Floor Statements

Mr. President, I want to begin by thanking my colleagues: Senator Schumer, Senator Wicker, and Senator Cantwell. All showed exceptional leadership over the course of drafting this legislation and ensuring that it made it through the process.

I also want to thank members of my team: Lauren O'Brien, my legislative director; Brandt Anderson, my national security adviser; Dan Cheever; Nancy Martinez, on my ledge staff. They went above and beyond.

So this piece of legislation, yes, it, indeed, is related to countering the threat that the Chinese Communist Party presents to this country. But it also is a piece of legislation that we are considering at a time when so many of our citizens feel overlooked, when the intimate communities that they call home feel hollowed out, when trust in our civic institutions is eroding, and when allegiance seems increasingly to our political tribes and not to one another on behalf of the common good.

So let's not kid ourselves. The Chinese Communist Party aims to exploit all of these divisions. They aim to exploit the insecurities of the global age. They aim to ensure that their power and their capabilities continue to grow. And they are, indeed, locked in a global competition with the United States of America and with our partners and allies.

So let's do what we have always done as Americans in times like this. Let's come together, and let's use this as an opportunity to become a better version of ourselves.

I will end with this. When generation after generation of immigrants have come into the New York Harbor, they have seen that beautiful Statue of Liberty. And at the base of the Statue of Liberty is a sonnet, and everyone here in this Chamber and so many across America are familiar with the words of that sonnet: ``Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses . . . ''

There is also a line in there that I particularly love about ``imprisoned lightning''--``imprisoned lightning.'' I am not sure what Emma Lazarus meant by the phrase ``imprisoned lightning,'' but to me that ``imprisoned lightning'' refers to the untapped potential, the God-given potential of every human being. And this legislation, the Endless Frontier Act, aims to tap into that ``imprisoned lightning'' of people across the heartland to ensure that they can stay part of the economic game in the 21st century and that they help us outcompete, outinnovate, and outgrow the Chinese Communist Party. We will win. We are going to get a great vote today, and I thank all of my colleagues for their intention to support this legislation.

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

Mr. President, I am very proud of where the Senate is headed today. It has taken well over a year-and-a-half for this bill to finally come together, to come to fruition. There have been many committees of jurisdiction that actively participated in this process, Members who have accommodated other Members, and I am proud of the work product that we have been developing here.

I especially want to thank, as we head toward what I hope is final passage later on this evening, my legislative director, Lauren O'Brien; my national security adviser, Brandt Anderson; Dan Cheever, who worked on Commerce Committee, all manner of work for me. They have worked tirelessly with Senator Schumer's staff and my colleagues on the Republican side to ensure that this day came about, and we got a positive outcome.

Let me say a bit about this legislation. We Americans have always looked toward the frontier and forward to new horizons. Our ancestors chased them across a continent and to the sea. When the wilderness was no more, they followed them elsewhere--in workshops and laboratories and factories and on farms, in the air and beyond.

Our spirit is restless. We prefer the difficult as Americans. We have never accepted limits or impossibilities in life. No, instead, we sought to cure disease to lift the human condition, to better understand the world around us, to constantly go faster and further in these and other endeavors. And we do these things always aware that the new knowledge that they bring will benefit mankind and make our Union stronger.

But this spirit is not entirely ours alone. You see, there are others out there who also harbor bold ambitions, but they don't share our democratic

values. Just days ago, Communist China orbited, landed, and deployed a rover on the surface of Mars. No other nation has done this. No other nation has done this. It was their first voyage to the red planet. It is only part of the Chinese Communist Party's ambitious space program. And it is another direct challenge to the United States of America.

Now, this momentous event happens at a time when so many of our citizens feel overlooked, when the communities they call home are hollowing out, when trust in our civic institutions is eroding, and when our allegiance seems increasingly to our political tribes and not to one another as citizens for the common good.

Let's not kid ourselves. The Chinese Communist Party plans to exploit our difficulties and divisions. Their power and their capabilities are growing. They are, indeed, locked in a global competition with this great Nation, and they intend to win it. They intend to win it.

They think of those of us in this Chamber as powerless to stop them and unable to prioritize our Nation's long-term goals over our party's short-term gains.

