Floor Statements

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Dr. Scott Robison, who is retiring after more than 40 years educating Hoosier children.

Dr. Robison hails from New Albany, IN, and earned his bachelor's degree in education from Indiana University in 1980. His career began as an elementary teacher in New Albany-Floyd County schools, as well as MSD Pike Township in Indianapolis. He then served as a principal in Southwest Allen Schools in Fort Wayne and as the founding principal of Pike Township's New Augusta K-8 Academy. He later became assistant school superintendent in Westfield Washington Schools before becoming superintendent of Marion-Adams Schools in Sheridan. In 2006, he was named superintendent of Zionsville Community Schools. After 16 years in the district, he is retiring this month.

Dr. Robison is an innovative leader. In the 1990s, he pioneered practices such as in-district school choice, alternative school calendars, multi-age classrooms, and parent/community partnerships that are now well-established practices in schools across the State. He is known as a tremendous recruiter and developer of educators, many of whom have benefited directly from his wisdom and inspirational leadership.

Throughout his tenure, Dr. Robison has never lost his own love of learning. He earned an M.S. from Indiana University in 1986 and a Ph.D. from Purdue University in 2003. He has also served on countless boards, commissions, and committees throughout the years and even refereed high school and college basketball games for 20 years. It is my honor to thank Dr. Robison for his tireless devotion to the children of Indiana, and all Hoosiers join me in wishing him a restful retirement.

Mr. President, last week, Indiana lost a legend, and America lost a true original. Rex Early died Friday at age 88, after a long battle with illness.

Rex was a lot of things in life. He was a U.S. marine. He was chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. He was a candidate for Governor of the State of Indiana. He is one of the few people in Indiana you had to go see if you wanted to run for public office.

But Rex will be remembered mostly for his sense of humor, his way with words. Many of his stories and ``Rexisms'' can be found in his book, ``It's a Mighty Thin Pancake (That don't have two sides).''

After being stationed in Japan in the Marine Corps, Rex went to Indiana University on the GI bill. He married his sweetheart Barbara, and they moved to Indianapolis.

Rex said when he first went to register to vote in Indianapolis, the ward chairman said: Do you want to be a precinct committeeman? The last guy just went to jail.

Of course, Rex responded quickly ``Sure,'' and that is how he got involved in local politics--or so Rex told us.

Now, Rex said that one of the highlights of his professional career came during Ronald Reagan's Presidential campaign when Rex hosted an event at his home for the future President. Rex said he was considering hanging a plaque that read ``On May 4, 1980, Ronald Reagan used this bathroom.''

But as Reagan left his house that day, Governor Reagan told Rex, ``All those people were wrong, Rex.''

Rex said, ``What people?''

Governor Reagan said, ``All the people who said you had no class.''

So Rex decided not to hang that plaque in his bathroom.

The Republican Party in Indiana today has enjoyed a long period of governing success, helping our State become one of the best run and most fiscally sound in the Nation. You can trace that success directly back to work Rex Early put in in the early 1990s.

One of Rex's 19 rules of politics was ``You might be important, but the number of people who will attend your funeral will be dictated by the weather.'' I don't understand what Rex was trying to say. Don't think too highly of yourself--perhaps that is what Rex had in mind. Don't become, as Rex would call you, a ``sophisti-suck.''

But I disagree with Rex perhaps on this point. Rex's memorial service was well attended and not because the weather was good but because he made an indelible impression on everyone he met.

Semper fi, Marine.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, panel 2E, row 71. Not long ago, a young lady visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial during a visit to Washington, DC. She walked along the wall searching the black granite panels, and she saw the name right there in front of her. She stopped and pressed her hand against it. It was panel 2E, row 71, Alvin C. Forney.

Across our country, not just on our National Mall but on the boulevards of our State capitals and in the squares of our small towns, there are names of brave Americans etched in memorials, the names of those who never came home. And there are those who did come home, whose names may not be on monuments but whose example of service and sacrifice for their country is no less inspiring.

For two and a half centuries, they have answered the calls. They have protected our freedoms. They placed their lives in the line of fire oceans away so that their countrymen can live lives in peace here at home. They are the citizen soldiers who defeated the King's army, who ended the scourge of slavery, who saved Western civilization and liberated concentration camps, who stood down communism and stand vigil against terrorism. They are more than just names, though. They are the spirit of this country: strong but merciful, forever guarding our freedoms, and devoted to our fellow citizen.

Cpl Alvin Forney lived this example out in his all-too-brief life. He seemed destined, no matter his path, to make a difference. And he did. Tall, handsome, with a bright smile and infectious optimism, he was an ace athlete, a football, track, and basketball star at Shortridge and Washington High Schools in Indianapolis.

A member of a military family, Corporal Forney enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1961, and he went west. He graduated from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, and then trained in the mountains near Camp Pendleton. He endured the forced marches and step hikes in the tarantula- and rattlesnake-filled scrub.

San Diego-trained marines are sometimes derisively called Hollywood marines by their Paris Island peers. You see, Tinseltown is just up the Pacific Coast Highway. But if Hollywood did ever try to create the ideal marine, Corporal Forney could be its muse.

