Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 435, COL Andres O. Saslav, with the exception of COL John W. Sannes; that the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate consider the following nomination: Executive Calendar No. 443 and all nominations placed on the Secretary's Desk in the Coast Guard; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate resume legislative session.

Madam President, I am here once again to highlight the stories of the people who have been and continue to be held hostage by Hamas. I am so happy to hear that several of our hostages, whose families I have worked with, have been finally returned. They include: 4-year-old Abigail Mor Edan, whose parents were both murdered in front of her eyes and who now faces the horrible process of healing from the many traumas she underwent; Danielle Aloni and her 5-year-old daughter Emilia. They had been visiting Danielle's sister Sharon, her brother- in-law David, and their 3-year-old twins Emma and Julie on the day of the attack, when all of them were taken captive. Sharon, Emma, and Julie have also just been released, but David still remains in captivity.

I am so grateful that members of another family I have worked with have also been released. They include 67-year-old mother Shoshan, sister Adi, Adi's two young children Naveh and Yahel, Aunt Sharon, and Sharon's 12-year-old daughter Noam.

It has been heartening to see these families reunited with their loved ones, to see the joy and the indescribable relief, and I am grateful to the Biden administration for making these reunions possible. But, of course, many, many more people still remain in captivity, including Emma and Julie's father, David, and Naveh and Yahel's father, Tal.

These families have already endured the worst traumas imaginable, and yet now they have still been ripped apart, with no idea when they will see their fathers and brothers and sons again. Tal is a 38-year-old who reads a lot and loves to explore new topics as well as exercise and play sports. He and his family like to travel in the desert areas in southern Israel and spend time near the Sea of Galilee.

David is a talented 33-year-old actor who lived with his family in Nir Oz. He and his family woke up on the morning of October 7 to the sound of bombs and sought refuge in their home's bomb shelter. But when Hamas set fire to their house, the shelter filled with smoke and forced them out to meet the terrorists.

His American family last saw him in a video shared by Hamas where he can be seen in the back of a truck with Sharon and one of the twins. A survivor who was able to escape says she spoke briefly with him and that he said to her:

I know that I left the safe room with two babies, and now I

have only one.

I can only imagine what it must be like for him now to have both of his babies ripped away.

These two families, these fathers, don't deserve to be separated from their families. They don't deserve to be kept in horrific conditions, potentially with little food.

As joyful as it has been to see some of the hostages reunited with their families, we must not stop pushing for the release of all the remaining hostages. I will continue to work with their families and with the Biden administration to advocate for these individuals, and I will not rest until we get every hostage, including the nine Americans, home.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today, I want to tell you about a story of love, a love between two people that is beautiful and deep. It is the story of a couple known as Judy and Gad, two people in their seventies who believe in humanity and in peace.

Judy is a native New Yorker who teaches English literature and mindfulness. Gad is a chef and a jazz musician who friends describe as funny and authentic. The couple raised four children and have welcomed seven grandchildren. They inspire those around them with their big hearts and their open minds.

On the morning of October 7, they were walking near a kibbutz, Nir Oz. When rockets rained down overhead, they hid face down in nearby fields. At one point, Judy called an ambulance because the couple had been shot, but the ambulance couldn't reach them, and now they are both missing.

Judy and Gad are just two of the hundreds of people held hostage by the terrorist organization Hamas. They are peaceful, loving people who don't deserve to suffer. But since October 7, their family hasn't heard from them, and as the war in Gaza grows, they are concerned about the couple's safety and well-being.

Another family in Nir Oz was also taken by the terrorists. Their cousin, a New Yorker, has been working with my office. She says they are ``six of the human beings she loves most in the entire world.'' She says she won the lottery as a member of their close-knit family. According to Alana, the New Yorker we have been working with, Danielle is like her sister, a natural nurturer who gives great hugs.

Danielle was with her 5-year-old daughter when they were taken hostage by Hamas. They were visiting Danielle's sister Sharon, her brother-in-law David, and their 3-year-old twin girls. When the attack began, the family hid in their bomb shelter as Hamas set fire to their neighbor's house. The shelter filled with smoke and forced them out to face the terrorists. The last time they were heard from was on a phone call with a relative. Sharon said, ``I don't think we can survive this, I love you'' and hung up.

