Floor Statements

Madam President, thank you for the recognition.

I want to share a few words this afternoon to honor an incredible leader, somebody who is well known to the State of Montana and certainly well known to Indian Country, throughout this country, a personal friend of mine who passed away last week.

The person's name is Chief Earl Old Person of the Blackfeet Nation. He served 56 years as a Tribal councilman. He passed away last Wednesday, October 13, at the age of 92. He was the longest serving elected Tribal official in the United States when he passed. He was a keeper of Tribal history, a tireless advocate, and, for many, he was a national voice for the challenges in Indian Country.

Chief Old Person was born in 1929. He grew up on the Blackfeet Reservation, where he embraced Tribal culture and, at a young age, performed traditional Blackfeet song and dance across the State and the Nation as an ambassador for the Blackfeet. He even traveled to Paris to represent Indian Country as the only Indian Boy Scout at the World Boy Scout Jamboree in 1947.

It was clear that leadership was in his bones, and in 1954 he was elected to his first term as a Tribal council member, and he became the Tribal council chairman only 10 years later.

Chief Old Person went on to serve as President of the National Congress of American Indians. He played an integral part in creating the Nation's first tribally owned bank, helping to earn him the honor of being named Outstanding Indian of the Year by the Chicago Indian Council.

In 1978, Earl Old Person became Chief Earl Old Person, a title that he would hold with honor until his passing last Wednesday. In his role as chief, he would not only represent the Blackfeet Tribe but all Tribal nations in Montana and on the Governor's task force on Indian affairs and as the chairman of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians.

He met with every U.S. President from Truman to Obama and had joined the British royal family and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau for the Commonwealth Games in 1978. Wherever he went, he was pushing for progress.

There are too many honors and awards for me to name, but Chief Old Person's impact goes far beyond his accolades. He was a wise leader, a world-class orator, and I have heard stories of his words that brought folks to tears.

His shoes will never be filled, but the fact that we had the opportunity to see his leadership in action gives us the roadmap for a brighter future. He will sorely be missed by the Blackfeet Nation, by the State of Montana, by Indian Country across this country, and by my wife Sharla and I as well as countless others who knew him.

This world is a better place because of Chief Old Person and the work that he did. He will never be replaced.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I join my colleagues today in support of our bipartisan resolution to designate a state funeral in honor of the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient for

World War II. Woody Williams is that person, and this would also recognize millions of Americans for their service and sacrifice during the war.

The Medal of Honor represents a small token of our appreciation for the spirit, determination, and gallantry of those who performed far beyond the call of duty, those of our ``greatest generation'' who gave everything on the battlefield. This includes five brave Medal of Honor recipients from the great State of Montana: William W. Galt, Laverne Parrish, Leo J. Powers, Donald Ruhl, and Henry Schauer. Each of these men pitted bravery and heroism against great odds and showed exemplary devotion to our Nation. Now, they have all passed, but their memories live on in each of us--in our freedoms, in the freedoms of our children, and in those of our children's children.

Today, we have a special opportunity to honor their service and ensure that their acts of heroism are never forgotten. A state funeral for the last surviving World War II Medal of Honor recipient is a key part of fulfilling this promise. These ceremonies offer our Nation the opportunity to pause and reflect on the service of not only the individual but also those who served alongside them.

It is my hope that President Biden designates this state funeral so that we may honor the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II with this distinction. It is time to pay a final salute to the millions of men and women of our ``greatest generation'' who served our country with great courage.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, for Senator Toomey, I won't be long because it doesn't take long to tell the truth.

I am here to support Tracy Stone-Manning as next Director of the BLM. Why? Because she understands the value of public lands. She understands public lands need to be managed and need to be managed in a way so they can stay in public hands. She understands that the way you get things done is, be collaborative, bring people together, and talk issues out. That is Tracy Stone-Manning.

I often wonder on the Senate floor, if you tell a lie enough times, if it becomes the truth. The chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee has laid out the facts. And the truth is, Tracy Stone-Manning did nothing wrong. In fact, the people who went to jail went to jail because of Tracy Stone-Manning.

