Floor Statements

Mr. President, this week, the Senate takes a big step forward on an issue that is important to many Americans, and that is homeownership.

Whether you read about it in the news or hear about it in conversation with friends and family members, most people know that the dream of homeownership is out of reach for too many people in our country. Limited housing supply and burdensome regulations have contributed to higher prices, and many Americans are simply being priced out of the housing market. That is a problem, and it is a problem we aim to address with the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act tackles some of the causes of the higher prices that are preventing too many Americans from realizing the dream of homeownership.

As much as 25 percent of the cost of building a new single-family home comes from regulations. That figure rises to 40 percent for multifamily construction. As you can imagine, that contributes quite a bit to the price that Americans pay for that home.

So this bill cuts unnecessary redtape that is delaying construction and driving up prices. For example, it removes the outdated chassis requirement for manufactured housing, which will not only reduce the cost of manufactured homes but allow for more innovation in manufactured home design.

And then there are the costs and delays associated with the environmental review process. This bill enables State, local, and Tribal governments to streamline environmental reviews. It rightsizes the NEPA process and exempts certain rural housing projects from these extensive and often burdensome reviews, and it directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the USDA to coordinate joint environmental reviews for housing projects funded by both Agencies. It should go without saying that if it is one project, there should be one review.

And because Federal regulations are only one layer of the costs and burdens placed on new home construction, this bill also encourages local governments to reform zoning laws to encourage home construction.

Lifting regulatory burdens will do a lot to bring down housing prices and encourage more construction, but it is not the only aspect of encouraging homeownership. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act also takes meaningful steps to support financing the purchase of a new home. It lifts regulatory burdens on community banks and credit unions to ensure that these local lending institutions can be focused on people rather than paperwork, and it tailors regulations for smaller and new financial institutions, which will help increase competition that benefits the American people.

This bill is the result of years of hard work by many of our colleagues, as well as months of negotiations with our colleagues in the House. They have worked tirelessly to produce a bill that addresses some of the barriers to homeownership in this country.

I am grateful for the work of Senators Rounds and Ricketts to support housing in rural areas, for Senators Moreno and Hagerty's contributions to the financial institutions component of this bill, and for Senators Kennedy and Crapo's efforts to support work at the local level to build more housing.

Thanks to all of their hard work and that of many others, this bill is almost across the finish line. But no one has been more committed to the success of this legislation than Chairman Tim Scott, and I am especially grateful to Chairman Scott for his leadership in getting this landmark bill on a path to becoming law very soon.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a significant bill to make life more affordable for hard-working Americans, and it is just the latest item on Republicans' agenda to address the cost of living.

Last year, Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cut, another landmark bill which cut taxes for lower and middle-income Americans. This year, these hard-working people saw larger tax refunds and larger paychecks, and I wouldn't be surprised if many of them put some of that money away to save for their dream of buying a home--a dream that the ROAD to Housing Act will help put within their reach.

Plus, the Working Families Tax Cut provisions like immediate, 100 percent expensing for investments are also contributing to addressing housing shortages by making it easier for builders to--well--build.

Our legislation gave a boost to affordable housing construction as well.

As one realtor in Sioux Falls wrote last year:

Developers now have stronger incentives--and fewer

barriers--to build more affordable units. . . . For Sioux

Falls, where we see steady population growth and a strong

workforce influx, this is a game-changer.

A recent poll shows that the overwhelming majority of Americans see housing affordability as a major issue, and they want to see Congress address it. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act does just that. I am proud that it garners support from a similarly overwhelming majority here in the Senate, and I expect it will in the House as well.

I look forward to getting this bill through Congress in short order, sending it to the President's desk, and delivering another major win for the American people.