So I ask you this: When future generations of Americans cast their gaze toward new frontiers, will they see a red flag planted on those new frontiers that is not our own?

Today, we answer, unequivocally, no. Today, we declare our intention to win this century and those that follow it as well. Today, we demonstrate our faith in the American people to lead the way and vote to give them the tools to do so.

This bill, this moment, is really not about beating China. It is really not about beating China. You see, the Endless Frontier Act is about using their challenge to become a better version of ourselves. It is about helping more Americans get more skin in the game, deploying their talents and untapped potential. It is about supercharging our economy as we emerge from this global pandemic which descended upon us from Communist China. It is about spreading the benefits of this economy far and wide and preparing and allowing more people, regardless of their circumstances or their place of birth, to meaningfully participate in the 21st century.

It is about unleashing what Emma Lazarus called the imprisoned lightning across this land and aiding so many Americans in their pursuit of our common happiness.

You see this is how we unite our Nation and tilt the balance of a great power struggle westward. This is how we become the first to reach the next great horizon.

Let history record that at this moment we stood united. We declared with solemn purpose and single voice that this is our destination; that by confronting the challenges of today, we built a brighter tomorrow; and that a new generation of doers and dreamers pressed America on, once again, toward the endless frontier.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks before any rollcall votes.

Mr. President, this week is Indy 500 Week in the State of Indiana. For these 7 days, Hoosiers will be swept up in the pageantry and the tradition of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. Every minute this week is leading toward the moment when the white flag comes out, signifying the final lap, when the drivers make one last push toward the finish line.

I couldn't help but think about this annual tradition as we enter the home stretch on the Endless Frontier Act in the coming days. The legislation has evolved and improved and grown over the last few months. We now know it as the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, but as we head into this week, I thought it important to reset and refocus on why we began this journey in the first place.

For me, it began back in 2019, in the gym of all places, where one morning, Senator Schumer and I began talking about the need to go on offense against the Chinese Communist Party. Since the Cold War, Beijing has aimed to overtake America, not with weapons but through innovation, through economic growth. Through Made in China 2025, Beijing set out with a deliberate plan to dominate the world through strategic investments and emerging technologies, all of which have the potential to fundamentally change this century's economic and security environment for good or for ill.

Until now, we have primarily focused on defensive countermeasures to thwart aggression by the Chinese Communist Party: blocking Huawei, imposing export controls, and improving foreign investment rules. Look, these priorities are really important, and they must remain part of the mix, but if

America is to lead the world in the 21st century, it is neither realistic nor practical to build an economic iron curtain around China. You see, just as we did in the 20th century, we must not simply contain our leading global competitor but, instead, outinnovate and outgrow it. We must go on offense.

The Endless Frontier Act was and is our effort to do just that, to make the kinds of research and science investments we haven't made for decades. We are creating a new Technology Directorate at the National Science Foundation and creating regional tech hubs to ensure we are leveraging the talents and abilities of Americans across the country, with the corresponding economic benefits reaching those in the heart of our country, not just those on the coasts.

This legislation will be a boost to our economy, but make no mistake--it is not just about the economy. This is about deciding which standards, which values are going to animate these new technologies in the future: the values we see cracking down on protesters in the streets of Hong Kong? the values that enslave millions of Uighurs in Xinjiang? our American values, which recognize that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights?

America is watching, and the free world is watching. All who are watching should be encouraged. You see, this body has largely embraced this objective. We have continued to go through the regular Senate order--an increasingly rare accomplishment in this body--of allowing each Member to offer amendments to improve this legislation. In fact, it was marked up in the Senate Commerce Committee and approved by a vote of 24 to 4. Last week, it came to the Senate floor, and we considered more amendments. This week, we will consider even more amendments.

As is typically the case in regular order, nobody gets everything he wants, including the bill's authors. As one example, through the markup process, less investment than I had originally proposed will now be provided to the NSF Tech Directorate, but that is OK. It is OK because this change and others are ones I can live with so that we can come together and prove that our system works while advancing a once-in-a- generation investment in science and technology.

We must send a message to the authoritarians in Beijing. They say we are too divided to lead the world in the 21st century. It is time to come together and prove them wrong.

