Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, today I come to the Senate floor for what will probably be one of my last times--perhaps not my last time but close. I want to start off by thanking the people of Alabama, my home State. They have put their trust in me for more than 50 years. It is more than I could ever wish for, and this has been truly been an experience of a lifetime--something I could have never dreamed.

I came to the House 44 years ago and served 8 years as a Democrat coming from the State of Alabama. I had a good run in the U.S. House, and I appreciate that. I am grateful for that. However, I always wanted to come over here to the U.S. Senate.

In 1986, I ran for the Senate against the incumbent, Jeremiah Denton--a prominent war hero, a great man--and I won that race by 6,854 votes. It was razor, razor thin, as you can imagine.

In 1994, after years of being told to join the Republican Party and that I should be there, from President Reagan and all the way down, I decided to switch parties. I joined the Republican Party. Some people would say that I was in the vanguard of the realignment of the Republican Party in the South. That is for history to decide.

During my time in the Senate, I have been given the great opportunity of chairing four committees--four committees--something I couldn't have believed. In these positions of leadership, I have tried to influence legislation that will have a lasting impact, creating conditions to improve our country.

On the Select Committee on Intelligence, I served there for 8 years and was chairman of the full committee.

On the Banking Committee, where I am grateful to still serve after 36 years, I was chairman for three Congresses and was ranking member for three Congresses. On that committee, I worked with various Senators.

I had the opportunity, as some of you have had, to chair the Rules Committee, which is important to the running of the Senate. We worked together and instituted some very serious legislation.

But, finally, after many years of work, I chaired the Appropriations Committee. Working across the aisle in a bipartisan way, we passed and enacted the most on-time spending bills in 2018 for the first time in 22 years. We did that, I believe, by working together.

As I look back on the Senate, I think of some of the people who were here who are not with us anymore, but they have had a lasting impact on this body--the Senate.

I think of Senator Bob Dole--Presidential candidate, Vice Presidential candidate, majority leader, minority leader, friend, mentor--I thought had a lasting impact.

I think of Senator Byrd--Democrat of West Virginia, former majority leader, later chairman of the Appropriations Committee. He had strong views and was a man of the Senate.

We also had Senator Mark Hatfield--a Republican, former Governor of Oregon, distinguished chairman of the Appropriations Committee--whom I had the opportunity and privilege to serve with here in the Senate.

We had Senator Ted Stevens--Republican of Alaska, well known, strong views, Appropriations chairman, and a good role model for me on the committee. He spent 40 years in the Senate.

We had Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii--a Democrat, a war hero. He was a great Senator and chairman of the Appropriations Committee and powerful chairman of the Defense Subcommittee of Appropriations for years.

We had here in the Senate--who we called the lion of the Senate-- Senator Ted Kennedy, a Democrat. He was involved in a lot of stuff. A lot of it I voted against; some of it I didn't. But he would reach out. One thing about Senator Kennedy--if he told you something, he kept his word. That is so important, not just in the Senate, but everywhere.

I remember my good friend Bob Kerrey--a war hero, Congressional Medal of Honor winner, former Governor of Nebraska, Senator. We served together on the Intel Committee and the Appropriations Committee.

On the Banking Committee was Paul Sarbanes of Maryland--a stalwart here, a Democrat. We had our differences, philosophically. I was ranking and then chairman of the Banking Committee, and he was ranking, and he was chairman. But we made things work because we worked together toward that end.

Senator Harry Reid was here--former majority leader, right here, an old friend of mine from our House days, a personal friend. People knew that. People knew. They would see us talking and say: Why are you all speaking today?

And I would say: Well, we are talking about everything. It may be personal; it may not be. We may be trying to get something done.

We had Senator Cochran from Mississippi--a nice man, a real gentleman, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, who served here 40 years.

And my friend from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski, a Democrat--what a fighter--chairman of the Appropriations Committee. We worked together, when I was ranking on the Appropriations Committee, to get things done, and we did.

I would like to touch on some of my colleagues whom I served with from my State of Alabama. First I want to mention that today is the 203rd birthday of my State of Alabama. Today, they became a State 203 years ago. I was not there then.

As for some of my colleagues from Alabama--Senator Howell Heflin, who some of you will remember, was bigger than life and larger than life. He served 18 years here in the Senate.

Jeff Sessions--a lot of you remember Jeff--he served 20 years in the Senate.

