Floor Statements

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. President, this is my third year serving on the Senate Ag Committee. This is my first time getting to work on a farm bill. The farm bill comes around every 5 years. It sets national policy on agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry.

In less than 2 weeks, at the end of this fiscal year, the current farm bill will expire.

In 2018, this bill had a pricetag of $867 billion, right--$867 billion 5 years ago, in 2018. Now, we used to think that was a lot of money, but the upcoming farm bill is almost double that amount at roughly $1.5 trillion. This is the first trillion-dollar farm bill in our Nation's history.

The enormous pricetag of the bill is driven by an 84-percent increase in SNAP, or Federal nutrition assistance, and a 58-percent increase in conservation programs--in other words, a huge increase in welfare and climate spending. Most of this new spending does not offer support for farmers.

The $559 billion increase in SNAP funding was done directly by the Department of Agriculture through updates to the Thrifty Food Plan. In other words, nobody in Congress voted for this. The $35 billion in conservation funding was done through the Inflation Reduction Act of last year. Democrats are pushing through priorities that cater to climate activists and lead Americans to become dependent on welfare benefits. Approximately 82 percent of the upcoming farm bill goes to SNAP, commonly known as food stamps. Four percent goes to conservation.

Just yesterday, we hit $33 trillion in debt for this country--yes, I said that--$33 trillion. That will be picked up--this tab--by our grandkids and their kids.

This graph here, developed by the Farm Bureau Federation, showcases the enormous increase in nutrition spending and the steady decline of farm spending over the last 50 years. As you can see, SNAP spending has almost doubled what it was 5 years ago. How is this even possible? Has poverty doubled in our country in the last 5 years? Of course, it hasn't.

The poverty rate has been between 10 and 20 percent during my lifetime--10 to 20 percent. We spent $20 trillion in the war on poverty, and we have not even moved the needle. What does that mean? That means we are not doing our job. All we are doing is we are paying for somebody else to do it. So it doesn't work.

Yet I never hear my Democratic colleagues consider how we fight poverty. We just give out money. If my colleagues on the left cared about poverty, then they would want better results. But nobody wants better results here. They want votes. Welfare spending--if we would ever get it in our heads--welfare spending does not lift people out of poverty. Are we ever going to realize that? It simply makes people more comfortable remaining in poverty, and that makes it wrong. It makes it wrong for this body that we continue down this path of poverty and not helping poverty.

Food stamps are supposed to help people stay afloat while they work to become self-sufficient, help them get through tough times--not a free walk in society. It should not be an incentive to stay home other than to train and want to get a job, but that is exactly what it has done. Making someone dependent on government is not helping them; it is hurting them.

The whole purpose of the farm bill is supposed to be to help farmers. What an idea. Yet $7 out of $8--$7 out of $8 in the farm bill is for something else. Our farmers depend on crop insurance; commodity programs such as the Agricultural Risk program--ARC, as we call it--and price-loss coverage, which is the PLC program; and disaster programs to help them deal with difficult crop yields, markets, and rising input costs.

Farmers can't control the weather or the price, and that is the reason they need help. We have to remember farmers put food on the table. But there is a lot of people who don't understand that.

These are some of the hardest working people in America, and they have too little to show for it. Back home in my State of Alabama, I have heard the struggles facing our row croppers and our specialty crop producers. They need help to deal with inflation and rising input costs. Farm production costs have increased--have increased 28 percent since Joe Biden took office less than 3 years ago. That is embarrassing. How in the world can we increase prices 28 percent in this country in 2\1/2\ years and expect the people in this country to survive, the hard-working people? Farmers included.

Fuel and fertilizer are 60 percent to 130 percent higher than they were in 2021. Folks, we can't survive with that; but my colleagues on the left are not even concerned about it--not one bit. We are just going to cut back on digging oil and gas and buy it from other countries and charge the heck out of taxpayers in the United States of America for oil and gas that we can produce here.

Other farm expenses like land, cash rents, labor, and equipment are all adding up. As a result, net farm income is projected to decrease by roughly 23 percent this year. Costs are up, incomes are down, and farmers are struggling to survive.

