Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Mr. Eric Atkinson of Topeka, KS.

Growing up on a farm outside of Winfield, KS, Eric would listen to the radio at night as his way to stay connected with current events. Captivated by the transmissions that reached him, he became involved with radio in high school, resulting in a lifelong passion for broadcasting. Eric graduated from Kansas State University with a broadcasting degree and worked several jobs in radio, as well as on the family farm, before the opportunity to host ``Agriculture Today'' arose. He would go on to host the radio program for 39 years, broadcasting over 9,000 shows and interviewing hundreds of agriculture experts and professionals about the issues most relevant to Kansas agriculture.

In the 39 years Eric hosted ``Agriculture Today,'' he made it his goal for the show to serve as a platform for agriculture professionals to share their expertise. He made an effort to ask the most relevant questions and discuss important research topics during his time on air. Throughout his time on the radio, Eric has been credited as an accomplished professional who always worked hard to make sure the issues at hand were easily relatable for farmers across Kansas. His substantial presence in farm truck radios across the State as the host of ``Agriculture Today'' will continue to be on the hearts and minds of farmers and agribusiness officials.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the wonderful impact Mr. Eric Atkinson has had on the agriculture industry and to honor him for his 39 years of service to Kansas farmers.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Mr. Chris Leon of Wichita, KS.

Chris started volunteering for Kansas Honor Flight 8 years ago. Kansas Honor Flight is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to honoring Kansas veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam by sending these heroes on an all-expense-paid journey of honor and remembrance to visit their memorials in Washington, DC. Chris has demonstrated outstanding leadership in his volunteer work with ALLmetal Recycling, and thanks to his efforts crushing aluminum cans, Kansas Honor Flight has been able to send countless veterans on a trip of a lifetime to Washington, DC. Chris is now 31 years old and continues to demonstrate his leadership and support for our veterans through his exemplary volunteer work.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Chris on his visit to Washington DC, and I can't wait to see what he accomplishes

in the future. It is my honor to congratulate him, and I hope he knows how much his efforts have contributed to financing the Kansas Honor Flight Program. His deep love for his country and his desire to give back to those who have sacrificed so much are truly an inspiration to us all. I now ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Chris for his wonderful accomplishments, as well as in wishing him nothing but success in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize the staff of the YMCA in Andover, KS.

On Friday, April 29, 2022, an EF-3 tornado touched down in Sedgewick County, KS, and left a path of destruction nearly 13 miles long behind. The 165-mile-per-hour winds created by the tornado injured four people and damaged well over 300 buildings in Andover. One of the buildings that sustained heavy damage was the Andover YMCA. The damage done by the tornado would certainly have been much more severe if it wasn't for the quick thinking of the YMCA staff.

I would like to honor and thank the staff of the Andover YMCA who helped save those in the building on the evening of the tornado. As the tornado approached, members of the YMCA staff made announcements on the loudspeakers and helped direct individuals to the safest areas of the building, primarily interior locker rooms. As the tornado hit the building, cars were thrown through walls and windows, with many parts of the building being completely destroyed. The staff working at the YMCA that day saved many lives through their quick thinking to move gym-goers to safety.

I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the Andover YMCA staff, as well as in thanking them for all they did to keep their fellow Kansans safe.

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

Madam President, this past Saturday, I got to spend the whole morning with the East Central Kansas Model T Club back home. I even got to take a joy ride in a 1921 Model T. Among many stories, I learned Americans were paying only 21 cents a gallon when this car was made. And it wasn't until 1975, 54 years later, that gas had doubled from that price, jumping from 39 to 53 cents--54 years it took to double.

I don't have to remind anyone that, thanks to our President's energy policies and his reckless spending, he accomplished a doubling in less than 2 years. As we all know, gas is now over $5 a gallon, if you can believe it or not. We are seeing record prices that have gone now 16 days in a row without a single downtick.

And this is why I am here today to ask for unanimous consent to pass the Gas Prices Relief Act, which would bar any Federal agency from finalizing any rule or regulation that would make it harder to produce American fuels.