Luther Strange, who is here on the floor now--his tenure was short, but we remember him well. He is a dear friend.

Doug Jones served here for 3 years in the Senate. He was a Democrat from Alabama, and we had a good relationship. We did a lot of things together in a bipartisan way.

My current colleague, Tommy Tuberville--he is doing well. He is ending his second year in the Senate. He was a great coach--too great a coach when he played Alabama. He beat the dickens out of us a few times. So I said: Let's keep him in the Senate.

I want to mention my friend Pat Leahy--chairman of the Appropriations Committee, President pro tempore of the Senate, long-term serving member of the Appropriations Committee. When I was chairman, he was ranking. We worked together on the committee, and we got things done.

I told him that I would rather be chairman, but if a Democrat is going to be chairman, it had to be him because he was the only one in the room when I said that.

Pat and I have worked together to get some things done. We have got work to do before this year is out, and we, hopefully, are on the right track.

Mitch McConnell is sitting right here--friend, accomplished leader, the longest serving Senate Republican Leader, majority leader, minority leader now, a long-term friend with deep roots in Alabama, but from Kentucky.

Mitch, I have said to other people that I have seen a lot of people work, but you know how to work the Senate and you know how to make it work. I consider you a friend, and I have enjoyed my time with you.

During my time in the Senate, I have had the great privilege to serve with eight Presidents of the United States: Jimmy Carter; Ronald Reagan; George H. W. Bush; Bill Clinton; George W. Bush; Barack Obama, who was a former colleague of ours; Donald Trump; and Joe Biden now, former colleague and Senator. That is a great honor.

I want to speak just a few minutes here to what I think is important here in the Senate. We are in the Senate, but we are the Senate. I want to speak about why bipartisanship is important. It is important because it is good for the country. It is important because it brings people together. It is important because we all have our differences in philosophy, but the country, I believe, should be first, the Nation should be first. It is important, I also believe, because of the oath we take--all of us--when we are sworn into the Senate.

And I want to share this with you. You have done it, you have taken it--all of us do--you take that oath and you swear:

I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the

Constitution of the United States against all enemies,

foreign and domestic--

That is a lot--

That I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that

I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation

or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully

discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to

enter. So help me God.

That covers a lot of ground. Everybody here knows that. As I look back on my years here this afternoon, a lot of it was at a time when we did things together here. We ate together. We socialized together. We worked together. But today I think we have become too polarized, and there are a lot of reasons for that. We understand.

But I can say that we need to get back to the basics and put the country first. We must not put ourselves or our party first. We must put America first. We have to. And many of us--a lot of you--have tried to do this at times. We all have, in our own way. Senator Leahy and I have worked toward that end.

I have always believed--and this goes back--that we should strive for Plato's instruction to all of us--to strive to work for the ideal. I know that he means the utopia. That is probably never going to happen, but that is the goal.

In the Senate, having taken that oath of office, I have always thought that the security of the Nation is the No. 1 obligation of the Senate and the House, the Congress, and the President of the United States. My parents taught me this, and I believe this, and it is referenced in the oath of office that I just shared with you.

It is important to have, I believe, priorities. I have done my best to focus on things that will have a big impact on America and also my home State of Alabama. I always look at it that--being in the U.S. Senate, I am a Senator from Alabama, but I am also a United States Senator--for America. We all are.

Some of my priorities have been national security. As you well know, I have chaired the Intel Committee. I have worked and I was on the Armed Services Committee with Senators Nunn and Warner.

Education is a high priority for all of us, on both sides of the aisle. It has to be. Creating manufacturing and workforce development-- that is education and training. You have to have it.

Infrastructure is so important. It covers everything from communications to roads.

Outstanding Federal judges that we vote on here are very important.

Also, as my days are ticking away, I want to mention my successor that is coming, Senator-elect Katie Britt. She is here today. She will be coming into office. I think she will serve the Nation and all of us well. She has a lot of promise.

Lastly, toward the end, I also want to thank my family for their enduring support. I want to thank my wife Annette, who is here, my wife of 62 years. My service here would not have been possible without her. I am also immensely grateful for her dedication to my career, and her ambition and ability to break her own glass ceiling in academia along the way.

I want to thank my two sons, Richard and Claude. I want to thank them for their support and perseverance while growing up in political times and in a political family. It was tough on them.