While these horrors can test our resolve, the love within these families should be an inspiration to all of us. It should strengthen our commitment to keep fighting for their safety. In this darkness, we must never lose that strength. To quote from an inscription written in defiance of the Holocaust, we must ``believe in the sun even when it is not shining.'' We must ``believe in love even when feeling it not.''

Nomination of Ramon Ernesto Reyes, Jr.

I would now like to speak about the vote we are about to have on the floor. I would like to stand in support of Judge Ramon Reyes, an accomplished jurist and dedicated public servant whose breadth of experience on and off the bench will make him an outstanding addition to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

On February 9, 2023, Reyes was voted out of committee by a vote of 11 to 10. All committee Democrats voted aye. Reyes was unanimously rated ``well qualified'' by the ABA.

This nominee was born in Brooklyn. He earned a B.S. from Cornell, a J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, and his L.L.M. from New York University Law School. In addition to an Eastern District clerkship, Reyes had a varied legal practice over the course of 13 years, representing corporate defendants in a large firm, helping draft legislation from the New York City Council, handling both civil and criminal matters, and assisting a U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Reyes was appointed in 2006 to serve as the Federal magistrate judge for the Eastern District of New York. Since taking the bench, Judge Reyes has presided over 33 trials--15 jury trials and 18 bench trials. They cover a range of cases that come before this district court, including criminal matters, employment issues, and civil rights cases.

With his significant trial experience and depth of knowledge of the district to which he has been nominated, Judge Reyes will be a tremendous asset to the Eastern District of New York, and I urge my colleagues to support him.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. President, 10 days ago, the family of Omer Neutra lit 23 candles on his birthday cake. But unlike previous birthdays, the candles kept burning because Omer wasn't there to blow them out.

Omer is one of the more than 200 people in Israel who were taken hostage by Hamas. The grandson of Holocaust survivors, he is an avid athlete and loves the New York Knicks.

He deferred his acceptance to Binghamton University to spend a gap year in Israel before he joined the IDF. On the day of the attack, he was working as a tank commander defending the Gaza border. He was last seen being forcibly removed at the hands of Hamas terrorists.

Since Omer's abduction, my office has been working with his family. We are doing everything we can to secure his safe release and the release of all the Americans who are still unaccounted for in Israel. I am grateful that the two American hostages released on Friday are doing well, but there are still several American citizens, many of whom may be injured or unwell, who remain in captivity. We must not stop fighting until all of them are safe.

On Thursday, I met with the family of 3-year-old Abigail Mor Edan. Her family told me the harrowing story of her and her two siblings. Abigail's brother Michael and her sister Amalia locked themselves in a closet while their mother was slaughtered in their home. Abigail was with her father who was shot while holding on to her. His body was later found, but Abigail is still missing.

I also met with the family of Keith and Aviva Siegel, grandparents who were kidnapped from kibbutz Kfar Aza. Keith is an American citizen and was seen being abducted with his wife.

The family of Itay Chen has been in contact with my office too. Itay is a 19-year-old who was born in New York City and is now serving in the IDF. He was supposed to return home to his family in just a few days to celebrate his brother's bar mitzvah.

Another hostage, named Sagui Dekel-Chen, is a U.S. citizen who was last seen fighting off the terrorists. His pregnant wife and two young daughters survived while hiding in their family's safe room.

I have also heard from the family of Judy Weinstein, who was born in New York State. She and her husband Gad were on a walk when the air raid sirens blared. The couple hid face down in a field as hundreds of rockets rained overhead. Judy called an ambulance because she and her husband had been shot, but the ambulance was unable to reach them, and the couple is now missing.

None of these people--these innocent people--deserve to be abandoned. They are Americans. We must fight for them as if they were our own sons, our own daughters, our own grandmothers and grandfathers. These people are our family, our lifeblood, our heart and soul.

My commitment to these families is that we will not give up on them. We will go to the ends of the Earth to bring their loved ones home. And my message to the terrorists is: We will not give in. Your darkness and your evil will not destroy us.

