Floor Statements

Mr. President, I have nine 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:

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on Executive Calendar No. 459 be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Mascott nomination at a time to be determined between the majority leader, in consultation with the Democratic leader, no earlier than Thursday, October 9.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 9; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 115, S. 2296; further, that notwithstanding rule XXII, cloture motions filed during Tuesday's session of the Senate ripen at 11:30 a.m.; finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during Thursday's session of the Senate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

For the information of my colleagues, there will be three rollcall votes at 11:30 a.m. and further votes expected throughout the day.

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

Mr. President, when I walked through that door--I guess it was only about 50 minutes ago--I had no intention of speaking. Half an hour ago, I had no intention of speaking today. But I need a little therapy. So congratulations, therapists--I have a couple of things on my mind.

As I stand here--as we stand here--uncertain about what this Saturday morning in August is going to produce, I just had some thoughts. My first thought seems probably pretty basic, and it is to the Democrats in the Chamber--specifically, their leadership.

Breaking news: Donald Trump won the election. He is the President of the United States. You don't have to like it, but he did. He won.

What got me a little bit ramped up this morning was I started thinking about all of Joe Biden's nominees that I voted for, and I got to thinking about

the many Cabinet Secretaries in the Biden administration whose cell numbers I still have and I am happy to use. We were in this together.

I got to thinking about how very, very special this institution is, in a country that is made up of self-governed people. We, ladies and gentlemen--we, Mr. President--are the representatives of those self- governed people. And in many respects, what we are going through this weekend is in large part a direct reflection of the division of our country--for sure, for sure. But I submit that we have a higher responsibility than to simply gravitate to the worst instincts but, rather, elevate this institution to a more aspirational conclusion. It is not even really a new conclusion; it is the tradition and the history of this institution.

So as I was looking at the leader's chart in the cloakroom earlier, I see this rather rich history of an institution that, first of all, respects the prerogative of the person who won the Presidency while also protecting our prerogative to have some oversight and to advise and consent.

Boy, when I think of supporting Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense, a decision I came to regret--not because I didn't like him but because he proved to be a pretty bad Secretary of Defense--nonetheless, nonetheless, Joe Biden had won the election, and that is who he chose. When I supported Pete Buttigieg for Secretary of Transportation, I had higher hopes, but we had a decent working relationship, and I was happy to have supported him. When I introduced Shalanda Young in the Budget Committee in her hearing to become OMB Director, that was a decision I never regretted and still do not.

But I will tell you, this morning, as I stand here in early August on a Saturday morning, with this circle of zero percent bright-gray, as though there is such a thing as bright-gray, I am frustrated. This is the future of this place if something good doesn't happen today in this place. And I fear we are going down a path we may never ever be able to go down again--or at least go the other direction.

Some fights aren't worth winning, much less losing. I have always loved this institution and the norms of it, but this is not normal. This is the exception. And this I do not want to ever have become normal. But I, as somebody who appreciated the relationships--and still do--that I have had with Joe Biden's nominees, today, if you were to ask me to vote for a Joe Biden nominee, I don't give a rat's rear who they are, how great they are, how spectacular they may be--I don't care what their credentials are--the message to me is I have to vote no. We darned sure aren't going to let them have it the easy way. We are darned sure never going to do 46 percent of the next President's nominees with a voice vote or unanimous consent because the new norm is we fight every one of them because they won the election instead of us winning the election.

It is not OK, friends.

It is not OK, Mr. President.

Last night, in this Chamber, we did something rather remarkable together with a very large bipartisan vote. We passed not one, not two, but three appropriations bills--as Chairman Collins reminded us, the first time we have done it before the August recess since 2018.

We celebrated for a complete--oh, I don't know--30 seconds maybe. And the American people instead are waking up to this--to this. And what this is--what this is--this is us voting for very low positions in the sub-Cabinet of appointees and nominees--not unimportant jobs, by the way, but low positions in comparison to the Cabinet--one every 2 hours, one every 2 hours, because that is as fast as we are allowed to go with the 1,200 or so nominees that we have the responsibility of confirming or not.

And here is what I fear. I fear that the occasional bad nominee will always pass now, from now on, because we have turned--somebody has turned this into a shirts-and-skins game. So from now until eternity, the first question is going to be: Oh, I don't know. Who won that Presidential election again? Oh, yeah, the other team. Well, we can't allow them to have their nominees on a simple voice vote.

