Floor Statements

Mr. President, I join today with people across New Hampshire to pay tribute to and honor the life of Staff Sergeant Jesse Sherrill of the New Hampshire State Police. Sergeant Sherrill dedicated 19 years to serving the people of the Granite State with the New Hampshire State Police, before he tragically lost his life while on duty on October 28, 2021.

Raised in Barrington, NH, Sergeant Sherrill began his career in law enforcement with the Hooksett Police Department in 2001. In December 2002, he was hired by the New Hampshire State Police, assigned to patrol in New Hampshire's North Country. He later worked with the Attorney General's Drug Task Force and was promoted to sergeant and then staff sergeant for Troop A, which serves Rockingham and Strafford Counties.

Sergeant Sherrill excelled in each of his roles and was known for his incredible work ethic. He was a mentor to his fellow troopers and was revered for his leadership and his commitment to the success of his peers.

Beyond his career, Sergeant Sherrill always put family first; his family was at the core of everything that he did. He was a loving and supportive husband to Nicole and an incredible father to Peyton and Quinn, transitioning from a pressure-packed day at work to a very present husband and father with surprising ease. Nicole's nickname for Jesse--``Superman''--reflected how much she, his family, and his colleagues respected and admired his ability to do so many things so well.

Sergeant Sherrill was a Granite State hero. He represented the very best of New Hampshire's law enforcement community, serving valiantly to

keep our communities safe, while also going the extra mile to help his family and community with humility and kindness.

Sergeant Sherrill made New Hampshire a better, safer place. I join Granite Staters in offering our deepest support and condolences to his family and to all those who knew him. Sergeant Sherrill is greatly missed, but his legacy is not and will not be forgotten.

Madam President, I am proud to recognize Trevor O'Brien of Lodonderry as January's Granite Stater of the Month. When Cobblestone Ale House, a popular local bar in Keene, was destroyed by a 5-alarm fire, Trevor jumped into action to support the people in his community who were impacted by this devastating event.

Trevor had previously worked at the ale house as a bartender for 10 years, and during that time, he was part of a vibrant community that felt to him like family. During his shifts, the bar would fill up with locals and tourists alike, who were there to meet up with old friends or make new connections. Trevor met his now-wife while working there, and he is officiating a wedding soon for another couple who met at the bar.

When Trevor heard the news of Cobblestone Ale House burning down, he immediately knew that he had to support his community during this difficult time. He made an impromptu Go-Fund-Me page that he shared over social media and asked his friends to donate the equivalent of one final drink at the bar. Within an hour donations were pouring in. The campaign continued to spread from person-to-person and has since taken off, raising nearly $20,000.

The money from the Go-Fund-Me will be going to bar staffers to help with lost wages and to the tenants who lived above the ale house who lost belongings in the fire.

Trevor's actions are a testament to him, but also reflect the determination to be generous, kind, and strong neighbors that is a hallmark of Granite State character. Trevor's decision to help others sparked a movement that will make a real difference for people in his community, and I am honored to name him as January's Granite Stater of the Month.

Just briefly, Mr. President, I know I was not scheduled to speak, but I do want to respond as one of the signatories of the letter.

I associate myself with everything that the other signatories have talked about in terms of wanting to restore the Senate's tradition of extended debate on issues of grave importance to the American people. But let me be clear about the reason that I now support an adjustment to the longstanding rules of the Senate. It is because I never imagined, when I signed that letter, that not a single Member of the Republican Party would stand up for our democracy since January 6, when we saw an acceleration of State laws that would allow partisans to overturn the impartial count of an election.

We need to address the issues that so many of us have talked about here. The people of New Hampshire, the people all across the country, they need us to address pressing issues like lowering the cost of prescription drugs or making it easy for families to afford childcare.

But if we do not have a functioning democracy where people know that, when they vote, that vote will be impartially counted and upheld and that people who are defeated will accept defeat so that they can have an accountable elected representation in Washington, then there is no democracy.

When I signed that letter, I never imagined that today's Republican Party would fail to stand up for democracy.

I was raised by a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. He would talk to us at the breakfast table, and the question was, ``What are you going to do for freedom today?'' It was a big question to ask elementary schoolkids, to be sure, but he had a right to ask it, as does every veteran who has fought for this country, including my colleague Senator Cotton.

But the Republican Party and the Democratic Party must unite to stand for freedom and to stand for an accountable democracy because, without that, the rules of this body do not matter.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I am honored to recognize Caitlin McGrath-Levesque of Portsmouth as December's Granite Stater of the Month. Following the death of her youngest brother, Caitlin and her two siblings turned their grief into action by creating a nonprofit in his honor to provide free, hot meals to those in need.