We are on a direct collision in this country of closing our farmers out and having to completely depend on other countries for our food and other things that we eat. Think about that--completely depend on other countries.

We just found out going through this COVID crisis that we were completely dependent on other countries for our drugs. We said: We have got to overcome that. We have got to redo that. Now, we are doing the same thing to our farmers. We do away with our food, it is over, because if you think prices are high now, they will be completely a lot higher than they are now.

The only thing that is keeping our farmers afloat is called the Farm Safety Net, but the current support levels for title I commodity programs, like cotton, peanuts, and soybeans, are not high enough to sustain our farmers over the next 5 years.

In other words, this safety net is a level of pricing. If the price goes under a certain amount, we help our farmers overcome that cutback where they can survive. The problem is, that safety net price has not risen since 2012. And we don't think the prices haven't gone up? We have lost our minds.

If we don't raise those reference prices--and right now, my colleagues on the left don't want to raise our reference prices for farmers--we are going to be buying all of our food and everything we eat from other countries. It is coming. We have got to raise our reference prices.

We have got to help out our farmers. These programs and these reference prices allow farmers to continue clothing, feeding, and fueling every citizen in this country and a lot of other countries.

Now, we don't need to idly sit by while our hard-working producers work tirelessly and barely survive under this Joe Biden economy. I ask my colleagues--I beg my colleagues--on the left to wake up, open your eyes, and support our farmers and fight for this farm bill. Raise the reference prices. Help them out. Because if we don't,

there won't be a need for another farm bill. Our Nation's food security is going to depend on it, and the lives of all American citizens are going to depend on it.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. President, today, as our Nation marks the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, we mourn the loss of some 3,000 Americans who were murdered by terrorists. It was one of the darkest days in our history.

Just last week, we marked another sad anniversary. It was the second anniversary of President Biden's surrender in Afghanistan. On 9/11/ 2021, the Taliban controlled more territory in Afghanistan than they did on 9/11/2001. That is an absolute disgrace. The responsibility goes straight to our Commander in Chief.

At the time, President Biden called it ``an extraordinary success.'' Nobody else thought so. The American people overwhelmingly reject this idea. Our allies certainly reject this idea. It was not a success. It was the worst embarrassment of our Nation in decades.

Two years since the fall of Afghanistan, there has been absolutely no accountability within the Biden administration. No one has been fired. Nobody paid the price. Thousands and thousands of our allies in Afghanistan have lost their lives.

We surrendered billions of dollars in military equipment to the Taliban. As a result, the Taliban is now the best armed terrorist group in the history of the world. And, again, nobody has been fired. In fact, the only one in our military who got fired was a colonel who sounded the alarm as a whistleblower--what a disgrace.

It even gets worse. Just weeks after the fall of Afghanistan, President Biden issued his vaccine mandate. The Supreme Court struck it down for private companies. It took an act of Congress to stop it for our military more than a year later.

So just weeks after our worst military defeat in decades, President Biden purged the ranks of some 8,000 patriots. There was never any scientific basis for this mandate--none. No one disputed the fact that these were healthy servicemembers who were ready and willing to defend the United States of America. They were pushed out for ideological reasons. This was a real threat to readiness, and it inflicted real hardship on military families.

Democrats have been talking a lot about readiness lately and military families, but there was silence when Joe Biden fired 8,000 American patriots and left their families without income. Thousands and thousands more servicemembers were vaccinated despite serious reservations of conscience. This was a slap in the face to our heroes in uniform.

The Senate had the chance to fix this in July, but our Democratic colleagues blocked it. Senator Cruz offered an amendment to this year's defense bill

that would have reinstated all of these heroes--all 8,000 of them--but my Democratic colleagues refused and rejected it. Now, these same Democrats are lecturing us about readiness and about their support for military families. I hear about it every day.

Meanwhile, the Democrats' efforts to inject leftwing politics into our military have only continued. I have spoken at length about their illegal use of the Pentagon budget for abortion for the last 7 months.

