Floor Statements

Madam President, this week President

Biden's State of the Union speech addressed an issue I have long worked on. It is the issue of police reform. After years--and I do mean years--of Democrats' touting unpopular ``defund the police'' policies, they have finally seen the light--maybe it is the light on their sinking polling numbers--and are now voicing support for funding our men and women in uniform.

Crime is one of the top issues people across this country are facing. Homicides are up 44 percent in major cities since 2019, and minority communities that have been impacted the most are crying out for help.

Eighty-five percent--85 percent--is the number of the increase from 2019 to 2020 in the murders and the violent crimes in Black and Hispanic communities. In addition, last year was one of the most dangerous, deadliest years for law enforcement on record, with the most officers being shot in the line of duty since they began tracking the numbers. That is nearly a 70-percent increase in officers being shot while simply trying to do their duty, take care of the community, and return to their families.

So this is not an issue between law enforcement or the minority community; this is an issue of both. Today, 80 percent of African Americans all over the country want the same level of policing or higher levels of policing. They want their neighborhoods safe because they understand more than anyone else--with the 85-percent increase, they understand the importance of the presence of character-driven law enforcement officers patrolling our communities.

The numbers simply do not lie.

That is why we must increase funding for police departments so they can have the training and the equipment, the resources necessary to do their jobs, keeping themselves safe and the neighborhoods that they patrol safe at the exact same time.

In his speech this week, President Biden named things I have been working on and supporting for years along with my Republican colleagues. We have literally been supporting the issues he raised for the last 2 or 3 years.

My legislation, the JUSTICE Act, was filibustered on this very floor by Senate Democrats in 2020. It contained hundreds of millions of dollars for the very things President Biden, under duress and in an election year for so many Democrats, is now advocating for.

In my bill, as an example, we funded training; we funded storage; and we funded the purchase of more body-worn cameras for our officers because the polling and the stats are undeniable. When violent crime against our officers goes down, violent crime against the community goes down.

We funded training on alternatives for the use of force. We funded deescalation training. We addressed the issues of behavioral health. We funded efforts to ensure law enforcement officers come from diverse backgrounds that reflect the communities that they serve, but Democrats refused to support those efforts.

Fast-forward to 2021. The legislation that I was negotiating over the last year would ban choke holds, with the only exception being the life of the officer. We took a strong stance on no-knock warrants. We worked to provide support for officers who were experiencing PTSD, and we supported providing co-responders to scenes where there was a mental health episode happening.

The truth is, we were almost there--getting a bill done--when my negotiating partners left the table.

In this election year, I am glad to hear that President Biden and Democrats are now, suddenly, talking positively about an issue that every community around the country has been talking about for the last 2 years.

I want more than talk. I want to see action. I am still at the table. I am still waiting for anyone, from anywhere, at any time, to show up at this table and take care of our police officers so they can continue to take care of our communities. I look forward to reintroducing legislation very quickly to refund the police after so many efforts to defund the police have succeeded in cities across our great Nation.

I urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to come back to the negotiating table, which I never left, so that we can ensure the proper level of funding for our officers, who provide great levels of safety for our communities.

Also, for the last 3 years, I have worked really hard with my friends across the aisle on lynching legislation--lynching legislation that has failed in this body 200 times--and we passed it. We passed it twice under Republican leadership, in this Senate, only for it to fall apart in the House. Well, the House has taken up that legislation, and they have renamed it. That is a good thing if they will pass it. If it takes a new name and minor tweaks to get this legislation signed into law-- legislation that has failed 200 times--I welcome a new name; I welcome some technical changes. I think we are almost there on this, too.

This is the year, and now is the time that we do the right thing, not for Republicans or Democrats but for Americans, who have watched with bewildered eyes and confused hearts the government fall short on issues of importance to them again and again and again. Let this year be the year we put politics to the side, and we get it done.

Thank you, Madam President, for the opportunity to talk about something really important to all Americans but specifically important to Americans from the Deep South who happen to look like me.

As I listened to the President talk about the importance of stopping what he characterized as Jim Crow 2.0, I felt frustration and irritation rising in my soul. As I keep hearing the references to Jim Crow, I ask myself how many Americans understand what Jim Crow was. I am so thankful--thankful--that we are not living in those days.

But just for those who don't appreciate the Jim Crow that was, it was a time when my grandfather, born in 1921, would have experienced it. If he were still alive, he could tell the stories of the Jim Crow South and the Jim Crow era, an era where, in order for a black person to vote, you had to pass a literacy test.