You can see it in the old photos, the focus, the confident air, the spotless uniform. He looked like a gentleman marine, a hero. And he wasn't just courageous or strong. He was patient and decent. Slow to anger, he seldom swore--a rarity, of course, for a U.S.

marine. He loved his family, and he loved his country.

When he arrived in Vietnam in the summer of 1965 as part of the Third Marine Expeditionary Force, his chief concern was not for himself. It was for his brother. You see, Army SGT William Forney, the corporal's brother, was departing for Vietnam. Corporal Forney wrote their mother, Minnie:

I don't mind being over here, but I worry about Bill coming

over.

You see, his brother William had married shortly before deploying, and Corporal Forney was concerned about his brother's separation from his new bride.

Shortly after that letter arrived, a military car pulled into the driveway. It was a telegraph from the Department of Defense that came. Cpl Alvin Forney had been struck by fragments of a mine during a patrol, and he was killed in action near Da Nang. It was September 1, 1965. He was 22 years old.

Corporal Forney was awarded the Purple Heart, and he was laid to rest in Indianapolis's Crown Hill Cemetery among a President and Vice Presidents, poets, businessmen, inventors, and all the rest. And he wasn't at all out of place.

Corporal Forney's mother visited his grave every September until the day she died. Beneath the words on his headstone ``Beloved Son and Brother'' and after the mention of Vietnam, his headstone read: ``The first casualty from Indianapolis''--which he was. But a mere statistic he was not.

It was a half century later that that young lady came to the wall in search of Corporal Forney's name. She came because her grandfather asked her to, because 50 years earlier, he had served with Corporal Forney at Naval Air Engineering Station at Lakehurst, in New Jersey, and he never forgot him. He could still see that squared-away marine. He could still hear his soft-spoken voice. And he could still remember the day in September 1965 when he walked into headquarters at Lakehurst and saw the secretaries sobbing and heard the tragic news: Corporal Forney had been killed in action in Vietnam.

The corporal's family, too, they never forgot him. He is still in their hearts. His younger siblings and cousins, they still remember the days before he left for Vietnam, how kind, loving, and protective he was; the memories of the dinners he treated them to; of popping his fingers and whistling; his enthusiasm and joy.

Just weeks ago, I met Mary Allen, Corporal Forney's younger sister, on a flight back to Indiana. She shared her brother's story and asked that I remember him. I will.

Of course, on Veterans Day, which just passed, we remember all of those who wore the uniform, who pledged their lives to freedom's cause--yes, because they are owed our grateful devotion, our eternal gratitude every day, not just one day in November.

Beyond that, though, to forget them is to take them for granted in an act of national self-destruction. Decades pass, generations come and go, and values change. In many ways, that is the natural course of a society in search of a more perfect Union. But those who have defended that Union carry with them unbending values--values that are essential to a democracy. Our veterans set an example. They are a monument to the values at the heart of this experiment in liberty: service and sacrifice, humility and honor, loyalty to country and love of countryman, dedication to others and to causes greater than oneself.

Panel 2E, row 71. When that young woman went to the wall in search of panel 2E, row 71, it was not just because her grandfather had served with Alvin Forney. It was because, as her grandfather said, he set an example that all Americans should be proud to follow.

Without citizens like Corporal Forney, there is no America. He is not forgotten. None of our veterans or the example they set are, nor will they ever be.

Cloture Motion

Madam President, I want to take a moment this morning to recognize a friend and fellow Hoosier, Mark Souder, who passed away earlier this week after a battle with cancer.

Mark represented, as so many Hoosiers know, northeastern Indiana in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2010. He served eight terms. Before being elected to Congress, he spent years working as a staffer for Indiana Senator Dan Coats.

Anyone--anyone--who met Mark was struck by his intellect, his innate grasp of policy details, and perhaps most importantly, his passion for service, for serving Hoosiers in particular. You see, Mark loved northeast Indiana. He loved his constituents. He loved the land, its people, and its unique traditions. He was a strong advocate for Hoosier veterans in particular and for our national parks during his service in Congress.

He was also a man of many talents and interests. Baseball was one of them. In fact, he wrote about the game's history and connections to our own State. Recently, Mark collaborated on a book about the history of television in Fort Wayne.

More personally, I always appreciated Mark's kindness and support as I began my congressional career, and I know Mark provided similar assistance and encouragement to others.

I offer my deepest condolences to the Souder family and to all of Mark's friends and loved ones as they mourn his loss.

CHIPS and Science Act

Madam President, ``Time and momentum are on our side''--so said Xi Jingping to his colleagues in the Chinese Communist Party last year.

True, there have been some recent setbacks to China's grand plan-- corruption probes, billions of wasted government dollars--but make no mistake, these are minor distractions. You see, the CCP is as determined as ever to supplant the United States as the world's leader, militarily and economically, in order to win the 21st century. Xi and his government will subsidize any industry, spend any amount of money, take any means--even propping up manufacturing with slave labor--to bend the market to its ambitions and force America to its knees.

The CCP is confident that America is too dysfunctional and that the American people are too divided to arrest its momentum. Well, today, I am pleased to report that the CCP has made a serious miscalculation. Allow me to explain.