Since my hold went into effect, it has allowed me more time to look into the background of some of the Pentagon's nominees. These are nominees that my colleagues on the left are saying should not receive a vote. Democrats are saying we should just approve them without ever voting. Senator Reed said it was ``disrespectful'' not to approve them by unanimous consent. I do not agree with that. Many of these nominees are worthy of confirmation. I will agree and I will vote for them. But some are not. The Senate ought to do our job under the Constitution and advise and consent to these nominations. Some we should confirm. Some we should reject.

A large number of these nominees have publicly expressed support for so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. I am concerned--very concerned--that DEI distracts our military from its mission. The American military is not a social justice program. It is not a jobs program. The military is not an equal opportunity employer. It never has been and shouldn't be. The American military is the world's greatest killing machine. The military has one mission and one mission only: to win wars. Other considerations, no matter how reasonable or admirable they might be, have to be set aside. As General MacArthur famously said, ``there is no substitute for victory.''

Everything we have in this country depends on our military-- everything. Our entire way of life is made possible by the fact that we have the best fighting force that has ever been assembled. Our enemies would love to take away our role as world leader. If we lose a strong military, then we will lose everything.

Therefore, it is my view that the Senate ought to vote on these nominations, especially those at the very top.

It is my view that, this month, the U.S. Senate ought to vote on the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The current Chairman, General Milley, received a floor vote in 2018. The nominee, General Brown, received a floor vote for his current position as Chief of Staff of the Air Force. There is nothing wrong with a floor vote on these nominations. Contrary to what Senator Reed said, there is nothing disrespectful about a confirmation vote. If we do not vote on General Brown's nomination, then that is entirely the fault of the Democratic majority that runs this floor.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has a budget of more than $1 billion--that is a ``b''--$1 billion and a staff of thousands. This job is too important not to receive consideration by the Senate or to simply be confirmed without a vote. Democrats can either stop complaining about having acting officials or they can confirm these nominees. You can't have it both ways.

If my colleagues on the left were actually worried about readiness and about military families, then we would be voting on these nominees today. If Democrats were really concerned about readiness for militarily families, then they would have reinstated the 8,000 heroes discharged under the vaccine mandate--8,000 people who lost their jobs and who had to go find something else to do to support their families. But my Democratic colleagues refuse to do that.

Despite what the Pentagon just said falsely last week, it would take just 2 hours to confirm one of these nominees--2 hours. The Democrats' excuses that votes take time is not good enough. The Senate has had more than 80 days off this year, not counting weekends. We just had a 5-week recess. We took Labor Day off. This is one of the least productive Senates in memory.

I had a 40-year career before I came here. I didn't need this job, but I wanted to help my country. I came here to the Senate to vote and to uphold the Constitution. That is what this group and floor is about. I came here to make laws, not to outsource my job to the executive branch.

I grew up in a military family. There is nothing in this world that I honor more than the U.S. military, except the Constitution, which they have sworn to defend and to follow.

We need to get politics out of the military. It has no place in the place that keeps this country and our allies safe.

The widespread perception that our military has gone woke under Joe Biden is driving away recruits. They are not signing up. Unfortunately, that perception is becoming more and more justified. Unlike my hold, recruiting is a real crisis, as we speak.

We need the best of the best in our military and, generally speaking, that is exactly who we have. We have the best of the best in our military. We do not need politically or ideologically motivated people in our military. We do not need political activists in the Pentagon. We need a military that is focused on its mission of fighting and winning wars, nothing else. That is their job. We depend on that.

I still believe that our military is the best fighting force this world has ever seen. I still believe that our military has been the greatest force for peace for the last 75 years. All the false attacks on me, including on the Senate floor, do nothing to change those facts. All the false attacks on me do nothing except to strengthen my resolve.

For my entire life, I have held the U.S. military as sacred--and the blood of the fallen heroes. If we allow our military to become political, then we will have done a disservice to every one of the people who have fought and died. If my Democratic colleagues and the Biden administration continue to inject politics into our military, then our children and our grandchildren will have to live in a much more dangerous world.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, if you travel to Fort Payne, you would be stretched to find someone who doesn't know U.S. Air Force MSgt Scott Azbell. Scott joined the military just about as soon as he could, right after high school. He quickly became a skilled aircraft mechanic and training instructor.

