Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, today is a special day. It is Earth Day. I had the privilege of actually being at the first Earth Day, at Golden Gate Park, a million years ago. The speaker there that day was Ralph Nader, and there was a huge crowd. Hundreds of thousands of people were there.

Ralph Nader made a lot of fame and fortune writing a book called ``Unsafe at Any Speed,'' about the Corvair Monza. That was my first car, a Corvair Monza. And as he was there speaking that day, I couldn't help but think about how much I loved my Corvair Monza and couldn't believe he wrote that book about it.

He actually made a lot of sense and, certainly, it was a rallying point for people in this country who realized that we were going the wrong way in terms of the cleanliness of our air and the cleanliness of our water.

I had gone to Ohio State and was a Navy ROTC midshipman there, and I ended up in Southeast Asia. I remember being over in Southeast Asia on one of our deployments, and the Cuyahoga River, up the road from Ohio State, in Cleveland, OH, caught on fire. They had too many people drinking the dirty water.

I liked to run outside. I know our Presiding Officer is a big athlete as well. I know there were days that I would run outside, in the 1960s and 1970s--and in some places, even now, around the world--and I was doing more damage than good by breathing the air in those places.

But some amazing things happened in 1970, right around 1970. We saw the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. I don't think it was done initially as a bill. I think it was actually done sort of as an Executive order. Richard Nixon was the President then.

I think the Congress came along a few years later and sort of passed legislation to implement the Executive order. The Clean Air Act was signed into law. The Clean Water Act was passed. I think Richard Nixon initially

vetoed the Clean Water Act. But they had huge support--overwhelming support, Democrat and Republican--for both measures.

We didn't give a whole lot of concern in those days to climate change. Nobody really talked, in the 1960s and the 1970s or the 1980s, about climate change. But something started happening on our planet. People said: I think it is getting warmer. The weather seems to be a bit more extreme as time goes by.

Then scientists reported that a hole was being formed in the ozone layer over the North Pole, and it started off small and got bigger and bigger and bigger. And people a lot smarter than me said: This is not good. We have to figure out what is going on here.

They finally figured out that it was something called CFCs, or chlorofluorocarbons, which were actually found in our air-conditioners, our freezers, and refrigerators. They did a really good job in keeping things cool, including us, but, unfortunately, it led to the hole in the ozone.

So some really smart scientists got to work, and they came up with something called HFCs, hydrofluorocarbons. HFCs did a really good job keeping us cool. They also did a good job in terms of the hole in the ozone going away. But the bad thing about HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons, is that they are a thousand times worse for climate change, the warming of our climate, than carbon, carbon dioxide. So some good but some bad as well.

We passed the legislation, and it was signed--I think unbeknownst to him--last December, by the President. It is legislation that phases down HFCs, or hydrofluorocarbons. So now we are going to have American- made products that will keep us cool and will be good and positive with respect to climate change, and will create a lot of jobs--tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of jobs, American jobs with American technology--and strengthen our economy in a variety of different ways.

So on this Earth Day, there is a lot to be concerned about, but the HFC phase-down that I just talked about was signed into law and was part of a much bigger package in December, that is worth a half a degree Celsius.

Scientists will tell you that what we want is to be careful to not see the Earth temperature go up by more than 2 or 3 degrees Celsius, and if we do, it becomes sort of irreversible and we are in real trouble then on this planet.

But this one thing that we did, voted on here in this Chamber, phasing down HFCs, is worth about a half a degree Celsius. There is still more to do, but that is a good start.

The greatest source of carbon dioxide on our planet is not HFCs, but it is the emissions from our cars, trucks, and vans--our mobile fleet. About 28 percent of carbon emissions come from our cars, trucks, and vans. About another 25 percent comes from utilities, powerplants that provide electricity for us, a lot of them powered by coal or natural gas--mostly coal. And another large source of carbon emissions is from industries. Think of cement plants, if you will. If you add those three together, it is about 75 percent of the carbon emissions in our country--just those three sources.

There used to be a guy, a bank robber, whose name was Willie Sutton. You may or may not have heard of him. He lived during the Depression, before either of us. But he robbed a lot of banks. He finally got caught and ended up in trial before the judge.

And the judge said: Mr. Sutton, why do you rob all those banks?

And Willie Sutton replied, famously: That is where the money is, your Honor. That is where the money is.

Well, one of the reasons why we focus on carbon emissions and global warming emissions coming from mobile sources is that that is 28 percent of the emissions. That is not where the money is, but that is where the emissions are, where a lot of them are coming from.

And we are getting really exciting announcements from American companies, auto companies. GM has announced this year that starting in 2035, they will not be manufacturing cars, trucks, or vans that are burning gasoline or diesel fuel. They are just going to be electric. They will be using hydrogen and fuel cells. That is huge--by 2035. That is only like 14 years away.

Ford has made similar kinds of pledges. I think Volkswagen and a number of other companies have made similar pledges. And they are not pledges for things that will take place in like 40 or 50 years. We are talking about right down the road, right down the road. That is great news because the threat of climate change is imminent, and we don't have a lot of time to meet it.

I was in a hearing this morning. One of the committees I serve on is Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. One of the issues that we have that we are responsible for is the Postal Service. I think, maybe for reasons that go back to my time in the Vietnam war, of being overseas in the war and how, every week, when we would get the mail over there, it was the best part of the week. You would hear from your families, loved ones, friends, newspapers, magazines, care packages. It was a great day.

So I have great affection for the Postal Service, even today. I love the idea of mail-in voting, and I know my friend from Georgia has some affection for people being able to participate and exercise their constitutional rights through the mail. And, hopefully, we will do more of that in smart ways like that in the future.

But the Postal Service still provides a valuable service. We were reminded of that during the election last year. But the Postal Service, the men and women who drive around and deliver our mail, they drive around in vehicles that are, on average, 25 years and older. Almost all of them are diesel or gasoline powered.

The Postal Service realizes that they need to upgrade their fleet, and they need to do that sooner than later. It is not cheap. It is not a cheap thing to do--165,000 mail trucks that need to be replaced in the next several years.

There is a 10-year plan that the Postal Service has put out--how they plan to, sort of, and return to, if not to profitability, at least to improve over time to a break-even situation. One of the things that is in their plan is to buy and replace their existing fleet of cars, trucks, and vans--mostly trucks and vans.

They are apparently in a contract with a company up in Oshkosh, WI, called Oshkosh, and the idea is to build a bunch of vehicles, tens of thousands of them, over the next decade or so.

We had three nominees today before us who have been nominated to be members of the Board of Governors of the Postal Service. In all, there are nine members of the Board of Governors, nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate. They have three vacancies, and we had three nominees to fill those vacancies before us.

I wished them all a happy Earth Day, and then I talked to them about what lies ahead in terms of replacing 165,000 vehicles. And, apparently, originally, the first couple of thousand vehicles that will be produced will be gas and diesel, and then, after that, the vehicles could be gas, diesel, or electric--or hydrogen, for that matter.

There is an extra cost when we switch to electric, extra costs when we switch over to, say, hydrogen, if that is the technology that is chosen, because you need electric charging stations and you need the hydrogen fueling stations.

It is easy to take your gasoline-powered vehicle or your diesel- powered vehicle to a gas station. It is on the corner. It is in your town. But if you need to get the electric charger for your battery or you need the hydrogen for your fuel cell vehicle, then that costs some money. And it can't all be on the Postal Service. It can't all be on the Postal Service.

As we put together this next infrastructure package for our country-- and we are going to be debating here legislation that Senator Capito and I on the Environment and Public Works Committee have been working on with our bipartisan team next week, a big package on wastewater treatment and on drinking water, clean drinking water. That will be the first big infrastructure bill that we pass, I think, in the Senate-- hopefully, next week. But there will be, hopefully, a lot more. And part of that will be roads, highways, and bridges coming down the road. And part of that will be charging stations in densely populated corridors all over the country--charging stations for electric vehicles and fueling stations

for hydrogen vehicles, which have a lot of potential, too.