But that aside, character assassination isn't something we should put up with in this body. God only knows, if

we look back into the past of everybody who serves here, what we might find.

But I am here to tell you, to listen to the Senator from Wyoming stand up and say: We are going to hold every Democrat accountable--you are damn right. Hold me accountable for Tracy Stone-Manning. I worked with her. I know what she does. I know she can get the job done. She can bring people together of all political ilks, and she can do what is necessary for the American people--in this case, with our public lands.

I am going to point out one thing that Tracy Stone-Manning did that was wrong. She actually agreed to be Governor Bullock's chief of staff. If somebody wants to go into the investigation and find out what has happened over the last 3 years with the Governor running against a sitting Senator in this body and her being the Governor's chief of staff, you will find out why folks stand up and make stuff up about Tracy Stone-Manning because the facts don't back up what they are saying.

Yes. Listen to it again. If you are out there, the folks who have come to the floor on the Republican side of the aisle and bashed Tracy Stone-Manning--the facts don't back up what the claims are, and the character assassination is not something you should be proud of. Ye who throws stones ought to be very, very careful.

With that, I want to say this: Tracy Stone-Manning is not new to this process. She has been a leader. She is somebody who knows how to bring people together. She is somebody who has utilized our public lands. She is somebody who knows how valuable these public lands are. She is somebody who will do a great job as the head of the BLM.

I encourage any of the Senators on the other side of the aisle to take up any other claims with me, not her. I would love to answer them.

I encourage this body to vote for the confirmation of Tracy Stone- Manning because it is the right thing to do.

I yield the floor.

I want to thank you, Mr. President, the fine Senator from Georgia, for the recognition.

Look, I have been listening to the debate here, or the conversation-- however you want to say it--on the floor for the last hour and a half about Tracy Stone-Manning.

I will tell you that I take advice and consent that the United States has, and the Members of this body has, very seriously. That means not just picking up talking points the leadership might give you and reciting them back on the floor time and time and time again--which, by the way, I heard the same talking points time and time and time again for the last hour and a half. But it is to find out what is going on with this person because it is our duty to make sure there are good people in these Agencies.

I wish we had taken that same kind of thought with some of the folks President Trump put forth, but it seems, though, the rules have changed.

Now we are going to take a good woman--a good woman--the State of Montana knows well. In fact, she was vetted in the State of Montana. They said all these accusations have no merit. We are going to run her through the ringer here--character assassination like I have never seen before.

But let's be honest. What is this really about? Is this about Tracy Stone-Manning? No. This is about the Republicans in the Senate trying to make Joe Biden look bad. That is what this is about. Make no mistake about it--that is what this is about.

So let's get back to the issue at hand, and that is the person who has been nominated to run the BLM, Tracy Stone-Manning--somebody I have known for the last 25 years; somebody I have worked with for the last 20 years; somebody who, when she was on my staff, worked with the wood products industry, worked with recreation folks--worked with everybody out there--to write a bill on how we could better manage our national forests with Montana input.

She is somebody who lives by the statement ``You have two ears and one mouth; act accordingly.'' She is somebody who knows the value of collaboration. She is somebody who can listen, who can reason, and who knows our public lands and has recreated on our public lands for her entire life.

She is somebody who will run the BLM in a hell of a lot better way than this dude by the name of Pendley, who sat in that office, unconfirmed, for months after months after months in the previous administration, and nobody on the Republican side of the aisle said a thing about him. He is somebody who wanted to sell off our public lands, somebody who really didn't care about access to them.

But we have a person today we can confirm who can, once again, make the BLM the Agency it needs to be; somebody who understands multiple use; somebody who understands that the BLM needs to be run by a professional. Tracy Stone-Manning is a professional. I would encourage everybody to vote for her.

I thank the Presiding Officer.

Mr. President, I do want to thank Senator Carper and Senator Capito for managing this bill.

I say to the Senators, I very much appreciate what you guys have done up to this point and what you are going to do over the next 3 or 4 days.

Mr. President, I rise today for the same reason that--several months ago, I worked with four other Democrats and five Republicans to try to get something done to address the infrastructure of this country. Why? Because infrastructure is important.