You see, earlier this month, I was in West Lafayette, on the campus of Purdue University. Indiana's Governor, Eric Holcomb, and Purdue's president, Mitch Daniels, were, of course, there. We were joined by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Our group saw up close the amazing work that Purdue is doing across its technology ecosystem. We met and spoke with many talented students and professors. We had a productive discussion about ways to bolster our national security and economic competitiveness. Not coincidentally, we did this in a hall named for Neil Armstrong and, not coincidentally, because our conversation focused on the CHIPS and Science Act.

This is legislation I and others in the Senate worked on for years and of which I am proud was finally signed into law in August. The CHIPS and Science Act will unleash the same enterprising American spirit that sent Neil Armstrong to the Moon aboard Apollo 11--the same spirit Beijing believes is a relic of the 20th century. This type of bipartisan economic and national security win only comes along once in a generation.

Enacting the CHIPS and Science Act sent a strong message to the world that when it comes to meeting China's challenge, here in the United States, there is cross-party consensus and a seriousness of purpose.

A thriving domestic chip industry is going to prevent future supply chain stoppages and protect our military readiness. You see, right now, Taiwan produces 90 percent of all advanced semiconductor chips, and the threat of a communist China takeover of Taiwan is real.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Government is heavily subsidizing its national security innovation base and the development of mission-critical technologies. In fact, the CCP has invested $14 trillion--$14 trillion--in the technologies that will shape our modern economy and decide the winners of future wars, technologies like quantum computing, robotics, and artificial intelligence, and technologies like hypersonics.

They have also set a strategy of dominating the global production of semiconductors. If China produces more and more of the world's supply of semiconductors, America's economy and our national security could be at the mercy of the CCP, especially in the event of another pandemic or war.

This is all part of Beijing's bet to beat America, but the CHIPS and Science Act helps America counter that bet. You see, there is a happy coincidence here. What benefits our national security also benefits our economic security, especially across the industrial Midwest, where we pride ourselves on making things--things like microchips.

Just weeks after the CHIPS and Science Act became law, its benefits began to reverberate across the heartland economy. We have already seen numerous, major economic announcements that are directly tied to this bill becoming law. In fact, a corridor of the semiconductor industry will run through the State of Indiana.

Thanks to the CHIPS and Science Act, SkyWater Technology is moving forward with its plans to partner with Purdue to build a $1.8 billion facility in West Lafayette, which will manufacture semiconductor chips and create an estimated 750 direct jobs, and there is more to come.

Further, the CHIPS and Science Act provides $2 billion for the Department of Defense to make semiconductors. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, in southern Indiana, with its expertise in chips manufacturing, is expected to play a significant role in this effort, in turn creating economic opportunities across the southern part of our State.

The regional tech hubs authorized by the CHIPS and Science Act will launch innovative companies, help revive American manufacturing, and lay the foundation for new, good-paying jobs to jump-start our local communities.

For too long, our coastal States have been the near-exclusive hotbeds of venture capital investments and launching pads for tech startups. Only a handful of American cities account for nearly 90 percent of job growth when it comes to advanced sectors like tech, computer manufacturing, biotech, and telecom. But the CHIPS and Science Act plants the seed corns to ensure that opportunity for investors, entrepreneurs, and researchers spreads across the industrial Midwest and other areas around the country.

It will broaden and deepen our startup and tech economy. As a result, everyone will win, and our national defense will be safeguarded.

Our position as a leader in the development of feature technologies will be secure. Our ability to win the contests ahead, economically and, God forbid, militarily, will also be secured. And there will be numerous residual benefits to this law in the years to come, such as American labor providing the manpower needed to construct new fabs and facilities here in the United States.

In closing, let me reiterate that the CHIPS and Science Act will be a boost to our domestic economy, but it is not just about our economy. It will strengthen our national defense by allowing us to have the most sophisticated weapons systems and by ensuring their critical components are made in the U.S.A.

But it is not just about national defense either. You see, this is about deciding which values are going to animate these technologies in the future: The values on display from a Communist Party when it cracks down on protesters in the streets of Hong Kong? The values that enslave millions of Uighurs and Xinjiang, or threaten Taiwan?

The world's autocrats are attempting to exert their influence across the globe. They argue that the American system, with our pesky system of checks and balances, our very ideal of government of the people, by the people, for the people--they argue that can't work in the 21st century. But the signing of the CHIPS and Science Act proved them wrong.

When it comes to out-innovating China in authoring a second American century, I am confident that, in the days ahead, both time and momentum will be on America's side.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that should the Senate receive from the House of Representatives a bill, the text of which is identical to H.R. 8982, as introduced in the House and which is at the desk, the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration, the bill be considered read a third time, and the Senate vote on passage without further intervening action or debate, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, H.R. 8982 is another important fix to the ongoing infant formula shortage. When the Formula Act passed in July, it left out ``infant formula base powder.'' This bill will ensure trade barriers are lifted as we continue to address this crisis.

I thank my colleagues Senator Lee and Senator Braun for their efforts on this.

I yield the floor.

I yield myself 10 minutes from the bill time.

Mr. President, I rise today to honor the lives of four Hoosiers who were lost tragically in a car accident this week, Edith Schmucker, Zachary Potts, Emma Thomson, and Representative Jackie Walorski. We grieve them all, and we pray for their families and friends.