I just want us to keep in mind, when that day comes--I want the Postal Service to keep in mind that we need for them to set an example--for the Postal Service to set an example. If they go out and two-thirds of the new vehicles they buy are gasoline- and diesel- powered, shame on them, and, frankly, shame on us in this body for allowing that to happen.

But we have to remember that the Postal Service is fighting for its life, and we need to be there and be helpful in terms of helping to pay for the infrastructure that they will need when they buy these new vehicles.

I will close with this. Mr. President, I am not sure where Home Depot is headquartered. Are they not headquartered in Georgia? If they are, nod your head. I think they are. I love to talk about Home Depot.

Whenever I go down to Central America, to places like Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador--we call them the Northern Triangle countries--we have something in place called the Alliance for Prosperity program. It is designed to help fight corruption, their crime, their violence, and their lack of economic opportunity there.

And we provide money--taxpayer money--to help these countries down there, so people will stop feeling like they have to come up here to escape the violence, the corruption, the crime, and the lack of economic opportunity. So we provide some money, and then we expect them, for every dollar we provide, to provide four or five dollars on their own. We want foundations to put up money. We want businesses to put up money to help produce this as well.

I say to the people of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, who live in some really terrible situations, when I talk to them about the Alliance for Prosperity, which has been in place now for several years: You can do it. You, those three countries--Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador--you can do it. We can help, and I think we have a moral obligation to help.

I think at the Postal Service, they can do it. They can update their fleet. They can do so in a way that is sustainable and is actually good for this planet. This is the only planet we are going to have. We have to take care of it or, otherwise, face huge, huge challenges.

So I would, on this Earth Day, say to my colleagues that the anniversary provides opportunity. The Postal Service is going through its share of adversity, as well, but there is real opportunity, as well, to help the Postal Service and the men and women who work there to do a better and a more reliable job of delivering the mail to all of us but, also, to do so in a way that is good for our planet.

That would be a very, very good thing and make this Earth Day especially memorable.

Mr. President, with that, I am going to bid you adieu. Great weekend to you and the staff. God bless you. Thank you so much.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I want to share with my colleagues some information regarding the Reconnecting Communities Act, a bill that I have introduced today along with my colleagues Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Schumer and Mr. Coons. This legislation would address the legacy of highway construction built through communities, especially through low-income communities and communities of color, which divided neighborhoods and erected barriers to mobility and opportunity. This legislation implements a central piece of President Biden's American Jobs Plan, which calls for new Federal funding to address the need to remove infrastructure barriers in communities that have been historically disadvantaged and disconnected.

The construction of our interstate highway system throughout the 20th Century had many positive aspects. It facilitated commerce and travel from coast to coast and connected our urban, suburban and rural areas. However, the construction of highways through established neighborhoods and cities also had a detrimental impact on the people who called those places home.

Blocks of homes were torn down and vibrant commercial streets razed to make way for new highway construction, often without any input from the people who actually lived, worked, and owned businesses there. Many of these neighborhoods never fully recovered, and the highways divided cities, making it difficult to get from one side to the other. This stifled economic development and opportunity for those who were left behind.

In the 1950s and 60s, the construction of I-95 through Wilmington, Delaware resulted in the demolition of homes, churches, and businesses, and cut off neighbors from each other. The ability to easily walk to the store or to church, or to have a sense of community that living in a vibrant city brings, was destroyed for many people who lived near that path of the interstate. And this is not unique to Wilmington. From Baltimore to New Orleans, cities across the country are grappling with what to do with aging interstates blighting their neighborhoods.

The Reconnecting Communities Act is designed to address this legacy of our highway system by funding projects that would remove or reimagine infrastructure barriers, including elevated highway overpasses and highways that were built below grade. The bill would authorize $15 billion over the next five years to establish a new federal grant program at the Department of Transportation to help States and local entities with planning, construction and local capacity building. Specifically, it would do the following:

First, the bill would provide grants to local and Tribal governments, Metropolitan Planning Organizations and non-profits, to help foster a greater capacity for local communities to participate in the planning and decision-making process for transportation and economic development projects. This would help to ensure that new projects meet local needs.

Second, it would provide grants for planning and feasibility studies, including studies to look at the effect of a project on traffic and congestion, accessibility and equity.

Third, it would provide grants to carry out construction projects that would either remove a highway infrastructure barrier, or re- envision or retrofit the existing structure to improve mobility across it. This includes capping a highway like I-95 in Wilmington. or transforming a highway into an at-grade roadway as has been envisioned in other States.

As communities across the Nation are beginning to reimagine their downtowns to provide more sustainable and equitable access, this bill will support local efforts to reconnect and revitalize areas that were harmed by the construction of the Interstate Highway System.

I would like to thank my colleagues who have joined me by cosponsoring the Reconnecting Communities Act. In particular, I am appreciative of the leadership of the junior senator from Maryland, Mr. Van Hollen, who helped to bring this issue to the attention of the Environment and Public Works Committee last Congress.

I hope that all of my colleagues will join us to advance this important legislation, which I will be working to include in our comprehensive surface transportation reauthorization bill this year.

Mr. President, the Senate has now invoked cloture on the nomination of Brenda Mallory, President Biden's nominee to serve as the Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality. First, let me just say thank you. I want to express my thanks to--and I am sure, on behalf of Brenda Mallory--53 Senators who voted in favor of cloture so that we can move forward and now debate her nomination. We thank each Senator who cast that supporting vote. But I rise in support of Ms. Mallory's nomination to this important position. This is a position a lot of folks have never heard of, but it is a hugely important one. And I urge our colleagues to now join me in supporting, in confirmation, a highly, highly qualified nominee as well.

The Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality--or CEQ, as we call it--may not be the first position many Americans think about when they consider consequential Presidential appointments. But it is a crucial body--critical body--with considerable sway over our Nation's health and environment.

One of my mentors was a Republican named Russ Peterson, a great leader of the DuPont company for many years, Governor of Delaware, and later served as Chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality during the administrations of both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Governor Peterson used to refer to his role as Chair at the Council on Environmental Quality as similar to that of an orchestra leader, an orchestra conductor. He said: You don't play the instruments as the Chair of the CEQ, but you try hard to ensure that everyone in the orchestra is playing in harmony. The CEQ Chair coordinates action across the entire government in order to ensure that Federal Agencies are working in harmony and that every Federal decision advances the objectives of economic growth, of better public health, and of stronger environmental quality.

While CEQ Chairs do work much like an orchestra leader, a conductor, to achieve harmony across Federal Agencies, they must also pursue balance. That balance includes at least three components: one, growing our economy; two, ensuring a just and healthy society; and, three, protecting our environment for current and future generations. Those are the clear objectives of CEQ as laid out in the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, known as NEPA, the landmark law that created CEQ, often referred to as ``the Magna Carta of environmental laws.''

According to its six pages of statute, NEPA's purpose includes--and I am going to quote--``efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man.'' I would add ``and woman.'' NEPA enshrines democracy by giving the American people a voice to help decide the fate of Federal decisions. For 50 years, NEPA has sought to ensure environmental protection, public health, and the notion that the American people should have a say in the Federal decision-making process that affects their lives.

Like our Constitution, NEPA is one of our Nation's most enduring and replicated laws. The same principles of democracy and citizen participation enshrined in our Constitution are also enshrined in NEPA.

Sadly, the Trump administration's CEQ largely walked away from the tenets of this 50-year-old law, issuing drastic rollbacks that undermine much of its very mission. Instead of advancing the CEQ's three objectives--one, a more productive economy; two, a healthier society; and three, a cleaner environment--the previous administration sadly repeatedly compromised public health and environmental quality for the sake of less redtape.

So one of the many tasks ahead for the next CEQ Chair will be to get us back on track--to harmonize our efforts to address the climate crisis, safeguard public health, and ensure that

we are treating others the way we want to be treated. If that sounds familiar, it should because that is the Golden Rule, which is found in every major religion on this planet.

