Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor Lieutenant Colonel Asa Herring, an American patriot and hero who served with the famed Tuskegee Airmen before going on to complete a 22-year military career in the U.S. Air Force.

Lieutenant Colonel Herring was born on October 3, 1926, in Dunn, NC. Despite being born during a time in American history when rights and opportunities for African-Americans were few, he persevered. At a time when high school graduation rates amongst African-Americans were in the single digits, Lieutenant Colonel Herring graduated at age 16 and then had to wait nearly 2 years before he could enter the military. After passing the Army Air Corps written examination, he entered Active Duty as an aviation cadet on December 27, 1944.

However, World War II ended before he finished his training. On April 26, 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen flew their last combat mission, and less than 2 weeks later, on May 8, 1945, Germany surrendered. Lieutenant Colonel Herring did not wish to serve in a segregated military, so he decided to request an honorable discharge in 1946.

On July 26, 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order No. 9981, ending the policy of racial segregation in the military. Less than a year later, Lieutenant Colonel Herring volunteered for service in the newly established U.S. Air Force and served until 1970. Throughout his service, Lieutenant Colonel Herring fought in both the Korean and Vietnam war, flew more than 350 combat missions, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star, and an Air Medal with 13 oakleaf clusters. He was also the first African-American squadron commander at Luke Air Force Base, where he trained pilots from several European countries in the F-104G Jet Fighter Gunnery Program.

After retiring from military service, Lieutenant Colonel Herring joined Western Electric in Phoenix, AZ, where he served in several management positions until 1989. Personifying the Air Force core values, he also dedicated much of his time and talent to community service organizations across Phoenix and to educating others on the history and incredible legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen.

I join Arizonans in mourning Lieutenant Colonel Herring's passing on May 22, 2022, at the age of 95. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Honor Herring, and is survived by his two sons, Asa D. Herring, III, and Mark Alan Herring; his seven grandchildren; and his 15 great-grandchildren--to whom we extend our gratitude for Lieutenant Colonel Herring's honorable service to his community and to his Nation.

Mr. President, just a few minutes ago, after a year and a half of work, we have finally--finally--passed our plan to boost microchip manufacturing in the United States.

Microchips go in nearly everything we use. They are in the TV or the cell phone that folks are watching this on, and they are in lifesaving medical devices, and they are in our most advanced weapons systems.

The United States invented microchips, and, once, we produced 40 percent of the world's supply. Today, we only produce about 12 percent, and we don't produce any of the most advanced microchips.

Now, that leaves us vulnerable to disruptions in the supply chain, like the current microchip shortage that has halted production lines and driven up prices.

If you have recently tried to buy a car--a new car--and waited months or paid more than you were expecting, the microchip shortage is a big reason why.

So we have worked on a plan, Republicans and Democrats, with incentives to make sure the world's leading microchip manufacturers grow their operations here in the United States instead of in China or Europe. It also boosts research so that the most advanced chips in the world are invented and produced right here in the United States. That will mean tens of thousands of new jobs in places like Arizona, which is already a microchip hub, poised to grow as Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company expand and build new manufacturing facilities.

That is all made possible by this legislation, and it creates jobs, not just with those companies but also with the companies that supply them the tools and packaging for their products. And these are great- paying jobs, and many

of them do not require a four-year degree.

I visited Estrella Mountain Community College just several weeks ago, where they are training Arizonans to enter the semiconductor technician career track with just a 10-day course followed by a guaranteed job interview.

Now, this is an enormous opportunity to reinvent our economy for the future, and this week, we are getting it done. This bill has now passed the Senate, and I am confident that it will pass the House and be signed into law.

While this process has been long, it has also shown what we can accomplish when we work together, Republicans and Democrats.

Senators Young, Cornyn, Warner, and I first began working on this at the beginning of last year, we found agreement, and we worked to build support from our colleagues. Since then, we have had to overcome more than a few roadblocks, but what matters most is that we got this done. As a result, our country is going to once again be a leader in microchip manufacturing, creating tens of thousands of great-paying jobs, strengthening our national security, and lowering costs for everyday products.

I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 433, S. Res. 623.

