Floor Statements

Madam President, this is a time of year when sports seasons wrap up and tournaments and final competitions crown new champions. I have the privilege today of recognizing one team of outstanding figure skaters from Bismarck, ND. They are the Capital Ice Chips, 22 high school girls under the age of 18 who this month skated their way to the gold medal in the U.S. National Synchronized Skating championships.

The Ice Chips are not strangers to this national competition, which was held in Peoria, IL. They have qualified for nationals for the past 13 years and have stood on the winners podium nine times. This year, they were on the top step for the first time after competing against 12 other teams hailing from much larger metropolitan areas in California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Arizona.

The 20-year-old Bismarck Figure Skating Club has been dominant in national competitions because it begins training young skaters as young as preschoolers. With considerable support from parents and top-notch teachers and coaches at every stage of learning, these young skaters also start synchronized skating at an early age. Most of this year's Capital Ice Chips are veteran skaters who have attended many regional and national competitions.

I want to commend the coaches, notably Rebecca Gallion, who has been with the Bismarck Figure Skating Club for all of its 20 years, as well as Selena Morris and Hayley Trom. Previous skaters have become instructors and coaches and have been instrumental in helping the Ice Chips advance to the level of excellence on display at the national competition this year.

The skaters on the Capital Ice Chips national championship team are Emily Appert, Elyse Bock, Nora Carlson, Gabriella Deeter, Chloe Dwyer, Isabelle Ersland, Brooklyn Gallion, Tatum Gietzen, Ella Haar, Miah Hamar, Kamri Hopfauf, Ashlyn Iverson, Nora Luckenbill, Taryn Nelson, Addison Rakness, Kadence Rambur, Addisen Renton, Morgan Schatz, Lexi Stenberg, Reece Theel, Ethnie Zahn, and Kinzie Zahn.

North Dakota's legendary winters bring out a love of winter sports, including those played on ice rinks across my State. Figure and synchronized skating require teamwork and discipline in these young athletes, and I congratulate the Capital Ice Chips for their dedication and hard work that earned them this championship. I join the rest of North Dakota in thanking the Bismarck Figure Skating Club and the Capital Ice Chips for inspiring all of us to achieve excellence. They have demonstrated what can be achieved by combining faith and passion with determination and teamwork.

Mr. President, one of North Dakota's most distinguished citizens and respected jurists is retiring this week. Justice Gerald W. ``Jerry'' VandeWalle is leaving the North Dakota Supreme Court as the longest serving justice in the history of the court.

A native of the small northwestern North Dakota community of Noonan, Justice VandeWalle earned his law degree from the University of North Dakota in 1958. He devoted more than 60 years of his legal career working for the citizens of our State. The first 20 years were as an assistant attorney general, prior to his appointment to the supreme court in 1978. In his nearly 45 years on the supreme court, he served 27 of those as chief justice. At the time he relinquished his responsiblities as chief justice in 2020, he was the longest serving chief justice in the entire Nation.

As impressive as these statistics are, the real legacy of Justice VandeWalle is not found in numbers. Instead, it is in the profound impact he made year after year, case after case, as he sought to uphold the law with impartiality in every judicial decision. His warmth and kindness, his engaging optimism, and his humble nature were his everyday demeanor. He was accessible to other state officials, a fierce advocate for the judicial branch before the State legislature, and a revered mentor to lawyers aross the State and country.

In the 27 years between 1993 and 2020 when Justice VandeWalle was chief justice, North Dakota experienced notable changes in its population, demographics, economy, and culture. All the while, he kept a steady focus on how North Dakota courts could deliver access to justice for all. He was integral in unifying the court system, redefining state judicial districts and bringing more judges to accommodate each district's needs. He addressed emerging technology innovations in courtrooms and expanded court services for population groups like veterans, juveniles, and the elderly.

The judicial impact of Justice Jerry VandeWalle will resonate across our State and Nation for decades to come. Visitors to our State capitol will read about his legendary career next to his portrait in the North Dakota Rough Rider Hall of Fame, the highest honor given to our citizens. Kris and I will miss seeing him at official events and will treasure even more the friendship we shared over the years. On behalf of all North Dakotans, I thank him for his exemplary service and congratulate him on his well-earned retirement. I wish him many years of health and happiness in the future.

Mr. President, I want to honor the 30 years of distinguished service of a remarkable North Dakota public servant who is retiring from office at the end of December.

Alvin Jaeger took office as North Dakota's 14th secretary of state in January 1993, when I was the executive director of the North Dakota Republican Party. That year, he and newly elected Governor Ed Schafer became the second and third Republicans to be voted in to a State office after several years of Democrats occupying them. Today, all State office holders are Republicans, the significance of which is not lost on neither Al nor me.

