Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, recently I visited--as a matter of fact, this past week I was in South Korea and Taiwan, and I just want to describe what I learned there and talk about some ideas for advancing our interests in East Asia.

The trip convinced me even more that our highest priority should be to cultivate close security and economic relationships with our fellow Democratic and free market allies and partners in the region. This is the best way to deter conflict and advance prosperity both in the United States and across the region.

Let me start by addressing security. There is no shortage of threats to peace and stability in East Asia, from Kim Jong Un's missile program to China's threats to Taiwan. And we need to do three things in response.

First, we need to work closely with our allies and partners in the region to understand what they need to enhance deterrence and improve their ability to defend themselves. In South Korea, this means deepening our 70-year alliance and focusing on new challenges. In particular, we should look closely at expanding our efforts at missile defense--missile defense--for South Korea and also for Japan.

In Taiwan, this means accelerating delivery of critical systems that Taiwan has purchased through our Foreign Military Sales Program. Right now, they have almost $19.5 billion worth of military hardware that they have ordered and they are paying for that they are waiting to receive. Think how important that is. We are talking about F-16s. We are talking about missile-to-air defense. Think about how important those things are right now in terms of Taiwan's defense and deterrence--deterring the PRC's aggressive action in the Taiwan Strait. It also means thinking creatively with Taiwan's leaders about how we can jointly develop and produce near-term capabilities that will deter Chinese aggression as well and also providing training opportunities for Taiwan's defense forces.

Second, we need to emphasize the importance of a regional strategy that links like-minded allies, partners, and friends to preserve peace and stability and support a free and open Indo-Pacific region. We have longstanding bilateral security alliances with South Korea as well as Japan, the Philippines, and other countries in the region. Right now, we are conducting military exercises with the Philippines. So we have these longstanding relationships and a longstanding defense relationship with Taiwan as well.

We need to build these alliances. These alliances support U.S. interests in the region and ensure that we are not forced to operate from North America when we seek to secure and stabilize the western Pacific because we have these allies working with us in the region. We should make every effort to turn our system of bilateral alliances into a broader network of freedom-loving people across the Indo-Pacific region.

We applaud the efforts of the Yoon government in South Korea to reach out to Japan. President Yoon was just recently in Japan to further strengthen ties between South Korea and Japan. We look forward to opportunities for trilateral relationships between South Korea, Japan, and the United States.

And we should look for other ways to work with countries in the region to deter conflict and secure the seas for trade, including interoperable military hardware, information sharing, and coordinated strategies to deter aggression and to secure stability.

Third, we need to continue efforts to modernize our forces, not because we seek a war in the Pacific but because the best path to peace is through strength. That is how we deter aggressive actors like the

Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleagues today, the esteemed Senator from West Virginia and the senior Senator from Texas, to talk about the importance of producing more energy in America, which means that we have got to find a way to press back against the Biden administration's harmful policies that have caused energy prices to increase and have fueled inflation across our entire economy.

Gas prices, today, are $3.46 nationally. That is the average--$3.46 nationally. It has gone up 45 percent since President Biden took office. It is almost a 50-percent increase. That means everyone out there, every day, is paying 50 percent more at the pump. And it is not just that. It is the impact on inflation. There is an energy component in every good and every service that people buy. With a 50-percent increase in the price of gas at the pump, think about what that means. That is a 50-percent increase in energy cost in terms of inflation, which is hitting Americans so hard right now. Residential electricity prices spiked 25 percent during the same period. With natural gas, the price is up more than 50 percent--more than 50 percent.

What is causing this? Clearly, it is the Biden administration's policies. They spent the last 2 years restricting and curtailing U.S. energy production in pursuit of this Green New Deal, starting with day 1 when President Biden came into office with his canceling the Keystone XL Pipeline, and it has continued with the moratorium that he put on Federal oil and gas leases shortly thereafter.

President Biden, the Biden administration, along with Members of Congress, the Democrat Members of Congress, then passed a partisan bill that levied $735 billion in new taxes, including a new tax on natural gas and higher fees and royalty rates on Federal energy production.

So they not only put a moratorium in place on oil and gas production on Federal lands but then later came back and said, OK, they will start allowing some production, but only 20 percent of those Federal lands are available, and the Biden administration increased the royalty rates by 50 percent. When you restrict supply and raise the cost, of course that is going to raise the price of energy in this country, and it is going to reduce the supply.

Now the Biden administration is doubling down with an onslaught of regulatory overreach specifically designed to make American energy production more expensive. This includes the waters of the United States regulation. The waters of the United States rule absolutely impacts everybody across this country. It is a fundamental property rights issue. Again, it affects not only our production of energy but ag products and everything else.

It makes no sense that while energy prices are high, instead of embracing America's energy producers, President Biden has drained our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to its lowest level in 40 years while going to the Middle East and places like Venezuela for our energy. Think about it. Think about their record on environmental stewardship. Think about their record on human rights. Instead of producing more energy here at home, they are going to places like Venezuela and allowing them to export their energy to the United States.

The Biden administration should not turn to places like Iran and Venezuela for more oil--countries with little to no environmental standards--when we have the capability to ramp up production here in this country.