This is, of course, a profoundly difficult time for those of us who knew one or more of these Hoosiers. It is such a difficult time for their families and their friends, and all of us, I know, we commit to do whatever it is in our power to comfort their loved ones in the difficult days ahead.

Like everyone here and back home in Indiana, I am absolutely heartbroken. I think one thing that hit everyone particularly hard was the loss of two young congressional staff members.

Whether you knew Zach or Emma personally or not, you certainly know their type if you are watching these proceedings on Capitol Hill. You know the type of hard-working, smart, committed, young person that comes to work on a congressional staff. They dedicate so much of their time and their talents. Other opportunities are given up in order to serve their country and to work toward the betterment of their Nation.

We should celebrate their accomplishments while we grieve their loss. It is a reminder, I think, for all of us to thank the many congressional staff members who do much more than the public will ever know.

I want to take a few minutes today to pay tribute to our colleague right here in the Halls of Congress, Jackie Walorski.

Jackie and I came to Congress at roughly the same time--she, 2 years after me--and I will never forget when she arrived here at the U.S. Capitol. Jackie didn't need time to get her ``sea legs.'' No, Jackie knew that she belonged here. Jackie understood that this was her calling. She didn't need people to tell her that she belonged. She got right to work because she had some things to accomplish.

I have to say that her confidence was infectious. Everyone saw it. Everyone was impressed by it. People loved being around her, including me.

Jackie had so many other amazing qualities, and I would like to highlight a number of those today. She was always so full of energy. It was a positive energy. She was a lightning bolt. She could light up a room like no other.

In fact, in my observation, she only had two speeds, it was full-bore on and off. She was high-spirited and full of fire.

Jackie also had a really big heart. In fact, her heart was as big as it was good. She wore it on her sleeve every day, every moment of the day.

She didn't hide her convictions. In fact, she made sure that they were expressed in the boldest, most colorful fashion. Her convictions were deeply held. She was proud of them. It is what made Jackie ``Jackie.'' She was of deep convictions, clearly, not just with her politics. No, it came from a deeper place. She had deep convictions with respect to her religious faith.

I have to say that for all the many speeches I saw her deliver and for all the people I saw her energize, it was often after she delivered a prayer--and I saw her deliver a number of those--that audiences gave their most heartfelt ovations.

Jackie was a larger than life figure, but Jackie was never fake. She was never contrived. She was beloved, in fact, because she inspired and motivated people with a passion that was so authentic, so human.

And Jackie cared about the people she connected with. She was genuinely concerned. She was what you might call the genuine article.

Jackie was also very smart, not just energetic. She was very smart. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, you could see that on a regular basis. But even in a casual conversation, Jackie had a habit of cutting right to the issue. But, more importantly, Jackie was smart about the people she represented. She knew their hearts. She knew their concerns. She knew their challenges. She knew their aspirations. She studied them. She lived it. She stayed in touch with them.

She never forgot whom she worked with. She never forgot whom she worked for, and she never forgot who sent her to Washington.

Jackie also had courage. She was a fearless leader. You see this in your best leaders. She didn't flinch in the face of tough votes. No, Jackie was smart enough to know the consequences, but she wasn't afraid. She did what she thought was right. She did it for the right reasons, and she had enough self-confidence to go explain her votes to her constituents. It was, at once, a confidence in herself, but it was also a confidence in those she represented.

She was a leader, confident in her own abilities and confident in the abilities of those around her.

If there is a single memory of Jackie's time in this building, the U.S. Capitol and, I would say, her time in the Indiana statehouse, it was that she is indeed a leader. Since Jackie's passing, I have had the opportunity to discuss her service, her life with a number of people, and this keeps coming up. She was a real leader. This is what they are talking about.

For all of these amazing qualities, I have to say personally that there is something else that I keep coming back to. It is the first thing I come back to when I think of Jackie, and, frankly, it is very personal to me.

I am going to miss Jackie's laughter. She had a beautiful, bellowing laugh, uninhibited, so authentic, not contrived. It came from a place where she appreciated humor. She appreciated, at times, the absurdity of life.

She always had a joke at hand or funny observation to make, or maybe she had read something recently she wanted to share with me. But we had so many great laughs together, and she could make my side hurt in fairly short order. I am going to miss that.

And it is really hard to believe that our paths won't ever cross again. They crossed so frequently, sometimes in this building but, typically, it was in Indiana's Second Congressional District, back home. It was rare, I would say, that I didn't go into that region and encounter her or, at least, follow in her tracks.

She was so active, so engaged. I am going to miss those encounters. Just a few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to visit with Jackie in person. We shared some laughs, of course. It was at a dinner in Elkhart County.

We were scheduled to be together this coming week to attend a ribbon- cutting ceremony. She was constantly on the road serving, doing her job. It is not too much to say that that was her calling.

It is also not too much to say that Jackie's last breath was spent in service, in service to her constituents, to her God, to the great State of Indiana, to her country, to her calling.

Jackie loved and she was ever faithful to all of those things to the great benefit of Indiana and America, and for that I am grateful, for that we loved her back, and we will miss her dearly. Let that be her legacy.

I yield to my colleague from Indiana.

I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 748, which is at the desk. I further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I come to the floor this evening, first, wanting to take a moment to join Senator Braun in remembering a good friend to each of us, our colleague Congresswoman Jackie Walorski. She tragically passed away in a horrible car accident earlier today.