Now, if you could read at that point, it would not just be a test on whether or not you could read, it would be a test on ``Do you know who your Governor was 20 years before you were getting ready to vote?'' It would include the threat of being lynched--literally killed--because those in power wanted to stop Black folks from realizing and fully participating in the greatest Nation on Earth and exercising what I believe is a fundamental responsibility and right of Americans, the right to vote.

It would include beatings and the power of intimidation, the loss of your job if you dared to show up to vote. And so when I hear my President, your President, our President of these United States, just a little while ago, a week or so ago, talk about Jim Crow 2.0 and using as the poster child of this new Jim Crow South being the Georgia voting law, I rushed to read the law one more time so that I could understand what in the world is he talking about.

I am here this afternoon because I had a conversation with the South Carolina NAACP about 2 hours ago, and they encouraged me to come to the floor and make my comments as public as possible so that people understand

what I have read in the Georgia law and compare it to the Jim Crow South.

So what we know about the Georgia law--and I have read the law--what we know about the Georgia law is the controversies the President spoke about and that we have heard Members of Congress speak about over the weekend is it is illegal to get water while waiting to vote.

Now, that claim has been proven false. It is not illegal to get water while waiting in line. That is false. The only time you can't get water while waiting in line to vote, according to the Georgia law, is if it is a partisan; someone campaigning for someone--campaigning for someone--you can't bring them water. But if you are an election worker or a relative, you can, of course, bring a person water. So that was completely false.

But if that is the threshold of the new Jim Crow era, it looks nothing like the past. However, even that is false. What else is in that Georgia law that is supposedly the poster child of voter suppression? It allows for early voting, to include now the Souls to the Polls, where you have Sundays where you can vote early--as a matter of fact, 17 days of early voting, more early voting than the President's own home State or New York.

It allows for mail-in ballots without an excuse, the same thing that was turned down by the voters in New York. No-excuse, on-demand, mail- in ballots is now the law in Georgia.

New drop boxes. Prepandemic there was--it was not legal to have a drop box in Georgia. Now, it is legal to have a drop box in Georgia and voter ID, supported by at least 60 percent of African Americans, 60 percent of Hispanics, 60 percent or more of the majority population.

After going through point by point and realizing in South Carolina that minority turnout was stronger than the overall turnout in South Carolina and that two of the three African-American Senators in the U.S. Senate today--two of us--represent those Southern States, it is hard to deny progress when two of the three come from the Southern States that people say are the places where African-American votes are being suppressed, not to mention the fact that 2020 was a banner year for minority participation in the greatest Nation on Earth from a voting perspective, and that is, my friends, good news.

The Democrats' proposal would allow for the supporters of Bernie Sanders and their tax dollars to go into my reelection account; I oppose that. It would undermine voter ID laws across our country; I oppose that. It puts unaccountable bureaucrats in charge of our elections; Americans oppose that. And walking in on the day of the election, registering to vote without any verification, is something I, too, oppose.

And so, when I think about the important issue of voting and when I think about the issue of voter suppression, it lands on my front porch because, as a guy who has voted in the Deep South all my life, as a person who was born in 1965 with a mama who understands racism, discrimination, and ``separate and not equal,'' with a grandfather who I took to vote and helped him cast his vote because he was unable to read, to have a conversation in a narrative that is blatantly false is offensive, not just to me or southern Americans but offensive to millions of Americans who fought, bled, and died for the right to vote.

So if we are going to have an honest conversation about the right to vote, let's engage on that based on the facts of the laws that are being passed, not the rhetoric surrounding those laws, where it looks like power is more important than people.

I will close with this. The Civil War of this Nation started in my hometown. One of the most powerful and popular Senators in the history of America was Strom Thurmond. In 2010, when I ran for Congress, I ran for Congress in the place where the Civil War started, and I ran for Congress in a Republican primary against the son of Strom Thurmond. I won that race, not merely because of who I am but because of who we have become as a Nation.

The evolution of the heart of America and the hearts of southerners could not be more clear on a day when the son of a single mother, mired in poverty, runs against the son one of the most famous Senators in the history of the country and comes out victorious.

I would love for us to have a conversation about what we are doing for Americans as opposed to this negative, false narrative of what is happening to America.