In 2019, the United States produced 13 million barrels of oil per day, including 1.5 million barrels per day from my State, North Dakota.

U.S. oil production remains down at about 12.1 million barrels per day, so that is 1 million barrels a day less than when the administration came into office--1 million barrels a day. For example, in our State, we are producing a little over 1 million barrels a day when we were at 1.5 million barrels a day at the beginning of the Biden administration.

Increasing the supply and lowering the cost of energy is key to attacking inflation. As I said earlier, the cost of energy is built into every other good and service consumed across this country. To this end, I have introduced some legislation to expand our domestic energy production and enhance the energy security of the United States and our allies.

The North American Energy Act brings certainty to the permitting process for important cross-border energy pipeline and electric transmission line projects and prevents the President from taking unilateral action to cancel vital energy projects like the Keystone XL Pipeline.

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.

More pipelines are needed to deliver natural gas to areas, including New England.

I say to the Presiding Officer, in your State, we need pipelines up there. There are still people up there who use fuel oil rather than natural gas because we don't have the pipeline capacity up there to bring it to them. That obviously increases their costs. Again, going back to environmental standards, it is clearly advantageous if they were to utilize natural gas.

The Bureau of Land Management Mineral Spacing Act is the third act I would mention that I have put forth that improves the permitting process in States like North Dakota and others where you have split mineral estates, where the Federal Government has no surface acreage, but the minerals underneath the land is in some cases owned by the Federal Government, in some cases owned by private individuals and others, and they are held up from producing those minerals because of the Federal ownership even when the Federal Government doesn't own any of the surface acres.

Removing this duplicative requirement for a Federal drilling permit in these cases would empower private mineral holders to develop their resources and produce more energy, while enabling the Federal Agencies, like BLM, to actually better utilize their resources.

These three commonsense permitting reforms are included in H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Cost Act, which is currently being considered on the House floor, H.R. 1.

It is time for us to go to work on a bipartisan basis in this Chamber, take the handcuffs off our energy producers, and produce more energy here at home for American consumers in this country.

The United States is fortunate to have abundant and affordable reserves in coal, oil, and gas. These resources are one of our Nation's greatest strengths. It is an incredible asset.

Nobody has better environmental stewardship than our country in producing energy. Thanks to the shale revolution, the United States became the world's largest oil and gas producer, and we have been able to do it while simultaneously reducing emissions. The carbon capture technologies we are advancing are actually reducing emissions.

Once again, by encouraging domestic production by streamlining energy project approvals to get energy to market, we can unleash America's full energy potential to increase supply and bring down costs for hard- working families.

I now will yield the floor to my colleague from the Lone Star State, who can speak on these issues as well.

We are absolutely committed to producing more energy for hard-working Americans to bring down inflation and also because it is such a vital component of our national security. Energy security is national security.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to join my esteemed colleague from the State of North Carolina to discuss the situation at the border. This is an ongoing crisis, and it needs to be addressed.

Our Nation continues to face an unprecedented crisis at the U.S.- Mexico border, and one that is due to the Biden administration's policies, pure and simple. It is a function of the Biden administration policies.

It is amazing that we have had DHS Secretary Mayorkas in front of our committees, and we asked him: What are you doing to stem the flow of illegal immigration at the border?

He sits there, and he tells us: Oh, we have operational control.

That is absolutely ridiculous. It is absolutely wrong.

For fiscal year 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, CBP, encountered almost 2.4 million individuals attempting to illegally cross the southern border. That is 2.4 million crossing illegally. That is operational control?

And for him to sit there and look at us and say: Oh, yeah, we have control.

And 2.4 million last year were crossing illegally. This is an increase of 37 percent from fiscal year 2021 and a 419-percent increase--four times as many--as in 2020.

Additionally, since October, CBP has reported that over 1 million individuals from more than 140 different countries--from more than 140 different countries--have been encountered attempting to illegally cross the southern border.

Just last week, Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told a House committee that the administration does not--repeat: does not--have operational control of the border. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said that the administration does not have operational control of the border.

We have to hold this administration accountable. On both sides of the aisle, we have to hold this administration accountable for this border crisis.

I have been down to the southern border on numerous occasions and have witnessed the crisis firsthand. I visited Del Rio, and Eagle Pass, as well as El Paso. I have been in McAllen, in the Rio Grande Valley, and I have seen this, both during the day and at night.

It is just not human trafficking. It is drug trafficking that affects every State, that affects everybody in our country.

Our dedicated CBP officers and Border Patrol agents continue to work tirelessly to fulfil their mission of securing the border, with the additional responsibility of trying to address this humanitarian crisis.

While the officers and agents on the frontlines do the best job that they can with the way they are hamstrung, they face an impossible task given the Biden administration's actions to continue to allow this crisis to go on. And it is their policies that are allowing the crisis to continue.

As a Senator representing a northern border State, I am also concerned about the impact that this situation on the southern border has on our northern border, as well, in terms of security.

The ongoing crisis at the southern border is creating significant challenges for northern border operations in the security of our country. Northern border personnel and resources continue to be exhausted because of the southern border crisis and pulling resources from the northern border to try to help with the southern border, and that is unacceptable.

