Floor Statements

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I rise to talk about legislation that we are introducing today. It is called the FARMER Act. ``FARMER'' stands for Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience, and that is just exactly what this farm bill does, what this legislation does. Really, we think this is an important step to getting to a farm bill--and hopefully this year--because it is all about enhancing crop insurance.

I am very pleased to be joined here on the floor by our ranking member on the Ag Committee, Senator Boozman, from Arkansas. He is cosponsoring the legislation, as are other members of our Ag Committee, including Senator Ernst of Iowa, Senator Fischer of Nebraska, Senator Grassley of Iowa, Senator Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, and Senator Marshall of Kansas--all Senators who have significant ag production in their State, both in terms of crops and livestock.

And this is all about what we have right here: ``Keeping the farm in the farm bill.'' As a matter of fact, it is about putting more farm in the farm bill, and that is going to have to happen in order to get a farm bill accomplished this year.

Well, how do we do that? What does that mean? That means strengthening crop insurance, our farmer's No. 1 risk management tool, and also updating ARC and PLC, which is the countercyclical safety net. ARC--Ag Risk Coverage--and PLC--Price Loss Coverage, that is the countercyclical safety net that our farmers rely on; so crop insurance, the No. 1 risk management tool for farmers nationwide, combined with a countercyclical safety net, updating ARC and PLC to make it relevant given the incredible increase we have seen in input costs that our producers face.

When you look at fertilizer and all the inputs--fuel, everything else--all the inputs that our farmers and our ranchers are required to purchase now to raise that crop or for ranchers to raise those animals, those costs have gone up dramatically. And commodity prices for our food products have come down, which really puts pressure on our farmers and ranchers. That is why it is so important--so important--that we update crop insurance and the countercyclical safety net to make it relevant--to make it relevant--in terms of risk management for producers across this great Nation.

We have a huge ag industry, very diverse, across all of our States, and so this really is fundamental--fundamental--to getting a farm bill done and done right and hopefully done this year.

So this bill, as I say, focuses on the crop insurance piece. And so what does it do? Well, it does two things: One, it strengthens crop insurance by increasing the premium support and making it more affordable to purchase crop insurance and, two, it enables our farmers to insure to a higher level.

There are two ways that they do that. One is at the enterprise level. So at the farm level, they buy crop insurance. This makes it more affordable to buy up to a higher level of coverage--say, 80 or 85 percent coverage on a more affordable basis--and then they can get a second-tier policy that helps them. It is called Supplemental Coverage Option. That is actually based on a countywide average.

So they can buy that supplemental coverage to insure up to a higher level, up to 90 percent, on a realistically affordable basis.

Now, the other thing it does is it calls on the Secretary of USDA-- the Secretary of Agriculture--to look at the supplemental coverage. For States that have big counties like my home State of North Dakota or Senator Boozman's State of Arkansas or Texas and others, it requires that RMA--Risk Management Agency that provides crop insurance--looks at how these policies are done to make it work better for States that have large counties, which many of our States do.

So those are the kind of enhancements to crop insurance that really serve our farmers, and it is not just our farmers. We are also doing more for our ranchers and our livestock producers, but really it is much more than that. This legislation helps our farmers; it helps our taxpayers; and it helps all Americans.

And let me touch on that for just a minute. First, in terms of our farmers, obviously, they face tremendous challenges due to weather-- they have no control over the weather--and prices.

You know, we have this network of family farms and ranches across this country. They are price-takers. They don't get a chance to set any prices. So crop insurance, that is why it is their No. 1 risk management tool because when they don't have a crop or they have a very substandard crop, this crop insurance enables them to stay in the game so that family farms can continue to be around for the next year, so that ranchers can continue to be around for the next year.

It is vitally important when they have no control over, like I say, weather or prices. It is to keep them in the game for the long term.

That benefits our taxpayers because we have the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world, and this is the most effective way to keep that network of family farms and ranchers out there on the land.

And that really benefits every single American every single day because what do our farmers do? They produce food, fuel, and fiber for this Nation. Well, that is national security, for sure. Food security is national security. But think about this for a minute. We have the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. Every American benefits from that every day. Every time you have something to eat in this country that you buy in our great grocery stores, brought to them from the farm, from the ranch--we have the highest quality and the lowest cost.

Americans spend less of their budget on food, and they have better food than anyone else--more choices, more options, higher quality. But Americans spend less of their budget on food than any other developed country, brought to them by our farmers and ranchers.

That is a remarkable benefit. That is a benefit that every American receives every single day. And that is why it is so important that we get farm policy right. That is why we have got to get it right.

And here is the final point I want to make before I turn things over to my esteemed colleague Senator Boozman. We can't take this network of farmers and ranchers that we have in this country for granted. We have about 16 million people involved in agriculture, directly or indirectly. But our food is brought to us by farms and ranches, a diverse set of family farms and ranches across this country, and we can't take that for granted.

And if we don't have this safety net, if we don't have crop insurance that they can afford to buy--which they buy--and if they can't access this countercyclical safety net, we don't have that network of farms and ranches.

Like a lot of other industries in this country, we can end up with just a few big companies. And I wonder how that is going to work out because all that competition you see from these millions of farmers and ranchers providing that highest quality, lowest cost food supply, that could change, right? So we can't take this for granted.

So when it comes to getting the farm bill done, we have got to get it right. We have got to get it right. And that is what this is all about: getting crop insurance right and making sure that our farmers can both access crop insurance and the countercyclical safety net--ARC and PLC-- at the same time. They need both.

Look, this is about getting a farm bill done. This legislation needs to be included in the farm bill, and it will go a long way toward making sure that we get a farm bill done and hopefully done this year.

And I would like now to turn it over to Senator Boozman for his remarks.

I thank Senator Marshall. Obviously, he speaks on behalf of a very important ag State--Kansas. I thank Senator Boozman and all the cosponsors on this legislation.

As Senator Marshall said very well, this is the most cost-effective way to make sure that we keep our farmers and ranchers out there providing this incredible food supply that benefits every American every day.

One final point that Senator Boozman referenced. We have the support already--the endorsement of virtually all of the major farm groups, you know, the farm production groups in the country representing our great farmers. Their endorsement tells you very clearly that we need to have this enhancement to crop insurance in the farm bill to get the farm bill done.

Again, on behalf of our sponsors of this legislation, I would like to thank them. We are going to work very diligently to do everything we can to work with all of our colleagues to get a farm bill done.

Madam President, I rise to talk about legislation that we are introducing today. It is called the FARMER Act. ``FARMER'' stands for Federal Agriculture Risk Management Enhancement and Resilience, and that is just exactly what this farm bill does, what this legislation does. Really, we think this is an important step to getting to a farm bill--and hopefully this year--because it is all about enhancing crop insurance.

I am very pleased to be joined here on the floor by our ranking member on the Ag Committee, Senator Boozman, from Arkansas. He is cosponsoring the legislation, as are other members of our Ag Committee, including Senator Ernst of Iowa, Senator Fischer of Nebraska, Senator Grassley of Iowa, Senator Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, and Senator Marshall of Kansas--all Senators who have significant ag production in their State, both in terms of crops and livestock.