Madam President, I thank my colleagues, both Senator Collins and Senator Lankford, for their thoughts and their comments and their words today because what we are talking about today is not about simply a $3\1/2\ trillion spending bill.

We are talking about something more fundamental to what it means to be an American. I am proud to be an American. I am proud to live in a country where upward mobility is a reality; that we can, by hard work and a strong education, change our fortunes in this country and not only change it for ourselves but change it for the generations that follow us.

As Senator Lankford talked about the three important ingredients of escaping poverty, I will say that, as a kid who stumbled in high school, who did not do well as a freshman, who did not see the opportunities that America had available, who did not believe always that there was a way that a poor kid in South Carolina could ever escape poverty, I am thankful that I met a mentor and had a powerful mom who believed in me in a way that I could not believe in myself.

I am thankful to live in a country where the American free enterprise system provided a pathway forward, and if I could just see it and believe it and work towards it, it was possible for me to achieve the outcomes that we are sitting here trying to defend.

I am thankful that, as a kid who then finished high school, went on to college, and experienced the American dream, that we are here together to defend the American dream for the next generation. The challenge, of course, is that when we look at the $3.5 trillion package, it makes it harder for a kid trapped in poverty, as I was, to find a path forward.

I will simply say that while we discuss this $3.5 trillion package, the content of this package is more concerning than the cost of the package. I am certain that someone on the other side will figure out that taking 10 years of funding and making it 5 years of funding cuts it from $3.5 trillion down to $1.75 trillion. I am confident that that math is easy to do on either side. But I am not confident that we can preserve the American dream in all of its glory if the content of this package becomes law.

I think about how unfortunate it would be, in a nation that is narrowly divided, 50-50, that we would find ourselves, because the Democrats control the White House--there is a 50-50 split in the Senate that requires the Vice President to break a tie and a five-seat majority the Democrats have in the House. With those slim majorities, they want to do something so fundamentally transformative that it scares me for the future of the kids trapped in poverty all over America.

I don't know how we will continue to be able to preach the good news of economic opportunity and economic freedom when you are on the road to socialism. The two are antithetical. They don't go in the same direction. There is a fork in the road, and we as a nation have to choose one. Unfortunately, the Democrats, who have the slimmest of majorities, have the votes to fundamentally weaken the greatest economic engine in world history through taxing and spending policies that bring us so much closer to socialism.

The Democrats actually want you to believe what they say more than what you see with your own eyes. You see, the breadcrumbs of this $3.5 trillion package can be seen by the level of inflation. If you put too much money into the economy too quickly and the supply remains about the same, it leads to inflation.

What inflation means to kids living in single-parent households and to people living and working paycheck-to-paycheck, what inflation means is, it means a tax. It means that even with a small, marginal increase in your income, with the rate of inflation being over 5.5 percent, your spending power goes down.

So when you pull up to the gas station, as I did and as so many Americans do every single day to go to work, and you look at the price per gallon, it is over $3 a gallon, which represents over a 40-percent increase in the cost of gas. On a fixed income, as our Social Security recipients and our golden Americans are, on people working paycheck to paycheck, a 40-plus percent increase in the cost of gas deprives them of some of the luxuries, the margins in their paychecks, and then stack on top of that a 20-percent increase in the cost of your utilities.

It is impossible--impossible--to recognize the devastating impact that the Biden inflation is having already on middle-income Americans, on paycheck-to-paycheck Americans, people living in poverty, and single-parent households.

But worse than the inflationary effect, which, of course, is a precursor to the $3.5 trillion, is what the content does. Think about this: In America today, if you write a check for $10,000, the IRS wants to know who you are writing it to. Under this proposal, imagine, if you will, the IRS spying on your bank account for every transaction over $600. Imagine four tires--more than $600. So the IRS wants to know why you are spending $600 on tires. Imagine if your engine runs hot and you have to take your car in to get it checked--more than $600. Imagine trying to find the money, scraping the resources together just to be able to buy school clothes for your kids, and if you have a couple kids, a couple pairs of shoes, pants--dresses are up 18 percent. Imagine that $600 expense being taken out of your account, and the IRS is looking into your account to see what you are spending the money on.

The content of this legislation is more dangerous than the amount of the legislation. And I got to tell you, $3.5 trillion is pretty dangerous, but more dangerous than the $3.5 trillion is having the IRS empowered to take a look at every single transaction. Not only the $600, but imagine doubling the number of IRS agents with the $80 billion in this package--doubling the number of agents to come take a look at your family business, your family accounts. Destructive.

