Floor Statements

Madam President, I want to honor a great public servant and Alabamian, my first chief of staff, Stephen Boyd. After nearly two decades of public service, we recently said goodbye to this integral part of our team. When you run for Congress, you learn that people are quick to give you advice--especially when you have had a lifelong career outside of politics. One tip I heard over and over was ``hire a good chief of staff.''

I assembled a lot of teams as a coach. I could easily tell you what makes a ``good'' offensive coordinator or a ``good'' defensive coordinator. But when I thought about what would make a ``good'' chief of staff, I decided I needed someone with three main qualifications: one, someone who knew the Federal Government; two, someone who knew Alabama; and three, someone who would lead with integrity. There were a lot of people who fit the first two qualifications, but the third qualification, integrity, was the most important to me. I was looking for someone who didn't just have the knowledge or skills required to oversee a Senate office and advise a Senator who was new to politics. I was looking for someone who wanted to do the right thing for the people we represent, someone who puts the service of others first. And that someone was Stephen Boyd.

To simply say Stephen was born to serve and born to lead would be accurate. Stephen's grandfathers and father served in the military, and his family is dedicated to their community--but it would not tell the full picture. Stephen has purposefully led a life dedicated to constant learning so that he could be a better servant of others. A native of Birmingham, Stephen received his undergraduate degree from the University of Alabama. He used his God-given talents throughout his time in college to lead in many roles, including as president of university programs. Just last year, Stephen was awarded the University's Bert Bank Distinguished Service and Achievement Award, one of school's highest alumni honors. He went on to earn a law degree at Alabama, and upon graduation, Stephen felt a calling to serve--and headed to Washington, DC, to work for then-Senator Jeff Sessions from Alabama. During his time in Senator Sessions' office, Stephen held positions of increasing responsibility and served at times in policy and communications roles.

He quickly earned a reputation for being able to digest complex policy details and tell the story of the office's work in a way that resonated with Alabamians back home. This is where Stephen began to fully understand the responsibility that all of our offices have to keep our constituents informed. While Senator Sessions served on the Judiciary Committee, Stephen led the Senator's communications through some of the most crucial moments in the Senate: Supreme Court nominations and confirmations. It was also during this time that Stephen met Martha Roby. At the time, Martha was an attorney in Montgomery running for the U.S. House is an extremely competitive district. Senator Sessions asked Stephen to serve his State by going home and making sure Martha became Congresswoman Roby. Stephen, of course, agreed. He ran a campaign in what turned out to be the most expensive election in the district's history, and Martha Roby would go on to serve in the House for a decade. After helping her earn her place in Congress, Congresswoman Roby naturally asked Stephen to help build her office in DC as her chief of staff.

Again, he stepped up. It was a new challenge to start an office from scratch, but Stephen is always willing to put in the effort to find solutions. That is one of the things that stands out most about Stephen: his devotion to learning. He learns the details of institutions he works for, the Members he works for, and the constituents he works for, all in order to ensure he is consistently meeting their needs. He learned quickly how important the role of oversight is for Congress. And through all of his roles so far, he has maintained a great respect for the power of congressional oversight and what it means for the American people. In Martha Roby's office, Stephen led his team to investigate the care provided by Department of Veterans Affairs to Alabama's veterans. Under his

leadership, Stephen and led his colleagues conducted a months-long effort to expose mismanaged care of our veterans and a scheme at some VA facilities to falsely report wait times, covering up the fact that veterans were waiting months for delayed care. The investigation resulted in top leadership changes and disciplinary action against multiple VA administrators and an audit to weed out those who were lying about the treatment of our country's veterans. That commitment to finding and exposing the truth was an invaluable quality when Stephen was asked to combine his experience on the Hill with his law degree and serve at the U.S. Department of Justice.

When President Trump tapped Senator Sessions to be his Attorney General, Stephen was appointed and confirmed by the Senate as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs. This achievement, which very few people can claim, was the culmination of over a decade of thoughtful service and leadership--built on a deep understanding of how Congress works. In this role, Stephen expertly managed the Department of Justice's relationship with Congress through often-contentious periods. He oversaw the Department's response to countless oversight investigations, congressional and confirmation hearings, and even several congressional subpoenas.

Every Senator relies on their staffs, and I had to build one from the ground up. This was a difficult task, but I knew with Stephen Boyd at the helm, he would ensure we got the right people in the right places. A devoted Washington Nationals Fan, Stephen describes a Senate office like a baseball team. It takes everyone collectively executing their individual jobs to win the game. And Stephen made sure each member of our staff had what they need to execute their role on our team. Deliberate, decisive, and always fair, that is how our staff describes Stephen. He kept the team calm, but motivated. He never notched today's win at the expense of tomorrow's victory. There was always a new solution to consider to a problem, and tough situations tended to look better in the next morning's light.

From the very first day, Stephen instilled a culture of integrity, inspiring our team to maintain a focus on doing what is right on behalf of the people of Alabama. The only ``thanks'' he worried about getting was a thank you from a constituent whose life we made a little better by helping them. For these first 2 years of my term--arguably the most formative years--Stephen was at the center of every decision and every action we have taken on behalf of the State of Alabama. And one singular question was his guiding light: ``Is it good for the people of Alabama?''

This was especially true when it comes to our office's work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Stephen traveled around the State, the country, and the world to see our military in action. He focused on how we can use our position on the Armed Services Committee to support the military footprint in Alabama and our men and women in uniform. Stephen pushed us to take a listen-first approach--to ask our military leaders what they need and to actually listen to those requests. Thanks to his leadership, we secured authorization of funding for a number of projects important for the future of our national defense capabilities. Some of these include: new barracks at Ft. Rucker, missile defense projects, the construction of more ships in Mobile, a new physics lab at Redstone Arsenal, and a new commercial vehicle inspection area at Maxwell Air Force Base. And we even secured the No. 1 request from our No. 1 commander in the Indo-Pacific region that had gone ignored for years: a missile defense system for Guam.

Stephen was also a great support as Huntsville readies to become Space Command's home in the next few years. He led the staffs of the Alabama congressional delegation to have a united front in supporting this transition and ensured our office maintains near-constant communication with the Huntsville community and defense industry to ensure a smooth transition. Once again, Stephen's approach to work--ask first, work diligently behind the scenes, and do what is right for the people--was an effective way to get things done. These are just a few examples of how Stephen's leadership had external success.

But what people won't see are the daily moments of impact he had on our office. Stephen was a trusted and reliable adviser. You ask a question, and he will shoot you straight, even if you don't like the answer. And for me, his trustworthiness and transparency were invaluable these past 2 years. He worked to ensure I had all the information, from all sides of the argument, in order to make a final decision. And at the end of the day, Stephen always had the people of Alabama in mind.

Stephen didn't spend the last two decades of his career trying to gain acclaim. He quietly worked in the background to help improve the lives of Alabamians. And I have no doubt he will continue with that sense of service in his next endeavors.

Our office will greatly miss his steady hand and calm leadership. But we know public service is not just a burden of time and effort borne by the servant. I also want to thank Stephen's wife, Brecke, for her constant support.

So, Stephen, thank you for your service to our office, the State of Alabama, and to our country.

Madam President, I would like to echo the words of our Senator from South Dakota about Veterans Day. We weren't here. In my State of Alabama, we have 400,000 veterans who have served our country and served our country well. A lot of them put their life on the line. We have a lot of injuries. And I just want to thank them for what they have done, being that we weren't here in the Chamber on Veterans Day. And I want to again thank them for their service. And, hopefully, in the future we can talk more about our veterans here in this Chamber because there is not a more special group than that.

Tribute to Stephen Boyd

Madam President, also, I want to start today by taking time to honor my departing chief of staff, Stephen Boyd, and thank him for his service to the State of Alabama and to our country.

For the past 2 years, Stephen has been at the center of every decision and every action we have taken on behalf of the State of Alabama in my office. And after nearly two decades of public service, we say goodbye to this integral part of our team.

When you run for Congress, you learn that people are quick to give you advice, especially when you have had a lifelong career in something outside of politics. One tip I heard over and over was hire a great chief of staff. But when I thought about what would make a good chief of staff, I decided I needed someone with three main qualifications: One, someone who knew the Federal Government; two, someone who knew the great State of Alabama; and, No. 3, someone who would lead with integrity. And that someone was Stephen Boyd.

Stephen brought a wealth of knowledge to my office from his time working in the House, in the Senate, and as a Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs. Stephen has been quietly working in the background to help improve the lives of the people in Alabama. And I have no doubt that he will continue with that sense of service and succeed in his next endeavors.

So, Stephen, thank you for your service to our office; thank you for your service to the great State of Alabama; and thank you for your continued long service to the great country that we live in.

Midterm Elections

Madam President, meanwhile, our work here in Washington continues. Moving forward, Congress has a lot to do to get our country back on track, with a lot of division. Last week, millions and millions of Americans across the country took part in one of the most sacred traditions that we have here. It is called voting.

The right to vote in free and fair elections is the cornerstone of our democracy. I was proud to see so many Alabamians exercise that right and also people across our country. Voting is the best way for the American people to tell the government how they feel about our performance. That is how we are evaluated.

As expected, the people used that opportunity last week to send a message to us here in DC: No more one-party rule in this building. For too long, this Congress has been controlled by the Democrats and has ignored a lot of the issues facing the American people as inflation has skyrocketed.

My Democratic colleagues continue to spend trillions of dollars on partisan bills that have made the problem worse. My Democratic colleagues passed the so-called Inflation Reduction Act a few months ago. You know, the name of the bill, which was intentionally misleading--it really has nothing to do with contents. There is a lot of content in that bill, a lot of money being spent, a lot of money going to the so-called climate change. Is that going to help inflation? Is that going to help the American people as we speak? No, it is not.