He spent his entire 23-year enlistment during times of conflict, serving multiple deployments around the globe. His efforts ensured our aircraft were up to speed on the latest technology and on the advancements necessary for a strong defense.

Scott continues to serve this country, even in his retirement. After he retired, he retrained as a diesel mechanic for Fort Payne City Schools and also is actively involved in its JROTC Program, inspiring a spirit of service in the next generation.

He has used his skills as a mechanic to help countless folks in the community with car repairs throughout the years--not for attention, but because he wants to use his talents to be a blessing to others. Scott is also an active member of Fort Payne Church of Christ and serves as quartermaster for VFW Post 3128. He dedicates his time to supporting other veterans and their families. He has served as a regional spokesperson and coordinator for Wreaths Across America for the past 2 years. His work has helped ensure that we do not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

We are thankful for veterans like Scott who are committed to making Alabama a better place. I am proud to recognize him as the September Veteran of the Month.

Mr. President, our servicemembers put their lives on the line to preserve this Nation for generations to come. Many of them also hand down that ethic of service to their own children. That is certainly true of CW4 Chuck Maglothin of Foley.

Chuck channeled his love of flying to serve in various aviation roles during his 25 years in the U.S. Army. He specialized in Blackhawk and Kiowa warrior helicopters, climbing the ranks to become an instructor pilot and maintenance examiner.

Chuck's bravery and expertise provided critical war support in the aftermath of 9/11. He was in one of the first groups to be deployed to Iraq. He went on to do three more combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2016, Chuck finished his time in the Army with more than 3,200 flight hours, most of which were in combat.

Chuck says one of his greatest honors during his time in the military was swearing his son Jarrod into the U.S. Army in 2013. Jarrod carries on Chuck's love of flying as a UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief.

Chuck continues to use his aviation skills as a mechanical assembler for Collins Aerospace. He works on Boeing 787 inlets to keep our military and commercial planes safe and efficient. Chuck also gives back to local agencies through his involvement in the Marshalls krewe.

We are thankful for Alabamians like Chuck who have put country ahead of self to protect our freedom. I am proud to recognize him as the August Veteran of the Month.

Madam President, reserving the right to object.

Last night, I spoke on the phone with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. I also spoke with him last Thursday. Both conversations were very cordial. We had good conversations, respectful; but they were very brief. There was absolutely no offer--there was no offer--of a compromise. It is their way or the highway. Thus far, the Pentagon has done nothing but attack me, and I keep repeating the same claims over and over.

Since I spoke with Secretary Austin on Thursday, a few things have changed. One is that the House of Representatives has now passed their annual Defense bill. The bill contains an amendment that would explicitly repeal the memos which implemented the Pentagon's new abortion policy. It wasn't in the base text of the bill. It was added on the floor by the majority of the House Members. The majority of the House of Representatives has spoken out in opposition to this policy. It was a bipartisan vote.

Senator Bennet, Secretary Austin, and President Biden need to realize this. I am not alone. Our team is building and growing, and 60 percent of the country is opposed to taxpayer funding for abortion. That includes Democrats, Republicans, and Independents--60 percent.

The Pentagon's new abortion policy is even worse than that. It is a taxpayer-funded abortion that nobody--and I mean nobody--in the House or here voted for.

It gets worse. This morning, the Pentagon's staff who is in charge of putting this together, gave a briefing to the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. To be honest with you, it was a complete debacle. I thought they would be prepared. The briefing confirmed a few things we know about this policy.

First of all, there are virtually no restrictions at all on the use of this policy. None. The briefers confirmed that the policy could be used to facilitate a late-term abortion for enlisted members and their dependents. Pentagon officials confirmed that this policy would facilitate abortion up to the moment of birth, depending on the State-- at the moment of birth. Late-term abortion is opposed--late-term abortion is opposed--by about three-quarters of the American people.

