Floor Statements

Madam President, I have always said that keeping people safe is one of the most fundamental roles the government plays: keeping people safe.

For 4 years, the Biden-Harris administration has failed at this most fundamental mandate the government has. About a month ago, the American people delivered a message that they were no longer going to stand for a government that was failing to keep them safe. The Biden-Harris appeasement-first foreign policy strategy has made America weaker and less safe. The world that the Biden administration is leaving is a more dangerous place today than it was 4 years ago when they took over.

Weakness and appeasement have defined the current administration, starting with their disastrous pullout of Afghanistan. That pullout in Afghanistan cost American lives, including a Nebraskan, Marine Cpl Daegan Page. We also left behind Americans, unbelievably, and we also left behind our Afghan security partners--abandoned them--in addition to the billions of dollars of American equipment, through this poorly executed debacle.

Since then, we have seen foreign policy fumbles and flip-flops that have left our allies questioning our commitment and, worse yet, has the bad guys--Russia, China, Iran, North Korea--questioning our resolve.

The most disturbing example of this is Iran. Under the Trump administration, they knew that the way to deal with a dictator--like we had in Ali Khamenei in Iran--is through strength and imposing sanctions.

The sanctions the Trump administration imposed took Iran's foreign reserves down from $122.5 billion to less than $14 billion dollars. And what did that mean? Well, that meant that they couldn't fund the terrorism around the world that they have been doing for the last 4 years.

When you cut off their money supply, they couldn't give it to Hamas or Hezbollah, and so those terrorist organizations were going broke. They didn't have the resources to be able to fund that terrorist group. And then came along Joe Biden.

Joe Biden and his administration relaxed the sanctions on Iran through a naive policy that, somehow, if we just give them enough money, they are going to be nice to us. But that is not the way it works with dictators.

It enabled Iran to generate $100 billion in oil money, and that has consequences. It was because of this appeasement-first policy and giving money to Iran that Hamas had the ability to attack our ally Israel on October 7; and how Hezbollah has since attacked Israel, as well; how the Houthis have been able to shoot at ships in the Red Sea. Iranian proxies--like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis--have been emboldened by Biden's appeasement-first policy. This is what is causing the chaos we are seeing right now in the Middle East.

And while these attacks may seem far away, we must remember that Iran not only chants ``Death to Israel''; they chant ``Death to America.''

Over 40 Americans were killed on October 7. Three American servicemembers were killed by Iranian proxy drone attacks in January. The Houthis continue to shoot at American ships in the Red Sea. Islamic terrorists have crossed our open border. And for crying out loud, Iran is trying to kill President Trump. And what has the Biden administration done? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. There has been no price for Iran to pay for all of this.

Our adversaries, they see this and understand the weakness. The Chinese Communist Party has been emboldened. They have repeatedly violated our sovereignty. Spy balloons have been allowed to travel across our country, spying on our sensitive military installations. We have seen the espionage operations set up in New York City. And fentanyl has been killing Americans across our country. And while it may be coming across the southern border, the precursors are being made in China.

We have also seen what Vladimir Putin has done when Russia invaded Ukraine.

Our freedoms, our way of life depend on peace. And how do we maintain peace? We maintain peace through strength. That is what the American people chose a month ago when they elected President Donald Trump.

Under President Trump's first administration, we saw the dismantling of the ISIS caliphate and historic peace deals in the Middle East--the Middle East's first peace agreement in 26 years. And, by the way, that should have been cause for a Nobel Prize to be awarded to President Trump, but the Nobel Prize committee didn't see it that way. They couldn't bring themselves to acknowledge the great work that President Trump did.

By returning President Trump to the White House, the American people are sending a clear message: There is a new sheriff in town.

The Biden-Harris age of appeasement is ending. The resurgence of American strength is about to begin, and I am excited to see what the future holds.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until December, 6, 2024: Phoebe Coote and Emmanuel Ogundipe.

BD Columbus is at the forefront of innovation and excellence. It celebrated its 50th anniversary of cannula production in 2017, and it has undergone a transformative expansion to become a flagship plastic injection molding manufacturing center. This state-of- the-art facility stands as a testament to BD's legacy of improving lives both locally, within the Columbus workforce, and globally, as it provides critical medical supplies to healthcare systems across the world.

Madam President, Israel is our strongest and closest ally in the Middle East. It is in our mutual interest to provide Israel the support they need to be able to destroy the terrorist group Hamas and secure the release of the remaining hostages. I am committed to doing that. My colleagues joining me today are committed to doing that.

