredibly powerful and moving speech and one that not only the Senators and the Members of Congress needed to hear but all Americans--all Americans--needed to hear. And I hope that we can respond to the Prime Minister's visit by continuing to move in a bipartisan way to work with Israel to defeat the threats it faces and affirm our shared values, our shared commitment to freedom, liberty, and democracy.

Standing with Israel is good for the United States. It is good for the region. It is good for the world.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, today, I join my colleagues in outlining more than 3\1/2\ years of policy failures under President Biden, which are impacting families and businesses across the country every single day. From our economy to our Nation's security, Americans can feel the weight of this administration's decisions, leading to a higher cost of living and less safe communities--things that impact people every single day.

I will begin where individuals most frequently feel those impacts: their pocketbook. Biden's inflation is hurting every American, particularly low-income Americans. For example, Americans are paying more for energy because President Biden has sought to block or restrict access to our Nation's vast energy reserves.

On day one of his administration, President Biden blocked the Keystone XL Pipeline and placed a moratorium on new oil and gas leases shortly thereafter.

Then, President Biden and congressional Democrats doubled down, passing a partisan tax-and-spend bill that included a new natural gas tax and higher fees and royalty rates on Federal energy production.

Just recently, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management finalized a new public lands rule, enabling radical environmental groups to lock away more of our energy reserves under a so-called conservation leasing plan. The BLM also finalized a new onshore oil and gas rule and a new venting and flaring rule.

In my State of North Dakota, BLM is proposing to close off leasing on 45 percent of Federal oil and gas acreage and 95 percent of Federal coal acreage. BLM's failed stewardship of our energy resources extends to other States as well, including the blocking of new oil and gas production in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

Each of these actions are specifically designed to drive up the cost of energy production on Federal lands, and these costs are ultimately passed along to consumers. Today, Americans are paying 46 percent more for gasoline at the pump. And, at the same time, utility bills are also rising and outpacing inflation.

The Environmental Protection Agency's latest onslaught of new power sector regulations will require utilities to spend billions of dollars to comply with burdensome regulations or, worse, force the premature retirement of reliable, coal-fired baseload powerplants that our Nation needs.

Independent grid operators from across the country are warning that EPA's regulations will threaten reliability and increase the risk of blackouts and brownouts.

Americans can no longer afford to pay more for less reliable energy following 3\1/2\ years of President Biden's failed Green New Deal.

That is why we need to take the handcuffs off our energy producers and empower them to increase supply and bring down prices for hard- working American families.

Now, in addition to discussing President Biden's failures on inflation, the economy, and energy production, I want to, again, bring the crisis taking place at the southern border to everyone's attention.

We are nearly through fiscal year 2024, and the consequences of President Biden's failed border policies are becoming clearer every single day. The American people are seeing beyond the administration's false claims that the border is secure. Every day, there are new reports of horrific crimes being committed by individuals illegally in the United States, and these violent crimes continue to be perpetuated in every State.

Local and Federal law enforcement officials have confirmed that the Tren de Aragua--I may not have said it just right, but this is a transnational criminal gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison. I am going to repeat that. A transnational criminal gang that originated in a Venezuelan prison is now present and operating in the United States. Think about that. Their activities in the United States include human and drug trafficking as well as assaults and the murder of police officers.

In addition, there is now an increased threat from dangerous elements illegally entering the United States who have direct ties to international terrorist organizations like ISIS. Just last month, ICE arrested eight Tajikistan nationals with potential ties to ISIS, who illegally crossed the southern border and have been living in the United States. Now, let that sink in for a minute.

At our port of entry and all along the border, we continue to see high numbers of individuals on the Terror Watchlist who are attempting to enter the United States. So far, in fiscal year 2024, we have seen 316 individuals attempt to enter the country.

FBI Director Wray said it himself:

We are seeing a wide array of very dangerous threats that

emanate from the border.