There are few people as well qualified to tackle this challenge as Brenda Mallory. I believe that she is the kind of experienced, dedicated public servant that we need to lead CEQ at this critical time, not just for the Agency but for our Nation.

Ms. Mallory is a deeply committed public servant with extensive experience under both Democratic and Republican administrations. No stranger to CEQ, Ms. Mallory served there for a number of years after an impressive tenure of more than a decade at EPA, including under President George W. Bush. She has earned respect from both sides of the aisle, and, as the former General Counsel for CEQ, she already knows the Agency inside and out.

Her experience and her reputation as a collaborative, pragmatic leader help to explain why she has garnered broad bipartisan support among environmental leaders who have served before her. Get this--13 past Republican CEQ and EPA appointees, including a former CEQ Chair, and 4 different Republican EPA Administrators have publicly praised Ms. Mallory and urged her confirmation. Now, that doesn't happen every day, as the Presiding Officer knows. But among those former Republican EPA Administrators who have urged her confirmation are these: Bill Reilly, Christine Todd Whitman, Michael Leavitt, Stephen Johnson, and James Connaughton.

Ms. Mallory has also earned the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I will say that again. Ms. Mallory also earned the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce--and a whole bushel of environmental groups across this land.

She has represented business interests in the past as an attorney in private practice, so she understands the importance of timely and well- coordinated environmental reviews, which are crucial for getting investments in telecommunications and in infrastructure off the ground.

Ms. Mallory's expertise will be critical to the task that lies ahead. In addition to restoring balance at CEQ and its mission, the next Chair at CEQ will address a number of pressing crises facing our Nation today. Let me mention some of them. They include the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and they include the worst economy since the Great Depression, as well as the enduring problem and challenge of racial injustice. All three--all three of these crises are compounded by a fourth, and that is the climate crisis.

We have no time to waste. We must tackle the climate crisis with conviction and with urgency. My home State of Delaware, which I am privileged to represent, certainly cannot wait any longer. We happen to be the lowest lying State in America. Our State is sinking, and the seas around us are rising.

This is felt by other States across the country too. Climate change is an issue that hits red States and blue States alike. Our colleagues John Neely Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, from Louisiana, tell me that Louisiana loses--get this--a football field of wetlands to rising sea levels every 100 minutes.

Let me mention that again. Louisiana loses a football field of wetlands to rising sea levels every 100 minutes. In another part of the country, the midwestern part of the country, last year, hurricane-force winds flattened over half--over half of the corn and soybean crop in Iowa, literally in the span of about a week, maybe even in a span of about a day.

Out on the west coast, wildfires raged across California as big as the size of Rhode Island, while floods in Florida damaged homes, and roads and deadly ice storms a month or two ago left millions in Texas stranded without power or water.

Natural disasters and extreme weather don't discriminate; they impact all of us. Brenda Mallory knows this. She understands the gravity of the situation and the immense challenge she has ahead of her, should she be confirmed. I know she is ready to seize the opportunity ahead of her in this role.

She also knows that the laws we write and decisions we make can affect who faces the brunt of the consequences. For too long, communities of color have disproportionately suffered from our environmental policies. From chemical contaminants in drinking water to toxic air pollution from our roads and our factories, our most marginalized citizens are too often exposed to environmental public health risks and left behind by our investments and policies.

We need to work to improve environmental outcomes for all Americans-- all Americans. Brenda Mallory at the helm of CEQ can play the leadership role that is needed in addressing environmental justice and meeting the challenges of climate change in a way that will lift up all communities and achieve a brighter, more equitable future for each one of them.

As we address the crises we face, we have an opportunity to improve people's lives today and for future generations. To do that, we need principled, enlightened leaders. We need leaders who are humble, not haughty; leaders who have the heart of a servant and understand that their job is to serve, not be served; leaders who unite, not divide; leaders who build bridges, not walls.

I am confident that Brenda Mallory is just that kind of leader. She will bring integrity. She will bring honor and humility to her role just as she has done in her decades of service to this country. As Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality, she will be a leader who brings people together to form lasting solutions to the challenges that we face today.

With that in mind, I strongly urge each of our colleagues to join me in supporting her confirmation. I thank again those who voted for cloture a few minutes ago.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, the Committee on Environment and Public Works has adopted rules governing its procedures for the 117th Congress. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 2, of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that a copy of the committee rules be printed in the Record.

Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of Delaware's congressional delegation in honor of the Food Bank of Delaware, which has provided healthy, nutritious food and education to Delaware families for 40 years.

The Food Bank of Delaware began its work in 1981 out of a modest basement in the Northeast State Services Center in Wilmington. Today, it is the largest hunger relief organization in the State. In the last fiscal year alone, the Food Bank of Delaware distributed more than 15 million pounds of food, served more than 49,000 households through its mobile pantry program, distributed 143,000 backpacks stocked with food to at-risk youth, provided nearly 28,000 supplemental food boxes to seniors, and inspired volunteers to give 49,000 hours of their time to help at its 2 warehouses and food distribution events.

But the Food Bank's work didn't stop there--it continues to address root causes of hunger by providing education and resources to those experiencing food insecurity so they can lift themselves out of poverty and advocate for others. Its culinary program has successfully graduated more than 700 students since the program began in 2002, and its graduates can be found in some of the finest restaurants around the country.

I particularly want to highlight the work the Food Bank of Delaware and its 54 full- and part-time employees have done and continue to do since March 16, 2020, when they were called to respond to the overwhelming need brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time they facilitated 33 mass drive through food distribution events throughout Delaware serving 42,847 households, served 34,706 households through the Healthy Pantry Centers at its Newark and Milford locations, distributed 153,431 Farmers to Families Food Boxes, and provided 353,009 meals and snacks to homeless Delawareans housed throughout the State to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

On behalf of both, U.S. Senator Chris Coons and U.S. Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester, I rise today to honor the Food Bank of Delaware, its employees, and volunteers for 40 years of continued dedication to the health and nourishment of the citizens of Delaware. We know your impact on the lives of so many has been great, and your goal of ending hunger is one we will continue to work together on until we can reach the goal of eradicating food insecurity for all in Delaware.

While my colleague Senator Durbin is here, there is a real irony here to say that our Republican friends are not going to support Xavier Becerra because of his support of the Affordable Care Act. One key ingredient of the Affordable Care Act is actually the exchanges to provide for those who don't have access to coverage from their employer or some other way to get in a group.

But that was an idea that was introduced in 1993 by 23 Republican Senators--23 Republican Senators--as an alternative to HillaryCare, and it never got anywhere. It never went anywhere until an enterprising Governor from Massachusetts--I heard about him--said: Here is a way one can enforce this and provide opportunities for the people to get healthcare coverage that otherwise wouldn't have it. He said this might work. And they introduced it as RomneyCare in the State of Massachusetts. And do you know what? It worked. It made healthcare coverage available to a lot of people, and it helped on the affordability side too.

For our Republican friends to say that is the reason why--his support for the ACA, a key ingredient of which is the exchange--is an irony here. So I hope it is not lost on our friends.

I thank Senator Durbin for those comments.

Like my friend Senator Durbin, I, too, rise in support of Attorney General Xavier Becerra, a longtime public servant and President Biden's nominee to be our next Secretary of Health and Human Service.

For a year now, I have been saying to anybody who would listen that the only way to really get our economy back on track, to put parents back to work, kids back in the classroom, and life back to normal in the United States of America is to do all that we can to put this devastating pandemic in our Nation's rearview mirror. That means vaccinating as many at-risk Americans as safely and as quickly as possible.

In fact, under the leadership of our new President, America is leading the way in the production and the distribution of vaccines. How about that--leading the world?