Let me take you back 60 years. Sixty years ago, it was 13\1/2\ miles to the closest patch of pavement from my farm. Then, I was about 4 or 5 years old. I remember riding with my dad in a 1954 GMC 300 truck on that dirt road hauling wheat to town as he weaved around piles of gravel that were in the middle of that road.

And I asked my father: Why are those piles of gravel there?

He said: They are working to pave this road.

I said: What does that mean--being a 4-year-old.

He said: Well, remember the stretch of road, the 150 or 200 yards that we drive on to get to the elevator right before the elevator?

And I said: Yes.

This road is going to be all like that.

And I thought, wow.

And it was. It got paved. It got paved for the first 8 miles out of town, and that was pretty neat.

We were 5\1/2\ miles from pavement then, which was a great improvement.

Some 10 years later, a little more than 10 years later, that final 4 miles

was paved so that we could access that highway.

So why is that important? That is important because not only did it reduce our costs on the farm in things like tires and pins and bushings and ball joints, but it made our farm more profitable. Because of the investments that my grandfather and my father's generation made, not only did it help them at the time, but it helps me to this day.

That was my first introduction to infrastructure, and that is why, several months ago, I realized that after 15 years in this body and people from both sides of the aisle talking about infrastructure, that it was well past time to get something done on infrastructure because I knew it was economically important; I knew it would create jobs; and I knew it would help sustain communities all across this country.

So what is in this legislation? Why is this legislation so important? Well, let me tell you. It is about the economy. It is about creating jobs. It is about making sure that we can compete in this worldwide economy that we live in, how we can maintain our position as the world's premier economy in this world.

So how does it do it? Well, it starts by repairing and modernizing our roads and bridges, our airports, our transit systems. That is critically important for an economy.

In my particular case, I live a long ways away from our customer base. So when I jump in the truck and I go to town and I use that piece of pavement that was put down 50 years ago, that is important. When I cross that bridge that crosses the Marias River, when I haul grain to Fort Benton or Great Falls--without that bridge, I couldn't access my markets. Without those highways, I cannot access my markets. So it is critically important we keep our aging bridges and roads and airports up to snuff.

And then, this also makes an incredibly important investment in our aging water systems. Where I come from, they call it dryland agriculture. This year, it is a little dryer than we want because we are in the middle of a drought. But the truth is, even if you are looking for drinking water or irrigation water or any water, it is hard to come by.

As our Native American friends have told us many, many times, water is life. And so infrastructure to get water to the point where we can utilize it is critically important. This bill is a major investment in water infrastructure.

And I would say one other thing. Whether you live in the West or whether you live in the East, our water systems in this country are worn out because we haven't done what our parents and grandparents have done. We have allowed them to decay without investing in this infrastructure, which is what we are doing today with this package.

Then we talk about broadband, which, if we can get this bill across the line, I believe it will fix the broadband accessibility issues in this country.

We came through the pandemic, and we saw how important broadband was for distance learning, for telehealth, for opportunities for businesses to expand their customer base. This bill will help expand high-speed internet throughout this country, both urban and rural.

I will tell you, there is a lot of work that needs to be done in my home State of Montana when it comes to broadband.

Then there is the grid. If we are going to move forward with electric vehicles--and they are coming--then we have to have an electrical grid that will support those electric vehicles. Without improvements to the electrical grid, we will be behind the eight ball all the time when it comes to, for example, the electric pickup that Ford is putting out.

I will say, in my lifetime, I will probably have an electric tractor on the farm because this technology is moving so quickly that it is real.

This package does much more than that. I just wanted to touch on those few things. But it is done without increasing your taxes, which is really important because, right now, as we see our economy moving forward, we need to keep it going in that direction.

Ultimately, as I said before, this bill comes down to the economy; it comes down to creating jobs and putting America to work; and it is about our national security. It allows us to be able to compete with China in a way that we are losing right now.

I have heard people come to the floor and say: Do you know what? Infrastructure is good, but we don't need it. We don't need it right now.

Well, all I have to say is, if you believe that, take the keys to the car out of your pocket--known as our economy--and give them to China, because you are giving this economy away, and you are going to make China the leading economic power in this world.