I, for one, am truly devastated. I know that Jackie loved the State of Indiana. She loved the Hoosiers throughout the State. She had an incredible sense of humor, incredibly smart, and was so talented in many ways. And she will be missed.

I join countless Hoosiers, and I know that Senator Braun is, in praying for her husband Dean, for her entire family, and for all those who came to love and respect Jackie.

I know that so many throughout the State are mourning her passing this evening, and so many will have important things to say about their interaction with her and how fond they were of her.

It also should be said that two other Hoosiers passed in this horrible accident, members of her dedicated staff: Emma Thomson and Zach Potts. We pray for all of them.

Mr. President, today, we are also on the floor to talk about a different tragedy in the State of Indiana. On July 17, there was a terrible shooting that occurred at the Greenwood Park Mall, just miles from my home, which resulted in the death of three innocent victims.

Now, it could have easily been one of my neighbors or our friend, or, I remind myself, it could have been a member of my family who passed away there in the food court on that very day.

As this resolution that we are introducing today states, the U.S. Senate condemns this shooting and any violent action that seeks to bring harm to other individuals. We grieve the loss of fellow Hoosiers Victor Gomez and Pedro and Rosa Pineda, and we pray for their families. But we are also grateful for the heroes on the scene that day, for the first responders, our healthcare workers, as well as a young man named Eli Dicken.

Eli was in the food court that evening. He was legally carrying his own firearm, and when the shooting began, he used his weapon to bring down the shooter. Were it not for his poise during those brief moments, his brave and selfless actions, this shooting would have been far worse. So I ask all my fellow Americans to remember the victims and the heroes of this tragedy, and I urge passage of this resolution.

Madam President, I rise today to formally express my gratitude for the heroic actions of Nicholas Bostic in Lafayette, IN, on July 11, 2022.

Just after midnight on Monday, July 11, Nicholas Bostic ran into a burning home and rescued five children inside. Nicholas was driving and observed a home engulfed in flames. He stopped to make sure the residents had left the building, and he saw a teenager and three younger children stuck inside. Nicholas ran into the building to help the four children exit safely. When he discovered one child was still missing, Nicholas immediately reentered the home to find the missing child. By the time he found her, the fire had spread, making it unsafe to exit through the downstairs door. Nicholas broke the second story window and jumped out, sheltering the girl from the fall by landing on his side. Thanks to Nicholas, the child escaped with only minor injuries, and the other four children were unharmed.

In helping shield the children from injury, Nicholas developed first- degree burns and suffered from smoke inhalation. I pray for Nicholas as he recuperates from his injuries and wish him a full and swift recovery. I also want to recognize and thank the first responders who helped put out the fire and treat Nicholas and the children.

Despite the danger, Nicholas did not hesitate to run into the burning building--twice--to make sure everyone safely escaped. I share the view of Lafayette Police Department who noted, ``Nicholas Bostic's heroic actions saved lives.'' I join the Lafayette community in commending Nicholas for the selflessness he displayed. Today, I thank Nicholas for his heroism and am proud to call him a fellow Hoosier.

Mr. President, when it comes to America, I am an optimist--always. You see, I can't help but approach the future with great hope. After all, as Americans, we have never let obstacles stand in our way or accepted that problems can't be solved.

Our citizens are the world's most ingenious; our military, its mightiest; our economy, the strongest; and our innovators, the most creative. The last century was defined by our accomplishments and our ideals and I believe this one will be, too. But I have to say, this path is not guaranteed.

Now as then, America's success depends on unleashing the potential of our people and outcompeting and out-innovating global rivals who don't share our values or our economic interests.

Right now, we are in the middle of a great power competition with an authoritarian regime in Beijing that seeks global primacy and rejects democracy. The Chinese Communist Party is currently investing $1.4 trillion in frontier technologies that will dominate the 21st century-- artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics, among other key technologies. Its innovators are earning patents and publishing research in AI at greater rates than our own. Its schools are producing four times the STEM graduates as America's. The Chinese Communist Party's computer and science universities are regularly outranking ours.

Its military is making advances in cyber warfare and the development of hypersonic weapons, autonomous vehicles, electronic and cyber warfare, and orbital bombardment systems.

These are the technologies that will dominate the 21st century, economically and militarily.

China's Government is planning on winning the AI race, winning future wars, and winning the future. The truth is, if we are being honest with ourselves, Beijing is well on its way to accomplishing these goals. America is at risk of falling behind economically and technologically to a world power that doesn't value liberty or even human life.

So how should we respond?

For too long, when it comes to Chinese aggression, America has relied on a strategy of deterrence, taking steps like blocking Huawei from doing business in the U.S., tightening export controls, and improving foreign investment rules.

Now, these are important measures, but they are no longer enough. You see, it is time to go on the offensive. And that is exactly what this legislation--which has gone by many names from the Endless Frontier Act to the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act to CHIPS+--will do: unleash private sector innovation while significantly boosting Federal national security investments.

Let me highlight a few specifics. First, this bill greatly encourages domestic investment in semiconductor production. Right now, the USA is almost entirely reliant on other nations for high-tech computer chips that power our smartphones, automobiles, household appliances, and military platforms. In fact, the recent shortage of these chips has hobbled our economy; it has hit our pocketbooks.