Each day we are breaking records on the number of new Americans who are being vaccinated. After going through one of the darkest periods in American history, we are finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But as we ramp up for actual distribution throughout America and help make sure that all people--all people from rural communities to urban cities--have equitable access to lifesaving vaccines, we need to make sure that the

Department of Health and Human Services has the right leader at the helm going forward. And for my money and my judgment, that leader is Xavier Becerra. I believe he is the right person for this job at this point in our Nation's history.

As a key member of the Biden administration, he will work with the White House. He will work with us in the Congress to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and to coordinate our Nation's response to it.

Just as he has done throughout his career, he will fight to expand affordable healthcare, address persistent health disparities, and restore HHS's mission to protect the health and well-being of all Americans.

Madam President, I have heard several of my Republican colleagues calling into question Xavier Becerra's--Attorney General Becerra's qualifications to serve as HHS Secretary. Obviously they are free to express their concerns. As Senators, it is our duty to vet and evaluate Cabinet nominees and make sure that we believe they are going to be best able to serve the American people. I take the responsibility seriously. I know our Presiding Officer does as well. But let me set the record straight, if I could, on Xavier Becerra. I am confident that with his decades of experience working on healthcare issues in Congress and as California's attorney general, he will be an invaluable part of President Biden's administration as we work together to combat the pandemic nationally.

Some of the critics on the other side of the aisle say: What does he know about healthcare? Well, as it turns out, he served for I want to say two decades on the House Committee on Ways and Means. The last time I checked--you may want to double-check me on this--I think the primary responsibility of that committee is Medicare, and for somebody who served that long on that committee, I bet he knows a thing or two about Medicare. As it turns out, he does.

Throughout his career in public service, Xavier Becerra has shown an unwavering commitment to protecting and expanding healthcare availability for millions of American families and workers, especially those in vulnerable communities who remain underserved.

In the House of Representatives, he was a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee, which helped to make the Affordable Care Act, which is based on a Republican idea, I think out of the Heritage Foundation in 1993 that, as I mentioned earlier, Mitt Romney helped make a household word in the State of Massachusetts when he was Governor there. And I think half of the people who had healthcare coverage--who didn't have it when we created the ACA have it. They have it today. We cut in half the number of people who don't have access to healthcare coverage.

In the State of Delaware, the cost of coverage is actually dropping in the exchanges. It has dropped by I think 19 percent over the last 2 years alone, as market forces are taking place and taking hold.

As attorney general of California, as has been mentioned, he led the charge for a coalition of States to defend the Affordable Care Act against multiple attempts by the Trump administration to dismantle this landmark legislation altogether.

I once asked somebody--I asked him. I said: What is it about your experience that would suggest you could run a big operation like the Department of Health and Human Services?

He said: Well, I have run the Department of Justice in California. It is the second largest Department of Justice in the country, second only to the Federal Department of Justice.

I forget how many thousands--maybe tens of thousands--of employees they have, but it is a huge operation in a huge State with a ton of people.

Xavier Becerra brought together attorneys general from both sides of the aisle to hold opioid manufacturers accountable for the addiction crisis that we are still struggling with.

When the pandemic hit, he went to bat for Californians on everything from protections for our workers from exposure to COVID-19, increasing transparency in nursing homes, to securing key safeguards for the rights of frontline healthcare personnel.

His past leadership is a major reason why President Biden is asking him today to accept the responsibilities of overseeing responses to many of our Nation's most urgent needs, including the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations, restoring the public confidence in vital public health institutions, and boosting family health and financial security in the wake of the pandemic.

With so much of the COVID-19 response being executed at the State and local levels, we are fortunate that President Biden has chosen as his HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, a leader with relevant, on-the-ground, State-based experience.

As a former State treasurer, former Governor, former chairman of the National Governors Association, to have somebody with this kind of State-based experience, what a blessing that would be.

As the head of the largest State department of justice in the Nation, overseeing thousands of employees, Attorney General Becerra has a proven track record and the management experience necessary to take on the massive operations at HHS. He will also make, as Senator Durbin has mentioned, history as the first Latino American to take on this role, providing important perspective as Latinos and other minority communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.

As we try to make sure that about a third of the American people who are saying they are not going to take the vaccine--they don't care; they are going to take a chance--and a lot of those people are Latino-- wouldn't it be nice to have a Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services who could reach out to that community, literally reach out to them and touch them and convince them that, no, this is something they should do; they should take this chance and be glad they did.

Four years ago, this body confirmed President Trump's nominee for Health and Human Services within just 20 days--20 days from the start of his administration. We knew then that this role was important to fill. It took us 20 days.

Now, in the midst of a deadly pandemic, one that has taken the lives of over 530,000 Americans--a toll that exceeds the number of American deaths on the battlefields of World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam war, in which I served--we cannot afford to let another day go by without confirming Xavier Becerra.

With all of that, I just want to say, colleagues, it is time. It is over time, and we need to confirm Xavier. I think--in fact, I am convinced he will do a good job. He will make us proud. We need him. The President needs him. And with him on board as the leader of HHS, he can go to work on behalf of the American people and put this pandemic behind us for good, and we need that day to come soon.

I don't see anybody else waiting to speak. I think maybe I should suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I am delighted to rise today in full support of Katherine Tai, President Biden's nominee to be our next U.S. Trade Representative.

As my colleagues are well aware, trade is an issue that impacts every corner of our country and, indeed, every corner of our globe. Roughly 75 percent--listen to this--75 percent of the world's purchasing power and over 95 percent of the world's consumers lie outside of our country's borders. If the United States is going to continue to be successful, we need to be able to tap into those markets and expand trading opportunities while ensuring a level playing field for American businesses and, I might say, for American consumers as well.

In Delaware, the First State, and throughout our Nation, trade policies affect how American businesses, both large and small--be they financial services, tech companies, workers, farmers, manufacturers-- can compete in the global economy. But thanks to President Trump's haphazard trade wars over the last 4 years, American farmers, manufacturers, producers, and consumers too often have been left hanging in the balance--a situation that has been exasperated by this pandemic.

Now more than ever, all of them are in need of greater certainty and predictability. For the last 30, 40 years that I have served as Delaware's Treasurer, Congressman, Governor, and Senator, when I ask businesses what they want or need, more often than not, they say ``certainty and predictability.'' For the last 4 years, we have had too little of both.

Instead of the chaotic approach of the last 4 years, we need strategic and thoughtful trade policies. That is why President Biden has nominated Katherine Tai, an experienced public servant and trade expert, to serve as our Nation's top trade official. Katherine will be a steady hand at the U.S. Trade Rep's Office, and as a key member of the Biden administration, she will make sure that our trade policies benefit all Americans and leave no one behind. She will work hard to help jump-start our economy and ensure that American goods and services can reach international markets and that we can compete on a level playing field.

Katherine comes to this role with an exceptional breadth and depth of relevant trade expertise. She has earned a remarkable reputation as an expert in her field and is a leader who is respected by Democrats and Republicans alike in this Chamber and in the House of Representatives.

In her previous role, Katherine was chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee. There, she was a lead negotiator on the USMCA, U.S.-Mexico-Canada-America Trade Agreement, which notably passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, in no smart part because of her efforts.

Members of my own staff are grateful for the opportunity to work with Katherine to secure historically strong environmental provisions, including new monitoring and enforcement tools in the USMCA, which will help make sure

that alleged environmental violations will be investigated and remedied in a timely manner. These new tools and resources will help ensure that environmental protections are not just words on a piece of paper but policies that will actually be put into practice and consistently maintained well into the future.

As chairman of both the Environment and Public Works Committee and the Finance Subcommittee on International Trade, I look forward to working with my colleagues and with Katherine Tai and her team to build on the progress that was made in the USMCA.

Another immense trade challenge that we face now is to effectively counter China's unfair trade practices and its expanding influence in international trade. Since joining the World Trade Organization, the WTO, in 2001, China has proven to be a bad actor time and again. I believe that, working with our allies in the Pacific Rim in a spirit similar to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we can more effectively ensure that China adheres to its trade commitments with us and with the rest of the world.