To be clear, the DOD has the authority to perform abortions in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. That was passed on this floor in 1984. Now, what we are talking about with this new policy that no one in this building voted on is taxpayer funding for elective late- term abortion. This is radical. It is extreme. It is downright wrong.

Third, the briefers essentially confirmed that the policy was not-- was not--based on facts. It was based on an extreme political ideology. I asked the briefers for evidence that abortion improves readiness. They should have seen this coming before they walked in the building this morning at 9 o'clock. They knew they were going to be asked this. I have been asking this question for a year; and Pentagon officials still have absolutely no evidence whatsoever that it impedes readiness. When the administration was touting this policy, they said it could lead up to 4,000 taxpayer-funded abortions a year.

Let me explain this.

When I got a briefing last year from the Pentagon, we asked them: How many abortions is this going to consist of? Well, now we are doing two dozen a year. When this policy is put into place, RAND--their polling group out of the Pentagon--said it will affect probably around 4,000. Now, this came from the Pentagon. This wasn't made up by my team or anybody else in my party. This came directly from the Pentagon. Now, I want to say this--4,000--and that is not including dependents. It is not including dependents. So you are looking at a lot more.

Now they are backtracking and accusing me of inflating that number. Well, that is fine. They have a short memory. That argument cuts both ways. The Democrats need to explain why 2,000 abortions--if that is all it is going to be--are necessary for a military of 2 million people. They can't explain it because it has nothing to do with readiness. We are talking about elective abortion.

We already have an abortion policy for rape, incest, and the health of the mom. This policy was, in no way, affected by the Alabama law or any other State law. It has nothing to do with the Dobbs decision. This is a taxpayer-funded abortion that nobody--and I mean nobody--voted for in this building or at the other end of the building.

The Democrats say my hold is unprecedented. Well, I will say this: Their abortion policy is unprecedented. We are here to make the law, not the Pentagon.

Anyone who calls himself pro-life needs to stand up and be counted right now. That means my party included. The Democrats' media machine is throwing the kitchen sink at this hold. It doesn't bother me. I have been called everything anyway. It just makes me that much stronger to hear people complain about this, knowing that deep down, somewhere, there is a soft part in their hearts for 4,000 to 5,000 unborn babies who will never breathe life on this Earth. So the more Joe Biden attacks me, the more I am convinced I am doing the right thing.

It seems like my colleagues on the left will do anything to change the subject and distract from this issue at hand. Recently, even the White House attacked my football record. My wife did the same thing at times. It is absolutely ridiculous, though, how this thing has gotten out of hand. There has been very little conversation, very little dialogue, and that is what this place is supposed to be about. The only dialogue we have had is with Senator Bennet and several other Senators coming in and discussing this in a UC, but the people who can change this and have an opportunity to make a difference in this could sit down and talk.

I hate that we have to do this, but we are going to stick with it. So let's stick with the facts. And, after today's briefing, it is clear to me that the Pentagon doesn't have any facts.

For that reason, I object.

Madam President, I join my colleagues on the floor to talk about Joe Biden's economy.

Over the past few weeks, the President has traveled across our great country. He has been giving speeches on what he calls Bidenomics. He is bragging about how good our economy is.

I have got news for the President: The American people aren't buying what you are selling.

Two-thirds of the American people disapprove of him on the economy-- two-thirds. Three out of four Americans say our country is on the wrong track. Most economists think we are going to have a recession within the next year. We all hope that doesn't happen.

Nevertheless, I agree with the American people. Bidenomics has been a disaster, a complete disaster, for the people of this country.

When Joe Biden took office, this economy was ready to take off. We were opening back up after the pandemic, but obviously Joe Biden took credit for that too.

The Congressional Budget Office said the economy didn't need any stimulus--no more money. We were expected to fully recover within just a few months. Guess what. Our President didn't listen. He signed the biggest stimulus bill in history. Joe Biden spent $2 trillion that we didn't need. It wasn't paid for. We didn't have the money, but we approved it anyway, in this room. That $2 trillion is going straight to the national debt--$32 trillion. Embarrassing.