My Democratic colleagues need to know that the legislation will do nothing--absolutely nothing--and has done nothing at the present time to help inflation. But it does spend nearly 750 billion--with a ``b''-- more dollars on radical leftwing priorities, many of them focused on green energy policies that have accelerated our economy's slide toward recession.

You know, we are all environmentalists. We all love our environment. But we also love the people in this country from top to bottom. And the people come first. The lives of the people in this country come first. As gas prices hit record highs and home utility bills are expected to go through the roof this winter--and they have already started--this administration has done nothing--absolutely nothing--to ease the pain. Our President last week said, after the election--What do you plan on doing to help in the future--to the American citizens--What do you want to change?--he said: ``Nothing.''

So we can take him at his word. This looming energy crisis has been obvious--very obvious--to all of us for months. Yet President Biden and his allies have nothing to stop it from happening. Prices will continue to go up. We have no answers. And that is why we are here. We are here to have answers for the American people. In fact, this administration has done the opposite: siding with climate activists and begging for foreign adversaries for oil instead of promoting and unleashing energy production right here at home.

Just a couple of weeks ago, President Biden promised a group of climate protesters that there would be no new drilling while speaking at a campaign rally. There are no answers in that statement for the American people whom we represent.

In addition to inflation, painful high gas prices, leadership in DC has done nothing to address the rising crime ravaging our communities. The wide-open borders--it is a magnet for cartels and deadly, deadly, deadly drugs.

I recently visited the southern border to see the madness taking place just a few weeks ago and what it is costing the American taxpayers. I visited Eagle Pass, TX. At Eagle Pass, which is the Del Rio Sector, they control 200 miles of the border. That is basically just a third of the border on our southern tip of the United States-- only one-third. We were spending $15 million a month just processing the illegal immigrants coming across the border. That is only the cost of processing. They come across, and they are released into our country no less than 72 hours after they are brought across our border. And they go to no-telling where--all over our country. It is a taxpayer's nightmare. We are talking about 14- to $15 million per month for just 200 miles. You could imagine what the rest of the border is having to pay out of the taxpayers' pocket.

One thing I want everybody to understand, I keep hearing about how our border is secure. Folks, our border is not secure. I was almost run over by the herd of people coming across the line early one morning, standing there. People are excited about being in the USA. We don't know who they are. Most can tell us where they are coming from, but they have no identification. As of today, we have taken people from 180 different countries. A lot of them are here doing no good.

I will tell you this: Just talking to the Border Patrol, we have a lot of people coming across maybe for a better life, but the ones coming across running from our Border Patrol which we do not catch, we do not see, which is 15 percent to 20 percent, when you are running-- running--from the Border Patrol at the border, when we are letting you come across no matter who you are and come into our country, if you are running from Border Patrol, you have something to hide. That something to hide usually is not going to be very good for our country.

In addition to the tens of millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States, we already had 5 million come across that we know of. So you can probably add, as the Border Patrol said, another million to that list--another million people here that include people selling drugs, human trafficking, terrorists. It is a scary situation. We will pay the price in the near future for this.

Right now, the American taxpayer is paying a financial price, but in the near future, we will pay a price that we will have to overcome. We don't know what that is yet, but we will pay the price. The fact that this administration has ignored the border is a difficult reality for me to accept, and it should be a difficult reality for all of us to accept.

We love people in this country. We are an immigrant country. We all come from immigrants. When you are born in this country, you hit the lottery. We live in, no doubt, the best country on the face of the Earth. We are very fortunate. A lot of people weren't born in this country, but we take a lot of people into our country from all different places. But they should come in the right way, the proper way, where we can recognize them, identify them, and understand that they are coming here for the reasons of having a better life where we can help them.

But right now, our border is overrun, and we better get control of this because it is going to be a sad day when something happens in our country and we are going to be on this floor apologizing to the American people of something terrible happening again.

I am going to continue to push back on the radical spending in these next 2 years in this Congress, our open borders, counterproductive energy proposals, and the policies that take place.

And we make our criminals victims in this country. We have to stop that. We have to make sure we put criminals in jail and don't make them the victim. When my new Republican colleagues come to Washington in January, our party will be united. We have had our problems. We work out our problems, and we hope to be more united than ever before.

We want to deliver lower costs, safer communities, and a secure border. We need to continue to talk about that. I would love to hear my Democratic colleagues get up and talk about what they see when they go to the border because it is one of the most important things that has ever happened in this country--one of the most important. And we have to have an answer to that. We can do this by cutting spending and unnecessary resolutions.

We can help the American people. People ask: What are the Republicans going to do? We want to cut spending, we want to cut regulations, and we want to lower taxes, put more money in American people's pockets to where they can live a better life.

Our Federal Government, the Fed now is raising interest rates. Their job is try to keep inflation down. I understand that. Why do they do that? They raise interest rates to slow down housing.

Folks, we have ruined housing in this country in the last 3 months. We have achieved our goal. We have achieved our goal of people not building homes. We have gone to almost zero in the State of Alabama. We have put thousands of people out of jobs. We accomplished our goal of putting housing on the back burner. I am for slowing down interest rate increases. Let's see what has happened in the Fed. Let's make sure they are working. We tend to raise them every couple of months now. Let's see what has happened. Let's help the American people. Let's don't keep kicking them to the back burner. We have slowed housing down. Let's put people back to work now. Let's put them back to work and give them an opportunity to live a better life.

We are in a tough time. It is going to get tougher. We will see a deep recession in 2023. It is coming. There is no way around it. We need to start making plans to help the American people overcome this recession that is going to hit us all right between the eyes in the next few months. We live in a great country, and this body needs to help the people that live in this great country.

Mr. President, in 1945, a World War II veteran named Raymond Weeks from Birmingham, AL, recognized the need for a day to honor all veterans. He led the petition to then-Army Chief of Staff Dwight Eisenhower for a national veterans day and organized the first veterans day parade in Birmingham on November 11, 1947.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill officially establishing ``Veterans Day.'' President Eisenhower said, ``Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom.''

It is fitting that the ``Father of Veterans Day'' was an Alabamian, symbolizing a longstanding tradition among our residents to recognize and show appreciation for our veterans and servicemembers. Every year, we continue this tradition of pausing to recognize our veterans--past and present.

Veterans Day reminds us that freedom is a sacred gift, and it is not free. Some endured unthinkable battles and hardships so that we can live in peace. Most have relinquished their autonomy, moving themselves and their families across the country and around the world, with little to no notice, spending holidays and major life events separated from loved ones.

And all joined willing to lay down life and limb for their country. Alabama is home to more than 400,000 of these heroes, and today, I will be recognizing seven of them for their sacrifices to make our country safer. They embody what it means to be a member of our Armed Forces-- but also what it means to be an American. Their service did not end when their time in the military did; they are investing in their communities even after taking off their uniforms. Each of them chose to use their experiences to uplift those around them. If you ask them about their heroic actions or how they have contributed to making a difference in others' lives, they will humbly tell you it has been their honor to do so.

I am proud to recognize their military service and the unique ways they are investing in our communities, like SGT Chris Amacker of Slapout, AL, a

gun truck commander in the Army's 465th Transportation Unit, where he moved ammo and equipment during the Iraq war. He faithfully carried out his duty, traveling more miles for his unit than any other driver during his time. His military service was cut short after suffering brain and spinal injuries following an explosive attack on his unit.

Sergeant Amacker spent more than a year in an Arkansas rehabilitation facility, relearning how to walk and talk. But you wouldn't guess that Sergeant Amacker had been through so much from his positive outlook and passion for helping others lead meaningful lives. He considers himself blessed to be alive and doesn't regret his decision to join the Army.

Today, Sergeant Amacker is actively involved in his community and several veterans' organizations, including the American Legion in Middlebrook. He supports other veterans coping with service-connected issues like PTSD by listening to their struggles and connecting them with other veterans to help break down isolation barriers. He also helps them find jobs to ease their transition to civilian life.

Sergeant Amacker is a devoted dad, cheering on his children at soccer games and in the band. He is described by someone in the community as ``a one-in-a-million man who will do anything to help anyone, particularly a fellow service person.''

There is no more commendable action than using skills learned in the military to help others succeed, like Officer Eric Prewitt from Havana, AL, does, day in and day out. A graduate of Hale County High School, Officer Prewitt enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1992, where he served as a yeoman second class. During his time in the military, he served as administrative support for military officers in assignments, with Active-Duty assignments in Guam, Australia, and the Philippines.

Officer Prewitt felt led to return to west Alabama after his time in the military and use his skills to assist veterans wishing to use their GI Bill benefits. In 2005, he became the Veterans Affairs officer and diversity training liaison at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, AL.

When speaking about his job, Officer Prewitt shared how the military invested in him and that he wants to continue investing in our servicemembers and veterans. His role is a huge benefit to not just west Alabama but our entire State.

He helps nearly 400 veterans and their dependents annually to get the assistance they need while attending college. Officer Prewitt's efforts have helped increase the veteran student population retention rate and make it possible for them to achieve their educational goals. Additionally, his office leads his community in making sure veterans do not feel alone or forgotten, including participating in ``Operation We Remember'' to raise awareness about veteran suicide.

Some servicemembers were not well received upon their return to American soil. They fought a thankless war without feeling supported, but still fought out of devotion for their country. This was the case for combat LTC Jeff Wishik of Madison, AL. Born in Montgomery, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army through Marion Military Institute's early commissioning program.

He deployed to Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division, directed to find and engage enemy forces. In one particularly intense engagement with the North Vietnamese, Wishik charged through an onslaught of bullets to take command of the injured front element and order the wounded troops to safety. His quick action and leadership allowed the unit to move the wounded out of the conflict zone.

While scouting for a landing zone for a helicopter to evacuate them, Lieutenant Wishik was struck by numerous enemy attacks, including one explosion that blew him into the air, knocked him unconscious, and killed all but three in his scouting group.

