Floor Statements

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Madam President, first of all, I would like to say thanks to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for getting out here today and starting down the road to making daylight saving time permanent.

I cannot overstate how grateful I am that this bill passed this Chamber just a few minutes ago by unanimous consent. It is especially timely given that we all had to change our clocks this past weekend, and we are now experiencing longer, sunnier days, but it would be better news if longer, sunnier days were a new norm and not a cause for a temporary, seasonal celebration, which is why I hope my colleagues in the House of Representatives pass this bill quickly.

The practice of springing forward impacts folks across the Nation and has far-reaching benefits beyond the obvious but enjoyable hour of daylight that brings happy, happy times to everybody.

Alabamians have made this clear. Since I joined Senator Rubio in the effort to pass the Sunshine Protection Act, the phones in my office have been absolutely ringing off the hook in support of permanently adopting daylight saving time--from moms and dads who want more daylight time before putting their kids to bed so dinnertime doesn't feel like bedtime and from elderly people who want more Sun in the evenings in order to take a walk or enjoy working in their yards. For farmers, who could use the extra daylight to work in the fields, it is a better business model and adds to the bottom line.

But it is not just people in the State of Alabama; Americans across the country want to make daylight saving time permanent. In fact, it is worth noting that this bill has bipartisan support, evidenced by the fact that it passed with no objection here in the Senate mere moments ago. It is no secret how rare that is here in this Chamber.

Locking the clock, or doing away with the twice-a-year time change, is a simple measure that would have far-reaching results. For example, from a health perspective, cases of SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, are much more common in the winter months than in the summer months. From an economic perspective, the time change costs the U.S. economy an estimated $430 million annually when accounting for lost productivity. It is simply common sense to update this outdated practice.

Daylight saving time began as a temporary measure during World War I to conserve energy, but in the last century, our world has changed dramatically. What might have made sense during 1918 does not make sense today. That is why Alabama, along with 17 other State legislatures, has passed legislation or resolutions to flip the switch on this outdated practice and permanently increase our daylight hours, but these changes at the State level cannot take place until a Federal law is passed. We have taken the first step today in the Senate by passing this bill. Now it is on the House's side.

Again, my thanks to Senator Rubio and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. I hope the House acts quickly so we can get this to the President's desk and get the results that the American people want, and that is more sunshine.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam President, 2 weeks ago, Russia initiated the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II. Millions of men, women, and children fled their homes to safety. Countless others have taken up arms in the name of freedom.

President Putin's unprovoked and brutal invasion of Ukraine did not happen overnight. The warning signs were very, very clear. The response from the Biden administration was anything but. The administration had false hope that strongly worded statements would be enough to deter an unprovoked war.

President Biden waited until after Russia invaded Ukraine to level any sanctions at all. And even then, sanctions came in waves, and they are still coming.

President Biden was slow to hit Putin where it hurts. He refused to penalize the Russian energy sector until roughly a week--1 week--after the invasion took place. The President refused to act, and the world now sees the heart-wrenching results.

President Biden has shown weakness on the world stage throughout his 40-plus years in politics--40 years. His foreign policy caves to adversaries, undermines our allies, and devalues the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform.

In his first year of office, he abandoned 20 years of effort in Afghanistan and emboldened Putin to attack his neighbor. As I speak, the White House is reviving Iran's hope of developing a nuclear weapon.

Originally brokered when Joe Biden was Vice President in 2015, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the JCPOA or the Iran deal, was a deeply flawed agreement aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. In reality, it did the exact opposite.

Nuclear security can't be achieved with wishful thinking, watered- down sanctions, or by sending our adversaries planeloads of cash, which we did. Years later, we all know the result. The Iran deal did not work.

President Biden wants to revive this disastrous deal, and this time it will be even worse. The Iranians don't even want to negotiate with America and President Biden's administration so we are allowing Russia to join at the negotiating table negotiating for the United States. It doesn't make any sense. Many Americans are likely asking why? The United States cannot trust the Russian Federation in any capacity. If working with and propping up Russia isn't bad enough, Iran is poised to receive billions of dollars from frozen assets in this new agreement, including funds from renewed oil exports.

Rather than unleashing the power of the American energy industry and allowing Americans to drill, drill, drill on our own soil, the Biden administration would rather do business with Venezuela and plead with Saudi Arabia to turn on the spigots.

The administration is, again, leading from behind, held back by their pledge to their false climate gods. Yes, the climate has changed, and it has been changing for decades, but we can't let the far-left extremist wing push us to buy oil from convicts and criminals just because they would rather hamstring our economy than unleash American energy.

The administration is letting Russia and Iran and China dictate the rules of the game, and they are letting an unelected bureaucrat who was not Senate confirmed, by the name of Rob Malley, conduct these talks through Russia. His now-former colleague resigned. Malley's former colleague resigned in protest over Mr. Malley in conceding to Iran.

The Russian negotiators are bragging about Iran's huge wins in this would-be deal. I have a long list of concerns about how these negotiations are unfolding, but at the top are the limited sanctions the administration appears to be open to in exchange for a short-term pause on the development of Tehran's nuclear program.

Let me be clear. These short-term sanctions are not the solution. They weren't a few years ago, and they are not today. The administration must not allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon. The Iran deal was a bad deal in 2015, and it would be a worse deal today. The Biden administration should immediately--immediately--walk away from the negotiating table before these discussions lead to yet another Biden foreign policy disaster.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, before I start my speech today on another topic, I want to take just a moment to discuss what is on all of our hearts across the country and across the world, that we should be praying for the Ukrainian people. We have got a mess in Ukraine.

