Floor Statements

Mr. President, this amendment is called the Protecting IP Act. It is a bipartisan amendment that will help increase enforcement of the United States and China phase one trade deal.

This deal put in place important protections for America's intellectual property, the research inventions, copyrights, and more.

China has been a notorious and serial abuser of American intellectual property for decades, and that is why the phase one deal put in place a number of important safeguards. Unfortunately, China has not lived up to their end of the deal. It is critical that we hold China accountable for its commitments.

As we debate increasing investment in advanced research, we cannot look the other way and allow China to continue to steal American intellectual property. That is why I introduced this bipartisan Protecting IP amendment with Senator Cortez Masto, to ensure the President and the USTR uses all available tools to enforce the phase one agreement.

We are in a race against China and must remain globally competitive. That is why I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense and bipartisan agreement.

Madam President, today I have the honor of recognizing the life of a great man, William ``Billy'' Jordan Jarrell. Billy passed away on May 11, 2021, after suffering from juvenile diabetes since he was 12.

Billy was part of a large, loving family. He was a beloved brother, son, cousin, and uncle. Growing up, Billy could often be found on the baseball field, where he excelled and was even inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in a section dedicated to Little League. He was also an avid Alabama football fan. Former teammates, classmates, and coworkers all miss him greatly.

I am thankful for the passion that Billy showed for public service and grateful for the time that he dedicated to advocating for a range of issues including energy and Native American issues.

It is my honor to pay tribute to Billy, who was loved by many. I pray that his friends and family find peace in this hard time.

Mr. President. Today I have the distinct honor of recognizing A. Ed Maierle of Cascade County as Montanan of the Month for his service to our country during World War II. Ed is also celebrating his 100th birthday on June 6, 2021, which is the 77th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in France.

Ed enlisted in the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor was bombed. He was sent to Hawaii and became an ``Avenger,'' a member of a torpedo bomber squadron stationed at Pearl Harbor. Ed also manned a 50-caliber machine gun on a PBY, a WWII seaplane. He later was stationed for 2 years as propeller specialist with a B-24 squadron on Esperitu Santo New Heberde Island. As part of this squadron, he flew daily missions, scouting for the dreaded A6M Zero Japanese fighter planes.

After the war, Ed was stationed for 1 year at Whidbey Island, WA, before returning to Montana. For two summers, Ed and his wife, Mary Alice, became the first couple in the United States to man a U.S. Forest Service fire watch lookout tower. Following this adventure, Ed embarked on a very successful career in the insurance business. He and Mary Alice were very active in community service. They both shared a strong faith in the Lord and were recognized for their 24 years of service in the Helena area nursing home ministry.

Ed epitomizes the heart of a veteran--a Montana hero--whose selfless service must not be forgotten. On behalf of a grateful nation, I want to thank Ed for his service to our country, and I wish you a very happy birthday celebration with your family.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing Rod Ostermiller of Yellowstone County for nearly 30 years of service in law enforcement in Montana.

Rod first entered law enforcement in 1991 at the age of 21 and moved up the ranks swiftly. In 2004, he became Chief Deputy Marshal and later served as acting U.S. Marshal when his predecessor retired.

In 2018, I had the distinct honor of nominating Rod to become the U.S. Marshal for Montana, which received unanimous approval in the U.S. Senate. He was then officially appointed by President Trump.

Rod is a Montana native from the south side of Billings. He later attended Montana State University to earn his bachelor's degree in criminal justice.

Since his retirement from law enforcement, Rod went on to become the executive director of the Mental Health Center in Billings, where he continues to help combat the meth crisis we have in Montana in a different capacity. He exemplifies what it means to make one's community better.

It is my honor to recognize Rod for his decades of service to Montana's law enforcement and for his continued efforts to make Montana a safer and better place for all.

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

Mr. President, it wasn't enough for Democrats like Stacey Abrams and President Biden to lie about the new Georgia voting law. Now, today, Chuck Schumer is sending his lawyers to swarm Montana courtrooms and has taken to the Senate floor with more distortion.

This time, it is about Montana's new voting laws.