My legislation would send the right signal to American producers and investors. It would show them that the Congress sees the problem and that we are ready to address it. It would set us on a course to bring down prices at the pump, not with more reckless spending and more regulations, but by getting out of the way of American production and allowing them to power the world without more needlessly restrictive rules.

With this more than doubling of price, many families back home are telling me they are paying $50, up to $100 a week more for gasoline. And that is $2- to $400 a month, in case you are adding it up. And on top of that, their monthly utility bills have doubled.

I am sure this administration will propose more reckless spending to fix that problem, too. Unfortunately, Biden-flation is impacting many Kansas families to the tune of $6- to $700 a month. That is over $7,000 a year.

Now, why the increase, you might ask. Now, I am not an economist, but it looks to me like if you increase the regulations on a process, on a business, that is a surefire way to decrease the

supply. And as we all know, our President and his policies are ramping up regulations at every step of the American oil and gas business, all the while begging for help from other nations. Indeed, he is fulfilling his campaign promises to destroy American oil and gas.

Now, one more thought. As history teaches us, along with reckless spending, energy is always a leading indicator of inflation. If we don't get our arms around this energy crisis and reckless spending, we will never slow down inflation. But it appears our President and his party disagree with this, or else, simply stated, they don't care. Or maybe they want these high prices. It just seems like yesterday I was filling my truck up back home for less than $2 a gallon, and now, again, it is over $5 a gallon across most of the Nation.

Rising energy prices add inflationary pressure to everything. It is like a game of dominoes. When the diesel fuel powering our 18-wheelers are costing truckers 80 percent more than it did last year, they are going to have to pass on that rate to their consumers. When businesses are paying 30 percent more for their gas utilities, they are going to have to raise their prices to make up the difference. And Kansans, already paying more just to get to the store, are continually finding that what money they have left is getting them less and less every week.

You don't fix a supply-and-demand problem of this nature with price controls or artificial subsidies or more reckless spending. In reality, this is not very complicated. You could fix it by decreasing demand or increasing supply. Now, demand, unfortunately, is not decreasing, which is why we need this regulatory holiday in order to set American energy free.

On some level, the administration knows this and, hence, their knee- jerk decision to release a million barrels of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve every day, reportedly without initially coordinating in a meaningful way with our partners overseas. Obviously, 1 million barrels a day won't cut it. In 2021, the United States consumed roughly nearly 20 million barrels a day. This release is truly a drop in the bucket.

The administration knows that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve releases are purely cosmetic, to try to convince the American people that they have solutions while they run off to beg foreign dictators and terrorists to produce more oil. Instead of looking within, instead of creating more Americans jobs, high-paying jobs, producing the cleanest fuel in the world, they continue their full frontal assault on American production and seek to enrich our enemies, like Venezuela and Iran.

But there has been a lot of talk on the left that they are not interfering with oil and gas production in the United States. These claims are simply untrue. On the campaign trail, President Biden promised to end the leasing of oil and gas production on Federal lands, and his climate czar recently said the administration ``remains absolutely committed to not moving forward with additional drilling on public lands.'' Most Presidents brag when they fulfill a campaign promise but apparently not when the results are this bad.

It is hard to imagine that this is not all by design. This administration is getting exactly what they want. In the President's own words, the world is currently going through an ``incredible transition,'' and he thinks we will ``be stronger and the world will be stronger and less reliant on fossil fuels when this is over.''

Well, the obvious question then is this: When--when will it be over? The Department of Energy has estimated that demand for oil and gas will increase through 2050. That is a simple fact. Yet we have a President who is perfectly willing to inflict pain on the people who elected him to force his climate policies--his costly climate policies--and ignore the economic reality that the American people are facing.

Now, why else would he propose a budget that gets rid of key tax provisions for the oil and gas industry? Why else would he promote policies that will make it more difficult and more expensive to drill? Does anyone think these policies are going to help the American people?

Let's talk about the stream of bad policies causing the crippling uncertainty that is making American producers hesitant to increase drilling.