A lot of us have been to Ukraine over the last few months. We have made friends. I went over and met with the President a few months ago and a lot of his staff--and what good people. But they told us then that they needed help. And for some reason, this administration decided to drag its feet and tried to talk its way out of it.

Sometimes, when you try to talk your way out of it instead of putting facts in front of you, you have problems. Well, we have had real problems. President Putin, who is a murderous tyrant, thought this was going to be easy. He didn't realize that the people of Ukraine were going to stand up and fight for their country. And they have done just that. They have lost many lives, Ukrainian soldiers, men and women, and also many, many citizens, but it has made NATO stronger. Putin never thought that would happen.

So as I said earlier, I think that we all should remember every day and every night our prayers will go out to the Ukrainians, and, hopefully, in the near future, we can all come to some kind of consensus of what works best and that President Putin will come to his senses and call this off.

Inflation

Mr. President, the other thing I want to talk about real quickly is rising prices, inflation. I was back in my home State of Alabama this week, and prices are at historic highs and getting higher every day. But we were told by this administration that inflation was transitory. We heard that all last year. The definition of transitory: not for long. Well, they were very wrong on that.

They also said inflation was due to COVID. Well, COVID is not gone, but it has died down, and inflation is getting higher.

We were told by this administration that it was due to corporate greed. Well, we have had the same corporations for years and years. Inflation has been low, but now still going higher and higher.

And the last reason that this administration said inflation is going up is because of war, and there is probably something to that. Obviously, we have got an energy crisis in this country, and everything runs off of energy.

But one thing this administration didn't tell us was they didn't blame it on the trillions of dollars that we basically have taken and thrown out of helicopters all over this country. We have got more money now, 36 percent more money in circulation than we had 2 years ago in this country, and we have less goods. And that is when you have inflationary prices that creep up.

But we have got to get control of our energy crisis. If we don't do that, then the economy is not going to have a chance. That is the bottom line. That is the basics of the economy. Our farmers are getting killed with planting as we speak. They are in the fields paying more and more every day for their fuel. Small businesses are struggling with rates that are climbing at double and triple the rates in terms of being shipped their goods, and they are having to pay the price for that. And then the price goes up, and the American consumer pays that much more.

So we have got a problem, and we better get control of that in the very near future, or our economy is going to continue to go down and continue to get in debt.

So we have got those two problems, one at home and one on the road. It is a road game in Ukraine; and, hopefully, we can help out the Ukrainian people, give them what they need to continue to fight. But as we watch television each day, they continue to lose ground each day. But they are going to fight for what they believe in, and that is their freedom.

Daylight Saving Time

Mr. President, my topic today, though, is--I think it is something that we need to listen to from people across this country. It is not war. It is not inflation. It has something to do with basic life here in this country. To be their voice, I am advocating on the people's behalf of this country.

So let me read you a little bit about something that comes from my people in Alabama. A constituent from Talladega County writes:

Daylight savings time year-round means the elderly, like

myself, will be able to be more active in early evenings.

Another from Mobile writes:

Please try and do whatever is necessary to have daylight

savings time permanent in the State of Alabama and our

country. Everyone I know and everyone that I talk to, they

want more daylight in the evening.

And this is from a mental health professional:

I am writing to let you know of the negative effects of my

population of having the time change the way it does in

November towards an earlier sundown, less daylight hours. It

increases depression and decreases productivity in about half

of my psychiatric patients.

In other words, he is having problems when the sun goes down, basically because people can't get outside. These messages make important points, and I couldn't agree more. That is why I cosponsored Senator Rubio's bill, the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent. That would mean an extra hour of sunlight during the dark and cold winter months.

And ahead of this weekend, when we start daylight saving time this coming Sunday, I want to take a moment to discuss the many reasons why we should do away with the outdated practice of springing forward and falling back.

Daylight saving time should be a thing of the past, because it literally is. Introduced as a temporary measure during World War I, daylight saving time was originally called ``wartime,'' and it was a way to help conserve fuel and better utilize resources.

Following the end of World War I, the 1918 Standard Time Act was enacted that discontinued daylight saving time nationally, but individual States continued to spring forward and fall back.

Then, during World War II, there was a renewed Federal push for full- time daylight saving time, which then was repealed in 1945. Finally, in 1966, Congress passed legislation to set a national standard time.

All this to say, changes to our clocks might have made sense when it first began, but it certainly doesn't now.

In fact, as recently has 2005, Congress moved the start of the date of daylight saving time 1 month earlier in the spring and 1 month later in the fall. This change was implemented in 2007, giving us the ratio of daylight saving time that we have now--8 months to 4 months.

The ways we consume energy have dramatically changed since the beginning of World War I. What started as an energy saver now just does not make sense for these modern times. To turn the clocks back each year is a nuisance and not smart policy.

You know, kids get out of school and the Sun is starting to set. Families in their kitchen are cooking dinner, and it seems more like a bedtime dinner. Weekends have less sunlight hours, limiting the amount of time folks of all ages can spend enjoying the outdoors.

Additionally, reduced levels of sunlight are known to disrupt the body's internal clock, which regulates sleep and alertness. It is no wonder that cases of SAD, S-A-D, or seasonal affective disorder, are much more common in the winter months than they are in the spring.

And for our farmers, longer days mean more time to work in the fields under sunlight, which translates to a more profitable bottom line.

From an economic perspective, the time change costs the U.S. economy an

estimated $430 million annually when accounting for lost productivity in the change of sleep.

That is why Alabama, along with 17 other States, have passed legislation or resolutions to flip the switch on this outdated practice, permanently increasing our daylight hours.

However, for the will of the States to be enacted, the Federal Government--this body, this building--has to get involved. The 1966 law must be changed, and the Sunshine Protection Act does just that.