The cause of these threats to our homeland is clear: President Biden's failure to secure the southern border. President Biden's failure to secure the southern border.

The American people suffer the consequences because the Biden administration refuses to enforce policies that protect our southern border. These policies were put in place by the Trump administration. They are the Migrant Protection Protocols, or ``Remain in Mexico'' policy; enforcing third safe country agreements; and resuming construction of the border wall.

The Biden administration must address this border crisis, enforce the laws that kept monthly encounters to the lower numbers that we saw under the Trump administration, and take border security very seriously, deadly seriously, because border security is national security.

Altogether, all these issues--whether it is safety, whether it is inflation--all of these things affect Americans across this entire country every single day. After nearly 4 years of policy failures, our country needs to get back on the right track: bring down inflation, strengthen our economy, and address the border and national security and safety in our communities. That is exactly what my colleagues and I are working every day to accomplish.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, just a few minutes ago, the ranking member of our Ag Committee, the senior Senator from Arkansas, Senator Boozman, put forth a statement of principles that he has developed with his outstanding staff that really identify and describe a framework that we absolutely need in the farm bill.

As you know, we have a 1-year extension in place on the farm bill. You know, it is something that is just incredibly important, and it has to get done on a bipartisan basis, and so we need to get it done. If we can't get it done before the end of this year, we are going to have to put another 1-year extension on the farm program in place.

You know, when we talk about our farmers and ranchers and we talk about the farm bill and we talk about farm policy, you know, we think we are kind of just focused on agriculture, and that is really not the case. I mean, good farm policy in this country gives us the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. Well, who does that impact on a daily basis? Everybody. Every single person in this country every single day, multiple times a day. Highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. More choice. Higher quality. Better food than anywhere else in the world. And--and--Americans spend less of their budget on their food than any other developed country. I would say that is something we should not take for granted.

It is amazing--you know, I mean, I think nowadays so many people don't come from the farm anymore. You know, obviously we are a huge ag State, and we still have a lot of nexus with farming, but a lot of places don't. They think, wow, food comes from the grocery stores. Well, it doesn't. It is produced by our farmers and ranchers every single day.

So, you know, that is one of those things that are just incredibly important. Until we don't have it, until we don't have this network of family farms and ranches across this country that gives us something that is better than anywhere else in the world, you know, we take it for granted. We can't do that.

So we need to get a farm bill done, and we need to get it right. That is why I am here, is because if we follow the framework that Senator Boozman just laid out, we will get it right, and so we need to do it. That is the simple point I want to make, that that is the framework we need to embrace on a bipartisan basis, on a bicameral basis, get it passed, get it to the President, and get it in place, and I would say for our farmers and ranchers but really what I am saying: for every single American every single day.

I want to start out by thanking Senator Boozman; but most of all, I want to thank our hard-working farmers and ranchers who face incredible challenges whether it is weather, whether it is trade policy. You know, I mean, it is all the things that they don't control; but year in and year out, they go out and they plant a crop and they raise livestock and they feed the world. And those challenges are what they face, like I say, every single year.

Now, this year, they are looking at lower farm net income. They are looking at record-high input costs. Obviously, inflation and high interest rates have put a real squeeze on their operations. You know, it is often said that farm bills are written for bad times, not good times; and that is what we have got to keep in mind. The whole concept of this farm bill is that it is countercyclical. It makes sure that it provides help to farmers and ranchers when they need it, and, you know, obviously, when they don't need it, then it is not there. Of course, that is the way it should be. That is not only what affects farmers and ranchers, that is what is most beneficial in terms of the hard-working taxpayers of this country.

Of course, Senator Boozman's framework does just exactly that. It makes the investments we need in the farm safety net, and that is, ultimately, the bedrock and the foundation of what the farm bill is all about. He emphasizes that in a lot of different ways, whether it is strengthening crop insurance, which we, obviously, have to have as it is very important; improving the access to credit for our farmers and ranchers; and also making sure that our livestock producers--our ranchers as well as our farmers--are able to operate year in and year out and that, for the next generation, we are doing every single thing we can to bring that next generation into farming and ranching.