Go beyond that. Think about the average farmer in South Carolina who spent their entire life farming and who has more land than money. Because of this package and its impact on family businesses and family farmers, because of the way they want to refigure the death tax or the estate tax, as we say it when we are being polite in mixed company, here is what it means: It means that you jeopardize the ability to pass your family farm to the next generation.

This is not theoretical. You can talk to a farmer named Whit Player from

Lee County or Monty Rast in St. Matthews, SC, who have been farming for decades. Ask them about the impact of not being able to pass the family farm or small business to the next generation.

Think about punishing the farmers and still providing a check for $12,500 for someone making $800,000 a year to buy a luxury vehicle, an electric vehicle. You are going to give them a tax credit even though they make $800,000.

Imagine a part of the bill where union workers at an auto factory are able to sell their cars with a $4,500 tax credit, but the Volvo workers in South Carolina, the BMW workers in South Carolina who don't work at a union factory--their cars don't get the $4,500 tax credit, embedding a unique form of bias into this bill. It just doesn't feel right. Restoring the tax credits for the State and local taxes for millionaires and billionaires across this country and putting that burden back on the backs of working people, middle-class working people.

I won't even go into raising the corporate tax from 21 percent to 28 percent or 26.5 percent. I won't go into eliminating passthroughs for small businesses, mom-and-pop businesses; a 20-percent increase because they eliminate the 20-percent credit on their small businesses. I won't get into that because we don't have enough time. I won't get into the raising taxes on individuals. I won't get into the capital gains tax going from 23.8 to 43.8. I won't get into all of that right now, but I will say this: If the Democrats' plan succeeds, I fear for that American dream that I am able to live right now. I fear that kids stuck in poverty today will be stuck in a caste system of socialism tomorrow.

Madam President, thank you for your time, your patience. I am just concerned about the greatest Nation ever designed in the history of the world. Thank you.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 3073 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, in over a year of uncertainty and the pain of living through a pandemic, I have to admit I am shocked that I have to come down here to talk about the importance of quality, in-person education.

Today, we are debating a $4 trillion tax-and-spending bill, and that is on top of the $2 trillion we spent in March and the $4 trillion we spent last year. How insane is it that with all that spending, there is still no guarantee that our kids will be back in school this fall?

The sad reality is, more than 1 million kids did not enroll in their local schools during the pandemic. Thanks to labor union bosses and their unneeded and damaging school shutdowns, kids have been kept out of school, and many--far too many--have suffered psychologically.

For our children's sake, I urge all my colleagues to vote yes on my amendment and to join me in ensuring our children are no longer confined to virtual learning.

I agree with my colleague that we should stop politicizing this issue. All we have done for the last several months of this year is politicize this issue and every other major issue.

Vote on Amendment No. 3073

I would like to ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Mr. Jon Jensen as he nears the end of his term as the 115th chairman of the nation's largest insurance association, the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, also known as the Big ``I.'' He has served an unprecedented 2-year term as chairman of the Big ``I'' due to the coronavirus pandemic's impact on association operations throughout most of 2020. Over the past 2 years, he has piloted the association through tumultuous times as a strong leader for independent insurance agents and small businesses across the country.

Jensen has made many contributions to the business community in South Carolina and the broader United States. A graduate from the Appalachian State University's insurance executive program, Jensen is currently the president and CEO of Correll Insurance Group, which has 28 offices in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Jensen has also chaired the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of South Carolina-- IIABSC--and received their Young Agent and Agent of the Year awards. Throughout his 12 insurance agencies, he employs approximately 300 South Carolinians across the State.

At the national association level, Jensen has served as chairman of the InsurPac committee and the government affairs committee. He has received two Big ``I'' Chairman's Awards and the Sidney O. Smith Award, the highest governmental affairs award given by the Big ``I.'' Jensen has also testified before Congress numerous times on topics such as flood insurance, agent licensing, and terrorism insurance. Additionally, he is a member of the TrustedChoice.com board and represents the Big ``I'' on the World Federation of Insurance Intermediaries, WFII. Jensen was sworn in as WFII's chairman in 2019 in Rome, the first time a Big ``I'' representative has chaired the organization.

As an active leader and philanthropist in his community, Jensen serves on the board of the Spartanburg Regional Foundation's--SRF-- cancer division, as well as SRF's grants and allocations committee, and he is a founding member of SRF's Legacy Society.

