Floor Statements

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life and legacy of a brave Montanan and American, Harold Haugland.

Harold's story begins in Glendive, MT, where he was born in 1928 to Peter and Alma Haugland. Harold and his family were well known in the community for their compassionate hearts and unrelenting work ethic. Harold took these Montana values to the U.S. Army in 1949, where he quickly became a highly decorated soldier, receiving a number of medals and citations.

In late November 1950, Harold joined the Company D, 15th antiaircraft Artillery Battalion, 7th Infantry Division.

Two thousand five hundred U.S. and 700 South Korean soldiers were deployed east of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea when they were engaged by an overwhelming number of Chinese forces. By early December, the U.S. Army evacuated approximately 1,500 wounded servicemembers; the remaining soldiers had been either captured or killed in enemy territory.

Because Harold could not be accounted for by his unit at the end of the battle, he was reported missing in action as of December 2, 1950. Harold's name did not appear on any prisoner of war lists, and no returning soldiers reported him as a prisoner of war. The U.S. Army declared him deceased as of December 31, 1953.

In 1954, a number of remains were recovered from north of the Korean Demilitarized Zone. However, Harold's remains were not included and he was declared nonrecoverable. After his death, Harold was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism and leadership.

During a joint recovery operation in 2004, Harold's remains were found in a mass grave on the eastern bank of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Thanks to recent technological advancements in forensic science, the U.S. Department of Defense positively identified one of the individuals as Harold Haugland. After nearly 66 years, an American hero has been brought home to Montana for a full and proper military burial.

Harold represents the very best that this Nation has to offer with his profound bravery and dedication to service. Like many before him and after him, Harold paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedoms that make the United States the greatest Nation in the world.

To Harold and his family, on behalf of myself, Montana, and a grateful nation, I extend our deepest thanks for Harold's service, sacrifice, and valor.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor an American hero.

Frank McCauley passed away last week peacefully in Hamilton, MT. Frank was the oldest living fighter pilot ace from World War II.

He originally joined the Army at the beginning of America's entry into the war, but quickly then turned to the Air Force where he discovered his passion and skill as one of our Nation's first fighter pilots.

Frank flew his P-47 fighter ``Rat Racer'' on 46 missions while supporting B-17 bombers in the European Theatre, and he is credited with shooting down five and a half Nazi aircrafts. For this he received a Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, and four Air Medals.

In 2015, Frank and his family were flown to Washington, DC, and he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor that Congress can bestow on an individual for his service during World War II.

After leaving the Air Force, Frank had three sons--Craig, Kirk, and Kevin--and he built a life on the west coast with a successful career in the construction business. In 1974, Frank retired, married the love of his life, Bobbie, and moved to the Bitterroot Valley in western Montana.

It was in Montana where Frank and Bobbie enjoyed their retirement years by traveling in their motor home and organizing numerous parties for their friends, family, and neighbors.

Frank McCauley embodies the Greatest Generation, and he is a symbol for the American dream.

He is survived by his wife, Bobbie McCauley; sons, Craig, Kirk, and Kevin; stepdaughter, Nancy Cook; and numerous grandchildren, great- grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

To ensure Frank's life story is preserved and to honor the contributions he has made to our country, I am proud to enshrine his story in the Congressional Record.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the victims and survivors of the Granite Mountain Mine disaster and commemorate the lasting legacy of the labor movement in Montana and across this nation.

One hundred years ago, Butte, MT, was home to a booming mining community, where hard-working men and women were working long hours to put food on the table and build a stronger State.

A great demand for copper during WWI and the Industrial Revolution led the 14,500 miners to work tirelessly, day and night. Long hours and high demands caused already insufficient safety standards to deteriorate even further.

On June 8, 1917, as men were being lowered into the mine to begin their shift, a lantern ignited an exposed cable, causing the mineshaft to fill with fire and toxic gasses.

One hundred and sixty-eight men tragically died in the blaze and the resulting carbon monoxide poisoning. The miners had minimal safety training, and the mine lacked even basic safety precautions, such as exit signs. Many of those who were saved spent upward of 50 hours in the mine before help arrived, barricaded from the fumes behind makeshift bulkheads.

The Granite Mountain disaster remains the worst hard rock mining disaster in U.S. history, but Butte miners managed to make progress out of this tragedy.

The Granite Mountain disaster led to a unification of the U.S. labor movement and an unprecedented push for labor laws that are still in effect today.