Remember, there are about 16 million people across the country who are either directly or indirectly involved in agriculture. The average age now for these family farms and ranches--the

average age of the principal--is about 60 years old. We also have to make sure that we are bringing this next generation into farming and that we are keeping that family farm, that family ranch, that network of millions of small businesses across this country that feed and fuel the world--we need to make sure that we do everything we can to sustain it, and Senator Boozman's framework does that.

Let's come together in a bipartisan way--in a bipartisan way on our Ag Committee and in a bicameral way--and get this thing done for our farmers, for our ranchers, and for all Americans.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I join my colleagues today to discuss the Biden administration's onslaught of energy regulations that will make electricity more expensive and less reliable for homes and businesses across the country.

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized four new regulations specifically targeting our coal-fired electric powerplants--certainly the coal-fired powerplants in my State of North Dakota--including an expensive, unachievable new mercury and air toxics standards, or MATS, rule, despite the EPA's own regulatory analysis-- their own regulatory analysis--stating that the previous rule was adequately protecting public health; the Clean Power Plan 2.0--so- called Clean Power Plan 2.0--requiring existing coal-fired and new gas- fired plants to reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent when the technology is not yet commercially viable. They can't do it. That just puts them out of business, meaning less baseload electricity.

And also they put forth a new coal ash management rule and water discharge rule, imposing costly, unachievable requirements on power generators, all at a time when we need more electricity.

Now, the Biden administration's regulatory blizzard comes at a time when the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, continues to raise concerns about elevated risks of blackouts and brownouts.

The Presiding Officer comes from a State where you know how important it is, in these really hot days--100-plus degrees--that we have power to power people's air-conditioning. It can be a life-threatening situation if we don't.

Further, multiple independent grid operators are warning that EPA's power sector rules will further threaten reliability. We need this baseload for reliability of the grid nationwide. That includes the Southwest Power Pool, which covers part of my State of North Dakota, which stated that it, meaning the Southwest Power Pool, ``remains concerned . . . about the impact the Final Rule''--the findings of these final rules--``may have on the region's ability to maintain resource adequacy and ensure reliability.''

Again, this is about that baseload electricity that we need for stability and reliability of the entire grid nationwide.

The PJM Interconnection, which serves 65 million Americans, noted that ``the Final Rule may work to drive premature retirement of coal units that provide essential reliability services and dissuade new gas resources from coming online.'' Again, less power when we need more.

ERCOT, covering Texas, stated that EPA's rule poses an unacceptable risk to the reliability of the ERCOT system.

So, in all cases, these are examples where, across the country, the very institutions required to make sure that that grid is stable, the baseload power is there on the hottest day or the coldest day for reliability, they are sounding the warnings--very clear. They are sounding the warnings.

These regulations will drive up the cost of operations and force powerplants to prematurely close. This approach is in direct conflict with our Nation's energy reality. We need more energy, not less. Multiple forecasts show that electricity demand is projected to rise in the coming years as much as 27 percent in some parts of the country. Fast-growing areas, again, like the Presiding Officer's State, probably are going to see that 27 percent and maybe more as a function not only of growth but the fact that we are using more electricity in so many ways.

Much of the demand is coming from things like data centers, for example, that support cloud computing and artificial intelligence. Dispatchable resources like coal, gas, and nuclear powerplants remain critically important to meet demand, precisely because of their ability to operate regardless of weather conditions.

That is why, in North Dakota, we have been working for over a decade to crack the code on carbon capture technologies, allowing us to continue leveraging over 700 years of fuel supply in the form of coal supplies with the best environmental stewardship. We have worked to bring regulatory certainty, and, as a result, our State became the first one to be granted regulatory primacy for class VI wells to ensure that CO2 is safely and securely stored below the surface. Wyoming and Louisiana are the only other States in the Nation that also have this authority.