Last November, the EPA started the process of updating methane regulations. While the proposed rule they put forward was criminally devoid of any details, their intent was clear: an increase in costly regulations that will harm the oil and national gas industry, run small businesses out of business, and further increase energy costs.

On February 18, by a completely partisan vote, FERC issued and made immediately effective two new policy statements that would have had disastrous implications for pipeline development in the U.S., pipelines critical to getting that oil to American consumers. Their off-the-deep- end proposal would have potentially put pipeline operators on the hook for mitigating the emissions of the end user of the product they transport. In other words, to get approval to build a pipeline, operators could have been forced to develop and pay for a way to mitigate the emissions caused by Americans driving to work every day or perhaps by Americans heating their homes or cooking their breakfast. Thankfully, in the face of fierce outcry from opponents on both sides of the aisle, they have temporarily pulled these changes back for further consideration. Though, that likely has more to do with the upcoming nomination process--the renomination process--for FERC Chairman Glick than it does with good energy policy.

On March 21, the SEC followed suit and proposed a rule that would require companies to disclose climate emission data, including greenhouse emissions, caused by their suppliers and their customers. This would require companies to calculate and disclose the emissions for how everyday Americans use their products, all in an effort to make doing business with American oil and gas producers seem even more risky and less deserving of financing.

And, finally, an issue that is at the top of mind of many producers in Kansas right now, the Fish and Wildlife Service is poised to list the lesser prairie-chicken as a threatened species. This is despite the incredible work being done by conservationists that have made the lesser prairie-chicken better protected now than ever. If the Fish and Wildlife Service goes through with this classification, it would have serious consequences for oil and gas producers in Kansas and severely limit their ability to increase production, not to mention the impact it will have on our utilities.

Once again, let me state, these reasons and more are why I am here today to ask unanimous consent to pass the Gas Prices Relief Act, which would bar any Federal agency from finalizing any rule regulation that would make it harder to produce American fuels. Our legislation would send the right signal to American producers and investors. It would show them that Congress sees the problem and that we are ready to address it. It would set us on course to bring down prices at the pump by getting out of the way and releasing American production and allowing them to power the world without more needlessly restrictive rules and regulations. Good energy policy will fix the current crisis, not more reckless spending.

Before I yield, I would like to turn the floor over to the Senator from Montana for his thoughts on the record gas prices we are facing and the need to pass our Gas Price Relief Act.

Madam President, I would like to ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of S. 3986 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table.

Reserving the right to object.

Madam President, I think we should start calling electric cars coal-powered cars. We should start thinking about a cradle-to-grave environmental impact to some of the alternatives, but I want to reassure to my colleague, the folks on the other side of the aisle, that I want to leave this world cleaner, healthier, and safer than we found it.

But on the other hand, we can't create such high inflation with reckless

spending and energy policies that stifle American energy. I do believe that there is a balance. I do believe that there are opportunities, but we can't go from zero to 90 miles an hour overnight, nor can we throw the brakes on our current energy supply.

I grew up in the oil patch. I lived in the oil patch. The prices of oil are being driven up by the uncertainty created by this administration. Make no mistake about it, the price of oil is people who are thinking about investing, what will they get 2 years from now? It would take 2 years probably to see any type of return on investment from an oilfield exploration.

But this President and his policies, his regulations continue to create uncertainty and drive the price up for all Americans.

Just the thought of $5-a-gallon gasoline makes my heart shiver. The people I talk to back home, there is no conversation I am going to have without someone bringing up the price of gasoline right now.

And I am so proud that we are taking traditional energies, and we are making them cleaner; that we are using biofuels to help decrease the tailpipe emissions through E15 year round and higher ethanol as well. I am proud of the biodiesel that we are using as well.

I think that there are incredible opportunities out there, but inflation, reckless spending inflation, driving up the price of gasoline very purposefully is what this President has accomplished, and it is hurting people back home.

I yield the floor.

So I object to Senator Whitehouse.

Yes, I specifically object to the motion. My apologies.