One hundred years later, we are thankful for our union brothers and sisters who fought and continue to fight for better pay, safer working conditions, civil rights, and a stronger economy for working Americans.

I thank Chairman Isakson.

Before I answer the question, I want to echo and say thank you very much for your leadership on this committee. It has been great to work with you. You have a reputation of being a man of honesty, integrity, and fair dealing, and you have once again lived up to that reputation. I could not ask for a better chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee than you. I very much appreciate the work you have done on this bill.

I, too, want to thank Senators Rubio, Moran, Shaheen, Blumenthal, Angus King, Donnelly, Baldwin, and Duckworth. There are a number of folks on both sides of the aisle who have stepped up--some on the committee, some off the committee--who have done such a great job making sure we ended up here today.

Chairman Isakson knows this. We got a bill over from the House, we sat down together, and we negotiated. We gave and took and massaged the bill. We ended up with a bill that probably Johnny would not have written and probably I wouldn't have written, but it is a bill that is going to work, and it is going to give the VA what they need to hold people accountable.

I also echo what Johnny said. Veterans across this country are very happy with the care they get at the VA, and it is because of the great people on the ground within the VA, but every once in a while we get a bad apple, and the VA needs to be able to remove that bad apple because that bad apple reflects poorly on everybody within the VA. So this bill is about making sure the VA has the tool it needs to hold itself accountable and hold itself accountable to the veterans.

What I hear from the folks in Montana is: How come it took so long?

We have been at this for a while, and I hope it is worth the wait. I think we have a good bill here. I think we have a bill that really holds folks accountable while protecting workers' rights moving forward.

The VA is a different kind of animal than any other agency. We owe it to the people who put it on the line for this country. When things don't go just right, we have a problem, and we have a problem that needs to be fixed and not fixed yesterday--fixed today. These folks have given their all to this country, and they have earned these healthcare benefits. We need to make sure that when they need them, they have them and there aren't any mistakes made.

What I also hear from veterans in Montana, other than it took so long, is: How can we rebuild the VA to make it all it can be? I think this bill is going to help with that, too, by making sure we have the best of the best there, by making sure we have training for our hospital administrators and being able to hire hospital administrators--that is part of this bill, too--while holding the VA accountable when folks screw up in areas of misconduct.

So there is a bunch in this bill. I think this bill will fit the needs, not only of veterans in a rural or frontier State like Montana but in more populated areas like Atlanta, GA. I think it gives the Secretary of the VA the tools at his disposal to be able to make the VA as strong as it can possibly be.

I will say that this bill would not have happened without the good work of Johnny and his staff and my staff coming together and getting stuff done. I think this is one of the days in the Senate where we can look back and

say that folks came together as Democrats and Republicans and did the right thing for the veterans of this country.

Johnny, I am curious to know from you what kind of stuff you are hearing in Georgia about this bill and bringing accountability to the

There is a lot of misinformation about this bill. I will tell you what this bill does not do. It does not trample on workers' rights. This bill maintains bargaining rights of union workers at the VA. One of the problems we had with the House-passed bill was it did away with the ability of members to use the bargaining process. This does not. It maintains it. It does not gut due process protections. It keeps all the existing due process protections under current law. Unlike the House bill, it doesn't shorten or eliminate the appeals process for employees who are fired. Moreover, we provide a judicial review to employees who are directed to repay a bonus and other protection. Finally, this bill does not allow VA supervisors to get away with firing anyone who just challenges them. Evidence is still required in order to take action, and that evidence must go through general counsel for review before an action is proposed.

This is all critically important, as we go forth, to give accountability and yet be able to protect the rights of the workers who are doing the job. I think we found the sweet spot there.

More important than anything else in this bill--and it does a lot of things--it is really about a culture of accountability at the VA.

Can the Senator tell us here in the Senate what else this bill does for veterans?

I sure can. I talked previously about this. It has been a while. It has been 3 years. We talked about this accountability issue a lot in the Veterans' Affairs Committee and here on the floor. I think the context is important for folks who do make the claim that there is no need for this particular bill, that we are simply playing politics. That couldn't be further from the truth.

If you remember, back in August of 2014, in response to systemic failures in the Veterans Health Administration, the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. We were both members of the committee back then. We both helped draft that bill. It passed by a vote 91 to 3. As my colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee are well aware, the bill included a provision to hold senior executives of the VA more accountable. That provision was in response to multiple reports from both the Obama administration and an independent VA inspector general documenting the need to bring greater accountability to the VA.

