Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the remaining cloture motions filed during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 18, ripen at 11:30 a.m., tomorrow, Wednesday, March 24.

Mr. President, I yield back all time and ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I would like to call up amendment No. 1197 and ask that it be reported by number.

I ask unanimous consent for 4 minutes of debate, equally divided.

Senator Hoeven will speak for 1 minute. I will speak for 1 minute, and I would ask that I be notified when I run of out of my minute.

Mr. President, this is the most important vote of the night. It is 2:41, so pay attention here.

The Keystone Pipeline would create good-paying jobs and bring much needed revenue to rural counties in Eastern Montana. These counties have been hard-hit by the pandemic. They have also been hard-hit by trade wars that have impacted our agricultural community. So they need the tax base, and this XL Pipeline would give them the tax base.

Look, there is no doubt the pipeline needs to be built responsibly with American steel to the highest safety standards to respect private property rights and to include significant consultation with Native American Tribes. But the fact is, we have many pipelines to go across the border between Canada and the United States. This is just one.

I would ask you to support this amendment.

Senator Hoeven.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Manchin be added to this amendment.

Mr. President, in accordance with section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the waiver provisions of all applicable budget resolutions, I move to waive all applicable sections of that act and applicable budget resolutions for the purpose of amendment No. 1197, and I would ask for the yeas and nays.

Vote on Amendment No. 1197

Mr. President, I rise, and unfortunately I have to speak against this amendment from my good friend Jerry Moran. But here is the deal. If you talk to the veterans, they like VA care, but there are some cases where community care is very, very important for them to have, either for personal reasons or maybe it is because it is closer to where they live. So community care is also very, very important.

Here is the problem I have with Ranking Member Moran's amendment. This bill sets it at a cap of $4 billion. OK. They go over that, they have to come to us and ask for permission to go over that. Under this amendment, they can spend any amount on care, up to $5 billion and even more if they so choose, without our permission. I want Jerry Moran and myself and others to be able to say: Hey, what are you spending that money on? Is it really being spent to the best advantage? By the way, that is not only for community care; that is for VA care too. So I would like to leave that as a cap instead of a floor. That is why I oppose this amendment.

Madam President, the Committee on Veterans' Affairs has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 117th Congress. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the standing rules of the Senate, on behalf of myself and Ranking Member Moran, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the committee rules be printed in the Record.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that I be able to finish my remarks before the vote.

Madam President, I rise today in support of Denis McDonough. Denis is President Biden's choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Though there is a great political divide in our Nation, I believe that veterans across the country and Members on both sides of the aisle are united by a very basic expectation: that the next VA Secretary be an individual of honesty, integrity, and vision. This individual must listen to veterans and put their well-being above all else.

Denis McDonough has demonstrated that he is, unequivocally, the man for this job. And to be clear, this is not an easy job. But Denis is used to making tough calls. He has shown an exemplary commitment to public service and a strong willingness to do right by those who have worn the uniform and sacrificed on behalf of our liberties.

As White House Chief of Staff, he quickly earned a reputation for getting the job done, working across Federal Agencies, and finding common ground. For the last 20 years, he has played a key role in many decisions surrounding sending our military men and women to war and knows that taking care of these folks when they return home is a cost of war and a shared responsibility.

Veterans need someone like Denis fighting in their corner, but the truth is there is simply too much at stake.

With more than 400,000 Americans dying from COVID-19 in less than a year, the VA Secretary's top responsibility will be ensuring that the Department has everything it needs--from vaccines to personal protective equipment, to additional healthcare and supportive services--to care for veterans and to protect the VA's employees.

He will be held accountable when it comes to swiftly implementing a number of historic reforms, from the John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental Health Care Improvement Act, a bill that is out-of-box thinking to help our veterans in the mental health challenges and suicides that have resulted, to the Deborah Sampson Act, an act to help the largest or the fastest growing group of veterans, our women veterans, have access to care, to the expansion of presumptive coverage for thousands of additional Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange and overdue coverage for our Vietnam veterans--not to mention a myriad of other critical priorities that have been in the works for years and need serious attention, such as the Caregivers Program and the electronic health record modernization effort.