We need to address the ongoing crisis at our southern border, and we need to make sure that our northern border is secure as well. We need to not only have the resources there; we need to have a policy that actually works. We have great professionals, but they can't secure the border if the Biden administration won't let them.

Border security is vital to our national security, and we need to secure our borders. President Biden's actions have incentivized migrants to take the dangerous journey to the U.S. border, like I say, from 140 plus different countries.

To address our Nation's immigration crisis, we need to secure the border and that means finishing the border wall, and reinstate key immigration policies--reinstate key immigration policies--that were working to stop illegal immigration and move toward a merit-based immigration system.

The administration needs to enforce our Nation's immigration laws. They have the laws. They need to enforce them, resume construction of the border wall, and ensure we have in place the necessary infrastructure, personnel, and technology to secure the border. It is their job. It is their job to protect this Nation, and you have to secure our border to protect this Nation.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I would like to join the good Senator from North Carolina as well as my colleagues in bringing Senate attention to the President's fiscal year 2024 budget.

At the outset, I want to say I support a balanced budget amendment and have done so since I first came to the Senate. I think that is something that we need to pass. We need a balanced budget amendment.

But with that, I do want to comment on the Biden administration's budget released last week, which goes in the wrong direction.

President Biden's $6.9 trillion proposal is full of the same tax-and- spend policies that do not balance a budget, do not help reduce inflation, and instead they levy taxes on hard-working Americans and spend money that we don't have.

In total, the budget proposes $4.7 trillion--let me repeat that, $4.7 trillion--in new taxes on the American people.

We need to get our fiscal house in order, and we do that by controlling spending, not again raising taxes on hard-working Americans. It is time that we come together to reduce our debt and deficit and enact responsible policies that will reduce inflation and lift the burden that our American taxpayers currently face.

The President's budget calls for increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent. This is higher than the average corporate tax rate in Europe, which is currently 21.7 percent, and it is even higher than the tax rate in China, if you can believe that, which is 25 percent.

This policy neglects the fact that tax increases like these are ultimately passed through to consumers in terms

of higher prices for goods and services. That is just the reality.

We know this because in 2021, the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation scored a similar corporate tax increase proposal and very clearly came back and demonstrated that that tax increase would be borne by hard-working taxpayers and certainly taxpayers making less than the $400,000 per year that President Biden has talked about.

Because of this administration's past tax-and-spend policies, just yesterday, the updated CPI--Consumer Price Index--indicated that prices for goods and services in this country continue to rise.

We have seen historic levels of inflation, and a big part of controlling and reducing that inflation is controlling and reducing overall spending.

With the latest numbers, unless you have gotten at least a 15-percent raise since the Biden administration took office, you have effectively suffered a pay cut because the rate of inflation has gone up faster than your rate of pay.

During the previous administration, we took a different approach, cutting the top corporate rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. This approach led to economic growth and businesses coming back to America, and it also led to higher wages for American workers.

Of particular concern in my State of North Dakota are the proposed tax increases on energy production, including oil, gas, and coal. In fact, the Biden budget proposes to increase taxes by $31 billion on fossil fuel companies.

What the budget fails to recognize is that these taxes are borne by consumers in higher prices at the pump--when they pull up to the gas station, higher prices at the pump, higher electric bills, and higher costs when they go to the grocery stores. That is where they are ultimately paid.

We need to produce more energy. We need to create incentives to produce more energy in this country to bring down the cost of energy. There is an energy component in almost every product that you can think of, and we need to find ways to produce more energy to help increase supply and reduce the cost of energy. That will help with inflation across the board.

Furthermore, taxes like these only help oil-producing countries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela--countries that have far inferior environmental standards to those here in the United States. That makes no sense--no sense at all.

My colleagues and I worked with the last administration to put in place policies that made our country not only energy independent but energy dominant--energy dominant. More energy, more supply helped reduce the cost of energy. That benefited consumers in their pocketbook. It also created more jobs and increased the wages in the jobs we have. That benefited the American worker.

Energy security is also a national security issue, making us less dependent on our adversaries and helping our allies--helping our allies so that they don't have to depend on energy from our adversaries. Look at what is going on in Europe right now, with our support and Western Europe's support for Ukraine at the same time Europe is looking to get energy from Russia, a country which has invaded Ukraine. Yeah, that makes no sense.

We need to return to policies that incentivize energy production in this country, not tax the very energy producers that produce more energy in this country with better environmental stewardship than anywhere else in the world.

Also, on defense, the budget falls short on defense. While on paper the budget proposes increased defense spending in 2024, it fails to take into account the incredible inflation costs which have been generated by this administration's tax-and-spend policies.

Our current threat, obviously, not only with what we see in Europe but globally, we can only respond to with a position of strength-- strength. This budget would result in just the opposite--a smaller Army, fewer Navy ships, fewer Air Force aircraft. We need to support our men and women in uniform by providing them with the resources they need to address the global threats posed by our adversaries.

In conclusion, the President's budget is the wrong proposal at the wrong time. Congress must work to find savings, reduce our debt and deficit, and responsibly fund our priorities without increasing taxes on hard-working American taxpayers.

