Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to honor a ranching community, a community that knows the meaning and value of hard work and that truly embodies the spirit of the great state of Montana.

Garfield County is 100 years old this year. After splitting from neighboring Dawson County in 1919, this group of homesteading pioneers voted to make Jordan its county seat and get to work doing what Montanans do best: making a living off the land.

Ranching is a way of life out here, one that has sustained families, built communities, and contributed to Montana's rural heritage.

While ranching and agriculture remain Garfield's top industries, the county is perhaps most well known for another export: bones.

Garfield County sits atop the Hell's Creek Formation. Millions of years before European settlers built their homesteads and long before the Assiniboine and Crow tribes occupied the land, Garfield County was home to some of the most fearsome creatures ever to roam the Earth. Its Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops fossils are some of the best preserved, and most renowned, specimens ever discovered.

Rexy, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex who now roams the halls of the Natural History Museum in New York City, was discovered just north of Jordan, and is just one example of the paleontological contribution Garfield County has made, a reminder of an ancient history long forgotten and discovered anew.

The good people of Garfield County have much to be proud of. I rise today to honor them and to congratulate them on 100 great years.

I know the next 100 will be even better.

Mr. President, everywhere I go in Montana, I hear the same thing from my State's business owners and job creators of the State; that they need more workers. They need more highly skilled welders, bricklayers, heavy machine operators, and laborers. The list goes on and on. I will tell you that I think the biggest limiting factor to moving our economy forward is a well-trained workforce. These businesses give living-wage jobs to the folks who are able to fill them, if they have the skills to fill them.

That is why I was so appalled when the Trump administration recklessly and cluelessly moved to close so many successful Job Corps programs across this country.

While we have heard there is some sort of reprieve for the Anaconda Job Corps, we have not received word that actually means it is going to stay open or any of the other Job Corps across this country--16 of which were scheduled for privatization and 9 of which were out-and-out closures--will stay open.

In Montana's case, we have two successful Civilian Conservation Corps programs: the Anaconda Job Corps and the Trapper Creek Job Corps. The Anaconda Job Corps, of course, is in Anaconda, MT. The Trapper Creek Job Corps is in Darby. These two job training centers play an active role in our State's economy.

We have a foundry in Butte, MT. It is called Montana Precision Products. Mike Robbins is a co-owner of that. This company has hired more than 50 Job Corps graduates in recent years alone--more than 50-- most of whom, if not all, were from the Anaconda Job Corps. He has promoted these folks--some of them--from entry level to mid-level managers.

So when Mike and his brother Burt need high-skilled employees, the first place they look is the Job Corps. Why? Because these folks come out with a skill set that fits their needs.

Now, you may ask: Who is going into the Job Corps? These are at-risk folks. These are folks who are having a hard time with life and a hard time getting a job, and they go in the Job Corps--young people--and they give them a skill, a skill they can use in the private sector, a skill that if the Trump administration has their way, they will no longer be able to receive.

They will be at risk. They will not be well trained. They will, in fact, probably end up in some sort of government program instead of contributing to our economy, and this is what the Job Corps allows them to do.

(Mr. LANKFORD assumed the Chair.)

Needless to say, they also provide incredible work in our forests, fighting fires, helping clean up our forests.

It is just amazing to me--it is amazing the shortsightedness of this decision to privatize 16 and close 9 Job Corps across the country. We have heard from one of its graduates--I have heard from many of its graduates, by the way--of the Job Corps in Anaconda and down in Darby at Trapper Creek. One of the graduates is named Zoey Huff. Zoey told me the Job Corps saved her life--changed it. Before her time in the Job Corps, Zoey lived with her parents. She wasn't sure what direction she wanted to take in her life. She went through the Job Corps, and now she has a CDL, which is a commercial driver's license. She has that and certificates that make her an employee who is valued and someone whom businesses across this country--because I don't think Montana is any exception--are competing against each other to hire.

The Job Corps gave her the training and the life tools she needs to succeed, but Zoey's story is not unique. My office has been flooded with stories like hers. I encourage folks who have been impacted by the Job Corps to share their story on my website.

I recently heard from Carl in Montana. Carl's father enrolled in the Job Corps nearly 50 years ago. That 1-year investment in Carl's father provided him with a career that has lasted him for 45 years, that allowed him to raise 5 children and help support 11 grandchildren. It was a good investment because 4-year colleges are great, but they are not for everybody. There are some folks who would rather work with their hands than sit at a desk. These are the folks who shower after work, not before work, and I can relate to these folks. Without important resources like the Job Corps, we are making it harder and harder for young people in rural areas to access the job training they need to succeed in this 21st century economy.