I have a message for Leader Schumer and the Democrats who are trying to distort the facts and the will of Montana voters: Please get your facts straight. In Montana we are putting in place some commonsense reforms that enjoy the strong support of Montanans. Why is the leader so determined to strike down commonsense efforts to provide integrity and transparency to our elections?

Let's talk about voter ID. A majority of Americans support needing a photo ID to cast a ballot. According to the Honest Elections Project, 77 percent of Americans support needing a photo ID

to vote--77 percent. Why? Because it is common sense and because you need a photo ID to do many tasks, some quite mundane. You need a photo ID to get a hunting or fishing license. You need a photo ID to rent a hotel room, to drive a car, to rent a car, to get on an airplane, to pick up tickets at will call. If these simple tasks require a valid ID, shouldn't protecting the integrity of America's election process require at least the same?

This isn't the first time Leader Schumer and the Democrats have tried to stick their nose into Montana's business and tried to overturn the will of Montana voters. In fact, this past election, dark money groups backed by Chuck Schumer pushed to loosen election standards, such as ballot harvesting, in Montana, and they won. This is despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of Montana voters passed a law to prohibit ballot harvesting.

How is this listening to Montanans? It is not.

Montanans want election integrity. They want to trust their elections. Yet Leader Schumer continues to undermine their direct appeal to put commonsense practices in place.

In Montana we want everyone legally allowed to vote to be able to, and we want there to be zero doubt that those votes should count. All Montanans--Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Libertarians--should have faith in our elections.

Montana's legislature, Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, and Montana Governor Greg Gianforte wanted to strengthen this trust, and that is what they did with these commonsense bills.

The distortion by Democrats in this country is eroding this trust. This must stop.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing Anne Stordahl of Pondera County for her commitment to supporting Montana small businesses.

Anne has been a small business owner in Conrad, Montana for 15 years. When the local candy shop closed in her community, Anne decided to help boost community morale by taking on a new project and business. She opened the 2B Sweet Candy shop right next to her hair salon, giving her customers a chance to grab some candy while waiting for their next haircut.

Anne enlisted the help of her three children to open a new candy store that could bring some joy back to their community, especially in a time of uncertainty when many small businesses were closing their doors. Her son handled the behind the scenes work of taking inventory and balancing the books while her daughters handled a variety of tasks like designing candy bouquets and serving customers.

Anne grew up on a farm and was able to use this experience to teach her children what a strong Montana work ethic looks like and the importance of family operations to our communities. At the beginning, she hoped the store would bring her family closer, and looking back, she would say this was a sweet success.

It is my honor to recognize Anne and her children for taking the initiative to successfully launch the 2B Sweet Candy Shop. It is now a proud part of the Conrad community.

Mr. President, this week, I have the honor of recognizing Celea Poitra and Gahge Whitemanrunshim of Big Horn County for courageously stepping up to help others in the face of danger. They exhibit strong Montana values, and their dedication to helping others is admirable.

Celea and Gahge were in their grandmother's pickup truck heading to a dental appointment on Saturday, February 27, 2021, when they witnessed devastating 30-vehicle pileup on the Yellowstone River Bridge outside Billings, MT. Dozens of vehicles crashed into each other on the icy interstate highway bridge. After their truck came to a stop, Celea and Gahge saw a vehicle with a mother and two kids hanging partially off the guardrail of the bridge. Celea and Gahge did not hesitate to step in and help. However, the impact from other vehicles hitting the pile- up knocked both of them off of the bridge, and they fell to the ground about 60 feet below.

They sustained serious injuries when they fell and are recovering in Billings' hospital. Celea was treated for a broken back, lacerated kidney, and other injuries. She was in an intensive care unit and is expected to need multiple surgeries. Gahge suffered a fractured neck, punctured lung, and other injuries. Their grandmother and guardian, Joan, stated that it is very much in her children's nature to go out of their way to help someone.

It is my distinct honor to recognize Celea and Gahge for demonstrating such bravery to help others in need and I pray for their swift recovery. Their selflessness serves as an inspiration to all Montanans.

Madam President, I rise to share my objections to the nomination of Xavier Becerra to be Secretary of Health and Human Services.