And this is all about what we have right here: ``Keeping the farm in the farm bill.'' As a matter of fact, it is about putting more farm in the farm bill, and that is going to have to happen in order to get a farm bill accomplished this year.

Well, how do we do that? What does that mean? That means strengthening crop insurance, our farmer's No. 1 risk management tool, and also updating ARC and PLC, which is the countercyclical safety net. ARC--Ag Risk Coverage--and PLC--Price Loss Coverage, that is the countercyclical safety net that our farmers rely on; so crop insurance, the No. 1 risk management tool for farmers nationwide, combined with a countercyclical safety net, updating ARC and PLC to make it relevant given the incredible increase we have seen in input costs that our producers face.

When you look at fertilizer and all the inputs--fuel, everything else--all the inputs that our farmers and our ranchers are required to purchase now to raise that crop or for ranchers to raise those animals, those costs have gone up dramatically. And commodity prices for our food products have come down, which really puts pressure on our farmers and ranchers. That is why it is so important--so important--that we update crop insurance and the countercyclical safety net to make it relevant--to make it relevant--in terms of risk management for producers across this great Nation.

We have a huge ag industry, very diverse, across all of our States, and so this really is fundamental--fundamental--to getting a farm bill done and done right and hopefully done this year.

So this bill, as I say, focuses on the crop insurance piece. And so what does it do? Well, it does two things: One, it strengthens crop insurance by increasing the premium support and making it more affordable to purchase crop insurance and, two, it enables our farmers to insure to a higher level.

There are two ways that they do that. One is at the enterprise level. So at the farm level, they buy crop insurance. This makes it more affordable to buy up to a higher level of coverage--say, 80 or 85 percent coverage on a more affordable basis--and then they can get a second-tier policy that helps them. It is called Supplemental Coverage Option. That is actually based on a countywide average.

So they can buy that supplemental coverage to insure up to a higher level, up to 90 percent, on a realistically affordable basis.

Now, the other thing it does is it calls on the Secretary of USDA-- the Secretary of Agriculture--to look at the supplemental coverage. For States that have big counties like my home State of North Dakota or Senator Boozman's State of Arkansas or Texas and others, it requires that RMA--Risk Management Agency that provides crop insurance--looks at how these policies are done to make it work better for States that have large counties, which many of our States do.

So those are the kind of enhancements to crop insurance that really serve our farmers, and it is not just our farmers. We are also doing more for our ranchers and our livestock producers, but really it is much more than that. This legislation helps our farmers; it helps our taxpayers; and it helps all Americans.

And let me touch on that for just a minute. First, in terms of our farmers, obviously, they face tremendous challenges due to weather-- they have no control over the weather--and prices.

You know, we have this network of family farms and ranches across this country. They are price-takers. They don't get a chance to set any prices. So crop insurance, that is why it is their No. 1 risk management tool because when they don't have a crop or they have a very substandard crop, this crop insurance enables them to stay in the game so that family farms can continue to be around for the next year, so that ranchers can continue to be around for the next year.

It is vitally important when they have no control over, like I say, weather or prices. It is to keep them in the game for the long term.

That benefits our taxpayers because we have the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world, and this is the most effective way to keep that network of family farms and ranchers out there on the land.

And that really benefits every single American every single day because what do our farmers do? They produce food, fuel, and fiber for this Nation. Well, that is national security, for sure. Food security is national security. But think about this for a minute. We have the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. Every American benefits from that every day. Every time you have something to eat in this country that you buy in our great grocery stores, brought to them from the farm, from the ranch--we have the highest quality and the lowest cost.

Americans spend less of their budget on food, and they have better food than anyone else--more choices, more options, higher quality. But Americans spend less of their budget on food than any other developed country, brought to them by our farmers and ranchers.

That is a remarkable benefit. That is a benefit that every American receives every single day. And that is why it is so important that we get farm policy right. That is why we have got to get it right.

And here is the final point I want to make before I turn things over to my esteemed colleague Senator Boozman. We can't take this network of farmers and ranchers that we have in this country for granted. We have about 16 million people involved in agriculture, directly or indirectly. But our food is brought to us by farms and ranches, a diverse set of family farms and ranches across this country, and we can't take that for granted.

And if we don't have this safety net, if we don't have crop insurance that they can afford to buy--which they buy--and if they can't access this countercyclical safety net, we don't have that network of farms and ranches.

Like a lot of other industries in this country, we can end up with just a few big companies. And I wonder how that is going to work out because all that competition you see from these millions of farmers and ranchers providing that highest quality, lowest cost food supply, that could change, right? So we can't take this for granted.

So when it comes to getting the farm bill done, we have got to get it right. We have got to get it right. And that is what this is all about: getting crop insurance right and making sure that our farmers can both access crop insurance and the countercyclical safety net--ARC and PLC-- at the same time. They need both.

Look, this is about getting a farm bill done. This legislation needs to be included in the farm bill, and it will go a long way toward making sure that we get a farm bill done and hopefully done this year.

And I would like now to turn it over to Senator Boozman for his remarks.

I thank Senator Marshall. Obviously, he speaks on behalf of a very important ag State--Kansas. I thank Senator Boozman and all the cosponsors on this legislation.

As Senator Marshall said very well, this is the most cost-effective way to make sure that we keep our farmers and ranchers out there providing this incredible food supply that benefits every American every day.

One final point that Senator Boozman referenced. We have the support already--the endorsement of virtually all of the major farm groups, you know, the farm production groups in the country representing our great farmers. Their endorsement tells you very clearly that we need to have this enhancement to crop insurance in the farm bill to get the farm bill done.

Again, on behalf of our sponsors of this legislation, I would like to thank them. We are going to work very diligently to do everything we can to work with all of our colleagues to get a farm bill done.

Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues to discuss the Biden administration's failed policies and their impact not only on my State of North Dakota but on all Americans.

As we prepare to listen to the President give his State of the Union Address, I want to share my perspective about the past 3 years and where we are today. But it is not just my perspective; it is what my constituents are seeing on a day-to-day basis. They see a country that is less secure, a dollar that doesn't stretch as far as it used to, and policies from this administration that are making things worse.

The reckless tax-and-spend policies of this administration have led to increases in inflation levels that we haven't seen in decades. To this day, inflation remains persistently high, and the deficit spending continues as our debt now totals more than $34 trillion. Last month, the Congressional Budget Office published its 10-year Budget and Economic Outlook, which revealed that, this year, the interest payments on our national debt will exceed the spending on national defense.

In addition to rising interest payments that will crowd out our ability to fund our priorities in the future, this deficit spending has led to inflation that has made everything more expensive for all Americans. The Biden administration's tax, spend, and regulate policies have led to this inflation. In my State of North Dakota, according to the Consumer Price Index data, families have experienced a cumulative price increase of about 18 percent--18 percent--since President Biden took office. That means paying more for everything from groceries to housing to transportation and energy.

North Dakota is actually among the youngest States in the Nation, with the median age of just over 35 years of age. Many of our young North Dakotans are looking to buy homes and start families, but this administration's failed economic policies have caused the inflation that has simply put homeownership out of reach. According to Freddie Mac, a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage continues to hover at about 7 percent. Before Biden took office, it was less than 4 percent.