Mr. President, I want to talk today about one of the most disturbing human catastrophes in the world. Now, I have recently visited the Ukraine border, and I have done medical mission work around the world from Haiti to Honduras to Africa. I have seen malnutrition and starvation. I have seen trauma. I have seen the consequences of the lack of potable water and sewage.

I describe this so when I say our southern border--yes, our own southern border--is a humanitarian crisis, you know I am not speaking in ignorance or hyperbole. And this crisis, this humanitarian nightmare, has been created by our own President's policies.

You see, when he was elected, he sent a loud invitation to the whole world; and more recently, when he said he was ending title 42, it was like turning on a stronger magnet. It was like sending a flare, a signal. It was like a giant Times Square billboard telling all the world: Come now, come to the United States. Amnesty is waiting for everyone.

As for the cartels--the people traveling, they paid no mind to the court ruling. Instead, they kept coming. And as we speak, the largest caravan to date is on its way, with more than 15,000 people--bigger than my hometown of Great Bend.

This invitation, this magnet has made an already treacherous, inhumane situation worse. Our President is, indeed, inviting people to their own peril, to their own harrowing, life-threatening journey.

Let me share with you what I saw just 16 days ago on my fourth visit to the border.

Upon our arrival and a short drive to the river, we found the Border Patrol and our National Guard hard at work with some 30 migrants in line waiting to be processed. They had turned themselves in. And within moments, within minutes, that line was over 100 people. And at the front of the line were two beautiful young sisters, ages 7 and 9. They were unaccompanied--no parents and no families. I can only imagine what it would have been like traveling over 1,000 miles from Central America to the Rio Grande River without your parents or without a family member. I can only imagine what might have happened to them on that trek.

From the river, we traveled to a detention center where the migrants were held for 2 to 3 days.

I have to again compliment our Border Patrol; they are doing an incredible job in a humanitarian crisis by providing showers, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and meals. The challenge is 80 percent of our Border Patrol officers are having to function like they are like running a restaurant, like running a hotel, functioning as social workers while our borders are left unguarded.

And the get-aways--we haven't talked about the get-aways. Let me tell you the story of one young lady I met. Let's say she was probably 17 years of age from Central America. She or her family paid the cartel some $3,000 to get from Central America through Mexico across the river and into the United States. Now, I don't know if she was raped or violated, but this certainly is a very common situation--all too common during this trek. We do know that some people in her group were asked to smuggle drugs across the border as part of their thoroughfare.

Now, after crossing this treacherous river, she was abandoned by her coyote. She was already dehydrated, had dysentery. She was malnourished. She hadn't slept for days. And she was no doubt frightened. Eventually she found refuge at a cartel stash house on the Texas side of the border. Yes, now the cartel has cartel members living in America along the river and, as I later found out, all across America.

Next the cartel arranged--of course, for a price--for her to be smuggled via car from a border city to a checkpoint some 60 miles away. Now these journeys, too, are treacherous, as migrants are often placed in containers, in the backs of trucks, or in the trunks of cars. And when they are chased by sheriffs, the drivers recklessly place their own human cargo in peril.

But this person wasn't done yet. About 5 miles short of the checkpoint, the human smugglers let her out of the car. Then she had to walk around the checkpoint--probably a journey of 15 to 20 miles-- through the Texas heat, scrub brush, and rattlesnakes. In fact, many days now Texas Rangers find dead, decayed bodies of migrant workers or migrant folks who had not made the trek successfully.

So this journey around the checkpoint would take 3 to 4 days. She was

given 2 days' worth of water--a milk jug full of water.

A couple miles beyond the checkpoint, a new human smuggler, hired and coordinated by the cartel to pick her up, awaits. This is where I met our young lady. We watched as she and four others packed into a small car, and a fifth hopped in the trunk. After a short, high-speed chase, the car finally pulled over and the riders fled on foot. Now, most were apprehended very shortly, including the young lady in this photo.

This is when I met the woman in the story for the first time. Again, she hadn't had water for 2 days. Her left knee was swollen and painful. She had multiple cuts that were infected, multiple bruises, and she was semicomatose, fading in and out. She had certainly heat exhaustion and was bordering on a heatstroke. Now, we were fortunate. With some minor first aid, giving her hydration, cooling her down, she is going to make it and she is going to be fine. But for many making this treacherous journey across the southern border, this story ends much more differently and much more tragically.