Yet the Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly appeased the radical pro-Hamas elements of their base. In fact, President Biden had to be pressured to put a meeting on the calendar with the Prime Minister. That should have been a no-brainer.

Vice President Kamala Harris, whose only constitutional duty is to preside over the Senate, didn't even attend today's speech. She has one job--and I understand that being the presumptive nominee is new, but she does have a day job. Instead, she chose a petty snub of our closest ally in the Middle East and a democratically elected leader. This is not how America should treat its allies.

Sadly, this is one part of a larger pattern. The Biden-Harris administration has consistently undermined Israel's democratically elected government. After taking office, this administration gave $730 million to UNRWA, an organization that has been described as essentially being a branch of Hamas. President Trump had ended their U.S. taxpayer funding. President Biden and Vice President Harris brought it back. Their actions caused American taxpayer dollars to directly support Hamas terrorists in their attacks on our ally and our citizens.

At least 12 UNRWA employees, funded in part by Biden-Harris, directly participated in the barbaric terror attack on October 7. Over 100 UNRWA employees have ties to Hamas or other Islamic jihad entities. Over 1,200 Israelis were killed, including nearly two dozen American citizens. Many were taken as hostages. Eight Americans are still being held hostage today somewhere in Gaza 291 days after October 7.

We need to stand with Israel until Israel completes its mission to free the hostages, bring justice to the terrorists, and restore peace. That is the best solution for the Israelis. That is the best solution for the Gazans. That is the best solution, period.

The Biden-Harris administration has also pressured Israel toward a cease-fire with the same barbaric Hamas terrorists who want to kill Jews and have pledged to continue to perpetrate atrocities like October 7. Meanwhile, Biden and Harris have repeatedly withheld or delayed critical shipments of weapons needed to destroy Hamas. They have attacked the legitimacy of Israel's democratically elected leader. So much for ``ironclad.''

Americans stand with Israel. My colleagues and I stand with Israel. We are proud to stand with Israel. The Biden-Harris administration should do the same.

Thank you to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his comments earlier today. They reminded us why it is so important that Israel is successful in destroying Hamas. They will be doing the world and civilization a favor in doing so.

Thank you to my colleagues for joining me today on the floor.

Madam President, today I stand before you to express my gratitude and admiration for the exceptional students who joined our team as summer interns in 2024.

These talented young women and men brought a unique blend of enthusiasm, dedication, and a passion for making a difference to my offices in Washington, DC, office and across the State of Nebraska.

Our interns have consistently shown a motivation to learn and a strong commitment to our State. Their presence has not only enriched our workspace, but also inspired my team and me. As the torchbearers of the next generation, their spirit and determination fill us with anticipation for what the future holds.

As they leave our office, I want to take a moment to extend my sincerest thanks to: Caitlyn Haggstrom, Preston Kotik, Turner Vaughn, and Esme Vroom, who served in my Washington, DC, office; Carson Kreager, who served in my Kearney office; Bayleigh Donahoe, who served in my Omaha office; and Mackenzie Hamilton, who served in my Lincoln office.

Your dedication and contributions have truly made our team stronger. I hope you will carry the lessons learned here into your bright future. Congratulations, and best of luck.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until July 26, 2024: Esme Vroom, Preston Kotik, Turner Vaughn, and Caitlyn Haggstrom.

Reserving the right to object.

Welcome to another day of the Democratic summer of show votes. We need to be clear why the majority leader is holding this show vote. The Supreme Court made a decision last week he didn't like. A 6- to-3 majority Supreme Court ruled the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives overstepped their authority when they tried to reclassify bump stocks as machineguns. The Supreme Court made the right decision. In January, I joined Senator Lummis and other colleagues filing an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to do what they did.

But the majority leader and his Democratic colleagues supported the gun-grabbing overreach. The majority leader decided to bring up a bill called the BUMP Act. He claims this bill will ban bump stocks. Just like his previously misnamed bills, if you actually read the bill, that is not what it does at all.

The BUMP Act targets common firearm accessories, not just bump stocks. This is from the text of the bill. The bill bans ``any manual, power-driven, or electronic device primarily designed, or redesigned, so that when the device is attached to a semiautomatic firearm, the device--[i] materially increases the rate of fire on the firearm.''

In short, this doesn't ban bump stocks. This bill would ban literally any item that makes a firearm easier and, in some cases, safer to shoot. We are talking about competition or adjustable triggers.