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 ask unanimous consent that, notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 758, Darrell Owens, to be U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

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 ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar No. 750 through 756; and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, with the exception of PN681-4; PN835-2; PN925; Matthew T. Anderson, PN969; and Blair W. Kessler, PN970; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate then resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that, notwithstanding rule XXII, at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in concurrence with the Democratic leader, no later than Thursday, June 25, H. Con. Res. 86 be discharged from the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Senate proceed to its consideration; further, that there be 6 hours for debate only, with the time equally divided between the leaders or their designees on the concurrent resolution; and that following the use or yielding back of that time, the Senate vote on adoption of the concurrent resolution.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, June 22; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of the House message to accompany H.R. 6644, postcloture; further, at 5:30 p.m., that the Senate vote on adoption of the motion to concur in the House amendment with the Scott amendment No. 5823; finally, if adopted, that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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

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

Mr. President, last week, a U.S. Army Apache helicopter went down off the coast of Iran. Within 2 hours, a rescue boat located the pilots. This was not an ordinary rescue boat. For the first time ever, an unmanned sea drone was sent to pick up the pilots and bring them to safety.

From the battlefields of Ukraine to the conflict with Iran, drones and other unmanned systems have become the weapon of choice. Yet the U.S. military has been dangerously behind in drone and counter-drone capabilities.

We have made considerable progress in just the last year, as evidenced by the rescue last week, but we still have more work to do.

That is where the National Defense Authorization Act comes in. I often say that if we don't get national security right, the rest is just conversation. And this annual defense bill is one of the most important bills we consider each year because it is where we make the policies that help ensure we do get national security right.

We pass this bill every year so that these policies are up to date-- so that we are giving our men and women in uniform the very best equipment capabilities to do the job we ask them to do.

Last week, the Armed Services Committee reported out the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2027, and I am proud to say that this bill authorizes important investments to improve readiness and to provide the capabilities that we need to keep America safe today and into the future. That includes a heavy focus on unmanned systems.

This bill would create a new combatant command overseeing these technologies. It authorizes $1 billion in unmanned maritime systems, supports drone and counter-drone capabilities at military bases and at America's borders, and will ensure that we are able to produce and procure enough munitions for all of these systems as well.

Drones are just the beginning. There is a lot more in this year's NDAA to strengthen America's military, improve readiness, and keep our armed services on the cutting edge.

One of things is shipbuilding. The bill reported out of committee authorizes investment in a number of new ships, including accelerating procurement of amphibious warfare ships and supporting domestic shipbuilding and repair capabilities.

As for our airpower, this year's bill will help ensure we maintain a force of at least 1,800 fighters. It supports the new B-21 long-range strategic bomber, which is expected to land at Ellsworth Air Force Base, in my home State, sometime next year. And it allows for multiyear procurement for fighter planes, which will allow the Pentagon to do business more efficiently, with greater predictability, and save taxpayer money.

This year's bill builds on the significant reforms to defense acquisition we enacted in last year's NDAA in a number of ways. As I mentioned, it allows for multiyear procurement contracts for fighter aircraft, as well as for munitions and vehicles. And it accelerates the process for new software to come online, removing unnecessary redtape that delays getting new technology into the hands of the American soldiers.

And speaking of our men and women in uniform, I am pleased to be able to say that this bill authorizes a 3.6-percent pay raise for our military members. It also supports a number of quality-of-life improvements, including investments in education, healthcare, and childcare for servicemembers and their families.

As I have already said, this is an important bill, and drafting a bill of this size is not a simple task. I appreciate the hard work by our colleagues on the Armed Services Committee.

Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Wicker and Ranking Member Reed, we have, for the 66th year now in a row, a bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act. That, too, is no small feat.

When it comes to military capabilities, we just can't play catchup. We need to be the leader in the capabilities that will define the future--capabilities that will keep Americans safe by making our enemies think twice before crossing us. That is peace through strength, but you can't get there with a strong budget one year and a weak budget the next.

We ask members of the Armed Forces to be ready whenever we need them, wherever we need them, and for whatever we need them to do.

And we here have an obligation to make sure that when that call comes, they have what they need to answer it.

We need to make every concerted effort--every--to strengthen our military. There is never a time when we can afford to put this on the back burner. Try as we might, we simply don't know what is coming over the horizon, and we will eventually pay the price for failing to invest in a strong national defense today.

Mr. President, 251 years ago this week the Continental Congress created the Continental Army and appointed George Washington its Commander in Chief. For 251 years, Americans have bravely gone to fight our Nation's battles, and for 251 years, it has been Congress' job to stand behind them and provide what they need to execute the mission.