As we Hoosiers say at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the white flag is out. This is the final lap for this bill in the U.S. Senate. I look forward to seeing this open process through to the finish line so that, together, we can outcompete, outinnovate, and outgrow the Chinese Communist Party.

I thank the Presiding Officer.

Madam President, I rise today to speak about a subject that is a point of pride and a source of passion for my constituents.

Visit Indiana, and you are bound to see them: a backboard hammered to an old barn, rows of asphalt courts in city parks, a lone hoop in front of a cornfield or in a clearing, steel poles standing in driveways.

Though basketball wasn't technically invented in Indiana, Indiana is indeed its epicenter. Even the game's inventor, James Naismith, once said: ``Basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport.''

So it is appropriate that this year's NCAA tournament will be played in its entirety in our State.

Now this, of course, is in part because planning and hosting 68 teams in the middle of a global pandemic presents unprecedented challenges, challenges that Hoosiers in and around Indianapolis are going to be able to navigate. And they will be able to work their world-class college campuses in order to host teams from around the country. It is a great source of pride for us.

But it is also fitting because this sport is so important to our State. You see, it is March Madness meets Hoosier Hysteria. The gyms where we play basketball are historic sites. The men and women who have competed and coached back home are Indiana folk heroes. We know their names. They are part of our common language: The Big O, Catch, the General, Bird, Wooden.

Memorabilia, artifacts, and sites associated with them are preserved in museums and townhalls. They are in school gyms. They are marked by bronze plaques and other ways to memorialize those who have preceded us. Streets and roads are named in their honor. We can even identify legendary teams and major moments in our basketball history with just a few almost mythic words that are familiar to the ears of Hoosiers: ``Franklin Wonder Five,'' ``Plump's last shot,'' ``8 points in 9 seconds,'' and, yes, the infamous ``chair throw.''

Even the color of the ball--orange, of course--can be traced back to a Hoosier, Tony Hinkle, who thought it was a good idea.

For Indiana, basketball is much more than just a pastime. It is a source of joy. It is a source of joy for our communities, and it brings the people in and across them together. After all, it takes little more than a basket and a ball to play.

That is why wherever you go in Indiana and no matter the neighborhood you might be visiting or passing by, be it affluent or hit by hard times, in the country or in the city, you are going to see basketball played. It almost doesn't matter what the time of year it is or what the weather is like, you are likely to see basketball if you hit the road for a few hours in Indiana at any given time of year. You are going to hear it discussed. The basketball court and the gymnasium bleachers are great levelers.

I am sharing this with you because there is a larger point at play. Today, it increasingly seems that Americans have less and less in common with one another; that we are defining ourselves not as a diverse nation united by a common set of values with a shared past and a shared future, but we are instead sorting ourselves into tribes based on geography or class or even political affiliation. This has been accompanied by the hollowing out of many of our communities and a loss of faith in the public spaces and access to these public spaces and institutions that shape our national identity and bind this vast, pluralistic, and beautiful country together.

Now, these are dangerous trends, this separation, this tribalism; ones that we are going to have to work hard to turn back. There is only so much this body can do--I am under no illusions--there is only so much government can do to make America whole again.

That is why we should cherish and celebrate the institutions that do have the power to unite us. And, as any Hoosier will tell you, basketball is one of them

Even beyond this, as its history in Indiana shows, this shared ritual that brings us joy and brings us together also pushes us to be better individually and collectively.

I think of the persistence of a teenager by the name of Steve Alford, endlessly practicing free throws in his driveway in New Castle, even in the snow and rain; and the courage of Indiana University's Bill Garrett, who fought segregation and broke the Big Ten color barrier; and then the faith of Little Milan High, enrollment hardly 100, beating mighty Muncie Central, enrollment over 1,000, for the 1954 State high school championship; the grace of successive generations of graduates at Crispus Attucks. Now, this is a high school built to segregate Black students in Indianapolis, but it then grew into an academic and athletic powerhouse whose basketball program was a beacon in the civil rights movement and, to this day, remains a great source of pride not just for Black Hoosiers but for all Hoosiers. It was also the first African-American team to win a State championship in the Nation; the spirit of the tiny town of Medora, an underdog community featured in a recent documentary, who stood by their team while its players laced up work boots because they couldn't afford basketball shoes. Then they set out with grit and determination and resolve to end a season losing streak.