We will keep our hope alive and rally around these families. We will light our loved ones' candles and never blow them out.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, it has been more than a week since Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing more than 1,400 people and wounding thousands more. But every day, still more horrifying stories and images emerge, depicting unspeakable atrocities.

Just the other day, there was an interview with an Israeli father on CNN. The father said his 8-year-old daughter went missing during the attack. After 2 agonizing days, the father learned his little girl was dead. But it was his reaction that really hit me. When he heard the horrific news, the father said that he felt relieved because ``if you know anything about what they do to people in Gaza, that is worse than death.''

Can you imagine what it must be like to fear your loved ones--your sons, your daughters--could be suffering; that they could be enduring a fate that is worse than death? As a mother, I cannot even imagine what it must be like to lose a child, let alone in this way, to see loved ones slaughtered, mutilated, and burned. But to see them taken hostage or paraded through the streets, to worry that at any moment they could be enduring unspeakable horrors, it is a pain that is unconceivable and seems impossible to bear.

On Long Island, we have a family whose son was taken hostage. His name is Omer Neutra. He is just 22 years old--not much older than my eldest. Omer was an honors student in high school, and he loves the New York Knicks. He deferred his acceptance to Binghamton University to spend a gap year in Israel and join the IDF.

On the day of the attack, he was defending the Gaza border. But he was last seen being forcibly removed by the terrorists and has not been heard from since.

Omer is just 1 of nearly 200 people who were abducted by Hamas: toddlers, babies, teenagers, moms, grandmothers, grandfathers, people who cannot go without their medicine or are even too young to walk. Entire families were captured and used as human shields.

One 85-year-old grandmother, Yaffa Adar, was carried off in a golf cart as

she held her head high. But her family says without her medication, it is likely going to be a lot of pain for her. A mother was on the phone with her son when he was abducted, and she heard him say to the terrorists: ``Don't take me. I'm too young.'' Another mother, Shiri Silberman-Bibas, can be seen in her captor's video clutching her two young children, sheer terror in her eyes. And 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin had his arm blown off from the elbow down before he disappeared near Gaza. A young woman was thrust brutally into the back of a truck, her hands cable-tied behind her back, blood streaming down her arms, legs, and her back. A Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair-- imagine surviving the Holocaust only to be taken hostage by terrorists. This is the kind of anti-Semitic violence Jewish people have faced for millennia.

Until last week, many of these people were ordinary, peaceful people just going about their daily lives: working, going to school, dancing at a music festival. Now we don't know what has become of them, and many of their families fear the worst.

As the days wear on and the situation in Gaza becomes more desperate, the danger to those hostages only grows. Already, Hamas terrorists have threatened to execute hostages. As a U.S. Senator, my top priority is the safety of the American people, and I am going to be working closely with the State Department to secure the return of 13 Americans who are still unaccounted for, like Omer and Hersh.

But as we continue in this mission, I want the hostages and their families to know, we will not stop fighting for you. We will do whatever it takes to bring you home, and we will never give in to terrorists.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Patty Murray for bringing us all together today. It is a privilege to be on the floor of the U.S. Senate; it is a privilege to serve in the Senate; and it was a privilege to serve with someone as extraordinary as Senator Dianne Feinstein. People know me as a Senator who cares deeply about women's rights, about LGBT equality, about children, family, safety. And anything that I have ever cared about, Dianne was fighting for, long before I was ever in public service.

When we talk about public servants who leave legacies and when we talk about the giants on whose shoulders we stand, for me, that is Dianne. She was unlike any Senator I met when I first got here in 2009. She had a really incredible combination of elegance, brilliance, stature, certainty, toughness, and kindness.

When I first got to the U.S. Senate, I didn't know anything. I was appointed. I hadn't just run a long election where I was telling the constituents of New York why I wanted to serve and what my vision for the State was. I was really, really new. I had been a House Member for 2 years. Dianne asked me to lunch. She said: How can I help you, Kirsten? What would be most useful, for you, for me to do for you?