Then there is the issue of bipartisanship that has been talked about a lot today already. The truth is this bill has made some news because Democrats and Republicans actually worked together. They actually compromised. Nobody got everything they want, but everybody won.

And as I have told many media outlets, this shouldn't be news, but in this day and age, it is. Hopefully, this will set an example so that we can have much more bipartisan legislation going forward.

And, in that regard, I want to thank my colleagues for their dedication to this effort over the last several months, the G-10-- Senators Portman, Sinema, Collins, Warner, Romney, Manchin, Cassidy, Shaheen, Murkowski--all of you folks who sat with me in the same room, and we battled it out. Sometimes, the conversation has been fun. Sometimes, it has not been so much fun. But the truth is every one of these folks wanted to get to yes, and in the end we did get to yes.

I want to thank Senator Schumer. I want to thank him for his patience, not something that he is known for. But he has been incredibly patient as this bill has been debated and changed and moved forward, particularly over the last week, although I will say that he pushed the envelope and made sure we were tending to business even before that, because I think Senator Schumer also wants to see this bill come to fruition.

I also need to thank the administration, the folks who represent President Biden in his negotiations. And I am going to name names: Louisa Terrell, Brian Deese, Steve Ricchetti. These folks were incredible resources, and they were incredibly helpful, and this bill would not have happened without their input.

I also want to thank all the staff members, both in the personal offices and the committees, from both sides of the aisle, who gave up their weekends and worked late into the night over and over and over again. I have said this before. I will say it again. The staff does the work; the Senators take the credit for it. The fact is that our staffs really rolled up their sleeves and really performed in a way that every American would be proud.

Look, over the next 3 or 4 days, we have the opportunity to prove that the U.S. Senate can do big things and still function. The process we have been through hasn't been pretty. I don't think it is supposed to be pretty. But it has been worth the while.

I would say the world is watching, both our allies and our adversaries. Our allies want us to succeed. Our adversaries want us to fail. I would say to everybody in this body, on both sides of the aisle--and we did get a 67-vote majority to move forward with this bill: Let's show them that America can function again. Let's get this bill passed. Let's get it over to the House. Let's get it to the President's desk for his signature.

With that, I yield, Mr. President.

Madam President, thanks for the recognition. I want to start by thanking Senator John Thune on this amendment. He and I cosponsored this together.

There is incredible investment in broadband infrastructure in this bill. For obvious reasons, the pandemic has taught us that we need to have better broadband service if we are going to be able to have distance learning, if we are going to have telehealth, and if we are going to have businesses have it and give them the opportunities to be able to expand their customer base.

Well, the challenge out there is workforce, and what this bill will do is it will help us better understand how many folks are actually going to need to be hired to train on this enormous endeavor. It will not only help with workforce, but it will also help to make sure working conditions are safe and the folks are fairly compensated for a hard day's work.

Look, the broadband provisions in this bill are landmark and will create good-paying jobs not only during the building of the infrastructure but also well on for decades and decades past. We need to make sure every community is included and nobody is left behind. This amendment will help us achieve those goals. I would encourage my colleagues to support it.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I want to associate myself with the words of John Thune: Listen to Thune, vote yes.

Vote on Amendment No. 2162

Madam President, it has been more than 200 days since the U.S. Capitol was attacked by mobs of anti-government insurrectionists. It was the darkest day for Congress in more than 200 years, since invading troops set this magnificent building on fire 200 years ago.

Americans in uniform that day stepped up to protect Congress. The officers of the Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies literally put their lives on the line to protect Senators, Congressmen, and to protect our Constitution.

More than 25,000 members of the National Guard also came from across the country to secure Capitol Hill, including from my home State of Montana.

Words cannot express my thanks for what these men and women did on behalf of our Nation, and their service was not without sacrifice.

Police officers were assaulted by an angry mob, and we know that post-traumatic stress is a real problem for many who had been to hell and back. The citizen soldiers of the National Guard stood watch day and night.

Now, today, we find out that pay is running short for both Capitol Police and the members of the National Guard. The good news is that after weeks of Senate negotiations, we are on the verge of a bipartisan deal that ensures that the Capitol Police will have the money to pay its officers for the rest of the year.