So these scenes from Indiana's history, up to the present day, like the game itself, unite people from different backgrounds, and they foster pride in our places, especially our struggling places. They teach us to draw a line between competition and contempt, to keep perspective and to have the humility to remember that defeat is never permanent and neither is victory. They help us see and treasure what we have in common. They show us the power of opportunity and empowerment.

Institutions like basketball can't be taken for granted. They bring meaning and purpose into the lives of people and places that we call home. They encourage our citizens to dream beyond limit, and I would say that they are what we need in this Nation right now.

So as the NCAA tournament tips off and the games begin across our stadiums, field houses, and arenas, Indiana's hardwood civic temples, as we like to think of them, I know will be a reflection for our love for basketball and an exhibition of our collaborative ability to host such a large event during such a difficult time.

But what will also be on display is the other reason it is right and proper that this event takes place in Indiana. We are devoted to this sport because it brings us hope, and it brings us together. It instills the virtues necessary to preserve many of the other features that make our country so special. It really can help make America whole again.

Now and then, we all need to be gently reminded, I think, of the importance of these very things, and I can think of no better time or place for that than March in Indiana.

Mr. President, today I wish to honor and recognize the distinguished legacy of Larry ``Cliz'' Clisby, who passed away on February 27, 2021, at the age of 74 after a valiant fight against cancer. Famously known across the State of Indiana as the legendary Voice of the Boilermakers, he will forever be remembered for his unmatched play-by-play commentary of Purdue basketball and his trademark ``Bullseye!'' calls during crunch time.

Born and raised in Ohio, Larry graduated from Warren Howland High School and Kent State University. Shortly after college and service in the U.S. Army, Larry started his broadcasting career in Paducah, KY. However, his time in Paducah was brief, as he moved to West Lafayette, IN, to work for WLFI-TV in the sports department in 1977. During his early career in the Lafayette area, Larry called high school basketball games and assisted during Purdue sports broadcasts. It wasn't until 1982 that Larry became the full-time radio announcer for the Boilermakers.

Over the course of nearly 40 years, Larry called a total of 1,890 Purdue men's basketball games, including dozens of high-profile Indiana vs. Purdue rivalry games. Since the 1980s, Larry was involved in many of Purdue's historic moments, including one Big Ten Tournament title, nine Big Ten Championship Seasons, 28 NCAA Tournaments, and three Elite Eight appearances. In 2018, he was inducted into the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Hall of Fame, and he received one of Indiana's highest honors, the Sagamore of the Wabash, from Governor Eric Holcomb in 2020.

From the Purdue sports staff to the team players, everyone saw Larry as a true, dedicated Boilermaker and not just a typical play-by-play announcer. Throughout his career, Larry devoted his charisma, talents, and life to the Lafayette community, and I believe his work will serve as a benchmark for those who aspire to join the field of sports radio.

I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our sympathies to Larry's wife, Michelle; his children, Chad and Carly; his sister, Carol; his stepchildren and grandchildren; and all of his family and friends as they mourn his loss. And to Larry's Purdue University family, I wish his beloved Boilermakers many, many ``Bullseye!'' moments in the years to come.

Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 1383 and ask that it be reported by number.

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

Mr. President, in February, I met with the President of the United States along with nine of my colleagues. The objective here was to find middle ground on a targeted COVID relief package focused on vaccine distribution and getting Americans back to work and back to school as quickly as possible. Instead, we have been offered a bloated and wasteful spending bill, only 10 percent of which actually goes toward COVID-related needs.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated America's drug epidemic with synthetic opioids being the primary driver of the 38- percent annual increase in overdose deaths.

We know illegal narcotics are coming through our southern border at ports of

entry. My unobjectionable amendment simply increases funding for Customs and Border Protection by $300 million for technology to detect fentanyl and other drugs of lower purity levels.

