Floor Statements

I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin) is necessarily absent.

Mr. President, it was not too long ago that the phrase ``infrastructure week'' was little more

than a punchline. Our roads and bridges were crumbling, our water systems were aging, and too many students were struggling to complete their homework assignments because they lacked access to reliable internet.

But 3 years ago, we finally came together on a bipartisan basis to agree that investing in our Nation's infrastructure is not a joke, and we did something about it. Last Friday marked 3 years since President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act--also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law--into law.

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have made historic investments in America. Since its enactment, the Biden-Harris administration has announced $568 billion in funding for more than 66,000 projects across all 50 States, DC, the territories, and Tribes. This funding has helped repair more than 196,000 miles of road, update 11,400 bridges, replace more than 350,000 lead pipes, and create nearly 16 million jobs.

As the son of two railroad workers, an aspect of these achievements that is most exciting to me is the $66 billion invested in rail, which is the largest investment in passenger rail since the inception of Amtrak. For Illinoisans, this is especially important because Chicago is the rail hub of North America, with more trackage radiating in more directions than any other city. And thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, our rail is becoming more efficient and reliable every day.

Senator Duckworth and I have worked to make sure these historic levels of investment in transportation and infrastructure are felt in Illinois. The Biden administration invested $18.9 billion in our State's public infrastructure--$12.2 billion going to transportation. This also includes $1.5 billion for clean water, including $578 million dedicated to lead pipe and service line replacement.

For Illinoisans, this has meant investments through hundreds of grant awards all across the State, investments like CTA's long-awaited red line extension project, which will bring faster, more accessible transit options to our community, create thousands of jobs, and strengthen our economy. It has meant three large grant awards for O'Hare International Airport. This is one of our Nation's largest and busiest airports, and this funding will help it update its terminals and make sure Americans can get from point A to point B safely and on time.

It has meant millions of dollars invested in improving Chicago's Union Station, one of the Nation's busiest rail stations; in finishing the Springfield Rail Improvements Project--a decade-long effort to relocate the rail corridor in our State's capital; adding new zero emissions buses to fleets across the State, including in Rock Island and Rockford; and in completing the Chicago Region Environmental Transportation Efficiency or ``CREATE'' program, which will untangle rail bottlenecks in the Chicago region.

It also has meant investments in improving roadways like Goshen Road down in Edwardsville and replacing outdated railcars in East St. Louis. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is making America's public infrastructure more reliable and cost-efficient.

Now, there is no doubt that these historic investments serve hard- working families, strengthen our economy, and make us more competitive on the world stage. Now, some of you might say, ``Well, that all sounds great, but how did we pay for all of this?''

I am happy to share that this law was paid for, in part, by a bill of mine called the REFUND Act, which requires drug manufacturers to pay a rebate to Medicare for unused and discarded medications. You see, for far too long, Big Pharma packaged expensive drugs in excessive, Costco- sized vials and made taxpayers and seniors foot the bill for leftover medication that was literally thrown in the trash. With this legislation, not only did the profiteering come to an end, we are saving seniors and taxpayers billions of dollars that helped to offset the cost of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

When Americans need to take the bus, cross a bridge, or hop on the train to get to work in the morning, when they need to catch a flight to attend a family gathering, when they need to fill a pot or glass of water or connect to the internet, they expect that our Nation's infrastructure will safely, cheaply, and reliably deliver for them.

In addition to making our infrastructure more dependable, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has already created millions of good- paying, union jobs, boosted domestic manufacturing, and grown our economy from the middle out and the bottom up in every community. In red States and blue States alike, in communities rural and urban, this law is investing in America the way Americans deserve.

Mr. President, it is often said that the greatest thing a leader can do is help nurture, shape, and create the next generation of leaders. Over the course of her life, Barbara Taylor Bowman--a pioneering force in early childhood education--did just that. I am sorry that Barbara passed away on November 4 at the age of 96. I wanted to take this moment to share some details about the remarkable life she led and the tremendous legacy she leaves.

A daughter of Illinois, Barbara was born just before the Great Depression. She was raised on the South Side of Chicago, where her early life was shaped by the positive values of community and education and the unjust realities of segregation and inequity. These formative experiences would later inspire her work and lifelong dedication to educational equity.

Barbara graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1950 and pursued a career as a preschool teacher, going on to earn her master's degree in education from the University of Chicago in 1952. By this point, her passion for bettering the lives of children through education had firmly taken root. Pursuing teaching during President Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty, Barbara was inspired by the creation of Head Start, a program of the Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, and nutrition. Shortly thereafter, in 1966, the Erikson Institute-- originally founded as the Chicago School for Early Childhood Education by Barbara, child psychologist Maria Piers, social worker Lorraine Wallach, and philanthropist Irving B. Harris--was born.

Their vision for the Erikson Institute was simple: create an institution that would equip educators with the skills and knowledge to give all children an equal opportunity to succeed. Each of its founders left their own mark on the organization, but as the longest serving of its founders, Barbara not only shaped the institute's direction, she shaped its legacy. She went on to serve as its president from 1994 to 2001 and maintained a professorship at the institute, where she was the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development. And her impact did not go unnoticed. Today, the institute's Barbara T. Bowman Professor of Child Development position is named in her honor.