I also want to thank my two grandchildren. One of them, Anna Shelby, is here, and my grandson William--he better be in the library studying.

I want to thank my parents for everything--I mean, everything.

I also want to say thank you to my staff over the years. Many of them are here today, and there have been many of them. They are outstanding people. I couldn't have done anything without them.

I don't know where I would start calling the staff roll, but I do want to thank Anne Caldwell. A lot of you know Anne. She has been with me 44 years. Wow. I thank her for her loyalty, her perseverance, and for getting me to meetings on time.

Anne, thank you, very much. Thank you.

Also, lastly, I have had a lot of chiefs of staff. I have had good ones--many good ones. But I have a young man working for me now, and he took a leave of absence from a big job with a big pay to work the last 2 years up here, Watson Donald. Thank you, Watson.

I want to thank my friends back home in Alabama for their support over the years, as well as my friends here in the Senate.

And, importantly, I want to thank the people of Alabama for electing me 12 times to public office. It has been the honor of my lifetime.

I yield the floor.

(Applause.)

Madam President, on Roy Blunt, I first met him when he was a whip in the House. We had some kind of conference going, and I thought: My gosh, he can count votes. He is the whip. He can count votes in the conference, too, and so forth.

And then, when he came and started running for the Senate, I was one of many over here who wanted to help him get here. And when he came in, as has been said here, he went right into the leadership because he is a leader.

Roy, you have got it in you. You are a natural. It is in your bones, so to speak. And you have brought a lot to this Senate.

I have worked with you on just about everything, but especially on the Appropriations Committee, and you have been stellar. You have a great family. You have a great wife. You have a son who is the former Governor of the State of Missouri. We would miss you,

but I won't be one of the ``we's.'' I will be gone too. But at the same time, they will miss you here. But they will miss you reaching out to the other side to make things happen. Reaching out to show that America is first; the country is first--and reaching out just over the aisle and to others with natural friendship, which means a lot up here and something we need to do more of.

But we wish you well. You will do well in your next life, whatever that is, and maybe we will see you again after January sometime.

I would like to start by thanking my good friend from Missouri, Senator Roy Blunt, for his decades of dedicated service.

We have served together in the Senate for 12 years, and together in Congress for 26 years.

I remember when Senator Blunt was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1996 and later to the Senate in 2010.

Roy is a fifth generation Missourian who grew up on a dairy farm.

Before coming to Washington, he was a high school history teacher and later a county official for 12 years.

In 1984, Roy was elected to be the first Republican secretary of state in more than 50 years in the State of Missouri.

He then served as the president of his alma mater, Southwest Baptist University, which undoubtedly prepared him for his many years of prioritizing education funding as the lead Republican Senator on the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Senator Blunt has been a force in the Senate, sitting on the Appropriations Committee; the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee; the Select Committee on Intelligence; and chairing the important Rules Committee.

Notably, Senator Blunt was elected to the Senate leadership during his first year in the Senate.

He is currently the chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee, a vital arm within our Republican leadership.

As I mentioned, he is the top Republican on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.

In this position, we have worked together to; grow NIH funding, which has increased 51 percent in the past 7 years; prioritize medical research, and improve access to quality education.

Senator Blunt has also been instrumental in protecting the Hyde amendment and other long-standing pro-life provisions in this bill.

As the chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, he planned and spoke during the 59th Presidential inauguration in 2021.

This was an important moment for our Nation.

While Senator Blunt's service in the Senate has been significant, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that he was also a powerful force in the House of Representatives, where he was elected seven times to represent Missouri's seventh district.

In the House, Roy was elected the majority whip earlier in his career than any Member of Congress in eight decades.

He also served as the acting House majority leader for a period of time.

Senator Blunt has a reputation for being a statesman and a longstanding record of working in a bipartisan manner to get things done.

His dedication to the betterment of our country has been invaluable.

I want to thank Senator Blunt for his service, as well as his wife Abigail, along with his four children and six grandchildren.

Annette and I have enjoyed their friendship over the years.

I wish Senator Blunt the best in his next chapter.

Madam President, today I wish to honor the retirement of Judith Adams from the Alabama State Port Authority after 28 years of impactful service. Judy has played an integral role in the growth and development of the Port of Mobile, which has been one of my greatest legislative priorities. Without Judy, the Port of Mobile would not be what it is today. I would be remiss to not formally thank her for all of her hard work.