And as chairman of the Defense Appropriations Committee, I have worked with Vice Chairman Shelby on two critical funding items to be included in this bill.

First, we have agreed that the National Guard urgently needs $521 million to pay them for securing this Capitol. This funding will allow the summer drill season to proceed without interruption. We need a prepared Guard.

Second, we have learned of the substantial costs of moving Afghans who helped our military get out of that country safely. We owe a debt to those brave Afghans, who risked their lives to support our American troops. That debt can never be fully repaid.

I would like to thank Chairman Leahy and Vice Chairman Shelby for working with me on this important bill. I hope we can seal the deal very soon and have this measure approved by the Senate today because it is our job to defend the brave officers who defended us on January 6 and who continue their tireless work to keep us safe today.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, in Montana, public lands are a way of life. They create thousands of jobs; they bring billions of dollars into our State; and they form the backbone of our outdoor heritage.

Today--today--we have an opportunity to take another important step forward in putting a real public servant who will hold herself accountable to the taxpayer once confirmed to lead the Bureau of Land Management.

I know Tracy Stone-Manning. Tracy Stone-Manning is a tireless advocate for the outdoor spaces that make Montana special. She is a collaborative--collaborative--responsible leader, and at the BLM she will bring nonpartisan stewardship to our Nation's greatest treasures.

Tracy is dedicated to smart management of our public lands. She is dedicated to the habitat and to the outdoors and is one of the hardest working people that I know.

But, unfortunately, Members of this body have played politics with her nomination. They have dragged a good person's name through the muck in a cynical smear campaign ginned up by folks who would rather play politics than see a qualified, competent woman running the Bureau of Land Management.

Now, it is particularly galling that these same folks stood by silently--or, worse, cheered--as William Perry

Pendley led the Agency illegally, without Senate confirmation, under the previous administration: Pendley, a fringe climate change denier who explicitly called for the Federal Government to sell off all its public lands and who actively encouraged armed standoffs between law enforcement and ranchers.

It is a shame that we have people who put politics above people and our public lands, but that is the unfortunate reality of the U.S. Senate in Washington, DC.

The person these folks have made Tracy out to be is not the person that I have known and worked with over the last decade-plus. If she were that, I would not be standing here supporting her today. She will bring good old-fashioned Montana common sense to the Bureau of Land Management, along with a steadfast dedication to manage our public lands and the thousands of jobs that rely on those public lands. She will lead the Agency with dignity and honor and integrity.

And, as she has done her entire career, Tracy will bring folks together, from both sides of the aisle and all sides of the issue, to get things done and make a real impact on our public lands.

I am proud to support Tracy Stone-Manning, and I look forward to seeing the great work that she will do as the next leader of the Bureau of Land Management. I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all remaining time be yielded back.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I have 10 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 3 p.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on

Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Finance

The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations.

committee on health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Committee on the Judiciary

The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Select Committee on Intelligence

The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a closed hearing.

Mr. President, I would ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar Nos. 151, 152, 153, and 154; that those 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 will rephrase this one more time.

I would ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 153--for those who want to know, that is Matthew T. Quinn of Montana; that the nomination be confirmed and the motion 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 other nomination; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President.

Last month, four well-qualified, noncontroversial nominees were unanimously voted out of the Veterans' Affairs Committee--unanimously voted out of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, which Senator Blackburn sits on. Here is who these people are:

Don Remy, a veteran, has been nominated as VA Deputy Secretary--VA Deputy Secretary. That is second in command. If Senator Blackburn wants quick reaction from the VA on toxic exposure, maybe Senator Blackburn shouldn't hold that nominee of the No. 2 position of the Department, a nominee specifically tasked with coordinating VA's work with the Defense Department, which includes issues like--guess what--toxic exposure. But that is all right. We will leave him sitting at home. We will leave the veterans out in the cold.

Then there is Patricia Ross, who is nominated to be Assistant Secretary for Congressional Affairs. So if Senator Blackburn wants more information from the VA on legislation and how much it costs, maybe the Senator shouldn't hold the nominee tasked with getting that information from the VA to Congress, but she is.

