Roger Marshall

Mr. President, I rise today to ask the Senate body to join me in the stopping of the funding of viral gain-of-function research.

Viral gain-of-function research is what led, of course, to the COVID virus being developed and, of course, the COVID epidemic. I think it is important to pause and stop and think why this is still important--what is it now--5 or 6 years later.

We all know we lost 1 million Americans to this COVID virus. Twenty million Americans still suffer from long COVID. Many, many Americans died alone--maybe at a nursing home, maybe in their own home. But they weren't allowed to have their own children, their spouses come visit them in those last moments of their life.

We had tens of millions of students miss their senior year of high school, their senior year of college. Maybe it was the State track meet. Maybe it was the State softball team they had been working on their whole life.

We have kids that still have learning disabilities or are lagging in their learning--specifically reading--not to mention their social interactions and their social development. This COVID virus left a huge physical, economic, and emotional scar on America.

And that is why I am asking that we stop this viral gain-of-function research. I am so proud that the President, recently, has agreed to stop the funding. I have been calling for the stopping of this since 2021 as well.

And I think it is important to realize how Anthony Fauci evaded the intentions of Congress and the rules from his own White House. Even President Obama asked him to stop doing viral gain-of-function research, but, of course, Anthony Fauci had more attorneys than Carter has pills, and they always found some loophole. Then, when they couldn't do it here, he offshored the funding of this.

Make no mistake about it, the United States was funding viral gain- of-function research for decades. This was Anthony Fauci's baby. He thought that this was his ticket to a Nobel Prize.

You know, whether you are a physician, like myself, or a mom or dad or a businessperson, a military officer, you always had to sit there and weigh the benefits and the risks of something like this.

I mean, what the benefits are, I am not sure of. You know, maybe they said it was so that if some unknown organism appeared, that we would be able to develop a vaccine. But, of course, the downside was always the fear of risk of a virus they made in a laboratory, of it escaping.

And, of course, why wouldn't there be? Multiple times in history, viruses, microorganisms have escaped from laboratories. It is practically impossible to control it. In 1978, a smallpox virus escaped from a lab in the United Kingdom. In 2007, foot-and-mouth virus accidently released from a United Kingdom lab. In 2014, the CDC had an anthrax issue. Again, in 2014, NIH-FDA, there were unsecured smallpox vials seen.

These mice they were doing experiments on and infecting them with these monster viruses, from time to time, escaped.

So it seems like we were set up for failure. And, again, despite scientist after scientist, President after President, warning Anthony Fauci to stop doing this research, he persisted and he persisted and he persisted, until finally COVID-19 was accidentally released from a lab in Wuhan, China. And the rest is history.

And that is why I think it is so important that we stop the funding for this once and for all. Let's codify what the President has done here and make sure--at least until someone can come to this Congress and say: Look, we have a foolproof system for keeping this in control.

But when you are making monster viruses, the worst-case scenario is probably some type of terrorism; that it would be so easy, once these are made, to be replicated and turned into a terrorist weapon--much more of a serious consequential threat to America than nuclear warheads are.

Think about this: This virus alone has exponentially been more lethal than all the years of nuclear weapons.

This bill does one simple thing: It stops Federal tax dollars from funding the kind of research that could turn a virus into a weapon--no more offshoring risks to avoid oversight, no more asking permission from the very Agencies that created the problem.

Mr. President, that is why today, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of S. 738 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, today we honor the life and legacy of Richard Allen ``Rick'' Ball of Great Bend, KS. Rick was a respected businessman, dedicated community leader, and devoted family man whose service left a lasting impact on those around him.

For decades, Rick served the Great Bend community as a trusted certified public accountant and partner at Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball. He helped local businesses and organizations succeed through his sound advice and steady guidance. His leadership earned him recognition as the 2012 Great Bend Citizen of the Year and the 2008 U.S. Small Business Administration Financial Services Champion of the Year.

However, Rick's dedication extended well beyond his professional career. He gave generously of his time through the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, United Way, the Golden Belt Community Foundation, and many other local organizations. He also enjoyed hunting, gardening, and golfing, and he was known for his kindness and willingness to help others.

Though he will be greatly missed, Rick's legacy lives on through his wife Lois, his children and grandchildren, and the many people whose lives he touched. His example will continue to inspire the Great Bend community for years to come.