With $1.3 trillion of spending in Health and Human Services, that Department has the largest budget of the entire executive branch. In fact, if we were to compare the budget--the budget of HHS to other nation's GDPs--HHS, in fact, would rank among the top 10 in the world. The size of this Department is significant, and the responsibility is even greater.

Whoever oversees this Department has a big impact on our country, our economy, and the lives of all Americans, including those of the unborn. This is exactly why I am deeply concerned with President Biden's pick of Attorney General Xavier Becerra to lead HHS. Mr. Becerra has spent his career propagating far-left ideology and supporting divisive policies that don't resonate with the majority of Americans.

The Secretary of HHS has massive authority to steer the future of healthcare in our country, and someone who has made a career out of defending the abortion industry and promoting other liberal policies, like free healthcare for illegal immigrants, should not be at the helm of this Department.

I am concerned that Attorney General Becerra will use the power of this Agency to overstep and impose his radical liberal agenda on millions of Americans. This administration decidedly, intentionally, chose a nominee who has repeatedly attacked the religious freedoms of so many Americans, a nominee who has aggressively pushed a very pro- abortion agenda, a nominee who supports a complete takeover by the government of our healthcare, a nominee who advocates for illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded healthcare.

How do these qualities make Attorney General Becerra the right person to head Health and Human Services? It just doesn't make sense to so many in our country. It is just another sign that this, unfortunately, is a far-left administration that is outside the mainstream.

Especially now, during a pandemic, it is critical that all Americans can trust whoever holds this position. It is critical that the leader of this massive Department will operate as a good steward of Federal health programs and not use his post to impose a government takeover of healthcare and to eradicate job-based coverage for millions of Americans.

Xavier Becerra is, unfortunately, not that person. He has built his career defending some of the very most extreme stances in our society, and we can expect that he will only take things further at HHS.

When it comes to abortion, Attorney General Becerra doesn't believe there should be any restrictions--not one. In fact, I had the chance to ask Mr. Becerra some questions a couple of weeks ago at a hearing. I asked if he would support a ban on the lethal discrimination of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, or, perhaps, what about banning sex- selective abortions, or, at least, a ban on partial birth abortions. His refusal to answer spoke volumes. His inability to name even one restriction that he might think about putting on abortion is chilling.

Mr. Becerra's views on abortion even go a step further. He has repeatedly bullied and harassed Americans who respect the sanctity of life, like the Little Sisters of the Poor. This order of nuns has dedicated their lives to serving the less fortunate, and under their Catholic faith, they do not believe in providing abortions or contraceptives.

Attorney General Becerra litigated against these nuns in court and attempted to revoke an exemption that protects religious groups from providing contraceptives, and that goes against their religious beliefs. He has literally sued to impose crippling fines on Catholic nuns for remaining true to their religious believes--crippling fines on nuns--a horrendous attack on Americans' constitutional right to religious freedom.

He has stated that crossing the border illegally should be decriminalized. Let me say that again. He has stated that crossing the border illegally should be decriminalized. No wonder we are seeing a crisis on our southern border. He has repeatedly pushed for illegal immigrants to receive health benefits on the taxpayers' dime.

As we are seeing Biden's border crisis play out, it is even more alarming that one of his nominees would seek to incentivize illegal border crossings even more. I guess you could say this is all part of Biden's ``America Last'' agenda, but as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra would have the massive ability to impose a pro-abortion, anti-religious freedom, socialist healthcare agenda. His nomination highlights just how extreme--sadly, how extreme--the Biden administration really is. These views fail to represent the majority of Americans and have no place at the head of the largest Department of our executive branch.

I urge my colleagues to consider the impact that Mr. Becerra would have as the head of Health and Human Services and to vote against his confirmation. Rather, we must stand up for life, for religious freedom, an ``America First'' agenda and against Mr. Becerra's nomination.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, Montana has a rich outdoor heritage. It is something we are known for not just across the country but even around the world and something, as Montanans, we are very proud of.

In fact, for generations, Montana families have enjoyed hunting, fishing, recreating on public lands. I myself am an avid outdoorsman. In fact, some of my fondest memories growing up in Montana are spending time with my

family, my dad, my mom, my grandpa hunting, fishing, backpacking in our State. And, thankfully, I have had a chance to pass it on to our own four children--something we still enjoy doing today, my wife and I, as we are now empty nesters.

