Floor Statements

I ask for the yeas and nays.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, I would ask unanimous consent that we begin the noon scheduled vote immediately.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I just want to make a point that we need a complete security package. All of these things are related, and all of them reinforce not only our allies and innocent civilians but also our own security and the future of the direction of the free world.

We are not going to turn our back on Ukraine. How many meetings did we

have via Zoom or actually in person with Zelenskyy where so many of our colleagues said we would always stand with Ukraine after all that Ukraine has been through. And I remember being in briefings where people were predicting that Ukraine would crumble in a matter of days. And they stood up to the Russian aggression and they continue to stand up to Russian aggression and they have actually pushed Russia back. That isn't just in Ukraine's interest. That is in the interest of the free world.

We need a security package that supports our allies in Israel, that supports the innocent civilians in Gaza that are also the victims of what Hamas has done. And we need a security package that stands with our allies in Ukraine.

Mr. President, I would offer the rest of my time to my colleague from Hawaii.

I know of no debate on the nomination.

Mr. President, our Nation has experienced a series of recent natural disasters: the tragic Maui wildfires, flooding in Vermont and California, and the damage caused by Hurricane Idalia. Communities in my home State of New Mexico have been impacted by destructive floods and mudslides following last year's historic wildfire season.

We must get these Americans the help they need during these difficult times, and we must do it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, this bill would do the opposite.

On Friday, the Biden administration announced that producers impacted by disasters last year are now eligible to apply for critical emergency assistance. H.R. 662 would delay that funding, essentially stopping the application process that the U.S. Department of Agriculture just got underway. In addition, the administration already has the authority under law to provide

funding to States through block grants. So this bill is both counterproductive and unnecessary.

For these reasons, I would urge my colleagues to vote no.

I yield back all time on our side.

Vote on Veto Message

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, the substitute amendment contains the Appropriations Committee-reported versions of three bills: Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.

I rise today as the chair of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee. I just want to urge all of our colleagues--all of them--to support the Agriculture bill that the Appropriations Committee reported out on a unanimous and bipartisan 28-to-0 vote.

The fiscal year 2024 Agriculture appropriations bill provides nearly $26 billion to continue the important work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and of the Food and Drug Administration. This includes support for American farmers and food producers, protections for our Nation's food supply, and investments in important conservation and clean water programs.

As we drafted this bill, our subcommittee made difficult decisions on how best to invest taxpayer dollars in line with the agreement forged earlier this year by both President Biden and--I would point out--House leadership. I am proud of the incredibly collaborative approach taken by Ranking Member Hoeven to make this a truly bipartisan bill.

Our subcommittee held substantive hearings. We considered nearly 3,000 requests from our Senate colleagues, and we worked in an incredibly bipartisan manner to address all of the ways that these Agencies serve our Nation and our constituents. Every single State,

including my own State of New Mexico, has farmers, families, and rural economies that will benefit directly from the investments in this legislation.

At the core of this bill is our commitment to ensuring that families can put food on their tables and that no child goes hungry. The committee-reported bill includes $6.3 billion for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC. It safeguards the enrollment of over 6 million women, infants, and children across this Nation in this vital nutrition program; and we will continue to monitor the impacts of rising food costs and the increased participation of families in WIC. We must deliver on the goal of providing every eligible family with the full benefits that they need to keep healthy and nutritious food on their tables.

Few Federal aid programs garner such broad bipartisan support as WIC, and I am confident that my colleagues will continue to sustain this essential program, just as they did when the Presiding Officer was chair of this Appropriations subcommittee.

Equally important, this bill fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and child nutrition programs so that kids across the country will continue to receive healthy school meals. Children should be able to focus on learning and growing, not on the worries about when or if they will get their next meals.

This bill also provides a $20 million increase for the Food and Drug Administration to support its mission of protecting the safety and security of our Nation's food supply.

As we head into another winter flu season and see potential new upticks of COVID cases, this bill will ensure that the FDA has the resources it needs to keep our Nation's drug supply safe.

This bill maintains our support for vital agricultural research and our Nation's next generation of researchers through funding for both the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. These funds support scientific discovery at land grant universities and research centers all across this great Nation. These programs protect our Nation's current food supply and ensure the long- term viability of American agriculture.