In July of 1990, Judy was hired by John Dutton, then director of the State dock system of Alabama, to work on media relations and serve as the port's representative in legislative efforts. Four years later, Judy was named the official liaison between the Federal Government and the Alabama State Port Authority, overseeing the transfer of the Navy homeport to the port.

Following her success in that role, Judy was promoted to superintendent at Middle Bay and ran the Theodore Operations. She continued to prove herself a viable asset and climbed the ranks again in 2002 to become manager of media relations.

She was a key facilitator of multiple economic development projects, including landing APM Terminals in 2008, which has been a catalyst for skyrocketing activity at the port. She also oversaw teams that recruited Aker Solutions ASA, Berg Spiral Pipe Corporation, and the ThyssenKrupp projects to Mobile. In partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Judy led community outreach efforts that resulted in a successful Record of Decision for the port's harbor deepening and widening program.

Serving the State of Alabama with such depth of knowledge, Judy's final role as the senior vice president of internal and external affairs oversaw everything she had accomplished in her wide-ranging career with the Alabama State Port Authority. With Judy's significant involvement, the Port of Mobile has become the fastest growing gateway for containerized cargo in the United States.

Since joining the port in 1990, Judy has worked with four U.S. Senators, four Members of Alabama's First Congressional District, eight Governors, four mayors, and countless county commission, city council, and State legislative officials.

Judy has earned recognitions from GulfShipper for her outstanding leadership and commitment to excellence in international trade and transportation and the U.S. Marine Corps for her help with the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit's ``Training in an Urban Environment Exercise (TRUEX) XXXVII'' conducted at Middle Bay Port.

A graduate of Louisiana State University and previous chair of the American Association of Port Authorities Public Relations Committee, Judy currently serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the National Waterways Conference, Alabama Germany Partnership's board of directors, Partners for Environmental Progress, and the Coosa- Alabama River Improvement Association.

Judy Adams helped shape a more prosperous future for the Port of Mobile and the entire State of Alabama. The decisions she made and the projects she championed will benefit our State for years to come. She leaves behind a tenacious legacy that will not be forgotten, and I will miss working with her.

I am proud to take this time to recognize her service with the Alabama State Port Authority, which will continue to reap the fruits of her labor. Her achievements and dedication to transforming the Port of Mobile have not gone unnoticed. I join Judy Adams' friends, family, and colleagues in wishing her the best of luck as she transitions into a new chapter of her life.

Madam President, I am pleased this afternoon to commend Mr. Francisco J. Collazo of Grant, AL, for his contributions to our great country and to the State of Alabama.

Born in 1931 in Puerto Rico, Mr. Collazo joined the Army at 15 years of age. He had an exceptionally distinguished career, serving in the Korean and the Vietnam wars and retiring as a chief warrant officer 4.

While in the Army, Mr. Collazo continually worked to further his education. Due to his 30 years of military service, he attended numerous Army technical schools and earned sufficient academic credits to receive the Department of the Army bachelor's equivalency degree in mathematics and computer science.

After his retirement from the Army, he continued his lifelong learning with additional coursework and the study of complex missile systems.

In 2003, the University of Alabama in Huntsville recognized his technical achievements and bestowed upon him an honorary degree of doctor of science.

In 1980, Mr. Collazo and his wife Carmen started COLSA Corporation in their garage in southeast Huntsville, AL. COLSA is a service-disabled, veteran-owned company, and it rapidly grew and received many accolades.

In 1983, COLSA was certified under the 8(a) Business Development Program. The Small Business Administration certified COLSA as a socially and economically disadvantaged company.

In 1988, the SBA selected COLSA as the Regional Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year--such an achievement.

In 1997, COLSA received a Cogswell Award for Excellence in Security Operations.

In 2004, COLSA was inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame.

NASA awarded COLSA the Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year Award in 2008.

In 2021, Forbes magazine named COLSA to two of their top lists: Best Employers by State--4th in Alabama; and America's Best Midsize Employers--17th overall in the United States.

Today, COLSA has grown to over 1,600 employees--1,600 employees from zero--and currently ranks as 76 on Washington Technology's Top 100 Federal Prime Contractors.

Frank Collazo has personally received numerous awards and declarations, some I have enumerated. In the military--just a few--he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal with two oakleaf clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with three oakleaf clusters, and a Bronze Star with one oakleaf cluster for distinguished service during his time in Vietnam.