Recreation on public lands is part of our Montana way of life. It is how we raise our families in Montana. And just as we cherish our access to our public lands, we also value the conservation of our lands, as well as the stewardship of our vast natural resources.

Energy development flourishes in Montana. It provides over 16,000 hard-working men and women with good-paying jobs to support their families, while funding conservation and protecting our landscapes and wildlife. Montana is still a State where hard-working moms and dads who work hard during the week are thankful for many jobs provided by the natural resources in our State. They work hard during the week, but on the weekends, they go down to Walmart, Bob Ward's Sports' warehouse, and Ace Sporting Goods store and buy an elk tag over the counter, a fishing license, and get into our public lands within 30 minutes of buying that license. That is uniquely part of our Montana experience. These jobs that we have in the natural resource industry, these energy jobs, are part of who we are as Montanans because we are a State full of diverse interests, competing priorities, sometimes opposing philosophies. But time and again, stakeholders have come together to find balance and achieve our most lasting conservation wins.

That is a word that is missing in Washington, DC, as we are seeing a new administration come to power; it is the word ``balance.'' You see, as Montanans, we are proud stewards of our beautiful landscapes, our rivers, our natural resources, and our wildlife. We take pride in following the science and listening to our local experts on the ground to do what is best for our environment and our public lands, as well as our rural communities.

And this legacy of balance is intertwined within the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior. The Secretary of the Interior oversees much of America's lands, our water, wildlife, energy resources, and in many ways oversees our Montana way of life. Over the past few years, we have seen Secretaries of the Interior with a range of views--some I agree with, some I haven't. But one thing was consistent, they were consensus builders. They were able to listen to the needs of diverse stakeholders, bring folks together, come up with a solution that worked for almost everybody. I would use the word ``balance'' again.

Unfortunately, Representative Haaland has a very well-documented and hostile record toward made-in-America energy, toward natural resource development, toward wildlife management, and sportsmen. Throughout her tenure as a Congresswoman, Representative Haaland championed the Green New Deal. She advocated for the most extreme positions, including banning all fossil fuels.

She cosponsored legislation to provide Federal protections for grizzly bears forever without considering the science that is very clear that supports delisting that species and returning it back to the States, just like we did with wolves back in 2011.

She has been enthusiastic in her calls to stop not just the Keystone Pipeline but all pipelines, calling for a ban for all pipelines. She even protested the Dakota Access Pipeline herself.

She has stated that trapping shouldn't be allowed on public lands. And as noted by several sportsmen groups, Representative Haaland would not even commit to maintaining current access on our public lands during the hearing. I can tell you, these are not mainstream views held by most Montanans.

I am not opposed to Representative Haaland's confirmation because she is a Democrat or because she was nominated by President Biden. In fact, I have supported many of the President's nominees. This is about her record, her very far-left, divisive positions that will fail to represent the West, to be in the mainstream of common sense and balance. And I fear she will harm the Montana way of life as we know it.

This is about protecting our Montana way of life, the ability to have a good-paying job during the week and enjoying our public lands on the weekends because if you kill the energy jobs, you kill all the pipelines, you kill our natural resources, Montana is left to be simply a playground for the rich and famous. We have to stand up for our hard- working Montanans and protect their way of life.

This is about maintaining a commonsense balance. We can develop our natural resources and protect our public lands at the same time. We can do both, and we must do both.

So I urge my colleagues, especially those from Western States that hold many of these same values, to really think about what Representative Haaland would bring to the Department of the Interior as leader of that organization. I urge my colleagues to consider the impact this will have and to vote against Representative Haaland's nomination for Secretary of the Interior.

I yield back my time.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, this week I have the honor of recognizing Dennis Davies of Lewis and Clark County for his compassion and dedication to his community during the pandemic. While schools were closed to in-person instruction, Dennis saw that students needed a place to do their work at home. He rose to the occasion and began building desks for young Montanans enrolled in virtual school.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Dennis was inspired by a TV segment that profiled a teacher from Iowa who made desks for students and thought he could do the same for Montana's students.