A Beulah, ND, native, Al came to the Secretary of State's office having previously served in the North Dakota National Army Guard and having been a business analyst for the Mobil Oil Corporation, a Fargo real estate broker, and a high school teacher in western North Dakota.

In his 30 years in office, Al has brought wisdom, intelligence, and dedication to everything he has undertaken. He has served on the State Board of University and School Lands, the North Dakota Emergency Commission, and the State Historical Society of North Dakota, making his participation in the work of these boards a top priority. Al has also been active in the National Association of Secretaries of State and most recently was a member of its executive committee.

When first elected, Al oversaw the development of the office's first website and subsequently supervised the ever evolving modernization and digitization of services and information that we now expect to be found online. He led in updating North Dakota's election code and developing more sophisticated tracking of election results. He has become the ``go-to'' authority on issues related to election security and uniform voter identification. And he and his staff have set a high standard for election integrity in North Dakota not enjoyed by many other States.

One of the projects Al championed and which will be among the greatest legacies of his years in office is the North Dakota Blue Book. This publication traces back to the Territorial Legislature in 1887, 2 years before North Dakota became a State, with early titles more commonly referred to as ``legislative manuals or handbooks.'' They were put out sporadically until Al came to office in 1993, when he committed to resuming a biannual publication of the book. Over these past 30 years, each book has provided a comprehensive chronology of all current and State office holders, a summary of significant laws passed during that biennium's legislative session, as well as historical features and data about the State. With each edition providing information about North Dakota not readily available elsewhere, the value of the commitment by the Secretary of State's office to regularly publish these books cannot be overstated.

When Al Jaeger retires on December 31, he will become the second longest serving secretary of state in North Dakota, overseeing and codifying the laws of 15 legislative sessions. It is going to take a long time for the impact of his years of service to be adequately measured. On behalf of all North Dakotans, I thank him for his years of service as secretary of state. I congratulate him on his well-earned retirement and wish him many years of health and happiness in the future.

Madam President, I would like to recognize and thank Justin Kronenberg, my 2022 Department of Defense legislative fellow, for all of his hard work and dedication to my office. He is an active duty master sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps with almost two decades of service. The wealth of knowledge and professionalism he brought have been incredibly valuable.

Throughout the year, Justin's expertise supported me in my role as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and particularly as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Seapower. He is a skilled communicator, which has been instrumental in distilling and explaining many of the complex policy matters before the committee. North Dakota had the privilege of hosting Justin for a week as he toured our military facilities, seeing firsthand the great work being done in Grand Forks, Minot, and Fargo. North Dakota and my office are better off thanks to Justin's service.

I would also like to thank Justin's family for the shared sacrifice and service they give this Nation. I wish Justin all the best at his next assignment and in all his future endeavors. Semper Fi.

Mr. President, I could not improve upon what has already been said about the work on this important bill. Senator Capito has articulated much more eloquently than I all of the priorities that are important in the bill.

I am just going to add my thanks to Chairman Carper and to Ranking Member Capito and, of course, to subcommittee Chairman Cardin as well. It has been a great team effort, as is, I think, illustrated in the final product and the overwhelming vote. Let's keep the team together. And let's just pass a really big, important WRDA bill.

And I emphasize again, we did this through regular order, colleagues. We stayed on the 2-year schedule, colleagues. And when we work together, we can do good work for the people we serve.

With that, I urge a strong vote.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, this nominee has been failed by the bureaucracy that he attempts to join.

For months, I have been working with the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security--USCIS specifically--to rectify an egregious immigration case.

A North Dakota family, an American family, is being forced to live apart from each other after one of the parents, a Canadian, inadvertently overstayed their visa after receiving poor advice during the chaos of the COVID pandemic. This forced separation has been ongoing since last year. In fact, the Canadian citizen, the Canadian mother, is barred for 10 years from returning to her home.

The family has complied with every request our government has thrown at them and, as we speak, are working on fulfilling another dilatory and unnecessary request for more information.

The review of this case could have been done a long time ago, but instead bureaucrats are expediting nothing, stringing out request after request, actually forcing my constituent to prove the hardship of being separated and even show why moving to Canada would be a problem. Think of it. Their own government is asking them to justify why they can't just move to Canada. They are past the point of exasperation, and I don't know how we can blame them.

It is wrong and unjust, especially when my constituents witness the same Agency allowing thousands of people to pour across our southern border without a scintilla of review every single day.