Then, there is Maryanne Donaghy, nominated as Assistant Secretary for Accountability and Whistleblower Protection. I want to tell you that whistleblowers regularly come to us with reports of waste, fraud, and abuse.

Folks love to condemn the VA--we heard a lot about it a second ago-- when it fails to hold its workforce accountable. I recommend that, if Senator Blackburn wants to request accountability at the VA, maybe the Senator shouldn't hold the nominee tasked with employee accountability and whistleblower protection.

Then, there is Matt Quinn--someone that I know very, very well because he comes from the State of Montana--for director of cemetery affairs. So when people die, no one is there in the VA to take care of this issue.

Once again, all four people--critically important people--whom the Senator voted for to get out of committee are now being held by the Senator.

I am going to tell you that, if we want to hold the VA accountable today in a situation where we are coming out of a pandemic, this is not the way to do it. The bottom line is that if you want a VA that can function, then, we have to have that VA staffed up.

Don't talk to me or anybody else in this body about distressed veterans and then say: You know what. We are going to stop the No. 2. We are going to stop the VA person who is supposed to talk to us. We are going to stop the cemetery person. We will stop the whistleblower person. That is really helping veterans.

Quite frankly, it is just the contrary.

I pride myself on running a committee that is very bipartisan, and the VA Committee may be the best, not because of me but because of people like Jerry Moran, John Boozman, people like Patty Murray. Those people step up to the plate every day, and they do what is right for veterans.

Let's talk about the toxic exposure bill. Let's talk about that bill. In World War I, we had mustard gas. The VA had no capacity to deal with those veterans. In World War II, we had radiation. The VA had no capacity. In the Vietnam war, we had Agent Orange. And, by the way, they died, they died, and they died again because this body refuses to give the VA the tools they need to take care of our veterans, and now we are doing the same thing with burn pits.

I am here to tell you that I had a veteran stand up in my very first year on the VA Committee. A Vietnam veteran stood up in the back of the room in a townhall and said: You are not going to treat this generation of veterans like you treated ours, the Vietnam veterans.

Well, I tell you what: If we want to close the door and we want to delay and we want to push back what is going on with burn pits, then, let's have them die.

You were at the hearing that the lung transplant guy was at. We had to juggle that hearing so he could even be at it because he was on medication.

The bottom line is people are dying every day.

By the way, we are still not done with Agent Orange, hypertension, and MGUS, which are in this bill. They will die. Some more of them will die.

We send our young people off to war. They come back changed, and we don't have the guts to step up and debate the bill. When I give the ranking member the authority to stop that bill from coming to the floor, we are still going to make excuses? Give me a break.

I am going to tell you what. I have been in this body for probably too long. We turn around and we try to do the right things, and we have people who say: You know, send our young people off to war at the drop of the hat. Send them off to war. Send them off to war.

And then they come back, and they are changed, and we say we are not going to take care of them because we need information right now, this very minute, when it is not even on the floor. We need the information--when I have already made a commitment to the ranking member that we are going to have this information. But, no, what we are going to do is we are going to stop the VA from having a slate of candidates so they can do their jobs and service the veterans.

Guess what. I am not a veteran. This doesn't impact me, but it impacts the veterans in my State, some 100,000 of them--1 in 10 Montanans--and, in fact, veterans all across this country.

We can sit here and we can play these games of holding up nominees to fill critical Agency departments, and we can play them and play them and play them again, and we can say we are doing it on behalf of the veterans. That is bull--you got it--total bull.

We have a job to do here, folks. If we don't want to confirm well- qualified folks, then, why don't we just shut down the VA? Why don't we tell McDonough that he is out of luck, that we are not going to send him any help? And then we start making demands.

The bottom line is this, folks: All the things Senator Blackburn is concerned about, I made a commitment with the ranking member that we are going to get those questions answered, and we will get them answered with good information. And then if the ranking member consents, we will have a vote and we will have debate, and we will make a determination whether this is the right thing to do.