Even the Democrats' own experts warned them not to do this. President Obama's economic adviser, Jason Furman, said:

I don't know any economist who is advocating for a spending

bill that size.

Bill Clinton's Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, said it would cause inflation. Well, sure enough, a month after the Democrats passed their spending bill, inflation started going up, and now prices are 14 percent higher than they were when President Biden took office--14 percent. Gas prices are still up by more than a dollar a gallon since this President took office. The price of diesel is raising costs for farmers in my State of Alabama and across America, and they are struggling. In total, inflation has cost the typical American family more than $8,000 annually since Joe Biden took office.

Last summer, Joe Biden and the Democrats started spending trillions in taxpayer money again. Didn't learn a lesson. It was an election year, and they must have thought it was going to help them in the election.

As of today, Joe Biden has authorized more than 4 trillion--that is not billion; that is trillion--dollars in spending. That is more money than we spent in World War II. Again, this is after the Congressional Budget Office said we didn't need any stimulus, and again, it was money that we didn't have. We didn't have it. It is no wonder we have had the highest inflation in 40 years, and it is no wonder Joe Biden is the least popular President since Jimmy Carter.

Record inflation has caused the fastest increase in interest rates in 40 years, and it is self-inflicted. The American people didn't do that; this city did that. The interest rate on a mortgage has doubled since Joe Biden took office--doubled. More and more young people are giving up on the goal of owning their own home because they can't afford it.

Last summer, Joe Biden also raised taxes on nearly every person in this country. He wants 85,000 more IRS agents to shake people down because they need the money. They need the money to help pay this debt down, but they are going to take it away from the American people. That should never happen.

So now we are paying the price for inflation, and we are paying more because of higher taxes.

Last fall, there was a Gallup poll that showed that a record number of people have given up on the American dream--given up. That is what everybody wants to come to this country for, is the American dream.

Folks, it ain't here anymore. It is gone.

According to the poll, the majority of Americans do not think their kids will have a better standard of living than they had when they were growing up.

Joe Biden shouldn't be bragging right now. Joe Biden ought to be on an apology tour across this country because it is embarrassing what we have done to the debt and what we have done to inflation and prices all over the country. He ought to apologize to the American people for robbing them of thousands of dollars that they worked for, that they shouldn't have to send to this place to spend when they don't need it to be spent. He ought to apologize to the people who are giving up on the American dream.

Two-thirds of the American people disapprove of the handling of Joe Biden's economy. And I agree with the American people. Bidenomics has been a total disaster, and it will go down in history. It will go down in history. It will be remembered, and it will be studied--how not to run an economy. Totally wrong.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, the Senate has a lot of very important work to do. We have been out a couple of weeks, and it is time to get back to work. Senator Schumer, yesterday--or this past week--sent the Democratic caucus a long to-do list that includes keeping the government open, which is very important; our annual Defense bill, which is very important; addressing prescription drugs, which we are all very concerned about; the farm bill. There are a lot of other things that we have got to address in this caucus, in this room. Missing from that list was military nominations.

This is my 11th time standing up here and continuing to harp on the fact that we need to do something about this new policy that the Secretary of Defense has passed down and passed to the military. So far this year, dozens of lower level military nominations have passed through unanimous consent, but a number of important nominations are pending or will soon be pending.

General Smith's, as the Senator just brought up, is one of the most important. I have got a great deal of admiration for General Smith.

Earlier today, General Smith became the acting head of the Marine Corps. He is doing the same exact job which he has been doing for several years. The only difference is that today he is an acting official. This has minimal effect on his ability to lead.

There may be a delay in his planning guidance, and he cannot yet move into the Commandant's residence. But there is little doubt about General Smith's ability to lead effectively, even now. There is little doubt that soon he will be confirmed.

I have met with General Smith. I have got great respect and admiration for what he has done. General Smith has dedicated nearly four decades to the Marine Corps. He has got a record to be very proud of. During our meeting, General Smith assured me that he was committed to keeping politics out of the military. And for me to vote for somebody, that is exactly what I am looking for: keep politics out of the military.