The government is not without fault in this case, and I could share many more frustrating details of their saga, but I will refrain for the sake of their privacy as they work through this grueling process. However, my holds on DHS nominees will remain until this case is resolved. And I will add, if there is no meaningful change soon, these holds will expand to other Agencies that are involved in this case-- specifically, the State Department.

It is not a decision I make lightly and one I would rather not make at all, but I would like to state the obvious: It shouldn't take a U.S. Senator personally calling Agencies and the administration while holding up nominees to get the so-called public servants to actually serve the public.

Get this done.

With that, I object.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I would be happy to have a vote on this this afternoon. But the decision isn't mine; it is the bureaucrats at DHS.

I object.

Madam President, I want to honor today the distinguished career of a remarkable North Dakota educator and artist who is retiring from teaching this month.

Wallace ``Butch'' Thunder Hawk is an internationally renowned artist who has been a Tribal art teacher at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck for 49 years. He has helped hundreds of students grow their artistic talent and appreciate traditional Native American art and traditions.

Beyond his classroom in Bismarck, the impact of Butch's passion for creating and teaching Native American art has been felt around the world. A Hunkpapa Lakota Teton Sioux, he was raised in the community of Cannonball on the Standing Rock Reservation. Butch was influenced by the work of his grandparents and mother, who created traditional art including beadwork, warbonnets, and tools. Ledger art has become one of Butch's great interests, and he has created hand-carved horse effigies, horse memorial sticks, war shields, and traditional weaponry.

His artwork can be seen in homes and museums around the region and world. He was instrumental in establishing the Indian Hall exhibit at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, helping to recreate art similar to what Lewis and Clark would have collected during their famous expedition in the early 1800s. Working with Harvard University's Peabody Museum of Archaelogy and Ethnology, he and his students created several pieces for Monticello's Indian Hall, including clubs, lances, arrows, shields, pipes, and a quiver and bowcase. Later, following several years as a visiting scholar at Harvard, he was a curator of an exhibit at the Peabody Museum on Lakota images of the West. One of his horse memorial effigy replicas is in the permanent collection at the Nelson Atkins Museum in Kansas City, and two major art pieces are on display at the James Monroe House in Charlottesville, VA. One of his ornaments featuring a bison was displayed on the White House Christmas Tree in 2008.

He has said creating art and teaching honors his ancestors, his family, his students, and other artist friends. He considers it a privilege to share Lakota traditions with students and help them grow their appreciation of this art.

When I heard the news that Butch Thunder Hawk was retiring from teaching, I smiled. In previous positions I held that included promoting all that is good about North Dakota, Butch was at the very top of the list of our State's most treasured cultural ambassadors. A humble, personable,

and honorable man, he was generous in sharing his talents and work. Butch embodies all that is good about North Dakota and the rich traditions of the Tribal nations located in our State. His work and influence will resonate in his students for generations to come. On behalf of the people of North Dakota, I thank him for his years of teaching. And I wish him the best in his retirement, which I am certain will include creating more art and influencing many more people.

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

Madam President, in poll after poll, most respondents blame President Biden's policies for the increasing inflation and especially higher gas prices.

Madam President, last year I had the honor of congratulating two State championship teams from my alma mater, Kindred High School, in boys basketball in March and boys football in November.

Last week, it was the Kindred Vikings girls basketball team that took home the championship trophy at the North Dakota Class B State tournament, winning a third State title in just 6 years. These girls began their season with a win and kept on winning. They entered the tournament undefeated and after their last game were 23-0.

In their final game, the Vikings played last year's State champions, the Grafton Spoilers, dominating the game early and ending with a 64-40 win. This was the largest championship point margin of victory since 1991. Leading the team was senior guard Abby Duchscherer, who scored 25 points and 10 rebounds. She was also named Senior Athlete of the Year and Tournament MVP.

Having three State championship sports teams in a year, along with its overall general academic excellence, speaks highly of the quality of the Kindred Public School system. I commend all administrators, teachers, and staff, as well as the entire community for the role they play in supporting quality education.

For this basketball championship, however, it is the awesome young women on the team who deserve the greatest recognition. They are Charli McQuillan, Peyton Gette, Avery Bartels, Abigail Duchscherer, Kacie Burner, Lexi Ogren, Kristina Freier, Ana Freier, Laela Eisenschenk, McKenzie Schmitz, Avery Amerman, Terryn Johnson, Leah Rolland, Kennedy Bakko, and Tess Rohrbeck.

I congratulate the team, as well as Coach Sam Brandt, assistant coaches Tenille Bakko, Ashley Fahnhorst, Perry Piatz, and Danni Sanders and all the loyal fans on another Kindred Vikings State championship.