The Sunshine Protection Act makes sense from a health and economic perspective, and it is just common sense. It is time we passed the Sunshine Protection Act. Let's give Americans something to celebrate: longer days and more sunshine.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, last week, President Putin of Russia ordered 100,000 to 200,000 Russians across Ukraine's border. Air raid sirens rang out. Bombs rained down. Russia declared war on Ukraine--the first war in Europe since 1945.

Putin's terror is hard to watch. We have all seen it on television in realtime, but it is important we not look away. Amid it all, we are seeing examples of heroism and hearing stories of strength.

Early in the fight, Russian warships called for Ukrainians to lay down their weapons on the small Snake Island. Ukrainian fighters answered with a bold response that has reverberated as a sort of drumbeat of defiance across the country. Since then, we have seen Ukrainians embody determination in the face of desperation--all in the name of freedom and love for their country. A Ukrainian marine sacrificed himself to blow up a bridge near Kyiv so that Russian tanks could not cross.

All the while, President Zelenskyy of Ukraine has stayed. He has not abandoned his country, even though he knows Putin's goal is to topple the Ukrainian Government--all this while knowing that President Putin of Russia has sent over assassins to eliminate him. He planted his feet and squared his shoulders for the fight and is rallying his fellow countrymen to do the same.

Ukrainian citizens are following suit, showing true bravery in the face of madness. As the Ukrainian Government began to hand out weapons, thousands and thousands lined up to receive them, men and women. Volunteers, ordinary citizens, are adding to the resistance. They are men and women, young and old, coming from all backgrounds and walks of life--all to defend freedom and democracy in their country.

It is clear Mr. Putin underestimated the Ukrainians' will to fight. While Ukrainians are handing Russia a tough fight, we know there will be hard days ahead. Mr. Putin's rationale for invading was the ``demilitarization and de-Nazification of Ukraine,'' arguing that, if Ukraine joined NATO, the West would have an excuse to invade Russia. That is paranoia. That is delusion. That doesn't sound like a strong leader. It sounds like a weak leader. Putin was betting that NATO would fold and that countries would turn against one another. If anything, Mr. Putin's bullying has strengthened NATO.

Last week, Germany halted the Nord Stream 2 Pipeline, and now, in a somewhat surprising about-face, Germany is agreeing to send weapons to Ukraine. This not only frees up other countries to follow suit, but it also reverses their historic policy of never sending weapons to a conflict zone.

Over the weekend, the United States joined with the European Commission and Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany to ban select Russian banks from SWIFT. By limiting access to this international payment system, we move closer to the goal of further isolating Russia. Additionally, the group leveled sanctions on Russia's central bank--paralyzing assets and freezing transactions. At least 26 NATO countries have either independently issued sanctions or have joined the EU sanctions.

Since the invasion, the United States has not only imposed economic and financial sanctions, but we also authorized $350 million in new military aid to Ukraine, including anti-tank and air defense capabilities, and the State Department has sent millions in humanitarian aid. We are now seeing an inflection point for other countries--a time for choosing. Countries like Sweden, Finland, and Kosovo are all voicing a desire to join NATO. They are choosing to align with the West.

So, in a moment of apparent frustration over the past few days, Putin ordered his Russian nuclear deterrent forces to be put on high alert in response to what he calls ``aggressive statements'' from NATO leaders and the West's financial sanctions.

But I ask this question: Why? Why were all of these sanctions not presented 6 months ago to possibly deter this aggression and save tens of thousands of lives?

We were late.

As it currently stands, this is not a fight for American troops, but if a NATO country is threatened, we will and do need to act. Facts could change; therefore, policies have to change, which is why we need to continue to impose harsh financial sanctions and project strength during this very ugly situation.

Another step we must take is to regain energy independence. We import nearly 600,000 barrels of oil a day from Russia. The Keystone Pipeline would have provided us 800,000 barrels per day.

Ahead of the invasion, President Biden admitted ``defending freedom will have costs for us at home here as well.'' The irony is that Americans aren't just now feeling the economic strain as we begin to ``defend freedom'' through sanctions on Russia. Gas prices began to soar long before Mr. Putin waged war in Ukraine. It started with the President's first day in office when he blocked the Keystone Pipeline and undercut our Nation's energy independence. Russia ramped up aggression against Ukraine at the same time as the administration was canceling 80 million acres of oil and gas leases. Green policies here at home have pushed us to seek energy abroad, and our country is paying a huge and hefty price.

President Biden has again admitted that we might need to dip into our oil reserves, but why not dig into the oil reserves--dig our own oil?

This is no time to be a purist and think others can bail us out. The United States of America is an energy-rich nation, but we must have smart policies in place to use them.

This is an economic and a national security issue. You cannot have a strong economy without low energy costs, and ridding ourselves of our reliance on Russian energy is a matter of national security. What happens in Ukraine matters, but so, too, do our actions here at home.

So as our country prepares to hear from President Biden tonight on the state of our Union, I urge the President to project a strong path forward, to

double down on investments in our military, and to put forth policies to ensure we regain our energy independence.

If the state of our Union here at home is strong, it will only serve to strengthen our standing abroad.

I yield the floor.

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

Madam President, it is no secret that Vladimir Putin longs to restore and rebuild part of the old Soviet Union. Putin wants Russia to be a superpower, and he knows what he is lacking.

Russia is a one-trick pony with a lot of energy. It offers little except that. Its population is a tenth of the size of China's. Putin knows he needs to strengthen his military, economy, and position in the world, and he has been ruthless in that pursuit.