After he and the two other soldiers realized they were outnumbered and unable to turn back, they spent the night pretending to be dead to avoid being captured by the enemy. He recalls enemy troops walking within inches of them and unknowingly stepping on them as they tried to remain quiet despite their serious injuries.

During the night, a North Vietnamese soldier discovered Lieutenant Wishik, looking for his food rations. Lieutenant Wishik used his last bit of strength to take out the enemy before passing out again, saving himself and the remaining two soldiers from his scouting group. He spent time recovering in multiple medical facilities before returning to Vietnam as a pilot for a second combat tour.

He received many awards for his courageous actions, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Medal, and a Purple Heart. He went to work for Lockheed Martin for 24 years following his retirement from the military in 1988 and has devoted his time throughout the years volunteering in various organizations, including the Semper Fi Community Task Force of North Alabama and as compliance lead in support of Madison County's Veterans Court.

Lieutenant Wishik's wise reminder to Americans based on his experience is that, ``You may not agree with the politics of the country, but you don't take it out on American servicemembers.''

The call to serve may ``run in the family,'' where, for some veterans, the lessons and values learned in military service are worth passing on generation to generation. This is the case for SGT Janet Pray of Geneva, AL, who served in the U.S. Army from 1989-2003.

Sergeant Pray grew up in a military family, and after graduating from Alabama State University with a degree in social work, she decided to enlist. Her first assignment was in Germany, driving a 5-ton truck back and forth from the airfield to refuel aircraft.

Upon returning to the States, the Army selected Sergeant Pray for a professional leadership development course. For a while, she moved around, serving at Fort Campbell and Fort Hood before being sent to Korea, reaching the rank of staff sergeant. Her final tour of duty was in Germany during the Iraq war, where she prepared her unit for deployment as part of the 19th Support Group.

After retiring from the Army, Sergeant Pray continued supporting the Department of Defense in various roles, including as an administrative assistant at Ft. Rucker. Her love for education and empowering the next generation prompted her to become a substitute teacher and aide for the Geneva City Schools System.

Her encouragement and tenacious spirit has touched the lives of countless students and teachers. Though she retired from teaching earlier this year, Sergeant Pray's influence lives on in her four grandchildren. One of her grandsons is currently on track to become an officer in the military after he graduates college. Sergeant Pray says the military taught her to lead by example and be responsible for her own actions--lessons she continues to pass on. People like Sergeant Pray keep the American dream alive by inspiring others to take advantage of opportunities our country has to offer and leading by example.

For veterans like 100-year-old George Hamilton of Pleasant Grove, the idea of ``service'' has no age limit. The World War II Navy veteran participates in different events around Jefferson County to share his story and is active in his local congregation at Bethel Baptist Church. Mission work is a huge part of his life. He has been on 11 trips to Nicaragua and is planning to go again soon.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, then-19-year-old Mr. Hamilton chose to enlist in the Navy. He served as a radarman second class aboard the USS King, helping protect the west coast and the North Pacific around the Aleutian Islands.

Mr. Hamilton says his only regret about his time with the Navy is not signing up sooner. He reflects fondly on his service, but also on how united Americans were during World War II, with a huge desire to do whatever was necessary to defeat our common enemy and defend our way of life. Mr. Hamilton continues to remind us of our country's potential when we are united, saying, ``If we could get that feeling back in our country today, we could get out of this situation we're in without fail.''

Many heroes gave our country some of the best years of their lives so that we could freely enjoy ours. One such hero is SGT Lonnie Phillips of Pell City, AL. The two-time Purple Heart recipient left home when he was just 17

years old to join the Marines, serving in the Vietnam war for 1 year and 11 months.

During his time in Vietnam, Sergeant Phillips survived two attacks but sustained life-changing injuries. He tearfully recalled losing most of his buddies when his unit came under gunfire while patrolling through a rice field. Sergeant Phillips woke up in the back of a medical vehicle with multiple injuries, including a severe blow to his left leg that required the removal of most of his calf. Decades later, he still has shrapnel in his hip, a painful reminder of the cost of freedom.

Sergeant Phillips says he doesn't regret his service because he hopes it will keep today's youth from facing the same hardship. He gives his time in the military credit for teaching him discipline and the sacred value of life.

Now, Sergeant Phillips takes pride in raising honeybees and growing fresh produce for the St. Clair County community. But he doesn't see himself as a hero--just a man who did what his country asked of him during a difficult point in history. His humility and devotion are an inspiration to us all.

The sacrifices made by our servicemembers are often overlooked or taken for granted by those of us who benefit from them. Even during the Korean war, often referred to as the ``Forgotten War,'' there were men and women who willingly answered the call to serve--not for fame or recognition, but to keep our country safe from evil, like Sergeant Dave Jensen of Foley, who enlisted in the U.S. Air Force at 19 years old.

His job was to help assess aerial photography used for enemy surveillance. His first overseas assignment was in North Africa supporting those who flew along the Russian lines before doing stints in Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam. After honorably discharging, Sergeant Jensen made another commendable decision to enter public education, teaching the art of woodworking and mechanics during his 30 years as a shop instructor. Sergeant Jensen is an example of someone who knew the importance of his role to the overall mission and honorably carried out his part.

These veterans--Chris Amacker, Eric Prewitt, Jeff Wishik, Janet Pray, George Hamilton, Lonnie Phillips, and Dave Jensen--are all heroes. Our country is safer because of their efforts, and Alabama's communities are better off because of their service and continued service. Their sacrifices--whether loss of mobility, time spent away from family, postwar trauma, or the most vibrant years of their youth--demonstrate America's strength to the world. President Ronald Reagan summed it up best when he said, ``Veterans know better than anyone else the price of freedom, for they've suffered the scars of war. We can offer them no better tribute than to protect what they have won for us.''

I hope we will remember the price of freedom and those who have paid it. To all of our veterans, thank you for your sacrifice and endeavors to ensure America remains the country of freedom and opportunity for generations to come.

Madam President, over the last few decades, large parts of our daily lives--like work, education, and even personal finance--moved online. The emergence of computers, the internet, and mobile devices have created a more interconnected world more than ever. But this being connected can also be used by bad actors.

The entire world of information is at our fingertips, but also, so is cyber crime. Because of this, those charged with keeping us safe have the increasingly difficult task of not only protecting us from the rising physical crime scene in our communities across the country but also from cyber crime that is impossible to see and much harder to detect.

Law enforcement officials in Alabama, my State, recognized the problem early on. In 2006--before we all had smart phones in our pockets--the Alabama Office of Prosecution Services and the Alabama District Attorneys

Association saw the need for a more coordinated effort to train law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges in digital evidence.

They saw how the digital landscape was and still is constantly evolving and how those in law enforcement needed to keep up. But they also recognized how traditionally the largest departments with the biggest budgets were the only ones who could afford the training necessary to help their officers fight cyber and electronic crime.

So they outlined a plan to bring the training to more of our law enforcement officials and formed a unique and important partnership with the United States Secret Service to create a center for forensics education for State and law enforcement officials.

Thanks to their innovative thinking, the National Computer Forensics Institute--also known as NCFI--opened in 2008, under the roof provided by the city of Hoover, AL.

The Institute had somewhat modest beginnings--a $4 million budget and only 264 students. But thanks to continued support from Congress here on the Hill, the Computer Forensics Institute now taps into a $13 million annual budget to train more than 4,000 students from across the country every year.

To date, more than 19,000 State and local officers, prosecutors, and judges representing all 50 States have been trained at this institute right in the heart of Alabama. Local and State officials come from all over the country to train in Alabama and then take their newly acquired expertise back to their communities all over.

Graduates have reported utilizing their training in more than 578,000 digital forensic exams. It is clear this model is working. NCIF graduates are applying their skills to protect their communities all across the country.

The National Computer Forensics Institute focuses on teaching officials how to investigate cyber and electronic crime, always accounting--always accounting--for emerging technologies and difficult digital capabilities. But they also teach officials how to conduct forensic examinations of computers and mobile devices--a critical component of almost every violent crime investigation. Thus, the Institute gives officers and officials the tools they need to protect Americans from both cyber crime and violent crime every day.

The pandemic and our related shift to more virtual work and schooling sent cyber crime through the roof, and it continues to rise every day. In fact, according to McAfee, a computer security software company, the financial losses due to cyber crime ballooned to almost $1 trillion in 2020, and this number could hit $10.5 trillion by 2025 according to digital research group Cybersecurity Ventures.

But, as we know all too well, the risk isn't just financial; cyber criminals can hack pipelines and other key infrastructure systems that are crucial to our daily lives and that pertain to our national security.

Officials trained at the NCFI are a part of our frontline defense against these attacks. The frontline--our local police officers, district attorneys, and State officials--knows the people they serve best. I want those protecting my home and my State trained to identify and combat the latest threats, and I am sure you do as well.

In 2019, when cyber criminals threatened the people of Oldsmar, FL, by attempting to poison the city's water supply, graduates from the NCFI utilized their training to secure the city's infrastructure and compile valuable evidence to keep citizens safe.

In the fall of 2021, a week and a half before schools were to open in Louisiana, leaders were forced to declare a state of emergency due to ransomware attacks on dozens of parish school districts throughout the State. Thankfully, because of their time spent in Hoover, AL, Louisiana State Police investigators, trained and equipped at the National Computer Forensics Institute, responded to the attack. The investigators dismantled the malware and assisted in rebuilding 54 school networks. All schools within the State started on time, and no ransom was paid.

Earlier this year, after a madman terrorized shoppers at a grocery store in Buffalo, NY, NCFI-trained graduates were able to act quickly and support the police in their response. They used what they learned to conduct a forensic exam of a GoPro camera and a cell phone used by the shooter. That crucial video evidence is currently being used in the prosecution to ensure justice and to protect the victims and their families.