This funding is more than offset by reducing funding from a provision granting 600 hours of paid leave to Federal employees--600 hours. That is 15 weeks of paid leave. So if an employee took every day of this paid leave in this bloated spending bill starting today, that would be by June 18. Oh, by the way, we are supposed to all be vaccinated by the end of May, according to the President.

I ask unanimous consent for 30 seconds to respond.

Only in Washington, DC, and in the greater Washington, DC, area does it make sense to offer paid leave in a $1.9 trillion spending bill at 5:15 a.m. in the morning to last until after a pandemic is projected to be over. How wasteful could we be with our constituent spending?

Vote for my amendment.

I don't rise today, Mr. President, in opposition to COVID relief, nor do I rise today to oppose money for vaccine distribution and testing, nor do I rise to oppose stimulus spending for those who really need it--our hard-hit businesses, rank-and-file fellow Americans--and I certainly don't rise to oppose additional grants and loans for other enterprises out there that just aren't going to be able to make it through this, like our not-for-profits that are essential to all of our communities. But I rise today, instead, to oppose this partisan, pork-filled American Rescue Plan.

You know, I am not known for histrionics in this body, and I am not engaging in them. This is a partisan bill full of a liberal wish list of items that, frankly, aren't popular with Hoosiers, and they won't be popular with the American people the more they get to know about what is loaded up in this $1.9 trillion package of goodies.

In the last year, during a time of political division and strife, this Congress came together around COVID relief. We rose to the challenge presented to us by this global pandemic. We didn't bring it on. By most accounts, it came from China. But we came together to address this foreign threat that came to our shores that has decimated our economy, that has threatened lives and livelihoods, and we passed 5 relief measures with well more than 90 votes in every instance.

The total, nearly $3.5 trillion--and I make no apologies for those investments. Those were investments in public health. Those were investments in our communities. Those were investments in our employers. Those were investments in our loved ones, to provide them safety and security and a measure of comfort but to save their very lives. These are investments in our frontline workers. We did all of that in a bipartisan fashion with very little opposition--very little opposition.

Unity, that is what this country needs. I heard that coming from the lips of Republicans and Democrats alike at the highest levels weeks ago, and that is what I pine for. I want our country to be unified. I believe we can be unified. But this is not a step in the right direction.

Even though much of the money that we have allocated to address the many consequences of this global pandemic has not been spent yet, we Republicans have tried to work with the Biden administration on a sixth relief package over the past month. In fact, I was 1 of 10 Republicans who--I say this commendably toward the Biden administration; specifically, I commend the President for inviting myself and nine other Republicans into the Oval Office to discuss our counterproposal.

And I have to say, the $600 billion proposal that we were providing was, for this U.S. Senator, a bit of a stretch. You know, so much money was still in the pipeline, it wasn't even clear that that much was needed. But we certainly did not need $1.9 trillion, and we all agreed upon that.

Unfortunately, we sort of left that meeting with a supposition that, unfortunately, has been substantiated, that there was an intention to move forward, regardless of the respectful and fact-based exchange we had about the wastefulness of the $1.9 trillion package and the extent to which the $600 billion package more than met the needs of getting people vaccinated, getting people back to work, and getting our kids back to school as safely and as quickly as possible.

Here we are, though. Instead of a targeted relief package, we have seen our Democratic leaders load up a $1.9 trillion bill with wish-list items.

And so here is what I am going to have to educate Hoosiers on in the coming months because I think they actually believe this is mostly about vaccination and getting kids back to school and getting people back to work--and I wish that were the case. But, no, it is about borrowing money so that we can pay for I think what can fairly be characterized as a Blue State bailout to the tune of $350 billion.

You see, a lot of States aren't like the State of Indiana. The State of Indiana, over the years, has balanced our budget and come up with a rainy day fund. And we are criticized, oftentimes for not spending money out of that rainy day fund. But the rainiest of days hit, and Indiana was ready. Not every State did that. Many States have elected leaders who have made unfulfillable promises to their constituency over the years related to their retirements and so forth. So now, in this package, is $350 billion going toward those States to be used for purposes other than pandemic relief.

Also in this bill, $1.9 trillion package, is a Silicon Valley subway. I am not sure how it got in there. I do know that Speaker Pelosi hails from the area.