I join all North Dakotans in thanking each and every player on this team for inspiring us with your excellence. You continue to show us what can be achieved by combining faith and passion with determination and teamwork.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair and that all time during any period of morning business, adjournment, recess, and leader remarks

count postcloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 3076.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in recess subject to the call of the Chair.

Mr. President, I, of course, associate with every word Senator Hoeven said. I think it is fortuitous we are joined in the Chamber today by the next speaker who came here to talk about something altogether different, but Senator Wicker knew our attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem, maybe longer than I did, actually.

As Senator Hoeven said, a couple of weeks ago, the good people of North Dakota lost a really good friend. We said goodbye to one of our State's most dedicated and beloved public servants. Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem died unexpectedly and suddenly on January 28, just 1 month after announcing his intention to not seek reelection and retire at the end of this year.

Wayne was, as John said, North Dakota's longest serving attorney general, having been in office since 2001. Prior to this, he was in the State legislature, winning his first election while at the University of North Dakota--a law student at the age of 22 and continuing his service in the legislature for 24 more years.

He gave 46 years of continuous service to the people of North Dakota, and we are just now beginning to comprehend the impact of the significance of all that he did for our State and during those important years.

I first became acquainted with Wayne when he was serving as a State senator, and I was a desk page in the legislature. Our friendship and political collaborations continued during the years as I worked for the North Dakota Republican Party and later held State-appointed and elected offices. In the 9 years I have been in Congress, Wayne has been a valued friend, a trusted advisor, and an invaluable champion of States' rights and the U.S. Constitution.

His work representing North Dakota in State and Federal courts and as a member of the State Industrial Commission was monumental. It positioned our State to be an energy powerhouse and, at the same time, an unwavering steward of our environment. Among the most notable Federal issues that Wayne championed for our State was objecting to the onerous Waters of the United States regulations proposed by the Obama administration. Wayne skillfully led a coalition of 13 States in opposition, resulting in a nationwide stay of that rule. He was also instrumental in procuring a historic stay of the Clean Power Plan from the U.S. Supreme Court. In both cases, he skillfully underscored the rights and the responsibilities of States, while drawing a blueprint for cooperative federalism in environmental policy.

Wayne's servant leadership over the past four decades was woven into countless battles, triumphs, and solutions. An ardent supporter of open records and meetings laws and transparency in government, every public group, including Governor Hoeven, Public Service Commissioner Cramer, and anybody in government understood that regardless of the size or the importance of your commission or your committee, we all felt Wayne's scrutiny on behalf of transparency for the people.

He developed innovative ways to crack down on illegal meth production and to better control the opioid epidemic. Human trafficking and domestic abuse issues were also always--always--on the top of his priority list and on his radar. He was a fierce advocate and supporter of law enforcement, the brave men and women who protect the safety of our communities. They all knew that Wayne had their backs.

His work was impressive. Yet Wayne was not a grandstander. He worked quietly and had much more respect for good outcomes than for personal gain and benefit. Wayne smiled all the time. He literally smiled all the time. And on the very rare occasion he didn't, you were probably in trouble, and you probably deserved it, but it was rare. He was a fun- loving person. He knew what to take seriously and what to enjoy. His balance of life is really what I think endeared him to so many people.

Wayne was the same person last month that he was in college, which is his greatest testament, I think, to public service. When you accomplish as much as Wayne did and reach the pinnacle of service as he did and he was the same guy who represented the University of North Dakota in the State legislature 46 years ago, that says it all about his character and about Wayne's stature.

Recognized among the very elite attorneys general in the country, the Nation's 36 current and former attorneys general who attended his funeral in Bismarck, speaks volumes about the high regard to which he was held by his peers.

North Dakota and our Nation have lost a true patriot, and Wayne Stenehjem left an incredible legacy we can all celebrate. He dedicated his life to public service in our State, and our State is a much, much better place because of him. Thousands of people knew Wayne. Thousands more--and really millions--were impacted by Wayne's good work, particularly in the attorney general's office.

In the context of eternity, our life is but a snap of a finger, but in the context of history, Wayne Stenehjem's contributions are massive and longstanding.

On behalf of all North Dakotans, Kris and I send heartfelt sympathy to his wife Beth; his son Andrew; his very, very large extended family; and the legion of dedicated friends and admirers.

As a lifelong Eagle Scout, Wayne was no doubt familiar with the famous scouting adage, ``Leave a place better than when you found it.'' Without a doubt, Wayne left North Dakota and this Nation a better place. May we all be inspired by his lifetime of public service and the profound impact it had on all that is excellent about North Dakota today. Rest in peace, Wayne.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I thank Senator Hoeven. I just want to fully associate myself with every word of Senator Hoeven and every thought you just heard. John Hoeven is not just a Senator who represents the State that the Bison play in; he is a fan. To say the least, he is a fan.

