Floor Statements

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum call with respect to the O'Neill nomination.

Mr. President, on June 12, 2025, we recognize the celebration of the tricentennial anniversary of the Reformed Church in the United States, RCUS, at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota.

The mission of the German Reformed Church in America, now known as the Reformed Church in the United States, officially began in the United States in 1725 when Rev. John Phillip Boehm formally organized a dozen congregations in Pennsylvania.

Throughout its history, the Reformed Church in the United States has had countless courageous members stand up for the American values of life and liberty. German Reformed immigrant John Peter Zenger was responsible for the first ruling of an American jury against a royal governor. Captain Peter Humrickhouse of the Church's Germantown congregation crossed the Delaware with General George Washington and was selected by General Washington to deliver a wagon train of powder to Yorktown. Baron von Steuben served in the Continental Army and trained troops at Valley Forge. Multiple German Reformed pastors volunteered as chaplains in the Continental Army.

As a testament to the Reformed Church's service to the United States of America, upon his inauguration as President, General George Washington published a letter to the pastors and elders of the German Reformed Church in America commending their loyalty to the cause of liberty.

It is fitting that the Reformed Church in the United States celebrate its tricentennial anniversary at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, among the great faces of our Presidents, as a testament to the role RCUS played in preserving our Nation's legacy and ideals. It is nonetheless appropriate that the celebration be held in South Dakota, as the State did significant work in advancing the Reformed Church in the United States through the Eureka Classis.

Three hundred years after its founding, the Reformed Church in the United States shares the gospel of Jesus Christ and ministers to people both at home in the United States and across the world.

The tricentennial anniversary of the Reformed Church in the United States is an incredible time to commemorate the invaluable ways the church has shaped the intellectual and spiritual life of American communities.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to waive the mandatory quorum calls with respect to the Sauer and Dhillon nominations.

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

Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the nomination.

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, today I recognize Adrik Fisher, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work he has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Mr. Fisher is originally from New Underwood, SD. He is currently attending Patrick Henry College, where he studies American politics and policy. Mr. Fisher is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. He has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Fisher for all of the work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, today I recognize Nora Winckler, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Ms. Winckler is a graduate of Scotland High School in Scotland, SD. She is currently attending Augustana University, where she studies government and international affairs, English, and journalism. Ms. Winckler is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. She has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Winckler for all of the work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

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

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I would like to offer an additional piece of legislation that I think would be very appropriate to include in the proposal.

I ask today for consideration of the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act; that is, H.R. 3371-S. 2088. This would place 40 acres of tribally purchased land at the massacre site into restricted fee status.

Both the Oglala Sioux Tribe and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe hold a very deep connection to this event. This is the Wounded Knee Massacre site. There were relatives coming from the Cheyenne River Tribe down to winter near Pine Ridge. That is where this event occurred, and it is one of the most terrible events in the history of the United States, where Native Americans were killed and they were left to freeze in a snowstorm.

As you all know, the Wounded Knee Massacre not only represents a low point in U.S.-Lakota relations, but it also serves as truly one of the darkest moments in our Nation's history.

To date, the Wounded Knee Massacre grounds remain a symbolic site, with Tribal members regularly visiting the area to honor the deceased.

In 2022, both Tribes purchased the 40 acres from a private owner in an effort to preserve the land. Shortly after the purchase, both Tribes signed a covenant holding that the property shall be held and maintained as a memorial and sacred site without any other development. This legislation, which simply places the 40 acres into restricted fee status, will help preserve the site for future Tribal generations.

As we approach the 134th anniversary next month of the Wounded Knee Massacre, it is my hope that we can come together to acknowledge this event and work to amend our history through reconciliation and mutual respect. Although we can't rewrite the past, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act is one way to show healing and progress.

This legislation easily passed the House and has languished in the U.S. Senate for months. Passing this legislation during Native American Heritage Month is of great importance to Wounded Knee descendants from my home State.

Look, this is one of those areas where you have two Tribes that lost members, and their relatives are still there; they still honor that site. I agree that the other pieces of legislation that are here in front of us, I think, are good, and I think they represent some of the best work of the United States, where you set aside differences, you come together, and you pass good legislation. I believe this legislation fits that particular sect as well.

So, with that, I would simply ask the Senator that he would modify this request to include H.R. 3371, the Wounded Knee Massacre Memorial and Sacred Site Act.

Mr. President, look, I am very disappointed in my friend from North Carolina's approach to this particular issue. As Members of the Senate, we each have a task as to whether or not we will support different pieces of legislation.

I had chosen not to object to his legislation which he has been speaking about, and we have done our best to try to allay any concerns he may have about our future attempts to disrupt his approach. So it is very disappointing that he would hold as hostage this particular piece of legislation, which is of solid intent to help repair relations between the Oglala Lakota, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes, and the Government of the United States in a way which does not impact his Tribe or the challenges he has with getting his Tribe recognized whatsoever. In fact, we have felt that by not objecting at this point-- and we have not--that he would understand how serious we were about trying to get our piece of legislation attached to this to fix the problem.

As an example, today--and to the chairman of the committee who has worked so hard to bring these forward, along with the ranking member--I have no intentions of standing in the way of them passing their solid legislation simply as a protest vote. I think we have to move forward and take the best that we can.