It will, I am afraid, have a very, very, very bad ramification on this institution if we don't correct course sometime today, if we don't come to some sort of an agreement that recognizes that Donald Trump won the election and has the right to have the government that he wants and that we have a prerogative to make sure that it is not just confirmed but that if there are some bad apples along the way, that they get held up for greater scrutiny.

But if this becomes a straight skins-and-shirts game, then all discretion is out the window; then all oversight is really out the window; then the responsibility of scrutiny goes out the window because it is one team versus the other team, with nobody looking out for the American people.

As I said, I didn't intend to get up and talk today. I don't know that I feel any better for it. But we have an opportunity today-- today--to knock out this obstruction by the leader of the Democratic Party in the U.S. Senate. If we don't, if something doesn't happen today, then we, in my view, are confronted with the only other choice, and that is a major rules change that acknowledges the new reality in this country. I don't want that to be the case. I am still more optimistic than the path we are on.

With that, thanks for your time.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the Government Accountability Office opinion letter dated June 25, 2025.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor Col. Darin Durand, a great American and an exceptional member of the U.S. Air Force.

As the Air National Guard Liaison to the Department of the Air Force's Senate Liaison Division from May 2023 to December 2024, Colonel Durand performed his duties with exceptional professionalism during the 118th Congress. Hailing from Plattsmouth, NE, he is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He represents a true Total Force officer, having served over 26 years on Active Duty, in the Air Force Reserve, and in the Air National Guard. Like his father, Col. Arthur Durand, U.S. Air Force retired, and his younger brother Lt. Col. Ryan Durand, U.S. Space Force retired, he has demonstrated exceptional and unrivaled officership throughout his career. He served in various personnel, command, and special staff positions with experience at the squadron, group, wing, major command, and combatant command level and deployed in support of Operations Allied Force and Enduring Freedom.

Colonel Durand distinguished himself with professionalism and dedication as the sole Air National Guard Legislative Liaison in the Department of the Air Force's Senate Liaison office. In this role, he advised Department of the Air Force senior leaders and helped shape over 150 strategic engagements with Senators, Congressmen, and staffers to advance U.S. Air Force and Space Force priorities. He provided seamless collaboration with the Department of the Air Force in all 100 Senate offices. In 20 of those offices, one which was mine, he was the principal Air Force liaison to 20 Senators and their staffs. He also collaborated closely with the Senate Space Force Caucus to effectively educate Senate offices and defense committees on the Department of Defense's newest military branch and its alignment with the National Defense Strategy's focus on Reoptimization for Great Power Competition.

A driven leader skilled at building relationships, Colonel Durand spearheaded initiatives within Headquarters Air Force that bridged the information gap between Members of Congress and the Department of the Air Force. He fostered a shared understanding of congressional priorities and Departmental objectives, enabling the alignment of goals and a cohesive, multifunctional approach to achieving them. He directly supported the successful execution of nine Senate confirmation, posture, and subcommittee hearings, and he provided the Senate with critical information and language refinements necessary to complete the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.

Colonel Durand's commitment to enhancing global partnerships was evident when he planned, executed and led 13 congressional and staff delegation trips. These trips within the United States and overseas, supported the Air Force Caucus, State delegations, key Senate committees, and our allies and partners. These interactions successfully strengthened international collaboration and cultivated relationships crucial for advancing shared defense priorities and select Department of the Air Force equities. His direct involvement and oversight helped Members of Congress make informed decisions to ensure the Department of the Air Force possessed the right authorities and resources necessary to equip our warfighters and fulfill its role.

One highlight is Colonel Durand coleading the Senate delegation for the bicameral 2023 and 2024 Reagan National Defense Forums. His significant efforts resulted in more than 70 successful engagements between Senators, current and former administration officials, senior military leaders, industry executives, technology innovators, and leading-edge thought leaders. These interactions helped my colleagues and our staffs advance conversations and collaborations critical to achieving our shared national security goal of peace through strength.

Colonel Durand became a fixture on Capitol Hill, before moving on to serve as the Air National Guard adviser to the director of the Air Force's legislative liaison in Washington. I know he is forever grateful to his wife Frances for her unwavering commitment and many sacrifices in supporting his calling in the defense of our Nation.

I am thankful for Col. Darin Durand's service and his work with my office and the Senate over the past 2 years on issues of vital importance to the defense of the United States. I salute this American patriot whose selfless service has kept our country safe and strong.