For example, a shortage of computer chips forced General Motors to idle its assembly plant in Fort Wayne, IN, twice already this year. U.S. semiconductor production, once accounting for nearly 40 percent of the world's supply, has dropped to just 12 percent, while China's production share is increasing rapidly. Ninety percent of the chips used in our military technology are made overseas. Let me say that again. Ninety percent of the chips used in our military technology are made overseas. Most are made in South Korea and Taiwan, but an increasing number are produced in China. This is a very real economic and national security vulnerability.

And this bill will reassert America's place in this industry and take a giant leap towards ensuring that our supply chain and national defense will never be at the mercy of technology produced overseas.

Another important aspect of this bill is critical applied research funding. This legislation reforms and invests in the National Science Foundation to partner with the private sector and universities to develop critical emerging technologies that will transform the global landscape. We know that national success and competitiveness in the 21st century economy will be built on emerging technologies like quantum computing and artificial intelligence.

Funding research crucial to keeping America safe is one of the Federal Government's responsibilities, and this legislation will help us not just catch up with but overtake China in these critical areas.

And this bill will establish regional technology hubs across our country,

which will become centers for the research, development, entrepreneurship, and manufacturing of new key technologies.

This is incredibly important at a time when too many Americans in the heartland feel left out and too many areas overlooked, when only a handful of cities account for nearly 90 percent of job growth in these advanced sectors.

Simply put, this bill will make America stronger, safer, and more prosperous. And it is desperately needed. How do we know? Because the Chinese Communist Party has actively lobbied against this legislation. They know this bill is bad for China and good for the United States of America.

This bill is about securing our country, giving our people the tools to flourish, and ensuring America continues its global research role.

It has been a long journey to get to this point, but history will show that by passing this CHIPS+ bill, we are confronting the challenges of today and building a prosperous and secure tomorrow for all Americans.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise to formally express my gratitude for the heroic actions of my fellow Hoosier, Eli Dicken, at the Greenwood Park Mall.

On Sunday, July 17, 2022, in the midst of unimaginable tragedy, Eli boldly stepped forward into danger to save the lives of others. As a murderer committed a heinous act of violence at the Greenwood Park Mall, Eli, after directing others around him to get to safety, drew his own firearm, and fired upon the attacker, ultimately taking his life and saving the lives of countless innocent bystanders. Within 15 seconds, Eli was able to stop an even greater tragedy. As Chief James Ison of the Greenwood, IN, Police Department noted, Eli's actions ``were nothing short of heroic'' and ``many more people would have died . . . if it was not for his heroism.'' Eli's actions were possible due to this own bravery and because of actions taken by the State of Indiana to ensure that law-abiding citizens are freely able to exercise their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

I mourn the three innocent lives that were taken and pray for the families and communities that this senseless tragedy has affected. I also pray for the continued recovery of those wounded in the attack, who were in part saved by Eli's decisive actions and also by the exceptional response and care of first responders. So today, I add my own voice to those honoring Eli and express my gratitude for his selfless courage.

Mr. President, what defines an American soldier? Is it courage under fire? Is it physical strength? Is it the great victories on the battlefield? No. I think it is something else. Above all, it is sacrifice. It is the selflessness to surrender one's life so that a set of values will endure not only for the living but for generations to come. It is the faith that the future of this great Nation is more important than the life of any one of its citizens; that the cause of liberty is greater than any individual.

Be that as it may, every fallen hero must be remembered. Every individual who makes the ultimate sacrifice must be honored. That is why, in the spring every year, we decorate their graves with flowers and the flag they fought for. Those headstones made of marble or granite are often indistinguishable from a distance. Fittingly, their sacrifice was the same no matter how fabled or forgotten the battle, no matter in victory or defeat; and though we rightly revere our glorious triumphs--the trenches of Yorktown, the hills of Gettysburg, the fields of the Marne, the beaches of Normandy--it is often in America's darkest hours, in the face of great disaster, when we see the virtues of America's warriors most clearly.

So it was with SGT Charles Garrigus, a farm boy from the town of Francisco in Southern Indiana.

In growing up during the Depression, he developed a passion and skill for motors, of driving trucks and tractors across the Hoosier countryside. It was why he was drawn to the U.S. Army; why, after his discharge at the end of World War II, he reenlisted, serving as a motor pool sergeant in Japan. Sergeant Garrigus was scheduled to return to Indiana on June 26, 1950. One day before that, on the 25th, the Korean war began, and so he again answered the call.

After the initial setbacks, with the North Korean People's Army pushing U.S. forces south, by the end of the summer, the North Koreans were in retreat, and Americans were advancing north, up the peninsula. The end of the war was in sight.

GEN Douglas MacArthur divided his forces. The Eighth Army went from Seoul to Pyongyang. From there, it would link with Ten Corps. Sergeant Garrigus's force, the 7th Army Division, 32nd Regiment, was assigned to guard the Ten Corps' flank. Once connected, they would march toward the Chinese frontier, reunite Korea, and end the war. The soldiers might be home for Christmas.