Senator Hoeven did a great job, as have ESPN and everybody else, in highlighting the legacy of the Bison Nation. There has been 9 out of 11 national championships.

One of the things I really appreciate about Coach Matt Entz--who, by the way, was named this year again the FCS Coach of the Year. That is the second FCS National Coach of the Year in the last 3 years. He has been the coach for 3 years.

But, as he likes to point out, while it is, in fact, the ninth national championship in 11 seasons for the Bison, it is the first one for this team--a fact that we sometimes forget. Excellence over time requires one excellent team after another. So I want to focus just a little bit not so much on the legacy but on this particular team.

Remember, as Senator Hoeven said, they beat the Bobcats 38 to 10. It became 38 to 10 after they had been ahead 35 to 0. That is not a minor thing in collegiate football. But the 38-to-10 victory tied with the fourth largest margin of victory in FCS championship game history. After that is NDSU's 28-point victory over Towson to cap the 2013 season. It was the fourth time NDSU has won the FCS championship by 26 or more points.

North Dakota State's 108 rushing yards in the first quarter and 160 in the second quarter marked the third and fourth times in the 2021 FCS playoffs that the Bison ran for 100 yards in a quarter. Imagine that. Twice they did it in the same game--103 in the first quarter and 116 in the second quarter of NDSU's second-round win over Southern Illinois.

Now, NDSU's 28-to-0 halftime lead was the largest halftime margin in FCS championship history, passing the 24-to-0 Bison lead over Jacksonville State in 2015. In other words, this team, this one team, is excellent among excellence. They had 378 yards rushing and 540 yards of total offense. That was the most by the Bison in FCS championship game history, surpassing a 300-yard rushing performance against Sam Houston State in 2012 and 488 total yards against Eastern Washington in the 2018 season.

We have to talk a little bit about fullback Hunter Luepke, who was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the championship game. He tied a career-high with three rushing touchdowns--the first three of the game, one shy of the FCS championship game record of four rushing touchdowns by Furman's John Bagwell in 1985.

This team, this one excellent team out of dozens of excellent teams over the years, and this one excellent player obviously stand out, along with their one excellent coach, as I said earlier, Matt Entz, the FCS National Coach of the Year.

I love that Senator Hoeven consistently refers to these players as student athletes because, remember, before they are football players, they are students, and I think it is worth noting what exceptional students they are.

NDSU's Cole Wisniewski was the winner of the NCAA Elite 90 Award. The Elite 90 is presented to the student athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships. But he is one among many. Five student athletes were named to the football all-academic team. NDSU linebacker Jackson Hankey headlines this group of five student athletes named to the Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic Team on December 14.

I think it is important to highlight and be specific about these guys. Hankey is a senior from Park River, ND. John and I know Park River. It is a pretty small place. He has an undergraduate degree not in underwater basket weaving and not even in physical education, although there is nothing wrong with that, but, rather, in agricultural economics. He was selected to the first team with a 3.636 grade point average.

Here are the other four besides him: Hunter Luepke, the outstanding player of the game, has a 3.42 GPA in finance. Sophomore defensive tackle Eli Mostaert has a 3.733 GPA in finance. Kicker Jake Reinholz has a 4.00 GPA in the master's degree program in mechanical engineering. The senior defensive tackle, Lane Tucker, has a 3.857 GPA in the MBA program. Great athletes are smart athletes. Great athletes are smart athletes.

All right. To continue that, this is a tribute. Well, while they take the stage on ESPN and on game day and the various programs, it is important to point out that North Dakota State University's athletic teams achieved a remarkable--remarkable--semester last fall with a 3.418 grade point average among all 427 student athletes. Three Bison teams earned the highest ever GPA. The statistics are incredible. They are incredible in terms of academic achievements of these outstanding athletes throughout all of the sports at North Dakota State University, not just football. But they definitely lead the charts.

So, to wrap up, in talking again a little bit about the dynasty, one of my favorite quotes--and I refer to it a lot; I use it a lot when I talk about Bison football--is Aristotle, who said:

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, [therefore], is

not an act, but a habit.

It is not an act. It is a habit.

There are 9 out of 11 national championships in the FCS alone. Before that, as Division II, they won several national championships. They never lost a national championship. In other words, they repeatedly win national championships. That makes winning habitual. It is habitual.