While much of the attention has been focused on senior-level employees, hospital administrators, and the like, there are employees across the system who need to be effectively held accountable for misconduct and inappropriate behavior. Last Congress, the

Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee reported bipartisan legislation that would give the VA greater authority to improve accountability for all employees. Unfortunately, we never got floor time for that bill.

This Congress, the House passed a VA accountability bill that, at least in my view, needed some fixing. I appreciate that my Republican colleagues worked closely with us--with me--on these changes, and we got to this point today.

But make no mistake about it--veterans in Montana and all the major veterans service organizations support giving the VA the authority to expedite disciplining and firing bad employees. Let me say that one more time. Every major veteran service organization supports giving the VA the authority to expedite disciplining or firing bad employees. The President and the VA Secretaries--both McDonald and Shulkin--have asked for this authority. Former VA Secretary McDonald repeatedly asked Congress to give him the tools he needed to hold employees accountable. Secretary Shulkin has followed and done the same. So we have this bill up today.

I would like to end where I started, and that is by thanking Chairman Isakson for his leadership and his willingness to work together in a bipartisan way to reach a compromise and make ``collaboration'' a good word again, to get to a point where we can get a bill, as the IAVA said, that can pass and that can pass the Senate and that hopefully will pass the Senate within the next few hours.

I thank Chairman Isakson.

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

Mr. President, I rise to honor and recognize the folks who are first to respond when crisis strikes--the folks who patrol our streets, keep our families safe, and are willing to enter harm's way on a daily basis.

I rise today to honor our police officers in Montana and every corner of the country. Police officers answer a call to duty to protect and defend our communities. While this Nation's police forces are on patrol, it is critical that the folks in this body are doing everything we can to keep them safe on the job and to honor their service.

To recognize National Police Week, I have partnered with Senators Boozman, Gardner, Moran, Udall, Blumenthal, and Carper to introduce the bipartisan Honoring Hometown Heroes Act. Our bill will provide the Governor of each State the ability to fly the American flag at half- staff to honor a police officer or any first responder who dies in the line of duty. This bill will treat our fallen responders with the respect they deserve.

In the past, Republicans and Democrats have worked together to strengthen resources for local police officers, and we have ensured that our first responders have access to critical healthcare services, but this bill is a bit different. This bill makes sure that our police officers and their families receive the recognition they deserve for their selfless service to their communities. When tragedy strikes, I think it is important the entire State takes a moment to honor that police officer who was lost while serving others.

This bipartisan bill has the support of police officers and first responders from across the country--from the Fraternal Order of Police, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the International Association of Firefighters, just to name a few.

The Honoring Hometown Heroes Act will give our fallen first responders the honor they so much deserve, but for the police officers we have already lost, it is too late. Today is Peace Officers Memorial Day. Across the country, the names of fallen officers will be carved into granite, and their photos will be hung in stations for all to see. Yet these folks and their families did not have the honor of seeing their entire States mourn alongside them because flags were never flown at half-staff.

To ensure that these folks get the recognition they deserve, today I enshrine in the Congressional Record the names of 128 law enforcement officials who have died in the line of duty. They have made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting their neighbors and keeping our communities safe. I ask unanimous consent that their names be printed in the Record.

In going forward, it is critical that our police officers receive the honor they so much deserve.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that floor privileges be granted to Les Bernys through the end of the year.

Mr. President, today I wish to remember the life of Don Dunwell--journalist, husband, father, and community leader.

Don was known for his thoughtful interview style, creative storytelling, and ability to connect with the thousands of viewers who entrusted him to deliver the news.

It was common to find Don teaching and mentoring young reporters about the ins and outs of journalism.

He believed fiercely in the free press and the strong ethics that were required to be a trusted source of information.

He never took his platform for granted and used it to make Montana and this Nation a better place.

Outside the newsroom, he was a proud father to John, working hard each day to ensure that his son had every opportunity possible.

Don was immensely proud of his wife, Mary Ann, who charted her own path as a public servant.

Today we remember the life and legacy of Mr. Dunwell and aim to follow in his ever fervent footsteps.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor Justice John C. Sheehy, whose life was a Montana story, eulogized with these words from his family

The material follows:

John C. ``Skeff'' Sheehy, 99, lawyer, jurist, and family

patriarch, died Friday, April 7, 2017, at his home in Helena.