And I said: Well, could you just tell me a little bit about what is it like to be a Senator for a State of 60 million people. I have a State of 20 million people, so it is a lot, but I would love to hear how you have navigated this enormous job that you have.

And she just went through it. She took me step-by-step, everything that she did to manage her office. She would get a memo every week from her staff about where her legislation sat, what was happening, who were her bipartisan cosponsors.

She had a memo about how many calls her office had received, what the calls were about, what people wanted to talk to her about, what their concerns were. And that was extremely meaningful to me because she said: I have a copy of this memo, and I will give it to you. It is very confidential. It is just for me from my staff, but perhaps you can use it to model what you need from your staff every week to know if your office is working well, to make sure all the things you need your staff to be doing are happening.

It was just a small thing, but it was such a big thing to me at that time in my Senate career. And every step of the way, Dianne always reached out. She always said--just as you said, Maggie--how are you doing? How are those boys of yours? Tell me how your struggle is. I never had to raise children while being a Senator. Tell me how that is.

She always cared. She always bothered. She always stopped. I have had many dinners with Dianne. We had dinners together with our spouses. She would take me to her favorite restaurant in Georgetown. She would introduce me to her other favorite women who are public servants. And she always had something meaningful to talk about, a challenge, an issue, a crisis. At the first dinner, she wanted to talk about how the military was using nuclear weapons in a much more strategic way and changing the entire framework of what nuclear defense meant. She had that conversation with me and the then-chairwoman of Armed Services, of one of the key subcommittees in the House.

She always asked: What do you think? How are you going to challenge that problem?

Our most recent meeting was a glass of wine in her hideaway a week ago. We talked about what issues could we work on together. We agreed two of the biggest issues facing her State and my State were homelessness and affordable housing, and we decided we would start working on legislation together.

She didn't stop working when she was here just because she had health issues. She never stopped being insightful in the Intelligence Committee, asking the right question at the right time.

Dianne's legacy is extraordinary. She is an icon for women's politics--the first female Mayor of San Francisco; first of the two women ever elected to the Senate in California.

There will be a lot of speeches about her, and so I am not going to talk about just her bio. But one of the areas where she really was a role model for me was in LGBTQ rights. She became a champion in the `60s. Sadly, she found Harvey Milk's body after he was assassinated. But she channeled that tragedy into her public service and made sure that while she was mayor of San Francisco that she made a difference for that community in her city and in her State.

During the AIDS epidemic, she helped create the global standard for AIDS health in San Francisco. When she ran for California Governor and became the first woman in her State to win a major party's Gubernatorial nomination, despite losing that race, she went on to run for Senate to win. And we have seen her champion all those issues for same-sex marriage; reproductive rights; she helped pass the first assault weapons ban to keep our communities safe. These are all issues that I have always cared about and built on her record. If she didn't fight for those things, we wouldn't have been able to repeal don't ask, don't tell. We wouldn't have been able to make sure transgender servicemembers could still serve in the U.S. military. Without her hard work, we would not have been able to guarantee marriage equality at the U.S. Supreme Court.

This body is less because Dianne's not here--that grace, that courage, that keen intelligence. She will be missed by me and by all our colleagues.

I brought the last gift Dianne gave to me, a beautiful pencil drawing; again,

just part of her kindness. And I am wearing Dianne Feinstein's famous red lipstick.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Schumer for his unbelievable conviction and persistence in helping our 9/11 first responders.

I also want to thank my Republican colleagues who helped us write this bill--Senator Braun, Senator Lummis, and Senator Cotton.

I am just going to give you a vignette of what this is about.

Mariama, a New Yorker, came home after 9/11 to find her apartment covered in a thick coat of ash. Her children have all developed life- changing respiratory conditions.

Jamie, a 19-year-old, was a volunteer with the Sayville Ambulance that day. He spent weeks cleaning up at Ground Zero. He developed a rare 9/11 cancer as well.

Another amazing person is Nate, who responded to the attack at the Pentagon. He spent weeks climbing in and out of the wreckage, searching for remains. He is now a disabled veteran who is suffering from PTSD and another rare, life-threatening disease.