Caitlin's late brother--who went by ``Red''--was an avid volunteer in the Seacoast area. After he died, Caitlin and her siblings decided that the best way to honor their brother was by giving back to their community.

Following a $100 donation from each of the siblings, Red's Good Vibes was officially born.

Red's Good Vibes consists of one food truck--with a second one on the way--that travels around the Seacoast to communities with the most need. The nonprofit collects monetary donations, as well as utilizes relationships with the NH Food Bank, local restaurants, and grocery stores, which allows them to service communities 3 days a week with the help of dedicated volunteers.

For Caitlin and her siblings, one of the most important goals of Red's Good Vibes is to make sure that all clients are treated with the utmost respect and dignity.

In that vein, Red's Good Vibes always works to ensure that clients have multiple meal options, which helps make the experience feel more like a normal food truck than a charity. The nonprofit also never asks for suggested donations when volunteers are actively serving food to avoid making anyone feel compelled to donate in the moment.

Red's Good Vibes is a labor of love for Caitlin and her siblings, who found a way to honor their brother in the most authentic way that they could. Thanks to their dedication, and the hard work of their volunteers, Red's Good Vibes distributes 1,500 hot meals a week to Granite Staters facing food insecurity. Soon, the nonprofit hopes to double that number using a second food truck that they are leasing from the city of Dover for $1 a year.

Caitlin turned a tragedy into an opportunity to give back to her community, which exemplifies the Granite State's ingenuity and all- hands-on-deck spirit. I am proud to honor Caitlin as December's Granite Stater of the Month, and I wish Red's Good Vibes continued success serving their community.

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

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about a grave threat that we face, a threat to the very idea of America.

By law, every 2 years, Americans cast their votes for Federal office on a Tuesday in early November. Like many Americans, I have always treasured that day. I have gone to my polling place, and I have cast my vote. When I have left, usually from a townhall or a school, I have done so with the confidence that the votes would be counted, a winner declared, and my town, my State, and my country would move forward, accepting the results not because of which candidates won but because of our confidence that the election system was run impartially by people who believe in our democracy and believe that democracy is about free, fair, and impartially administered elections.

This great democracy of ours depends on the existence of a free and fair casting and telling of the votes and the public's acceptance of that result. That is the prerequisite for a functioning democracy, and every other piece of our society, from our economy to our national security, depends on it.

Without free, fair, and impartially administered elections, the United States of America as we know it would not exist. Yet, right now, our beloved democracy is under attack.

In States around the country, partisan lawmakers are proposing to ignore properly cast votes, essentially trying to throw out the votes and silence the voices of those with whom they disagree. These partisans are more concerned about losing power than protecting the rights of citizens and preserving the foundation of our country.

Here in Washington, a set of arcane Senate rules are being used as an excuse not to act. This cannot stand. We must change the rules to allow a simple majority of this body, as our Founders intended, to pass laws that will protect the right to vote and protect American democracy.

In States across the country, partisan politicians are calling into question the sacred American right to free, fair, and impartially administered elections. These politicians are trying to reject the will of the people, trying to interfere with elections and, yes, overturn results. This is not an idle threat; it is happening right now.

As the Presiding Officer well knows, earlier this year in Georgia, a new law enabled the legislature to seize control of the State election board, allowing elected legislators to install a partisan majority beholden to that legislature, with the ability to suspend and replace local election officials.

In Arizona, legislators have proposed a bill that would enable the State legislature to override an election certification with a simple majority vote.

These efforts threaten the integrity of our election system. That, in turn, threatens our peace, stability, and certainty--the very rule of law that makes individual liberty, a vibrant economy, and, yes, the peaceful transfer of power possible.

There is no single aspect of American life that isn't related to free, fair, and impartially administered elections. We have public schools, safe neighborhoods, access to healthcare, support for small businesses, and access to the great outdoors all because ordinary Americans can make their voices heard and hold their government--a government of, by, and for the people--accountable.

In America, as imperfect as we are, everybody has the opportunity to succeed because everyone has the opportunity to vote. But that all changes when our election system is corrupted by politicians who are more interested in clinging to power than being responsive to the people whom they were elected to represent.

When those in power work to create a partisan electoral system where the focus is not on ensuring that every vote is counted but is instead on ensuring a predetermined outcome, those in power become less and less responsive to the will of the people. And as citizens become disenfranchised and angry, those in power increasingly rely on authoritarian methods to stay in power. That is the road that we risk going down if this systematic undermining of our elections and our democracy continues.

Authoritarian regimes like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea would like nothing more than to see our great American experiment fail, to see Members of this Congress stand by while our democracy withers on the vine. When Americans lose trust in our democracy, when the integrity of our elections is thrown into doubt, neither Republicans nor Democrats win; our enemies do.