Katherine has the expertise to help make that happen. Her prior experience as U.S. Trade Rep's Chief Counsel for China Trade Enforcement, where she led efforts to hold China accountable at the WTO for its unfair trade practices, is going to prove to be a tremendous asset for our Nation.

We would be lucky to have Katherine Tai, a committed public servant, represent our Nation on the world stage. As a daughter of immigrants and the first woman of color to be nominated to serve as U.S. Trade Rep, Katherine often cites her parents, also both public servants, as her inspiration.

In her testimony to the Finance Committee that I serve on, Katherine said--I want to quote her. Here is what she said. Speaking of her parents, she said:

I am proud of their service to the nation that welcomed

them. And I am proud to live in a country where, in just one

generation, their daughter could grow up to represent the

United States and our interests around the globe.

Those are her words.

I, too, am proud to serve in a country where this is possible.

Simply put, Katherine has decades of experience in trade, years of experience working in trade in a bipartisan fashion, and a keen understanding of the role Congress can play alongside the administration to implement successful trade policies.

As the world grapples with the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, it is more important now than ever to have a leader at the U.S. Trade Rep's Office who will work with Congress to advance a trade agenda that uplifts American workers in every corner of our country, spurs domestic manufacturing, and improves environmental and labor standards throughout the world.

Given Katherine's track record and many years of experience working across the aisle in Congress, I am confident that she has the broad support necessary to be a highly skilled and effective U.S. Trade Representative as she takes on the many trade challenges that we face, and I invite my colleagues to join me in voting to confirm Katherine Tai to serve as our next Trade Representative.

If I could, do I have a few more minutes to speak?

Madam President, my legislative director is a woman named Xiao. Lucy is her first name, Lucy Xiao. She said to me several months ago, after the election--Joe Biden was elected--she said: You know, we were working on the USMCA last year. We worked with a woman who was a very senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee staff to help make sure the environmental provisions in the law are not only strong but enforceable.

She said: The woman we worked with is a top staff person on the House Ways and Means Committee. Her name is Katherine Tai.

Lucy said to me: I think that Katherine Tai might make a good U.S. Trade Rep and may make a very interesting human story as well.

I have huge respect for Lucy's judgment, and I turned around and I called on the phone the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, an old colleague from my days in the House, Richard Neal.

I said: Richard, does the name ``Katherine Tai'' mean anything to you?

He said: Oh, yes. She is a great member of my staff.

I said: She has been suggested as someone who might serve as the U.S. Trade Rep. What do you think?

He said: She would be excellent. She would be excellent.

The next call I made was to Ted Kaufman, former U.S. Senator, former chief of staff to Joe Biden for many years, and the interim Senator in this body for 2 years after Joe was elected Vice President. I called former Senator Kaufman, who was in charge of the transition for the Biden team, and I said: Ted, I think I have a good name for Trade Rep.

I explained who Katherine Tai was and her history and her work experience and what Chairman Richard Neal said about her.

I said: She might be a keeper.

A week later, he called me and he said: We are getting all kinds of great comments about Katherine Tai.

He said: You know, I think you don't always have the best judgment, Tom Carper, but I think in this case, maybe you are like a blind squirrel that occasionally finds a nugget.

And I think maybe in this case, I have, with the strong support and help of Lucy.

So that is the story. That is my Katherine Tai story. She is a keeper, and we are lucky to have her. She will succeed if confirmed. She will succeed Robert Lighthizer and Michael Froman, our immediate past two Trade Reps. Those are big shoes to fill, but she is very well prepared to fill them.

With that, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, I rise today to support the historic nomination of Deb Haaland to be Secretary of the Interior.

If confirmed, Congresswoman Haaland will be the first Native American Cabinet Secretary. And how fitting it would be at the Department of the Interior. After all, American Indians and Alaska Natives were the first stewards of this land. I know Representative Haaland will carry on that commitment as Interior Secretary.

This nomination is important for all States, especially the State of Delaware, which I am privileged to represent in the U.S. Senate. The First State, as we are known, may be small, but the Department of the Interior's presence there is not. We are proud of our two National Wildlife Refugees and one of America's newest national parks, the First State National Historical Park, which helps tell the story of the founding of our Nation leading up to the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

As I've gotten to know Deb Haaland this year convinced that she is the right person to lead the Department of the Interior. We are at a critical juncture in our quest to protect our public lands, wildlife, and environment for future generations. She has spent her career fighting for these things. As Interior Secretary, I know she will continue that fight with compassion and integrity. And, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works, I look forward to working with her and the team she will lead on restoring protections for migratory birds and our nation's most imperiled wildlife.

If confirmed, Deb Haaland will also take the bold steps needed to addres greatest threat we face--the climate crisis. I believe that under her leadership, we will see offshore wind turbines in federal waters from Massachusetts to North Carolina, dramatically reducing carbon emissions.

With that thought in mind, I look forward to working with her on advancing the Biden administration's renewable energy agenda. Deb has pledged to listen and work with all of us in her efforts to do so.

Put simply, Deb Haaland is what we want in our leaders. She is humble, not haughty, with the heart of a true public servant. She works to unite, not divide to build bridges, not walls.

So, I strongly support her nomination and encourage all my colleagues to do the same confirming. Deb Haaland will do great things for the American people. Let's make it happen.

Madam President, let me just speak from my heart. My friend who just preceded me knows Deb Haaland from years of experience. Tom Udall, who served here for years, a close friend to all of us, has known Deb Haaland forever.

I remember asking Tom Udall: What does she bring to the U.S. Department of the Interior? I will never forget what Tom said. He said: She will bring a good heart. She will bring a good mind. She has the heart of a servant. She is someone who is humble, not haughty. She will provide the leadership that is needed at the Department of the Interior after the years that we have been through.

She will put together a good team, and when her team does well, she will give them the credit, and when her team falls short, she will take the blame.

Those of us in the State of Delaware are proud to be the ``First State.'' We have two wonderful National Wildlife Refuges. We have a national park, one of the newest ones in the country, that really helps tell the story of the settlement of our country from the early days of colonial settlements, right up to the ratification of the Constitution.

The Constitution lays out what is expected of us serving here and in the administration and also what is expected of Cabinet Secretaries, and it is seen in the, really the forward, if you will, the beginning, of the Constitution, where it says: ``We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union. . . . ''

We can do better than what we are doing. We can do better than what we are doing with respect to protecting our National heritage, our wildlife, our migratory birds. We can do better in all of this. She will bring that commitment to doing better.

I will just close with this. I don't believe we have ever had, in the history of our country, a Native American who has been nominated to serve as a Cabinet Secretary. I think she is the first, and we are from the ``First State,'' Delaware. The idea that she will be the first Native American, how appropriate, how appropriate. When you think about it, who were the original stewards of this land, our air and our water, the birds and the animals and fish that all live here and populate this land of ours? Native Americans were the first stewards. Native Alaskans were the first stewards. And it is only appropriate that, finally, we picked one of them. We chose one of them.

She has been nominated by the President, gone through her confirmation hearing, and we have a chance, today, to complete the process by confirming the nomination of Deb Haaland to be the Secretary of the Interior. I hope we will do that, and I thank you very much for allowing me to give these remarks.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that I be permitted to complete my remarks prior to the recess.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to the Fudge nomination, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. President, I rise today in strong support of the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to be United States Attorney General and to describe some of the greatest challenges confronting the U.S. Department of Justice.

The DOJ, as it is often called, is unlike any other Federal Agency. It is charged with protecting the constitutional rights and civil rights of all Americans. The past 4 years, to put it mildly, broke the longstanding precedent that has enabled the Department of Justice to operate above the political fray.

The Trump Justice Department joined a misguided lawsuit to take away healthcare coverage for tens of millions of Americans. The Trump Justice Department oversaw a cruel set of immigration policies that separated young children from their parents at our southern border and locked these children in cages. And the Trump Justice Department remained painfully silent as our Nation cried out for racial justice in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man.