They made their ninth appearance, as I said, in the championship game--the most of any FCS team. They won them all, as we know. They now have 17 football national championships in history. They won their last 13 title game appearances. I mean, it is kind of remarkable. They improved to 41 and 3--imagine this, Senator Hoeven--41 and 3 in FCS playoffs since 2010.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.

I, as well, salute Dean Bresciani, the president; Matt Entz, the head coach; the entire coaching staff; the entire faculty; every student athlete; and every parent who got these student athletes to college.

It is just a remarkable thing to be able to represent this level of excellence, and I join Senator Hoeven in saying: ``Horns up! Go Bison! Go Bison!''

I yield the floor.

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

Mr. President, as we approach the Christmas break and the advent of the new year, I believe it is instructive to take an inventory of the year that was. So in honor of the holiday season, let's take stock of the first year of the reign of Biden, Schumer, and Pelosi. In fact, in the spirit of the season, I am going to call this recitation the ``Twelve Biden Blunders of Christmas.''

The first blunder that Joe Biden gave to us is a free Big Government socialist agenda, otherwise known as the Democrats' Build Back Better plan, designed to pass with no support from or, frankly, input from any of these pesky Republicans.

Time and time again, Joe Biden and his Democratic toymakers have parroted the claim that their Big Government socialist agenda costs zero--zero. Can you imagine a piece of legislation designed to give away trillions of dollars but doesn't cost anything? But perhaps they have some elf dust that makes it possible.

Obviously, this isn't true. Analysis by nongovernment, nonpartisan

groups, including the Penn Wharton model and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, did an analysis and concluded that the cost was much, much higher, like just under $5 trillion. A recent thorough analysis, based on the history and the traditions of Congress and spending, by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office agrees. The Washington Post's Fact Checker even gave Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen two Pinocchios when she repeated the same bogus claim that this bill would cost nothing.

The second blunder Joe Biden gave to us is hiding from media reporters and not taking questions. It is unbelievable to me--it is hard to imagine the leader of the freest country in the world, in fact, the leader of the free world, is afraid to take questions from the fourth estate or that his staffers are afraid of what might come out of his mouth.

Freedom of the press is enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution on purpose. Yet on David Axelrod's podcast, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki admitted out loud that ``a lot of times we say, `Don't take questions.' ''

The media in the United States is not supposed to be the mouthpiece of the government or its leaders. Transparency is essential-- essential--in our exceptional self-governing system.

Now, I am not the President of the United States, but reporters who work in the halls of this temple of liberty and, of course, reporters back home in North Dakota know I am always willing to engage. I don't hide from my votes or explanations for them. I am not scripted to the point of resigning my own thoughts or opinions or even mistakes and decisions. North Dakotans elected me, not my staff. Americans elected Joe Biden, not his staff, not some buffer of bureaucracy. He has the responsibility to be accessible, and the media has the responsibility to demand it of him.

But the slippery slope doesn't end here. Another third blunder Joe Biden gave to us is the White House deciding what is ``misinformation.'' In a news conference, Jen Psaki said:

We're flagging--

Imagine this now, the White House spokesperson:

We're flagging problematic posts for Facebook that spread

disinformation. We're working with doctors and medical

experts . . . who are popular with their audience with

accurate information. So, we're helping get trusted content

out there.

That is frightening language coming from a spokesperson for the President. It sounds an awful lot like the U.S. Government colluding with the media to decide what, in fact, counts as fact. In fact, reading between the lines on this one, it seems the White House is playing the ultimate arbiter of the truth. If this seems a little Orwellian, well, it is. It is.

While it is easy to see why Ms. Psaki might conclude--and, frankly, other Democrats--that they, in fact, control a ``state media,'' the fact is, they don't. Give the American people some credit here. They are smarter than being spoon-fed information from the West Wing through their ``elfin folk'' at Facebook.

The fourth blunder Joe Biden gave to us is raging inflation from pumping trillions of free dollars into the economy. We all saw the writing on the wall when Democrats and the Biden administration pushed for $2 trillion in ``COVID relief'' in March, just 3 months removed from the bipartisan $900 billion relief bill. This was a total partisan, reckless $2 trillion that came at a time when there was obvious economic recovery coming out of the pandemic.

And now, Democrats want to spend nearly $5 trillion on their ``Build Back Broke'' plan. To put these massive numbers in perspective, the sum of these two bills--just these two bills--is more than the U.S. Government spent fighting World War II. In 2019 dollars, the United States spent $4.69 trillion over the course of just under 4 years to fight and defeat Nazi Germany and the Axis powers.

Liberal and left-of-center economists, including Larry Summers and Jason Furman, sounded warning bells early this year, but Democrats forged ahead sending inflation to levels not seen in nearly 40 years. They continue to insist that inflation is ``transitory,'' but Americans know better. Americans paying more and more for everything with each passing month know that this is more than transitory inflation.