I am asking--I am begging our President to turn off the magnet, to turn off the billboards that advertise for these people to risk their lives, to stop inviting them to their peril and perhaps their death.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object.

This nominee received a tie vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, meaning that he failed to be reported favorably to the floor. This tie vote indicates that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republicans have significant concerns with this nominee; therefore, he should be discharged per the process laid out in the Senate power-sharing agreement for this Congress, not passed by unanimous consent. Therefore, I object.

Mr. President.

Reserving the right to object, USAID awarded a $200 million grant for a 10-year viral emergence early warning project known as PREDICT.

We have uncovered evidence of possible embezzlement, possible money laundering, and insider threats, as well as other concerns related to the PREDICT and other USAID grant awards.

PREDICT was led by a consortium spearheaded by UC Davis and EcoHealth Alliance, which funneled taxpayer dollars to the Wuhan Institute of Virology to conduct risky research on potential pandemic pathogens, including bat coronavirus research.

USAID and NIH both awarded multimillion dollar grants to EcoHealth Alliance during the same 5-year period leading up to and immediately preceding the COVID-19 outbreak.

EcoHealth is unable to produce to NIH proof of its research, such as lab notebooks and virus samples, so we are simply asking USAID for proof of the EcoHealth research they funded. We requested records from USAID that grant recipients are legally required to maintain. Our requests are, indeed, fact-based.

At this point, we believe either the USAID staff is withholding the records from Congress or they have failed to access them through the UC Davis and EcoHealth Alliance. Either option is unacceptable. As such, I object to the unanimous consent motion but look forward to working with the chairman to address these issues.

Mr. President.

Unfortunately, the documents were not what we asked for. They are incomplete. They don't give us what we are looking for. But we would welcome the opportunity to sit down with the chairman and try to address--

Not that I am aware of.

Mr. President, late last Monday, an unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court document opinion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health was published.

In reaction, SCOTUSblog, a leading Supreme Court blog stated:

This leak is the gravest, most unforgivable sin.

Chief Justice Roberts called the leak ``absolutely appalling.'' Yet the White House is mute on this point.

And folks back home in Kansas? Well, they are aghast as well. They all agree--at least every Kansan I have talked to--this leak is a blow to the integrity of the Court and a blow to our faith in this hallowed institution.

In the days since the leak, we have also seen Democrats and their activists utilize another frequent strategy they deploy when things don't go their way: violence and disruption.

We have all seen the disgusting multitude of images of pro-life offices being vandalized and bombed, and we all bear witness of Catholic masses disrupted on Mother's Day--on Mother's Day, of all days. Is nothing sacred in

this country anymore? We have seen the threatening violence at the personal homes of Supreme Court Justices. Yet, for days, the White House was quiet. And just like the riots of the summer of 2020 and the looting that continues today, the White House turns a deaf ear to violence, and they swallow their tongue when the violence supports their own agenda.

Listen, these threatening so-called protests at the Justices' homes are a violation of the law of this land. They are not valid protests. These are attempts to intimidate and influence the Court to destroy the independence of this judiciary.

This violence is wrong. It is evil. It is an attack on Christianity. It is an attack on the faith and values that this Nation were founded upon. Americans know it. We all feel the hatred.

I have to note, Americans understand the majority leader has provided no such condemnation but, rather, has decided to once again bring back his ``Abortion on Demand Act'' to the Senate floor. This bill is the most egregious, the most horrific attack on the lives of unborn children and the health of moms in American history. If Democrats had their way, these babies--these twin babies I delivered more than a decade ago--could have been aborted the moment prior to the C-section.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade simply returns this emotional issue back to the States, to the elected voices of the people--no more, no less.

The Mississippi Dobbs case simply protects life after 15 weeks, when a baby can feel pain, when a baby can recognize its mom's voice, when a baby can recognize the voice of its sibling. But let me tell you exactly what the Democrats' extreme ``Abortion on Demand Act'' would do. It goes far beyond Roe v. Wade.