If the President tries again to close the Job Corps, not only will it immediately reduce the amount of well-trained workers in rural America, but it will also kill dozens of good-paying jobs in these small communities that don't support the Job Corps. It is a double punch in the gut that our rural counties have not felt in a long, long time-- decades.

Once they are closed, by the way--the one in Anaconda has been open since 1966--once they are closed, it will be hard to get them back.

So when I received the news about the Job Corps 10 days ago, I urged Secretary Perdue, the Secretary of Agriculture, and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to reverse course.

Senator Boozman is on board to help reverse this shortsighted and irresponsible decision. I am proud to work with him and Senator Merkley on this issue and appreciate his work to protect Job Corps in rural America, but we can't do this alone. That is why I, along with Senator Boozman, am introducing bipartisan legislation that will reverse the administration's action to close Job Corps not only in Montana but across this country. I am going to continue to fight until we get a firm promise from this administration that these Job Corps centers are going to be around for years to come. We will be introducing legislation to block closures and prevent these critical employment centers from being subject to the whim of a President who doesn't know what is going on in rural America.

My bill will prohibit the use of appropriated funds in fiscal year 2019 and 2020 to close any Civilian Conservation Centers. It will also prohibit any Agency Secretaries from changing the interagency agreement that facilitates the operation of Civilian Conservation Centers, thus preventing the privatization of these programs.

Look, the administration's decision to close these, whether it is in Montana or Arkansas or any other place, will negatively impact those States in the whole country. So it is my hope--it is my hope that this administration will open their eyes and see what is really going on in this country because, quite frankly, Job Corps has worked for decades and decades and decades. It has produced people who are valuable assets to the business community and who raised families and helped support our economy and are part of the fabric of this great country. Yet this administration, through their goal to making American great again, has forgotten about things that make America great and have made America great.

So whether it is businesses like Mike Robbins' and Burt Robbins' business or whether it is students who go through this program, like Zoey, we need everybody in this Chamber--everybody, Democrats and Republicans alike because we are smarter than that--to make sure we have Job Corps around for our next generation and generations after.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor an American hero who served bravely in the European Campaign of the Second World War.

Lawrence E. Henning of Great Falls, MT, served in the Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton. He marched with thousands of Allied troops across the Continent, through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and finally into Germany, deploying his expertise of the tank destroyer in the final, decisive year of the war.

Lawrence's courage and ingenuity were critical to the effort. His resourcefulness allowed the battalion to maintain a maximum number of tank destroyers on the front line. His skills and bravery on the battlefield earned him commendations decades ago; it is my honor to finally deliver them today.

I am proud to present you, Lawrence, with the Bronze Star Medal for your Meritorious Service in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany during the period 15 September 1944 to 30 March 1945.

I am also presenting you with: the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars; the World War II Victory Medal; and the Honorable Service Lapel Button--World War II.

These medals are a small token of our nation's appreciation for your service and your sacrifice.

Lawrence, you are an American hero, and Montana is proud to call you one of our own.

Madam President, today I wish to honor the memory of 18 of Butte, America's finest.

Since 1892, 18 brave police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting the people of Butte-Silverbow County, the most of any county in Montana.

These men put the lives of others above their own, rushing into danger to keep their community safe, and paying the ultimate sacrifice as a result.

I want to honor: William F. Jordan; Dennis W. Daly; Federick Kranbeck; Fred A. Palin; John J. Streb; Joseph A. Freshman; Charles E. Streb; Ivan W. Lincoln; James H. Pace; Bart J. McCarthy; Joseph E. Sage; Batt Arrigoni; Jeremiah J. Murphy; Thomas O'Neill; Nicholas Aleksich; Colin McMillan; Tom Monroe; and David V. Thomas and their families and loved ones who sacrificed so much as well.

May their memories never be forgotten. May all current and future peace officers in Butte-Silver Bow, around Montana, and this Nation return home safe at the end of their watches.

Mr. President, I think that might have been a hint to make it quick. Is that right, Senator Udall?

All right, I will. Look, this is an issue that is critically important to this country. I think when people hear about it, they are astounded because this is a crisis we don't hear much about.

According to the National Institute of Justice--listen to these statistics--more than 80 percent of Native women have experienced violence, almost half within the last year. On many reservations, Native American women face murder rates up to 10 times the national average. The majority of this violence is either sexual or domestic in nature, and too much of it goes unreported and unprosecuted. That is why I have taken a three-pronged approach to address this crisis.

No. 1, we need to raise awareness; No. 2, we need to empower the Tribes around this country; and No. 3, this body needs to implement some solutions that will help those Tribes address this issue. But first we must acknowledge that there is an epidemic, an epidemic that-- if we acknowledge it--we can fix.