The State of South Carolina is proud of Jon Jensen and wishes him, his wife Julie, and his two children well following his successful term as chairman of the Big ``I.''

Mr. President, American entrepreneurship and innovation is the backbone of the American economy. American entrepreneurs provide new job opportunities for millions, bring new technologies to the marketplace, and drive forward our shared American Dream. Small businesses account for half of our gross domestic product, more than half our jobs, and three-fourths of new jobs created each year. Contrary to popular belief, not all of America's entrepreneurs are young tech-focused individuals starting companies in their garages.

In fact, millions of older Americans represent a powerful and growing share of American entrepreneurs. Today, the average age of successful entrepreneurs in America is 45, and in 2018, 3 in 10 entrepreneurs were over the age of 50, an increase of 50 percent since 2007. Today, entrepreneurs ages 55 and over represent 55 percent of all small business employers. Not only do seniors represent the majority of small business employers, but their life experiences help drive their businesses to the top 0.1 percent of the highest growth startups in the country based on growth in the first 5 years of operation.

In my conversations with older entrepreneurs in South Carolina. I have learned how they combine their years of experience, networks. and dreams to start countless successful small businesses. I have also learned that older entrepreneurs often face unique challenges in today's economy. Those challenges include the need for enhanced digital and technical skills. mentorship opportunities, business growth and hiring training; along with resources for estate and retirement planning for their businesses. These obstacles can prevent small businesses owned by older Americans from reaching their full growth potential. This untapped business growth potential leaves capital on the sidelines and slows innovation and job creation.

That is why today I am introducing the Golden-preneurship Act. The Golden-preneurship Act would take a meaningful step in helping catapult senior-owned small businesses into the next level of success by establishing a new training program for ``Golden Entrepreneurs'' at the Small Business Administration. The newly developed ``Golden Entrepreneurs'' training program would equip proven senior entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to increase their business's market share and help bring jobs and capital to communities around the country. ``Golden Entrepreneurs'' would be a 7-month training program with two years of benchmark check-ins to fill the market gap and bridge the knowledge divide in digital and technical skills, business growth and hiring training, estate and retirement business planning, and provide new mentorship opportunities. The Golden-preneurship Act also requires the Small Business Administration to track the loans and grants provided to older Americans, valuable information we need to ensure America's older entrepreneurs are receiving the help they need.

With the Golden-preneurship Act we will ensure that today's Golden Entrepreneurs have the tools and resources to create tomorrow's jobs, new technologies, and opportunities.

Thank you.

Mr. President, American entrepreneurship and innovation is the backbone of the American economy. American entrepreneurs provide new job opportunities for millions, bring new technologies to the marketplace, and drive forward our shared American Dream. Small businesses account for half of our gross domestic product, more than half our jobs, and three-fourths of new jobs created each year. Contrary to popular belief, not all of America's entrepreneurs are young tech-focused individuals starting companies in their garages.

In fact, millions of older Americans represent a powerful and growing share of American entrepreneurs. Today, the average age of successful entrepreneurs in America is 45, and in 2018, 3 in 10 entrepreneurs were over the age of 50, an increase of 50 percent since 2007. Today, entrepreneurs ages 55 and over represent 55 percent of all small business employers. Not only do seniors represent the majority of small business employers, but their life experiences help drive their businesses to the top 0.1 percent of the highest growth startups in the country based on growth in the first 5 years of operation.

In my conversations with older entrepreneurs in South Carolina. I have learned how they combine their years of experience, networks. and dreams to start countless successful small businesses. I have also learned that older entrepreneurs often face unique challenges in today's economy. Those challenges include the need for enhanced digital and technical skills. mentorship opportunities, business growth and hiring training; along with resources for estate and retirement planning for their businesses. These obstacles can prevent small businesses owned by older Americans from reaching their full growth potential. This untapped business growth potential leaves capital on the sidelines and slows innovation and job creation.

That is why today I am introducing the Golden-preneurship Act. The Golden-preneurship Act would take a meaningful step in helping catapult senior-owned small businesses into the next level of success by establishing a new training program for ``Golden Entrepreneurs'' at the Small Business Administration. The newly developed ``Golden Entrepreneurs'' training program would equip proven senior entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to increase their business's market share and help bring jobs and capital to communities around the country. ``Golden Entrepreneurs'' would be a 7-month training program with two years of benchmark check-ins to fill the market gap and bridge the knowledge divide in digital and technical skills, business growth and hiring training, estate and retirement business planning, and provide new mentorship opportunities. The Golden-preneurship Act also requires the Small Business Administration to track the loans and grants provided to older Americans, valuable information we need to ensure America's older entrepreneurs are receiving the help they need.