At first, he paid desk supply expenses out of his own pocket. After the community recognized the service he was providing, donations began rolling in. Now, with the assistance of donated supplies and funds, he is able to expand his operation and build even more desks for kids. Dennis works alongside many Montanans who volunteer their time to help him build and deliver desks, and he hopes to provide 2,000 desks to students across the State. Though that amount may be daunting, he is excited to help do his part to help Montana families get through the pandemic.

It is my distinct honor to recognize Dennis for his compassion and dedication to the people of Lewis and Clark County in this trying time. His kindness and charitable approach to work serves as an inspiration to all Montanans.

Mr. President, I have a motion to commit at the desk.

Mr. President, this motion to commit will send this bill back to the Foreign Relations Committee to include authorization of the Keystone XL Pipeline in the final bill. In fact, as we saw earlier this morning, the Keystone XL Pipeline has bipartisan support.

Here is the difference. This morning's amendment vote was a 60-vote threshold. This is a simple majority. This is good for union jobs. It is great for our rural communities. It reduces emissions.

It is time to get this done. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this motion.

The only thing that has been killed is the Keystone XL Pipeline by President Biden. This resurrects the Keystone XL Pipeline.

The union jobs are needed. The rural communities need these tax revenues for their schools. This is what we want to do. We had bipartisan support for that this morning. Let's do it again. I urge passage of this motion to commit.

Vote on Motion to Commit

Madam President, this week I have the honor of recognizing John Laird of Liberty County. John embodies the American dream and exhibits strong Montana values.

In 1887, John's ancestors came to America from Scotland looking for a better life. John's ancestors homesteaded in the Sweet Grass Hills region that surrounds present day Chester, MT. They built a large sheep farm and broke horses for the Canadian Guards. Farming is hard work and not for the faint of heart, but John's family persevered.

The land was passed down from generation to generation. John is a proud wheat farmer of those hills today, moving the same rocks as his great-great-grandfathers did. John and his wife, Rita, raised their three children, Cory, Heather, and Mitchell, on this land. All three of their children attended Montana schools and universities and have gone on to start families of their own.

The Laird family story highlights the agricultural history of Montana, and the tenacity and legacy of those who immigrated to the United States seeking to create a better life. It is my honor to recognize John Laird as a successful farmer and father and for leading a life that represents everything Montanans hold dear.

Mr. President, well, I want to thank my colleague from West Virginia, Senator Capito, for clearly laying out her concerns with this COVID package.

I think about where we were a year ago. We were right here in this Chamber. It was March of 2020, and we were debating, working together in a bipartisan fashion to come up with a major--over $2 trillion-- COVID relief package.

In fact, if we look back over the course of the last 12 months, Congress passed five bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages--five of them. During that time, as we know, the Republicans were in the majority in the Senate, and we believed it was very important--we were dealing with COVID challenges in our country--that we come together in a bipartisan way to address this horrible pandemic. It didn't stop us from working with our colleagues across the aisle to reach a compromise in order to get needed relief for Montanans and the American people who were struggling because of the pandemic.

Bipartisanship--it takes work. It takes both sides coming together. It takes a little more time as well. But for the good of Montanans and for the good of the American people, they expect that of us here in the Senate.

Unfortunately, what we are witnessing today is that ``bipartisanship'' is no longer in the vocabulary of President Biden and the Democrats. They have taken this bipartisan process that we have had over the course of the last 12 months and they have taken it hostage. It has become their way or the highway. Take it or leave it. They are trying to jam through a hyperpartisan--not a bipartisan but a hyperpartisan $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package.

We shouldn't even call this a COVID-19 relief package, and here is why: Ninety percent of what is in it has nothing to do with the core health needs of combating COVID-19. Nothing. This nearly $2 trillion package is nothing more than a Pelosi payoff, a liberal wish list that gives President Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer billions of dollars for these partisan pet projects.

This COVID-19 relief package includes a laundry list of liberal priorities. Now, I am not making this up. What I am about to share was actually included in the most recently passed package of this COVID legislation out of the U.S. House, which, by the way, passed in the wee hours of the morning this past weekend, on Saturday, when the American people were asleep, and it was not supported by a single Republican Member.