We have made some progress on this front in the last few years. Since 2016, we have introduced resolutions declaring May 5 the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. We introduced this resolution in honor of Hanna Harris, a Northern Cheyenne Tribal member who was murdered in July of 2013, and thousands of other voices that have been silenced. We introduced this resolution to underscore the urgency of addressing domestic violence and sexual assault in Indian Country. We introduced this resolution to amplify the voice of the people who are on the vanguard, fighting for change--folks like Briana Lamb, a Missoula-based activist, who was my guest at this year's State of the Union Address, or Kim Loring, who testified in front of the Indian Affairs Committee back in December about the disappearance of her sister, Ashley Loring Heavy Runner, from Browning,

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize one of Montana's smallest but greatest counties.

Treasure County in southcentral Montana celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. ``Montana's Hidden Treasure,'' Treasure County is bordered by the Yellowstone River and contains rolling hills, pastures, and sugar beet farms.

It is also home to some of Montana's most unique buildings, including the Yucca Theatre in Hysham, a 1931 Spanish Mission-style beauty that David and Jim Manning built to give residents hope during the Great Depression.

The folks in Treasure County are used to fighting for recognition. At the time of its inception, neighboring counties thought the citizens were trying to syphon tax revenue from larger counties surrounding it.

But the residents of Treasure County were adamant their county be recognized, and in 1919, Hysham was named the county seat.

Since, Treasure County has been home to thousands of farmers, ranchers, Montana's longest serving legislator, and even NASA astronaut Frank Borman, as well as the deer, antelope, pheasants, geese, turkeys, grouse, sage hens, and ducks that have called this area home for millennia and that add to the natural splendor of this beautiful place.

I wish to honor Treasure County and all its people, to congratulate them on 100 great years. I know the next 100 will be even better.

Mr. President, the decision earlier this week to undo the Affordable Care Act--the decision made by a bunch of unelected bureaucrats at the Department of Justice--is nothing short of a slap in the face to our democracy.

The Affordable Care Act was passed by majorities in the House and the Senate; it was upheld by the Supreme Court; and it continues to be supported by folks on both sides of the aisle.

Nonetheless, the Department of Justice, through the direction of the President of the United States, has decided to undo the ACA and all the things that are in the ACA.

This isn't the first time. For the last nearly decade, I have heard a seemingly endless number of speeches on the floor of this body, and we have seen vote after vote after vote after vote, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, to repeal the ACA. It hasn't succeeded.

So what the Department of Justice decided to do is take the law into their own hands and circumvent the legislative process. I guess they felt they had no other choice.

It didn't just happen this week. Last summer, they refused to defend a provision of the ACA that protects people with preexisting conditions. That is pretty interesting.

My best friend in life, other than my wife, has diabetes, and he is somebody who has fought diabetes since we were in junior high. His folks didn't have diabetes, but he did. He still does.

He was not able to have health insurance that was affordable until the ACA came along. He wasn't even allowed to change jobs for fear that when he did get health insurance when he changed jobs, he would lose it and then have to go uninsured until--until--the ACA came along.

So when the DOJ decided to not defend the provision for preexisting conditions, it left many of us scratching our heads.

Then, earlier this week, the administration took it even further by lending its full-throated support for overturning the ACA in its entirety, which would result in ripping healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans.

This administration's actions would put millions of Americans at risk by getting rid of every last protection that was enshrined in the law, including Medicaid expansion and coverage for preexisting conditions that are, without debate, providing lifesaving and affordable healthcare to folks across this country.

If they, the administration, succeed in dismantling our healthcare system, I guarantee you the cost of healthcare will rise through the roof.

Oh, yes--no, no--they will point to junk plans. There are junk plans out there. They are cheap, but they are called junk for a reason. Just hope, if you have a junk plan, you never get sick because they are junk.

Dismantling this healthcare system not only will cause healthcare to go through the roof--because we are going back to the old system--there is no replace here. They will replace it with the old system. It will imperil the sustainability of our hospitals across this country but particularly in rural and frontier communities.

Don't ask me about this; ask hospital administrators. They will tell you that if the healthcare bill is repealed, they will either have to change the entire way they provide healthcare or close entirely. Once again, it will mean American families are just one devastating diagnosis away from bankruptcy, particularly if you live in rural America.

This administration's heartless decision is going to have devastating consequences on Montana's families. Let me give some statistics from a Montana perspective:

Fifty thousand Montanans who buy their healthcare coverage on the ACA market would lose that. Now, 50,000 is not many people, right? In a State of just over 1 million, that is a lot of people.