The bottom line is that the policies of this administration that the President calls Bidenomics gets you less--not more for less but less for more.

Mr. President, at the same time, President Biden is putting his Green New Deal agenda over our economic and national security interests.

The average price for a gallon of gas was about $2.40 on January 20, 2021, when President Biden took office. This week, gasoline prices are 42 percent higher--$1 higher. So, instead, of $2.40, now you pay on average $3.40 for every gallon. It is simple economics--energy prices remain high because demand exceeds supply. Because the cost of energy is built into every good and service that we consume, we need to increase the supply of energy to help bring down inflation. Yet instead of unleashing--unleashing--the full potential of our Nation's vast energy reserves, the Biden administration's regulatory onslaught will only favor foreign adversaries at the expense of our own domestic energy industry.

The Biden administration is imposing new costs and regulatory burdens on Federal energy leases, for example, while reducing what is available for new leasing. Maximizing access to new leasing today is directly tied to growing production and supply for the long term.

Further, the Biden administration unilaterally has now banned U.S. LNG export approvals, forcing our allies in Europe and Asia to increase their reliance on imports from Russia, Iran, and Qatar. According to the U.S. Energy

Information Administration, global energy demand is expected to grow across all sectors of the economy through 2050.

Our Nation is fortunate to have abundant energy reserves and the capacity to ramp up production and counter adversarial foreign producers from countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, but the Biden administration continues to handcuff our producers with burdensome regulation after regulation. That is why President Biden needs to take the handcuffs off our energy producers and work with us to boost American energy independence instead of passing regulation after regulation that shuts our energy industry down.

Producing more energy here at home is the ultimate solution to not only lowering energy costs but to strengthening our national security and our geopolitical standing in the world.

Mr. President, in addition to those issues in regard to Bidenomics, I want to talk about his failure on the border.

The year 2023 was a record year for President Biden's border policy. It was recordbreaking. By the end of the year 2023, the United States saw the most ever annual encounters at the southern border--almost 2.5 million. It is mind-boggling--2.5 million in 2023. President Biden's border policies broke records again as over 300,000 illegal encounters took place in December--just in December, 1 month--300,000 in 1 month in December 2023, which is the most encounters in any single month during his administration.

The cause of this crisis is clear: President Biden's failure to secure the border--simply put, his failure to enforce the law. The duty of a President is to enforce the law. He is not doing it.

The American people suffer the consequences because the Biden administration refuses to enforce policies that protect our southern border, including reinstating the migrant protection protocols or the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, enforcing Safe Third Country agreements, and resuming the construction of the border wall. The President's failed border policies have led to increased instances of human and drug trafficking at the southern border. It is not just human trafficking; it is the fentanyl. It is all of the problems that go with an open border.

The Biden administration must address the border crisis. The Biden administration must enforce the laws that kept monthly encounters to vastly, vastly lower numbers under the Trump administration, and they need to do it now because border security truly is national security.

In conclusion, we can reverse all of these metrics, but it is going to take the President embracing the realities facing American families. Given his track record these past 3 years, I am not optimistic that we will hear him signal a reversal of these policies tonight, but he needs to for the good of the country.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I am pleased to join my colleague from Nebraska and others in discussing the importance of continuing to develop our energy resources here in North Dakota. We have the most abundant energy resources in the world, and we need to use all of them to develop and continue to build an ``all of the above'' energy policy.

Much of the Nation continues to experience very cold temperatures--in some cases, really record cold temperatures. In my State of North Dakota, coal typically provides 35 to 40 percent of the 24/7 baseload power generation to not only our State but to other States in the region. We supply both the MISO and the SPP power pools with energy for our region that they can count on 24/7--baseload energy. In the coldest times or in the hottest times--at peak energy times--they know that those baseload powerplants are going to be there to keep the lights on, to keep the heat going, and to provide whatever other power needs are called for. That is 24/7 baseload power provided all the time.

Also, not only is it 24/7 energy when needed and at peak times, but according to the Energy Information Office, in their October 23 report, North Dakotans paid the lowest electricity prices in the country--the lowest in the country. Let's compare that, for example, to California. California paid four times as much for electricity during the same time period.

My colleague from Nebraska just talked about electric vehicles. Well, you need charging stations for those electric vehicles. Where is that electricity going to come from? Particularly, where is it going to come from at times when you have peak power needs? You still need that electricity for all of these different purposes.

We have to recognize that, even as we develop new technologies and do all of these things that people want, we have got to have that baseload power coming from somewhere. We simply can't take our baseload energy-- our coal-fired electric--for granted, and our other sources have to be there. Again, we continue to develop new technologies and continue to press for the best possible environmental stewardship, but we have got to recognize that we need more energy and that we have got to continue to use all of our resources to generate that energy.

Access to affordable and reliable energy is not only a quality-of- life issue but, obviously, a public safety issue, and we have seen that with these record cold temperatures. That includes keeping our homes warm and our businesses running. It includes keeping the lights on for our critical infrastructure like hospitals, schools, police, fire departments, and many, many other public services that we depend on every single day.

But the reality is our electric grid only works when there is sufficient power generation available to meet demand in realtime. You can't not have that energy when you need it and expect the grid to keep working, and of course those vital needs to be met.

In its ``2023 Long-Term Reliability Assessment,'' the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, as it is commonly referred to, is warning that our grid--our power grid--continues to face higher risks of blackouts and brownouts because of planned powerplant retirements alongside rising electricity demand.

Again, think about this. Whether it is electric vehicles, whether it is your computer or data processor, whatever it may be, we can continue to develop all of these new things--these new technologies and all of these things we want to do--but you have got to have the power to run them. When you go into the house and flip on that switch, where is that electricity coming from? People take it for granted, but if we

don't have the baseload out there, you can't take it for granted because it won't happen.

FERC's Commissioners emphasized these concerns in testimony before our Senate Energy Committee last year, of which I am a member, and that included Commissioner Christie, who noted:

The United States is heading for a reliability crisis.

Once again, Commissioner Christie--one of the FERC Commissioners-- said specifically in front of our Energy Committee that the United States is heading for a reliability crisis because of the lack of baseload generation. We need to take this seriously. It is a national security issue.

Despite these warnings, the Biden administration's Green New Deal approach and regulations continue to accelerate the problem. This includes the EPA's proposed Clean Power Plan 2.0 and an unworkable MATS standard--new rules that seek to drive up the cost of operations for our powerplants. Of course, at some point, those powerplants are no longer economical, and that forces them to shut down.

In addition to its powerplant regulations, the EPA is proposing a new methane regulation, including, in just this past week, a new tax on methane. That was authorized by the IRA legislation. Again, it is a tax that is not only going to reduce supply but that will drive up costs on consumers. Somebody has to pay for that. It gets passed down the line, and consumers pay for it. That means higher electricity costs--not only less electricity, less energy but higher costs to consumers.

The Interior Department continues to restrict access to our taxpayer- owned energy reserves, which also drives up the cost of energy production because we produce energy on Federal lands as well as on private lands. Producing less energy here at home means higher costs, but it also makes us dependent on sources of energy from other parts of the world--in many cases, parts of the world that are unstable and have environmental standards that are vastly inferior to our own here in this country.