This bill invalidates any and all State laws that protect not just the unborn child but the health and well-being of the mom as well.

It likely leads to American taxpayer dollars funding abortions at home and around the world.

Next, it is truly an attack on our faith. This bill will tie up faith-based hospitals in courts for not offering abortion services.

This bill allows sex-based abortions.

It eliminates the requirement for informed consent of the patient or parental consent.

This bill eliminates conscience protections. As an obstetrician myself, this hits near and dear to my heart. This bill is an attack on my faith and an attack on the faith of many doctors and nurses who refuse to take part in abortions. They would be forced out of their professions. They would be forced out of medical schools, out of residency programs. So many aspiring students would decide not to go into medicine.

This bill is a total disregard to the mother's health by placing no value on the mom's life and well-being. This radical bill eliminates the health standards of a surgery center for this procedure to be performed in a surgery center. In fact, this bill would allow these services to be offered in a garage or a back-room apartment.

Shockingly, it provides the right to provide abortions to any healthcare provider--not necessarily a physician but to certified nurse-midwives, nurse practitioners, a physician assistant. This bill will lead to the death and infertility of many, many women. This procedure is not a simple procedure. It should not be placed in the hands of inexperienced people. This type of procedure is only done after 4 years of undergraduate, 4 years of medical school, and probably 2 or 3 years of residency. In the most skilled of hands, this type of procedure can lead to serious loss of life.

Finally and more specifically, this bill strikes down State laws that restrict telehealth abortions. These are chemical abortions, and they would become a common means of birth control--again, leading to many, many more visits to the emergency rooms for these women who are taking medicines unsupervised.

Finally, I have to correct something one of my friends across the aisle said. He stated that we from the pro-life community would not treat women with ectopic pregnancies. Nothing is further from the truth. This case of Roe v. Wade has nothing to do with treating ectopic pregnancies. I personally have treated hundreds of women with ectopic pregnancies. I believe that life begins at conception, but treating an ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening situation for the mom. And the Catholic Church supports the treatment of ectopic pregnancies. But that is the type of scare tactic my colleagues across the aisle want to use.

Finally, let me just conclude with this: I never imagined I would be fighting harder to save the lives of moms and babies on the floor of the Senate than I did in the emergency room or the delivery room in my obstetrics practice for some 30 years.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Dr. Josh Davis, of Wichita, KS.

Dr. Davis is an emergency room physician at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. Like many of us, Josh was deeply disturbed by the widespread human suffering caused by Russia's bloody invasion of Ukraine. What makes him different than most, however, was his resolve to be a part of the solution. After seeing the images of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their homes, Josh knew he needed to help. On April 14, he boarded a plane to war-torn Ukraine, not knowing where he would be going or what he would be doing. All he knew was that he was going to help those in need.

While in Ukraine, Josh helped transport medical supplies and patients, while also providing refugee children with much needed medical treatment. He also brought two suitcases full of gauze, bandages, rubber gloves, and other much-needed medical supplies with him. While in Ukraine, he saw firsthand the destruction and suffering that war brings. The biggest lesson learned for Josh was that this widespread suffering cannot be stopped by the actions of a few, but that change will only come from the actions of many. He has already begun to make plans to return to Ukraine in order to provide further medical support and relief.

I would like to thank Josh for all that he has done. He has been an exemplary representative for the great State of Kansas, and the United States of America. His service to others makes us all proud. I now ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Josh Davis for his selflessness and service to those in need, as well as in wishing him the best of luck in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Ryan Pfeifer of Topeka, KS.

Ryan was presented with a $25,000 Milken Educator Award at a recent Washburn Rural High School assembly. This award has an outstanding reputation in the teaching world. To some, it is known as the ``Oscars of Teaching.'' This award celebrates teachers' work with students and shines a light on their future work as educators. In addition to the financial award, he was given mentorship and support, along with an all-expenses-paid trip to a forum where other recipients come together.