As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the ranking member of the Ag Appropriations Subcommittee, I look forward to working on the fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills and enacting commonsense legislation that meets our country's needs while facing our fiscal realities and working to get our debt and deficit under control.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I join my colleagues today to speak regarding the rising crime rate in our country. Crimes, specifically violent crimes, are exploding at troubling rates nationwide. Crimes are at a 25-year high across the country.

Connected to the rise in crime is the Biden administration's open border policy, which is resulting in increased drug and human trafficking. At the same time, radical proposals to ``defund the police'' are the exact opposite of what we should be doing right now, which is supporting our men and women in law enforcement. We need to do that by giving them the resources, the tools, and training needed to do their job and protect our communities.

We must strive to protect our communities, enforce our laws, support our men and women in blue, and keep criminals off the street. Our Nation's Capital is, unfortunately, a prime example of the problems that we are having with crime right now in our cities. Crime is up 25 percent since March of 2022. In that same timeframe, homicides are up 30 percent and motor vehicle theft is up 110 percent.

As the center of our government and the symbol of our country, this is simply unacceptable. And instead of working to protect our Nation's Capital and all our constituents who visit here--and there are many of them here today--the DC Council has voted to ease violent crime penalties.

Last fall, the DC Council passed the Revised Criminal Code Act, which greatly weakens the criminal justice system here in the District of Columbia. This bill is so problematic that the Mayor of DC vetoed the bill, stating that ``it does not make us safe.''

DC's law enforcement community is also deeply alarmed by the bill, raising concerns of overwhelming the court system and exploding the already-high violent crime rate here in the District of Columbia.

We must get serious about protecting safety and addressing the nationwide rise in crime by supporting our law enforcement and ensuring they have the resources and training they need to protect our communities.

That is why I helped to introduce the Resolution of Disapproval to prevent such a reckless rewrite of the DC Criminal Code from taking effect. And I thank the good Senator from Tennessee for taking the lead in this very, very important matter.

As legislators, we should focus on keeping criminals off our streets, instead of attempting to weaken sentences for violent crimes and criminals. Let's get back to the basics and support our law enforcement and ensure they have the tools they need to keep our communities safe.

Again, we have people visiting here from all over the country. This isn't just the District of Columbia where people live like another city. This is our Nation's Capital. People come here from all over the country. They should feel safe. They should feel safe in our Nation's Capital.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I am pleased to rise today and join my colleagues from West Virginia and Mississippi, and I join them to, once again, call attention to the disastrous effects of President Biden's price hikes and his policies.

Americans are facing soaring inflation that has not been seen in generations. Price increases families are seeing at the grocery store, at the pump, in monthly electric bills, and for basic housing needs have far outpaced wage gains and left Americans struggling to make ends meet.

The numbers speak for themselves. In 2022, annual average inflation reached 8 percent, the highest level in 40 years. Rather than working to solve the problem, the Biden administration seems set on making it worse. You don't need to look any further than your kitchen to find the latest example.

In 2022, the food-at-home price index, which measures grocery prices, rose 18.6 percent--18.6 percent--reaching heights not seen since the Carter administration. This rise in food prices is directly related to increases in the cost of production faced by our hard-working farmers and ranchers.

These increases are driven by the Biden administration's continued regulatory overreach, failure to empower our domestic energy producers, and failed economic policies. Our producers are facing increased prices for diesel fuel, fertilizer, and for crop protection products, and more. New regulations from this administration threaten to drive up the cost of production even further.

The recently published ``Waters of the United States,'' or WOTUS, is a prime example of regulations that will stifle our agriculture and energy industries and make inflation worse. Instead of this disastrous rule--this WOTUS rule--we should take a States-first approach to protect our land and water that respects private property rights. This comes on top of the administration's misguided approach to domestic energy production, which has caused us to increase our reliance on foreign energy suppliers, which has increased the price of the gallon of gasoline by more than $1 since the administration took office--more than $1 a gallon.

We should be empowering our domestic energy producers, including those in my State of North Dakota, to restore our energy independence, reduce our reliance on foreign oil imports, create more jobs here at home, and help reduce prices for consumers. We need to unleash America's vast energy reserves. That is the right solution to lower prices and help provide hard-working families and businesses relief from the record inflation that has been caused by the policies of the Biden administration.

The Biden administration needs to stop doubling down on failed economic policies. The administration needs to get government out of the way and focus on the fundamentals. That includes increased domestic energy production, securing our border, and taking meaningful action to reduce inflation.

I yield the floor.

S. Res. 21

Madam President, I just wanted to add my congratulatory remarks and thanks to Senator Shelby, the senior Senator from Alabama. For me, he will always be the chairman. He has certainly been my mentor, and I think the Senator from Missouri and others would say the same thing. He has been our mentor on appropriations--in my case, for 12 years--and I would have to say, to me, it is amazing how well he understands the process--of course, he has been at it for a while--how well he understands the process, how well he works it.