As an industry leader, the Huntsville and Madison County Chapter of the National Management Association recognized Frank Collazo as the manager of the year 30 years ago, 1991. Mr. Collazo has served as president of the following: the Air Defense Artillery Association; the Air, Space, and Missile Defense Association; the Huntsville Chapter of the National Defense Industrial Association.

In 2018, he received the Davidson Award for his leadership in the defense community. In addition to his leadership in industry, Mr. Collazo has been exceptionally generous in his contributions to local organizations. He funded the Collazo Endowment to retain and recruit students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He established the Francisco J. Collazo Scholarship Fund at Auburn University and is an original Partner in Education at the new Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering located in Huntsville.

He is a routine and substantial contributor to over--yes, over--80 charitable organizations in the Tennessee Valley--that is including a lot of Alabama and a lot of Tennessee--personifying his motto when he says ``Character is a matter of what you do when no one is watching.''

I am pleased this afternoon here in the U.S. Senate to join the citizens in Huntsville, AL, and throughout the State of Alabama, in offering my sincere thanks and gratitude to Frank Collazo, and I want to share my appreciation with his wife, Carmen, and his extended family.

Frank has continually demonstrated his commitment to our country, the State of Alabama, and to the community. Basically, Frank Collazo is an outstanding American.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 5418 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, my amendment requires that the Secretary of the Interior--requires that he complete, or she, pending coal lease applications under the Bureau of Land Management.

I believe we cannot allow the Biden administration to block the mining of our own essential energy resources and building materials.

I urge my colleagues to support our coal miners and vote ``yes'' on this amendment.

Basically, the amendment would require that the Secretary of the Interior to complete pending coal lease processes for both metallurgical and thermal coal.

Currently, the administration has paused the Lease by Application program for Federal coal leases at the Bureau of Land Management and so forth.

It does not change the law. It simply seeks to raise revenue by accelerating and ensuring approval of leases that are currently paused by the Department of the Interior.

It makes a lot of sense to the American people, and it will put a lot of people back to work.

I urge adoption. Amen.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor U.S. Marine Corps General Kenneth Franklin McKenzie, Jr., commander of U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, FL. General McKenzie is one of our Nation's finest military officers, and he will retire from Active military service on April 1, 2022, with nearly 43 years of distinguished service to our great Nation.

General McKenzie, a native of Birmingham, AL, graduated from The Citadel in 1979 and was commissioned into the Marine Corps as an infantry officer. During his distinguished career, General McKenzie commanded at the platoon, company, battalion, Marine Expeditionary Unit, service component, and combatant command levels. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded First Battalion, Sixth Marines. As the commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), he led combat deployments to Afghanistan in 2004 and Iraq from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2007, General McKenzie served as the Military Secretary to the 33rd and 34th Commandants of the Marine Corps.

As a general officer, he served on the Joint Staff as a Deputy Director of Operations within the National Military Command Center. He was also selected by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to be the Director of the Chairman's New Administration Transition Team, where he coordinated the efforts of the Joint Staff and the combatant commands during a wartime transition of administrations. General McKenzie later assumed command of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command, and most recently took command of U.S. Central Command, a position he has held since 2019.

General McKenzie is an honors graduate of the Army Armor Officer Advanced Course, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the School of Advanced Warfighting. In 1999, he was selected as a commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow and served as a senior military fellow within the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.

At a time of great uncertainty in the world, particularly in the Middle East, General McKenzie led U.S. Central Command through multiple momentous events while deterring Iran, defeating ISIS, and securing the region. General McKenzie is an exceptional leader, selfless servant, and American patriot who is committed to our Nation and our interests. With profound admiration and deep respect, we pay tribute for all he has done for the defense of our Nation for more than four decades.

Today, I am honored to recognize General McKenzie's long and decorated career. On behalf of a grateful nation, I commend General McKenzie for his dedicated service to the United States of America. I also wish to recognize the sacrifices and contributions made by General McKenzie's wife, Marilyn, as well as their son, K.R., daughter-in-law, Kristin, and two grandsons, Noah and James. We are a nation truly indebted to all of the servicemembers, veterans, and military families who continue to give so much to defend our American values and liberties. I extend my best wishes to General McKenzie and his family on the occasion of his retirement.

Mr. President, I rise tonight to urge my colleagues to support the Omnibus appropriations bill before us.