We are also talking about items that reduce the distance between a shooter's hand or trigger, like certain firearm stocks and grips. It is not just about bump stocks. That is why the disabled veterans hate this bill. I have heard about veterans in Nebraska who are concerned about this bill. Sometimes veterans who are disabled or elderly choose to adjust the stock or grip on a firearm to make it easier and safer to shoot. The Constitution protects their right to do so through the Second Amendment.

This bill would take that constitutional right away from the same men and women who fought for our Constitution.

The other problem with this bill is it doesn't even define what it is trying to regulate. The bill uses the phrase ``rate of fire'' 500 times. Three of those times, the bill said it would ban a device that materially increases the rate of fire in the firearm. Nowhere in the bill does it define what constitutes the ``rate of fire'' increase.

The other two times, it says it would ban a device that approximates the action of a rate of fire of a machinegun. But under Federal law, it is not the rate of fire that makes something a machinegun. Under 26 U.S.C. 5845(b), it is a mechanical function.

So either this ``rate of fire'' section was written by someone who had no idea what they are talking about, or it is a cynical attempt to include more firearm accessories than just bump stocks. I would bet the latter.

And let's be honest. Does anyone seriously believe this lawless Biden administration would interpret this law in a way that respects law- abiding gun owners? Not.

On this and other issues, the Biden administration has repeatedly expanded previous interpretations of our laws in ways that go far beyond what even the Obama administration was coupled with, and they were no friends of the Second Amendment. We cannot allow unelected bureaucrats at the ATF to abuse their authority and interpret laws in ways Congress clearly never intended.

So this bill may be called the BUMP Act, but it is not really about bump stocks. This bill is about banning as many firearm accessories as possible, giving the ATF broad authority to ban most semiautomatic firearms. It is an unconstitutional attack on law-abiding gun owners. Under this bill, owners of any semiautomatic firearm that has been modified to make it easier to fire will be forced to register their firearms alongside actual machineguns in the ATF's National Firearm Registration and Transfer Record Database. And if they don't, they would be in violation of the law. That is really, really scary.

If this bill becomes law, it would give the Biden administration the authority to force confiscation of any common semiautomatic firearm that has been modified to make it easier to shoot.

The majority leader knows this bill will not pass. It won't pass because enough people in this building still believe in the Constitution, and the Constitution affords Americans the right to own a firearm. This vague, overreaching bill directly infringes upon that right.

For safety, we ought to better enforce existing gun laws and address mental health issues. This bill doesn't do that. In fact, it doesn't do anything to address the root causes of gun violence. We are not addressing mental health or cultural issues driving men and women to commit these horrible crimes--the failed family structures, the depression, the division and glorification of violence on social media.

If Democrats really cared about gun violence, they would be trying to build support for a bill that could actually pass. Instead, we have a show vote on a bill that uses vague language to ban as many firearms accessories as possible and limit the Second Amendment rights of disabled and elderly Americans who may need certain accessories to use a firearm safely.

We should be working on things that actually keep America safe, like the National Defense Authorization Act.

For these reasons, therefore, I object.

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

Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in condemning the Biden administration's continuous overreach. Specifically, today we are talking about the EPA's delusional tailpipe emissions regulations. They are effectively an EV mandate.

This delusional rule would require up to two-thirds of all new cars being sold in 2032 to be electric vehicles. I don't have anything against electric vehicles--they are cool to drive--but the Federal Government shouldn't be picking winners and losers in the marketplace. The free market and consumers should drive American innovation, not mandates from the Biden administration. That is why I have introduced Congressional Review Act legislation, along with Senator Sullivan, to overturn Biden's EV mandate.

There are a lot of reasons an EV mandate just isn't feasible. My first concern is the cost to consumers.

At an event I held last year bringing experts from across the country to Nebraska to talk about what these mandates would mean, one of our experts from Harvard and the Breakthrough Institute told us that auto ownership is the most critical tool for people getting out of poverty. Certainly in a State like Nebraska, that is true. It is the ticket to being able to get to a job. Yet buying and maintaining an electric vehicle is unaffordable to our low-income families.

The average low-income family spends $12,000 on a vehicle. An EV costs $53,000. A $7,500 tax credit is not going to get you anywhere. It is an unacceptable burden and barrier to our low-income families to be able to get that car so they can get to work.

The second problem is that Biden administration officials have admitted they have no idea how they are going to be able to accomplish their goal. One person I talked to said they are going to run into two big problems: math and physics. They have no idea how they are going to be able to generate and transmit the power needed to be able to charge all these cars.