Mr. President, on June 18, 2025, Jim and Rachel Chambers commence their 50th year of marriage.

Jim and Rachel met at Cedarville College, both in preparation for ministry. Little did they know, this common calling would lead them to the joint venture of a lifetime.

After getting married in 1976, the Chambers began their journey together as many newlyweds do: humble beginnings, a can-do attitude, and constant reliance on God and each other. This has characterized their lives ever since. They built their own home from the ground up, raised a family in it, followed God's calling to serve the people of Zambia, Africa, as missionaries, and have now returned home to where they started together.

No matter the location, Jim and Rachel's home has exemplified love and hospitality. They both come from humble circumstances, surrounded by loving parents who pinched every penny and worked whatever job was necessary to give them opportunity. This sacrificial generosity has been emulated by Jim and Rachel ever since. They have welcomed foster children, provided shelter to widows and orphans, given respite to fellow missionaries and pastors, and always been available when family came knocking. From tea parties and pillow forts for their kids and grandkids to giving a glimmer of hope to the hopeless, their home has always been full of heart.

Family has never been in short supply for the Chambers. Jim comes from a family of 12 children, Rachel from a family of four. They have been blessed with six children--Nathan, Anne, Megan, Micah, Mary, and Rebecca--five children and one grandchild by marriage--Nathan, Michelle, David, Jake, Brandon, and Jake--19 grandchildren--Abigail, Caleb, Joanna, Hannah, Andrew, Karis, Adrianna, Timothy, Ethan, Kaeden, Jamin, Selah, Elisabeth, Julia, Levi, Asher, Leo, Claire, and Sophia-- and a great-grandchild--Heinrich. From Ohio to Zambia, Indiana, Honduras, Pennsylvania, Florida, and right here in the Halls of Congress, the fingerprints of their legacy are everywhere.

Isaiah 40:31 says, ``But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.''

June 18 starts Jim and Rachel's 50th year of waiting on the Lord together, soaring together, running together, and relying on the strength that never fails together.

Congratulations on 50 years and many more to come.

Mr. President, high school basketball tournaments are a highlight every March in North Dakota. Athletes, coaches, students, parents, and fans of all ages come together from around the State to make these tournaments unforgettable experiences.

This year's boys class A basketball championship on March 22 was an epic game, a rematch of the Kindred Vikings and Devils Lake Firebirds teams that played for the title last year--add to that an unlikely comeback from a 26-point deficit and a Kindred buzzer beater win of 59 to 58. It was even more exciting for my family because Kindred is my hometown, and I lettered all 4 years in Kindred High School sports.

Our teams in the late 1970s did not compare to the athletic excellence of the players today. This year, with only one loss the entire season, the Kindred Vikings took home their second boy's basketball championship trophy, having won their first in 2021. They entered the tournament as the No. 1-seeded team and kept their winning streak going up to the final game. Guard Brooks Bakko made the winning point in the last-second tip-in.

These 15 talented players all contributed to their successful season by tapping into the strength of each other. They demonstrated teamwork at its finest. This year's players are Brooks Bakko, Gabriel Iverson, Karson Ouse, Jakob Starcevic, Presley Peraza, Izaak Spelhaug, Jackson Schlieman, Kylan Swenson, Gabe Whipple, Eli Maack, Carter Gronwold, Tyler Gronwold, Graham Hesse, Kyle Campbell, and Lukas Starcevic. Scoring leaders for the championship game were forward Karson Ouse with 17 points, Jakob Starcevic with 13, Brooks Bakko with 12, and Presley Peraza with 10. And, Brooks Bakko and Presley Peraza were selected by the State sportscasters and sportswriters to be on the All-State Team.

I congratulate the team, as well as Coach Brad Woehl, assistant coaches Brent Plante, Matt Hagen, and Jimmy Hoy, and all the loyal fans on this State championship. A sincere thanks also goes to the Kindred Public School administrators, teachers, staff, and the entire community for the role they play in supporting quality education.

This was a championship game we will remember for years. I join all North Dakotans in thanking each and every Kindred Vikings player for inspiring us with your basketball excellence. You continue to show us what can be achieved by combining faith and passion with determination and teamwork.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to Calendar No. 27, H.J. Res. 25, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 34, S.J. Res. 18.

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

Yes.

Yes.

Yes.

I was not there.

Mr. President, I am going to do what I do so well and so often and agree with John Hoeven. How is that?