The National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities--I love arts; I love the humanities. We can debate the proper role of government in funding these public cultural goods, but let's do it some other time. Let's not do it in the course of pandemic relief legislation.

Expansion of the Paycheck Protection Program to provide loans to Planned Parenthood, will force certain taxpayers, like myself, to violate our conscience--much, much more. It is full of waste. It is fat with waste.

This body passed a $1.9 trillion CARES Act in March of 2020.

One year later, Democrats, along party lines, are poised to jam through another $1.9 trillion package. To give you some sense of how much a trillion dollars is--these numbers can be abstract sometimes-- try to visualize $1 bills stacked from the ground halfway up to the moon. That is a trillion dollars, I was told earlier today. That is a lot of money, and we are borrowing every cent of it.

I think it is important we consider the difference between what we passed a year ago and what we are now considering as likely to pass along party-line votes. When the CARES Act went into

effect, the Nation was shut down. Only so-called essential businesses, businesses that could operate safely, were open.

Indiana's unemployment rate then was 17.5 percent. We have done a great job managing this crisis in the State of Indiana. Most businesses are reopened. The unemployment rate is 3.4 percent in our State. We don't have the same public health challenges of other places that have shut everything down. I will let others try and define why that is.

When the CARES Act became law, not a single school in Indiana was open, and in Indiana today most schools are open to in-person learning, in-person instruction, many full time. And let me take this opportunity to commend our administrators and our teachers in the State of Indiana for showing up for work. We don't see that all around the country. Last week, in more than 2,000 schools in Indiana, there were only 62 teacher cases. I told you basically all the schools have opened up. Only 62 teacher cases in Indiana. That is one case for every 33 schools. I would say we are doing a pretty good job managing the risk, following the science.

When the CARES Act became law, a vaccine was a far-off dream. I can remember President Trump indicating there would be a vaccine by year's end. People laughed. Democrats scoffed, mocked. Members of the media mocked him. Not only do we have one vaccine, but then comes vaccine number two and vaccine number three, all in the pipeline because of Operation Warp Speed that the Trump administration implemented to, at once, streamline the regulatory process for approval and also begin manufacturing in parallel. It is good that the Biden administration is building on those successes.

So, look, there is no doubt that some Hoosiers and many Americans are still hurting. We can and we will and we must help those people, but President Biden and the national Democrats' so-called American Rescue Plan is not the way to do it. It just is not responsible. We are better than that.

So we who oppose this, we who happen to be Republican U.S. Senators who oppose this partisan effort to use this crisis to advance initiatives like arts funding and a subway next to Speaker Pelosi's district, along partisan lines, we are not going to just let this pass and allow the national Democrats to cram unrelated policies into what should be a bill squarely targeted at this crisis. We need a bill just like the five bills that we passed in a strongly bipartisan fashion just last year.

So today we have more than a million Hoosiers who have received their first dose of vaccine, including more than 70 percent of Hoosiers age 70 and older. There is no doubt that some Hoosiers are still hurting. Again, we will be helping those folks.

So this is really quite simple. We need to work together, Republicans and Democrats, for the good of the country. This does indeed remain a national crisis. We had negative economic growth last year because a global pandemic interrupted the greatest period of economic growth in my lifetime.

We need to recover. We are poised for a recovery this year, but we need to do it in a targeted and in a fiscally responsible way and in a fashion that doesn't undermine trust among one another and one that doesn't break trust with the American people by spending their money irresponsibly. I regret that that probably won't happen in the next few days, but I resolve to continue fighting for Hoosiers, for fiscal responsibility, and to constructively work with this administration however we can moving forward.

With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 54 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. President, I rise today in support of my amendment to ensure that any new round of economic impact payments does not go to those in this country illegally.

It would establish a dangerous precedent if the Federal Government were to give a direct cash payment to those who have jumped the line and subverted our Nation's immigration system to enter the United States.

Now, I want to emphasize that this amendment is not a change. It is not a change from the way this body has approached EIPs during the last two rounds. Moreover, it does not affect the important fix that Congress implemented, with the leadership of Mr. Rubio, in December to ensure mixed-status families are not negatively impacted.