After the firing of Attorney General Sessions, the Attorney General of the United States became the Attorney General for Donald Trump. When our Nation's top law enforcement official becomes little more than a political fixture for the President, it erodes the principle of equal justice under the law and calls into question the mission of the Department.

In the waning days of the Trump administration, with nearly half a million Americans dead from the coronavirus, a swarm of White supremacists and other extremists stormed our Capitol, including this very Chamber, and disrupted our peaceful transfer of power. Tragically, five people died during the January 6 insurrection, including a United States Capitol police officer.

Our Nation must now bring the perpetrators to justice and address the root causes in our society that enable White supremacists and other extremists to fuel hate and violence.

The next Attorney General cannot shy away from these historic challenges. The next Attorney General must meet these challenges head on to restore integrity to the Justice Department and to work every day--every day--to restore the trust of the American people.

President Biden has nominated Judge Garland--not just one of the finest public servants I have ever met but one of the finest people I have ever met--to be Attorney General of the United States. His name should be familiar to many of our colleagues because President Obama nominated him to serve on the Supreme Court in 2016. At the time, I called him perhaps the most qualified individual ever nominated to be on our Nation's highest Court, and I still believe that to this day.

Judge Garland graduated at the top of his class at both Harvard undergrad and Harvard Law School. He clerked for Justice Brennan on the Supreme Court, and after a time in private practice, he worked at the Department of Justice, where he prosecuted the perpetrators of the Oklahoma City bombing. Judge Garland called this, and I quote him, ``the most important thing I have ever done in my life.''

In 1997, Republicans and Democrats joined together to confirm Judge Garland to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, which is often called the ``second highest court in this land.'' Judge Garland has served honorably and dutifully for the past 24 years on the DC Circuit, including several years as its chief judge.

Judge Garland has gained the respect of all of his colleagues--left, right, and center--as someone who knows the law and never allows politics into the courtroom. Judge Garland works to

build consensus and find principled compromises. Judge Garland will bring a wealth of legal, law enforcement, and judicial experience to the Department of Justice to make him uniquely qualified--uniquely qualified--to lead the Department at this critical moment.

Judge Garland will be an Attorney General for all Americans--all Americans. He will not shy away from the challenges facing the Justice Department. He will meet them head on.

At the top of Judge Garland's to-do list is bringing the perpetrators of the January 6 insurrection to justice. Judge Garland will make sure that the Department stays out of the political fray and remains independent from the White House. And Judge Garland will answer the calls for racial justice and refocus the Department on one of its core missions, to protect the civil rights and voting rights of all Americans.

While I will never truly forget the shameful treatment of Judge Garland during his previous nomination to serve on the Supreme Court and in my heart I will always believe he should be serving on the Supreme Court today, I am grateful that Judge Garland has answered the call to serve.

I am also grateful to his wife of many years. I am grateful to his family for supporting him and allowing him to serve us as he has. He is more than just a judge or attorney or a servant. He is a mentor. He is somebody who, every week, for years--20 years--has made time, found time in his life to mentor a kid who needs somebody in his life or her life. As someone who has been mentored for many years myself, I just want to say: God bless you. God bless you, Judge Garland. My hope today is he will get a resounding--resounding--vote out of this body. He has earned it. He deserves it.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, we have just invoked cloture on the nomination of Michael S. Regan, President Biden's nominee to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The vote was 65 to 35. To every Democrat and every Republican and maybe an Independent or two, I want to thank you for your vote.

I rise today to talk about this nomination and, more particularly, about the person, the man who has been selected to serve as our EPA Administrator.

As Members of this deliberative body, each one of us has taken an oath to protect and defend our U.S. Constitution. That oath includes offering our

advice and our consent when it comes to nominations of the President to fill posts in his or her administration.

It is hard to think of a time in modern history when the Senate's role on nominations could be considered more urgent. We live in a time of great challenges. Our Nation faces multiple crises all at once. This includes the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic--the first in 100 years of this nature--the worst economy since the Great Depression, as well as the reckoning of racial injustice. All three of these crises are interconnected with a fourth that is even greater and graver than any emergency the United States may have ever faced before, and that is the climate crisis--the climate crisis.

President Biden recognizes the importance and urgency of tackling this challenge. That is why he ran with a promise to make climate action a core of his administration's work and of our work. It is also part of the reason why a record-setting majority of the American people voted him into office last November.

There are few leadership roles in the Federal Government that have greater responsibility for setting environmental and climate policy than that of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. This role has a profound responsibility--a profound responsibility--to ensure that the Agency effectively carries out its mission to protect our health and our environment.

That mission is particularly challenging right now. We know that the next EPA Administrator has his work cut out for him. He knows it as well.

In addition to addressing the serious environmental issues that are affecting Americans, the next EPA Administrator will also need to rebuild an Agency suffering from organizational drift and low morale after being repeatedly damaged in recent years by flawed leadership.

Scientific integrity has also been under attack. We need a strong, principled leader to get the EPA back on track.

Michael Regan is the right person for the job at this critical moment. He is a man of deep faith who believes, as I believe we all do, that we have a moral obligation to be stewards of this planet on which we live together. Michael Regan is the kind of person who can help unite us in common purpose as we respond to the climate crisis we face, as well as to clean our air, clean our water, and strive to make sure that we don't leave some of our communities and some of our neighbors behind in our efforts to do so.

He knows how to put together inspired teams of men and women who are mission-focused and can together tackle complex problems and challenges.

As Secretary of North Carolina's Department of Environmental Quality, he has proved himself to be an effective policy executive and bipartisan problem solver, someone who forges practical solutions to clean our air and clean our water, while making and building a more nurturing environment for job creation and job preservation.

Anyone who has watched the EPA over the past few years knows that Mr. Regan will have his hands full as Administrator. From scandals to climate denial, to the unrelenting disregard for the opinions of career scientists throughout EPA, the past two Administrators leave in their wake a frustrated workforce, suffering from organizational drift and low morale at what may be an all-time low.

One of the keys to restoring that morale is returning scientific integrity to the Agency. Let me say again: One of the keys to restoring the morale in the EPA is returning to scientific integrity. That also means curbing the influence of special interests on EPA's scientific advisory boards, which play a large role in crafting the Agency's policies.

Mr. Regan will be tasked with combating climate change, the greatest environmental crisis we are facing as a world today. On this issue, we have no time to waste. I know my State, Delaware, does not have the luxury to wait a minute longer. We have the lowest lying State in the country. The State is sinking, and the seas around us are rising.

We are not the only State in which that has happened. This is felt by other States across the country too. One unlikely State you might find it in is Louisiana. Louisiana, according to John Neely Kennedy, one of the Republican Senators here, told me last month, he said his State, Louisiana, is losing--get this--a football field of wetlands to rising sea levels every 100 minutes. Think about that, a football field of wetlands to rising sea levels every 100 minutes.

I see the signs of this crisis too clearly as I travel throughout my State. Madam President, eroding shorelines, waterlogged roads, and extreme weather threaten our economy and our way of life. Erratic weather patterns make farming some of our biggest crops--and we raise a lot of soybeans, and I know in your State you raise a couple of soybeans as well, but we raise a lot of soybeans. It makes farming, whether raising soybeans or corn or chickens, a lot more difficult.

Mr. Regan saw similar problems around another Wilmington--not Wilmington, DE, but Wilmington, NC--a problem similar to what we see every day in Wilmington, DE. He understands that we do not have to choose between economic growth and clean air and clean water. It is indeed a false choice.

He knows, like many of our world's leaders, that combating this crisis presents, instead, a chance for real economic growth--real economic growth that can create millions of good-paying American jobs and breathe life into communities large and small throughout this country.

And we know that the economic cost of spending a little today more than outweighs the cost of inaction. I believe it was Ben Franklin who once said that ``an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.''

I know we all think that is a quote that comes from our grandmothers. It actually came originally from Ben Franklin.