All Americans deserve to feel safe in their communities, and they deserve to feel safe online while working, learning, banking--whatever they need to do with electronic devices.

Brave men and women in law enforcement across the country are willing and able to protect Americans from all crime, including cyber crime, but they need the tools and resources to continue to do so effectively.

While some in Congress and the current administration have worked to shrink the size and strength of our law enforcement, I am unapologetic in my support for the men and women in blue. We must continue to provide the specialized resources that all of them need to do their jobs.

That is why I joined a group of colleagues from both sides of the aisle to introduce the National Computer Forensics Institute Reauthorization Act. This legislation, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent this week, would build on the work started in 2017 to strategically combat modern crime and set the National Computer Forensics Institute up for continued success. It also builds on that success by expanding the program's reach beyond just State and local officials to Federal law enforcement employees. As we know, those defending our national security at the national level should also have access to the latest digital and cyber crime training.

The National Computer Forensics Institute is an excellent example of a State's ingenuity and foresight--a group of individuals identifying a gap that needed to be filled and providing a service with national benefits. The success of the institute represents the impact State leaders and Congress can have on the entire country when we work together to support innovative and pragmatic solutions to our biggest problems. Alabama is proud of the National Computer Forensics Institute, and we are proud to provide cutting-edge training to many of America's brave law enforcement officials.

As Americans across the country face a rise in both violence and cyber crime, I applaud my colleagues for joining me to ensure our first responders have the necessary expertise and training by reauthorizing the National Computer Forensics Institute.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, sometimes setting records is a good thing. Forty years being a college football coach in this country, you try to set records. But the records this current administration has been breaking aren't exactly worth celebrating.

For example, we are seeing record crime and record price increases. President Biden even threw a big party last week at the White House to celebrate record-high prices, the same day there were record market losses in the market.

But even those stats pale in comparison to the record-shattering crisis at our southern border, another thing that they declared victory on without attempting to solve the problem. We could solve it, but Democrats don't want to solve this problem.

I guess they would rather listen to James Taylor on the White House lawn, but the people of Alabama haven't forgotten what is going on at the southern border because we are seeing the same influx in our State.

Let's look back into the 2 years of recordbreaking that we have seen since the Biden border crisis began and the solutions that Democrats refuse to use to fix the problem.

When President Biden took office, he rolled back as many policies as possible that secured our southern border. This immediate reversal in security measures was something he had promised on the campaign trail, so we expected it. Migrants from around the world were prepared to take advantage of the new administration's soft-on-security approach at our border. Since then, the border crisis has set record after record.

In this fiscal year alone, we have surpassed 2 million apprehensions of illegal immigrants at our southern border for the first time ever in the history of our country. Last year, that number was over 1.7 million--showing the crisis at our border is accelerating, not slowing, under this administration.

This is after almost 2 years of the Vice President's work to address what they call the ``root causes'' of migration. It has been a disaster. Some will try to twist those numbers to use as proof that enforcement is working, but that is obviously a red herring.

The staggering--staggering--encounters and arrests only highlight that even more shocking number of illegal immigrants we never see-- those who get away, what we call the got-aways. Those are whom we release into the United States and they never come back. The truth is, we will probably never, ever get a true number of those who have entered our country illegally. We are a country of immigrants--we like immigration--but come here legally.

But we do know that this surge was stretched, and the resources have been thin ever since the border has been open. We cannot follow up with the illegal immigrants we do encounter to properly screen them and begin immigration proceedings. You can't have proceedings on people whom you do not recognize and know where they have gone.

Almost one-third of illegal immigrants processed in the time immediately after Biden took office--one-third--have never returned for their check-in with officials, as called for by law; meaning, we have no idea where these people are, and they have no intention of coming back and checking in.

Meanwhile, Secretary Mayorkas has repeatedly told Congress-- repeatedly--that the border is secure. While bureaucrats in DC may be sticking to that ridiculous spin, our own agents at the border know the truth.

The head of the Border Patrol has admitted advising his agents to release illegal immigrants into the country--who would typically be apprehended--because they do not have the resources to handle the influx of the people coming into the country. We just turn them loose. In fact, the Border Patrol Chief said he has never seen anything like this current situation in his 31 years of working for the Agency.

This position we are putting our law enforcement officials in is unacceptable, but this administration does nothing--does nothing--to stop anything that is happening. Instead, they just tell us the border is secure when our President has not even visited the border in his 19 months in office.

However, we know people aren't the only thing flooding across the borders and into our communities. Unthinkable amounts of deadly fentanyl and other drugs are being smuggled into this country every single day. Drug

cartels are more emboldened than ever to send as many deadly drugs as possible to the border because they know they can take advantage of the crisis that has been unfolding here for 2 years. Just in the past week, officers have seized $211,000 worth of cocaine and $2.3 million worth of meth coming across the Texas border--and 187 pounds of fentanyl pills hidden in a vehicle in one single bust in Arizona. To put that in perspective, that is enough fentanyl to kill more than 42 million people, nearly 10 times the population of my State of Alabama.

And that is what our Border Patrol agents have stopped. Imagine what has gone undetected through this new open-border policy. More than 71,000 Americans died so far this year of fentanyl overdoses--71,000. That is 195 people a day in this country who are dying because we refuse to stop the fentanyl from coming into our country.

And, along with that, the drug cartels are becoming more and more rich and more and more compelled to do exactly what they want to do. It is yet another problem Democrats refuse to discuss or address out of fear of backlash from the radical, open-bordered ideologues running this administration and its immigration policy. Somebody has got to control this. One day we will find out.

But Democrats are quick to call out the problem when it ends up on their front porch. Mayors in New York, Chicago, and right here in DC have cried foul and even declared an emergency when the border crisis was delivered here to this city and others. They have no problem ignoring, excusing, and misrepresenting the facts of the crisis when it is hitting small towns far away in Texas, Arizona, and their southern neighbors, but when those illegal immigrants streaming across the border become problems of theirs, they suddenly see an emergency. But whom do they blame? Obviously, it is the Republicans, not the leader of their party.

President Biden has created this mess. They blame local and State leaders who are drowning in a humanitarian crisis that the Democrats are making every day and refusing to stop. Even as news reports how his own DHS planned to ship illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities across the country, President Biden condemns Republican leaders for doing the same. It is hypocrisy at its highest degree.

What is worse is their refusal to fix the problem, even though they are well aware of the steps that could be taken to secure the border. First and foremost, finish the wall that they have stopped building. Although the wall itself will not solve everything, it could certainly help address the number of people who get away--a number averaging 1,000 per week in some locations.

Secondly, fully reinstate the wildly successful migrant protection protocols which require individuals awaiting asylum proceedings to wait in Mexico--not come over into the United States and wait; wait in Mexico, and let's go through your process. If people know they will not be allowed into the United States, they will not make the journey to our border knowing that they will have to wait. As of last week, we had accepted into this country people from 180 different countries. That is a long travel if you know that you may not get in.

And, lastly, Democrats could do a much better job of supporting law enforcement to address human smuggling and trafficking efforts at the border. As long as the border is wide open, cartels will take advantage of the situation. They are making billions of dollars a year by moving people and drugs into the United States, and it is getting worse every day.

Americans are dying. Cities are being overrun. Criminals are getting rich. Those are the consequences of President Biden's border crisis. Those are the problems that our Democratic colleagues have to fix.

While President Biden and Democrats celebrate the White House with celebrities, Americans are suffering because of these failures--most notably, their inability and unwillingness to keep our country safe.

So here is to the Democrats' recordbreaking year: record inflation, record crime, record drugs, record-shattering illegal immigration. We can only hope they run out of things to celebrate in the very near future.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, what a great time of the year-- county fairs, State fairs. The weather is changing. People are getting outside more. It is not quite as hot in most places. Parents have smiles on their faces because their kids are going back to school. College is starting up.

That is what I want to talk about today. Our college campuses are ramping up. There are a lot of good things going on with that. A lot of young people are for the first time going to college, going out for the first time in their lives and making their own decisions, away from home for the first time, putting their budgets together, having to go by their own time with nobody to wake them up, having to wash their own clothes, having to do things they have never had to do before. For the first time in their lives, they are responsible for themselves 24 hours a day.

I did that for 40 years coaching college football, coaching high school football. It was amazing how many young men and women whom I worked with never saw the Sun come up in their lives. If they played for me, they got to see the Sun come up. We got up early and stayed late.

So it is an important time for all of our young adults in college, K- 12--very important--for our high school, elementary, and junior high school kids. For many, many years, it has been an important part of all of our lives in the United States of America, and it has been one point that has made us better than everybody across the world in terms of education. We educate our young people from K-12. Everybody has an opportunity to go to college for an extended education. It is a great opportunity. It is fun to watch. I had a chance to watch a lot of young people have some great opportunities and make a lot of things out of themselves.

I used to tell my players when I coached that you are living in the greatest country on the face of the Earth. If you are born in this country, you hit the lottery. A lot of people don't understand that. If you go to some of these other countries, you will figure it out real quick. But the United States of America, this country, really owes you nothing other than one thing: It owes you an opportunity--an opportunity to do what the heck you want to do or be who you want to be. If you work hard, you might have a chance. A lot of times, you are going to get knocked down. Do you know what this country does? It gives you a chance to get back on your feet and go again. It doesn't owe you one thing other than that. If you take advantage of it, you can achieve it.

For many years, institutions of higher education were great examples of the great American experiment. They were places where free speech was not only allowed but encouraged, and innovation and problem-solving were required for success. Success created some of America's favorite pastimes.

College sports, which have become a piece of our national identity, started a couple of weeks ago. They have immense benefits for young men and women who get involved in sports. But higher education became the envy of the world, as I said earlier. Our colleges and universities produced new research, technologies, and medicines and molded the talent and the talented minds to use these new developments that make our country a better place and make our country No. 1.