It has been over two decades since 9/11, but, still, thousands of people like Mariama, Jamie, and Nate suffer from these terrible cancers and conditions.

In 2011, when Congress created the World Trade Center Health Program, which provided medical treatment and monitoring for the survivors, it was not fully funded then, and we are hoping to get closer to fully funding it with this addition. My amendment brings us one step closer to this funding gap, and it includes the Pentagon and Shanksville responders.

9/11 was a horrible day for everyone, but one thing I can say is that this body has stood with those responders every single year since then, and this body has never given up in making sure they have the healthcare they need to survive.

Amendment No. 1065

(Purpose: To amend title XXXIII of the Public Health Service Act with respect to funding for the World Trade Center Health Program.)

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 1065, and I ask that the Gillibrand amendment be reported by number.

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

Mr. President, I am honored to stand in support of Natasha Merle, whom I was proud to nominate for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Ms. Merle is a deeply experienced litigator. She has practiced at virtually every level of the legal system, and she has litigated in both State and Federal courts, handling both civil and criminal matters.

Ms. Merle doesn't just have the experience and training necessary for the Federal bench; she also brings a crucial and unique perspective as a former public defender. If confirmed, she would not only be the fourth Black woman on the district court but also the first person with experience as a public defender to fill this role in nearly 30 years.

Ms. Merle has demonstrated fairness in the courtroom and will uphold the rule of law as a judge. Nineteen senior lawyers from prominent national and international law firms submitted a letter in support of her confirmation. And I can tell you that her high ethical standards and reputation for fairness will leave a powerful mark on our communities and on the Eastern District of New York.

I hope she will receive a swift confirmation.

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 that following disposition of the joint resolution, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 175, Jeremy C. Daniel, of Illinois, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Illinois; further, that the Senate recess from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. for the all-Senators briefing.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Thank you so much, Mr. President. Thank you for your leadership and your extraordinary stewardship of our State.

I rise today to thank and welcome my guest, Rev. A.R. Bernard, for leading us in that beautiful prayer this morning--so heartfelt, so purposeful, selected exactly for this moment in time. The wisdom that you bring us is very welcome.

Through all the challenges that my constituents and Senator Schumer's constituents in New York have faced over these last few years, Rev. Bernard has been a steadfast and devoted leader, serving his flock through faith and good works.

Not only does he lead one of New York's largest churches, Reverend Bernard is tackling some of the most pressing issues that our communities face: food insecurity, injustice, ensuring all of our children receive high-quality education.

He truly embodies the Word and the grace of God, and I am proud to welcome him as my guest for the summit that we are hosting today for African-American faith leaders.

I hope we will be able to learn from his example.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise to discuss helping our servicemembers exposed to toxic burn pits.

For days now, servicemembers and their families have been camping outside this very building in desperation. They are pleading with us, they are begging us to pass this bill. They have been out there all weekend in 90-degree heat, sheltering themselves from thunderstorms, as well as oppressive humidity. I have been down there to visit them three times now, and I can tell you, they are exhausted. They miss their families. They want to go home, but they will not. They will not go home until the job is done because the suffering they are enduring now pales in comparison to the suffering they, their fellow veterans, or their fellow family members experience every day because of the injuries sustained because of the exposure to the toxins released at these burn pits.

Last week, before it became clear that the PACT Act would fail, these families came to DC ready to celebrate. The mother-in-law of SFC Heath Robinson, who died because of burn pits, came with Heath's daughter Brielle, who was excited to finally celebrate her father's legacy finally coming to fruition. Instead, we had to explain to a crying 9- year-old girl why this would not be happening, why the Senate had failed them.

So I don't want anyone to just listen to me rattle off a bunch of statistics or facts about burn pits; I want you to listen to these people, the families, people who are literally giving every ounce of their being in service to this country, people with families, people with kids, people who are willing to upend their lives at the very moment's notice to fight for the values that make us who we are. Instead, when their lungs were filled with toxins, the government turned its back on them when they needed us the most. We made a promise to them to care for them when they came home, and that promise has been broken.