We should not, then, be surprised that he is escalating his actions. It is a quest he has been on for many, many years. In 2008, Russia invaded the country of Georgia; in 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine to take the region of Crimea; and last year, Russia began to gather troops along the Ukrainian border.

Putin rejects Western ideals; he toys with sovereign nations; and he plays by an entirely different set of rules--his own. And when President Biden signals that our words are hollow or that we will disregard our allies, our adversaries, like Putin, take notice.

In September of last year, the world watched as our military was ordered to retreat from Afghanistan; we abandoned our allies; and we left civilians at the mercy of the Taliban. In October, Russia further built up its invasion force along the Ukrainian border. Last month, North Korea, once again, tested missiles. Iran is, perhaps, a few weeks away from building its own nuclear bomb; and today, as I speak, China struts at the Olympics while it tortures its citizens.

The Chinese Communist Party seeks to dominate its neighbors and devour our ally, Taiwan. Communist China's navy has more ships than the U.S. Navy's, and their weapons grow more sophisticated than ours every day. Here is just an example: The Chinese successfully tested a hypersonic missile in December while we are still at the drawing board.

Dictators and bullies zero in on weakness like a homing beacon. In the absence of our inaction, our adversaries will move with a level of decisiveness President Biden could only dream of.

Putin does not want a war with the United States and our allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. This would be foolish. Putin's goal is to deter Ukraine from joining NATO. He wants their pro- democracy government to collapse, for Ukrainians to abandon their resolve, and wants to take over the country that largely despises him. He wants a buffer between him and the West, and he wants the United States to step aside and let him do this.

To be clear, we do not--we do not--want American bloodshed in Ukraine, but neither do the Ukrainians.

Last year, I traveled to Ukraine with several other Members of Congress and met with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine. The Ukrainian President told me, ``Ukrainians do not want Americans' boots on the ground.'' Ukrainians are willing and ready to fight their own fight. All they ask is for support; not blankets and helmets, but weapons-- weapons that can help them fight off the aggression.

While Ukrainians have been sounding an alarm, our President has been asleep at the wheel. When Russia was amassing troops along the Ukrainian border, President Biden was giving a blistering speech about voting rights, saying anyone who disagrees with him wants to destroy our country. Instead of studying war plans on Afghanistan or addressing the growing threats from Russia and China, our servicemembers were forced to spend hours upon hours on ``woke'' training, not on readiness and becoming a first-class soldier.

But the missed opportunities don't stop at this administration. The Senate already missed a chance to hit Putin where it hurts.

A few weeks ago, Senate Republicans voted in support of sanctions on Russia's pipeline through Europe, the Nord Stream 2. Senate Democrats refused to support these sanctions. Who are they more afraid of, President Biden or Putin?

President Biden has spent a year deploying a diplomacy-first strategy--the same page out of the same playbook from when he was our Vice President. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Flawed decisions leads to failed outcomes. And weak leadership leads to bullies pushing the boundaries, like Vladimir Putin. It is time for President Biden to step up. Aggression must be met with resolve.

We need to bring the full might of sanctions and squeeze Russia's economy so tight it chokes Putin's wealth. This includes sanctions on Nord Stream 2 and actions like delisting Russian companies in our capital markets, hopefully, to devalue their currency, the ruble.

We need to show Putin that it is shortsighted to take Ukraine and think it is a victory. This may be another effort in a decades-long pursuit, but it will be met with fury and a fury of sanctions.

Looking forward, the question becomes this: When our adversaries like Russia and China test our resolve again, will they be met with meekness or might? Standing on this floor, lobbing advice to our President to be stronger, to get tough, is not enough and is not going to work. That is too simplistic of a view. This moment requires more than that.

The answer is not to simply project strength; it is to be strong. We have to be a strong nation that impresses and scares the bullies--not a weak country but a country that is strong. We need to get back to what makes this country so great in the first place, and that is the following:

First, practice peace through strength. That means we make the necessary investments to modernize our military. The highest possible percentage of money we spend at the Department of Defense should go to building a killing machine. We are a superpower; we are not trying to be one. But our adversaries are outpacing us.

Second, return our economic strength. We have to get our physical house in order, and it starts in Congress. Inflation has engulfed our economy. Families face bare grocery shelves and gas that is more, in some places, than $5 a gallon. Our national debt just crested at $30 trillion, amounting to almost $100,000 per citizen in our country alone, just their debt themselves. We need to return to a free market enterprise with less government intervention.

And, third, regain our political strength by anchoring in our American strength of character. That is what this country is about.

In the past year, the administration has shown our borders and our laws are not important. Over 2 million immigrants entered our country illegally day by day, and that figure increases as we speak.

Additionally, COVID's winter surge caught the administration flat- footed, leaving the most vulnerable among us short of tests and of therapeutics.

Our country is divided on issues ranging from education to public health. The administration has attacked the policies and beliefs that made our country so great. But we have to return to champion that spirit of American resolve and determination in all facets of life. The strength of our Nation depends on it. The future of our Nation depends on it.

After this dark year marked by uncertainty, Americans are ready to return to the path of American independence. Americans across the country want to reignite the American dream and rekindle American ingenuity. We should all--this is something all of us--from Members of Congress to our President--should want.

Putin thinks that because our President has projected weakness, America is weak. How wrong he is.

To Russia and China, I say, betting against the United States and rolling the dice against Ukraine or Taiwan is a losing game.

We need to show the world that the United States is still the brightest beacon of freedom, hope, and democracy. Again, I do not want American blood to be shed in Ukraine, but we should support a democracy against any tyrant.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Madam President, in my 40 years as a coach and mentor, I have witnessed the immeasurable value that sports plays in the lives of young adults.