But this trend, I hate to say, is changing. Activists have fundamentally shifted higher education to become a vehicle to further their political agenda, and now they are set on forcing American taxpayers to pay for the overpriced indoctrination and taking athletic opportunities away from

those who have worked so very hard to train and compete.

Let's start with the pricetag associated with higher education. The cost of attending college has skyrocketed, but these institutions have done little--very little--to ensure their value has increased along with the increase in price, the increase in tuitions. Bloated school administrations continually drive budgets and tuitions up, to the point where a lot of people can't afford to go to school anymore.

President Biden recently decided to throw gasoline on this fire by attempting to use Executive authority to, as he calls it, forgive student loan debt for millions of Americans. His plan will forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt for Pell grant recipients who make $125,000 a year or less and $10,000 in student loan debt for all those under the same salary cap.

Think about that. A college-educated person making a six-figure salary would essentially get a $10,000 handout from hard-working Americans, the majority of whom did not go to college themselves and are struggling to provide for their families thanks to soaring inflation driven by our comrades on the left, Democrats' reckless spending in the last 2 years.

Despite the administration's attempt to convince the country that they are focused on fighting inflation, this debt transfer scheme will do exactly the opposite. It is going to make prices higher. In fact, the Penn Wharton budget model projects the total cost of President Biden's loan forgiveness plan and changes to the other loan programs could cost the American people more than $1 trillion.

Folks on both sides of the aisle have rightfully criticized this plan because of its clear and indefensible cost, and I share those concerns with everybody that is against this.

I am also concerned about two additional long-term effects of this decision. One, it does nothing to fix the broken system that led to soaring costs of college in the first place. It will, in fact, make college even more expensive. If we are going to do something, let's fix the problem. We are not fixing the problem. We are just adding to the problem. And, two, it allows students and graduates to avoid the consequences of their own actions, further hindering young people from becoming independent, free thinking, and responsible. The thing about education is learning responsibility, and this does exactly the opposite of teaching responsibility at a level where they need to learn.

All Americans, including those who, like me, chose to take on debt attending college must be responsible for their own actions. Hard- working taxpayers who did not go to college should not have to assume the debt of others because this administration decided to fulfill a campaign promise right before a midterm election.

Further, this degradation of the value of college is just the latest in a decades-long effort by those on the left to fundamentally change higher education and force their agenda on campuses across our country, and it comes right after this administration announced its plan to attack another key part of the American system--athletic competition and the level playing field created by title IX.

I began my career coaching high school a long time ago. But before that, title IX was created in supporting women athletics. I started coaching a few years after title IX was started, and I have seen from the very beginning what title IX has done for women across this country--girls and athletes--and how it has made leaders of young girls and young women who would have never been afforded the opportunity had title IX not passed.

Title IX, to me, is one of the best things this Federal Government has ever done, bar none. It has given the opportunity of a level playing field for young girls to have that opportunity they would have never had. What it did, it said boys and girls have to have the same facilities, coaches, and same athletic budgets, also the same scholarships if they went to a university. Men could not have more than women. And we have seen the explosion of women sports, bar none.

When I was coaching years ago, 3 to 6 percent of the high school girls--3 to 6 percent--played high school athletics. Today, we have close to 60 percent. Why? Because of title IX, because of more sports that title IX afforded and bigger budgets for women athletics. It did a tremendous service to women and girls across this country. I am proud of the progress this country has made and the immense talent that it has brought out because of what title IX has done.

But this anniversary, which was the 50th anniversary in June--think about that, 50th anniversary, how time flies. I am not that old. But the 50th anniversary of title IX was in June. This anniversary comes at a challenging time now for young girls and women in sports. The ability to train and compete fairly is under attack from activists and this current White House. Since 2003, at least 28 biological males have won titles in various women's events around the world. Think about that. Now we are allowing biological boys and biological men to compete against girls and women in sports, and they won 28 titles. How fair is that?

If the current administration and the activists pushing this policy have their way, biological males winning women's sports championships would become the norm. It will be an everyday occurrence. That is not fair. It is not fair for a young girl or woman that has trained all her life in a sport to, at the end of the day, have to compete for a championship against a young boy who says or thinks that he is a woman. What is right about that?

In July, the Department of Education published and proposed a rule to change how title IX is implemented in order to better align with the administration's progressive agenda. These proposed changes would require schools to allow--this is in title IX now--will allow biological males to compete in women's sports.

Last week, I submitted a public comment to Secretary Cardona that clearly and strongly condemns this new proposed rule. Expanding the definition of sex to include gender identity, to identify whoever you want to identity as, will cause lasting damage to the level playing field title IX originally was created for, which was for women. The change to title IX would be a monumental setback for the generations of women who have benefited from the law over the last 50 years.

So what are we going to do now? We are going to go back to square one because somebody wants to change it. The Department should not move forward with this proposal and not change the rule but, instead, work with Congress on legislative action meant to strengthen protections afforded women in the original statute.

As I know from firsthand experience, participating in college athletics is about more than winning and losing. There is a lot more to it. Student athletes learn many important lessons by participating. It sets our country apart from other countries all over the world--like the value of hard work, discipline, commitment, responsibility. Athletes learn how to work together, be loyal to each other, play for a cause, take responsibility for their own actions, learn how to win-- but, more importantly, learn how to lose. Perhaps most importantly, they teach student athletes that free and fair competition allows the best team to win.

That is why I am so strongly opposed to this administration's plans to devalue education and unlevel the playing field in the name of leftwing progress and indoctrination.

These attacks on higher education and women's sports must stop. To best prepare America's young people to be the next generation of leaders our country needs, I am fighting back against these policies, like dismantling title IX and haphazardly forgiving student debt. That encourages young adults to break the rules and ignore their responsibilities.

Instead of making our colleges more expensive and less fair, Congress should be focused on reforms to get to the root of the cause. Universities should be encouraged to cut budgets and lower tuition rates. Students graduating high school should be steered toward career and financial decisions that make sense for them and that they can afford. Everybody doesn't need to go to college.

Lastly, we must reject these ideologies and mobs on the left who don't believe in free speech in the classroom and on our college campuses. Our country cannot thrive without allowing young adults to freely and fairly learn, grow, develop, and create on

and off the field. We must protect that fair playing field while encouraging college students to take responsibility for their own actions and financial decisions, something all of us here in Congress should learn to do as well.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, Americans across the country are canceling their vacations, watching their 401(k)s shrink, and they are worrying about their week's grocery bill. Families are making very tight budgets, and they are having to stick to them because the prices have risen to historic highs. The price of ground beef is 36 percent higher than it was this time last year, as much as a steak dinner this time last year if you are buying hamburger meat. Businesses are raising prices on consumers in order to make ends meet. And if the costs of goods and basic services weren't high enough, skyrocketing gas prices have driven everything even higher.

This is our economic reality of now and for the future for the next few years. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle and all of us need to start discussing ways to help our country and ease the economic strain, but we are not doing that this week or next week before we go on recess. For some reason, we are hatching plans to spend more taxpayer money to pay for progressive policies and programs that might be needed, but the American taxpayers need help, and they need it now. Americans are suffering, and the Federal Government is not doing its part to help in the economic plan.

Let's take a step back and talk about how our economy got to this point with record inflation. We all remember 2020. The economy was humming along, and then a global pandemic hit all around

our country and the world. It halted everything. It halted production. The economy was shut down. It came to a screeching halt--something none of us has ever seen.

But by the end of the year, the economy was showing signs of life. We were starting to open back up, and we were starting to move around, get people back to work, and get things hopefully back to normal in the very near future. As we rounded the corner, our Democratic colleagues, who took control of the House and the Senate and the White House, inherited an economy that wasn't great but was getting better. But instead of allowing free-market forces to return us to prosperity coming out of this pandemic, President Biden, in his rookie year of office, was like a kid in a candy store. I can remember it like it was yesterday.

He decided to go on a spending spree. He unveiled a plan to pump trillions of dollars into our Nation's economy in an unprecedented amount of government spending. Mere months after Congress passed the first COVID relief bill in December of 2020, our colleagues on the left began crafting a new bill for more Federal spending in early 2021-- again, just a few months after the first COVID relief bill was passed in December.

The left disguised a litany of progressive policies and programs as pandemic relief--I will never forget it--pandemic relief. But in reality, as of now--$2 trillion--less than 9 percent of the bill was targeted to COVID-related spending--9 percent.

Larry Summers, who was Presidents Clinton and Obama's top economic adviser, said the Democrats' spending package ``set off inflationary pressures of a kind we have not seen in a generation.'' He was exactly right. But Democrats pressed forward anyway and passed their so-called COVID relief bill, amounting to almost $2 trillion in spending--2 trillion. The result: Inflation began to soar. This injection of Federal stimulus into an economy that was already recovering was an economic train wreck. A lot of people saw it coming, even the expert economists.

Production came to a screeching halt during the pandemic, causing supply to plummet. Democrats' efforts to pump excessive stimulus into the economy caused demand to skyrocket. In short, supply went down and demand went up. The result of low supply and high demand has been the worst inflation our Nation has seen in decades.

Despite President Biden's Treasury Secretary claiming that the inflationary spike was just going to be temporary, prices continued to climb. And despite the very real, very clear evidence that their spending was the cause, Democrats moved into the fall of last year engaged in a discussion of even spending more.

In November 2021, Majority Leader Schumer said: ``Want to fight inflation? Then support Build Back Better''--referring to the name of their next massive spending package.

Our Democratic colleagues dismissed rising prices, saying they were a result of corporate greed. President Biden claimed: ``Inflation has everything to do with the supply chain.'' But he made no mention--no mention--of all the millions and billions of dollars that he had just spent.