The people he hires are so good. That is something we have to work with as chairmen of the subcommittees, is our staff administrators as well, and in working with Chairman Shelby, we are always going to get just absolutely the very, very best people. So it wasn't just his staff director for the full committee but the staff directors we had on the subcommittee. I think the Senator from Missouri would back me up on that. We were able to have such good people who really understood the process very well also, and that is incredibly important in appropriations because you have all these things that are authorized, and then we have to figure out what to fund and how to fund, and not only that but how to get those bills passed at the committee level and ultimately passed across the floor. Of course, everybody has a tremendous interest in what is in those appropriations bills. So it is not just the process he understood so well and worked so well but his understanding of people.

He wasn't the person who always talked, and he certainly wasn't always the person, when he talked, who talked the longest. But I have always believed that sometimes a person who can express a thought in the most cogent way--in other words, express a full, complete thought that is appropriate at the time and that actually makes the point in the fewest number of words--actually shows the keenest intellect. Try it sometime. Try saying as much as you can in terms of something important and making a point in the fewest possible words. It truly does take a keen mind.

The chairman not only had a keen mind for the policy in what needed to be done but in also working with people. I think, maybe, that that is something I appreciate even more. It is that, when you worked with Chairman Shelby, he took the time to understand what was important to you. Then, to the best of his ability, he would try to help you accomplish that.

Now, if you kind of thought, Well, that is pretty good. I think I will go back and try to get a few more things, sometimes he would have to remind you that you have got to prioritize. He might remind you with, boy, you are kind of pushing for a lot there. In that respect, it gave you perspective. That is important too. That is important too.

Yet, for the things that really mattered and for the things that you needed to get done, he really took the time to work and make it happen. That might not have happened in one cycle. That might have been something that he would have recognized as being, OK. I get it. This is important to you, and we, maybe, can't chop that tree down with one swing at the ax, but do you know what? We will keep working on this. I will work with you on it. I will mentor you on it, and we will get that done.

He gave you the confidence that it actually would happen because you knew he was going to stick there with you. I guess, in return, you know, you had to try to make sure you were doing your part.

In that respect, that would be the one other part I would mention. He also understood there were times that you could accomplish and do what he wanted you to do and vote with him and that you probably should, but then he also recognized there were times when you couldn't, and he accepted that. I think that takes an awful lot, too, because there are a lot of type A personalities around here, and it can get a little demanding once in a while.

I think he understood both the leadership and the idea of, OK, let's get something done, but then also sometimes understanding that you had to make a decision that might not be exactly what he wanted in that situation and accept it.

I guess the final point I would make is--I really like sports. I have always enjoyed sports. Now that I am an old guy, all I get to do is watch them anymore, but Senator-Chairman Shelby likes sports too. Anyone who knows him pretty well knows that he is somewhat partial to the Tide. He is kind of an Alabama fan. Now, that might be because he played football for Alabama. I don't know how many know it, but back in the day of Bart Starr, who, obviously, was an incredible football hero for the Green Bay Packers, I remember, as a kid, watching him win the first two Super Bowls with the Green Bay Packers against the Chiefs and the Raiders. So, when I got here and found out that Chairman Shelby had been a tight end on the Alabama team where Bart Starr was the quarterback, I thought, Wow, that is pretty cool. As a result of that, I think I always looked to talk to him about sports. I would talk about the North Dakota State Bison football team. Not surprisingly, he would talk about his beloved Alabama football team.

I have to say, you know, probably most people when they watch the Tide

play--and that seems to be pretty frequently--you know, for a national championship or in important games, they think of Bear Bryant, Coach Bryant--the coach--and how he kind of got the whole Alabama football dynasty going. That is another thing that is interesting; that Chairman Shelby knew Bear Bryant and worked with some of Bear Bryant's other really great players, like Joe Namath and a few others.

So I loved hearing those stories. I have to tell you that, not only now but for as long as I am around, I will always take an abiding interest in watching the Alabama football team play.

Most people probably think, you know, when they think about icons and are watching the Alabama football game and go, ``Oh, yes, that Bear Bryant, didn't he start something amazing? Isn't that an amazing dynasty?''--oh, I have got to do one quick story, and that is we like to kid the chairman.

One year, Alabama had a particularly good football team, and a story we were kind of teasing him about was, Hey, did you see the new football rankings that came out for college football?

You know, we would say: Well, who was No. 1?

He would say: Well, Alabama, of course.

They would say: Well, then, who was No. 2?

Well, Alabama's second string.

Then we would say: Ah, that is good. How about No. 3?

Well, that is Clemson--or somebody else.

We would say: OK. Well, how about No. 4?

Well, that is Alabama's third string.

So we would like to tease and have fun.

But whenever I watch the Alabama football games now, it is not only about Bear Bryant; I think about Chairman Shelby. I think about all of the amazing things that he has done in Congress, in the House and in the Senate, not only for Alabama--and he has done quite a few good things for Alabama, but he has done an awful lot of good things for this country. I think, where the rubber really hits the road on so many of these things when legislation gets authorized, whether it is defense or anything else, it has got to be funded.

So, if you really look back at the length of this gentleman's career in the House and in the Senate and at what he has actually done and at all of the things that he has been a part of and been involved with, it is monumental. It is iconic. It is a big, big deal, and we are going to miss him a lot.