By the way, contrast that to where we were a year ago. We passed a huge COVID package here in the U.S. Senate 96 to zero. You can't get any more bipartisan than that. Yet, when they jammed this package in the House Saturday morning, not a single Republican supported it. In fact, a couple Democrats opposed it.

Here is what is in that so-called relief package for COVID-19:

One hundred million dollars for Nancy Pelosi's train to nowhere. It is a Silicon Valley underground rail project to help Big Tech. You tell me what that has to do with COVID-19.

Three hundred fifty billion dollars to bail out blue States that had financial problems before the pandemic. Now, Montana should not be footing the bill to bail out States like New York, California, and Illinois, especially when we have seen reports that States are actually doing much better than projected when we look at revenues coming in in 2020. In fact, listen to this, California is projecting a $25 billion surplus in 2020.

There is $50 million in this package for ``climate justice.''

There are millions in bailouts for Planned Parenthood. It also makes Planned Parenthood eligible for taxpayer dollars through the Paycheck Protection Program.

Now, there is $130 billion in there for schools. Now hear this: 95 percent of it won't be spent this year. In fact, 95 percent of it is spent in years 2022 through

2028. You tell me what that has to do with this immediate rush to get this package passed when most of the spending is in the years out to 2028. This is ironic, as President Biden and the Democrats are bowing to political pressure from the teachers unions to keep kids out of the classroom.

I cannot tell you how many parents we are hearing from who want to see the schools opened up and want to see the kids back in school, back in the classroom.

They support opening the southern border for illegal immigrants over opening schools for American students.

As I have laid out, President Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer's COVID-19 package is not about COVID-19 relief at all. In fact, the White House Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, said this: ``This is the most progressive domestic legislation in a generation.''

I believe that. This is all about political favors for Democrats. It is about cashing in on campaign promises, and it is outrageous. While Democrats are trying to further their liberal agenda under the guise of passing COVID-19 relief, we are sitting on $1 trillion of unspent, already allocated COVID-19 relief dollars from the prior five packages.

In fact, of the last package we passed in December of $900 billion, only about 50 percent of that--allocated dollars--is out the door.

So shoveling out almost $2 trillion--and how much is $2 trillion? The entire annual Federal discretionary budget of the U.S. Government is about $1.4 trillion--the entire discretionary budget.

The Democrats want to push another $2 trillion into this economy that is poised to rebound as businesses reopen. It is deeply irresponsible. It will needlessly cause our debt to soar to new heights and could harm our economic recovery by sparking inflation. Its partisanship is exceeded only by its recklessness.

The American comeback is well underway. Our economy is rebounding. GDP is expected to grow 10 percent by the end of the first quarter. Personal saving rates are way up--20.5 percent this past January, compared to 7.6 percent in prepandemic January 2020. Manufacturing is at its highest growth level since August of 2018.

Vaccines are being distributed and hospitalizations are going down. In fact, hospitalizations are down nearly 20 percent this week versus last week, looking across the country. In fact, more than 40 percent of those over the age of 65 are vaccinated with at least one dose. That is good news.

On vaccines, I want to recognize our Governor back home in Montana, Governor Gianforte, for his outstanding leadership on getting vaccines distributed across Montana. I also want to thank Montana's healthcare heroes for their dedication to getting the vaccines out and keeping our communities and our families safe.

In fact, just last week, Montana was recognized as the most efficient State in the Nation--No. 1 out of 50--for administering vaccines received from the Federal Government. But in Montana, we are in need of more vaccines. That is why I joined forces with the Governor and Congressman Rosendale, requesting them from President Biden. I am pleased to see that it was announced just this week that Montana will be receiving 8,000 doses of the J&J vaccine in the coming days.

Vaccines and vaccine distribution are what we should be focusing on now. They are what will help us get life back to normal. They are what will end this pandemic. Yet, sadly, only 1 percent of Biden and Pelosi's COVID-19 package goes to vaccines. That is unacceptable. It is unacceptable that the partisan Pelosi-Schumer bill lacks foresight and badly misdiagnoses what America needs now, because we are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel. We must keep moving in this direction. Any future relief must be targeted and focused on vaccine distribution.