The lessons learned on the field contribute to an athlete's success off the field. For example, there is the value of discipline and hard work, how to deal with success and failure, how to be a leader, and the importance of putting the interests of the team ahead of the individual's. But many of these lessons are only realized when there is a fair and level playing field, and that is why title IX protections have been so transformational for women's and girls' sports.

I began my career as a high school coach, coaching boys' basketball and football, as well as girls' basketball. This was just a few years after Congress expanded title IX, ushering in a new era of opportunities for women and girls in sports.

Title IX provided women and girls the long-denied platform that had always been afforded to men and boys. It ensured female athletes had the same access to funding, facilities, and athletic scholarships. Before title IX, female athletics received less than 2 percent of the college athletic budgets, and athletic scholarships for women were virtually nonexistent. Since it was enacted, I have witnessed firsthand how the expanded provisions in title IX have changed the game for female athletes at every level.

Today, 43 percent of high school girls participate in competitive sports. Since the 1970s, when I first started coaching, female participation at the college level has risen by more than 600 percent. Additionally, America's female athletes are routinely the best- performing on the world stage in both team and individual sports.

In the 2016 Olympics, we saw the largest number of U.S. female Olympians in history. It is clear we have made important strides. Yet, recently, the adoption of policies for transgender athletes has negatively impacted the rights, privacy, safety, and achievements of women and girls in sports. That is why we need to continue to fight to uphold and preserve title IX protections in women's and girls' sports.

This is a cause I have championed in my role on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. When then-nominee for Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, James Kvaal, testified before the committee, I pressed on the administration's commitment to upholding title IX and protecting the rights of women. As expected, he failed to articulate how title IX would be protected under the Biden administration.

In March of last year, when Senate Democrats were pushing through their so-called COVID relief package, I led the charge here on this floor to prohibit education institutions from receiving Federal stimulus money if they failed to uphold title IX. Not surprisingly, it was rejected.

But this is not just a debate we are having here in Congress; we are seeing it all across the country. To appease the demands of the left, sports organizations--from grade school to professional leagues--are focusing on the concept of being inclusive at the expense of being fair, but by including biological males in women's athletics, fairness is not possible. I can't believe we are even talking about this.

Just last week, I heard from female Olympic gold medalists who reiterated this, and study after study continues to confirm what we already know: Male and female bodies have inherent biological differences that no amount of testosterone suppression can level. Male bodies have larger hearts, bigger bone structure, leaner muscles, and expanded lung capacity.

One study concludes: ``On average, males have 40-50 percent greater upper limb strength, 20-40 percent greater lower limb strength, and an average of 12 pounds more skeletal muscle mass than age-matched females at any given body weight.''

The latest study published by clinical researchers in Europe finds that ``current evidence shows the biological advantage is only minimally reduced when testosterone is suppressed as per current sporting guidelines for transgender athletes.''

You can't make a level playing field. It is unquestionably the truth that biological males have a physiological advantage over females, and sports associations across the world are starting, finally, to pay attention.

In 2019, USA Powerlifting prohibited transgender women from competing in female powerlifting. In 2020, World Rugby became the first international sports governing body to ban transgender women in global competitions. Just last September, the UK Sports Councils--the national funding bodies for sports across the United Kingdom--issued a report concluding that allowing transgender athletes to compete in women's sports does not allow for a balanced and even playing field--forbidden. These organizations are doing the research and making recommendations in the best interests of their athletes while also maintaining fairness in sports.

But then there is the NCAA, better known as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. After a transgender collegiate swimmer began shattering--and I am talking about shattering--records in swimming just in the last few weeks, the public outcry was so loud that the NCAA said: Well, we will review this policy.

The NCAA met, and the board voted in support of a sport-by-sport policy that they say ``preserve opportunity for transgender student- athletes while balancing fairness, inclusion and safety for all who compete.''

In effect, this means they will defer the policy to individual national governing bodies and kick the can down the road. These governing bodies, in turn, generally adhere to the standards of the International Olympic Committee, which permits transgender athletes to compete in women's sports.

The Independent Women's Law Center and Independent Women's Forum both have condemned the NCAA for adopting this approach. The NCAA had the perfect opportunity to stand up for women and girls in sports, and they blew it.

The NCAA's lack of true action is disappointing and invites more questions than it provides answers. By punting the responsibility, the NCAA leaves the door open for continued erosion of title IX protections at the expense of women's athletics and continues to chip away at the great unifier that Americans know and love. We need to do better for women athletes all across this country.

So let me be clear. The question here is not should we be inclusive and supportive of all athletes; it is how. There is no pregame speech you can give a woman or a girl who feels like they aren't competing on a fair playing field. No pep talk can touch title IX's 37 words that changed everything for women's sports over 50 years ago. It rightfully afforded women and girls the same athletic opportunities that their male counterparts have always had, and we should continue to fight for all the young girls and the future of this country.

I yield the floor.

Madam President, my colleagues across the aisle spent the first part of this year laser-focused on voting rights and the filibuster. Democrats at all levels, including President Biden, spoke of nothing else, claiming that this was the most important issue facing Americans and that the future of our country was at stake. But this was not a righteous crusade; it was a march into complete delusion--a message completely out of touch with the struggles of real Americans.

While Democrats lectured, Americans confronted reality. Across the country, inflation is squeezing paychecks, and COVID cases are skyrocketing. These are the issues that families are focusing on. Omicron's surge has sent students home from classrooms and back in front of computer screens. This is where parents' minds have been these last few weeks--not on Senate rules, not on the filibuster, but on their children's educations because when parents think

about the future of our country, they think about their children and the opportunities that they will have and that all starts with education.