The bill represents a massive bipartisan effort that rests upon a framework that preserves all legacy riders, rejects poison pill policy provisions from both sides, and achieves dollar-for-dollar funding parity for defense and nondefense increases.

As political compromise has become more and more difficult here, great credit, I believe, belongs to Chairman Leahy for making the tough choices that needed to be made and showing leadership to reach this agreement tonight.

The senior Senator from Vermont, who also serves this body as the President pro tempore, has accomplished many things in his long and his distinguished career. Each and every one of these accomplishments were made possible by his unparalleled ability to get things done, and this bill needed to get done.

Because the international security situation demands a greater emphasis on and investment in our national defense, this omnibus bill provides $782 billion for the Department of Defense and for other defense functions; $4 billion more than the level authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act; $30 billion more than President Biden's budget request; and nearly $42 billion more than 2021.

The bill also provides an 11-percent increase over fiscal year 2021 for the Department of Homeland Security, including $6.5 billion for much needed investments in border security resources and a 7-percent increase for ICE operations. Critically, the package restores $2 billion in funding for wall construction on the southwest border.

The bill also cuts nearly $65 billion in wasteful nondefense spending proposed in the Biden administration's budget--a nearly 10-percent decrease from the requested level.

Finally, the package also provides critical emergency assistance to our military, to Ukraine, and to our European allies, without reducing base defense spending by a single dollar.

Is an omnibus appropriations bill ideal? I will tell you tonight, the answer is, no, it is not, but at this critical time and this late date, it is necessary.

My hope is that we can pass this bill and use the same framework that made this bill possible as we begin the 2023 appropriations process.

I have no illusions that once again it will not be a difficult process. It will be. I know that our chairman can get it done, and I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Leahy and the Appropriations staff--and with him one last time for both of us.

Before I complete my remarks, I would also like to recognize the incredible--and it is incredible--effort put forward by the staff members of both the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, as well as the staff of the respective leaders' offices. Without them we couldn't be where we are tonight. We asked them to do the impossible, and they delivered as they always do. And on behalf of the entire Senate, I want to thank them very, very much.

Madam President, I have got a minute here, and I hope I won't use it all. Everybody wants to leave, and I understand.

But this has been a lot of work to put this omnibus together. I want to thank

Senator Leahy, his staff, the Republican staff, and everything else.

This is a big improvement for defense. It is a big improvement for homeland security. And I think we have talked about what is in it and what is not, but I think overall it is something we should have done 6 months ago.

I urge my colleagues to support the omnibus.

Thank you, Mr. President. You are being very kind today.

Today, I rise to pay tribute to a longtime, vital member of my staff, Shannon Hines. There aren't many in the Senate who don't know Shannon or know of Shannon. Her sterling reputation precedes her, as it should.

Shannon has been one of the most valuable members of my staff throughout my career. Those who know her are aware of her resounding work ethic, having spent countless late nights right here in the Senate and long weekends at the office. Not only has she been a trusted asset to me, but she has proved to be essential in our work here in the Senate to fund the government and our Nation's defense during my time in leadership on the Appropriations Committee.

Having grown up in North Carolina, Shannon is a proud graduate of Wake Forest University. She began her career on Capitol Hill as a staff assistant to freshman Representative Fred Heineman of North Carolina and then worked as a legislative assistant to Representative Lamar Smith of Texas.

I first met Shannon in 1999 when she applied for a job in the Senate with my staff. She joined my staff after experience in the House as a legislative assistant.

Shannon has served in many important roles on my senior staff, including my legislative director, which is a very important post, as the Presiding Officer knows; as chief of staff, which is an even more important post; senior policy adviser for the Senate Banking Committee when I was chairman of the Banking Committee; staff director of the Senate Rules Committee when I was chairman of the Rules Committee; and staff director of the Senate Appropriations Committee and its Defense Subcommittee.

Notably, she is, as you would know, the first female staff director for the full Senate Appropriations Committee--first female staff director of the Senate Appropriations Committee--something she was humbly unaware of until it was mentioned by a former colleague.

When I first took over as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee a number of years back, Shannon was able to lead the committee in moving the most appropriations bills, with the help of everybody in the Senate, in 22 years in a bipartisan way. By the end of the fiscal year, 75 percent of the government was funded on time and through an open, bipartisan way. The Presiding Officer will remember; he was part of that.

