Floor Statements

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 129.

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.

Madam President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 144.

Madam President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

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

Mr. President, before I begin, I need to mention the shooting that occurred last night outside an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, held by the American Jewish Committee. From everything we know so far, it is appallingly clear that event attendees were deliberately targeted. And two young Embassy employees-- tragically, two employees on the verge of getting engaged and starting a life together--were murdered in the attack.

I am grateful that the suspect is already in custody and for the help the Capitol Police provided in responding to the attack, and I know that he will be swiftly prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But I suspect that is little comfort right now to the many whose sense of safety has been shattered and who are worried that they will be targeted simply because they are Jewish or Israeli.

My prayers today are with the families of the deceased, with event attendees, with the employees of the Israeli Embassy, and with all the members of the Jewish community suffering in the wake of this attack. And to the Israeli and Jewish communities here in Washington, DC, know that we stand with you.

Mr. President, one other topic I want to mention before I get to the main subject today is the war in Ukraine.

For the last 4 months, President Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to bring an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine, and we here in the Senate commend him for those efforts.

Now the ball is in Putin's court. It is time for him to come to the table in good faith and make a serious proposal for an immediate cease- fire that can lead to a just and lasting peace in Ukraine. I hope he realizes it is time to do so. If not, the Senate stands ready to act. Thanks to the dogged work of Senator Graham, we have bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by 80 of my colleagues, to impose additional economic sanctions and tariffs on Russia. If Russia is not willing to engage in serious diplomacy, the Senate will work with the Trump administration to consider additional sanctions to force Putin to start negotiating.

Mr. President, this month, I have had the privilege of welcoming two groups of South Dakota veterans to Washington during Honor Flight visits. I went simply to say hello and to thank these men and women for their service to our country. This is something I have done for many years, and it is always an occasion that inspires me and makes me grateful to be an American and an heir to what they fought for.

After one of these groups of veterans returned home to South Dakota, KELOLAND News reported on their

visit, and a quote from one Vietnam veteran in that story struck me. He said:

I'm no hero. The heroes are the ones that didn't get to

come back and have families, didn't get to become

grandparents. They're the heroes.

Mr. President, this is a common sentiment among veterans. I know my dad, a World War II veteran, never talked much about himself; it was always about the men he served with, especially those who didn't come back. But no matter how many times I hear this, it always stops me in my tracks because it reminds me that we ask those who serve our country to be willing to sacrifice everything--their entire future and all that it could hold. And many, many Americans have given their lives to defend our security, liberty, and peace.

This Monday, on Memorial Day, we honor the men and women who sacrificed everything in service to our country. We remember their heroism and courage, and we take inspiration from their commitment to the ideals upon which our country is founded.

This year marks 80 years since the end of World War II. Millions of Americans served in the military during the war, and more than 400,000 Americans died. Among these were about 1,700 South Dakotans, men like CPT Arlo Olson of Toronto, SD, who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery in advancing through Italy and who was killed there in 1943. He was 25 years old. Lieutenant Earl Ferguson, from Philip, who died when his B-24 bomber was shot down while targeting an oilfield in Romania. He was 26. And Private Glenn Dow, from Sioux Falls, who was killed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. Private Dow was 19.

These men gave their entire lives to defend our freedom and secure peace for us. They entrusted to us the future they would not see themselves, and they call on us to defend the peace they won.

In one of his Memorial Day proclamations, President Reagan wrote:

The defense of peace, like the defense of liberty, requires

more than lip service. It requires vigilance, military

strength, and the willingness to take risks and make

sacrifices.

He continued:

The surest guarantor of both peace and liberty is our

unflinching resolve to defend that which has been purchased

for us by our fallen heroes.

On Memorial Day, we remember that our freedom has come at a cost, and we recognize that it is on us to live up to the ideals for which generations of Americans have been willing to give their lives.

These are American heroes, and we are a grateful nation.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I understand the Senate received H.J. Res. 87 from the House.

I move to proceed to H.J. Res. 87.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 73.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 97.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate resume legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.