But Denis is fully prepared to take on these responsibilities. He is ready to build the trust of our Nation's servicemembers, veterans, and their families, and treat them with the respect that they have earned.

Now more than ever, veterans need a strong leader who will prioritize delivering timely and quality healthcare and benefits over making political points. I am confident that, as VA Secretary, Denis will be squarely focused on serving these needs.

I ask my colleagues to join me today in confirming him to this role, where I have no doubt that he will be successful. Our Nation's veterans are counting on us.

Now, unfortunately, my friend and colleague, the ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, Jerry Moran, couldn't make it back in time for this nomination due to bad weather and flight delays. But he was planning on voting to advance this nomination today because he believes Denis McDonough is someone who shares his commitment to taking care of our veterans.

With that, I yield.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I have a request for one committee to meet during today's session of the Senate. It has the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders.

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

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Monday, February 8, 2021, at 6 p.m., to conduct a classified hearing.

Mr. President, I rise today to urge my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support this veterans COVID-19 relief package, to do right by the millions of veterans across our country struggling with this pandemic.

For months, I have been hearing from folks back home in Montana on the need for Congress to put together a smart, targeted package that will quickly provide communities across the country with the resources they need to weather this storm. This includes delivering assistance and vaccines to those who have worn the uniform and sacrificed for our liberties.

If this year has taught us anything, it is that we need to secure additional resources to expand medical services, mental healthcare, and telehealth capabilities to protect and support our most vulnerable populations.

And we need a distribution plan that will provide more predictability when it comes to administering vaccines. That way, we could get more vaccines into the veterans' arms as quickly as possible.

Today, we are putting a bicameral proposal on the table that delivers tangible relief to veterans and families and all Americans who need them. As we all know, proposals are rarely ever perfect, and this package is no different.

But the truth is, we have good provisions in this bill that allow us to provide serious relief to those who swore an oath to protect our country. It will slow the spread of the virus, and it will help save lives.

A previous package that was put forth by my Republican colleagues--I

would say, thank you for doing that, but unfortunately, that package didn't put as much as a dime to support our veterans and families.

Now, there are a lot of things we disagree upon in this body, but delivering for our Nation's veterans should never be one of them. That is why my colleagues and I worked with the Biden administration on this new relief package that allocates $17 billion in critical resources and assistance to the men and women who have served this country.

The truth is that out of almost 7 million veterans that the VA serves nationwide, only 638,000 veterans have been vaccinated so far. Serious efforts need to be made to reach more veterans, especially those veterans who live in rural or country areas.

Additional funding under our proposal allows the VA to increase vaccine distribution and outreach efforts to remote areas, ensuring all veterans who want a vaccine can receive one.

It even goes a step further in accelerating the deployment of VA's supply chain modernization initiative to improve the Department's preparedness and response to public health emergencies. It takes an aggressive approach in assisting vulnerable veterans by providing mental health care options, medical equipment, and additional services to women vets, those at risk of homelessness, and those who face unemployment.

Make no mistake, this pandemic is taking a dangerous toll on our veterans. Veterans are experiencing job losses at unprecedented rates. The veteran unemployment rate for December was roughly double what it was this time last year, up from 2.8 percent to 5.3 percent. And with older veterans continuing to face more difficulty in the job market, it makes this package even more necessary today.

Our proposal helps tackle veteran unemployment by establishing a VA Rapid Retraining Assistance Program that will strengthen existing job opportunities and establish new resources to get veterans employed and back on their feet.

And for folks burdened by healthcare costs, our provisions waive copayment billing and debt collection, as well as costs for COVID-19 testing, treatment, and vaccine services, because no veteran should have to worry about choosing between accessing essential healthcare and providing for their family during a global pandemic and an economic crisis.