But this is far from the only recognition Barbara received. She served as the Chicago Public Schools' chief early education officer, the president of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and was awarded honorary degrees from Bank Street College, Dominican University, Governors State University, Roosevelt University, and Wheelock College. Though impressive, these achievements fall short of capturing the impact Barbara had on Chicago and our Nation's children. She was a force for good, and she helped mold several generations of leaders through her commitment to education and social justice.

But to Barbara, one of her most important roles was that of mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. With her beloved husband James E. Bowman, she raised their daughter Valerie Jarrett. She loved her daughter, her granddaughter Laura, and her great-grandchildren more than anything.

Barbara was a fierce champion for the rights of children, a staunch advocate for the power of education, and a believer in the idea that all children should have the opportunity to discover their potential. In her professional and personal life, Barbara not only shaped a pivotal educational institution, but also the very foundations of the field. She made Illinois and our Nation better.

When graduates of the Erikson Institute cross the stage with their diploma, they are each handed a yellow rose. This tradition began in Barbara's own garden, and it continues to this day as a symbol of her care and commitment to Erikson, its graduates, and our Nation's children. When future graduates receive their yellow rose, I hope they feel Barbara's presence with them and carry her legacy forward.

Loretta and I send my deepest condolences to all of Barbara's family and friends who are mourning her passing but celebrating her amazing life.

Madam President, I hope that many people tuned into the presentation that Senator Stabenow just made. Those of us who serve in the U.S. Senate know that as Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, she not only walks the walk, she talks the talk. She has passed a farm bill; no mean feat. She has shown her own expertise in achieving that goal and her understanding of a very complex piece of legislation.

Would the Senator from Michigan yield for a question?

Could you be kind enough to say for the record when the current farm bill expires?

Would you explain to those who are not familiar with it what happens if we do nothing.

And when you say ``Depression-era programs,'' are you literally talking about the 1930s?

And there are consequences for dairy interests, for example.

So if we fail to come together on a bipartisan basis before the end of the year, that is the reality that will be faced by the new administration?

Well, currently, under the Senate schedule which we have been told, we literally have until a little past the middle of next month to do our business.

Yes, of course. I would add to that we have many worthy judicial nominees on this calendar to consider too. So there is work to be done.

And the key to that, I think, goes back 60 years ago where we married nutrition programs and agriculture programs so that people living in the city of Chicago, for example, who hear over and over ``Illinois is an agricultural State'' but don't have any evidence of it other than what is on the table for their family to eat will have as much interest in passing the bill as my farmers down State. I am sure the same is true in the State of Michigan.

So we all know that the cost of food has gone up, making it more difficult for families to keep food on the table, and we also know that low income people face that. What are the nutrition programs that are part of this farm bill that will help them?

That is not a lot.

I see my colleague from Minnesota is on the floor, and I just want to say that this exchange is the reason why we are going to miss Senator Stabenow of Michigan when it comes to the Agriculture Committee and many other areas. She does her homework. She understands that in the complexity of a big bill, that there are real-life human issues that face us, and there are real people who are waiting for us to get our job done.

Thank you for doing this and doing the committee. I sincerely hope we can get this done before the end of the year and the disastrous consequences that you described.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, I want to thank the Senator from Vermont and remind people that his comments make it clear this is not just a Midwestern issue. It affects the whole Nation, from one side to the other.

As I said, Senator Stabenow has been our leader. I hope we can get a breakthrough in the coming days and weeks.

Madam. President, today, the Senate will vote to confirm Judge Embry Jerome Kidd to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Born in Birmingham, AL, Judge Kidd earned his B.A. with high honors at Emory University in 2005 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2008. After graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger L. Gregory on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Following his clerkship, Judge Kidd worked as an associate attorney at Williams & Connolly LLP in Washington, DC, between 2009 and 2014.

Then, from 2014 to 2019, Judge Kidd served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida. In this role, he investigated and prosecuted individuals in cases involving public corruption, wire and mail fraud, financial crimes, violent crimes, crimes against children, and narcotics importation and distribution.

Since 2019, Judge Kidd has served a U.S. magistrate judge on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Judge Kidd has tried 15 cases to verdict, judgment, or final decision and, since joining the bench, has issued more than 13,700 written decisions.

The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Kidd as ``well qualified.''

Judge Kidd's experience in private practice and public service, coupled with his experience as a magistrate judge, has prepared him to serve with distinction on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

I am proud to support his nomination.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) is necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), and the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen), are necessarily absent.

Mr. THUNE: The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Indiana (Mr. Braun), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Daines), the Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst), the Senator from Tennessee (Mr. Hagerty), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), the Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Rounds), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Rubio), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance).

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema) the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema) the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.

I announce that the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman), the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Manchin), the Senator from Arizona (Ms. Sinema), the Senator from Montana (Mr. Tester), and the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) are necessarily absent.