Failure to pass this bill again is not just some small disappointment, something that can be easily brushed off or disregarded; failure to pass this bill quite literally for many is a death sentence because every single day, every hour, every minute they don't get the healthcare they need to save their lives is just another minute lost to the diseases that are devouring them. It is another minute they won't have to be with their loved ones, to hug their children; another minute they don't get to be with their loved ones to kiss them goodbye; another minute they cannot do the things they love to do. So we don't have time to wait another week, another month; we have to do this now.

This is what is at stake with this bill. It is the lives of the men and women who went to combat for this country over the last many decades and unfortunately have been so riddled with disease because of that exposure that they need our help. They need the VA to cover their healthcare. That is what this bill does. This is what they deserve.

I hope that this Chamber can come back together again where it was before last week to do the right thing, to stand by those who stood by us, to stand by those who went into the breach, to stand by those who are now suffering and dying because it is a debt that we owe them.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise to discuss helping our servicemembers exposed to toxic burn pits.

Let me tell you about U.S. Army SFC Heath Robinson. He was a strong, healthy, fit combat medic who served tours in Kosovo and Iraq. When he returned home, however, he began experiencing fatigue. He started bleeding from his ears and nose and completely lost his voice.

After consulting multiple doctors, he and his wife were sitting in the exam room waiting for test results when the doctor came in with tears in his eyes. He explained that Sergeant Robinson had an extremely rare form of stage IV lung cancer and exclaimed: What have you been exposed to? Sergeant Robinson thought back to his tour in Iraq. He remembered seeing and smelling smoke from pits the size of football fields at his base near Baghdad.

While serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond, millions of U.S. troops have lived and worked near burn pits. They are basically burning trash heaps that the military has used for decades to dispose of everything from human waste to trash and electronics and jet fuel, and they spew forth many of the same dangerous toxins that were at Ground Zero after 9/11.

The VA estimates that 3.5 million servicemembers were exposed to burn pits around the world, many of them veterans who are now suffering from permanent injuries and illnesses ranging from chronic bronchitis to cancer. But when these veterans seek treatments, they face an often unsurmountable burden of proof.

For SFC Heath Robinson, the VA denied him compensation and prescription medications because it wasn't proven that burn pits were the cause of his illness. Army Sergeant Robinson died in 2020. He was only 39 years old.

I have heard from many veterans, servicemembers, and their families who have also been raising the alarm about burn pits. Gina Cancelino of New York told me about her husband Joseph, who was a Marine Corps veteran, an NYPD sergeant, and a dad of two girls. In 2017, he developed a very rare, very aggressive form of testicular cancer, as well as thyroid cancer. He died in 2019 when he was just 52.

This is simply unacceptable. Our servicemembers risk their lives to keep us safe. All they ask for is care in return, but our government has failed them repeatedly. First, it was Agent Orange. Then, it was the Blue Water Navy vets. Today, it is burn pits.

That is why, nearly 2 years ago, I started working with Jon Stewart, John Feal, and a strong coalition of veterans service organizations to craft the Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act.

This bill forms the centerpiece of the Honoring Our PACT Act, which has now been named in honor of Sergeant Robinson. The bottom line: It would remove the unsurmountable and unreasonable burden of proof for veterans to receive care. No longer would these selfless individuals have to jump through hoops to get the care they actually have already earned. No longer would they have to spend hours upon hours researching the very diseases that are killing them. No longer would they have to spend their own money on biopsies to prove their illnesses are exposure-related and service-related. No longer would they be forced to suffer or even die like Sergeant Robinson, Sergeant Cancelino, and so many others as our Nation and government continue to fail them.

Now we have the opportunity to pass this bill here in this Chamber at this moment in time. While we have incredible momentum, we still have to make sure we get 60 votes on final passage. I have been meeting with many of you to drum up the support we need for this critical bill to get it over the finish line. Its passage will represent an enormous victory for servicemembers and veterans across the country.

I am proud of the enormous progress we have made in this effort, and I hope that all of my colleagues will join us in passing the PACT Act, not only for Sergeants Robinson and Cancelino but for all of the brave men and women who are still suffering and dying from their exposure to burn pits while serving this country so honorably.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.