Once again, we have got to find ways to make American energy production less expensive and more reliable. That means producing the energy here at home. That means having an environment that encourages energy development, not more regulation and more taxes which make it harder to produce energy and drive up costs. That means energy from all sources--right?--meaning tradition and renewable--all sources with the latest technology.

So, again, if we are going to continue to develop all of these wonderful new things that we want to utilize, we are going to have to have the energy to make sure that we can power them. We are going to have to have the energy to make sure that, on the coldest day, we are comfortable in our homes for our families and all of those we care about.

In my State of North Dakota, we have over 700 years of coal supply alone, and we are developing the latest, greatest technology to produce that coal and are doing it so that we have baseload electricity, dependable low cost, and the best environmental stewardship. We continue to do that. America leads the world in this kind of innovation. Let's empower that. Let's empower that. It is, again, all about our country producing electricity here at home so that we are truly not only energy independent but energy dominant.

In fact, developing resources like natural gas and LNG helps our allies so they are not depending on countries like Russia or countries that are adversarial to us and our allies but rather that are working together--America and our allies--on important things like energy development. We can do that, and that is the kind of thing that we should be doing.

A little over a decade ago, we cracked the code on the shale production. In places like the Bakken in my State of North Dakota and at the Permian in Texas, we have produced incredible amounts of energy as a result. Again, that is not only important in terms of our economy, it makes sure that we don't have to get energy from places like OPEC. We all know the incredible problems that that has created for us through the years when we can't produce that energy at home and have to look at players like OPEC.

The fact remains that coal, oil, and natural gas remain vital to our economic interests and to our national security because these resources are reliable and energy-dense compared, in many cases, to renewable energy, which only provides energy part of the time.

What do you do when you need energy and the Sun isn't shining and you are only dependent on solar energy? What do you do when you need energy, and you are relying on wind power, and the wind isn't blowing? We have got to have this baseload electricity.

Again, this is common sense. This is about having an energy policy that truly empowers this country to produce more energy; to do it with the best environmental stewardship; to make it reliable, dependable, affordable; to make sure it is there 24/7, every day--on the coldest day, on the hottest day--for whatever those growing needs are. Let's make sure we have that energy here at home. Let's not just be energy independent but energy dominant. We can do that in this country, and we need to do it in this country.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak for 5 minutes and, also, that Senator Menendez be allowed to speak for 5 minutes as well.

Madam President, I want to echo the comments of both the esteemed Senator from South Carolina as well as the Senator from North Carolina. And I rise to address the same subject, and that is, to bring attention to the crisis that is taking place at our southern border.

You know, the cause of the crisis is very clear, and the numbers do not lie. In fiscal year 2022, Customs and Border Protection--CBP-- encountered nearly 2.4 million illegal crossings at the southern border. In fiscal year 2023, the number of encounters rose to nearly 2.5 million--2.5 million.

Now, since the start of fiscal 2024--that's what, just the first month--there have been over 240,000 illegal crossings at our southern border.

Put differently, this means that after just over a month--end of the fiscal year, this fiscal year 2024--nearly a quarter of a million people have tried to illegally enter the United States via the southern border.

And these are just the individuals that we know about. Reporting shows that since the start of fiscal 2024, there have been more than 23,000 known ``got-aways.'' Since the beginning of the Biden administration, there have been 1.7 million ``got-aways.''

Additionally, CBP has confirmed that a dozen individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist have attempted to illegally enter the United States through the southern border already this fiscal year, in just 1 month. And look what is going on in the world right now. And we have people on the Terrorist Watchlist trying to cross our border.

The American people can see the problem, even if the Biden administration can't or, worse, just continues to choose to ignore it.

This crisis is the result of the Biden administration's failure to secure our border--pure and simple. It is not an issue of not having comprehensive immigration reform. It is a failure of the administration to enforce the law.

The open border policies of the Biden administration jeopardize our national security because border security is national security.

I want to repeat that. And I will repeat it again.

Border security is national security. And Americans know it.

The situation at the southern border has turned every State into a border State.

Last month, I was in Jamestown, ND, to stand with the 817th Engineer Company of the North Dakota National Guard as they prepared to deploy for a yearlong mission to assist CBP in securing our southern border.

So now we have the National Guard down there trying to secure the border. But, again, they can't get the job done if they aren't given the enforcement authority to do it.

DHS writ large, as well as any other support down there, has to be given the authority to enforce the law. And the administration will not do it because the administration wants an open border policy.

As we continue to debate the upcoming supplemental appropriations package, we must include real, enforceable steps to secure our border. This should include benchmarks so we know the administration is enforcing the law and reducing the number of encounters and illegal entries.

The administration's current policies prioritize processing migrants who illegally come across the southern border and then providing them with housing, transportation, and other services once they enter the United States.

The administration is turning CBP into one of the most well-funded, government-run travel agencies in the world. Any supplemental funding must secure our border--our own border. That means ensuring that the administration reinstates the Migrant Protection Protocols--or the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy; enforces third safe country agreements; and resumes construction of the border wall.

Those things are all in place now. It doesn't require legislation from Congress. Those are measures that are in law now. The administration refuses to enforce them because the administration wants an open border policy.

And we need to include benchmarks to hold the administration's feet to the fire and ensure that these policies get enforced.

The Biden administration must address the border crisis, enforce the laws that kept monthly encounters to lower numbers under the prior administration--we are not guessing about this; we saw that it works under the prior administration--and take border security seriously, because, again, border security is national security.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, yesterday, the Senate Appropriations Committee heard from the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State about the administration's request for supplemental appropriations. We heard about a wide range of threats to the national security and the national interests of the American people.

Now, I believe that we need to support Israel, our staunch ally. We see the Israelis fighting for their very existence. They need our help, and they need it now. I believe this includes not only military assistance but also standing against Iran. Various attacks have been launched at U.S. forces across the Middle East since October 7, and they have been launched at the behest of Iran--we know that--and we must make it clear to Iran that there are consequences for attacking U.S. forces.

In addition to support for Israel, I also recognize that we need to support Ukraine. We know from history that tyrants like Putin do not stop. They must be stopped. And as we support Ukraine, we need a strategy for victory to end this war, not to have a continued stalemate. Ukraine does not want the war to drag on, and neither do we. So I will continue to press the Defense Department, as I did yesterday with the Secretary of Defense, to ensure that we are on a path to win, that Ukraine is on a path to win and end the conflict, not to have an ongoing war.

So we need to support Israel, and we need to support Ukraine. But, at the same time, enhancing our national security means we also need to secure the homeland, and that means securing our southern border.

Border security is national security--I will repeat that: Border security is national security. But this administration, the Biden administration, does not have a plan in place to secure the border. They are doing just the opposite. We have an open border--an open border at a time when we are concerned about attacks from terrorists.

Last month, we had a record 270,000 illegal encounters at the southern border. Last year, we had 2.5 million illegal encounters--also a record. That includes 169 individuals who are on the Terrorist Watchlist. I am sure our adversaries are very much aware of this vulnerability.

The supplemental calls for funding to support ``border security.'' This administration's definition of ``border security'' is processing migrants who illegally come across the southern border and then providing them with housing, transportation, and other services once they enter the United States. That will only encourage more illegal immigration when we should be making every effort to get the border under control.