As EPA Administrator, Mr. Regan will also need to work with States, with Tribes, and with municipalities to combat contamination in our Nation's water supply from something called PFAS, one of thousands of permanent chemicals. Some are benign. Some of them are very, very dangerous to our health. They are called forever chemicals. Unfortunately, this is a critical public health issue that the last administration did not approach with the urgency it deserved. They talked a good game but didn't come through. What do they say in Montana? ``All hat, no cattle.'' That is what we saw with respect to these permanent chemicals in the last administration.

This has hit home for me, and my guess is it hits home for the Presiding Officer, too, in Wisconsin. But coming from a State--we have got military installations, one of the biggest airbases in the world, Dover Air Force Base. I am hugely proud of Dover Air Force Base. It may be the best airlift base in the world. And, for years, we have, unfortunately, occasionally, had incidents, accidents, and we need to have firefighters come out, and they use firefighting foam to try to save lives. And in doing that, it endangered the lives of other people because of the PFAS contamination that is in the firefighting foam, and it gets into our groundwater.

And it is not just Delaware. It is not just Delaware. It is not just Wisconsin. It is like, last I heard, hundreds, maybe 300 bases around the country where there is a problem with PFAS contamination in the groundwater close to our military bases.

If his work in North Carolina on this issue is any indication, Mr. Regan will leave no stone unturned. We will also be looking to the EPA Administrator to ensure cleaner air by reestablishing the legal basis for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which were upended by an administration more interested in protecting special interests than they were keeping mercury out of our air and our water supply.

These standards have been shown over time to be cost-effective, and they are supported by major coal-fired utilities across this country. Let me say that again. These standards have been shown over time not only to be cost-effective, but they are supported by major coal-fired utilities across this country.

As Administrator, Michael Regan will also oversee the phasedown of something called HFCs, powerful greenhouse gasses used as a refrigerant--think refrigerators, freezers,

air-conditioners in our house and our cars. They do a good job of keeping it cool and our food cool. Unfortunately, they are about 1,000 times worse, more dangerous than carbon dioxide is to greenhouse gas-- 1,000 times worse.

Last Congress, I was proud to help lead a bipartisan effort with a couple of our Republican colleagues, John Neely Kennedy and John Barrasso, to phase down the production of these harmful chemicals while giving American manufacturers a leg up in making the coolants of the future.

How many jobs will flow from this? Tens of thousands of American jobs. How much economic opportunity for American companies? Billions and billions of dollars. And, oh, by the way, I should hasten to add, you know, we hear from scientists that tell us that we are sort of at the turning point for us in terms of climate change by which we can't turn back. It is about 2 degrees Celsius for the balance of this century--2 degrees. Our phasedown of hydrofluorocarbons is worth a half-degree Celsius just by itself, just this one thing. So this is a huge thing, and we did it in a bipartisan way here in the Senate and the House. I am very grateful to everyone for their support.

Let me add a couple of more points, if I can. Mr. Regan will need to help craft emission standards for cars, trucks, and vans that will fight climate change and help keep America in the lead in the clean car revolution. We heard not long ago from our friends at GM. GM announced that beginning in 2035, they are not going to be building and selling vehicles powered by gasoline or diesel. Think about that. That is like 14 years from now. I think Ford may have announced in Europe that they are not going to be building vehicles that drive or are powered by gasoline or diesel. In Europe, by 2030, like I said, 9 years, this is coming.

So the question is, Will we be ready for it? Will we take advantage of it? Will we be able to find, in this adversity of climate change, an economic opportunity? Yes, we can and especially with respect to the kinds of vehicles that we are going to build and drive into the future.

Michael Regan's tenure in North Carolina is, I think, a testament to his ability to bring people together and work across the political divide. He spearheaded what is considered to be the largest coal ash cleanup settlement in U.S. history. He successfully led the negotiations that resulted in the cleanup of the Cape Fear River, right where my wife used to work for the DuPont company, the Cape Fear DuPont plant. And he created North Carolina's first-ever Environmental Justice and Equity Advisory Board.

Mr. Regan has been able to do these things and much more by bringing people together to find bipartisan, lasting policy compromises, all while never compromising on his principles. He and I both believe in the adage that bipartisan solutions are lasting solutions, and we could use a few more of those around here.

That ability to unite people in common purpose, to approach his role as a public servant with humility, with empathy, and with grace, that central part of Mr. Regan's character has been demonstrated throughout his public service and his nomination process

Interestingly, 23 of our country's national agricultural organizations wrote to my committee--to our committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee--to recommend him for the job. Most people might say: Well, big deal. Well, it was a big deal. How often do we have like dozens of major national agricultural organizations stepping up and saying, ``We want to embrace this candidate to be the head of the Environmental Protection Agency''? Not very often, but they did in this case.

They highlighted his ``established record of listening to all stakeholders, including farmers and ranchers.'' And they applauded his pragmatic approach, writing that ``during his tenure, he has worked to find practical, sound solutions to myriad environmental issues in the state.''

We heard this same sentiment in his nomination hearing before the Environment and Public Works Committee. Throughout his testimony and questioning, Mr. Regan made it clear that he will be an EPA Administrator for red States just like he will be an EPA Administrator for blue States. He listened to concerns from both sides of the dais and made commitments to work with anyone to solve a problem facing their constituents.

That is what helped earn him a 14-to-6 bipartisan vote of approval coming out of the EPW Committee. I remember us measuring the amount of time from someone's name being actually submitted by a President to, actually, before we even had a hearing, much less got somebody reported out--measured in months, in months. In this case, we are talking about weeks, and, God willing, hours this afternoon.

Believe it or not, his committee hearing before the committee a couple of weeks ago, he was introduced to the committee by two Senators from his State. You may think that is not a big deal, maybe not, but they are both Republicans. They are both Republicans. We heard from one of them, Thom Tillis, that Mr. Regan ``has earned a reputation for being a thoughtful leader willing to engage.'' His colleague from North Carolina Senator Burr underscored Mr. Regan's ability to listen, saying that organizations across North Carolina and across the country support Mr. Regan for Administrator because ``they understand they will not always agree with every decision handed down by EPA, but they know and trust they will receive a fair hearing.'' This is a Democratic nominee recommended by two Republican Senators from the same State. Honestly, I don't see that every day, and I want to say a special shout-out thanks to Richard Burr and Thom Tillis for doing that, supporting Mr. Regan's nomination.

Michael Regan understands that climate change shouldn't be a partisan issue. Its impacts hit red States and blue States alike. Wildfires rage across California, while floods in Florida damage homes and roads. Deadly ice storms endanger the power supply in Texas, while a drought in New Mexico harms farming and puts people at risk. Water contamination near an Air Force base in Delaware harms families just like contamination near a National Guard base in South Dakota. And dirty air from a powerplant in Ohio or West Virginia can make their way into neighboring States like ours and like Maryland, our neighboring State, like New Jersey.

The problems that are before our next EPA Administrator--and, hopefully, it will be Michael Regan--those problems are great. As Albert Einstein once said, ``In adversity lies opportunity.'' Think about that--in adversity lies opportunity. We have an opportunity here to fulfill our moral obligation to be good stewards of this planet, and we can seize on that opportunity if we have the right leader in place to make it happen.

During my years in the Navy, then as Governor of Delaware, I learned firsthand that leadership is maybe the most important thing in the success of any organization I have ever been a part of. I don't care if it is a business; I don't care if it is a State; I don't care if it is the Senate or House, a hospital, a school, leadership is always the key--always the key. The leader sets the tone, helps write the rules of the road, and makes sure that those working under him or her are doing what is right.

I learned a lot from really good leaders, and, frankly, I have learned a few things from really awful leaders. I suspect, if truth be known, we would all say the same thing. The best leaders are humble, not haughty. They have the heart of a servant. They understand their job is to serve, not to be served. Leaders have the courage to stay out of step when everyone else is marching to the wrong tune. They understand their job is to unite, not divide. They build bridges, not walls.