In fact, on the one hand, while they are trying to get us to use more electric vehicles and have those be charged, on the other hand, the Biden administration is passing rules that are attacking American energy. They are passing regulations for our power-generating plants that, for example, would require 78 percent of coal-generation plants to shut down between 2028 and 2040.

They are blocking the mining of critical minerals as well that we need to build the batteries--so Ambler Road, for example, in Alaska, where there is one of our major copper mine deposits, or think about all the lithium mine resources we have in this country. They are blocking our ability to get the resources and therefore are going to make us dependent on China, which processes between 60 to 80 percent of all these critical and rare earth elements that we need to be able to build these batteries.

There are also limitations on the technology that goes along with electric vehicles. It just doesn't make it feasible in States like Nebraska. For example, EVs are not reliable in cold weather. According to the AAA, when

the temperature drops below 20 degrees, EVs' driving range can be reduced by as much as 41 percent.

Nebraskans tell me they feel like Washington, DC, bureaucrats have no idea how their policies will affect them in the middle part of the country. Of our 147 communities in Nebraska, designated cities, 99 do not have chargers. In fact, if you are in places like Valentine or Bloomfield or Alliance, you are 45 minutes away from the nearest charging station. If we are going to set national standards, those standards need to work in every State.

I promised my constituents I would fight these delusional mandates with every tool I have. My Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval would overturn Biden's EV mandate. It is a bipartisan effort that has the support of 48 of my colleagues. In the coming months, every Member of this body will have the opportunity to join in this commonsense effort.

Anyone who votes against these will have to explain to their constituents why they don't want our low-income families to be able to get a job by buying a car or why they don't want folks in rural areas to be able to get to work.

I am confident that our CRA will earn bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate so we can send it to President Biden's desk. I want to thank all of my colleagues who have joined in this effort.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a great Nebraskan and great American, Patrick Gottsch.

Growing up on his family farm in Elkhorn, NE, Patrick learned to love rural America and the Western lifestyle. His father grew corn and had a cattle feedlot. After college, he worked as a commodities broker for 5 years in Chicago and in Omaha.

On the day his daughter was born, Patrick came down the hill from the hospital and saw a guy trying to put a satellite dish together. He decided to help. After 6 hours of work, the dish was installed, and Patrick was hooked on satellite television.

Patrick then started E.T. Installations, which was a pioneer in the home satellite industry. During this time, Patrick first began exploring the idea of a TV channel devoted to the issues and interests of rural America, but at that moment, it was only a dream. Patrick worked hard making that dream a reality.

In 1991, Patrick moved to Texas. He worked as the director of sales for Superior Livestock Auction, which pioneered satellite marketing in the livestock industry. Because of Patrick's innovations, Superior Livestock became the largest livestock auction enterprise in the country.

In 2000, Patrick decided to take a leap of faith. He committed full time to the task of creating a 24-hour TV network for rural America. He called his company Rural Media Group.

Patrick Gottsch's dream was becoming a reality. Rural Free Delivery Television, RFD-TV, launched with DISH Network in September of 2000. Distribution quickly increased. Today, RFD-TV is available in more than 50 million homes nationwide.

Patrick's Rural Media Group continued to expand, adding RFD The Magazine, RFD HD, Rural TV, Rural Radio, and the RFD-TV Now app.

In 2017, Patrick launched the Cowboy Channel, the first 24-hour network devoted entirely to Western sports like rodeo. The Cowboy Channel is now the official network of ProRodeo, bringing the talents of world-class cowboys and cowgirls to people all over the world.

In addition, Patrick last year launched the Cowgirl Channel, dedicated exclusively to women in Western sports and the modern-day cowgirl.

Patrick Gottsch loved rural America. He loved its people, its values, and its lifestyle. His visionary leadership brought the best of rural America to tens of millions of homes around the world. He reconnected the city and the country. His contributions to broadcasting, ranching, rodeo, and business will long be remembered.

My wife Susanne and I send our condolences to Patrick's beloved wife Angie; his three daughters, Raquel, Gatsby, and Rose; and his grandchildren.

I am grateful to Senator Hyde-Smith for leading the resolution to honor Patrick Gottsch's life and legacy.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in expressing my complete support for the State of Israel and the war against Hamas terrorists.

There was a cease-fire in place prior to October 7. Hamas broke that cease-fire. Hamas attacked Israel and murdered over 1,200 Israelis and Americans. They also took hundreds of hostages, including Americans as well.

Hamas is responsible for every death on October 7 and every death since that day. They need to surrender. Hamas must surrender.