I ask unanimous consent the committee-reported substitute amendment to the resolution be agreed to.

I know of no further debate on the resolution, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the preamble as amended be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 725, which was submitted earlier today.

I further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 726, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 28, and that following the prayer and the pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Executive Calendar No. 922, the nomination of Constance Milstein to be Ambassador to the Republic of Malta, as under the previous order; further, that at 1:45 p.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Milstein nomination, with all other provisions of the previous order remaining in effect.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination: Calendar No. 903, Ventris C. Gibson, of Virginia, to be Director of the Mint for a term of five years; 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; that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the Record; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action, and the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 1098, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the Warner substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions, introduced earlier today: S. Res. 679, S. Res. 680, and S. Res. 681.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to; the preambles be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that if the Senate receives a message from the House that it has passed H.R. 1057, and if the text of H.R. 1057 as passed is identical to S. 1596, that at a time to be determined by the majority leader or his designee, in consultation with the Republican leader, the bill be considered read a

third time and the Senate vote on passage of the bill, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 16; and that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of Calendar No. 388, H.R. 3967, postcloture; further, that all time during adjournment, recess, morning business, and leader remarks count postcloture, and that all time be considered expired at 11:15 a.m.; further, that upon disposition of H.R. 3967, the Senate vote on the motions to invoke cloture on the Alba and Boyle nominations, and that if cloture is invoked on either nomination, all postcloture time be expired and the confirmation votes occur at a time to be determined by the majority leader or his designee, in consultation with the Republican leader.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of Senators Sullivan and Lankford.

Madam President, it is past due for us to address veterans not getting the care they need after suffering an illness caused by toxic exposure. We can do that as soon as this week by passing the PACT Act.

As a retired naval aviator, I know firsthand the sacrifice and hard work it takes to succeed in our military. I knew I wanted to join the military from a young age, and after attending the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, making that choice was easy for me. That is the case for some but not for everyone. Many more will say that this was the hardest decision that they had to make, putting families, school, careers, or all three through major changes in order to serve.

This is a sacrifice for so many, and regardless of how someone comes to serving, what follows isn't easy. We spend years training to go to war. For me, that was training to fly off of and land on an aircraft carrier and put bombs on enemy targets. That is what I did during Operation Desert Storm, flying combat missions off the USS Midway in the gulf, to deliver weapons on dozens of targets in Iraq and Kuwait.

War is by its very nature dangerous, and flying airplanes in combat or conducting ground combat operations is very complex. You need to focus on completing the mission while also focusing on your safety and that of your team or your crew. There are many opportunities to be killed or injured. We all get that. The public understands

that. But there are also silent killers that affected soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen who served abroad.

No American soldier goes overseas and expects to be put in grave danger by their own military, but they were. We saw it in Vietnam with Agent Orange. We saw it in the first gulf war with toxic exposures that we are still grappling to fully understand. It happened again starting about 20 years ago when American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan were breathing in toxic smoke from American-made burn pits. Clouds of smoke containing plastics, rubber, medical waste, and chemicals billowed, and although the ``stink'' might have been a nuisance, the true physiological damage would turn out to be much worse.

We sent young, healthy, and highly capable American troops--all of whom volunteered--overseas. When they came home, they got sick, and then they got sicker, just like in the case of SFC Heath Robinson, whose namesake and story are behind the PACT Act.

Our servicemembers had put everything on the line, only to return with severe illnesses due to bad decisions. When those same servicemembers battling rare diseases filed claims with the VA, they were met with a closed door. They were told that it wasn't a service- connected illness, so it wasn't covered. This is shameful, and it is unacceptable. That is why this legislation is so important. Our military made mistakes, and thousands of Americans and more than 6,500 Arizonans have paid or are continuing to pay the price.

We must--we must--live up to our solemn obligation to look after our veterans, and that is what the PACT Act will do. This bill will lower the threshold for veterans to receive benefits, expand access to VA healthcare, strengthen the VA's ability to process claims, create pathways for future presumptions based on developing medical research, and much more.

So, together, let's get this bill across the finish line for our veterans and their families. They deserve better from Washington.