When veterans elect officials to Congress, they do so with the expectation that they will get the job done. So while this proposal is not a silver bullet, it is our best shot, however, at getting more folks vaccinated and our economy back on track.

There should be no excuses. Veterans and all Americans are looking at us to do the right thing. We do need bipartisan support in this Chamber if we are going to put this pandemic behind us, and we do need it today.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I have 4 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 Armed Services

The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 4, 2021, at 9:30 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 Thursday, February 4, 2021, at p.m., to conduct a hearing nominations.

Committee on Foreign Relations

The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 4, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

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 Thursday, February 4, 2021, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination.

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

Madam President, I rise to speak about a friend of mine, Ali Mayorkas. He is President Biden's choice to head up the Department of Homeland Security. Now, I don't need to tell the folks in this Chamber how big of a job this is, but let me be clear: It is our duty to put somebody in this role who is up to the task of getting things done, and I am here to assure you that Ali Mayorkas is that man.

I worked closely with Ali when he was Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration. It is obvious that he has the understanding of the challenges that this country is facing--from the coronavirus pandemic to immigration, to cybersecurity, to threats from our foreign adversaries and now, more than ever, from our domestic ones. Perhaps, most importantly, he has demonstrated that he is going to listen and learn about the unique problems facing each State in this Union.

He proved that to me when I brought him to Montana back in 2015. We flew along the Montana-Canada border and visited the Ports of Piegan and Sweetgrass before hosting a roundtable on human trafficking in Havre, just a little more than 50 miles from where I live. We also held listening sessions on law enforcement and first responders in Helena. We met with local businesses to discuss cross-border trade and even met with union representatives from Customs and Border Protection. He traveled thousands of miles to hear firsthand what Montanans had to say, and because of it, he understood what our State needed from him in order to be successful with our homeland security. That, folks, is what leadership looks like.

Over the past 4 years, we have seen the Department of Homeland Security in turmoil with six different Secretaries. We need a steady hand, a steady hand like Ali Mayorkas's, to get us back on track. After all, he spent 7 years in leadership roles in the Department of Homeland Security. He understands the challenges. He understands it is going to take a lot of work. He understands that we are going to have to bring people together, and he understands that this job is a 24/7 job. He understands because he has lived it. He has the knowledge and the experience to lead our Nation's Homeland Security today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow.

Now, it is my understanding that tomorrow, at 2:30, we will vote on Ali Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security. I would hope that we would get a strong vote for him out of this body because, quite frankly, after the events of January 6, we have no time to waste.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor a longtime advocate for sustainable living and conservation who has worked tirelessly to make the world around her a better, healthier place.

Kathy Hadley is retiring from her position as the executive director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte, MT. For over 30 years, Kathy has devoted her life to NCAT's mission: championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.

Kathy has had a hand in some of the most important conservation movements of the past 30 years, and programs at NCAT under her direction have ranged from developing energy-saving strategies for low- income communities to helping out farmers looking to adopt more sustainable farming practices, as well as AmeriCorps program that gives young people an opportunity to serve the public while working towards clean air and clean water.

I am particularly fond of the Armed-to-Farm Program, which teaches veterans the ins and outs of farming.

Her career has also led her to distinguished service with the National Wildlife Federation, where she fought to ensure wildlife continues to thrive in our rapidly changing world.

I am thankful for Kathy's commitment to the environment, to sustainability, and to building a better future for our children and grandchildren. She has left an indelible mark on Montana and on the world, and I wish her and her husband Wayne and their two sons, Erik and Liam, the best.

Enjoy your retirement, and job well done.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of Bruce Edward McNabb, a lifelong Montanan and decorated veteran of Vietnam.

While Bruce is no longer with us, his legacy lives on. On behalf of myself, my fellow Montanans, and my fellow Americans, I would like extend our deepest gratitude for his service to this Nation.

Bruce was born on August 23, 1947, in Butte, MT, to Dallas and Catherine McNabb. His father was a World War II veteran who fought with General George Patton in the Mediterranean theatre. His mother worked for the National Forest Service. In addition to their son, the couple had a daughter, Bruce's younger sister, Kathi.