Our colleagues on the left pointed fingers at everything but themselves and their reckless spending agenda, and now Democrats are trying to tell Americans that they will lower consumer prices by increasing government spending--again. And, again, that makes no sense. It makes zero sense, no economic sense.

Yes, as our country is under increasing economic stress, Democrats are reviving talks to spend more, which will further increase inflation. So let's be clear on this: This did not work last year, and it is not going to work now. Spending more taxpayer dollars on progressive policies is not the answer. It wasn't the answer last year, it is not going to be the answer this year, and it is going to cause inflation to even go up higher.

Senate Democrats' attempt to rebrand what was once known as Build Back Better is a last-minute attempt to deliver on failed far-left policy priorities before folks head on home and back to the ballot box in November.

This is President Biden's last-ditch effort to enact his administration's social priorities. Make no mistake, Democrats are trying to put lipstick on a pig and have working-class Americans pay the price. It should be telling to every American that the administration does not think of how they can help but how they can hide, how they can try to hide behind a blame game and convince you, the American taxpayer, the American people, that your economic pain is caused by something other than their actions.

The buck stops here in this room, not anywhere else. How they want to remake the country into a socialist state and have the taxpayer foot the bill is the direction we are headed.

Well, I can't say this more plainly: Raising taxes to enact a liberal wish list on policies in the face of a potential recession is a very, very, very bad idea. Americans and businesses would be forced to bear the brunt of billions of dollars in new spending, which would be paid for by raising taxes. For 6 months in a row, Main Street businesses have faced double-digit inflation, causing optimism to plummet to the lowest point in nearly 50 years.

President Biden recently boasted that his spending was ``changing people's lives.'' The President left out that it was changing people's lives not for the better but for the worse.

My colleagues, Americans are struggling. All over this country, they are struggling. Families are using their savings to pay for basic bills. Would-be retirees are delaying their retirement after they have watched tens of thousands of dollars vanish from their retirement accounts.

Farmers, family farms, are shouldering the burden of rising input costs like seed, fuel, and fertilizer. We have got worse things coming if this continues to happen to our farmers.

Small businesses are losing profits and making unwanted layoffs to stay afloat. We are going to lose a lot of small businesses, and small businesses made the United States of America.

If Democrats pass their reconciliation bill, nearly 62 percent of Alabama's small businesses and 1 million employees will be at risk of tax increases that they cannot handle in this inflation. I have been hearing from small businesses and small business owners across my State every day. They are worried about their livelihoods and are threatened by the economic policies of this administration.

Let's find ways to bring inflation down, not find ways to take inflation up. And that is exactly what we are doing in this Chamber.

One business owner in Sterrett, AL, told me that his earnings had gone down this year 50 to 60 percent.

It is truly astounding how the Democrats can look their constituents in the face and say that now is a good time to inject more spending into the economy just so they can pay for more progressive policies. It is absolutely absurd. They are expecting blank checks to be paid and be paid for by hard-working American taxpayers. They can't afford it. We are out of money. We are broke. And we need to quit spending the taxpayers' money.

President Biden and the Democrats are putting their agenda above the best interests of the American people, and it is cruel.

The solution to this mess, this huge mess that we have gotten into, is to cut taxes, cut regulations, and cut spending--just the opposite of what the Democrats are trying to do. Just the opposite. To change American lives for the better, Democrats should abandon any--any-- discussion of another tax or another spending spree. Americans have had enough. They have had enough of this. They want the American people in this country to survive, and they want us to quit spending money. It is time for us to listen to the people who own this country and not the Federal Government, which thinks they own this country.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today is a great day. Today marks the 50th anniversary of title IX. For half a century, we have witnessed the impact title IX has had on generations of women in sports. Title IX provided women the long-denied platform that had always been afforded men. It ensured female athletes have the same access to funding, facilities, and athletic scholarships, but it also gave young women the opportunity to compete, to learn the life lessons of hard work and perseverance, to go to college on an athletic scholarship, to overcome obstacles in order to reach their God-given potential.

Since 1972, female participation in sports at the college level has risen more than 600 percent, and today, 43 percent of high school girls participate in some competitive sports, compared to 50 years ago--only 3 to 5 percent. What a turnaround.

For all these reasons, decades later, we have proof that title IX has worked. Sports can transform lives. I have seen it. I began my coaching career as a high school girls basketball coach just a few years after title IX was enacted, and now, 50 years later, America's female athletes are not only the best performing on the world stage in team and individual sports, but they also are the leaders in our communities and in our country.

Title IX sent an incredible--an incredible--message to female athletes across the Nation, which is, you can compete, you can win, and you will be afforded a fair and level playing field to do so.

I have personally witnessed how title IX protections allowed young women to gain all the opportunities and life lessons that participating in sports has to offer. That is why, just 3 months into my time as a U.S. Senator, I introduced an amendment to prohibit Federal funding to schools that allow biological males to compete in women's sports. And I, along with 23 of my colleagues, introduced the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. This bill would make it a violation of Federal law for a recipient of Federal funds who operates or sponsors athletic programs to permit biological males to compete in women's sports activities. The bill also establishes the long-needed definition of ``sex'' in title IX to be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

Democrats have turned their backs on these efforts, and by doing so, they have turned their backs on female athletes all across our country. Just last month, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona warning the administration to rethink their rule change.

On this 50th anniversary, we should be asking ourselves how we can preserve title IX and preserve fairness for all female athletes across our country, but unfortunately, women's athletics are currently under attack by the Biden administration. Just this morning, we learned that the Department of Education will publish a proposed rule to change title IX to align with the administration's progressive agenda. These proposed changes would allow biological males to compete in women's sports. What a tragedy. It would take a wrecking ball to the five decades of title IX success for women. The Biden administration's proposed rule flies in the face of the so-called science that Democrats are quick to pledge their allegiance to by ignoring the scientific

differences in the biological makeup of male and female athletes. Apparently, science only matters when it conforms to Democrats' partisan agenda.

Allowing biological males to compete in women's sports will set women's rights back 50 years, to a time before title IX. It will discourage young girls from entering the court, jumping in the pool, or walking onto the field, knowing that they have to compete with the deck stacked half against them, and the winner will already be determined. With the proposed rule change, female athletes can only hope--can only hope--to finish in second or third place. There is no pregame speech or halftime talk that you can give a woman or girl who feels like they aren't competing on a fair playing field.

The Biden administration should do the right thing and rethink their decision to disenfranchise female athletes of the future.

This fight is far from over. The very least the Senate can do for the future of female sports is to reinforce the protections already afforded women in title IX.

Mr. President, that is why I call up S. 251, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021. I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be discharged from further consideration of S. 251 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, what I would like to say about equal opportunity is that over the last few years, biological males playing in women's sports have won 22 championships. The girls--other girls-- were playing for second and third.

I am disappointed that my colleague thinks this is not about equal rights. I am disappointed that my colleague won't stand up for women and women's rights. We should all be here fighting for the same thing.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until June 27, 2022: Ana Worthington, Christian Gentile, John Couch, and Jonavin Smith.

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

Madam President, just imagine: It is a Tuesday night in October. The shuffle of shoes screech across the waxed court, the buzzer sounds, and the crowd erupts in cheers as the home team scores the winning point. Clinching the first-place title, the home team gathers at center court, each player grinning from ear to ear. The excitement is tangible. It was a hard-fought season and a well-earned first-place title. The trophy is presented, pictures are taken, and team members high-five each other as fans charge the court to congratulate the winning team.

What I just described are the final seconds of a high school girls' basketball game. Those who have witnessed a buzzer-beater win know there is nothing like it. For the players, the fans, the parents, and all involved, it is a prized moment and a memory that will never be forgotten. But it is not just a memory; it is a valuable learning experience.

Over the span of a year, teammates dedicate hundreds of hours of late-night and early morning practices. They overcome conflicts. They work together. They practice self-discipline. They perfect their craft. And they knew, if they gave it all, they would have a chance to be victorious with all this hard work and effort.

I saw these learning experiences unfold time and time again throughout my 40-year career as a coach, educator, and mentor. A great deal has changed in the world of women's athletics since I began my career coaching high school girls' basketball almost 40 years ago. What an experience.

Almost 50 years ago, female athletics received less than 2 percent of college athletic budgets, and athletic scholarships for women were virtually nonexistent. Only 1 in 27 girls participated in intercollegiate sports in the United States 50 years ago--1 in 27.

Since the 1970s, female participation in sports at the collegiate level has risen by more than 600 percent, and today 43 percent of the high school girls whom we have in school today participate in sports, up from 5 percent 50 years ago.

These strides in women's athletics did not just happen by circumstance. They are the result of title IX protections passed by Congress in 1972 in this very room where we are today. Title IX provided females a long-denied platform that had always been afforded to males only. It ensured female athletes had the same access to funding, facilities, and athletic scholarships. That was title IX.

It is an unquestionable truth that biological males have a physiological advantage over females. Title IX acknowledged that truth for the benefit of women's athletics. To break it down even more, one study states: On average, males have 40 to 50 percent greater upper limb strength, 20 to 40 percent greater lower limb strength, and an average of 12 pounds more skeletal muscle mass than age-matched females at any given body weight.

Title IX sent an incredible--incredible--message to female athletes across the Nation. That message was: You can compete; you can win; and you will be afforded a fair and level playing field to do so. Because of these reasons, decades later, we know title IX has been a monumental success for female athletes across this country.

As the 50th anniversary of title IX approaches at the end of this month, we should be celebrating female athletes who were given the opportunity to win first place, to learn the life lessons sports teaches each individual, and to overcome obstacles and reach their God- given potential. We should be asking ourselves how we can preserve title IX so female athletes 50 years from now can experience the same euphoric feeling of hard work and hard-earned victory.