But just to say, ``No, we are stopping everything right now; no more toxic exposure bill until I get this information because we are not going to send you the staff to do your job,'' doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. And in the process our veterans suffer. That veteran who has hypertension dies--one less problem for the VA, because we created the problem right here today.

I would ask Senator Blackburn to reconsider her hold so we can get the VA the staff they need so they can do their job.

I yield the floor

Madam President, I rise today to extend my sincere appreciation to Victoria Cech, who is planning on retiring from her position as the executive director of the Montana Health Research and Education Foundation. The citizens of my State are truly grateful for her tireless efforts to improve thehealth of all Montanans.

During her tenure at the foundation, Victoria was responsible for managing our State's hospital flexibility and frontier community health improvement programs, both of which provide vital support to our State's critical access hospitals. Why is this important? Because Montana has the distinction if not losing a single critical access hospital since the program's inception. It is the work of the foundation and Victoria's tireless leadership that has contributed to this great success.

But her work did not stop there. She continued to lead efforts to improve care in Montana by expanding two of the area health education centers managed by the foundation. These efforts led the charge in addressing behavioral health needs in our State, even bringing national attention to Montana when the foundation partnered with the National Council for Behavioral Health and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation to complete the Teen Mental Health First Aid pilot program at Jefferson High School in Boulder.

Patient safety and quality improvement are also major focuses of the foundation. Victoria pioneered these efforts, leading a quality improvement team that moved Montana's hospitals into the highest ranked position within the Hospital Improvement Innovation Network hosted by the American Hospital Association's Health Research & Education Trust.

In 2014, Victoria was at the helm of the foundation when our country saw its first Ebola patient. The foundation was managing the hospital preparedness program--HPP--which it continues to do today. With five Montana residents under Ebola surveillance, the preparedness program quickly ramped up to raise awareness in hospitals across the State. That preparedness work has expanded dramatically since then, bringing in four full-time planners who played a large role in helping Montana prepare for and manage the coronavirus pandemic.

All 50 States are also experiencing an epidemic of drug addiction and opioid use that has hit Montana particularly hard, especially on the high line. The Montana Hospital Association and its foundation took this reality to heart and worked to expand its education and engagement work to move the needle on reversing opioid addiction. Under Victoria's leadership, the foundation was successful in securing a Rural Communities Opioid Response Program grant that is currently helping to address opioid addiction along the Canadian border and increasing engagement in our Tribal communities.

With all the work that Victoria has done, she has not overlooked the needs of her team members or those of the Montana Hospital Association. When the pandemic halted in-person education in Helena area schools, Victoria looked for a solution to support the parents at the association and ultimately converted the educational center into a classroom for virtual learning, dubbed the MHA Learning Center. Staffed by a full-time teacher, parents could now go to work knowing their children would not slip in their classwork and instead continue to make educational gains.

A lifelong learner, her passion for education will continue after her retirement as she supports her husband and president of Carroll College, John Cech, in positioning the college to be a national leader in higher education.

Victoria is a gifted leader who has had a meaningful impact on the lives of all Montanans, and we are very grateful for her dedication to keeping folks healthy across the Big Sky State.

Congratulations, Victoria Cech, on your much deserved retirement.

Mr. President, today, I rise to recognize the Boys and Girls Club of Yellowstone County for 50 years of service to the Billings community.

The Boys and Girls Club of Yellowstone County first opened its doors in 1971, serving 70 kids out of the basement of the old public library in downtown Billings. Over the past half century, the club has grown to serve well over 500 kids and operates five clubhouses and five microsites across the Magic City.

Throughout the pandemic, the club never stopped doing what it does best serving the kids who need it most. Like many other schools and organizations, the club initially had to close their doors when COVID- 19 came to Montana. But they put in the hard work and managed to reopen carefully and safely so they could continue providing a welcoming place for kids to learn together, make lifelong friendships, and build skills and confidence that will serve them for the rest of their lives. I commend president and CEO Brian Dennis and his staff for navigating these challenging times and for their steadfast commitment to ensuring every child in our community is set up to succeed.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of America challenge each and every one of us to reach our full potential and be great. For the past 50 years, the Yellowstone County club has done exactly that. Congratulations, thank you, and best of luck as you continue this truly commendable work.