The keys to securing the border and stopping the illegal crossings at our southern border are simple, and we know what they are. The solutions are there, but the administration won't apply them. And we know--we are not guessing at this--because the last administration put these in place, and they worked. They are reinstating the Migrant Protection Protocols, meaning the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, and enforcing the safe third country agreements. They work. We know they work. We have seen them work. The Biden administration has those tools, but they won't use them. They won't enforce the law. As a result, we have an open border, with 270,000 illegal encounters last month, 2.5 million last year, and 169 people encountered who are on the Terrorist Watchlist.

How many came across who are on the Terrorist Watchlist whom we don't know about--the ``got-aways''--at a time when we are worried about the possibility of there being a terrorist attack in our country? What is going on?

We need to also recontinue the construction of the border wall so that the CBP can truly control this border. It is way past time to get this done. These are the things that, I think, must be included as we consider this funding. We need to secure our border as well. If we are talking national security, we have to recognize that border security is a vital part of national security, and that must be part of what we include as we consider this funding. Again, I emphasize that border security is national security.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be allowed to speak for up to 5 minutes, followed by Senator Graham for up to 5 minutes, prior to the scheduled rollcall votes.

Madam President, as elected Members of Congress, our most important obligation is the safety and security of all Americans. Events here at our southern border and across the globe are putting at risk the safety and security of Americans today.

We are appalled by the terrorist attacks Hamas committed against Israel. Those attacks did great harm to the

people of Israel and also to American citizens, some of whom are still being held hostage.

We support Israel's efforts to secure the release of all of the hostages held by Hamas.

That means we also expect the Government of Qatar to do more to bring those hostages safely out of Gaza. I say that because the Government of Qatar hosts the leadership of Hamas. That is where the leadership of Hamas is. I find it remarkable that they are living in Qatar rather than in Gaza. It says a lot; doesn't it? But because they are there, the Government of Qatar is in a position to do a lot more and be helpful in getting these hostages released.

We continue to stand--and we will continue to stand--with Israel as it prepares to remove Hamas from power in Gaza, and that is something they must do for their own safety and really for the safety of many other countries, as well, because Hamas is a terrorist organization dedicated to terror. That means killing indiscriminately, and that is exactly what they have been doing and what they are doing.

We know that this will require the Israeli people to make enormous sacrifices, but that these sacrifices will ultimately bring security to Israel and to the region. More broadly, we know that many Americans, including members of our military, our diplomats, and many civilians in the Middle East, are threatened by violence instigated by Iran.

We owe it to these Americans to provide the protection they need and to deter further violence from Iran. So we must set aside fruitless negotiations with the terror regime in Tehran, increase sanctions, and demonstrate that we will respond forcefully to Iranian-backed violence against our people and our interests.

The threats that Americans face are not confined to the Middle East. Our porous southern border opens the door to threats that can emerge here at home--threats from terrorists--and we need to address that. Instability in the Middle East and other parts of the world make securing our southern border even more urgent.

We must identify who is attempting to enter the United States and stop those who are entering our country illegally. A secure border helps us identify potential threats before they get inside the United States.

Just last week, Customs and Border Protection confirmed that the United States experienced the highest ever monthly encounters at the southern border, nearly 270,000--270,000--in 1 month. And with nearly 2.5 million crossings, fiscal year 2023 has now seen the highest ever annual toll of encounters at the southern border, almost 2.5 million. And, to make matters worse, in fiscal year 2023, a record number of individuals from the terror watchlist--from the terror watchlist-- attempted to cross into the United States.

Think about that--from the terror watchlist. DHS admits that this is a growing threat. Its most recent ``Homeland Threat Assessment'' found that the Department is seeing annual increases of individuals on the terror watchlist attempting to illegally cross into the United States. Specifically, the report found that ``as part of the overall increase in migration, we have also encountered a growing number of individuals in the Terrorist Screening Data Set (TSDS), also known as the `watchlist.''' Hamas and other violent extremists certainly are aware of this vulnerability.

We know what the solutions are. The Biden administration won't enforce them. Everyone knows what the solutions are: Enforce the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, enforce the ``safe third country'' agreements--we know they work. The last administration proved it. We know they work. But the Biden administration will not enforce them, and they need to. Border security is national security--and finish building the border wall.

As we consider proposals to aid our allies, we must not forget to also secure our own border. Border security is national security. Meaningful border security provisions should be included as part of our efforts to make Americans safer and more secure.

As we stand with Israel--and we must stand with Israel--we must also secure our southern border.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, the images that have been emerging from Israel in the aftermath of the Hamas terrorist assault are shocking in the extreme. Our hearts are with the Israeli people in the wake of these atrocities, and all of us here in America need to stand strongly, firmly, and united for our friend and ally, Israel.

Here in Congress, there is strong bipartisan support to stand with Israel against Hamas. But what does that mean? What does that mean to stand with Israel? Of course, it means providing military aid. And, of course, it means providing diplomatic support.

I am pleased to cosponsor a bipartisan legislation from the Foreign Relations Committee under the leadership of Chairman Cardin and Ranking Member Risch that expresses the Senate's support for Israel against terrorism.

But today, standing with Israel also means standing against the largest state sponsor of terror in the world, and that is Iran.

For too long, the United States has negotiated with Iran and made concessions. Such policies have not brought peace.

Many of my colleagues and I have warned for years that giving money to Iran, letting Iran sell oil, and giving Iran access to weapons would destabilize the entire region. And, sure enough, over the last decade, we have watched Iran extract concessions in one negotiation after another while creating chaos in Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and beyond. And now we see the hand of Iran behind Hamas and this horrific assault on Israel.

So we must do all we can to support Israel, to help Israel--help Israel defend itself and ensure that it doesn't suffer another attack like this at the hands of Hamas. But also, to stand with Israel, we must undercut Iran's ability to work through its proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah that pose such a danger to the Israeli people and others as well. Concessions and waivers to the Iranian regime provide the resources for Iran to develop an infrastructure of terror across the Middle East, and the cash flow to Iran must be cut off.

To start with, we must refreeze the $6 billion that the regime gained access to following negotiations over the release of U.S. citizens from Iran.

I am part of the legislative efforts to do just that, including bills from Senator Cotton, Senator McConnell, as well as legislation authored by Senator Marshall and Senator Tim Scott.

Ultimately, we must return to a policy of maximum pressure--severe sanctions, maximum pressure that holds Iran accountable for its actions, its actions as the largest state sponsor of terror in the world.

This means a return to the sanctions without waivers. This means leading a global effort to isolate Iran, choke off its sources of financing, and deny the regime the resources required to dominate the region. And this also means making every effort to recognize the rights and the freedoms of the people of Iran, including the right of the Iranian people to choose their own future. We must take these steps.

At the same time, we must always do all we can to ensure that we provide strong, unwavering support to our closest friend and ally in the region, Israel.

Now, we need to move quickly to provide military support for Israel in its fight against Hamas. Also, as I said, our policy on Iran needs to change. We need to exert maximum pressure. That means severe sanctions without waiver.

Maximum and unrelenting pressure on Iran helps Israel, helps the United States, and provides the best chance for minimizing bloodshed both now and in the future.