I won't bore you with a lot of the same information. But he did set up--I think, John, you set up a perfect opportunity to dig into the dynasty a little bit when you went through every year.

Remember, we have been in Congress every year that they won one of these FCS championships. Somebody reminded me of that yesterday. So we have given a lot of these speeches. I have made several in the House.

Webster says that a dynasty is ``a succession of rulers of the same line of descent''--``a succession of rulers of the same line of descent.'' So when Senator Hoeven went through the names of those coaches in these last 14 years, they are in the line of descent.

Craig Bohl, who went to Wyoming from NDSU, was the coach when NDSU became eligible for the FCS championship series.

Just to put a little bit more meat on that, NDSU was a Division II-- NCAA Division II powerhouse for years, winning several national championships. They switched over to Division I and then became eligible. They didn't become eligible to even be in the tournament until 2008. So just imagine that. They were, basically, the junior varsity until 2008, when they became eligible for the playoffs. And in 2010, they got to the quarter finals.

So we got these ten championships, but let's not forget, they--and one of the other times, one of the other 4 years that they didn't win the national championships, they were in the quarter finals. And 2 of the years of those 4, they were in the semifinals. And the other year, they were the runner-up. So what are they, then, 9 and 0 in Frisco. No wonder we like Fargo South.

I might also point to this little tidbit--and maybe the NCAA is doing this to us on purpose: Next year's game and the next couple of years are going to be in Nashville. So Marsha and Bill are going to have to host this. But, anyway, we will wait for that to happen.

So 10 championships since 2011. That is a dynasty. Everybody is using the word ``dynasty.'' ESPN is using the word ``dynasty.'' You can't help but use the word ``dynasty.''

Senator Hoeven, you are correct to compliment the Bobcats. My gosh, I mean, the two quarterbacks in this game, Tommy Mellott from Montana State and Cam Miller from NDSU, played each other in the same game when they were freshmen. Both of them started for their respective teams when they were freshmen, and NDSU prevailed in that game as well. But what a program and what a great group of guys that created.

One of the things that I wanted to throw out there is--by the way, this poster, this is what I texted to President Trump about 30 seconds after the game. NDSU posted this image on their X or their Twitter feed, so I forwarded it to President Trump and said: Does this mean we get to come to the White House? He said yes, with an exclamation mark. He loves the program. He loves the program.

But NDSU is a really good football program, the best football program, but there are a lot more. NDSU is a research institute. It is a land grant university. John and I and anybody in ag country knows how valuable, how important they are to our economy, to our farmers, the research that they do. They are an R-1 research university, one of the top 100 research universities in the United States, with about 12,000 students, about 100 majors, and, of course, graduate programs and doctoral programs--all kinds of opportunities for young men and women who are looking for an education and a fun place to get one.

So we are just so proud of North Dakota State University. We are proud of all of our universities, the private ones and the public ones. They stand out in so many ways. But this is NDSU's day.

We are just honored to be able to celebrate with them in this sort of special way.

And I look forward to going to Nashville about a year from now and watching another one, John.

John, he is a little more--you know, he doesn't like to set the bar too high and get disappointed. But we are almost never disappointed. So I am getting my tickets for Nashville.

With that, I yield the floor.

If I might reclaim a moment.

I think there are two Montana Senators who should be wearing those ties. But, anyway, we will find them later.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, it is a great honor for me to be able to speak tonight about my good friend and fellow North Dakotan Governor Doug Burgum.

On November 15, President Trump announced his choice of Governor Doug Burgum to serve as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and to chair the National Energy Council. He is the perfect candidate for this job, and I urge this body to take up his nomination swiftly.

To my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I encourage you to engage with him throughout the confirmation process. You will find the same inquisitive, engaging executive that North Dakotans know very well.

Doug Burgum does do things differently than most, I will warn you. It is his nature. He is, after all, a risk-taker. He literally mortgaged his family farm to get $250,000 in seed capital that he needed to buy into his first company, a small business solutions startup in Fargo called Great Plains

Software. Great Plains grew from a dozen or so to over 2,200 employees before it was sold to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion. Now, Fargo, ND, is home to one of the largest Microsoft campuses in the country.

Doug Burgum, ever the entrepreneur, became a venture capitalist and, much like President Trump, turned to real estate development. He founded the Kilbourne Group, revitalizing downtown Fargo.