Then came the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, where 100,000 Chinese soldiers attacked. The Americans, isolated and spread out across the Chosin Reservoir, were surrounded; they were trapped. It was an unmitigated disaster--one of the worst in the history of America's military. The fighting continued for two more nights before Sergeant Garrigus's regiment consolidated with another larger unit, led by COL Allan MacLean.

On the morning of the 29th, their 60-vehicle convoy made its way to MacLean's perimeter. The Chinese fire was so heavy, though, that two trucks filled with supplies were left on the opposite of the bridge leading to MacLean's men. When Sergeant Garrigus looked across that bridge and saw Chinese soldiers approaching the vehicles, he dashed, on foot, across the bridge, reached the first van, and drove it back across the ice-covered bridge. Then he got out, ran back across the bridge again, jumped in the second truck, and drove that one across American lines too. Just as he made it over, the engine stalled out, but his fellow soldiers roared. It was a shot of hope in a desperate hour.

After 80 hours of attacks, the situation had grown so dire that, on the morning of the 30th, the Americans determined to break out and drive over mountain roads to the safety of the Marine base at Hagaru- ri, at the southern end of the reservoir. They loaded what rations and supplies they had left, along with the wounded, into 35 trucks and jeeps, and prepared to set out across the narrow mountain roads that led to the marines.

Before they departed, Chinese forces commandeered the Americans' defensive machinegun posts. Sergeant Garrigus rallied several other soldiers; fought off the Chinese; and retook the weapons, turning them on the enemy, freeing up the column of vehicles to depart. The way was treacherous, along rutted, ice-covered roads. The formation was disorganized, scattered by steady Chinese gunfire.

With Sergeant Garrigus at its head, the convoy finally drew near the Marine base at Hagaru-ri. What was once a 35-vehicle convoy was now 15. The trucks and jeeps were full of bullet holes, but the final run was at hand. With mortar blasts exploding along its sides, Sergeant Garrigus guided the convoy forward. Hagaru-ri was 5 miles away, just in reach. Then a tremendous blast of machineguns erupted. The lead vehicle veered off the road and smashed into a ditch. Sergeant Garrigus lay dead behind the wheel. The entire convoy ground to a halt. The surviving soldiers were at the mercy of the Chinese.

SGT Charles Garrigus never returned home to Indiana. His name is among

the missing--the ones who answered their country's call and never came home. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service and sacrifice.

Though his mission was doomed, his death was not in vain. The fighting at Chosin Reservoir distracted the Chinese Army long enough to allow the Army to successfully withdraw south--the longest withdrawal in American history. He and his brothers in arms fought like hell, through hell. Their chances of victory, of even survival, were remote. But they didn't fight for themselves. They fought for their countrymen, living and generations away, for the ideal of self-government.

On Memorial Day, we honor all those who have died in service to America in defense of that ideal. Let us not mistake the stillness of the patriot graves with silence, though. The rows of headstones speak to us of sacrifice for the common good. They remind us of the price at which our freedom was won, of the too often smallness of our divisions, of the many reasons for faith in our fellow Americans no matter how strained our bonds may be, of the blessings we share even if they are obscure, and of our ability to pass through any trial no matter how daunting.

When we listen to them, I believe we will lift our heads from today's anxieties and face the future optimistically. As the story of Sergeant Garrigus shows, we Americans have refused to let far greater obstacles deter us or accepted that more difficult problems can't be solved.

Months after his death, at the Chosin Reservoir, Sergeant Garrigus's parents received a note of condolence from GEN Douglas MacArthur. In it, he hoped that the loss of their son in the defense of this country offered ``some measure of comfort.'' The letter also spoke of the sergeant's ``devotion to duty at the cost of all he held dear.''

Eloquent words or well-meaning gestures on Memorial Day or any day have small power to comfort those left behind, but we can take more than a measure of comfort and should be eternally grateful that, from our founding until today, there have always been Americans willing to keep us safe and free at the cost of all they hold dear.

May God bless them and keep them in His arms.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, every year in schools around our country, students are taught about the Declaration of Independence. This remarkable document outlines the ideals on which the United States was founded and the principles on which our government and our very identity as Americans are based.

Perhaps the best known and most quoted line from the Declaration is that line about all being endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

From our earliest days--when such a concept truly was revolutionary-- to the present day, as Americans, we believe in the dignity and value of every human person. This is an ideal that we should always aspire to. And in the spirit of that conviction, I believe that our Nation has a moral responsibility to protect unborn children--to protect life.

Through amazing advances in science, families and medical professionals now know that at 15 weeks, a baby can feel pain; a baby can move fully formed fingers and toes; a baby has a fully developed heart, pumping 26 quarts of blood per day.

Despite what these advances in modern science tell us, the current abortion policy in the United States is more in line with communist China and North Korea. We are only one of seven countries around the world that allow abortion to take place past the point at which a baby can feel pain in the womb--one of seven countries in the world. Some Americans might be surprised to learn that even in progressive Europe, 47 out of 50 countries have limits on abortion after 15 weeks.

Yet the legislation before the U.S. Senate would block States from protecting the unborn and enshrine late-term abortion into our Federal law. Going beyond codifying Roe v. Wade, this sweeping legislation would strike down commonsense, broadly supported laws that many States have adopted since that decision, including laws meant to protect the health and safety of mothers. This bill does nothing to protect the health and safety of women, and it would certainly not protect the unborn. And it would make these sweeping changes contrary to the wishes of the majority of Americans.