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Richard Allen ``Rick'' Ball and in offering our prayers and sympathies to his family, friends, and the entire Great Bend community.

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

Mr. President, just 2 years ago, we were a land of open borders, crime was surging across the country, and fraud was rampant. But today, the borders are secure; crime,

murder rates--a 100-year low; and fraudsters are going to jail. That is why today I am rising to support the Protecting American Taxpayers Act.

For years, Washington accepted fraud as the cost of doing business. The government wrote the checks, the fraudsters cashed them, and hard- working Americans were left to foot the bill. Those same hard-working Americans knew intuitively that was driving up their cost of living.

But those days are coming to an end. Under President Trump, we have seen historic momentum to root out waste, fraud, and abuse across the Federal Government. For the first time in a long time, Washington is shining a flashlight on the billions of taxpayer dollars disappearing through fraud, improper payments, and outright criminal activity. Now Congress has the responsibility to finish the job.

The American people are asking a simple question: If Washington knows where the fraud is, why aren't we stopping it? And they are right to ask. Today, an estimated $1.4 billion is stolen from taxpayers every single day. That is money that should be strengthening our military, supporting our veterans, protecting Medicare and Social Security, or reducing the debt we are leaving to our children and our grandchildren. Instead, it is ending up in the hands of organized fraud rings, scam artists, and criminals who have learned exactly where the holes in our Federal Government are.

We are already seeing what happens when the Federal Government makes fraud enforcement a priority. In one of the largest healthcare fraud takedowns in our Nation's history, Federal prosecutors charged hundreds of defendants accused of submitting more than $6 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other taxpayer-funded health programs. And the best part? People are finally going to jail.

Investigators uncovered transnational criminal organizations, fraudulent medical equipment schemes, and providers accused of billing the government for services that were never provided. These weren't bookkeeping mistakes; they were sophisticated efforts to steal billions from the American taxpayer.

The truth is simple: Fraudsters follow the money, and for too long, Washington has rolled out the welcome mat. This legislation finally starts closing that door. The Protecting American Taxpayers Act is projected to save taxpayers $240 billion--that is $240 billion--by preventing fraud before it happens, recovering stolen taxpayer dollars, and ensuring criminals are held accountable. It doesn't just respond to fraud after the fact; it helps stop it before another billion dollars walks out the door.

One piece of this package that I am proud to see included is my WALZ Act--W-A-L-Z, the WALZ Act--named after, you guessed it, a certain Governor who allowed fraud to run rampant in his State. The idea behind it is about as simple as it gets: Don't pay first and ask questions later. Kansas families don't do business that way. Small businesses don't do business that way. If you are remodeling your kitchen, you don't hand the contractor every penny before a single cabinet is installed. If you are hiring someone to fix your roof, you don't write the check before the work is finished. You pay after the job is done.

Yet that is exactly the opposite of how Washington has too often operated. For years, the Federal Government has pushed billions of dollars out the door up front with little accountability and then acted surprised when criminals disappeared with the money.

My WALZ Act simply says: Federal payments should be made as reimbursements after--after--the services have actually been provided. That one simple reform closes one of the biggest loopholes that have allowed billions of taxpayer dollars to be stolen before they ever get the chance to disappear.

But this package doesn't stop there. It claws back unused COVID funds, strengthens Treasury's fraud detection systems, extends the statute of limitations so pandemic fraudsters can't simply run out the clock. It protects our veterans from scammers. It combats emerging AI- generated fraud and gives law enforcement stronger tools to hold criminals accountable. Taken together, these reforms represent one of the strongest anti-fraud packages Congress has considered in years.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle spent years responding to every problem the same way: throwing more money at it. We believe the first question should be: Where is the fraud? Where is the waste? Where is the abuse? And how do we stop it before asking taxpayers for another dime?

This administration has created real momentum for the first time in years. We are not just talking about fraud, we are finding it, prosecuting it, and putting criminals on notice that stealing from the American taxpayer has consequences. People are already being held accountable, and more need to be.

Congress should build on that momentum by giving law enforcement and Federal Agencies the tools they need to keep fraudsters out of our programs and behind bars where they belong.

So let's not waste this opportunity. Let's make these reforms permanent. Let's close the loopholes once and for all. Let's protect the taxpayers who fund the government. Let's send a clear message that the era of easy money for fraudsters is over.

I urge every one of our colleagues to support the Protecting American Taxpayers Act.

I yield the floor.