I will continue to try to work with the Member from North Carolina to assure him that if he will allow this piece of legislation to move forward, we would not be objecting to his legislation in the future. But if we can't have ours, I guess there is always the possibility that he will not be able to get his, as well.

I will not object to the original proposal.

Madam President, today I recognize Seth McMaster, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work he has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Mr. McMaster is a graduate of O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, SD. Currently, he is attending Arizona State University, where he studies business law and business public policy and public service. Mr. McMaster is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. He has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. McMaster for all of the work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Madam President, today I recognize Griffin Petersen, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work he has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Mr. Petersen is a graduate of Sully Buttes High School in Onida, SD. Currently, he is attending the University of South Dakota, where he studies political science and criminal justice. Mr. Petersen is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. He has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Mr. Petersen for all of the work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Madam President, today I recognize Lily Sneesby, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Ms. Sneesby is a graduate of Spearfish High School in Spearfish, SD. Currently, she is attending Pace University NYC, where she studies business management and finance. Ms. Sneesby is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. She has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Sneesby for all of the work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Madam President, today I recognize Ella Waterworth, an intern in my Washington, DC, office, for all the hard work she has done on behalf of my office and the State of South Dakota. Ms. Waterworth is a graduate of St. Croix Falls High School in St. Croix Falls, WI. Currently, she is attending South Dakota State University, where she studies communications, political science, and public relations. Ms. Waterworth is a dedicated and diligent individual who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. She has been a true asset to my office. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Ms. Waterworth for all of the work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. President, I think many of us come down here to the floor with prepared remarks because we want to be precise in what we say, but after listening to my friend from Nebraska and her remarks, I have to admit that some of the memories she has of Jim Inhofe are very similar to the memories I have of Jim.

Before I go into fully prepared remarks, I just want to share with you that I don't know that anybody else has the record that Jim had of the number of snowballs that have been tossed on the floor of the Senate. Jim is one of those guys who could get away with coming in with a snowball and then looking at a young page and saying, ``Be ready to catch this when I throw it at you,'' and then, in the middle of talking about climate change and the fact that he disagreed with a lot of the new ideas, he would pick up a snowball, show it to everybody, and then toss it over to one young page, who I am sure will never forget that for as long as he lives.

Jim made friends everyplace he went. Now, he had his own ideas about what things should look like and about how things should proceed--and I have to tell you that I think, in the vast majority of cases, he was right--but he also wanted to have a discussion with other people. He liked to have debate. They were friends as far as he was concerned. And you could have disagreements among one another, and you could still be friends. Jim was one of those guys who truly believed that, if you were his friend and you agreed with him 80 percent of the time, you were never going to be an enemy; you were always going to be a friend.

I traveled the world with Jim on more than one occasion, and no matter where he went, he went in what he called the spirit of Jesus. He believed that the Christian value he had was the conduit between people from all different faiths and that, in his opinion and as long as he was prepared to share his faith, he was going to be welcomed, and he was.

I don't think people realize that this guy from the middle part of the United States of America was a guy who later on could say that he was a man who shared a prayer with Muammar Qadhafi in Qadhafi's tent, but he did that because he thought it was the right thing to do.

Jim was my friend, he was a mentor and the way that he treated other people is the way that I think all the rest of us should treat people.

Jim's wife Kay became a very special friend to both myself and my late wife Jean. She treated both of us with that respect and acceptance that you don't always get; yet you see it as being very, very sincere. We became part of their family, and we will never forget that.

You see, Jim Inhofe was a true ambassador for his State, his country, and most importantly, Jesus. Whether he was in another country or attending our weekly Senate Prayer Breakfasts, he loved sharing his faith with others.

Jim and I traveled the world together, and we shared a love for aviation. He was one of my best friends in the U.S. Senate.

Jim often said that real friendship did exist in the Senate even if the news wouldn't necessarily show it. To Jim, it didn't matter if someone was a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent; he put political parties aside to get things done and trusted and respected the colleagues he worked with. Many of us in this Chamber are lucky to have worked with Jim and to have called him a friend.

I especially appreciated his leadership and partnership while working together on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Jim worked tirelessly each year to make sure that the Senate passed legislation providing for our national security and for our servicemembers through the National Defense Authorization Act. It was fitting and well-deserved as a tribute to have the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal year 2023 signed into law.

He made many contributions on the national and international stage, including his deep love and appreciation for the people of Africa, particularly Ethiopia. He developed meaningful relationships across the world through a shared love of Jesus, and our world is better off because of it.

My thoughts and my prayers go out to Jim's wife Kay and to their family.

Jim has slipped the surly bonds of Earth. Now he can put out his hand and touch the face of God.

I will miss my friend Jim.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Thune today in supporting the confirmation of Judge Cammy Theeler.

Ms. Theeler is a native of my home community, Pierre, SD, and has an impressive list of career experiences, spanning from the U.S. Attorney's Office to teaching at Dakota Wesleyan University, to her work now as a State circuit court judge.

It is because of her commitment to upholding the law, along with her commitment to public service, that she received the South Dakota Young Lawyer of the Year award in 2009.

She will undoubtedly exercise judicial restraint and apply the law as written.

I also want to congratulate Eric Schulte on his Senate confirmation yesterday for the U.S. District of South Dakota. He is a well-qualified attorney who will serve Americans well as a district judge.

I encourage my colleagues to join today in supporting Judge Cammy Theeler for U.S. district judge for the District of South Dakota.