We stand with Israel.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I am here and am pleased to join my colleague from the State of New Mexico. I thank him for his leadership on the Ag Appropriations Committee and join him in urging support for our legislation.

It did pass the full Appropriations Committee. I see that our Appropriations chair is here, and I want to thank her for her work as well. But it did pass our full Appropriations Committee unanimously. You know, we like to see that bipartisanship, but I think it says a lot that it came through the full Approps Committee with a unanimous ``do pass'' vote.

I just want to talk a little bit about the bill and how important it is that we are returning to regular order. I think that is incredibly important. Our objective here is not just to pass the bill but to do it through regular order, meaning an open amendment process. I think that is something that our Members have very much wanted, and that is something we are working very hard to achieve.

Like the Senator from New Mexico, I want to thank his staff, Dianne Nellor, Rachel Erlebacher, and Hannah Chauvin, for their work. We appreciate working with them. And, of course, my crew, Morgan Ulmer and Patrick Carroll, who worked very diligently, worked well together to craft the bill. I want to express my appreciation as well to Senator Heinrich.

As he detailed, this bill represents careful consideration of many important programs that are included in the Ag appropriations bill. It reflects a balance of making the right investments in critically important programs while lowering levels in some areas that had seen supplemental increases in the past because, obviously, we were given a 302(b) number that we had to achieve, and that actually reduces spending in some areas. Tough decisions were made dollar for dollar. This bill spends less than 1 percent more than last year, even though, obviously, the cost of inflation has been significantly higher.

Still, we were able to provide the necessary investments in agricultural research programs, for example, to support the continued success of America's farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness. That ag research has made incredible differences in terms of not only disease resistance but also productivity gains for our farmers and ranchers.

We were also able to support efforts to protect our producers from things like Avian influenza, chronic wasting disease, and other diseases that affect our crops and animals as well.

We also provided funding for the Farm Service Agency and Risk Management Agency to ensure that our farmers and ranchers continue to have access to important programs, to disaster assistance, and to crop insurance.

Obviously, with the FSA and the RMA, it is vitally important that they have adequate staffing to work directly with our farmers and ranchers. Agriculture has become like all businesses, more complicated and more challenging, and we need to make sure that assistance is in place for our producers.

We fully fund the Food Safety and Inspection Service to support our Nation's frontline inspectors and maintain progress made in recent years to increase transparency and competition in the meat industry. There is a lot more that we need to do there as well, but we are making progress and need to continue to work on that important issue.

We were able to provide targeted increases to the FDA--the Food and Drug Administration--in order to promote programs that support food safety and address critical drug and device shortages.

Last Congress, there were significant increases for conservation and rural infrastructure programs like broadband coverage. While the USDA is working to get that funding out the door, we were able to make reductions in some of these accounts while still making substantial progress on those things. But, again, it required that in order to make sure that we could achieve the budget number that we were given--like I said, just 1 percent more than last year.

We also rescinded previously appropriated discretionary dollars that have gone unspent in the Department on a multiyear basis and worked very hard to make sure we could find any areas of waste and tried to reduce spending in those areas.

Essentially, what we are doing is what Americans are forced to do every single day, and that is to do more with less, to prioritize, and make sure that they find savings where possible and fund priors.

Essentially, we know there is more to do. We think that this bill, as I stated, coming through the committee unanimously, is a solid piece of work. We are ready for an open amendment process, and I certainly welcome ideas from the entire body.

Again, I want to emphasize the importance of getting back to regular order. This gives us an opportunity to do that. So let's seize the day--as they say, carpe diem. Let's get to work on it, and make sure that we also do the absolute best that we can for our farmers and ranchers.

One point, in closing, that I want to make, and that is this: We have about 60 million people involved in agriculture across this great country. We have a system of family-based small businesses in agriculture. Our farmers and ranchers are largely family-based small businesses, and we can't take that for granted. They produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world.

Americans spend less of their budget on food than almost any other developed country, brought to them by farmers and ranchers. So it is critically important that we support them because every American benefits every single day from what our farmers and ranchers do, and we can't take that for granted.

Look at the consolidation we see in so many other industries. Let's make sure that we continue to have that family-based small business network out there, providing our food, fiber, and fuel every single day. That is what this legislation is all about.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the high cost of energy and the high cost of gasoline prices that are the direct result of the Biden administration's harmful energy policies.

As Americans hit the road over the recent holiday weekend, many noticed something that has become all too familiar under the Biden administration, and that is continued high prices at the gas pump. The average cost of a gallon of gas was about $2.40 on January 20, 2021. Today, consumers are paying at the pump about $3.80 a gallon for gasoline, on average. That is 60 percent higher than when President Biden took office. That hits every one of them right in the pocketbook, particularly those who can afford it the least.

Now, gasoline is like any commodity, wherein prices are high because demand exceeds supply. President Biden's energy policy is the problem. There can be no doubt about that. The main problem is that President Biden's Green New Deal policies are stifling domestic energy production--that is the main problem--but President Biden has literally taken action to put America behind the barrel. It is not just that he is restricting domestic supply; he has also increased our dependence on foreign oil, and our adversaries know it. Let me tell you what I mean.

Since the Biden administration started, it has released 260 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, bringing our Reserve to its lowest level since 1983. Approximately, 350 million barrels remain in the Reserve--350 million barrels. That is down from the alltime high of more than 700 million barrels. So our Reserve, our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, is at less than half of its capacity.

You might have noticed that on Tuesday, September 5, Saudi Arabia and Russia extended a 1.3-million-barrel-a-day cut through December. So they extended a reduction through the end of the year. Saudi Arabia is voluntarily cutting 1 million barrels per day of production while Russia is reducing 300,000 barrels per day of exports. Following that announcement, the price of Brent crude rose to over $90 a barrel, and the price of WTI--West Texas Intermediate--crude rose to almost $87 a barrel. Today, they are up again.

Basically, President Biden has weakened our ability to respond just when we need to. As I say, our adversaries are well aware of it. That is why they are reducing supply--to push the price up.

The real problem is that he has put handcuffs on our producers and is restricting supply here at home, which is the real solution. To add insult to injury, he has also depleted the Reserve because he was trying to keep prices down earlier. Our adversaries know it, and now they are taking advantage of it. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Every successful economy depends on having access to low-cost, dependable sources of energy, and our vast supply of Federal oil, gas, and coal resources is one of our Nation's most strategic assets. Yet, instead of harnessing our abundant, taxpayer-owned energy reserves, the Biden administration is taking every imaginable step to curtail new production.

The Interior Department is failing to hold quarterly lease sales onshore and is reducing available acreage both onshore and offshore for leasing. Just today, it was reported that the Biden administration is canceling a congressionally mandated lease sale in Alaska that was awarded in 2021.

Alongside restricting lands available for leasing, the Biden administration is imposing new costs and burdens on Federal energy leases. Maximizing access to new leasing today is directly tied to growing production and supply not only for today but for the long term. Otherwise, production will continue to fail to meet demand, and that means higher prices for American consumers.

Also, our Nation's refining capacity has fallen from 19 million barrels per day in 2020 to about 18 million barrels a day now. We have not built a new refinery in the United States since 1977, and the Biden administration's regulatory onslaught and rush to electric vehicle mandates only drives those gas prices higher.