Shannon's 27 years of service on Capitol Hill deserve the utmost recognition and praise, not just by me but I think a lot of us. She has earned my respect and the respect of countless others. I admire her for her valued commitment to her work and unending determination to get the job done.

Although I am sad to see her go, I remain grateful for her diligence, hard work, and guidance over the years. I wish Shannon all the best as she prepares for a new phase in her remarkable career in the private sector.

I can say without question that I would not have been able to accomplish what we have been able to do on the Appropriations Committee without her.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I had hoped to be standing here today making a statement in support of the bill before us. For weeks, Chairman Leahy and I, along with chairs and ranking members of the subcommittees of the Appropriations Committee, worked cooperatively to produce a bipartisan package--a package that includes a continuing resolution to keep the government operating, as well as, two, emergency supplemental funding for disaster relief, and, three, to support those who needed rescuing following the President's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Bipartisan support for anything is a rare commodity around here. Senator Leahy and I know that. But we have experienced bipartisan support with each other in the past, and it works. It is something that should be embraced and, I hope, emulated.

We nearly got our work done, as appropriators so often do, but larger forces intervened. We are not by ourselves here. Leadership on the other side of the aisle intervened to pursue partisanship over comity and sabotage over constructive engagement by, I believe, unnecessarily forcing the debt limit increase into what would otherwise be a bipartisan package.

The Republican leader, Senator McConnell, has been clear. We will not support any effort to increase the debt limit. The road to success was clearly marked; nevertheless, my Democratic colleagues chose to drive this package right into a ditch rather than embrace a bipartisan path forward.

This is not complicated. There is a simple solution. Take up and pass a bill that was negotiated on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, which has support on both sides of the aisle--a bill that, one, keeps the government open, which we all want to do; two, provides much needed disaster assistance to storm-ravaged areas of our country; and three, delivers the aid necessary to address the Afghanistan withdrawal crisis. That is S. 2789, the Shelby-McConnell bill--who is here.

If we don't take that path, I believe my colleagues on the other side of aisle owe the American people some answers here. For example, why did they--the Democrats--why did they choose to undermine a bipartisan effort to provide the American people with desperately needed disaster relief? Yes. And why did they choose to ignore the immediate needs of Afghans who deserve our support? Why are they threatening to shut down the government now that we have an alternative that would avoid that outcome?

This does not have to happen. We know Thursday is the deadline. Instead of accepting victory, my Democratic colleagues, I believe, are embracing defeat and creating a new crisis that we all ought to avoid.

It is a perilous path they are putting the country on, but it still is not too late. Today is Monday. We have a few days left. The majority can reverse course and put us back on track by immediately passing the Shelby-McConnell bill. It will keep the government open and provide much needed emergency funding. This is the bill we should be considering. I urge the majority to do so.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 3293 and ask that it be reported by number. This is an amendment by Shelby, Inhofe, Wicker, and others, dealing with defense infrastructure.

Mr. President, this amendment provides $50.2 billion to meet defense infrastructure needs across this Nation. I believe we need to modernize our shipyards, our test ranges, our depots, ammunition plants, install 5G technology at military bases, support our nuclear defense infrastructure, and so much more.

These infrastructure projects are absolutely critical to our national security. They impact millions of jobs across the country, both military and civilian. We are talking about projects not just in my home State of Alabama but in Arizona, Georgia, Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Maine, California, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, and many more--actually, all of us.

My Democratic colleagues inexplicably blocked a vote on a related amendment in the infrastructure bill that just passed the Senate. Now it is time, I believe, to stand up and be counted for America, for national security.

Will my Democratic colleagues now support this multitrillion-dollar social spending binge while continuing to turn a blind eye to the military infrastructure needs in their own States? I certainly hope not.

This reflected neglect of our national security and the millions of jobs that support it is reckless. It must stop. I urge my colleagues to support our military and vote yes on this amendment.

Mr. President.

Reserving the right to object, I ask that the Senator from Pennsylvania modify his request to include my amendment No. 2535 dealing with defense infrastructure to this bill and that it be agreed to.

Mr. President.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object again, I ask that the Senator modify his request to include my amendment No. 2535 and that it be agreed to.

I object.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Texas modify his request to include my amendment No. 2535 dealing with defense infrastructure in this country and that it be agreed to.

I object.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, I would ask unanimous consent now that the Senator modify his request to include my amendment No. 2535, and I will speak to that briefly.