Leaders surround themselves with the best people they can find. When the team does well, the leader gives the credit to his or her team. When the team falls short, the leader takes the blame. Leaders don't build themselves up by tearing other people down. They are aspirational. They appeal to people's better angels.

I remember a French philosopher, Albert Camus, once said that leaders are ``purveyors of hope.'' Think about that, purveyors of hope. Leaders always seek to do what is right, not what is easy or expedient. They focus on excellence in everything they do. If it is not perfect, they say: Let's just make it better. Leaders treat other people the way

they want to be treated. And, finally, when leaders know they are right, they are sure they are right, they don't give up. They just don't give up.

Michael Regan is that kind of leader. We need that kind of leader, and I am convinced that he is the leader we need for his critical role at this critical time in our Nation's history.

So, Madam Chair and colleagues, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, I urge all of my colleagues to support his nomination.

With that, I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, this may be the only bipartisan amendment that we will have the chance to vote on today. The really good news is that there will be a voice vote.

For the past decade, our Nation's veterans service organizations have called on Congress to protect our military veteran students and close the 90-10 loophole that you have heard about. Today, at long last, Congress heeds that call by harnessing market forces to ensure better educational opportunities and outcomes for our millions of veterans. Those millions of veterans and veteran students use their hard-earned educational benefits at a variety of educational institutions in our States, including the types of trade and vocational schools that my own father--maybe your relatives as well--used in World War II and Korea and Vietnam using the original GI bill.

Let me be clear. Some for-profit schools in this country do a very good job working with our veterans, preparing them for lives and careers. Unfortunately, we have seen way too many that do not, and what we want to do with this legislation is to make sure that the veterans are protected from the bad actors in the for-profit college sector, places like ITT Tech and Corinthian, places that no longer exist.

While the American Rescue Plan closes the 90-10 loophole, we understand the need to make sure we get this right. I am grateful to our colleagues, for Jerry Moran, and am proud to be joining him, along with Senators Cassidy and Lankford, in the thoughtful, bipartisan approach to a contentious issue.

By providing a 6-month delay before the start of the negotiated rulemaking process, our amendment gives Congress time to work together with our veterans service organizations on a bipartisan plan to strengthen these protections for our veterans and taxpayers.

We invite you all to join us in supporting this amendment.

Reserving the right to object.

Madam President, I respect the views of my colleagues. I respect the views of this colleague especially, and he knows that. We don't always agree on everything or even, maybe, most things, but I think it is important we be able to find ways to disagree without being disagreeable.

I understand that the senior Senator from Utah is here today because he disagrees with a particular policy. That is certainly his right, his prerogative. He is welcome to register his views, as we all are.

For instance, we have heard our friend from Utah defend the principles of limited government and our system of federalism on this floor many times. I have heard him and other colleagues of ours argue with passion that the Federal Government should not be in the business of interfering in State or local matters.

Yet here we are, as our Republican colleagues try to tell a local government, once again, what it can and cannot do. The Senator from Utah has introduced a resolution that seeks to overturn a law passed by the duly elected council of the District of Columbia.

I am not here to debate the merits of this law. After all, I was not elected by the people living in the District of Columbia. In fact, no one, as far as I know, in this room was elected by the people of the District of Columbia.

But the reason that these Senators have the ability to try to overturn a law passed by the local DC government is that the over 700,000 individuals who call the District of Columbia home continue to be denied full representation in Congress--in fact, any representation here in the U.S. Senate.

Under current law, Congress reviews all legislation passed by the DC Council before it can become law. The District of Columbia is not allowed to even control its own budget. The Mayor of DC cannot even deploy the men and women of the National Guard in case of emergency, a right every other State executive can utilize. If this were the case for any other State or local government, there would rightfully be an outcry from the citizens of that State or local government.

I don't believe that our colleague from Utah would take kindly to me or any of us in this body telling the city council in, say, Salt Lake City--a city with just under 200,000 residents--what laws they could or could not pass, and he would be right. He would be right. Luckily, the people of Salt Lake City have a Senator who has come to Washington, speaks his mind on the Senate floor, and votes to advance the interests of not just Salt Lake City citizens but the rest of Utah as well. I think that is really, in its essence, all that the people of Washington, DC, are looking for.

For me, the issue of DC statehood is not a Democratic or Republican issue; it is a simple issue of basic fairness. For a Nation whose founding mantra--``no taxation without representation''--inspired the longest running experiment in democracy, we should all be concerned that today more than 700,000 tax-paying Americans, over two-thirds of whom are people of color, continue to be denied a vote here in this body.

Our Nation's Capital is home to more than just monuments and museums. It is a home to American families who go to work, to Americans who start businesses, to Americans who pay their taxes, to Americans who serve our country in times of war and peace, and to Americans who are still denied representation. Again, it is home to veterans and servicemembers who have signed up to protect our freedoms, who have risked their lives for our country and are still denied the ability to have a say in our Nation's future. It is home to the hundreds of Capitol Police officers who come to work every day in the Nation's Capital to keep us safe and are still denied a vote in the very institution they protect.

For generations, those who call the District of Columbia home have been denied the right to fully participate in our democracy, and that is why we are here today. That is why our Republican colleagues can call this vote to silence the decisions made by local leaders that DC residents have voted into office. That is why they can exercise this Federal overreach here today.

I said at the beginning of my remarks that my colleagues and I don't always agree on everything, but we do agree on quite a bit. But I strongly agree and want to associate myself with the words of Senator Mike Lee in, I think it was 2018, just a couple of years ago. He said then:

We should allow each unique community to develop unique

solutions according to the unique local preferences, and

leave it at that.

Let me just repeat that.

We should allow each unique community to develop unique

solutions according to unique local preferences, and leave it

at that.

I could not agree more. I think it is incumbent upon all of us who care deeply for our democracy and the rights of all Americans to take up the cause of our fellow citizens in the District of Columbia and use our voices to call out this historic injustice and finally right this wrong.

With that, I stand opposed to Senator Lee's joint resolution

I yield the floor.

Objection.

Mr. President, today I rise to pay tribute and honor the life of the late Mrs. Barbara O' Malley, a friend, and a dedicated public servant who proudly served Maryland and our Nation as a congressional staffer for Senator Barbara Mikulski for over three decades.

Born in Fort Wayne, IN, Barbara's love of public service was nurtured early on by her father, Joseph Suelzer, a World War I veteran who served as the chair of the Democratic Party in Indiana's Allen County. She got an early start in politics as a congressional campaign staffer and then moved to Washington, DC, where she met her future husband, Thomas Martin O'Malley, at the Young Democrats' headquarters in our Nation's Capital. The O'Malleys made a home in Maryland, where Barbara spent 33 years as a stay-at-home mother before her inclination towards politics called her into service once more, this time with an opportunity to work for one of the only two female Senators in Congress at that time, Senator Barbara Mikulski.

In Congress, Barbara found a second home. To all those fortunate enough to work in the Senate and especially to those who worked on the fifth floor of the Senate Hart Building, including myself, Barbara was simply known as ``Mrs. O.'' She worked as a receptionist for Senator Mikulski and was the friendly face who welcomed constituents, colleagues, friends, and even Senators to the office. With her warmth and kindness, she made you feel right at home. And with her deep knowledge of Maryland's democratic politics, you knew she meant business. She cherished working for Congress, and as a lover of history, she did not take for granted how special it was to walk the same Capitol halls as many of our former great American leaders.

Even though Barbara was committed to serving the people of Maryland, she was also equally committed to her family--her husband, her six children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. In their family, Barbara and her husband, Thomas, a World War II veteran, instilled a sense of duty and public service, so it came as no surprise that their son, Martin O'Malley, went on to become the mayor of Baltimore and Governor of their beloved State of Maryland.

Dedication and commitment to public service defined Barbara's career in Congress, and we are so lucky she chose the Senate as one of the places to make her mark in this world.