During my four decades of coaching, I saw firsthand how education provides an unparalleled opportunity to uplift students from all different backgrounds, races, and religions. Education is the key to opportunity and freedom. It empowers students to create futures for themselves, to make better lives for themselves. It is a way to achieve the American dream. In short, education is our country's future. Ensuring the next generation receives a quality education is the most important investment--the most important investment--we can make in the future success of our country.

But before I talk about where we should go when it comes to education, it is important to note where we are today in education.

Right now, the United States of America is slipping. It is slipping in the classroom. When it comes to our global standing, we are 37th in the world--37th in the world--in math, and we are 13th in the world in reading. Just over half of the young people in our country today can read over the sixth grade reading level. That is simply not good enough for the most powerful country on the face of the Earth. Our students are falling behind.

At no time was this more important than in the last 2 years. COVID turned our living rooms into classrooms, bringing lesson plans to kitchen tables in homes all across the country. This gave parents a front row seat to what their children were and were not learning, and many parents did not like what they saw. Students weren't being taught how to think; they were being taught what to think. This shift from what is right to what is ``woke'' has startled parents, but it was also startling for parents to see what isolation did to their developing children.

As kids saw less of their friends, they retreated into darkness. Rates of depression and anxiety rose dramatically. Since the start of the pandemic, hospitals have seen more mental emergencies among kids than in the history of our country. In young girls, the suicide rate has jumped over 50 percent compared to the prepandemic levels--50 percent.

While we are nearly 2 years into the pandemic, the digital divide still creates profound roadblocks in learning for many children who lack access to rural broadband and even a laptop. Learning by low- income and minority students was disrupted the most by school closures.

The pandemic compounded existing problems in our education system, and every child has felt the effects of this pandemic from not having been in the classroom, but it has also highlighted a key piece of the educational puzzle: parents. Parents are the key to education for our kids. Parents realized the power of their collective voices during the pandemic, and they are using it to advocate for improvements in the education of their kids in the classroom. Time and time again, we have seen parents stand against restrictive mandates and unnecessary school shutdowns.

Now, as we look toward the future of education, we need to remember what the pandemic taught us--that one size does not fit all. It rarely works, and it certainly does not work in education. That is why, moving forward, when we talk about education, we will have an opportunity to revisit the conversation about the importance of choice. Parents know their child best. They understand the unique needs of their children and can serve as the best advocates for those needs, especially now that the needs may be different than they were 2 years ago, before

Madam President, I rise today to honor the 200th anniversary of Major David Moniac, the first Native American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

Today, I would like to share the inspiring story of Major Moniac. He was born in 1802 and lived near present-day Pintlala, within Montgomery County, AL. Several of Moniac's family members were members of the Creek Nation and influenced passage of the Treaty of New York in 1790, which declared peace between the Creek Nation and the United States. This treaty is significant as it contained an important provision for the U.S. Government to educate four young Creek Native Americans. Twenty-seven years later in 1817, David Moniac was accepted into the U.S. Military Academy under this provision at only 16 years old.

Despite facing an uphill battle due to his age and being the only minority at West Point, Moniac persevered. He went on to graduate in the year 1822 as a brevet second lieutenant in the 6th U.S. Infantry Regiment.

In 1836, Moniac answered the call of the U.S. military, to fight for our Nation and aid the Army in the Second Seminole War occurring in Florida. Moniac was named captain and proceeded to organize a unit of Creek Volunteers from Alabama to serve. During the war, this impactful Alabamian demonstrated true leadership as he commanded an assault on a Seminole stronghold and earned a promotion to major in October 1836. One month later, in November 1836, Major Moniac was killed by a musket volley at the Battle of Wahoo Swamp while he was leading a charge of Creek Volunteers. Moniac's death marked the end of the battle.

Major Moniac was laid to rest at a cemetery in Bushnell, FL, near the site of the Battle of Wahoo Swamp. To remember his incredible courage and bravery, the inscription on his grave marker states, ``He was as brave and gallant a man as ever drew a sword or faced an enemy.''

On November 21, 2021, Governor Kay Ivey presented the Alabama Distinguished Service Medal to Major Moniac's family at the Alabama State Capitol. The Distinguished Service Medal recognizes exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a duty of great responsibility.

Today, we honor Major David Moniac for his impact and the transformational change that he led as he paved the way for other Native Americans to receive admission to West Point. His legacy continues to make not only my home State of Alabama proud and grateful for his leadership but our entire country. It is a privilege to honor Major Moniac today in Congress 200 years later commemorating his service and sacrifice.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my remarks before the scheduled recess.

Mr. President, last year ended with the best Christmas present that this Congress could have given to the American people--the Democrats' failing to pass President Biden's reckless tax- and-spending spree. But, sadly, the Democrats' failure doesn't seem to have made them realize the reality they are operating in: a 50-50 Senate, where they have to actually work with both sides of the aisle to deliver bipartisan wins for the American people.

They have now pivoted from a reckless tax-and-spend spree that would break the piggy banks of Americans to wanting to break the longstanding rules of the U.S. Senate. They have set their sights on changing the very core of this institution by eliminating the legislative filibuster.

Some Americans may not even know what the filibuster is. The Senate follows many rules and procedures to pass legislation, and the filibuster is an important tool that gives the minority party the ability to voice concerns and help shape any bill the majority party may bring up.

The filibuster serves as a check against the majority party wishing to act without input from the minority. Basically, with the filibuster, the majority has to work with the minority. That is the bottom line.

Voting to end debate on a bill is commonly referred to as ``ending a filibuster.'' It simply means that the Senate agrees that there has been enough debate, including amendments, and it is now time to take a vote. And as one of the Senate rules, it requires 60 votes to end debate and move to passing the bill.