After graduating from Butte Central High School in 1965, Bruce moved to Seattle, WA, where he worked for Boeing. However, his plans quickly changed at the age of 19 when he received a draft letter from the U.S. Army. He started basic training shortly thereafter.

Bruce served our country in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. In March of 1968, during a search and clear mission, his unit became heavily engaged with the enemy. In an act of great bravery, Bruce rushed to the aid of his fallen platoon leader, helping him back to safety. Without a moment's pause, he immediately rushed back out and pulled an additional comrade out of harm's way, saving both men's lives.

Upon his return home to Montana, Bruce attended Carroll College in Helena. It was during this time he met the love of his life, Linda Skiles, whom he married on June 30, 1973. Together, they raised two wonderful children, their daughter, Kimberly, a certified patient care technician in Billings, MT, and their son, Rick, a teacher in Beaverton, OR.

Like many Vietnam veterans who returned home from service, Bruce fell victim to the sinister effects of Agent Orange, but he never let it slow him down.

Known by many for his hard work and determination, Bruce led a long career as a store/plans coordinator for Buttrey Food Stores, Super Yalu, and Associated Food Stores. After many years, he started a new career at ExxonMobil, retiring in 2015.

Bruce and his wife Linda were married for almost 46 years before he passed away in November 2018. He was a devoted family man and caring grandfather to his two granddaughters, Mariah and Ashlee.

He was passionate about a number of sports teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame, Portland Trail Blazers, the Cubbies, and took great care of his truck ``Sweetness.''

I now have the profound honor of presenting Bruce with his own set of military honors. For his bravery in the line of duty, Bruce Edward McNabb received the: Bronze Star Medal with bronze oakleaf cluster, Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with 1960 Device, Expert Badge with Machine Gun Bar, and Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar.

These medals serve as a small token of our country's appreciation for Bruce's incredible service and profound sacrifice.

He is an American hero who has made Montana proud, and we are eternally grateful for his service.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, last week, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Congress passing the 19th Amendment. This week, coincidentally enough, we celebrate the birthday of the only woman to vote on the 19th Amendment, Montana's own Jeannette Rankin.

Jeannette Rankin, who helped women in Montana and Washington, earned the right to vote in 1914, 3 years before she became the first woman elected to Congress and 5 years before she helped pass the 19th Amendment, making her the only woman to vote for nationwide women's suffrage.

I say ``nationwide'' because before Congress passed the 19th Amendment, women had already won the right to vote in more than a dozen States, almost all of which were west of the Mississippi. And that was no accident.

The demands of frontier life were such that men and women often had to work side by side in order to meet those demands, and they still do that today. So it is no surprise that it was a western woman who led the effort on the House floor to pass a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote.

As a freshman Member of the minority party, Rankin was denied the chairmanship of the newly established Woman Suffrage Committee, but she was named ranking member. The group went to work drafting a women's suffrage amendment on the morning of January 10, 1918. The Capitol was crowded with people to hopefully secure a seat in the House Gallery for the suffrage debate. Rankin opened the debate with an impassioned speech that

helped convince her colleagues in the House to pass the amendment. It was passed by the thinnest possible margin.

Unfortunately, the Senate failed to pass that amendment in that Congress, but Rankin's victory in the House marked a major milestone in the suffrage movement and laid the groundwork for the 19th Amendment's passage just 18 months later.

Today, in honor of her birthday on Tuesday and the suffrage centennial this past week, I would like to read an excerpt from that impassioned speech that Representative Rankin gave on the House floor more than 100 years ago.

Today, as never before, the Nation needs its women--needs

the work of their hands and their hearts and their minds.

Their energy must be utilized in the most effective service

they can give.

Are we now going to refuse these women the opportunity to

serve in the face of their plea--in the face of the Nation's

great need?

Deep down in the hearts of the American people is a living

faith in democracy.