But we in the Senate can stop this threat to our democracy by acting to

protect the fundamental right to vote. The Constitution gives Congress the power to oversee Federal elections. That means that Congress has the authority to protect democracy and the right to vote, and we have a constitutional and moral obligation to do so. That was part of the oath I swore, to ``support and defend the Constitution'' and ``bear true faith and allegiance to the same.''

Congress has a responsibility to act now to ensure that the right of every American to vote is never taken away. We must pass legislation to prevent partisan politicians from rejecting the will of the people and overturning election results. Because that effort here in Congress is being blocked by a minority, which is abusing its power, I believe the time has come to change the Senate rules to allow a straight up-or-down majority vote on this fundamental issue of democracy.

Our Founders understood that our democracy was a fragile thing that we would always have to fight to protect. Across every generation, Americans have signed up to serve not just to protect our physical security but to protect our freedom.

American soldiers, like my father, fought in World War II. They saved the world from Hitler, preserving freedom around the globe. My dad fought in the Battle of the Bulge. When I was growing up and we were having breakfast, Dad would sometimes look up at my brother, my sister, and me, and he would say, ``So what are you going to do for freedom today?'' Sounds like kind of a big question to ask a kid, but he was serious because every single American has a responsibility to help protect our democracy, including and perhaps especially U.S. Senators.

We must change the Senate rules to protect the right to vote because if we don't, we face a very different kind of election day than the one we have now. If the partisans who are attacking our democracy have their way, our Tuesday election day in early November will be different. We will wake up, cast our vote, drop our kids at school, and go to work. We will tune back in at the end of the day to see the election results, only to learn that the vote tally is being ignored, that our votes don't matter much. We will learn that our legislatures are going to throw out the results and pick their own winner. We will see an election day that is a charade just like in countries where democracy doesn't exist.

Our democracy is too important to allow a minority of this body to let it slip away. We must pass legislation to protect American democracy. Our country depends on it.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, before I start my remarks, I would like to thank the Senator from Missouri and add my thanks to Dr. Francis Collins for his leadership and for his contributions to our country, to our country's future, and for his reassurance during very difficult times.

I thank Senator Blunt for so eloquently recognizing Dr. Collins.

Mr. President, I have 10 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, today I pay tribute to Coach Sean McDonnell, who recently announced his retirement after leading the University of New Hampshire football team for the past 23 years. I am deeply grateful for his leadership on and off the field and the impact that he has made on countless students.

Coach McDonnell has been a staple of UNH football for decades. After playing defensive back for the Wildcats from 1975 to 1978, he later returned to serve as an assistant coach, before taking over as head coach in 1999.

Under his leadership, the Wildcats saw much success. The team made 14 consecutive appearances in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision--FCS--playoffs and reached the semifinals in 2013 and 2014. As a result of his hard work, Coach McDonnell was named a two-time national coach of the year in the FCS.

But his reach goes far beyond the scoreboard. Known as Coach Mac, he served as a mentor and role model for countless young people. Above all, he was deeply proud of how those students and players represented the University of New Hampshire and our entire State.

Coach Sean McDonnell has left a lasting legacy in the Granite State. I thank him for all of his hard work and wish him the best in his well- deserved retirement.

Madam President, I am proud to recognize Mark Hagopian of Auburn and Jay Anderson of Sandown as November's Granite Staters of the Month. Mark and Jay partnered together to raise COVID-19 relief money for Granite Staters by designing and selling their own special IPA, which they named ``Brain Fog.''

In March of 2020, Mark Hagopian was rushed to Elliot Hospital in Manchester and was immediately admitted to the ICU to be treated for COVID-19. After 3 weeks on a ventilator, Mark miraculously recovered thanks to the hard work of the nurses and medical staff--or ``super heroes,'' as he calls them.

After his recuperation, Mark wanted to help others, which led him to partner with Elliot Hospital to set up the NH COVID-19 Family Relief Fund. Proceeds go to Granite Staters who continue to feel the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and can help these individuals with healthcare copays, rehabilitation, groceries, and other costs.

When Mark asked his friend Jay Anderson, owner of From the Barrel Brewing Company in Derry, about teaming up, Jay said it was a ``no- brainer.'' They got to work designing a special IPA with the proceeds going to the NH COVID-19 Family Relief Fund. Since Mark had been a regular customer, Jay knew exactly what type of beer Mark would like, and together, they named the final product ``Brain Fog.''