Even if you aren't familiar with complicated Senate procedures, just know that the filibuster is important because it protects the deliberative nature of the Senate.

It ensures we function as an institution rooted in compromise, common

ground, and a sense of unity. We represent all Americans, not just a few.

Looking back on the history, you will see it has been utilized as a standard Senate practice by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike.

It is so important that in 2005, Senator Schumer, whom you just heard speak, said: ``The ideologues in the Senate want to turn what the Founding Fathers called `the cooling saucer of Democracy' into the rubber stamp of dictatorship.''

Yes, he said that doing away with the filibuster would effectively create a dictatorship.

More recently, in 2017, Senator Schumer doubled down on the need to keep the filibuster in a letter to Leader McConnell. In his letter, Senator Schumer argued for the protection of ``existing rules, practices and traditions as they pertain to the right of members to engage in extended debate on legislation before the United States Senate.''

To sum that up, he said no way should we cancel the filibuster.

That letter was signed by 33 Democrats, many of whom are still serving in this Senate as we speak. One of the signers who served at that time who signed this document is now the Vice President of the United States.

And it is not just the Vice President who has warned against ending the filibuster. In 2005, on this very floor, Senator Joe Biden warned that if the ability to filibuster were abolished, done away with, the Senate would become the House of Representatives.

I recognize that both sides of the aisle have, at some point, diminished the filibuster on nomination votes. In 2013, then-Senator Harry Reid lowered the vote threshold for Presidential appointments, other than Supreme Court nominees, to 51. In 2017, the Republicans turned around and lowered the standard to 51 for Supreme Court nominees.

Based on that, the left may call our opposition now hypocritical. But there is a big difference between legislation and nominations, including policy and our budget and nominees.

Debating legislation should include input from all Senators and be subject to compromise through the amendment process in order to be made better.

A nominee's qualifications are not subject to input or change. Voting on a nominee is a take-it-or-leave-it vote. You can't change their background or qualifications with more debate or more amendments. That is why they moved the vote to 50.

But the filibuster on legislation forces the majority to take into account the minority's position and to make the changes necessary to earn their support.

So now that the Democrats seem to be changing their tune on the legislative filibuster, it might be worth asking what has caused the Democrats to flip-flop and why now?

Well, there is one notable reason. Between 2017 and 2022, who is in control of the White House and Congress now?

Back in 2017, when the Democrats were in the minority, they understood the value of the minority's vote. But now they are in the majority, and all bets are off. They want to race through their party's Big Government socialist agenda with as little or no debate or opposition as possible. And Senate Democrats have embraced a radical, win-at-all-cost game plan for passing their progressive agenda, and they intend to and will break the Senate if they do it.

Democrats say their war on the filibuster has to do with strengthening voting rights, and they want to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. If that were true, Democrats wouldn't have any problem passing this on a bipartisan level.

We all want to safeguard our elections so that all Americans have confidence in the integrity of our country's election process. But if access to the ballot box were an issue, it might come as a surprise that the 2020 election saw the largest voter turnout in over a century.

The Democrats are simply operating under a false idea. The States should run our election system, not the Federal Government.

What is more is, they will tell you they are embarking on this crusade to ``save our democracy.'' But the problem is, they want to do it by blowing up our democracy, blowing up this room.

Ending the filibuster means we would govern only by majority rule, stifling the voice of all minority and millions and millions of people who voted for the people who are in here in the minority.

Instead of saving it, this one-party rule would be the end of our democracy as we know it.

Instead of including the minority's voice in legislation that should serve all Americans, we would have radical swings back and forth every time the majority changed hands in this room.

Right now, there are few Democratic Senators who have stood up for the filibuster. They understand the important role of the minority's voice. This is not the House of Representatives. They understand the importance of making sure we listen to the voices of the millions of Americans who voted for the minority party, whoever it is. They know what even a small ``exemption,'' or what they call a ``carve-out,'' could lead to--devastation to this room.

So I ask the rest of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: Why not join us and save the filibuster? That is what makes us the voice of all Americans. Why not focus on what you can do to lead in the face of many crises actually facing the American people?

In a recent poll, nearly 50 percent of Americans disapproved of President Biden's handling of COVID. The disapproval ratings were even higher when it came to the economy, taxes, crime, government spending, and immigration. It is clear that, right now, Americans need more adults in this room and more leadership, and I can guarantee that the American people do not want leadership that resorts to changing the rules to get their way, to notch a win. The American people want leaders who actually address the problems they face, like COVID and inflation.

We cannot allow the failed leadership of Big Government socialists to be a scapegoat for eliminating the filibuster and fundamentally changing our country for the worse.

I yield the floor.

Mr. President, today I rise to highlight the 100th anniversary of the 117th Air Refueling Wing based in Birmingham, AL, and to honor the patriotic men and women, past and present, of this storied National Guard unit. For a century, the 117th has defended our freedoms by providing worldwide air refueling, airlift, logistics, intelligence, and medical services. It is a profound honor to represent these great Americans in their nation's capital.

The United States hosts the world's most powerful Air Force, which gives our country the ability to project strength and defend freedom around the globe. This capability is made possible by a heavy reliance on our air refueling tankers that create bridges across the sky for our fighters and bombers. Since October 1994, the 117th Air Refueling Wing has proudly and effectively performed this critical air refueling mission with the KC-135 Stratotanker, a mainstay of our tanker fleet.

The 117th Air Refueling Wing is heavily utilized and often deployed. Their reliability and dedication has led them to take part in some of the most consequential military actions of our time.

During the Kosovo conflict of 1999, the wing flew operational missions over the Balkans following its deployment of six KC-135 aircraft to Brize-Norton Royal Air Force Base, England, in support of Operation Allied Force.