Sometimes it is not expressed in the most effective way.

Sometimes it seems almost forgotten.

But when the test comes, we find it is still there, groping

and aspiring, and helping men and women to understand each

other and their common need.

It is our national religion, and it prompts in us the

desire for that measure of justice, which is based on equal

opportunity, equal protection, equal freedom for all.

This proposed amendment should be passed as an act of right

and justice to the women of America.

To my mind, this is one of the most important questions

that has been presented to Congress since I have been a

member.

One that has far more wide-reaching effect upon the people

of the country--insofar as what the country stands for and

what we stand for--than any other question since the writing

of the Declaration of Independence and the adoption of our

Constitution.

These are the people who are resting their faith in the

Congress of the United States because they believe Congress

knows what democracy means.

Can we afford to allow these men and women to doubt for a

single instant the sincerity of our protestations of

democracy?

How shall we answer their challenge, gentleman? How shall

we explain to them the meaning of democracy if the same

Congress that voted for war to make the world safe for

democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to

the women of our country?

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, first of all, it is indeed a pleasure to be on the Senate floor with the chairman of the VA Committee, Senator Johnny Isakson. I think we all know we wouldn't be talking about the blue water Navy legislation, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, without Johnny Isakson.

Johnny has been an incredible leader on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee since he took it over, and I can't thank him enough for what he has done to make this a reality. It has been a long time coming. If there is anybody that deserves this to happen, it is the folks who served in Vietnam. Quite frankly, the sacrifice that they made during that war was like all other wars, and it was pretty darn incredible.

This victory is for the folks who were exposed to Agent Orange, and Agent Orange, by the way, is a herbicide that was not handled properly, and, quite frankly, causes real problems, and it has shown now that it causes real problems among the men and women who handled it, who were sprayed by it, who drank it, and who were exposed to it. So it is long past time that we deal with those folks in a way that meets their needs because of their sacrifice supporting that war.

I would just say that I come to the floor a lot, and I am disappointed in the U.S. Senate almost every day because they don't do what they need to do as far as checks and balances in this country. But today I come and I say thank you to the U.S. Senate. Thank you to the folks who didn't put a hold on this bill, who were able to push it through, because, quite frankly, this rights a wrong that has been perpetrated by a government that has ignored them for far too long.

Very quickly, since we do have the time, I just want to go through what this bill does. It ensures that veterans who served just off the shores of Vietnam are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, just like those who served on land. The fact is that they were exposed. The fact is that now this bill recognizes that.

It restores VA benefits to literally tens of thousands of blue water Navy veterans who had their disability eligibility taken away back in 2002. It requires the VA to contact veterans who filed denied claims and who are now eligible for retroactive benefits. That means that for those folks who had their benefits taken away, the VA now needs to contact them and say: Look, the playing field has changed.

It extends presumption of Agent Orange exposure to veterans who served along the Korean DMZ, something we don't talk about much, and it expands benefits to include children born with spina bifida due to a parent's exposure in Thailand.

I have said this many, many times. Taking care of our veterans is a cost of war. That is why we need to be very careful when we send our troops into battle, because they are exposed physically and mentally to things that normal people are never exposed to.

For years, I have heard from veterans who were counting on us to pass the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act because, quite frankly, they weren't getting the benefits that they were promised when they signed up. When they were put in harm's way, the country turned their back on them.

They are veterans like Mike Stone from Kalispell, who served as a blue water sailor in 1974 and has since been diagnosed with a variety of illnesses linked to Agent Orange, like diabetes and heart disease. Now Mike Stone can receive the benefits he has earned.

This bill is for Mike and for so many veterans like him who have waited so long for the government to deliver. Once again, under the leadership of Chairman Johnny Isakson, we are able to live up to the commitment to justice for the blue water Navy veterans in Montana and across this country who have sacrificed to keep us safe and free.

I would urge the President to quickly sign this bill into law. It is the right thing to do, and I am proud that the Senate has finally done it.

I yield the floor.