I am also pleased with the $922 million that we provided for conservation efforts around the country. In the face of a rapidly changing climate and the weather impacts that that has, it is essential that our farmers and producers have access to technical assistance and the tools that they need to implement best practices on their working landscapes.

Importantly, this bill makes key economic investments in rural America as well. Many rural communities, including in New Mexico, are burdened by a lack of affordable housing as their housing stock continues to age and construction costs increase. The bill provides over $30 billion for rural Americans to achieve homeownership, the majority of whom will be first-time home buyers.

It also fully funds the rental assistance program, which provides a lifeline for many low-income families in rural communities. These funds are coupled with almost $2 billion for business and industry development to increase job growth and revitalize rural economies.

Finally, this bill underscores our commitment to global food security by maintaining funding for vital international food aid programs. These programs support developing countries and provide for the donation of U.S. agricultural commodities. As conflict and climate threats around the globe contribute to rising levels of famine and poverty, these programs demonstrate our Nation's leadership in the fight against world hunger while also building new markets for our agricultural exports.

The agriculture portion of this minibus appropriations package is a bipartisan, comprehensive bill, and I am proud to see it before the full Senate for consideration.

I want to take just a moment here at the end to recognize the members of our subcommittee and all of their staffs, from both the majority and the minority, for their incredibly tremendous efforts to negotiate this bill.

I yield the floor.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, across more than five decades in public service, Governor Joe A. Garcia of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo was a leader among leaders, for his community and all of Indian Country. He was also a dear friend and close mentor. In so many ways, New Mexico will not be the same without him.

Governor Garcia was a three-time Governor of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, where he oversaw the Self Governance Initiative, under which the Pueblo now runs all of its Bureau of Indian Affairs programs. He was serving as the Pueblo's Head Councilman at the time of his death.

Governor Garcia served for two terms as the president of the National Congress of American Indians, the oldest and largest American Indian and Alaska Native organization serving sovereign Tribal Nations. He also served as the vice president of the Board of Trustees of the Santa Fe Indian School and as the chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council-- now named the All Pueblo Council of Governors--which represents 20 Pueblos located in New Mexico and Texas.

In addition, Governor Garcia was a member of the Tribal Leaders Task Force, where he served as cochair for 3 years for the Federal Communications Commission. He was also a cochair of the Tribal Technical Advisory Committee for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration--SAMHSA--and cochair of the Tribal Transportation Self Governance Program Negotiated Rulemaking Team.

As a young man, Governor Garcia served in the U.S. Air Force. After his military service, he earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering from the University of New Mexico. Governor Garcia worked on the technical staff at Los Alamos National Laboratory for 25 years, working on electronics design and development for data acquisition systems. He also taught courses in computers, electronics, lasers, and math at the Northern New Mexico College from 1979 to 1983.

Governor Garcia fought to advance the mission of Tribal sovereignty over education through his leadership at the Santa Fe Indian School-- SFIS. The SFIS became the first former Federal Indian boarding school where a Tribal organization--the All Indian Pueblo Council--contracted for the education of their children.

Since the signing of the Santa Fe Indian School Act in 2000, the Pueblo Governors have held the school's land in trust and established an educational program based on the right and responsibility to educate New Mexico Indian children in a way that supports their cultural and traditional belief system. Governor Garcia championed both increased funding and support for SFIS and the establishment of Tribally controlled educational systems across Indian Country.

On a personal note, I was fortunate to be among the many who learned from Governor Garcia--his wise counsel and advice and the example he set

for all of us to follow. I will never forget sitting down with him years ago when he first encouraged me to run for the U.S. Senate to represent our great State. My thoughts are with his wife, Oneva, his daughters Melissa and MorningStar, his six grandchildren, two great- grandchildren, and all those in Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico, and Indian Country who knew and loved him.

The legacy that Governor Garcia built over decades of steadfast advocacy for Tribal sovereignty, educational sovereignty, and the cultural preservation of Pueblo communities will be felt for generations to come.

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

I ask unanimous consent to start the regularly scheduled vote.