If Hamas surrenders and releases the hostages, aid can freely flow into Gaza to support the Gazans. Instead, Hamas continues to prosecute this war. In fact, after October 7, they said they would continue to do atrocities like October 7, if given the chance. They will continue to try to destroy Israel. They will continue to murder Israeli citizens.

They just don't chant ``Death to Israel.'' They chant ``Death to America'' as well.

Terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah represent an existential threat to Israel. They have repeatedly declared their intention to wipe Israel off the map.

Israel has the right and the obligation to destroy the terrorist group Hamas. They must have the ability to defend themselves. And they will be doing the world a favor by destroying Hamas.

We need to support Israel and their efforts to do just that. Part of that support means pushing back on anti-Semitic organizations, like the United

Nations or the International Criminal Court, that attack Israel's legitimacy and their sovereignty.

The International Criminal Court's ludicrous decision to apply for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Israel's defense chief is the most recent example of their anti- Semitism. This outrageous decision not only emboldens terrorists around the world but creates problems for us here in the United States as well.

In the statement, the ICC prosecutor describes crimes that have been committed on ``the territory of Israel and the State of Palestine.'' That is exactly backward. He should have said ``the State of Israel and the territories of Palestine.'' But that was intentional.

It is a continuation of the rampant anti-Semitism in these organizations, like the ICC and the U.N. It is designed to delegitimize the State of Israel.

And the crazy thing is, the ICC's action, in itself, is illegitimate. It lacks legal basis. Under its own charter, the ICC is banned from moving forward with prosecutions unless the relevant government is unwilling or unable to police themselves.

The ICC knows Israel has a robust and independent judiciary. The ICC knows and has admitted that Israel has trained lawyers who advise commanders and a robust system intended to ensure compliance with international humanitarian law. By moving forward with these arrest warrants, the ICC is calling Israel's laws, government, and democracy illegitimate. It is wrong.

There is no moral equivalency between the State of Israel, democracy, and the terrorist organization Hamas. There is no moral equivalency between Hamas's terrorist actions and atrocities on October 7 and Israel's right to defend itself and to take action to destroy that terrorist organization.

Hamas terrorists have shot unarmed civilians, dismembered soldiers, raped women, and massacred children. Meanwhile, Israel has fought its war while taking great pains to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties.

We need to be supporting Israel in its mission, not undermining the Israeli Government. It is in our interest to do so.

Neither Israel nor the United States are members of the ICC. Both countries are outside of the ICC's jurisdiction. Yet the ICC is going after Israel anyway. America should take note. If the ICC can violate Israel's sovereignty, it can violate America's sovereignty.

The ICC needs to face the consequences of its anti-Israel policies. While it is good that President Biden has condemned the arrest warrants as ``outrageous,'' Israel needs more than words. It needs actions.

Last month, my Republican colleagues and I sent a letter to the ICC with a warning: If the ICC moved forward with arrest warrants for Israelis, we would push to end all American support for this disgraceful organization.

We are here today to tell President Biden one simple thing: If your commitment to Israel is really ironclad, as you say, you will join us in holding these anti-Semitic organizations accountable. Let's sanction the ICC's employees and associates and prevent them from coming to the United States. Let's work with our allies to ensure that they refuse to honor the ICC's indictments against either Israel or the United States. Let's truly demonstrate our ironclad support and stand with our ally Israel in its hour of need.

Madam President, I join my colleagues in expressing my support and admiration for the women and men who put on the blue. Whether it is our southern border or our own backyards, these members of law enforcement are essential to protecting our safety and security. They are the guardians of our neighborhoods, protectors of our families. They take deadly drugs like fentanyl off of our streets.

As we celebrate National Police Week, let's recognize the service of those among us and the jobs they do that require the utmost integrity, skill, and dedication.

We must never forget the sacrifices that the members of law enforcement and their families make on our behalf. They work long hours in challenging conditions and dangerous areas to serve and protect us. Yet, despite the dangers they face, they remain steadfast in their commitment to our communities. They are the ``thin blue line'' that protects us while we sleep.

In recent years, we have seen a disturbing trend of not just disrespect toward law enforcement but violence. It

is not just wrong, it is dangerous. It undermines the rule of law and threatens the safety and security of our communities.

We must send a clear message that violence against the women and men in blue will not be tolerated. We must stand with them and support them in their vital mission in our communities.

On Monday night, I had the opportunity to walk in a vigil, walk the beat, to honor the more than 149 members of law enforcement who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in my home State of Nebraska. Their names are reflected on the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial in Grand Island, NE, and they are remembered in the hearts of their fellow citizens today and throughout the year.