With the Golden-preneurship Act we will ensure that today's Golden Entrepreneurs have the tools and resources to create tomorrow's jobs, new technologies, and opportunities.

Thank you.

Mr. President, I would like to wish Ms. Fay Brickman of Charleston, SC, a very happy and healthy 100th birthday.

Ms. Brickman married her high school sweetheart, Jack, after he returned from serving in World War II. They were married for 70 years before his passing. Together, they touched the lives of countless people in their community by generously supporting Charleston's academic institutions and consistently devoting time to their synagogue, Brith Shalom Beth Israel, where Fay was the president of the sisterhood.

I would like to recognize Ms. Brickman for the impact she made on our State and the legacy she built through her work and family. She is blessed with six brilliant children, all of whom hold law degrees, and 11 grandchildren, who visit regularly. I wish the family a wonderful time as they gather to celebrate Fay's 100th birthday.

Mr. President, today I would like to take a moment to recognize the great work of Dale Gilbert. Mr. Gilbert served as a meteorologist for nearly 25 years at WYFF-TV, which is a local station in Greenville, SC.

Dale Gilbert began his career at WYFF in the early 70s, becoming one of the youngest people on the air for the network. During his time at WYFF, he received many awards, including the South Carolina Broadcasters Association Masters Award. Mr. Gilbert was well loved by his community, and will be missed for the local legend that he has become.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 1030 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 2 minutes of debate, equally divided.

Mr. President, I have been doing some research as the ranking member of the Aging Committee. As of last month, 40 percent of COVID-related deaths in this country were residents or staff of long-term care facilities. Lawmakers are charged with the responsibility of protecting the most vulnerable populations in our country, and those numbers represent absolute failure.

Some States have underreported deaths in nursing homes, and some public officials made this move intentionally, a clear effort to deceive their populations into thinking the situation was not as dire. Inaccurate information affects life-and-death decisions for communities.

Requiring States to provide accurate data is common sense for anyone who believes, as I do, that we should have a science-based, fact-driven response to the pandemic. We should not offer more funding to States that have mismanaged and then covered up their pandemic response. It makes no sense.

I urge my colleagues to do the right thing and vote in favor of this amendment.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have 30 seconds to respond.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I would simply say that what my amendment does is it says that you can't lie about the numbers. The bottom line, it simply says that it is very important for us to have accurate information about the deaths in nursing homes. The more accurate the information, the more likely we are to have the best response.

Mr. President, I ask for 10 seconds to respond to my good friend from Oregon.

Thank you, Mr. President.

I will just simply say that even President Biden himself has suggested that investigations are warranted into this issue.

Vote on Amendment No. 1030

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Madam President, I call up my amendment No. 53 and ask that it be reported by number.

Colleagues, as of last month, two out of every five COVID-related deaths in this country are either residents of nursing homes or the staff of nursing homes.

Inaccurate information affects life-and-death decisions for communities. Requiring States to provide accurate data is common sense for anyone who believes, as I do, that we should have a science-based, fact-driven response to this pandemic.

We should not offer more funding to States that have mismanaged and then covered up their pandemic response until they fix it. It simply makes no sense. That is why my colleagues should join me in supporting this amendment.

Madam President, how much time do I have left on my 60 seconds?

I look forward to working with Senator Casey on the committee, and he is a person I have great respect for.

I would simply say that it is the responsibility of the Governors of these States to report accurate information. This is not a political debate.

Mr. President, it is my privilege to recognize and commend the Montessori School of Greenville for nearly 50 years of community service and teaching. At the end of this month, former teachers, directors, local educators, alumni, and students will gather to honor this longstanding educational leader in the Upstate as they close their doors.

The Greenville Montessori School has been a true model of education, since its humble beginnings from a church basement in 1970. At that time, it was the first Montessori school in the State of South Carolina. Since then, it has maintained the authentic principles and practices of the Montessori curriculum and developed a skilled staff and educational materials that provided training to countless teachers, helped establish other Montessori schools, and influenced alternative education models in the region and State.

This school developed a passion for learning, a sense of accountability, and a value for independent work in thousands of children in the Upstate. Many of these children grew up and sent their own children to this school, and it became a place for families and lifelong friends.