Instead of empowering more U.S. energy production and encouraging much needed new investment, President Biden drained our strategic petroleum reserve to its lowest level in 40 years, while begging countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia to produce more. And as I just said, Russia and OPEC know it, and they are restricting their production to push oil prices higher.

It makes no sense to increase our reliance on Russia and OPEC for energy. These are foreign producers that have little or no regard for environmental stewardship. So think about it. The Biden administration is doing this in the name of environmental stewardship? So they want oil produced in a way that is not environmentally friendly rather than the best environmental standards, which we have here in the United States?

Again, it defies common sense, and it hurts every American consumer. The United States is a global energy powerhouse, and it is time we act like one. Simply put, increasing U.S. energy production and refining capacity is the ultimate solution to bringing more supply, thereby lowering prices at the pump and providing hard-working families and businesses the relief from high energy prices they need and they deserve. That is why President Biden needs to take the handcuffs off and unleash the full potential of America's vast energy reserves.

With that, Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today and join my colleague Senator Cramer to pay tribute to a truly exceptional young man, Fargo Police Officer Jake Wallin.

Tomorrow, the Fargo community will gather to honor Officer Wallin, who was tragically killed in the line of duty on July 14. The Senate's debate on the National Defense Authorization Act prevents both myself and Senator Cramer from being there in person. So we wanted to do what we could to pay our respects here to Officer Wallin on the Senate floor.

As a member of the Minnesota National Guard, he served both in Afghanistan and in Iraq. His platoon captain had this to say of Officer Wallin:

Jake was that individual that you could always trust. Any

time that you asked him to step up or do anything, there was

no hesitation.

That dedication to service continued after his deployments to the Middle East. Following his time overseas, Jake made his home in Fargo, ND. He graduated from the Fargo Police Academy and joined the Fargo Police Department because, as he put it, ``I've always wanted to work in some sort of position that had purpose behind my job. Police officer is always what came to me.''

Jake had only been on the job since April, but his impact on the community will not be forgotten. Police Chief Zibolski said that, even in his final moments, he was thinking of his fellow officers and trying to save the lives of those fellow officers.

My wife Mikey and I send our sincerest condolences also to his parents Jeff and Amy, his brother Brady, his fiancee Winter, and all of Jake's loved ones.

At the same time, we continue to pray for his fellow officers, especially Officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes, who were injured in the ambush. They were both shot as well. We are also grateful to Officer Zach Robinson, who was able to put an end to this horrific incident and whose bravery will never be forgotten. These peace officers have a long road to recovery and will continue to be in our prayers.

This tragic event is a reminder of the dangers our law enforcement officials face each and every day and of the enormous debt we owe them and their families for the sacrifices they make to keep our communities safe. We are truly grateful to our peace officers--all of them--whether they are in North Dakota or anywhere across this amazing country. We truly value them. We owe them so much, and we are truly grateful to all of them.

Particularly, we honor Officer Jake Wallin for making the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. May God bless him and his family.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I am here today to join my colleague from West Virginia and others in, again, calling on the administration to secure our southern border.

Last Thursday, I traveled to Brownsville, TX, with my colleagues to show support for the Border Patrol agents and see firsthand the situation at the border as title 42 expires. I traveled repeatedly to the southern border; and each time I go, I see more and more people coming across illegally.

I have been to McAllen; I have been to Del Rio; I have been to Eagle Pass; I have been to El Paso, Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia-- both sides of the border. As I go each time, more and more people are crossing the border illegally.

In the 3 days leading up to the end of title 42, Border Patrol reported 10,000-plus encounters each day and almost 83,000 for the week. In the first 6 months of fiscal year 2023, CBP encountered more than 1.5 million individuals--that is 6 months--1.5 million individuals in 6 months. That compares to about 2\1/2\ million crossings illegally last year. That means, at the pace we are on, it will be more than 3 million coming illegally this year.

This truly is a crisis, and it is one that has been caused by the Biden administration's unwillingness to enforce the law and reinstate policies that have been shown very clearly to work in the last administration.

In Brownsville, we saw the crisis firsthand. And we met with Border Patrol professionals who told us what needs to happen to stop the flow of illegal immigration. And we can get a handle on this right now if the Biden administration will simply enforce the law. We know this from our Border Patrol professionals, the experts on the frontline. They are the ones telling us this. That includes enforcing the migrant protection protocols--MPP--or the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, which would require people seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their case is adjudicated, and enforcing the Safe Third Country protocols--again, as the prior administration did--so that individuals seeking asylum from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and other countries must wait for their claim to be adjudicated before they come into the country.

But instead of requiring individuals seeking asylum to remain in Mexico or to submit an asylum claim in the first safe country they cross into, the Biden administration is creating a demand pull for these individuals because they not only allow them to cross illegally and come into the country, but they allow them to stay in the country illegally, and they also provide a work permit and benefits.

So when Secretary Mayorkas says: Oh, the border is closed, that is not the message that goes to South America. And, now, actually, more than 100 countries where people are coming across our border illegally from more than 100 different countries. The message that the coyotes and others tell the people that they are trafficking across the border is: We will get you into the country. You will be able to stay. You will get a work permit and you will get benefits.

So, of course, they are going to come, and they continue to come. And what the Biden administration is doing is they just process them faster. They just process them faster. With the expiration of title 42, Alejandro Mayorkas says he is enforcing title 8, but he is not.

Here is what he is doing: When individuals come across the border illegally, initially, he is saying, under title 8: Well, you have to have an asylum claim, and that has to be adjudicated; so you can't stay.

All that individual has to do is say: I want to appeal that, and they get a preliminary hearing. They are given a phone number. They don't even have to go to the hearing. They are given a phone number. They call the court, and they say: OK. I am appealing the claim; I am here for asylum. And they are given an alien identification number, they get a work permit, and they get benefits. They don't have to go to the court. Their hearing is just calling up on the phone. Then they are scheduled for a court date 3 years, 5 years down the line while they are in the country. That is not enforcing title 8.

And that is why more and more people are coming. That is why 2\1/2\- plus million came last year, and there will be 3 million-plus coming this year.

What are you seeing around the country? Now in New York, they are putting migrants who come here illegally in gymnasiums in schools. What is it, 20 schools? And Mayor Adams complains about Governor Abbott sending people up to him. Well, Mayor Adams should call the White House because the White House has sent up 10 times as many people as Governor Abbott has. So maybe he is complaining about the wrong person. But that is what is going on.

How about fentanyl? How about the drugs that are pouring into our country illegally, affecting every State? How about human trafficking? How about human trafficking? How about all the things that are happening to these people as they are coming up here in the hands of the coyotes? How about the people who don't have $8,000 to $12,000 to pay the coyotes, to pay the cartels to come here? What do you suppose happens when they get here, that the coyotes and cartels say: Oh, that is fine, don't worry about paying back that $8,000 or that $12,000--not only for you but for your kids. Or maybe they are indentured servants until they can pay off that debt.

And how do they pay off that debt? What do they have to do? What are they bound to when they are up here? That is the kind of human suffering that is being created by this border policy, and the reality is it can end right now. It can end right now.