Skeff was born Jan. 27, 1918, to Cornelius and Anna Sheehy

in Butte, the first of seven children. Although he lived in

other Montana towns for 80 years of his life, he believed,

along with his brother Joe, that ``if you're not in Butte,

you're camping out.'' He was educated at Catholic schools in

Butte, attended the Montana School of Mines (now Montana

Tech) and then the University of Montana School of Law. He

obtained his law degree in 1943 and went to work in Helena

for insurance commissioner J.D. Holmes.

Skeff married Rita Ann Schiltz in 1945, and only death

would part them. In 1947, they moved to Billings, Rita's

hometown. Skeff began a 30-year law practice with his

brother-in-law and great friend, Jack Schiltz. They tried all

manner of cases and represented all sorts of clients. They

also had a lot of fun. Schiltz and Sheehy were responsible

for most of the skits, songs and frivolity at the Billings

Bar meetings for decades. Over time, Schiltz and Sheehy

joined others in the practice, including George Hutton, R.G.

Wiggenhorn, and Brent Cromley. Skeff's professional

accomplishments were recognized by the State Bar of Montana

in 2005 with the Jameson Award and by the Montana Trial

Lawyers Association in 2016 with its first lifetime

achievement award.

Between 1959 and 1970, Skeff served in both houses of the

state legislature. He was the first Democrat to break the

``straight eight'' Republican legislative block in

Yellowstone County during those decades of county-wide

ballots. In 1978, Gov. Tom Judge appointed Sheehy to the

Montana Supreme Court. He was elected to his seat twice

before retiring in 1991. Justice Sheehy was the author of the

decision rejecting the challenge to Montana's coal severance

tax. The United States Supreme Court upheld his decision.

Throughout his tenure on the court, Sheehy was known as a

champion of the powerless who recognized the role the

constitutions of his state and nation played in ensuring that

the least among us was accorded the same rights and

privileges as those more fortunate.

After his death, clients he represented and lawyers he

influenced made sure his family knew about his quiet

influence. The child of one client, whom he represented

without compensation, told the family how much it meant to

their family just to have a man like Sheehy at their side in

a dispute with the Internal Revenue Service. ``It wasn't a

fairy tale ending,'' she noted. ``We still had to pay

something. But we had our dignity back. And from that time

forward, your father's name was spoken in our house with a

reverence otherwise reserved for God.''

The family also heard from judges and lawyers throughout

the state, echoing common themes:

``Your dad was the number one hero and inspiration in the

law to me.''

``Your dad set the standard for what a supreme court

justice should be. He cared about people, he cared about

fundamental rights, and he was a master of the language.''

``Your dad was a great mentor. He had a way of teaching

without preaching. And he made the work fun. He always

lightened the occasion with a song or a poem. We all loved

him so.'' A devoted Catholic, Sheehy attended Mass every

morning and said the rosary every night. His faith guided him

through the Great Depression, a near-fatal car wreck in 1936,

Montana politics in the 60s and 70s, an armed assailant in

his Supreme Court office in 1984, the death of his beloved

Rita in 2012, and everything in between.

Skeff and Rita raised eleven children long before

``parent'' was a verb. In those days without cell phones and

texts, Dad communicated with full voice, songs, prayer,

jokes, and sometimes long silences. He imparted much wisdom,

ranging from ``Trust everyone, but cut the cards,'' to

``you'd starve to death with a ham on your back.'' He rarely

said good-bye, preferring ``tap 'er light'' or ``don't go

with the old feeling.''

Engagement was Skeff's distinguishing characteristic. His

children's greatest fan, he drove all over Montana to their

events. Though he liked to quote J.D. Holmes that ``Human

beings are a lousy arrangement,'' he loved human

arrangements: parades, games, weddings, and funerals. In the

last years of his life, he and Rita and assorted family and

friends ate dinner at the Motherlode every Tuesday, and

Friday noons were reserved for lunch at Benny's Bistro. He

liked the bustle of people. At home, he read and watched the

news every day and night; he did the crossword and sudoku;

and he didn't often miss Jeopardy. He was engaged in the

world to his last day on earth.

Sheehy was preceded in death by his wife Rita; brothers

Tom, Edmund, Joseph, and Jim Sheehy; by his sister Margaret,

known as Sister Serena Sheehy, SLC; and by his granddaughter

Rita Mary. He is survived by his 11 children, Anne (Peter)

Yegen of Park City, Tom Sheehy of Helena; Mary (Duane) Moe of

Great Falls, Patrick (Debbie) Sheehy of Billings, Kate (Dirk)

Whitney of Helena, Eileen Sheehy (Bob Maxson) of Billings,

Rosalie (David) Cates of Missoula, Margaret Sheehy (Ralph

Johnson) of Albany, NY, Jenifer Sheehy of Billings, Martha

Sheehy (Sid Thomas) of Billings and John Sheehy (Jill Golden)

of Marlboro, VT. His lone surviving sibling, Sister Eileen

Sheehy, SLC, lives in Grand Junction, CO. He is also survived

by 19 grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and many

treasured nieces and nephews, their spouses and their

children.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 3 minutes, and it will probably be less than that.