The fifth blunder Joe Biden's Cabinet gave to us is Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas's assessment of the southern border crisis. Remember the hordes of illegal immigrants camping out on the bridge in Del Rio, TX? ``Don't worry,'' Secretary Mayorkas said as he low-balled the numbers, citing:

Approximately, I think it's about 10,000 or so, 12,000. It

could be even higher.

Actually, conservative estimates have the tally upward of 15,000 people.

While we are talking about the crisis at the southern border, it is important to note Joe Biden made multiple claims that he visited the border. But guess what. He hasn't. The Washington Post Fact Checker wrote: ``We cannot find evidence that Biden at one point made a visit to the southern border'' in his many decades of public office.

It is as though he thinks, if he says it, somehow that makes it true. The problem is lying doesn't make the lie true. I have been to the border, most recently, about 6 weeks ago. I can tell you, it is bad. I can tell you, it is a crisis. Our Customs and Border Patrol agents are completely overwhelmed. I went on a ride-along and aerial tour of the Rio Grande Valley and visited the Donna Processing Facility, where families and unaccompanied minors are processed. If there is any takeaway from seeing this firsthand, it is this: There is no way to adequately understand the magnitude of the problem or the severity of the crisis unless you see it with your own two eyes. So I implore the President, who has held elected office nearly uninterrupted since 1973, please visit the southern border and acknowledge what is obvious to everybody else. This is a national crisis.

The sixth blunder Joe Biden gave to us is a new kind of border wall, not the wall we need to secure the crisis on the southern border, which has seen record numbers as nearly 2 million people have attempted to enter the country illegally under Biden's watch.

By the way, this is just the number of illegal immigrants who have been apprehended by our CBP heroes. Now, that is more than twice the population of my home State.

But according to Secretary Mayorkas, a border wall is an affront to-- get this--an affront to humanitarian relief. Obviously, the ranchers and the innocent American citizens living and working near the border don't qualify for this humanitarian relief. Yet his Agency secured and awarded a contract for nearly half a million taxpayer dollars to build and install a fence around Joe Biden's home in Delaware. What kind of humanitarian relief does Joe Biden's beach mansion need?

The seventh blunder Joe Biden gave to us is $450,000 settlements for illegal immigrants, just for being illegal. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report this absurd plan. While North Dakota families and businesses are struggling with inflation and skyrocketing costs on everything because of Joe Biden's spending policies, his administration wants to hand out hundreds of thousands of dollars to illegal immigrants.

In comparison to the $450,000 proposed payout for illegal border crossers, the U.S. Government pays only $100,000 to the families of soldiers killed in service to our country, and people who are wrongly accused and incarcerated in Federal prison are eligible for just $50,000. That is right--$100,000 if you die defending our freedom but $450,000 if you violate our freedom.

Now, when confronted about this, President Biden said this is not going to happen, but he was quickly corrected by his own White House and the Justice Department. Negotiations are ongoing, so we don't know what any final number will be. I have helped sponsor legislation and amendments to prevent this policy from ever being implemented. The last thing we need is another incentive for people to come to our country illegally.

The eighth blunder Joe Biden gave to us is private jet-setting climate apologist John Kerry's comments on coal. Kerry stated:

By 2030 in the United States, we won't have coal. We will

not have coal plants.

While a State Department spokesperson walked back Kerry's statement, ``noting the administration's plan still

would allow coal,'' it is absurd on its face.

Cutting off coal would shut down American innovation, kill all the progress we have made on carbon capture technology, eliminate good- paying U.S. jobs, scrap grid reliability, and increase the cost of energy and everything that is produced that is dependent on the energy--like we need more inflation--and cede energy dominance to foreign adversaries who have a total lack of environmental concern and standards. Canceling coal is merely a transfer of emissions guilt to other countries with dirtier energy production than we have.

The ninth blunder Joe Biden gave to us is moral authority and other gaffes from Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Most notably, Secretary Granholm--while in North Dakota, no less--said: ``We don't have much moral authority to call out China when it comes to energy production and emissions.''

This is not just wrong; it is embarrassing. It is not just an intellectual mistake; it is an embarrassing gaffe. The stringent environmental and, I might add, labor standards of the United States are far superior to the lack of any of them in China. And I rest my case on the facts of the situation here.

One, according to the BBC and several other agencies--but the BBC says China emits 27 percent of global emissions, and it is a rising percentage because it is a rising number, while the United States is around 10 percent and a declining percent.