The underlying bill includes billions of dollars for all manner of infrastructure investments in the United States. However, it fails to address critical infrastructure needs to support our national defense. This amendment that I am bringing forth would rectify that.

I believe that we cannot, in America, continue to spend hand-over- fist on domestic priorities--a lot of them are important--without investing dime one in our national defense infrastructure. This would rectify that, and I would ask that it include my amendment in this.

Mr. President, I will just take a few minutes here. This is very important, that we get this supplemental passed.

I want to first thank my colleague and the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Leahy, for the work he has done here, working together to get where we are today. This has been a lot of work, working together, but it also shows that we can work together in a bipartisan way and put the country first, and this is evidence here.

What does this bill do? It sticks to immediate security needs, the urgently needed funding to safeguard the Capitol, ensure National Guard readiness, and protect our allies in Afghanistan. That is among other things. It is just over $2 billion total, more than half of which is for the Department of Defense. Out of the defense funding, $521 million is to fill National Guard shortfall and about $500 million to evacuate Afghan allies; $600 million for the State Department to fund Afghan special immigration visas; $100 million for our own Capitol Police here, to fund that; and $300 million for security enhancements around the Capitol.

I strongly urge my colleagues to vote yes for this.

Again, I want to thank Senator Schumer and Senator McConnell, our leaders on both sides of the aisle, for helping bring this to where we are today.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 2124 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, this afternoon, I want to discuss my grave concerns with S. 1.

Many have said that this political power grab is a solution in search of a problem. I agree with that. This bill contains, I believe, a number of alarming provisions that would have a devastating impact on our Nation's electoral process. It would make our elections more chaotic and less secure.

This legislation contains more than 800 pages of bad policies that I believe America does not need and does not want. I believe that the strength of our election system is in its diversity, allowing each State to determine what is best for them. S. 1 would force a single, partisan view of elections on more than 10,000 jurisdictions across the country.

For example, State and local election administrators would be forced to change, one, how they register voters and which voting systems they use; how they handle early voting and absentee ballots; and how they maintain voter lists.

It makes election fraud easier to commit and harder to detect by allowing unlimited ballot harvesting, undermining voter ID laws, and making it more difficult to maintain accurate voting lists. A recent university poll found that 80 percent of Americans support requiring a form of identification before a person can vote. Think about it--80 percent.

Remember, now, presently, Americans are required to present a photo ID to do a number of things. We all do it every day: at the airport to board a commercial flight; in a hospital for any outpatient or inpatient procedure; at the pharmacy to purchase over-the-counter sinus medication and certain prescriptions; at the bank to open a bank account; to apply for a mortgage; to drive, buy, or rent a car; to get married; to purchase a gun; to rent a hotel room; to donate blood; to obtain a passport; to pick up packages at the U.S. Post Office. We all do this every day.

This legislation would permanently tip the scales in favor of the Democrats by politicizing the Federal Election Commission, pouring Federal tax dollars into campaigns and chilling free speech. Do Americans really want their taxes going toward a Federal campaign fund that would finance the expenses of all candidates running for Congress?

S. 1 would reverse years of improvements that have been made in many States, improvements that protect the security, integrity, and the credibility of our elections. Each State, I believe, should be left with the freedom and flexibility to administer its own respective elections, without interference from the Federal Government.

S. 1 mandates ballot drop boxes, which increase the risk of fraud by allowing people other than the voter to drop off marked ballots outside of the view of election officials.

As I mentioned before, this bill provides government funding for campaigns: $6 of Federal funding for every $1 from small donors. My gosh, it would be a windfall for a lot of incumbents. This essentially forces Americans to fund candidates they don't agree with and support attack ads against those they do agree with.

It federalizes redistricting, putting in place one set of Federal rules for redrawing congressional districts--something that has traditionally been a role for each State.

Lastly, Mr. President, S. 1 requires States to give felons the right to vote once they are out of prison.

While this is a bad bill all around, I believe these are some of the top worst provisions and the provisions that American people oppose the most: One, gutting State voter ID laws, again; two, spending taxpayer dollars on political campaigns; three, allowing unlimited ballot harvesting; and four, turning the Federal Election Commission into a partisan operation. So just

to name those, among others, are reasons to vote against this bill.

I think the American people do not want this, and they do not deserve to be the recipients of such harmful policy. I do not support this bill, and I trust that a majority of the Senate will not vote accordingly.

Thank you