Mr. President, I would like to thank the body for this bill.

This is an omnibus, and I am going to vote for it. There are some things that are disturbing about it--there is no doubt about that--not to mention the fact that Congress took 7 months to take care of this plan for the long term, which created uncertainty out there on the ground. There were 7 months when Congress sat on their hands, which left towns, hospitals, airports, and our citizenry in the lurch.

But it does do some good things, and I think it does reflect the values of rural America, which I think is really important. I think it is a responsible budget for rural America in States like Montana.

One of the things it does that I think is entirely appropriate is that it pushes the Education Department to reconsider the Upward Bound grant applications that were denied because of ridiculous--and I do mean ridiculous--format requirements, which will allow first-generation college kids to be able to go to college.

What the Department of Education did with the Upward Bound Program is the worst of the bureaucracy that government can allow. This bill helps fix that. It gives the Department of Education a pair of glasses so they can apply a little common sense to their rules.

It also does some good things for our national parks, it does some good things for our bases, and it does some good things to help our natural resources. But since I am ranking member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I can tell you that overall, I think it really fits the needs of our homeland security, whether it is border security or cyber security. I think it is a responsible bill to help invest in our

economy moving forward while keeping this country secure.

With that, I would encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill. I would just ask that next time around, which is going to start immediately, we let the subcommittees on appropriations do their work and bring these subcommittee bills to the floor.

Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I thank the majority leader.

Mr. President, I rise to remember the life of a journalist, a husband, a father, a community leader, a guy by the name of Don Dunwell. Dunwell was known for his thoughtful interviewing style, creative storytelling, his ability to connect with the thousands of viewers who entrusted him to deliver the news to them.

It was common to find Don teaching and mentoring young reporters about the ins and outs of journalism. He believed fiercely in the free press and strong ethics that were required to be a trusted source of information. He never took his platform for granted, and he used it to make Montana and this Nation a better place.

Outside the newsroom, he was a proud father to John, working hard each day to ensure that his son had every opportunity possible. Don was immensely proud of his wife Mary Ann who charted her own path as a public servant.

Today, we remember the life and the legacy of Don Dunwell and aim to follow in his ever-fervent footsteps. Don was 82 when he passed. He was bitten by a bug that made him look much younger than that, but he was a fine man and a good friend.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, there is no place on this planet like the Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park.

For over 100 years, families have flocked to Glacier National Park to experience the breathtaking views, unique wildlife, and the pristine landscapes that can't be found anywhere else on earth.

In fact, last year, more than 2.3 million people visited Glacier National Park to hike above Lake McDonald, bike across the Continental Divide, and experience the Going to the Sun Road.

Today we mark the next chapter of the distinctive history of Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park have collectively become the first transcontinental National Parks to secure ``dark sky'' status.

To achieve this prestigious status, Glacier National Park has retrofitted nearly 30 percent of its light fixtures and is committing to continue to identify ways to limit artificial light within the park.

By achieving this status, Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks have provided the public with even more reasons to explore the outdoors in northwest Montana and southwest Alberta.

Not only do dark skies play an important role in outdoor recreation and late-night stargazing, but they are critical to wildlife migrations and habitats within the parks.

This wouldn't be possible without Glacier Park superintendent Jeff Mow.

Their leadership has ushered Glacier National Park into a new era and provided millions of folks around the world with the opportunity to fall in love again with our great outdoors.

Thank you again for your outstanding work.

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

Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of Gov. Sonny Perdue for Secretary of the Department of Agriculture.

As the only active farmer in the U.S. Senate, I have high expectations of the next Ag Secretary. Over the past 2 weeks, like millions of other farmers across this country, I have been on my farm and out in the fields, planting peas and wheat and safflower. When you are on the tractor day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, you have a lot of time to think, and over these past 2 weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the important role Mr. Perdue will play in strengthening rural America.

A lot has changed in the 100 years since my grandparents homesteaded our farm. New technology and improved equipment has made us more efficient producers, but a consolidation in the marketplace has taken its toll on rural communities. The shrinking number of family farms has depopulated rural communities like the one I grew up in.