But, unfortunately, with the Biden administration's proposal, in the next few weeks, we will lose title IX protections for female athletes as we know it. Later this month, it is expected that President Biden's Department of Education will publish a proposed rule to change title IX to align more with the administration's progressive agenda.

These proposed changes would require schools to allow biological males to compete in women's sports. It would take a wrecking ball to five decades of title IX success and tilt what was a level playing field to the far left. With the Biden administration's proposal, female athletes will lose. We cannot allow title IX's protections for female athletes to be eroded. It has been too much of a success.

I plan to continue leading efforts against this misguided policy to ensure no Federal action will negatively impact female athletes. Recently, I have spoken with numerous female athletes

who were able to compete and win because of title IX. Additionally, I introduced an amendment to prohibit Federal funding to schools that allow biological males to compete in women's sports.

I have also repeatedly called for the Senate to pass the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, legislation I helped introduce that would ensure the definition of ``sex'' in title IX is based on ``solely a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth'' and prohibit Federal funding to institutions that do not uphold that definition.

Just last week, I sent a letter to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Cardona, warning the administration to rethink this rule change. The Biden administration's title IX rule flies in the face of the so-called science that Democrats are quick to pledge their allegiance to by ignoring the scientific differences in biological makeup of male and female athletes. Apparently, science only holds water when it conforms to the Democrats' partisan agenda.

Allowing biological males to compete in women's sports will set women's rights back 50 years to a time before title IX. It will discourage young girls from entering the court, jumping in the pool, walking on the field because they will know they will have to compete with the deck stacked against them; they can only hope to win second place, at best.

So the bottom line is that there is really no pregame speech or halftime talk you can give to a woman or a girl who feels like they aren't competing on a fair playing field, like 50 years ago. With this proposed rule, girls will be playing for second.

The Biden administration should do the right thing and rethink their decision that would destroy female athletics as we know it today.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, the first stanza of our national anthem ends with ``O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?''

We sing this part as a triumphant declaration, but if you read the lyrics of the ``Star-Spangled Banner,'' the sentence actually ends with a question mark. Francis Scott Key intended this line to be sung as a question rather than a statement. That is fitting because, while our freedom may be concrete, hate and evil threaten the security of our freedom from one generation to the next.

Over the years, our national anthem took on a feeling of confidence and assurance rather than uncertainty, and that is thanks to the millions of men and women who bravely answered the call to serve. Many soldiers lost their lives to give us the security we all enjoy and the assurance we are proud of. That is what we keep in our hearts and on our minds as we honor the fallen on this Memorial Day.

Throughout the course of our Nation's history, our freedom has been protected by those who stood toe to toe with hate and evil, endured sleepless nights on the battlefield, rough days at sea, harsh conditions in the desert, and years living in a far corner of the globe so that we, as Americans, can sleep peacefully in the comfort and security of our home.

Sadly, some of our Nation's heroes never ever returned. My State of Alabama lost 2,500 soldiers during World War I, 5,114 soldiers during World War II, and hundreds and hundreds of others in wars since.

Alabama pays tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice with memorials across our State. More than 400,000 people visit the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile annually, where they learn more about our military and those who served. The city of Trussville, AL, recently broke ground on the Alabama Fallen Warrior Monument to honor Alabama servicemembers killed since 9/11.

But these sites are more than just landmarks; they tell stories of countless lives that were forever changed--the stories of daughters, sons, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers who answered the call to defend our country at home and abroad, not knowing what their future would hold; stories of mothers who hugged their children and husbands who kissed their wives without knowing if it was for the last time. Every year on Memorial Day, we pause to honor these heroes and reflect on the price they have paid for our freedom.

Today, I would like to recognize some of Alabama's fallen soldiers who have paid freedom's high cost and the Gold Star families who still grieve from their absence.

Many of our fallen servicemembers had not yet reached the prime of their lives. Some were still in high school when they answered the call to service. That is true for PFC James Joshua, Jr., of Gadsden, AL, who left high school to become a U.S. marine at the young age of 18. This bright young man adored his family, and his dreams for his life were like that of many 18-year-olds.

Private Joshua had great aspirations of travel, and he wanted a successful career, but he also felt a higher calling to serve his country in Vietnam. The second oldest of eight children, Private Joshua was a natural protector who wanted to make sure his family and his country were safe, so he deployed as a marine, but he never returned home. On May 22, 1968, his life was cut short. He was killed when his company was

attacked with mortars in Vietnam's Quang Tri Province.

Private Joshua's younger sister Judy recalls getting ready for her high school graduation when the notification officers arrived with news of her brother's passing. A day that started as a celebration of graduation turned into a day of tragedy as she, her mother, and her sisters received the news. Still Judy remembers the screams in shock and despair.

The Joshua family never got over the passing of their beloved brother and son James. Judy's mom especially struggled to cope with the loss. She passed away from a heart attack at age 49, which Judy attributes to the grief she experienced following the tragic loss.

Private Joshua was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his courage and his bravery. His hometown of Gadsden honors his service at Central-Carver Museum's Wall of Honor. He is also honored on Panel 65E, Line 11, of the Wall of Faces at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in Washington, DC. Private Joshua gave his country the best years of his life, a sacrifice we can never fully repay.

Sadly, his life is not the only instance of years cut short because of service to our country. Private First Class Thomas Stagg, known as Tommy, from Birmingham, AL, was declared missing in action in 1950 during the Korean war. He was 21 years old at the time. He and 10 other paratroopers from the U.S. Army 187th Regimental Combat Team were on a patrol in the Hwanghae Province when they were overwhelmed by Chinese forces. All 11 members were declared dead and missing in action.

Private Stagg received several awards for his services, including a Purple Heart and a National Defense Service Medal.

Private Stagg's nephew, Colonel Larry Leonard, was very young when his family received the news about his uncle, but he witnessed the toll it took on his mother who had already lost another brother during World War II. Colonel Leonard shared that his mother's dying wish was for her little brother to be found and returned to Birmingham to be buried alongside her and their parents. Five years ago, Colonel Leonard saw his mother's wish fulfilled. Thanks to the help of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency or the DPAA under the Department of Defense, Private Stagg's remains were identified and returned home for a proper memorial service in 2017, more than 67 years after he was declared missing.

Colonel Leonard says that while Memorial Day is a somber day, it is important to recognize those who ``thought so much of their country they were willing to give their lives for it.''

I know it is estimated more than 81,600 missing American soldiers are still missing since World War I--81,600 still missing.

Some families are still searching for answers, like Teresa Schmitt of Huntsville, AL, who was only 8 years old when her father, U.S. Air Force Technical Sergeant Elbert Phillips' airplane crashed in the Mekong River during the Vietnam war. Sergeant Phillips' body was never recovered, but he was presumed dead and labeled missing in action.

Teresa was one of six children between the ages of 4 and 11 who were left behind. She spoke of the many days and nights she spent waiting to see if her father would ever be found and the heartbreak of growing up knowing that he would never be present to teach her how to ride a bike, meet her high school boyfriends, celebrate her graduation, or walk down the aisle at her wedding.

Teresa's mother committed to raising her children alone, never remarrying in the hopes that her husband would return. Sergeant Phillips received numerous awards for his courage, including the National Defense Service Medal with one Battle Star and the Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. He is honored at the Huntsville Veterans Memorial in Alabama and on Panel 46W, Line 52, of the Wall of Faces at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in Washington,

Madam President, by the time the average American worker retires, they will have worked over 16,000 days. Put another way, by the time an individual reaches the average retirement age in the United States, they will have clocked approximately 133,000 hours-- the point being, Americans work hard to retire comfortably.

To help them reach their retirement goals, many employers offer retirement savings and investment plans, commonly known as a 401(k). In fact, 91 million Americans invest in a 401(k). Many of these plans have what is called a brokerage window, which is a tool used by retirement savers to self-select some of the things that they buy within their brokerage account. They can do it themselves. The brokerage company does not do it. Simply put, they get to choose what their hard-earned money is invested in.

If someone in Lamar County, AL, is getting up at the crack of dawn, clocking 14 hours at work, and knows their retirement goals and personal circumstances very well, who better to decide how to invest the money they are making? Who better to decide but them? But, as we have seen time and time again, common sense and individual freedoms are the enemy of the Biden administration. The Biden administration has their eyes set on Americans' financial freedom yet again. This time, the Department of Labor is specifically targeting workers' ability to invest their 401(k) savings and assets as they see fit.

Recent regulatory guidance released by the Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration attempts to bar 401(k) accounts from investing in cryptocurrency, singling out this specific investment type. The guidance threatens to investigate plans that allow participants to select investments in cryptocurrency, including plans where retirement savers use brokerage windows to self-select investments in cryptocurrency.

This is inconsistent with longstanding practice. The Department of Labor has long permitted employers to offer brokerage windows as an option to employees who prefer to personally invest their own money and manage their own money within these windows. The Agency's new guidance ends this tradition of economic empowerment in favor of Big Brother government control.

The Employee Benefits Security Administration goes a step further by seeking to place a massive new regulatory burden on 401(k) plan fiduciaries by requiring them to assess the suitability of investments accessed using a

brokerage window. This would undermine the ability of retirement savers to invest as they see fit. It is their money; they should be able to invest it how they want to invest it.

The Biden administration's Department of Labor--their guidance singles out this cryptocurrency for some reason, but it is clear retirement savers want to have that option to invest their own money.

Fidelity, one of the Nation's No. 1 financial agencies, is the largest 401(k) provider in the country and recently announced that it will make Bitcoin available on its platform. They aren't the first provider to make this move. There are others. And they won't likely be the last. Sadly, the Department of Labor has already criticized these plans to empower investors.

But if this is not just about cryptocurrency--and it could not be just about cryptocurrency. It is bigger than that. Today, the Biden administration is targeting cryptocurrency. Which investment class is next? Is it fossil fuels? Is it oil companies? Is it a gun company, securities, other investments that don't align with the environmental, social, and corporate governance preferences of President Biden?