Two, according to the EPA, total U.S. energy-related carbon emissions fell by 12 percent from 2005 to 2018 while the United States became the No. 1 energy producer in the world.

In contrast, global energy-related carbon emissions increased nearly 24 percent. So the United States reduces 12; the globe increases 24 percent. This is significant by any standard and certainly qualifies us to be able to say we have moral authority over China when it comes to polluting and greenhouse gas emissions.

In North Dakota, in fact, we are performing ground-breaking research and piloting innovative demonstration projects. We are in the process of adding carbon capture technology to facilities like the Milton R. Young and Coal Creek power generation stations.

Furthermore, the United States has invested more in clean energy, research, development, and deployment than the next two countries combined.

We are a global leader in climate mitigation measures for new energy sources, carbon management, and efficiency. The radical and backwards energy policy of this administration ignores American exceptionalism and the real progress that we have made as a nation.

The Chinese Communist Party, Russia, and other polluters have shown no real interest in doing so, yet Secretary Granholm and Joe Biden provide cover for them, along, of course, with John Kerry, even greenlighting their fossil fuel energy projects, while they kill America's.

The tenth blunder Joe Biden gave to us is a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. There is a lot to unpack here, and nothing about this topic is meant to be glib or sarcastic. This withdrawal was nothing short of a tragic disaster and an international embarrassment.

We will continue searching for answers and accountability from the administration on this, but let's focus on the failed commitments from Joe Biden. He said his administration would get all Americans and our allies out of the country ahead of his arbitrary August 31 withdrawal deadline.

He also said the United States would stay in Afghanistan until all Americans who want to leave can do so. This is obviously not what happened.

After the botched withdrawal, the administration listed numbers ranging from 85 people to 200 or maybe 400 Americans left in Afghanistan. The State Department, however, believes as many as 14,000 legal permanent U.S. residents remain in Afghanistan, according to a foreign policy press report. Whatever the number, the President went on national television and told the world this withdrawal was ``an extraordinary success.''

Can you imagine being one of the people left behind and seeing your President on TV calling what he did an extraordinary success, saying that we got out successfully? It is abundantly clear there are significant numbers of U.S. citizens, residents, and important Afghan allies still stranded in the country if, in fact, they are still alive at all.

The 11th blunder Joe Biden gave to us is welcoming stiff competition with China. In October, Jen Psaki was asked about the Chinese Communist Party's hypersonic missile test successfully circumventing the whole globe which, from reports, indicate they are capable of delivering a nuclear warhead. Her response, Oh, we welcome stiff competition.

Really? Really? Why would the White House welcome military competition from our peer adversary communist China?

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, it has been a priority to ensure the U.S. military maintains a secure and effective deterrent, a nuclear deterrent. In order to do so, we need to modernize our nuclear triad. America's nuclear triad of missiles, submarines, and aircraft are 60-plus years old in many cases, and they are not the same strong deterrent to our adversaries that they once were. It is clear and concerning that the Chinese Communist Party is prioritizing a nuclear buildup, and the White House seems comfortable with all of this.

The 12th blunder Joe Biden gave to us is the consistent confusion and alarm in regards to his own comments about Taiwan.

In October, Joe Biden told reporters, ``I have spoken with Xi Jinping about Taiwan. We agree, we will abide by the Taiwan agreement,'' he said. Of course, immediately, alarm bells rang out, causing confusion and a lot of head scratching. You have to remember, we have a backdrop of Beijing ramping up military pressure on Taiwan, and Joe Biden can't properly articulate our Nation's foreign policy posture.

The lack of understanding on something as critical as China is dumbfounding. Taiwan is a strategic ally and important trading partner to the United States, especially given the increased risk China poses, not only to the region but to the world. If this was an isolated incident, it would be one thing, but this isn't the only time his comments in Taiwan had to be clarified--no. In a CNN townhall, Anderson Cooper interrupted the President to ask if Joe Biden was ``saying that the U.S. would come to Taiwan's defense if China attacked?''

Joe Biden promptly responded with, Yes, we have a commitment.

The White House resorted once again to walking back these comments, in what seems to be a recurring occurrence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. One Washington Post article wrote:

Most analysts believe simply that Biden misspoke.

Misspeaking is a kind way to dismiss the obvious lack of clear understanding of a critical foreign policy issue by our Commander in Chief. If there were to be an attack, I am not even sure the President would know what to do if he can't accurately express what our policy is.

I am not sure I can sum this up as succinctly as two turtledoves and a partridge in a pear tree, but I can conclude that Joe Biden and his leftwing extremist allies deserve a lump of carbon-intense coal in their White House stockings this Christmas.

I yield the floor.