The Milken Educator Award looks to honor unrecognized teachers. It has teams of administrators and State education departments vetting out finalists for the award. Teachers are unaware they are nominated, so when Pfeifer was called down to the gym floor to receive the award, he was thrilled. Ryan has a way with his students. Students describe him as relatable and dedicated, which is a great reputation to hold. He even gave up his regular planning and advising period to provide additional support for students. I truly believe that he deserved this award. He has helped so many students live up to their potential. A previous award winner, Brad Nicks, said ``He's always stood out as one of those exceptional educators, somebody that builds really important relationships with students.'' I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the wonderful impact Mr. Pfeifer has had on his students and to honor him for this great accomplishment.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize the 100th anniversary of the El Dorado Band.

The purpose of the El Dorado Municipal Band is to provide musical entertainment in the summer for the city of El Dorado and to provide the opportunity for musicians from high school age and above to perform. The band began as the El Dorado Boys Band in the early 1920s, and is one of the oldest municipal bands in Kansas. The band's first public home was a traditional round band shell at Gordy Park in the

heart of El Dorado. Its current home is a permanent band shell at Forest Park, located at Ninth and Taylor. This outdoor brick and concrete performance space was constructed in 1939 through the Works Progress Administration, WPA.

The El Dorado Municipal Band celebrates 100 years of continuous performances with the 2022 summer concert season. Despite wars, natural disasters, pandemics, and other obstacles, the band continues to bring the young and old together, both on stage and in the audience. The band partners with veterans' organizations to celebrate Flag Day. It also holds old-fashioned ice cream socials and bake sales that help fund music scholarships to deserving youth at Butler Community College. The 2022 performance season will kick off with a director's concert, bringing back all of the surviving directors that have stood before the Municipal Band. It will also feature the world public premiere of ``El Dorado Fanfare,'' a music composition by Ed Huckeby commissioned to celebrate 100 years of music. In addition to local performances each Thursday, the Municipal Band has been invited to perform for the Kansas Bandmaster's Association as a featured ensemble.

I am honored to be from El Dorado and associated with this great band. I remember hearing the band play and have always enjoyed the time shared with my family listening to their music. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this wonderful municipal band and congratulate them in celebrating 100 years of music.

Mr. President, I rise today during national small business week to honor and recognize Dan and Jan Smoots of Emporia, KS. The Smoots were recently announced as the Small Business Administration's Small Business Persons of the Year for Kansas, and once you hear why, it is clear to see they are more than deserving of the award.

The Smoots' business, Fanestil Meats, was recognized in part for surviving multiple flood disasters on the Cottonwood River. Their facility's foundation is just south of Emporia in the flood plain, making it susceptible to flooding any given year. Yet, through the hurdles, the Smoots persevered to keep their business running. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic brought on a whole new set of challenges for the Smoots, but once again, they trekked along. With 100 employees to take care of, along with unprecedented supply chain disruptions, they had to be resourceful through this new challenge. Thankfully, Fanestil Meats was able to secure a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program, which the Smoots say was instrumental in keeping the business afloat throughout the pandemic.

Moving forward, Fanestil Meats is now constructing a new 40,000- square-foot meat-processing facility that will replace the original plant and help expand the worldwide reach of their beloved product, the Party Time Ham. The new facility is located adjacent to the cold storage warehouse, retail store, and administrative offices that were constructed in 2015 in Emporia, KS.

This award is truly an honor that everyone at Fanestil should be proud of. The Smoots have worked long and hard to expand and improve this business since they took over in 1997, which is no small task. Yet, thanks in part to the Smoots' ownership, Fanestil continues to rise to the occasion and prosper, even when faced with adversity. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dan and Jan Smoots for their dedication to their business and for representing Kansas greatly.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Christian Braun of Burlington, KS.

Christian was one of the outstanding University of Kansas--KU-- players who helped lead the team to their National Championship game victory. He is a fan favorite who was nominated for Academic All- American and an American All-Big 12 First Team honoree in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Braun's former coach Ed Fritz said that what makes him stand out is his honesty. He is not afraid to be quick to praise or hold teammates accountable. I think this quality is what helped KU get to the National Championship and is a great reflection of Kansas values as a whole. His performance in the championship was nothing short of spectacular. He showed great leadership and dedication in getting the team to this win.