The Biden administration says: Well, Congress needs to pass a law. Well, what good does it do for Congress to pass a law if the Biden administration won't enforce the laws they have right now? We are a compassionate country. We allow 1 million people--1 million people--to come here every year, legally. But we have got to enforce our border, and that is not being done. And every American needs to understand that the Biden administration doesn't need more tools or more laws to secure the border. They have the tools. They have the law to do it. They just won't; they want an open border.

Border security is national security. You are seeing that impact. You are seeing people come from more than 100 different countries. A lot of those people aren't vetted, and that doesn't even count the ``got- aways,'' the people who cross between the ports of entry whom our Border Patrol professionals don't have time to stop because they are so busy processing more and more and more migrants that come here illegally under the Biden administration's policies.

It is way past time to end the border crisis that the Biden administration has created. Border security is national security.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I thank my colleague from Maryland and appreciate the opportunity to make my remarks before this session ends today.

I rise to once again call attention to the growing and unprecedented crisis at our southern border. This crisis is a result of the Biden administration's open border policy. It is a function of the Biden administration's failure to secure the border and enforce our laws.

In fiscal year 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the CBP, encountered almost 2.4 million individuals attempting to illegally cross the southern border. That was an increase of 37 percent from fiscal year 2021 and a more than 400-percent increase from fiscal year 2020. In the first 6 months of fiscal year 2023, Customs and Border Protection had already--already--encountered more than 1.5 million individuals--a pace that will surpass even the record numbers of last year.

Now, with the title 42 public health order set to expire next week, it is only getting worse. Take a look. Anybody can turn on their television and check it out. It is only getting worse.

In response to the expected surge of illegal crossings, the Biden administration announced that they are going to send 1,500 troops to the southern border to help with paperwork. Well, it is good they are sending the troops down there, but without a change in the policy, it is not going to get the job done. They are not able to do the job that they can do and need to do. The Customs and Border Protection officers and agents on the frontlines do the best job possible, but they face an impossible task given the Biden administration's actions that continue to exacerbate the crisis--the Biden administration's open border policy.

I have seen firsthand the work of these dedicated individuals, including of the members of the North Dakota National Guard from my home State. I have traveled down to Texas on numerous occasions to draw attention to the border crisis. I have been to Del Rio. I have been to Eagle Pass. I have been to El Paso and to the Rio Grande Valley. In each of these border towns, it is clear now more than ever that more needs to be done. And it is not just the stopping of illegal migration; it is to prevent human trafficking and to prevent drug trafficking. This affects every State in our country.

I also traveled with a bipartisan congressional delegation to Mexico, to Ecuador, to Colombia, and to Guatemala to outline the need to work with these nations to stop illegal immigration and prevent drug trafficking and human trafficking.

These are all part of our efforts to draw attention to the problem and outline solutions that will stem the tide of illegal immigration.

To stop this crisis, the Biden administration has to change its policy, and there are several things that can be done right now to make that happen.

First, the Biden administration needs to implement the Migrant Protection Protocols or the ``Remain in Mexico'' policy, which requires people seeking asylum at our southern border to wait in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated.

Second, reinstate the safe third country agreements, which require individuals coming from places like El Salvador or Honduras or Guatemala to seek asylum in their own countries first or they are returned to their countries to await the outcome of their claims.

Now, title 42 expires on May 11. The border is already in crisis, and it will just get worse, but the reality is, if those two policies are reinstated, then the Customs and Border Protection professionals can get on top of the problem. In other words, let them do their jobs. Put in place border policies that will enable our Customs and Border Protection professionals to do their jobs.

It has been shown that those policies will work. I just gave you the numbers going back to 2020. We are not guessing on this. We are not guessing. We know it works. Those two policy changes will enable our Customs and Border Protection professionals to get control of the border, and with title 42 expiring on May 11, they need to be implemented now.

We have to do more. We need our border wall. We need personnel. We need technology. All those things need to be part of creating a secure border. But right now, particularly with title 42 expiring, we need to implement those two policy changes and enable our Customs and Border Protection professionals to do their job.

Border security is national security.

With that, I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, I join my colleagues today to discuss the need to reform our Nation's broken Federal permitting process.

Today, it often takes longer to navigate the Federal permitting process than it does to actually construct a project. It currently takes, on average, 4\1/2\ years or more to complete an environmental impact statement, or EIS. For a quarter of projects, it can take 6 years or more to complete an environmental impact statement. That is because some radical environmental groups have really weaponized the National Environmental Policy Act, NEPA, and they are exploiting what has become a more and more opaque and convoluted Federal permitting process. This uncertainty not only drives up the cost of future projects, it is being applied to projects currently permitted in good faith.

Take, for instance, the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has been operating safely for nearly 6 years in its transporting of over a half a million barrels of crude oil per day from North Dakota--light sweet crude--and from the Fort Berthold Reservation and the Three Affiliated Tribes. It takes it to market, and it is used in our country to fuel our economy. The Army Corps held 389 meetings, conferred with more than 55 Tribes, and completed a 1,261-page environmental assessment before the pipeline went into operation. Yet litigation continued following the Federal approval and completion of the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the Corps is currently expected to take more than 4 years to complete a full environmental impact statement for about

two-tenths of a mile, crossing under the Missouri River. Subjecting a completed $3.78 billion project to litigation without reasonable limits cannot be the new normal.

Delays and uncertainty drive up the costs of projects, and opponents are exploiting a more and more complicated permitting process so that delay becomes defeat. American consumers are paying the price for this regulatory uncertainty, particularly through higher energy costs.

Increasing the supply and lowering the cost of energy is key to attacking inflation because the cost of energy is built into every other good and service consumed across our economy. To accomplish this goal, the Biden administration needs to take the handcuffs off American energy producers and work with us on bipartisan permitting reform.

A good first start would be for the Senate to consider H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, which recently passed the House on a bipartisan vote. H.R. 1 includes comprehensive permitting reforms that will unleash more American energy and make it more efficient and affordable to deliver energy to our Nation.

H.R. 1 also includes three pieces of legislation that I have introduced in the Senate.

First, the North American Energy Act brings certainty to the permitting process for important cross-border energy pipelines and electric transmission line projects and prevents the President from taking unilateral action in canceling vital energy projects like he did with the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Second, the Promoting Interagency Coordination for Review of Natural Gas Projects Act streamlines the review process for interstate natural gas pipelines and LNG projects, helping to more efficiently deliver natural gas to areas that need it the most.

Third, the Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act improves the permitting process in States like North Dakota with a split mineral estate where the Federal Government owns no surface acreage--none of the surface acres--and has a minority interest in the minerals underneath.

The United States is fortunate to have abundant and affordable reserves of coal, oil, and gas, and U.S. energy companies are global leaders when it comes to producing more energy with the highest environmental standards. We need to empower our producers with a clear, consistent, and timely Federal permitting process. Otherwise, we will once again become dependent on unstable and adversarial countries like Iran, Venezuela, Russia, and even China--countries hostile to our economic and national security interests.

That is why meaningful permitting reform is needed to create jobs, enhance our geopolitical competitiveness, and bring down costs for hard-working families.

With that, I yield the floor.