This amendment would simply make certain that Democrats do not loosen the existing eligibility requirements moving forward if there is a new round of EIPs.

Mr. President, how much time do I have to respond?

Mr. President, we have consulted with legal counsel. The gentleman from Illinois' statements, assertions are inaccurate. This would not impact mixed-status families.

I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote aye on this amendment.

Vote on Amendment No. 54

I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 105th birthday of a proud Hoosier, Neva Fricke Bell, born on January 26, 1916. Neva lived through the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, two World Wars, the Great Depression, and many other tragedies, as well as great celebrations, including her marriage to Simeon Bell for 60 plus years, the birth of her loving children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. A Boilermaker through and through, Neva's tenacity and great style are a testament to all Hoosiers and all Americans that our great State and Nation endures and celebrates victories great and small. Happy Birthday, Neva Fricke Bell.

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

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an issue that is very important to me and to the 1,300 Hoosiers currently in need of an organ transplant. That issue is the lack of organs for patients in need and our broken organ donation system.

For more than 30 years, our Nation's organ donation system has operated in complete darkness. Groups known as organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, are responsible for getting organs from the donors to the patients who actually need them, but questions surround the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of these organizations.

OPOs are the main link between donor hospitals and organ recipients, and their performance can be a limiting factor for all stakeholders in the organ donation system.

In the last 20 years, no OPO has been decertified despite serious issues of underperformance. For example, CMS recently recertified the New York City OPO despite persistent underperformance for nearly a decade. This problem exists throughout the country.

Currently, OPO performance is measured by data that is self-reported, unaudited, and fraught with errors. Many of these errors have been documented by Lenny Bernstein and Kimberly Kindy at the Washington Post.

That is why today I introduced legislation that would require organ procurement organizations to be held to metrics that are objective, verifiable, and not subject to self-interpretation. This way, there can be meaningful transparency, evaluation, and accountability. Updating these metrics will also enable geographic-level donation rates to be evaluated and improved. This is desperately needed for the more than 113,000 Americans currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant. The legislation I introduced today is supported by the American Society of Nephrology, Dialysis Patient Citizens, and the nonprofit group ORGANIZE. Additionally, in April of this year, I wrote to CMS Administrator Seema Verma urging CMS to update OPO metrics to be objective and verifiable.

I am hopeful that we will soon see action from the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services. You see, this issue is very personal to me. My friend Dave ``Gunny'' McFarland from Jeffersonville, IN, died because his heart transplant never came. We served together in the U.S. Marine Corps, and over the years, I have gotten to know his widow, Jennifer McFarland Kern. Jen has made it her mission to raise awareness about the organ transplant process and to help prevent others from facing a similar situation.

Because the system is so complex, most people don't know how it works or if patients are actually being protected. It is time to change that. Today's legislation is the first in a series of bills I am working on to reform our organ donation system once and for all and help save precious lives. I will not stop until we increase the availability of organs for patients in need.

Semper fidelis.

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss an issue that is very important to me and to the 1,300 Hoosiers currently in need of an organ transplant. That issue is the lack of organs for patients in need and our broken organ donation system.

For more than 30 years, our Nation's organ donation system has operated in complete darkness. Groups known as organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, are responsible for getting organs from the donors to the patients who actually need them, but questions surround the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of these organizations.

OPOs are the main link between donor hospitals and organ recipients, and their performance can be a limiting factor for all stakeholders in the organ donation system.

In the last 20 years, no OPO has been decertified despite serious issues of underperformance. For example, CMS recently recertified the New York City OPO despite persistent underperformance for nearly a decade. This problem exists throughout the country.

Currently, OPO performance is measured by data that is self-reported, unaudited, and fraught with errors. Many of these errors have been documented by Lenny Bernstein and Kimberly Kindy at the Washington Post.

That is why today I introduced legislation that would require organ procurement organizations to be held to metrics that are objective, verifiable, and not subject to self-interpretation. This way, there can be meaningful transparency, evaluation, and accountability. Updating these metrics will also enable geographic-level donation rates to be evaluated and improved. This is desperately needed for the more than 113,000 Americans currently waiting for a lifesaving transplant. The legislation I introduced today is supported by the American Society of Nephrology, Dialysis Patient Citizens, and the nonprofit group ORGANIZE. Additionally, in April of this year, I wrote to CMS Administrator Seema Verma urging CMS to update OPO metrics to be objective and verifiable.