We also recently secured $350 million in a demonstration grant from the Department of Energy to advance Project Tundra, which will enable the coal-fired Milton R. Young facility to capture and store 4 million metric tons of CO2 per year.

We also have proven that we can lead the way in preducing SOX, NOX--sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides--and mercury emissions, and now we are working to lead the way forward on

Madam President, I am pleased to join my colleague from West Virginia and others who you will be hearing from--next, our colleague from Nebraska--in regard to our absolutely ironclad support for Israel and why it is so important that we stand and we stand strongly with our friend and ally Israel.

On October 7, Hamas committed appalling atrocities against Jews in Southern Israel. I went to Israel one month later to show my support for our close ally during this very dark hour, and I am still today very proud to stand with Israel.

But I am very concerned about the Biden administration holding up weapons that need to be delivered to Israel. That is why I have cosponsored two important pieces of legislation requiring the President to expedite delivery of defensive aid to Israel: first, Senator Cotton's Israel Security Assistance Support Act and then the assistance support act that Senator Cruz put forward as well; that is the Assuring Resupply of Munitions Act, or ARM Act.

Congress has moved decisively to support Israel, and these bills make crystal clear--there is no doubt about it--our desire that Israel receive our support without hesitation. We said that October 7 can never happen again, but if we say ``never again,'' we should mean it. If we truly mean ``never again,'' then the only path forward is for Israel to win the war--to win the war.

And that is why it is so important that we give Israel the tools it needs to win the war as soon as possible. Destroying Hamas means allowing Israel to reestablish security for its people. Destroying Hamas also means it can no longer terrorize and repress the people of Gaza. If we are concerned about the lives of Jews and Gazans, the sooner Hamas is defeated the better. The sooner Hamas is completely defeated, the better.

Putting limits on military assistance only means prolonging a conflict that Israel must win, and it means greater loss of life among both Israelis and Gazans.

Delaying or halting military aid also sends the wrong message to both our allies and our adversaries. Our allies, like Israel, rightly wonder whether U.S. promises will be kept when times get tough. Our adversaries, like Hamas and Iran, wonder if they can manipulate us into failure. When we hesitate to keep our promises and give our enemies the chance to regroup, we incentivize the very behavior that we must oppose.

We have to wipe out terrorism. We have to work with our allies--not just Israel but all of our allies--to wipe out terrorism.

If Hamas survives, it will certainly seize more hostages in the future. That is what Hamas does. If Hamas survives, it will keep using innocent civilians as shields. Think about that: using innocent citizens as their shields. If Hamas survives, it will see October 7 as a triumph rather than a disaster.

The administration may believe that pausing military assistance will save lives or limit suffering, but it will only sow the seeds of future conflict. There is no substitute--there is no substitute--for victory over Hamas.

Congress has provided the resources to support our ally Israel, and I call upon the administration to keep our promises, to act according to the will of the American people, and to accept nothing less than the complete defeat of Hamas.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in honoring the brave law enforcement officials in North Dakota and across the country who work every day to keep our communities safe.

As we mark National Police Week, we recognize the bravery and service provided by our peace officers and the sacrifices they make on behalf of all of us.

According to the FBI, more than 79,000 officers were assaulted in 2023, marking the highest officer assault rate in the past 10 years. That is concerning. Despite the certain danger these officers face, they take on this responsibility to protect and serve so that our communities remain safe and free.

Today, on National Peace Officers Memorial Day, we have the opportunity to come together as a nation to remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our communities so that we may live in safety.

I would like to honor two North Dakotans who were killed in the line of duty last year.

The tragic loss of Officer Jake Ryan Wallin of the Fargo Police Department and Deputy Sheriff Paul Martin from the Mercer County Sheriff's Office reminds us of the dangers our law enforcement officials face every day and the enormous debt we owe them and their families for their sacrifices to keep our communities safe. These heroes will be forever remembered with their names inscribed on our National Law Enforcement Memorial.