I just want to say thank you to Senator Shelby and to his wonderful, beautiful, classy wife, Annette, from both myself and my wife, Mikey. It has been great working with him. I hope we will see a lot of him in the future.

Congratulations on just an incredible career in the U.S. Congress and U.S. Senate.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, you know, listening to Senator Portman's speech, I don't know how you cannot be impressed with his incredible record of accomplishment, and it is a record of accomplishment that will stand the test of time. It is not surprising because all you have to do is look at all the things he accomplished before coming to the United States Senate. So it certainly is no surprise that he has done incredible work over the last 12 years.

He was 14 years, I think, in the House and had a tremendous record of success there. He was U.S. Trade Ambassador for President Bush, and that has the same status as full Ambassador. So for all of his time here in the Senate, he didn't want me to call him Senator Portman; he always wanted me to call him Ambassador Portman. Instead, I call him ``El Gran Toro,'' but that is another story which I will get to. And he was OMB Director for President Bush. So when you look at the incredible experience and track record of accomplishment that he brought here, it is no surprise that--in his speech, he talked about a lot of incredible accomplishments, but there is a lot more that you didn't talk about. You could have talked for a long, long time because you truly did accomplish so many things that are important not just for the Buckeye State but for our country. I am just pleased to have had the opportunity to work with you.

You mentioned some of the things we worked on, and it is interesting because as you were talking about the things you worked on and the Members you worked with, I just took a quick count. There were more than 20 Senators sitting here, and you mentioned every single one of them and many, many more. I kind of got the feeling that if all 100 Senators were here, you probably could have mentioned every single one of them and something that you accomplished with them. Think about what that says--Republicans and Democrats.

I think he could have had every single Senator on the floor, and he could have gone around and talked about, hey, you remember we worked on this and we worked on that, and not just worked on it but passed it into legislation, and in every case, it was something that had a meaningful impact for our country and for our respective States.

Senator Portman and I came here together, and we have been close right from the start, probably a little bit of our shared heritage from college. We worked together. We traveled together, you know, around the world--India, South Korea, obviously Mexico, Central America--and invariably learned an incredible amount on those trips. But whether it was on those trips or almost any other time, I always learned from Rob. I mean, the guy has incredible experience and a lifetime of learning but also such a keen intellect--such a keen intellect. He is somebody who imparts that knowledge to you in the best way possible, never coming across with any kind of ego or ``I know something that maybe you don't'' or anything like that but just in a friendly, helpful, great way.

The other thing is his ability to work with people. I have observed and tried to learn from it as well. I mean, it doesn't matter where you are going or what you are doing, he takes the time to talk to people and really talk to them--not just talk at them but actually connect with them and get a smile on their face.

That is one of the reasons why I asked: Hey, Rob, why don't you teach me some Spanish? We would go to a restaurant, and he would just start speaking Spanish with somebody, and you could just see them--their face would light up, and they would smile. He would make them happy and make them feel welcome and warm. And he was always genuine--always genuine-- not doing it like a politician would do it but the way a person would do it for another person, somebody who actually cares about people.

That is maybe where I kind of want to go as I wrap up here, is that, you know, all the work he talked about, all of these accomplishments, these things are important. They are important for Ohio. They are important for our country and beyond. But his motivation in doing it was always because he does care about people.

He recognized the things he is doing--you know, you have to compromise here. You don't get things all your own way or the way you think would be absolutely the best outcome. You have to work with people. You have to compromise to get a result. But he always was guided by the fact that he knew what he was doing. He did make things a little bit better for other people. That is the right motivation. That is the right reason to be here and do this work.

So we will truly, truly miss Rob and Jane and their wonderful family, and I have gotten to know them all.

We are going to miss you a lot, but I do know this: We are going to continue to see you. We are going to continue to work on things with you.

I am not sure what he is going to do next, but it is just like I started out talking about. His incredible record of accomplishment before he got here and his incredible record of accomplishment here, both in what he has done and the relationships and friendships he has built, leaves no doubt--no doubt whatsoever--that he is going to continue to do some wonderful and amazing things, and I look forward to seeing what those things are.

Rob, we are going to miss you. Thanks for all you have done. Thanks for being such a good friend.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed with the vote.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to make 5-minute remarks before the vote is called.

Mr. President, I wanted to get to the floor today to say thank you to some colleagues that are truly deserving of it. There are three of them here. My understanding is that Senator Shelby, or ``The Chairman,'' as I call him, has not yet made his farewell speech, so I am going to reserve my laudatory comments for somebody who I will always consider ``the chairman'' of the Appropriations Committee, even when he is the ranking member and even when he is not here. He is truly the chairman, and I have learned so much from him and am deeply appreciative for his incredible work and want to talk about that at greater length after he has made his floor speech.

Mr. President, I do want to take the opportunity, though, to thank Senator Jim Inhofe for his incredible leadership of the military affairs committee--the Senate Armed Services, excuse me, and his dedication and his commitment to our military.