Ninety thousand Montanans who receive coverage as a result of Medicaid expansion would lose their coverage. I have told the story many times about a gentleman in Butte, MT, who was fighting diabetes and, by his own admission, mental health problems. This guy was about 45 years old, by the way. When the legislature expanded Medicaid 2 years ago, he was able to get healthcare to finally get his diabetes under control, and he was able to see a psychologist to get the tools he needed to take care of his own mental health. It resulted in his ability--for the first time in his life, he said--to be able to get a full-time job and support his family. He was incredibly proud of that.

That is one story of many across Montana and across this country, where Medicaid expansion has done an incredible job getting people back into the economy and helping build our economy. Know, once the ACA is repealed, Medicaid expansion is gone.

In Montana, we have 152,000 Montanans with preexisting conditions that before the ACA would disqualify them from coverage for healthcare. If the ACA is repealed, they could once again face lifetime caps; so, when you get sick and need that health insurance the most, it will not be there because you would be up against a cap.

They already have Medicare, where more than 110,000 Montana seniors rely on Medicare prescription drug plans for coverage of prescription drugs. That is going to be gone. It would reopen the doughnut hole and make hundreds of thousands responsible for increased costs.

I can tell you, in Montana, where poverty is the highest is in Indian Country. They would lose their assistance to purchase coverage or cost- sharing reductions to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses--these are our Native Americans--or those who were able to get on expanded Medicaid would lose that.

These aren't nameless, faceless folks. These are folks like Donna from Big Timber, who, after battling cancer, wouldn't be able to access quality, affordable healthcare without the ACA. They are people like Jeffrey from Great Falls, who has a daughter with special needs and owns a business. He told me his family and business would both fall apart without the ACA. It means the many folks in Libby who rely on quality insurance to access their community health center to address the unique healthcare challenges their government promised to protect would be gone.

Look, I have sat in this body, and I have heard speech after speech after speech about the ACA, what it does good and what it does not so good, but I am telling you, if you want to cause a train wreck in healthcare, this is a great way to do it--repeal it and let everybody be on their own--and it is not going to be pretty.

If you start losing rural hospitals in rural America, they will not come back. You will see further depopulation in rural America--because, by the way, that golden hour is called golden for a reason when you get hurt. If that hospital isn't there, you are more likely to go live in a more urban population center where healthcare is more expensive.

Nobody in this body has ever said the ACA was perfect, but I firmly believe it was a lot better than what we had. We always have the opportunity to step forth and improve it. Repealing it is not improving it.

What repealing is, is a campaign promise. We have heard them before: We are going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare. We are going to build a wall on the southern border, no matter if it separates farmers from their land, no matter if it creates a different border on the southern border. It was a campaign promise, just like repealing the ACA was.

The reason we are in single-digit popularity in this body is that we don't listen to the people. We listen to a select few who have certain people's ears in this body, and we don't make decisions based on what is best for this country and the people who live here. This is just another example of that.

It is time the Members of the greatest deliberative body wake up, take the ACA and improve the things that are wrong with it, and do our level best to make sure people can afford to get sick. It is pretty basic.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise to talk a little bit about the emergency declaration by the President. It is a bad idea. I think everybody in this body knows it is a bad idea, and we will see how many people will vote to override that bad idea. It is a bad idea for a number of reasons.

The President says it is for this country's safety, but he is robbing from our military to build a wall on the southern border. Yet, I might add, most of the money that we allocated in the last fiscal year is still there--$1.3 billion--plus the $1.375 billion that was authorized by the conference committee, made up of a group of Democrats and Republicans from the House and the Senate, which means it was passed by both bodies. It was money that he received but to which he said ``I don't like it'' and declared an emergency declaration.

Look, Montana is no stranger to military service. We are home to the second-most veterans per capita of any State in the country. Every time our Nation is in need, Montanans step up to the plate and answer the call to serve. That is why, today, I rise to fight back against the President's declaration, for it will be shortchanging our troops in favor of a campaign promise to build a wall that he said Mexico would pay for.

The President's plan to raid our military resources would directly hurt Montana's military community and its men and women in uniform. The heart of the Air Force's Global Strike Command is located in Great Falls, MT, at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom is a critical component of our Nation's nuclear triad. It is our great deterrent against adversaries who would do us harm. As President Kennedy said, it is our ace in the hole.

Over the past few years, I have been fighting to secure the military construction dollars on the Appropriations Committee to meet the needs of the Malmstrom Air Force Base. I led a bipartisan effort to deliver more than $19 million to construct a new Tactical Response Force Alert Facility. That facility was a top priority for Malmstrom because the current facility is old, laden with asbestos and lead-based paint, and this has complicated efforts to secure the base's missile sites.