At the launch event for ``Brain Fog,'' Granite Staters mingled and heard from Mark and Jay about the NH COVID-19 Family Relief Fund. The beer itself was wildly successful, as evidenced by the fact that Mark and Jay sold out of all the cases of ``Brain Fog'' that first weekend. The duo plans to revive the brew and continue fundraising for the Elliot Hospital in the future.

Mark and Jay are shining examples of what it means to be Granite Staters. After undergoing intense medical hardship, Mark turned around and started giving back to his community, and Jay was more than ready to help. Not only did they show impressive innovation and entrepreneurship, but they also brought people together during an especially hard time as our State and country continue to feel the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am honored to name them as Granite Staters of the Month, and I look forward to seeing how their future endeavors continue to make our communities stronger.

Madam President, I am proud to recognize Levi Goodan of Meriden and Maurgan McGrath of Hopkinton as October's Granite Staters of the Month. Levi and Maurgan both separately started initiatives to donate toys and other goods to patients at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth--CHaD--to help provide comfort to young patients with serious illnesses.

At the age of 8, Levi was treated at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth for multiple broken bones over the course of 1 year. Following his treatment, Levi decided to donate his birthday and Christmas gifts to CHaD, since he knew how difficult spending nights at the hospital could be and wanted to lift peoples' spirits. He was inspired by his late grandfather, who used to tell him stories about receiving treatment for polio when he was a child at Boston Children's Hospital. His grandfather would frequently emphasize to Levi the importance of staying strong, hopeful, and positive in difficult circumstances.

Since then, Levi continues to donate to CHaD. He most enjoys donating Legos, Play-Doh, fidget spinners, and projects such as kits to grow at- home crystals.

Maurgan was born with a prenatal condition called malrotation, which results in problems in the normal formation of the fetal intestines, and as a result, she underwent various surgeries at ChaD while growing up. She remembers how lonely her experience was at times and did not want other children to feel the same way. As part of her senior year project, Maurgan began collecting books, games, and pajamas for children at CHaD to help them regain a sense of hope.

Levi and Maurgan exemplify the Granite State spirit, taking a difficult time in their lives and using the experience as a source of strength. In both their cases, they helped bring joy to other young people who are facing similar challenges. Their commitment to helping other children navigating the often lonely, scary world of hospital visits should inspire all of us to give back and become more involved in our communities. I am honored to name them as Granite Staters of the Month, and I know that they will continue to make a positive difference in their communities for years to come.

Mr. President, I am proud to recognize Mike Mariani of Spofford and Devin McLaughlin of West Chesterfield as September's Granite Staters of the Month. Mike and Devin are currently biking nearly 4,000 miles across the United States to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention efforts following the loss of Mike's brother to suicide in 2018.

Three years ago, Mike lost his 16-year-old older brother Nathan. Nathan was a junior at Keene High School at the time and was known to friends and family for his sense of humor and love for the outdoors.

In his memory, Mike and his best friend Devin launched Pedaling for Prevention, an initiative to raise awareness for suicide prevention by cycling across the country. Pedaling for Prevention also raises money for The Samaritans in Keene, which is a nonprofit that provides resources, including an anonymous crisis hotline, to help Granite Staters battling depression or thoughts of self-harm.

This cross country bike ride was initially scheduled for last year, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced Mike and Devin to change their plans. Instead, the pair travelled across New England and held socially distanced meet-and-greets where folks could share their stories about losing loved ones to suicide and help reduce the stigma around mental health. On their return home, the duo received a warm welcome from their community, including a ride through town on the top of a fire truck, courtesy of the Chesterfield Fire Department.

Mike and Devin started their long-awaited cross-country journey earlier this summer. The two are currently exhibiting an incredible show of endurance by pedaling 3,762 miles across the entire United States and providing social media updates to spread awareness about the importance of suicide prevention. On their journey, they are also sharing their story with people they meet along the way to further expand their reach.

These two thoughtful, brave, and determined young people embody what it means to be a Granite Stater. After a heartbreaking loss that reverberated through an entire community, Mike and Devin decided to make a positive impact by spreading a message of resilience and hope, all the while educating others about suicide prevention and the importance of reaching out for help.

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

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I call up my amendment No. 3278 and ask that it be reported by number.

Madam President, I rise today to offer a bipartisan amendment to promote U.S. competitiveness and support American innovation.

The R&D tax credit provides critical support and tax relief to the small businesses and startups that power our economy. These businesses are job creators, helping spur innovation in New Hampshire and across the country.

This bipartisan amendment with Senator Young would build on efforts to expand the R&D tax credit for startups, while protecting the tax incentives that allow U.S. companies, startups, and small businesses to stay competitive in our global marketplace and out compete China.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and yield my time to the Senator from Indiana.