I am hopeful that we will soon see action from the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services. You see, this issue is very personal to me. My friend Dave ``Gunny'' McFarland from Jeffersonville, IN, died because his heart transplant never came. We served together in the U.S. Marine Corps, and over the years, I have gotten to know his widow, Jennifer McFarland Kern. Jen has made it her mission to raise awareness about the organ transplant process and to help prevent others from facing a similar situation.

Because the system is so complex, most people don't know how it works or if patients are actually being protected. It is time to change that. Today's legislation is the first in a series of bills I am working on to reform our organ donation system once and for all and help save precious lives. I will not stop until we increase the availability of organs for patients in need.

Semper fidelis.

Mr. President, having served in the Navy and as a Marine Corps officer, I am sensitive to the many challenges facing our veterans. The VA was established almost 90 years ago, so when the VA MISSION Act was passed, it was time for a wide-scale reform to modernize and improve the system.

I was proud to support and vote for the VA MISSION Act, which was signed into law 1 year ago this month. This new program could dramatically change the way our veterans receive care. For the first time, veterans can walk into a local urgent care clinic, like most Americans can--as long as it is in network--and receive care that day, at no cost to them, up to three visits per year. They can even get a flu shot now at urgent care rather than having to visit the VA for such a simple procedure.

The VA MISSION Act is already at work back home in Indiana. In fact, a Hoosier veteran recently approached me while I was traveling throughout the State, and he said there was an appointment he could not get scheduled with the VA until August or September. Now, we had this conversation some weeks ago, but when the VA MISSION Act went into effect at the beginning of this month, he tried again, and he was able to get an appointment right away. So I am sure this is just the first of many positive stories I am going to be hearing as I travel around the State in coming days and even years to come.

It is also important that we in Congress listen to those whose experience with the VA has not improved. If there is a part of this act that isn't working or isn't being implemented as intended, then we have to revisit it. We have to work with the VA to get it right--removing barriers within the system and streamlining access to care. This is going to help veterans of all eras live happy and healthier lives. So that is what matters the most.

I will continue to fight for the proper care and treatment of our veterans because they deserve nothing less.

I yield back.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the remaining votes in this series be 10 minutes in length.

Mr. YOUNG. Mr. President, as a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, it is my privilege to recognize an outstanding family-run small business who is providing Hoosiers with great jobs and good food, all while supporting their local community. In honor of the U.S. Small Business Administration's National Small Business Week, it is my privilege to name Bubbles Ice Cream Parlor of Michigan City, IN, as the Senate Small Business of the Day.

Tim and Kim Martin founded Bubbles nearly 16 years ago and have been serving premium ice cream to Hoosiers ever since. Known for always serving delicious ice cream with a smile, Bubbles has become a community staple and a gathering place for the families of northwest Indiana.

Today, Tim and Kim's son, Zach manages the ice cream parlor, where they employ many local high school students as ice cream scoopers. They serve 32 varieties of ice cream, milkshakes, sundaes, and pies. Recently, they have even started offering handmade donuts on weekend mornings. At Bubbles, you can always expect a delicious treat and a family-friendly atmosphere.

Bubbles is dedicated to more than just their delicious desserts. They are committed to giving back to their community. They are a sponsor of Michigan City High School, provide ice cream rewards to elementary students who reach various academic goals, and donate ice cream to local philanthropies.

These fantastic treats, friendly service, and community commitment have not gone unnoticed. Bubbles has been awarded the News-Dispatch's Readers' Choice Award for 8 consecutive years. They are a prime example of a small business's ability to provide a great product, a welcoming smile, and a helping hand--all in a day's work.

Small businesses are the backbone of local communities throughout Indiana. They provide dignified jobs to rural communities and support schools, charities, and nonprofits. I would like to extend my sincerest congratulations to the Martin family and all of the employees at Bubbles Ice Cream Parlor for being named the Senate Small Business of the Day. I look forward to watching your continued growth and success.