I also helped to secure some $14.6 million for the construction of a missile maintenance dispatch facility. This facility will allow the base to more properly and efficiently store critical components and equipment for the missile field and to retrofit its hangar so we can ultimately house the replacement fleet for its Vietnam-era Hueys, which should be replaced in the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the construction of these facilities and of many others around the country is at risk because of the President's decision.

More alarmingly, Malmstrom is in critical need of a weapons generation facility, and I have been fighting for years to ensure that this project is included among the Air Force's top military construction priorities. Just yesterday, the Secretary of the Air Force confirmed that the funding for the facility has been included in the fiscal year 2020 Air Force budget request. This investment represents a significant step forward for Malmstrom Air Force Base, for the Air Force, and for our national security. It is important because this is where ICBM warheads are maintained and stored.

As a result of the deterioration of this facility, airmen and missileers must confront numerous safety and security challenges while carrying out their missions every day. Yet now we have to tell them that this critical project, which the Air Force has said it desperately needs and which it does desperately need, could very well get kicked down the road and down the list of priorities because the President would rather spend billions of the military construction money on the construction of his wall.

The same is true for other critical infrastructure investments at Malmstrom, including a new security forces compound, but the President doesn't care. He is more interested in robbing taxpayer funds to build an unnecessary wall on the southern border, but Congress has rejected the President's request on a bipartisan basis. His defiance of that rejection comes at the expense of my State's defense installations.

Great Falls is also home to the Montana Air National Guard. My older brother was in the Air Guard for 35 years, and I have seen their work up close. Since we entered the Middle East conflict 17 years ago, this country has used the Guard like never before. They have asked a lot of our citizen soldiers and airmen, and they have always delivered whether that be when they were deploying to war, fighting against wildfires, or saving families from natural disasters.

In Montana, they have asked for little in return. They have asked for the construction of a new aircraft apron to park and store the Guard's C-130 fleet. Once again, we got to work, and we secured the money--$9 million--to make sure that our C-130s would stay in good shape for years to come. Max Baucus and I fought hard to bring those C-130s to Montana, which is why I am so outraged that the President's emergency declaration puts this funding at risk. I know that nobody in this body takes the decision of sending young men and women to war lightly, but when those difficult decisions are made, we had better deploy them with the best and the safest equipment.

The debate today is clear: A vote against the President's disaster declaration is a vote to protect our coequal branches of government, our system of checks and balances, and our Constitution. A vote for the President's power grab is a vote for Federal overreach and is a violation of our oath of office.

I hope my colleagues who vote for this plan are on the first plane back home to explain to their constituents why they are shirking their basic duties. I hope they explain to their communities--and there are many like Great Falls, MT--why they are ripping those investments out of their towns and out of our military. I hope they explain to our future leaders why it is OK to follow the Constitution only when it is expedient.

This disaster declaration undermines the bipartisan work that the Republicans and Democrats have done to rebuild our military. It sets a dangerous precedent that, no doubt, will be abused by future Presidents, and everybody in this body knows that.

We have an option here. We have the ability to stand with our troops and to stand with the Constitution and reject this declaration. It is critically important if we are going to have a strong military. I think we decided in the last Congress to make investments into our military that were much needed, and now the President is pulling those dollars out. It is nothing short of ridiculous.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the service and career of veteran and dedicated advocate Matthew Shuman.

The American Legion is a cornerstone in countless American communities, helping our veterans get the care, benefits, and recognition they earned while giving back through

youth programs, scholarship assistance, and grassroots efforts. The American Legion's membership is robust and active, and they have been well-served by Matthew.

Matthew has been a tireless legislative advocate for American Legion members and the veteran community as a whole. In his role overseeing the American Legion's legislative efforts, Matthew has been instrumental in improving VA healthcare and benefits for our more than 22 million veterans, including 2 million Legionnaires around the world.

Matthew served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2012. He served as a military police officer and concluded his military career as a member of the Arizona Army National Guard Honor Guard, memorializing our fallen soldiers by providing military funeral honors.

Following his military service, Matthew attended Grand Canyon University and participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC, at Arizona State University. He graduated from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, with a B.S. in criminal justice. He established his passion for public service by working for two different Members of Congress, as well as working on the 2012 election cycle.

Matthew's career with the American Legion began in 2015, when he started as an assistant legislative director focused on veterans' employment and education in their Washington, DC, headquarters. In January 2017, Matthew began his tenure as the director of the American Legion's national legislative division. In that role, Matthew has been the American Legion's chief advocate before Congress, the White House, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Matthew has helped lead an organization that has always been at the forefront of advocating for veterans and securing the resources, healthcare, and benefits veterans have earned.

As ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, it has been a joy to work with Matthew and the American Legion on important legislation like the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act--also known as the Forever G.I. Bill--several reforms and subsequent overhaul of the VA's healthcare system, and the current implementation of the VA MISSION Act. All the while, I have been impressed with Matthew's charisma, kindness, and humor.

These bipartisan bills, all of which were signed into law, serve as a testament to Matthew's dedication and leadership on behalf of veterans. Future generations of veterans will be able to look at these bipartisan reforms as examples of Matthew's advocacy on behalf of all veterans.

It is my honor to recognize Matthew's outstanding military service and continued service to our servicemembers, veterans, and their families. As Matthew begins a new chapter, I have no doubt that he will continue to be a voice for those in need.

To Matthew, on behalf of myself and a grateful nation, I extend my greatest appreciation to you for your enduring bravery, service, sacrifice, and advocacy.

I thank Senator Whitehouse.

I could not in my wildest dreams be able to replace Senator Baucus in what he did. But what he did back in 1986, along with a number of other Senators Senator Whitehouse just talked about, was visionary.

He signed a letter asking Federal researchers to study solutions for limiting the causes of climate change. This was in 1986, some 33 years ago. That same year, as I am today, my wife and I were farming in North Central Montana, a farm that then had been in the family for about 70 years.

During the time before 1986, and since 1986, we have seen a lot of changes on the farm. That is why it is interesting--because those changes have increased more than ever, I believe, in the last 20 years.

When this letter was sent off to study solutions in 1986, it was incredibly visionary because it was before climate change was even talked about much. Yet this group of Senators was able to see the negative impacts of this coming down the pike.

By the way, when we talk about negative impacts of climate change-- you probably have this, Senator Whitehouse, but somebody ought to put together how many hundreds of billions of dollars we have spent on natural disasters in the last 10 or 12 years compared to how much we spent in years previous. I can tell you, it was a few years ago that every State in the Union except one or maybe two had a natural disaster. That is because our climate is changing. It is because our climate is getting more erratic. I have seen it on our farm. I have seen August turn from the driest month to one of the wettest months. Over the last 20 years, I have seen a reservoir--a reservoir is a manmade area to hold water for livestock. I have seen a reservoir that never went dry from the time my father built it in the early 1950s to going dry for consecutive years. I have seen dangerous floods. I have seen water where we have never had it before. I have seen drought like we have never had it before.

I would just say, in regard to that, we just had a vote on a guy by the name of Wheeler, whom the President nominated to lead the EPA, who actually is one of these guys who doesn't believe in climate change at all. I don't know where the President finds these people, and I don't know how this body can support somebody who is this big of a denier, who wants to slow enforcement on polluters.

There is one thing we need to keep in mind in this country when we try to put people like Wheeler up for head of EPA. If you take a look at the third-world nations in this world, those are the nations that have destroyed their resource base. If you want to pollute our water and if you want to pollute our air, that is destroying our resource base. I guarantee you, that is not a way to make America great. It is not even a way to keep America great.

This nominee is rolling back the clean water rule. He has allowed more uses for asbestos in commerce when, in our State of Montana, Libby can tell you all about asbestos. People are still dying from its effects.

That aside--the Wheeler nomination, which is a catastrophe in itself--I could tell you that the Senators who stood on this very floor 33 years ago understood--understood--that we have a challenge in front of us greater than any other challenge we have faced before, and that is climate. As we talk about what they did in 1986--we are in 2019 now--now is the time to come up with some workable solutions--workable for our climate and workable for our economy--to get our arms around this very serious problem.

I am going to tell you what is at risk here. I love Nevada, but I don't want Montana turning into an ecosystem like Nevada has. We raise some of the best wheat and the best cattle and the best post-crops in the world, but it takes a predictable environment to do that. In some places in our State, we are on the edge of desertification, turning into desert.

The issue that revolves around climate change impacts each and every one of us in this body. Whether we are in denial or not, that is a fact, and it is incumbent upon us, as Senators who represent great States all around this Nation, to come up with solutions that our kids and our grandkids will be proud of.

I yield the floor back to Senator Whitehouse.

Madam President, before I start with my comments, I want to associate my thoughts and views on Mr. Miller with Ranking Member Udall's points on Native American sovereignty and Mr. Miller's current job and what he has done in that.

Mr. President, today I wish to remember the life of a Montanan who dedicated his career to working on behalf of Native Americans across the Nation.

John Bushman was born in Montana and grew up in Wolf Point on the Fort Peck Reservation, before moving to San Francisco and eventually Washington, DC, where he entered into public service, first working for the Department of the Interior before serving as chief counsel for the Committee on Indian Affairs.