We can never fully repay our police officers, but we can continue to honor those we have lost and the sacrifices of their families and their loved ones. To honor these brave law enforcement officials, I have joined with others in introducing a resolution here in the Senate to recognize their bravery and memorialize the lives of Officer Wallin, Deputy Martin, and the more than 220 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2023.

This dedication to community and the rule of law is characteristic of so many of our police men and women, without whose efforts our communities would not be the same. That is why our resolution also designates this week, May 12 through 18, as National Police Week and honors the bravery and good work of all law enforcement officers.

One such example is Fargo Police Officer Zachary Robinson. Officer Robinson and his wife Ashley are in Washington, DC, this week. He is 1 of 10--10 in the whole Nation--to be honored as a TOP COP by the National Association of Police Organizations. He was presented with the award for his heroic efforts last July when Fargo law enforcement officials were ambushed while investigating a traffic accident, resulting in the death of Officer Wallin and the injuries of Officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes.

Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski summed up Officer Robinson's actions on that day when he stated:

If not for the courageous efforts of Officer Zach Robinson,

our community would have been further devastated. He saved

many lives. We are extremely proud of Zach! His reaction was

immediate, without hesitation, and without regard for his own

safety--true bravery.

He walked into a hailstorm of bullets to neutralize the situation and save lives. Think what that takes. Amazing.

I had the opportunity to meet and visit with Officer Robinson--Zach and his wife Ashley--today. Wow, what great people. They are truly the kind of young people who should really serve as role models for all of us, young and old--truly great Americans.

Today and always--every day--we remember the bravery and dedication of law enforcement to keep our communities safe. We honor them--all of them--and thank them for heeding the call to serve.

May God bless our peace officers--each and every one of them--and their families.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to discuss the Biden administration's regulatory blizzard that is restricting energy development and making energy more expensive and less reliable for homes and businesses not only across my State but across the country.

According to data from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, electricity demand is expected to increase almost 5 percent over the next 5 years. At the same time, FERC Commissioners and grid operators are warning of more blackouts and brownouts because powerplants are retiring before new generation capacity can be brought online.

Simply put, energy prices are high because demand is outpacing supply, and Americans are being forced to pay higher prices at the pump and higher utility bills. Because the cost of energy is built into every good and service across the economy, higher energy prices are fueling persistent inflation.

Instead of bringing more supply online to reduce prices, the Biden administration is imposing a regulatory blizzard that seeks to curtail energy production. It starts with the EPA, which is imposing new, costly, unworkable mandates specifically designed to reduce traditional energy production.

Just 2 weeks ago, the EPA finalized four new regulations targeting the power sector, including an overly stringent, new mercury and air toxic standards, or MATS, rule, despite the EPA's own regulatory analysis stating that the existing rule is adequately protecting public health; also, the Clean Power Plan 2.0, requiring existing coal-fired and new gas-fired plants to reduce CO2 emissions by 90 percent--90 percent--when carbon capture and storage is not yet commercially viable; and new burdensome requirements on water discharge at powerplants and costly new coal ash management requirements as well.

On top of all these burdensome regulations on the power sector, the EPA is placing onerous new methane regulations on oil and gas producers, and the EPA is implementing a new tax on natural gas.

Collectively, these EPA rules will require the power sector to spend billions of dollars to comply with these regulations or, worse, force the premature retirement of reliable coal-fired baseload plants.

Ultimately, these costs are passed along to electric ratepayers-- families and businesses across the country.

To push back against this regulatory blizzard, I will be introducing a Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval to overturn the MATS rule. Also, I am joining Senator Capito in her efforts to overturn the Clean Power Plan 2.0 rule.