We remember Ross Bartlett, who died last month after 30 years of service with the Ceresco Police Department.

We remember Detective Kerrie Orozco, who was murdered in 2015--1 day before she was supposed to go on maternity leave.

We remember Investigator Mario Herrera, who was killed trying to serve an arrest warrant.

We remember all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe. They were mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. They were heroes, and their bravery is eternal.

The women and men in blue are the backbone of our communities. We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never repay, but we can show our appreciation for them, show our support for them.

I am proud that in Nebraska, while other communities are trying to defund the police, we support the police. In Nebraska, we back the blue.

When I was Governor, we had the largest package of pro-public safety and law enforcement legislation passed in years. We invested $47.7 million in our Grand Island Law Enforcement Training Center to ensure that our law enforcement officers would get the highest level of training. We invested $16.9 million in our State Patrol Crime Lab to make sure we could solve crimes and give the victims of crime the justice they deserve.

Instead of reducing penalties for violent crimes, my home city of Omaha, NE, has used community engagement, like Omaha 360, to be able to reduce homicides. The Omaha Police Department and the Omaha community have reduced homicides in each of the last 3 years. ABC News said that the Omaha Police Department could be a model for the rest the Nation.

In addition, last year, Omaha police had a 100-percent clearance rate on homicides. There were 28 murders and 28 homicide cases cleared. When the national clearance rate is just over 50 percent, a 100-percent rate is truly remarkable.

As usual, America can learn a lot from our proven solutions in Nebraska.

The Federal Government must also back the blue. We need to secure our border and put an end to the scourge of drugs that are killing our young people here in America. We need to pass the Back the Blue Act to increase the penalties for criminals who target law enforcement officers. We need to provide new tools to officers to protect themselves. We need to block anti-cop, soft-on-crime policies that would hinder law enforcement's ability to do their jobs with excellence. I am committed to working with anyone who wants to make this happen.

The women and men in blue have earned our respect and our gratitude-- not just during Police Week but all year round.

Once again, thank you to the members of our law enforcement. Thank you to their families, who sacrifice alongside them. You are heroes, and we are forever in your debt. I am grateful for all that you have done for our communities, and I know, on behalf of all Nebraskans, we support law enforcement.

God bless our law enforcement officers as they keep us safe. God bless the great State of Nebraska. And God bless our Nation.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues in opposing the Biden administration's anti-energy policies. From the EV mandate to the so-called Clean Power Plan 2.0, the Biden administration's war on American energy threatens the livelihoods of millions of Americans and American families.

Let's start with the EPA's delusional and reckless electric vehicle mandate. It requires up to two-thirds of all cars and light trucks being sold in 2032 to be electric vehicles.

It is delusional because it will block low-income families from owning a car. Owning a car is a pathway out of poverty for many Americans, including many people in my State, and Biden's EV mandate will drive up the cost of those used vehicles.

It is delusional because the Biden administration has no plan for how we are going to generate the power needed to be able to charge these cars or the transmission lines needed to transmit the energy from where it is being produced to where it is going to be needed.

It is also delusional because this EV mandate will make us more dependent on the Chinese Communist Party, which controls about 60 to 80 percent of all the critical minerals that are necessary to be able to make the batteries for EVs, and they are leading us in this EV battery technology.

This is how crazy stupid this administration is: They want to mandate EVs on the one hand, but they also want to attack any project that may allow us to be able to mine the minerals that we need to be able to create the batteries for EVs.

For example, EVs can use up to four times the amount of copper that a regular car uses. At the same time, though, the Biden administration has blocked a road that would go to the Ambler Mining District in Alaska. The Ambler Mining District is one of the places where we have a lot of copper. It is a major copper deposit. We need this copper. Yet the Biden administration is blocking us from being able to get to it. It makes no sense.

Another thing that makes no sense is an EV mandate that requires dramatically increasing our energy production and transmission on the one hand, and then, on the other hand, we have the Clean Power Plan 2.0, which is going to attack our energy production. It is a classic example of ``bureaucrats gone wild.'' It forces coal- or gas-generating electric plants to reduce up to 90 percent of their carbon emissions by the year 2039.

First, the Clean Power Plan 2.0 is illegal, explicitly countering the Supreme Court's decision in West Virginia v. EPA.

Second, the rule will stifle our industry not only in Nebraska but nationwide. In Nebraska, 49 percent of our electricity comes from coal- fired plants. It is the baseload generation we have.