Today, a combination of consolidation and low commodity prices is taking its toll on family farmers and ranchers. Commodity prices are low across the board. In fact, in some cases, markets are below the cost of production. At the same time, we have seen rising input costs. The price of fertilizer and seed is increasing at the same time that we have seen prices decrease. To make matters worse, the big

guys use tough times like this to sweep up the family farms and ranches and add to their bottom lines at the expense of hardworking folks who are trying to keep their operations in the family.

The next Ag Secretary needs to work with Senators from rural States like Montana to identify ways to reverse this trend of consolidation because when a family farm goes under, the ripple is felt across the community as schools lose funding, and the local grocery stores and hardware stores lose customers.

Yet this is not the first time rural America has stood nose to nose with adversity. We had adversity in the dirty thirties, and we fought through the high interest rates of the 1970s. I know folks in rural America will overcome adversity once again, but in order to do so, we need an Ag Secretary who will ensure that we are supporting rural communities, not pulling the rug out from underneath them. This means pushing back against the draconian budget cuts that have been put forward by this administration.

The proposed budget slashes 21 percent from the USDA. That is nearly $5 billion. These budget cuts undermine important resources in rural America across this country and in Montana.

The proposed budget also guts the Farm Service Agency--a one-stop shop where farmers and ranchers sign up for critical ag initiatives. If cuts are made to the Farm Service Agency, farmers and ranchers will likely be forced to travel greater distances to get the assistance they rely on to create jobs in communities like Havre and that they rely on to put food on the tables of this country.

The proposed budget also eliminates the rural Water & Wastewater Loan & Grant Program. When communities cannot access the resources they need to update critical water and watershed infrastructure, rural families suffer. Quite frankly, the White House's budget will be a nail in the coffin for rural America.

The USDA budget needs to reflect the needs of rural communities. That means increasing resources for farmers and ranchers and improving access to high-speed broadband for schools, businesses, and families. It also means boosting overhead support and loans for mom-and-pop businesses. The next Ag Secretary needs to fight for a USDA budget that works for rural families. Once Mr. Perdue is confirmed, I urge him to take the initiative and fight against these damaging cuts that will hurt rural America.

In addition to the USDA budget, we are a year away from the expiration of the farm bill. Over the past 6 months, I have traveled across Montana and have met with folks to discuss their priorities for the next farm bill. With wheat prices at a decade low and with ranchers experiencing an incredible plunge in cattle prices, it is critical that we construct a farm bill that works for family farms and ranches. I do not believe the next farm bill will solve all of the challenges we are facing today, but it should give certainty to farmers and ranchers who could be a bad storm or a cold winter away from losing their livelihoods.

Once Mr. Perdue is confirmed, I will be asking him to take an active role in this debate to ensure that the next farm bill meets the needs of family farmers and ranchers. I urge Mr. Perdue to help me educate folks in this body and in the White House that the safety net is more than a talking point.

Preserving the safety net in the next farm bill will ensure that a bad year does not wipe out family farms and ranches across this country. Families in rural America want a fair opportunity to succeed, and the farm bill should be a tool that works for small-scale producers, not just for the big guys.

Finally, I urge Mr. Perdue to work hand in hand with us westerners to make sure we are responsibly managing our forests. Breaking through the management gridlock in our national forests will reduce fire risks and will put folks back to work.

I have been a long supporter of collaborative efforts to increase active forest management, improve recreation opportunities on our public lands, and preserve these special places for future generations. Republicans and Democrats have worked together to propose important reforms that end fire-borrowing and fund our response to forest fires like we fund other natural disasters. These are the kinds of solutions we need to increase active forest management and put folks back to work in the woods, and I look forward to the next Ag Secretary joining our efforts.

The USDA has a lot on its plate, and rightfully so. There are major issues facing our farmers and ranchers in rural communities and national forests, and it is time to tackle these issues head-on. I think Governor Perdue is a standup man. I appreciate our open and honest conversations about the need to work together to strengthen rural America, and I am more than willing to give him a fair shake, but I will be honest. These problems are too great to ignore through the honeymoon period. I expect Governor Perdue to hit the ground running so we can invest in rural families, improve opportunities for farmers and ranchers, and break through the gridlock that plagues our national forests.

I look forward to tackling these issues with Mr. Perdue, and I encourage my colleagues to give Mr. Perdue the same fair shake.

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be allowed to speak for up to 3 minutes.