In 2016, he burst into the North Dakota political scene during his first run for Governor without any prior political experience, catching the party and the State by surprise and overwhelmingly-- overwhelmingly--winning.

As Governor, Doug led like a CEO and guided our State to one of the highest rates of GDP per capita. Under his pro-business leadership, we also have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Nation. Agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and technology make our State a commodity powerhouse that feeds and fuels the world.

Mr. President, North Dakota is also where our Nation's 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, came to live and ranch. The Badlands were where he learned and built his legacy of natural resource management and where he recognized ``the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land.'' He went on to say:

I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by

wasteful use, the generations that come after us.

Governor Burgum embodies the TR spirit North Dakotans love so much. He understands the delicate balance between energy development and stewardship better than anyone I know. And, more importantly, he is committed to that delicate balance. His Teddy Roosevelt ethos will surely be a model for his service as Secretary of the Interior.

Mr. President, no doubt part of the reason President Trump chose Doug Burgum is they are both successful entrepreneurs and political outsiders. But just as importantly, both are unafraid to disrupt the status quo.

By definition and tradition, a Cabinet Secretary's role, of course, is limited to the confines of the Agency that they lead, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States. But when President Trump announced Governor Burgum as his choice to serve as Secretary of the Interior, he also announced the formation, the establishment of a National Energy Council with Doug serving as its very first Chair. This will include every Agency involved in every step of the development, production, and distribution of American-made energy.

This coordination is a radically commonsense solution to the inane complexity of an overbearing bureaucracy. As Chair of the National Energy Council, he will also have a seat on the National Security Council, proof that President Trump understands energy security is, in fact, national security.

Doug Burgum is who a global talent agency would recommend to be Chair of the National Energy Council if you paid them $1 million to hunt for the perfect candidate. Doug's leadership potential on energy and natural resource development is far greater than an individual Cabinet post. The pick of Governor Burgum and the creation of the Council are brilliant moves by a President who has made energy dominance a central pillar of his second administration.

And like every other Cabinet Secretary nominee, Doug Burgum will come before the Senate, first in the committee, of course, then on the floor for a Senate-wide vote. We will fulfill our constitutional duty and obligation to provide our advice and, ultimately, consent to the President's nominee.

A Senate-confirmed Cabinet Secretary also serving as Chair of the National Energy Council lends special legitimacy to the post. His confirmation by this body makes him more than a czar or a powerful bureaucrat. The Council will provide accountability that the so-called Biden climate advisers never had. Instead of White House lackeys dumping policies on the Agencies, the Agencies themselves will craft the policy in coordination with one another and Congress.

The Federal Government is sprawling, contradictory, and just plain inefficient and ineffective. It needs a visionary at the helm to make plans that are coordinated and complementary, working toward a common national goal.

Unfortunately, the current administration's energy policy has been anything but cohesive. Let's just take one issue, carbon capture and sequestration--CCUS--technology, as an example. The administration's climate and energy strategy has always acknowledged that carbon capture utilization and storage is critical to reducing emissions while keeping electricity reliable and affordable. They passed laws and rules offering billions of dollars of incentive from the Departments of Energy and the Treasury to develop and to get CCUS off the ground. Then another Agency within the same administration, the EPA, finalized its Clean Power Plan mandating CCUS while it is still in development. Then they set the capture requirements so high, nobody--no matter how much money you have--could meet them, completely undercutting a technology they said was necessary--even mandatory--to meet their climate objectives--multiple Agencies in the same administration working against each other, seemingly on purpose. It makes no sense and is just one example of many of the need for a coordinated energy policy.

We need these dedicated outsiders like President Trump and Governor Burgum to even begin cleaning up the mess of the last 4 years and make energy policy make sense again.

Undoing the mountain of Biden administration regulations is the first step to unleashing our energy potential. But it will take deliberate, thoughtful coordination between the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, and, yes, the Department of Justice and others. Encouraging American energy development requires making producers' interactions with the Federal Government as seamless as possible. And we must have a Justice Department committed to the laws and policies they are responsible for defending.

There are lots of examples where arrogant DOJ attorneys overrule Agency lawyers in litigation on behalf of the Agencies. Can you imagine having an attorney who disagrees with you so they go to court and litigate against your position? That happens all the time in our DOJ.

As Chair of the National Energy Council and Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum will be at the forefront of slashing redtape and unleashing American dominance to make American energy great again.

I congratulate President Trump and Governor Burgum. January 20 can't get here too soon.

I yield the floor.