This is about Americans' freedom to chart their own financial destiny. Americans should be able to invest their retirement savings as they choose. That is why I introduced the Financial Freedom Act. My bill would prohibit the Department of Labor from issuing any regulation or guidance limiting the types of investments that self-directed 401(k) account investors--they do not limit what they can choose through a brokerage window. It would also push back on the Biden administration's plan to punish asset managers who authorize individual retirement savers to self-direct their investment choices using a brokerage window.

The Financial Freedom Act empowers the American retirement saver and preserves the precedent of investment freedom. For decades, 401(k) participants in plans with brokerage windows have been able to buy and sell investments of their choice. That freedom to choose is the entire purpose of the brokerage window. The Department of Labor should not be able to limit the range or types of investments savers can select.

The choice of what you invest your retirement savings in should be yours, not the government's. The government-knows-best approach being pushed by the current administration runs counter to the values that made our country the most prosperous Nation in history.

I urge my colleagues to support financial choice and freedom, to uphold our tradition of economic empowerment. I hope my fellow Senators will join me in preserving the choice of every American worker. They should have their own financial decisions, where they can make those decisions for their future and for their family's future, chart their own destiny, and reap the benefits of their hard work.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, I rise today to speak about what I believe are unlawful actions taken by the Government of Mexico against Vulcan Materials Company, which is headquartered in Birmingham, AL.

Vulcan is the Nation's largest producer of construction aggregates, primarily crushed stone, sand, and gravel.

Vulcan is also a major producer of aggregates-based construction materials like asphalt and ready-mixed concrete.

The materials produced by Vulcan are used in nearly all forms of construction, like infrastructure repairs to bridges or roads or when a new office building is being built.

While headquartered in Alabama, Vulcan has 720 facilities and more than 12,000 employees across the United States.

Its reach is also international. Vulcan has operated a quarry in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico since the 1980s. The quarry supplies aggregates to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Vulcan has quarried limestone legally in Mexico on land that it owns for over 30 years. It has full ownership of its property in Mexico and owns the limestone reserves on the property. Vulcan also operates the only deepwater port on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Vulcan operates that port because Vulcan built that port.

Furthermore, it is my understanding that Vulcan has always complied with Mexican law and permitting, which is why I was shocked to hear Mexican

President Lopez Obrador announce that he would pursue legal actions to close Vulcan's operations. His baseless claim is that the company is operating illegally in Mexico after 30 years. That statement is categorically false.

Unfortunately, President Obrador followed through with his threat for legal action. Last week, Mexican Government officials unexpectedly presented local Vulcan employees with orders to immediately cease operations on Vulcan's own land in Mexico. I believe this shutdown, ordered by the President of Mexico, represents a baseless attack on a U.S. company and demonstrates a disregard for the rule of law.

But even before shutdown orders were issued, Vulcan was subject to public harassment and intimidation tactics from the President of Mexico, including the Mexican Navy sending troops to the entrance of the Vulcan facility for the last several days before last week, the Mexican Navy flying Blackhawk helicopters and drones over Vulcan's property, the Mexican Navy sending patrol boats to Vulcan's harbor, and the Mexican Government withholding the issuance of a routine customs permit from January through mid-February.

These actions by the President and Mexican Government are contrary to the most basic principles of international law and the free-trade agreements that bind our two countries together. These actions also go against the objectives and principles jointly set by the U.S. and Mexican Governments as part of the high-level economic dialogue established in September of 2021.

However, President Obrador's attack on Vulcan is bigger than just one company. It undermines the rule of law in Mexico, ignores international law and free-trade agreements, weakens our bilateral relationship, and will discourage future U.S. investments in Mexico.

We have all heard about the actions President Lopez Obrador has attempted to take against U.S. energy companies in Mexico. This latest action is an example of just how far he is willing to go.

These actions will also have a direct impact on the supply chain for major infrastructure projects in the United States. We cannot allow this to stand.

Back in February, Senator Shelby and I wrote Secretary Blinken to express alarm over actions Mexico was taking against Vulcan. It turns out we were right to be concerned. So I urge the Biden administration to take appropriate action in order to ensure Vulcan, a great American company, is able to maintain critical operations in the country of Mexico.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, NASA recognizes that competition makes us better. That is why they asked Congress to fund a second provider for the lunar lander.

Developing additional designs was NASA's original intent--a type of built-in insurance. It helps foster greater astronaut safety, which you can appreciate, and minimize the impact of delays; in the end, protecting the American taxpayers' investment in the Artemis program.

To continue advancements in American ingenuity and innovation, Congress must embrace competition, safety, and public-private partnerships.

My colleague from Vermont's motion would take a sledgehammer to American ingenuity and the Artemis program.

I urge my colleagues to vote against this motion.

Madam President, Russia's invasion into Ukraine is changing the global order, the likes of which the world has not witnessed since the end of the Cold War. Vladimir Putin launched an unprovoked and brutal war--one that left the United States and our allies shocked and enraged. The global response to Putin's provocation was a mix of sharp words, hastily delivered weapons, and targeted sanctions, but even as we speak, the actions from the Biden administration are still too weak.

As airwaves were flooded with messages of support and solidarity with Ukraine, one major power was very vocal in their support against Ukraine, and that was China.

China vocally took Russia's side very quickly. The two countries share a land border, but they also issued a statement of solidarity on February 4, just 20 days before the invasion. And there is no doubt that China is looking at the Western response to the war unfolding in Ukraine, and it plans to consume its neighbor, Taiwan, in the same fashion.

Yesterday, an article in the New York Times detailed the lengths China is going to in order to convince its people that their support for Russia is righteous and their hatred of the West is justified. The article goes on to outline China's pro-Putin propaganda, stating:

Chinese universities have organized classes to give

students a ``correct understanding'' of the war, often

highlighting Russia's grievances with the West. Party

newspapers have run a series of commentaries blaming the

United States of America for the conflict.

China's political posturing should be taken very, very seriously. The CCP is building the foundation for its future actions. Since 1949, the Chinese Communist Party has been eyeing Taiwan and patiently waiting. They have not attacked because the United States and other free nations have strengthened the tiny island. That is the essence of deterrence. We want Xi Jinping to look out his window each morning and think: Not today.

Our President's response to Russia's invading Ukraine has not inspired confidence in the Pacific. Joseph Wu, Taiwan's Foreign Minister, recently stated:

When we watch the events in Ukraine evolving . . . we are

also watching very carefully what China may do [to us] in

Taiwan.

Alarmingly, the White House is indifferent to the warming relations between China and Russia. When asked about a recent call between President Biden and President Xi, regarding the war in Ukraine, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, in part:

China has to make a decision for themselves about where

they want to stand.

In July, President Biden's climate czar, John Kerry, said that he is ``genuine friends with China'' and continued to praise President Xi.

Let's get this straight. Russia and China both stand against the United States. Neither country is our friend--period. Both seek to expand authoritarian world order and diminish American leadership. The key difference is that Russia is a small bully, but China is a huge, huge threat.

China's growing economy affords its growing ambition. China became the world's largest exporting nation in 2009, and today, China controls the world's supply of titanium, rare earth metals, shipbuilding, and clothing manufacturing, among others.

China seeks to control the South China Sea and all the trade that flows through it. China wants to replace the dollar as the global reserve currency and aims to exceed the military might of the United States.

And there is no secret--there is no secret at all--that China wants Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Semiconductors power our everyday life. If it has an on-and-off switch, it has a chip. Chips are even found nearly everywhere, from our credit cards to our phones, to the processors in our weapons, and even in our satellites.

For the sake of our national security, we need to increase domestic investment and produce these chips on American soil.

Currently, the Taiwan-based Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is responsible for over 90 percent--90 percent--of these chips, one small, little island.

Over the last decade, China has made investments in their domestic semiconductor industry, but Chinese-produced chips don't match the quality of those in Taiwan.

While Taiwan's semiconductor industry is second to none, American markets have experienced a surge in private sector investment and domestic production.

In the past year alone, private sector investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing increased to $127 billion, with all signs indicating continued growth and investment in the years to come here in the United States.

And that is the way growth and innovation should happen, through the private sector, not Federal funding. Continued reliance on offshore suppliers for these chips poses too great a threat and risk to the supply chains from the CCP.

As we saw with Putin in the years prior to his invasion of Ukraine, Chinese leaders are clear about their plans for Taiwan.

Just last year, the CCP warned of ``drastic measures'' if Taiwan declares independence. Taiwan is independent. Beijing refuses to recognize and reckon with reality.

To deter Chinese aggression, the United States must have our forces in the Pacific modernized and ready at any time. That is why it was a major win that last year's NDAA secured funding for a robust missile defense system for Guam to counter CCP-launched cruise or ballistic missiles. Guam is our first line of defense from these, home to 160,000 Americans who are forward-deployed to defend the west coast and our country. Guam is the first island to defend.

However, as the CCP has continued to grow its military capabilities over the last decade, our own military has been hampered by cuts to defense spending, leaving our artillery antiquated and our defense capabilities weakened.

President Biden has been no different, offering up disappointing cuts to defense priorities in both of his first two budgets. These cuts most certainly caught the attention of our adversaries. This is yet another example of how sorely out of touch with reality the Biden administration is when it comes to defense. We cannot--we cannot-- continue to ask our men and women in uniform to do more with less, especially with China watching everything that we do.

While the world focuses on Eastern Europe, we must remain focused on Beijing. China is watching every move we make with regard to Putin, and they are taking notes.

We cannot allow Vladimir Putin's war to set a dangerous precedent. We must not make the same mistakes with Taiwan that the administration made with Ukraine, and that begins by sending a strong, clear message to our allies and adversaries that America will always be the world's most foremost superpower.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.