I want to congratulate and thank Mr. Braun for all the hours he put into practicing and helping form this outstanding team. It takes great dedication and determination to get where he is. The hours spent practicing and perfecting his game helped KU get to this National Championship. This victory will not be forgotten by Kansans--or at the very least in Overland Park where Christian has his own day now after winning this championship. Thank you for all you have done to represent the great State of Kansas. We all thoroughly enjoyed watching Christian play and can't wait to see what he does next. It is my honor to congratulate him, and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this wonderful win and wish him nothing but the best in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Zach Clemence, one of the outstanding University of Kansas--KU--players who helped lead the team to their National Championship game victory. Zach, who plays forward for the team, was a highly touted prospect for the Jayhawks coming out of Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, KS. This is Zach's first year with the Jayhawks, and he ends the season as a National Champion.

I want to congratulate and thank Mr. Clemence for all the hours he put into practicing and helping form this outstanding team. It takes great dedication and determination to get to where he is. No doubt, his effort and energy during games or in practice played a major factor in the KU winning the National Championship. This victory will not be forgotten by Kansans and will go down in history. We thank Zach for all he has done to represent the great State of Kansas. We all thoroughly enjoyed watching KU play this season and certainly can't wait to see what Zach accomplishes in the future. It is my honor to congratulate Zach, and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this wonderful victory and in wishing Zach nothing but the best in the future.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor and recognize Chris Teahan of Leawood, KS.

Chris was one of the outstanding University of Kansas--KU--players who helped lead the team to KU's fourth NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. He is a fan favorite who committed to the Jayhawks as a guard as a walk-on for the team and has made an impact on the program ever since, even earning a spot on the All-Academic Big 12 Second team last year. He currently holds a sports management degree and plans to pursue a graduate degree as he leaves KU basketball as a super-senior and a national champion.

Chris attributes a lot of his success to his mom for pushing him to be the best. He said he looks back on the time they spent together in the gym as special, even if it came in moments he didn't want to be there. She knew he had it in him; he just needed to see it, too. I want to congratulate and thank Mr. Teahan for all the hours he put into practicing and helping form this outstanding team. This victory will not be forgotten by Kansans. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this wonderful success and wish him nothing but the best in the following years.

Mr. President, I rise today to memorialize and honor one of my great friends and mentor, our former Kansas State University President Dr. Jon Wefald who passed away on April 16 after a long and illustrious life serving higher education and the State of Kansas. His work at K-State brought the university to great heights, and his realized dreams will live on forever in K-State lore.

My wife and I first met Dr. Wefald at a student recruitment dinner in Great Bend we were cohosting, where his energy was contagious and palpable. He was a young university president with a vision and a purpose we all wanted to be part of. He made every student in the room know they were each important, and K-State would help them realize their dreams. We remained friends up until the time of his passing with regular communications and advice. I will miss him.

Dr. Wefald served as K-State's 12th president from 1986 to 2009 and is credited with growing the university into a top 10 land-grant university. During his 23 years of leadership, the university added 2.2 million square feet of new buildings. He also helped philanthropy increase from $6 million a year to nearly $100 million annually.

Under his leadership, K-State quickly became one of the Nation's distinguished research and doctoral universities. Enrollment increased from 16,000 students to more than 23,000 under his tenure, and with the growth in students came a monumental growth in research funding from $18 million annually to nearly $134 million. Both of these increases have led to astounding innovations from all parts of the university. Last, but not least of his achievements, Dr. Wefald was also in charge of hiring the iconic football coach Bill Snyder, which led to the greatest turnaround in NCAA sports history.

We all mourn the loss of this beloved K-State president who shaped countless students' and faculty members' lives. His leadership, passion, and dedication to K-State and the great State of Kansas will never be forgotten. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and K-State family. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the wonderful career and life of Mr. Jon Wefald. A true inspiration to the State of Kansas, fighting ever fighting for a wildcat victory.