In North Dakota, we have the Minot Air Force Base, we have the Grand Forks Air Force Base; so I am particularly appreciative that Senator Inhofe is, in fact, a pilot because not only is he a steadfast advocate for our military in every respect, but as a pilot, certainly, the Air Force is something that he understands, appreciates, and has provided incredible support for the amazing work that our men and women in uniform in blue do.

And as I have worked on issues related to my State at the Minot Air Force Base and the Grand Forks Air Force Base, without exception, when I have gone to Chairman or Ranking Member Inhofe for discussions and help on issues important to the Air Force in general, but certainly to our bases, he has been there and his understanding and his commitment to listen, to truly be a gentleman, to listen, and to consider what it is you are working on--he wasn't always able to do it just the way you hoped maybe it should get done, but he always made sure that he worked through the issue in a fair way and came to a good result. And in many cases, that result occurred in the near term; sometimes it took a little longer.

But I think that commitment to consider everybody's point of view and work with both sides of the aisle--his relationship with current Chairman Jack Reed I think is remarkable, and I think the two of them leading our Armed Services Committee has made a big difference. Their relationship and how they approach things, which in many ways is similar, is the reason we have been able to get the NDAA legislation passed across the floor, even at times when it has been very difficult to do. They have led the way, and I know that they are working hard and will continue to lead the way again this year on the NDAA, and Senator Inhofe will be deeply missed. He is truly a friend and an advocate for our military, and his incredible devotion to them will be missed. And we thank him for it and for, as a colleague, the way he has approached every issue that he has worked on during his time here in the U.S. Senate.

Mr. President, I also want to thank and extoll for just several minutes Senator Roy Blunt.

I think anybody who has worked with Senator Blunt would state that he is

incredibly intelligent. He is one of those people you realize how smart he is not because of how much he says but actually sometimes how little he says, meaning he can express thoughts and concepts so cogently, and that takes a very sharp mind to actually say something profound with a minimum number of words and not in a long and rambling speech. He has common sense that sometimes you don't realize until you work with him a little bit and just listen to him a little bit.

He has played a prominent role as a member of our leadership team. I worked with him on Appropriations as well, on the Appropriations Committee with our able chairman, as I mentioned earlier. But invariably what I found is that when you talk to Senator Roy Blunt, if what you are talking about makes common sense--common sense--he is almost always there.

He is one of the most pragmatic, well-reasoned, thoughtful Senators we have. Again, in a way, he is a master of the understatement, where, like I say, in just a few words or a cogent thought, he can get to the heart of the issues.

I want to go through just one story about him before I yield the floor. When I first came in as a Senator in 2011, after having worked as Governor for our State of North Dakota, for the prior decade, one of the things that immediately came up when I met Roy Blunt and talked to him about issues is the Missouri River. North Dakota is on the north end and, obviously, Missouri is on the south end and we have some different ideas about how the waters of the Missouri River should be managed and utilized for the great people of our respective States and all the people in between.

As they used to say in the West and probably still do: Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting.

And we battled on every imaginable issue that you can think of on the Missouri River. Senator Kit Bond, a former Senator from Missouri, and our Senators were at loggerheads all the time on water issues relative to the great Missouri River.

So right off the bat, actually, Senator Blunt sought me out and said: You know, our predecessors did nothing but fight on the Missouri River. Let's see if we can't figure out a way where we can work together.

And I said: Gee, that sounds good to me.

So the first thing we did is we set up a trip. We started at the north end. We actually started at Fort Peck in Montana and went all the way, starting at the north end all the way down--from the northwest all the way down to the southeast end of the river and ended up in St. Louis, MO. We stopped all along the way at all the dams and reservoirs and every place of significance and talked about the issues, tried to understand what everybody needed.

I have to say, over the last 12 years, I am not sure we agreed on every aspect of managing the Missouri River but the vast, vast majority--I think both of our States and the States in between have benefited from that. We have been able to do, I think, some remarkable things with the Corps of Engineers because we took that approach to see if we couldn't figure out how to work together on something of tremendous consequence not only for both of our respective States but for the country. That is the kind of leadership and that is the kind of common sense and wisdom that Roy Blunt brought to this job every day.

So to Roy and to Abby, friends of Mikey and I, we will truly miss-- our conference will truly miss and our institution will miss Senator Jim Inhofe and Senator Roy Blunt, and we are going to miss the chairman, too, but I will talk about him on another occasion.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss how consumers are paying more for less reliable energy as a result of the policies of the Biden administration and congressional Democrats. North Dakotans are paying 60 percent more for gasoline since January of 2021, and diesel remains at nearly $5 a gallon.

Prices are high because we have a supply problem. Our friends and allies in Europe are facing an even worse supply crisis, and unless the Biden administration changes its approach, American families and businesses will continue to face these inflationary pressures.

Fortunately, the solution is clear. More energy supply means consumers pay less. More supply is what helps us get prices under control, get inflation under control, and consumers relief.

In 2019, the United States was producing nearly 13 million barrels of oil a day. Today, that production is down at about 11.8 million barrels a day. That is because the policies of the Democrats in Congress and the Biden administration include blocking energy production on Federal lands, and that is curtailing supply. Our vast supply of taxpayer-owned oil, gas, and coal resources on Federal lands are a national strategic asset. Yet President Biden and his ``keep it in the ground'' allies treat our NG reserves as a liability.