All these things are driving inflation. Essentially, the Biden administration is putting handcuffs on our energy producers, and they are forcing up the price of energy. They are doing it not only with the regulatory burden that creates costs for the plants to continue to operate, but they are also putting baseload energy out of business. That puts us at risk of blackouts and brownouts across the country, and it undermines the stability of the grid. It also forces energy prices higher for every single consumer--every business and every individual. Who does that impact the most? Low-income people. So it goes right at low-income individuals.

If you live in a place like, I don't know, California, maybe Texas, it can get pretty warm, and you want those air-conditioners running. You don't want a brownout right at peak time when you need that power.

On top of the EPA's regulatory onslaught, this blizzard is continuing at the Interior Department, which manages 245 million acres of public land and 700 million acres of subsurface minerals.

Our vast taxpayer-owned energy reserves are a national strategic asset, ensuring that our Nation remains energy dominant. Why, then, is the Biden administration doing everything it can to seemingly lock away access to our taxpayer-owned energy reserves? It makes no sense.

Last month, the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, issued its public lands rule. This rule allows environmental groups to utilize a new conservation lease that will directly conflict with longstanding multiple-use stewardship of Federal lands, including energy development.

So the law says that on these Federal lands, they have to be for multiple use. That is energy development. That is agriculture. That is tourism. That is all of these different uses. But with these new environmental or conservation leases, that will restrict the use of that land to one use. One use is not multiple use. That absolutely violates the law.

Along with Senator Barrasso, I will be introducing a CRA resolution of disapproval to block this rule as well.

The BLM has also finalized a new onshore oil and gas rule and a new venting and flaring rule. These are designed as well to and will drive up the cost of energy production on Federal lands. It affects small businesses. It affects consumers. It affects every single business that uses energy, which is just about all of them. It affects every consumer because we all use energy.

In North Dakota, the BLM is proposing a new--just my State alone--a draft resource management plan that would close off leasing to 45 percent of Federal oil and gas acreage. Texas produces the most oil, and then it is either North Dakota or New Mexico that produces the second most. We produce I think about 1.2 million barrels a day of oil, and we have a lot of Federal land. But this resource management plan that the BLM is putting forward would close off leasing to 45 percent of the Federal oil and gas acreage--45 percent. Half of it.

As far as coal, we provide electricity I think to as many as 12 different States with coal-fired electricity. Ninety-five percent of Federal coal acreage would be closed off under this new rule.

Furthermore, given the scattered nature of Federal minerals across North Dakota, this plan is particularly problematic because it also blocks access to State- and privately-owned energy reserves.

Think about this: The Bureau of Land Management owns the surface acres, but they don't own the minerals. So a private individual may own those minerals underneath, but because the BLM owns the surface acres, that individual can't develop his minerals for oil, gas, or coal because they are blocked by the BLM--patently unfair, absolutely unfair, and I just don't think it is going to pass legal muster.

The BLM's mismanagement of our vast energy reserves reaches to other States as well, including the blocking of new oil and gas production, for example, in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

The goal of the Biden administration's regulatory blizzard is clear. It is a ``keep it in the ground''--part of the Green New Deal--agenda no matter what the economic or geopolitical costs are.

There is a better approach, and it means taking the handcuffs off our energy producers and unleashing the full potential of our Nation's most valuable strategic asset: our abundant energy resources--oil, gas, coal, all types of energy.

Instead of this regulatory blizzard, the Biden administration needs to work with us to increase the supply of energy to bring down prices for hard-working American families.

So, at the end of the day, it is this simple: The Biden administration is handcuffing our energy producers with one onerous regulation after the next. We just put a few of them up here on these charts. It is just one after the next.

Simple terms: What does it do? It restricts and reduces the supply of domestic energy here at home. That means our cost of energy goes up. That fuels inflation. So every single consumer and every single business now pays more for energy. And who does it hit the hardest? The low-income individual. It goes right at the low-income individual.