Today I celebrate the parents and educators who pushed and continue to push for improved educational offerings and programs like this one. Their work is informing and guiding the evolution of the school system and its offerings to provide safe environments and rigorous curriculums that will ensure our State's children can effectively compete in the local and global workforce and productively contribute to our society.

I would like to recognize and honor the Montessori School of Greenville and every type of K-12 school--public, private, charter school, homeschool, and online--that helps prepare our next generation for college, the workforce, and the amazing opportunities that lie ahead.

I pass along my sincerest gratitude to the many directors, educators, and local leaders involved with Greenville Montessori School in the past 50 years for contributing to and perpetuating the most important and precious opportunity we can offer our children: an education.

Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, National Small Business Week is about so much more than simply saying thank you to our small business owners and entrepreneurs. It is about recognizing everything they do for our communities. They aren't simply the economic backbone but a common thread that binds us together.

We all remember the stores we visited when we were young or with our families to pick out a new pair of shoes. They host bake sales, donate to local churches and charities, as well as support local youth teams. They invest in us, and we invest in them.

South Carolina is home to more than 400,000 small businesses employing nearly 800,000 people.

Having been a small business owner myself, I have to tell you that one of the more exciting times you could ever have in life is starting a small business. I know Senator Braun can talk about what ABC Sports used to call the thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat. Sometimes, for me, the thrill of victory was when I was signing the front side of a paycheck for my employees, and the agony of defeat was when I was not signing the back side of that paycheck for myself.

Being a small business owner certainly teaches you incredible lessons about life, about people, and certainly about the community you want to serve. Owning your own small business is a rewarding and sometimes challenging experience.

As part of National Small Business Week, it is also my honor to recognize VetFriends of Mount Pleasant, SC, as the Senate's Small Business of the Day.

Dale Sutcliffe, a U.S. Marine veteran of Desert Storm, founded VetFriends nearly 20 years ago with the simple mission of reuniting veterans. Following his service, Dale recognized the benefit that reconnecting veterans could have and quickly set up a platform where veterans can reunite with their fellow servicemembers during the time in which they served our great Nation.

The VetFriends platform has over 2.5 million veteran members and has brought together thousands of veterans. In the process, the platform has helped veterans share their stories, share their photos, as well as stay informed about upcoming events and reunions.

Currently, VetFriends employs over 25 South Carolinians and almost all have a close relationship with a veteran. The team at VetFriends has a longstanding tradition of supporting the veterans community and are regularly seen volunteering at the Ralph Johnson VA Medical Center. Additionally, the business has taken an active role working with the Wounded Warrior Project and Patriots Point in Charleston.

It is clear that VetFriends' values and goals not only enhance their business plan but also improve the community they belong to. VetFriends is an amazing example of what our small businesses are capable of, and I thank Dale Sutcliffe and our small business owners throughout South Carolina for pouring their heart and their soul as well as their dreams back into the community.

Let me finish by saying happy Mother's Day to all the mothers and especially my mama.

Madam President, as a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my privilege to honor a South Carolina small business during the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week. In my State, small business owners work hard to contribute to our local economy and serve South Carolina communities. Today, it is my honor to recognize VetFriends of Mount Pleasant, SC, as the Senate Small Business of the Day.

Dale Sutcliffe, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of Desert Storm, founded VetFriends nearly 20 years ago with the mission of reuniting veterans. Following his service, Dale realized the benefit that a national registry of veterans could have and quickly set up a platform where veterans can reconnect with their fellow servicemembers during their time serving our country. The VetFriends platform has over 2.5 million members and has brought together thousands of veterans with their former associates. In the process, the platform has helped veterans share stories and photos, as well as stay informed about upcoming reunions and events. Currently, the business employs over 25 South Carolinians, and almost all have a close relative or partner who is enlisted or has served.

The team at VetFriends has a longstanding tradition of supporting the veteran community and are regularly seen volunteering at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center. Additionally, the business has taken an active role working with the Wounded Warrior Project and the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston. It is clear that VetFriend's values and goals not only enhance their business plan but also improve the community that they belong to.

As we highlight the role that small businesses play throughout this week, it is my pleasure to honor the hard work that VetFriends is doing in the great State of South Carolina. They are a tremendous example of the way small businesses create innovative solutions, as well as give back to the community; I wish them nothing but success in their future endeavors.