Nebraska, actually, ranks pretty high when it comes to renewable energy. We have over 31 percent of our electricity coming from renewable energy, but we still need that baseload.

Nebraska, in 2022, also ranked No. 3 nationwide for the most industrial electricity customers of any State. It just ranked behind Texas and California with regard to those industrial consumers of electricity.

Fossil fuel plants generate about 60 percent of U.S. electricity nationwide, and coal contributes about 16.2 percent of all the electricity in this country. Under this rule, more than 78 percent of coal-powered plants would have to retire between the years 2028 and 2040 while coal remains the primary source of electricity in 18 of our States. Currently, a quarter of the existing 200 plants are scheduled to retire within the next 5 years. We don't have enough new plants coming online to be able to replace the power that is going offline. This plan will close down the reliable and affordable fossil fuel plants, and American consumers will end up paying the price.

Again, for us in Nebraska, when you are driving up these costs, you are hurting our families and, of course, our businesses that create the jobs that allow families to be able to send their kids to school, to go on the family vacation, and so forth.

The EPA does not have the authority--the legal authority--to force a complete shift in energy production through bureaucratic fiat, but the Biden administration doesn't care, and they are going ahead with it anyway.

The Biden administration's anti-energy agenda doesn't just stop there. President Biden's imposed moratorium on new oil and gas leases is also an attack on our energy system. The administration has slow- walked these permits for new construction and has added new layers of bureaucracy that hinder job-creating energy projects.

Instead of supporting high-skilled, high-waged jobs, this administration has prioritized the interests of coastal elites and radical environmentalists. They would rather see fossil fuel plants closed and thousands of workers lose their jobs than stand up to these activists.

This appeasement of the far-left, radical, environmentalist wing of the Democratic Party is wrong. It must stop. We must reverse course. We must have some common sense. I am here today to join my colleagues in standing up for American energy, for American workers, and for our way of life.

Together, we are going to do all we can to overturn this anti-energy agenda through Congressional Review Act legislation and other means. We are going to support an ``all of the above'' energy strategy. We are going to continue to fight to make sure our workers remain employed, our communities remain prosperous, and our Nation remains energy independent.

With that, I yield the floor.

Madam President, I live in the best place in the world--Nebraska. One of the reasons it is the best

place in the world is because of the people and the community that pull together in times of disaster.

We just experienced one of those disasters on Friday. According to the National Weather Service, we had 14 tornadoes. Five of them measured as an EF3. They impacted much of the eastern part of our State. We had 450 homes that were destroyed and many more damaged, millions of dollars in damaged public infrastructure, but thanks to a number of people, Nebraska was able to avoid any fatalities--in fact, had no serious injuries.

I want to thank the people at the National Weather Service and our broadcasters, who helped make sure we got the message out. These occurred on a Friday afternoon. Educators kept kids in schools and kept them sheltered. People got the advanced warning, thanks to our broadcasters, and sought shelter. That is one of the reasons we were able to avoid any serious injuries--Nebraskans knew what to do.

I want all Nebraskans who have been impacted by this to know that my wife Susanne and I continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers.

Then came the reaction, all of the groups who worked to protect Nebraskans. I want to thank our first responders, especially those in Douglas and Washington Counties, for the work they did. I want to thank the Nebraska State Patrol, the Nebraska National Guard, and the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency. All of those organizations did a fantastic job of responding, as they always do in these disasters.

As Nebraskans always do, when their neighbor needs help, they step up, and we saw it time and time again--neighbors helping neighbors, the lines of people showing up at churches and other points of collection to drop off packages of bottled water, Gatorade, food.

I had a chance to tour some of the neighborhoods that were impacted on Saturday morning and saw all the volunteers who had shown up--the wood chippers out there chipping up the wood, people cleaning up, volunteering, showing up with saws and hammers to be able to help out their neighbors.

There was one house that I went by in particular that the roof had been torn off, and already people were on that roof fixing that damage, and an American flag was flying high at that house. It is the Nebraska way.

We live in such a great place because of the people who respond, and this disaster, like the other disasters we have, is just another shining example of Nebraska's spirit and how we come together to help our neighbors.

My office has been in touch with Governor Pillen's office, and he has declared an emergency, a disaster area. As the Federal delegation pulls together here, we will support Governor Pillen's request and stand by to make sure that any Federal resource that is available goes to help us recover in Nebraska. We will make sure those resources get to the people who need them, and we will recover. That is an example of how communities work, of how government works.