I'm honored to serve on that Committee, which works hard every day to ensure our government upholds its treaty and trust responsibilities to Indian Country.

A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, John worked for Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota on issues relevant to Native Americans across the country. He eventually served as the Tribal Director for the Department of Health and Human Services.

His service didn't end in retirement; John continued to make a difference for others by volunteering often, including with the Salute Military Golf Association, which teaches wounded veterans how to play golf.

I stand to honor John's memory, and in the hope that others may be inspired by his legacy of service.

Today is a special day. Today is a culmination of years of work. I mean that. We were literally on the floor 7 or 8 years ago with a bill similar to this one that did not get across the finish line. We were here 2 years after that and 2 years after that, and now we are here today.

Before she leaves the floor, I want to thank Senator Murkowski for her leadership. Senator Cantwell is not here, but I want to thank her for the work she has done on this bill because it was big. I want to thank Senator Manchin for continuing the legacy of these two, and, hopefully, it can continue over the next year. Quite frankly, bills like this don't get done every day, and they don't get done by accident. They get done by leadership and folks working hard. I thank both of you. If Senator Cantwell is listening, thank you very much for the work that has been done.

I am very proud to stand here on behalf of countless Montana small businesses and community members who had a crazy idea a few years ago about not wanting an out-of-State mining company--actually, not even wanting an out-of-country mining company, a foreign mining company--to expand the mine on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park. I am standing here today to tell them that I heard them. I listened to them, and I was not going to stop until this bill was signed into law.

I want to take you back about 4 years. A group of small business owners who cared about the future of their community got together after they caught wind of two mining companies that were planning to expand their operations on nearby public land, which threatened the area's rapidly growing outdoor economy--one of the fastest growing economies in the State of Montana. This mine expansion was set to take place in a place we call Paradise Valley. That place is called Paradise Valley for an obvious reason. It truly is a piece of paradise. It is the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, which is one of the longest undammed rivers in the world. Paradise Valley is flanked on both sides by legendary mountain ranges: the Gallatins and Absarokas. It is the gateway to our Nation's first national park, Yellowstone.

These business owners--who ran fly shops, breweries, guide and outfitter businesses, and dozens of other local hangouts--were relying on literally hundreds of thousands of visitors to flock to this region to experience something they can experience nowhere else on Earth. They were rightly concerned that multiple large-scale mining operations would put their local economy at risk and, in fact, put them out of business.

I went in October of 2015 and met with these folks. I listened to their concerns that these mines would devastate their businesses and the breathtaking landscape in which they have chosen to live. In that moment, it was clear to me that the community needed permanent protection. So I announced my intent to introduce a bill--one of the bills that is in this lands package that we are taking up here today-- to do exactly that: Provide permanent protection for Paradise Valley.

After months of working together, this bill became known as the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. This bill is a result of collaboration; it is the result of hard work, and it does exactly what is in the title. It will protect the gateway to Yellowstone by permanently eliminating the ability of proposed mines to expand onto public land near the doorstep of our Nation's first national park, Yellowstone.

Responsible, natural resource development plays an important role in Montana's economy, but there are simply some places where you should not drill or dig, and one of those is at the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park. By permanently protecting the gateway, we can protect thousands of jobs and billions of dollars that flow into Montana's economy every year.

Senator Manchin talked about the impact of the outdoor economy on West Virginia. We are very much a part of that outdoor economy. Fly fishermen spend more than $70 million annually at these local businesses while trying to earn the respect of Yellowstone River's brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. In total, the communities in Park County see nearly $200 million pumped into their local economy every year, a trend that continues to rise and rise rapidly.

Quite frankly, if you haven't been there, I will just explain it this way to you: God doesn't make places like this everywhere. It is a special place. It is a place so special that the people who live there understand that it could go away with one bad decision. So we need to protect it and protect those small businesses and protect that way of life.

That is why this week, as we pass this lands package that the Yellowstone Gateway Protection bill is a part of, these business owners now can sleep at night, knowing that the businesses they have built over the past many decades will continue and they will be able to continue to look for the opportunity that God has created into Paradise Valley.

But this Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act isn't the only provision that Montanans are fighting for. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the best conservation tool this country has. It does a lot of really good things, including access to public lands, including making sure we have more of our hunting, fishing, and hiking spots available to folks who don't have to be millionaires. Since this Land and Water Conservation Fund was founded some 5 decades ago, LWCF has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to increase outdoor activities on our public lands. We have used it to preserve tens of thousands of acres of the world-class elk habitat in central Montana.