The Marine Corps has done an excellent job of staying mission- focused. One result is, because of that, the marines are the only branch that is meeting its recruiting goals. I believe that the Marine Corps is in good hands now with General Smith.

But if Chairman Reed and the Democrats are so concerned, let's vote. That is all I keep asking for. Let's vote on these nominees.

This week, the Senate will consider a DOJ nomination for an office that has around 20 employees--20 employees. I agree that this is an important nomination, but surely the Commandant of the Marine Corps is more important. So if the Democrats are so worried about General Smith being an acting official, then let's vote. I keep asking for that. Let's vote and clear this up.

With that, I object.

Mr. President, ROTC programs are critical source of leadership for our Armed Forces. ROTC programs also change people's lives. A perfect example is MSG Donna Johnson of Birmingham, who began her military career in ROTC at Jackson-Olin High School.

She says that after joining the ROTC, she knew that she was meant to be a soldier. The idea of serving those in need motivated Donna to join Alabama's National Guard full-time. She faithfully represented our State and country across the world, including stops in Iraq and Kuwait as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While stationed in Kuwait, Donna was asked to sing the national anthem for her fellow servicemembers after her commander noticed her gift of singing. She cites this as one of her most memorable experiences during her 38 years in the Guard.

Donna continues to share her love of America through song at various events across Alabama, including Veterans Day ceremonies, school assemblies, and athletic events. Donna also generously invests her time in Alabama's next generation of leaders by mentoring in the Birmingham City Schools' ``Common Ground'' program. She serves as a positive role model for young women ages 12-14, encouraging them to rise above challenging circumstances, stay in school, and respect themselves and others.

We are blessed to have Donna serving the people of our great State, and I am proud to recognize her as the July Veteran of the Month.

Mr. President, reserving the right to object, I object.

Mr. President.

Reserving the right to object, this is the ninth time that my colleagues on the left have come to the floor to try to break my

hold on Department of Defense nominees. This is the ninth time I am coming forward to keep my word. Since the last time we did this, nothing has changed, and so my hold will remain in place.

I want to be clear about this because my Democratic colleagues have been spreading a little bit of disinformation. I am not blocking anyone from getting confirmed. I am not blocking a single vote. I am only blocking unanimous consent. If Democrats want to vote on these nominees one at a time, I am all for it and will probably vote for them.

I understand that Senator Cardin is a strong supporter of this nominee. I am a strong supporter of the Naval Academy. I have several relatives who have gone to the Naval Academy. It is possible that when these come up, I will vote on all of them. But, so far--let me just respond to some of the false claims that have been made against me in the press and even on this floor in the last week or so.

Yesterday, the White House Press Secretary was asked why they haven't reached out to me at all from the White House. She said:

I do not know when the last time is that [the White House]

has talked to the Senator.

I will tell you when the last time was--never. The White House has not reached out to me once in 4 months. No one has contacted me. There has not been one conversation about a path forward.

I have spoken to Secretary Austin, outside of Armed Services hearings, exactly once in the last 2 years. That was a 10-minute phone call 3 months ago. He made absolutely no effort to find a compromise in our situation.

I have never once heard from Chairman Reed on this issue, of the Armed Services Committee--absolutely no discussion regarding my concerns. Instead, Senator Reed has attacked me on this floor.

I have never once heard from Senator Schumer. Instead, Senator Schumer has attacked me six or seven times on this floor in his seat.

Many of the claims made about me have been completely false.

This is no way to negotiate with a colleague. I don't understand it-- especially not in this body, the United States Senate. Frankly, this kind of behavior just steels my resolve. The more false claims my colleagues on the left make about me, the more it makes me inclined to just keep my hold in place.

I have already laid out the reasons why these claims do not add up. I don't need to repeat them all as we speak. We don't need to waste time. But I would note that yesterday a news story reported correctly that these military positions are being fulfilled by acting officials. These jobs are being done as we speak. They are not empty. Four months into this situation, it is obvious that people are doing the job. It is not affecting our readiness. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong.