So that is the first thing to think about. Second, we compete in a global economy, so if you use energy, that is one of the important costs for your business. If you have low-cost, dependable energy, we can compete more effectively, create higher paying jobs, more jobs, and grow our economy, but all of that is handcuffed as well by the Biden energy plan.

Then let's talk about national security. Energy security is national security. Look at what is going on in the world right now. How is Russia fueling its war machine? With sales of oil and gas. So when we don't produce here at home, that means more people have to buy from places like Russia, from OPEC, from Venezuela--including our allies in Western Europe. It makes them dependent on Russian energy instead of getting natural gas from the United States. That is a national security issue not only for us but for our allies.

It is the same thing with Iran. How does Iran fuel its war machine? With oil. How does it fund Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis? With revenues from oil and gas. When we produce oil and gas, that mitigates, reduces, hurts their ability to continue, particularly if we combine it with the right kinds of sanctions, which we should have, on Iran. It not only mitigates their ability to fuel terror, but it strengthens America, and it strengthens our allies.

The final point I want to make in this regard is, let's talk about good environmental stewardship, good conservation. Who has the best environmental standards in the world? Is it Iran? Is it Russia? Is it Venezuela? Of course not. So how could it possibly make any kind of common sense to produce less energy in America, where we have the best environmental standards, and instead forfeit it to our adversaries, like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, where they are not only our adversaries--not only our adversaries--but they have the worst environmental standards? That is an energy policy that makes absolutely no sense.

Instead of regulation after regulation after regulation and tax after tax, take the handcuffs off our energy producers. It is good for consumers, it is good for our economy, it is good for national security, and it is good for the environment to let us produce energy here in America. It is just common sense.

With that, I yield the floor.

I would like to thank the esteemed Senator from South Carolina, but I will defer to my colleague first, the Senator from Iowa.

I would like to thank the esteemed Senator from Iowa, and also I am very proud to rise this evening to join with my esteemed Senate colleague, Senator Scott of South Carolina. I want to thank him for his very, very strong leadership on this important issue and for condemning the rising tide of anti-Semitism we are seeing around the country.

As you know, less than a year ago, on October 7, Israel was victim to a horrific--a horrific--attack by Hamas. Since then, the United States has stood firm with our strong ally as Israel asserts its right to defend itself and hold Hamas accountable for its heinous actions.

In November, I traveled with a bipartisan group of Senators and Congressmen to Tel Aviv and met with Prime Minister Netanyahu, where I reiterated America's absolute commitment to Israel. Since then, we passed the national security supplemental funding legislation with broad bipartisan support--broad bipartisan support--to provide aid to our close ally Israel.

What is new, however, and is deeply troubling is the rise of anti- Semitism in our society and particularly what we are seeing on our college campuses. I have to say I never thought that we would see this in my lifetime in our country. I just can't believe that we are seeing anti-Semitism like this in America, and it is absolutely unacceptable-- absolutely unacceptable.

To be clear, colleges and universities ought to be spaces that encourage free thinking and free speech, where students can learn about the world and their place in it. There can be no space, however, for anti-Semitism on our college campuses or anywhere else in our country. The examples we are seeing at universities of anti-Zionist encampments, individuals prohibiting Jewish students from entering the university buildings, and other anti-Semitic acts must be met with a speedy and strong response and not only from the universities but from our Department of Education as well.

As we recognized Holocaust Remembrance Day earlier this week, I am reminded of remarks given by late Supreme Court Justice Scalia to mark the occasion over 20 years ago, when he said that the most frightening aspect of the Holocaust was that it happened in one of the most educated, most progressive, and most cultured countries in the world.

For these reasons and many more, I am proud to join Senator Scott from South Carolina in supporting this resolution and our other colleagues as well. The resolution condemns anti-Semitism and resolves that the administrators of colleges, as well as the Department of Education, must take the necessary actions to ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and defend Jewish and Israeli students against discrimination.

I yield the floor.