In fact, recent polling found that 61 percent of Americans say abortion should be either illegal or that the policy decisions associated with abortion should be left up to the States.

So I would urge my colleagues to vote against this bill, given our increased knowledge and understanding of how babies develop, given our understanding of the science. This is simply the wrong direction to take public policy.

I also want to take a moment and acknowledge that the issue of abortion is a very tough one for so many Americans, and, given recent developments, this is a topic on the minds of many Hoosiers and many Americans. I understand that. I want to reiterate my commitment to helping mothers and families choose life and supporting them in that choice. We must ensure mothers and unborn children are cared for, loved, and supported, and this includes increasing the resources available to help women facing unexpected pregnancies. We must support America's 2,700 pregnancy centers that provide vital services to millions of people each year at virtually no cost as well as provide more support for adoptive services.

These steps are vital as we seek to further promote a culture that promotes values and protects life. Now, let's remember and live up to that founding American ideal. We believe in the dignity and value of every human person.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for 1 minute.

Mr. President, I thank my colleague from New Hampshire.

This bill is about maintaining our competitiveness with China.

We cannot compete with China without robust domestic R&D. A company investing $100 in R&D in China this year will get a $200 deduction. In America, that company investing $100 would only get to deduct $10 this year.

We must not lose out on innovation and production to China. I ask my colleagues to support this motion and support domestic R&D. Every day we wait is another day we fall behind.

Madam President, in May of 2013, one of my constituents, Bob Evans from Lawrence County, was placed on the kidney transplant list. His particular kidney ailment was hereditary, meaning family members who might have been a match could not donate. So Bob was left waiting for someone--someone--to step forward.

Unbeknownst to Bob, an acquaintance, Ray Lindsey, quietly went to get tested. Now, Ray took several days off work, traveling 3 hours round trip to Indianapolis to see if he would be a match. He was. And only then did Ray tell Bob what he had been up to. In the summer of 2014, Ray donated a kidney, and he saved Bob's life.

Yesterday, Ray, one of the most selfless people I have ever met, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.

Ray was a humble and unassuming family man with a sense of humor. On his Facebook page, he called himself a ``part-time hillbilly.'' Ray worked hard and, by the way, didn't get any compensation whatsoever for the weeks he had to take off while recuperating from surgery.

Ray's sacrifice has made a lasting impact on public policy. His story impacted and informed my interest in organ donation policy. I introduced the PRISE Act to incentivize new breakthroughs in kidney disease treatment options. In 2018, the Trump administration created a similar program called KidneyX.

We know Ray saved one life, but his story and selflessness impacted potentially thousands more.

Bob, by the way, is still going strong today, 8 years after the transplant surgery.

Ray was a man of deep faith, and I can think of no better tribute to Ray than words found in John, chapter 15:

My command is this. Love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for

one's friends.

Ray lived those words, and I and countless others are going to miss him deeply. I offer my condolences to all who loved Ray, including his wife Debbie, three children, and eight grandchildren. Ray's incredible life and impact will never be forgotten.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, at 5:30 p.m. on September 11, 2001, members of Indiana Task Force One left Indianapolis to head to New York City. Task Force One is our State's search and rescue squad, made up of our bravest and most selfless first responders who deploy around the country in times of emergency.

In the caravan to Ground Zero that day was Mark Rapp. Mark was a founding member of Task Force One. He was a hero's hero, a rescuer's rescuer. On March 4, 2022, Chief Mark Rapp died after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

Mark, who was known by the nickname ``Bum''--that is right, ``Bum Rapp''--served the city of Indianapolis as a firefighter for 37 years. He retired as a battalion chief of training in 2017.

In 1993, Mark received the Medal of Bravery for the risky rescue of a small child from a dangerous apartment fire. He is also a recipient of the American Red Cross Heroism Award, the Operations Firefighter of the Year Award, and the Peer Leadership Award for his work as a role model for the force.

For 10 years, he led the Indianapolis Fire Department's Clothe-A- Child Program, wherein young people in need shop for clothing alongside a firefighter; and Mark was a deeply involved father. He built a log cabin in the Outdoor Lab at Indian Creek Elementary School. For over 20 years, he worked on the ``chain gang'' at Lawrence North High School football games. His sons, Mark, Jr., and Greg, eventually worked alongside him as firefighters.

As a member of Task Force One, Mark was deployed to assist in the aftermath of several natural disasters, including Hurricanes Gustav and Ike in 2008. He was also a certified rescue diver.

In September 2001, Mark spent 10 days at Ground Zero, leading Indiana Task Force One through the night shift during nonstop search and rescue efforts. It is believed that the lung cancer that ultimately claimed Mark's life could be traced to the toxins he inhaled in 2001. Nearly half of the 65 Task Force One members who were deployed to the World Trade Center in 2001 have reported illnesses related to their work. Mark was the fifth to have died from those illnesses.

On behalf of the people of Indianapolis, the Hoosiers, and the American people, we thank Mark Rapp, Sr., for his courage, bravery, and leadership; and our prayers are with Nancy, his wife, his three children, and all of those who love him.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.