We invested LWCF dollars to increase fishing access sites along the rivers that Norman McLean made so famous in ``A River Runs Through It''--the Blackfoot and the Missouri. LWCF is a driver of Montana's ever-growing, increasing $7 billion-a-year outdoor economy. Best of all, it is paid for by offshore drilling fees, so it doesn't cost the taxpayer a dime.

Despite all of this success, the majority has allowed LWCF to expire twice in the last 4 years. I will tell you that this uncertainty has taken a toll on Montana's hunters, hikers, anglers, and businesses, which rely on our Nation's best conservation tool.

This lands package will again guarantee that LWCF will never expire again. It permanently reauthorizes this very successful initiative, and it guarantees that Montanans and all Americans have the long-term ability to expand and protect public access for future generations-- ecosystems that, by the way, may not be around in another 10 or 20 years.

Passing this legislation is a big win for our public lands and for the outdoor economy, but our work is not done yet. We have more work to do.

Permanently reauthorizing LWCF is very, very important, but where the rubber really meets the road is LWCF funding.

LWCF was authorized to receive $900 million some 50 years ago. In the President's budget last year, he proposed $8 million for LWCF. Remember what I just said. Over 50 years ago, it was meant to have $900 million. Last year, the President's budget proposed $8 million--a cut of nearly a half billion dollars from the previous year.

After Congress rejected that proposal and it appropriated a little over $400 million for LWCF, nearly every Member of the majority, except one, right after we put those dollars in, voted to rescind a chunk of those dollars.

So the fact of the matter is that without mandatory funding, our public

lands will remain a victim to this political seesaw.

Save for the sake of our public lands, for the sake of our kids, and for the sake of clean air and clean water, I think this bipartisan lands package serves as a launching point toward mandatory funding for

Mr. President, today I wish to recognize an important anniversary in Montana's history: the city of Colstrip is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month.

For decades, Colstrip has been the engine that powers Montana and the Pacific Northwest, carrying on a long and proud tradition of energy production in our State and employing thousands of Montanans.

Colstrip represents the very best of our State. The hard-working folks here are unafraid to get their hands dirty, working each day to provide power--and the economic opportunity that comes with it--to people in Montana and across the region.

In this transition, Colstrip has boldly looked to the future, working to strengthen the local economy so its citizens' children and grandchildren can have the same opportunities afforded to the older generations. The city motto, ``Tomorrow's Town, Today,'' befits a community working once again to define itself for the decades to come.

I am proud of Colstrip and its citizens, led by Mayor John Williams. Their civic passion, their dedication to each other, and their resilience in the face of change will ensure this community remains strong for years to come.

Madam President, approximately 635,000 veterans work for the Federal Government, and the hardships of the shutdown on these men and women are multifold.

First, furloughed veterans who are Federal workers are missing paychecks. They are having a hard time paying their mortgages and paying their bills overall. Veterans with VA-guaranteed home loans are at risk of being evicted by mortgage companies because they can't make their payments.

Second, veterans are not getting the benefits they have earned from several Federal Departments, other than the VA. For instance, Native American veterans, who already face unique challenges with healthcare, are unable to rely on the Indian Health Service to provide their healthcare because it is closed down. Homeless veterans rely on the Department of Housing and Urban Development's housing vouchers, which are not going out because of the shutdown.

That is not all. Other benefits and protections are at risk. The VA is currently implementing major reform bills like the Appeals and Modernization Act and the VA MISSION Act. To roll out these new initiatives, the Federal Register must publish new rules and regulations. Guess what. The Federal Register isn't operational because of the shutdown, so the implementation of these wide-sweeping, bipartisan VA reforms is shut down.

On top of this, we know that those stationed at the borders and at airports--many of whom are veterans--are among those hurting the most because of this President's shutdown.

There are many more veterans suffering. Colin, from Billings, wrote me and said: ``I am a federal employee and a veteran, and this standoff is placing a great deal of stress on me and my family.''

His wife is pregnant, he has a 2-year-old son, and he has no paycheck. He spent his career in public service. After he got out of the service, he could have made a lot more money in the private sector.

Unfortunately, because of the fact that the President and Leader McConnell will not bring the bills to the floor, we are in a shutdown. This is the human cost of the President's shutdown. These are men and women who have volunteered to serve our Nation and put themselves in harm's way and continue serving our Nation as civilians, and this is how the President says thank you--putting them out of a job, out of a paycheck, and out of the benefits that they have earned. He belittles the financial hardship that his actions are causing, and he turns their service in the military and as civilians into a political football.

The President has turned his back on the veterans of this Nation. It is time to put these men and women back to work. I call, and continue to call, on the majority to put an end to this real crisis--because they can--and reopen the government.

I yield the floor.