Recent analysis by the Wall Street Journal shows that the Biden administration leased only 130,000 acres for new oil and gas production in the first 19 months of this administration. Let me repeat that number. The Biden administration has only leased 130,000 acres for new oil and gas production in its first 19 months. For comparison, President Reagan leased 47.6 million acres during the same time period. The Biden administration, in just under 2 years, leased 130,000 acres. The Reagan administration leased 47.6 million acres during the same amount of time.

That is the point. We need to take the handcuffs off our producers if we are going to produce more energy here at home. And nobody produces energy better, more cost effectively, more dependably, and with better environmental stewardship than America. We do the best job of anybody in the world. New energy leases are needed to grow oil production and supplies for the long-term, otherwise production will continue to fall, and that means higher energy costs for our consumers.

Instead of defending previously held lease sales, the Biden administration is relying on litigation from environmental allies to block permits needed for energy development. That only further increases our reliance on adversaries like Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, countries with little or no regard for environmental stewardship or human rights. They are our adversaries. How in the world can we put ourselves subject to their energy production? Energy production is part of national security. Energy security is national security.

Natural gas prices also remain high and families are being hit with higher utility bills. Electricity prices are up nearly 16 percent compared to last year. As we approach the winter months, natural gas bills are up 33 percent over the same period, and with winter coming on, they are going to go up more.

The Biden administration's policies are undermining our energy security, and because the cost of energy is built into our entire economy, inflation has been driven to record heights. Everything you buy has an energy component in it. When energy costs go up because the administration won't let us produce more here at home, it causes inflation in everything you buy--everything you buy, not just at the gas station but in the grocery store or anywhere else because of the energy component.

Despite these challenges, President Biden and congressional Democrats doubled down by passing their partisan

tax-and-spend bill that will make it more expensive to produce energy in the United States. The bill includes a new tax on natural gas. That doesn't make energy cheaper; that makes it more expensive. The bill includes a new tax on natural gas and also makes oil and gas production on Federal lands more expensive through higher fees and royalty rates. So they are driving up the cost of energy.

In addition to levying $739 billion in new taxes on hard-working families, the bill was loaded with $370 billion in Green New Deal spending. Instead of tax hikes and wasteful spending, President Biden needs to take the handcuffs off our domestic energy production. Instead of higher taxes and fees, more mandates, and less energy development, we need to take the handcuffs off our domestic energy producers to lower energy costs and help reduce the burden of inflation, which harms every American but particularly those low-income Americans who are struggling with the higher cost of everything from putting food on the table to gas at the pump, to anything and everything they buy. We need to change this policy direction, and it needs to happen now.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the harmful economic consequences Americans are seeing from President Biden's reckless tax-and-spend agenda. Earlier this week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest Consumer Price Index figures for the month of August, showing that inflation increased 8.3 percent compared to August 2021. Inflation has now exceeded 8 percent for 6 straight months. This persistent high inflation is causing price increases for American families at the grocery store, the gas pump, and for basic housing needs, leaving many Americans struggling to make ends meet.

Rather than getting government out of the way, increasing domestic energy production, securing our border, and taking meaningful action to reduce inflation, the Biden administration is instead doubling down on its failed economic policies. Gas prices are $1.34 per gallon higher than when President Biden took office, and diesel fuel prices are even higher, at nearly $2.40 per gallon more than January 2021. A gallon of diesel now costs more than $5 a gallon.

Yet, last month, as followup to the massive $2 trillion spending package from March 2021 that fueled the inflationary fire we are now dealing with, Democrats jammed through another package on a party-line vote, a tax-and-spend bill that imposes new energy taxes and Green New Deal-style subsidies that will only worsen our energy crisis and weaken our Nation's economic and national security.

Ironically, the so-called Inflation Reduction Act does nothing to reduce inflation. Analysis by economists at Penn Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, the Federal Reserve, Moody's Analytics, the Congressional Budget Office, and others, all agree that this bill will do nothing to help reduce inflation.

Meanwhile, the cost of food at the grocery store has increased 13.5 percent over the last 12 months--the largest 12-month increase since March 1979. Yet the Biden administration has done nothing to help alleviate these inflationary price increases on Americans.

This week, we neared the brink of another inflationary supply chain disaster as railroad unions threatened to go on strike. Obviously, shutting down freight rail movement throughout the country would be a huge disruption to

our economy. It cannot be overstated how significant a rail strike would be to our national supply chain. With fall harvest, particularly for my State, that is a huge concern, and it is vitally important that we avoid a rail strike.

On the energy front, North Dakota is a huge provider of energy for this Nation. So it is very important. Whether it is our energy producers or energy producers across this country, we need to empower our domestic energy production. We also need to get our debt and deficit under control. We need to help our farmers and ranchers produce the highest quality, lowest cost food supply in the world. We need to address the supply chain issues that continue to be disruptive to our economy and create more inflation.

The Biden administration needs to stop with the tax-and-spend agenda if we are to get this inflation under control.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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