Let's just start by retargeting the $1 trillion that is not even yet out the door. Why don't we start there? But, instead, the Democrats continue to go their own way in a purely partisan piece of legislation to spend another $1.9 trillion, most of which does not address anything related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It must be directed instead toward ending the pandemic, helping the American people, not supporting the liberal dreams of Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, outrage--that is what American families should be feeling right now, and many are. We are seeing President Biden and the Democrats support opening the border, the southern border, for illegal immigrants while bowing to political pressure and keeping many of our Nation's schools closed for our students--opening the southern border for illegal immigrants, closing our Nation's schools for our students.

Schools across the Nation remain closed to in-person instruction largely due to teachers unions and their influence on many of our local and Federal leaders on the other side of the aisle--all, unfortunately, to the detriment of the education and the health of our students.

In States and localities where schools remain closed, America's youngest and brightest minds are posed with challenges that generations before have never dealt with. Children are continuing to cope with the unprecedented hardship of virtual classrooms, a lack of social interaction with their peers, and other impediments to their education. But this isn't because of the pandemic itself; it is because President Biden, the Democrats, and local leaders have caved to the political pressures of teachers unions and have kept many classrooms closed and students at home despite what the available science and other experts are telling us. The science is clear: Schools are not major COVID-19 spreading grounds, and younger students are a low-risk group. Studies indicate that students across the country are months behind where they should be academically.

The hardships our students face go beyond academics because the mental and physical health of children has also taken a toll. We are seeing depression and anxiety rates skyrocket among our young people. I was on a call today, a Zoom call, with several elementary school principals in Montana, hearing their firsthand, frankly, tragic accounts of what is happening with the mental health of our students in elementary school and hearing about elementary school students assaulting teachers. A whole year without full-time, in-person learning has done irreparable damage. The status quo is truly devastating to many of our students. Despite this--despite the science, despite the overwhelming data--schools across the country, in many parts of our country, remain closed.

Frankly, it is unacceptable that many of my colleagues across the aisle and the Biden administration are standing by while this happens to our students across our country. They have chosen to play politics with our Nation's students instead of ensuring that

our children are getting the very best education possible, which is full-time, in-person instruction. They are intent on jamming through this partisan $1.9 trillion COVID package, which does include billions of dollars for schools.

Incidentally, in working together, we have passed five bipartisan COVID relief packages. Yes, it is harder to work in a bipartisan fashion, but that is why we were sent back here to Washington--to work together. Yet President Biden and the Democrats are saying: We are going to do this one alone. It is going to be their way or the highway.

The sad reality is, the more the American people hear what is in this $1.9 trillion package, the more they are not going to like it. Most of the money in this package is not to be spent now. In fact, 95 percent of it will be spent over the next 7 years, after the crisis. We should not use this COVID crisis as a liberal wish list of items here wherein 95 percent of it gets spent in the out-years. How does this help our students and our schools now? The answer is, it doesn't.

This is not how we solve the problems that our students are facing. Fortunately, there is a pretty simple solution. It is this: Listen to the experts. Listen to the science. Reopen our schools, and let's get our students back in the classroom.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, this week I have the honor of recognizing Lesley Robinson of Phillips County. Lesley recently made history when she became the first woman elected as the Montana Stockgrowers Association's second vice president.

Lesley is not afraid to be the first in any venture. Her past experience as a leader in Montana began in 1996 when she became the second woman ever elected to serve on the board of directors for the Montana Stockgrowers. Lesley also ran for office and was elected as a Phillips County commissioner in 2005. During her 12-year tenure as a commissioner, Lesley was a strong advocate for Phillips County and rural Montana. She also had a leadership role on the Executive Committee for the National Association of Counties. Most recently, Lesley served as former Congressman Greg Gianforte's State director.

As a fourth-generation rancher, Lesley knows the importance of hard work. She and her husband, Jim, own a commercial cow/calf and yearling operation near Zortman, MT. Her past leadership roles and ranching experiences have led her to be a fierce voice for agriculture and the importance it has as Montana's No. 1 economic driver.

It is my honor to recognize Lesley for her leadership and service to Montana. I look forward to hearing about her continued success.