The face of the battle has changed, but the fundamental duty--theirs and ours--has not. As Washington himself said:

If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it;

if we desire to secure peace . . . it must be known that we

are at all times ready for war.

We have to get national security right. I am glad this year's National Defense Authorization Act is up to the task, and I look forward to bringing it to the floor very soon.

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 don't think at this point there are too many people who think Democrats were actually interested in reforms of Border Patrol and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement because it was pretty clear from their actions that they were not.

If you are interested in getting reforms, you don't say no when you are repeatedly offered a robust reform package, even if you can't get every single thing you want.

But Democrats, of course, said no again and again and again. And eventually, they just walked away completely and refused to provide even a dollar of funding for Border Patrol or ICE. Clearly, they decided that having a political issue for November was more important than reforms.

And you certainly don't have to take my word for it because the Democrat leader came out last week and admitted that the decisions he and his party have made in this Congress have been about one thing, and that is improving Democrats' prospects in November. This is a quote: ``We made a lot of strategic decisions that got us to this place--it didn't happen by accident,'' the Democrat leader said, referring to his view of his party's position. And you know what he ticked off as some of the most strategic decisions? Democrats' two recordbreaking government shutdowns. That is right.

Democrats shut down the government twice to try to improve their chances in November, not to help hard-working Americans, not to get reforms at ICE and Border Patrol--no; to improve their chances in November.

Let's just run down some of the consequences of Democrats' choices. The disastrous situation at U.S. airports that resulted from Democrats' decision to cut off funding for air traffic controllers, for one. There are the incredible lines that Americans faced at TSA in the middle of that shutdown, the TSA officers who have left in droves thanks to Democrats' decision to force them to work without pay for quite literally months this fiscal year.

There is the strain Democrats' actions placed on our national security Agencies and the people entrusted with protecting our Nation. And then there were the government workers lining up at food banks charging necessary expenses on credit cards and wondering if they would be evicted from their homes because they couldn't afford to pay next month's rent.

The damage Democrats have caused have been immense. And for what? For what? To improve their chances in November. Democrats would like you to believe they are the party of the little guy, of everyday American workers, but a better insight into their real attitude might be gained by the Democrat leader's statement earlier in Democrats' first government shutdown when he said this:

Every day gets better for us.

The ``us,'' of course, being Democrats.

Every day gets better for us.

When the Democrat leader made this statement, military families were on the verge of missing pay. So were a lot of civilian government employees like the Capitol Police officers who stand on guard for us around this building. People were wondering how they would cover their rent, their food, their commuting costs, their electric bills.

But none of that was on the Democrat leader's mind. All he could think about was whether the shutdown was good for Democrats' polling.

Then there is the article that came out last week about what House Democrats' first bill would be should they take the majority in November. Democrat leadership, of course, have been trying to push the narrative that Democrats' big interest is in making life more affordable for everyday Americans. But as last week's article made clear, it turns out that House Democrats are by no means agreed that affordability should be at the top of their priority list; they are interested in other issues like a reboot of their proposed Federal election takeover, or simply trying to undo anything President Trump has done presumably--presumably--simply because President Trump has done it.

I wonder if they would try to undo the tax relief Republicans passed for working families which every single Democrat voted against. Hard to know, but as the Democrat leader made clear last week, one thing is for sure: It is not the American people who are top of mind for Senate Democrats; it is their election prospects in November.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment to H.R. 6644 with a further substitute amendment.

Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk for the motion to concur with further amendment.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on the motion to concur with further amendment.

Mr. President, I have an amendment at the desk to the motion to concur with further amendment.

Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.

I move to refer the House Message on H.R. 6644 to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs with instructions to report back forthwith with an amendment.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on my motion.

Mr. President, I have an amendment to the instructions.

Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays on my amendment.

Mr. President, I have a second-degree amendment at the desk.

Mr. President, I ask that the reading be dispensed with.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 109, which was received from the House.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session to resume

consideration of the Steel nomination; further, that the cloture motions filed during Monday's session of the Senate ripen at 11:45 a.m., and if cloture is invoked on the Steel nomination, the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at 2:15 p.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session of the Senate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's actions.