Mr. President, does anybody believe that hashtag ``StandwithKashmir'' is organically more popular than hashtag ``TaylorSwift''? No, of course not, but right now, on TikTok, hashtag ``StandwithKashmir'' has 20 times more posts than hashtag ``TaylorSwift.''

This is a direct example of the Chinese Communist Party using their control of TikTok to skew public opinion on foreign events in their favor. China is our chief foreign adversary in the world. They are a threat to our national security, our values, our economy, and the CCP works tirelessly every day to undermine our entire way of life. TikTok is one of the ways they are doing that.

I understood that as Governor. That is why I was the first Governor in the country to ban the use of TikTok on State devices back in 2020, and that is why I will be voting for this bill today. Today, we are taking action to end the Chinese Communist Party's ability to own and operate TikTok in the United States.

TikTok's active users include over 150 million Americans. That is almost half of our country's entire population. It has become the most influential news platform in the country. The percentage of TikTok users who regularly get their news from this app has doubled since 2020. The problem, however, is that what that news is, what slant that news has, is being entirely controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. We don't allow this for TV stations or radio stations. You have to be a U.S. citizen to own a TV station or a radio station in this country. Why are we letting our greatest adversary in the world own a news platform?

TikTok, under CCP ownership, promotes or demotes content based on whether it aligns with the CCP's interests and its agenda. This has major, real-world implications here at home and around the world.

Look at what is happening on our college campuses right now in this country. Pro-Hamas activists are taking over public spaces and making it impossible for campuses to operate. Jewish students are being told to leave campus because their universities can't guarantee their safety. There are a lot of other things wrong with this, including the failure to prioritize student safety over appeasement of terrorist sympathizers.

But why is this happening?

Well, let's look at where young people are getting their news. Nearly a third of adults 18 to 29 years old--these young people in the United States--are regularly getting their news exclusively from TikTok. Pro- Palestinian and pro-Hamas hashtags are generating 50 times the views on TikTok right now despite the fact that polling shows Americans overwhelmingly support Israel over Hamas. These videos have more reach than the top 10 news websites combined.

This is not a coincidence. The Chinese Communist Party is doing this on purpose. They are pushing this racist agenda with the intention of undermining our democratic values, and if you look at what is happening at Columbia University and other campuses across the country right now, they are winning.

I want to talk about another example that means a lot to folks back home whom I represent in Nebraska.

We know that the COVID-19 pandemic originated in China. Instagram and TikTok currently have about the same number of users in the United States; However, if you look at the content, there is a 400-to-1 ratio for content that blames China for this pandemic on Instagram compared to TikTok. Again, Instagram has 400 times the number of posts blaming China for COVID than on TikTok.

On TikTok, the Chinese Communist Party has quashed dissent or criticism. They have done this for Tiananmen Square--which, again, on Instagram, there are 80 times the posts around Tiananmen Square than there are on TikTok, and on Hong Kong, there are 180 times the posts on Hong Kong being censored or being repressed versus on TikTok.

The Federal Government's job is to protect Americans against foreign and domestic threats. TikTok is a major foreign threat. The bill we are passing today puts an end to that. This bill ensures that our citizens are not improperly targeted, surveilled, or influenced by any foreign adversary.

Right now, the major threat is TikTok, but China can make another TikTok. That is why, instead of going after any specific app, this bill simply prohibits marketplaces, like the App Store or Google Play, from hosting applications controlled by foreign adversaries. This is just common sense.

It also establishes a narrow framework to protect against future apps. It allows the Federal Government to require divestment of applications controlled by a foreign adversary or face a prohibition on app stores and be denied access to web-hosting services in the United States. That power has very strict guidelines. The authority can only be exercised if an application is under the control of an adversarial foreign entity, presents a national security threat, and has over 1 million active users annually.

It also protects individual users. No enforcement action can be taken against individual users of banned applications. Civil enforcement actions may only be initiated against companies that violate the act.

The bill incentivizes China to divest from TikTok or TikTok will face a ban. If TikTok is divested from the CCP, it can continue to operate in the United States. If the restrictions are already in effect and TikTok is divested later, the restrictions will be lifted.

I believe the Chinese Communist Party is the greatest threat we face in this Nation. They are fighting smart, trying to undermine us from within, and using technology like TikTok to do it. Together, by passing this bill, it is my hope that we will send a loud message and a clear message that America is not open to the CCP for influence.

We are taking a stand to protect our own, protect our values, and end a major Communist Chinese Party tool to attack us.

I yield the floor.