So let me just say this one more time because I keep getting asked the same question over and over again. I will keep my hold until the Pentagon follows the law or Congress changes the law. That is the way we do it here in the Senate.

A show vote in committee is not good enough. We can do that all we want, but it is not going to make any difference. An amendment that gets stripped out on the floor by Senator Schumer is not good enough. What I have said from the beginning is either follow the law or change it. Follow the law we have made in this body or change the law.

The burden is not on me. It is not on me to pass this legislation. This is an illegal policy that they changed to. So let's in this body discuss it and go one way or the other. The burden is on the administration to stop breaking the law, and that is exactly what is going on here.

There are two conditions that would get me to stop this and drop this hold, and I think everybody knows those conditions.

So because of that, Mr. President, I object.

Madam President, I join my Republican colleagues on the floor today in support of expanding broadband access across rural America.

I recently had the honor of becoming ranking member of the Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy, which has jurisdiction over the U.S. Department of Agriculture's broadband programs. My top priority as ranking member is expanding broadband access to unserved populations that need it most so our rural communities are not left behind.

In today's economy, people need fast and reliable internet to work, to go to school, have virtual meetings, and even see their doctors through telemedicine. Our farmers need an internet signal to operate their farms, their facilities, drive tractors, irrigate crops, apply pesticides, and implement precision agriculture technologies. Without it, they do not have an opportunity to compete.

Recently, the USDA increased the requirements for sufficient broadband access from speeds of 25 over 3 megabits per second to 100 over 20 megabits per second download and upload speeds. Yet 1 out of 10 people in my State of Alabama didn't even meet the previous 25-over-3 threshold. So why change it? Either don't change it or build better broadband.

I am grateful to the chairman of the Rural Development Subcommittee, Senator Welch of Vermont, for his hard work and partnership on this bipartisan issue. The subcommittee recently held our first meeting, and it was a success. It was exactly what we needed. We had a great discussion with witnesses and colleagues on the importance of broadband.

Later this year, we will have a farm bill coming up in Congress--very important. We need to ensure that expanding rural broadband is included in this year's farm bill.

Also, earlier this year, I was proud to join a bipartisan group of my colleagues to introduce the Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act. This bill would amend the Tax Code to ensure that Federal grant funding for broadband isn't considered taxable income. It just doesn't make sense to fund broadband and then tax broadband users for using it.

I want to thank my colleagues who are here on the floor today for their support, and I want to encourage all of my colleagues to join us in this effort. Rural broadband is vital for the success of our rural communities and for the entire economy.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, this month, I am proud to recognize 96-year-old James Barnes of Abbeville, AL. Mr. Barnes was so eager to serve his country that he didn't want to wait until he turned 18 to enlist in the military. So, at age 17, he convinced his dad to sign a parental consent form allowing him to join the U.S. Navy, where he became a radioman third class. He recalls the elder Mr. Barnes saying that giving him permission was one of the hardest things he ever did. Yet he recognized his son's noble desire to serve. Mr. Barnes traveled the world aboard the U.S.S. LCI 963 and 965, with stops in the Philippines and China to promote global stability after World War II.

After his military service, Mr. Barnes returned home to Henry County, where he began farming peanuts, helping keep the Wiregrass region at the forefront of our national peanut production. Additionally, Mr. Barnes provided a critical service to people in the Wiregrass, faithfully delivering mail for the U.S. Postal Service for more than 38 years, before his retirement in 1990. He is still involved with American Legion Post 119 and Adoniram Baptist Church, where he has served as secretary, treasurer, and a deacon, over the course of more than 50 years.

Although Mr. Barnes is a humble man, members of his community will

tell you what a fixture he is in the local area. They describe him as ``a true Henry County hero who represents all that is great about our country.'' When asked what the secret to his long life is, Mr. Barnes advised, ``No smoking, no drinking, and a lot of country cooking.''

Alabama is thankful for Mr. Barnes' many contributions to our State and country, and I am proud to recognize him as the June Veteran of the Month.