After the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the 117th deployed to MacDill Air Force Base, FL, as part of Operation Noble Eagle to refuel F-15 and F-16 aircraft that were flying around-the- clock protective combat air patrol missions over major cities in the United States.

The wing deployed KC-135 aircraft to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, to fly operational missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and later played a key role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Each of these deployments supported and directly contributed to the success of our air operations, keeping Americans in the air and on the ground safer while imposing our will on the enemy.

But, even decades before taking on the air refueling mission, the wing had a storied beginning and a long history of service to our country.

In 1918, Major James A. Meissner, a World War I flying ace, returned home to Birmingham to lead the formation of a flying unit based at Roberts Field. As a result of his efforts, on January 21, 1922, the U.S. Department of War identified the Birmingham Aero Club as the first Air National Guard Unit in Alabama.

The unit was originally designated as the 135th Observation Squadron, Alabama National Guard, and received Federal recognition as a Corps Aviation unit. The flying squadron was nicknamed the ``Birmingham Escadrille's,'' and Major Meissner served as the first commander.

On January 30, 1944, the unit, by then redesignated to the 106th Reconnaissance Squadron, flew its first combat sorties in B-25 Mitchell aircraft against the Japanese from Sterling Island in the South Pacific.

In 1961, the unit was federalized in support of the Berlin Crisis. For 10 months, 20 RF-84F Thunderstreak aircraft flew missions from Dreux Air Base, France.

Also in 1961, roughly 80 members of the Alabama Air National Guard secretly took part in the operation to support the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. These individuals bravely defended the U.S. and Cuban people against the communist regime and were sworn to secrecy until the declassification of the mission in 1998.

In November 1971, the unit was selected to be the first Air National Guard unit to receive the RF-4C Phantom II aircraft, redesignated as the 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, and assigned to the U.S. Air Force's Tactical Air Command.

Following Saddam Hussein's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent U.S. military buildup in the Middle East, six Alabama National Guard RF-4C aircraft equipped with special long-range cameras deployed on August 24, 1990, to Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. Their mission was to obtain high-resolution images of

objects 100 miles away to aid prewar surveillance and photo- reconnaissance mapping of Iraqi forces in occupied Kuwait and along the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border.

Though the missions and the aircraft have changed over the 100-year history of the flying squadron, one thing has remained constant: The men and women of the 117th have always answered the call to service. That tradition has been proudly carried on by the nearly 1,000 men and women who comprise the 117th Air Refueling Wing.

Today, we honor the airmen and women, maintainers, medical crews, and support staff of the 117th Air Refueling Wing on this important anniversary and remember those that have given their lives as part of the wing's operations. I salute them for their sacrifice and service to the great State of Alabama and the United States of America.

Mr. President, I would like to add on to what the other Senators have said. We want to give our blessings and prayers to the people in the southern part of the country after all the tornadoes.

I grew up in Arkansas and now live in Alabama, and there hasn't been a year gone by that we didn't have devastated communities, towns, cities across the South. It seems like it is an every-year occurrence. There has been many people lost, many people injured.

The TV trucks and newspeople will leave in the next couple of days, leaving the destruction behind for the people of these cities and towns to rebuild, and it is a tough time. It is going to be a tough time all around, not just for a few days but for years. And our prayers go out to them and all the families that have to go through one of the toughest times of their life.

Mr. President, on the list of people that my Democratic colleagues are claiming to help on this Build Back Better Act, there is a huge blank.

I worked in education all my life. I worked around people all my life. What is missing from this list is American families, American families all over this country. For example, the childcare program in this tax-and-spend spree is really about only helping certain families. And that is fine--certain families--but we should help all families.

But my colleagues want to help the ones that are structured toward the Democrats that they deem favorable, and that is not the American way. If you are in a two-parent, working household, my colleagues' plan would cost Mom and Dad thousands more each year to pay for their child's care. Think about that: thousands more. And this means tax many and give to a few. Well, that is not what we do here.

Additionally, a once bipartisan initiative, the child tax credit, is being reworked. The cost of that dramatic expansion will be paid for by joint filers; meaning, in other words, couples--our families--will pay the cost.

I want to take a moment to contrast this attack on the family. It is an attack on the family approach with actual American families around the country are facing as we speak. This anti-family bill is not only coming at a time when families have to pay more for groceries and pay more for gas and higher prices at the gas pump but also when families are silently fighting other unnamed pandemic and problems. Those are the worsening problems of mental health and drug addiction issues in our country today, of which they are abundant.

So I ask my colleagues: Why this bill? It doesn't build families back better. It builds them back broke. It helps a few, not all. It doesn't create jobs or support working families. It creates more reliance on Big Government socialism. And why now, when inflation is so high and when so many of our friends and families are struggling to find the help that they need?

It goes without saying that the COVID pandemic has played and is playing a large role in the staggering rise in drug overdoses and increase in mental health crises and homelessness over the past couple of years. Americans were locked down unnecessarily long periods of time. Jobs were lost. And the economic engine of our Nation was brought to a screeching halt.

Children lost out on valuable education opportunities and wondered when they were going to be able to see their friends again. Students' college experiences were forever changed, and working parents had to juggle schooling and full-time childcare in addition to holding down their own jobs.

Throughout this turbulent time, Americans felt lonelier and more detached than ever before, especially in my lifetime.

It is a dream too often turned into a nightmare for an increasing number of Americans, a promising future robbed by deadly drug addiction. And sadly, it is more common now than ever before. According to the latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics, we lost over 100,000 American lives due to drug overdoses from April 2020 to April 2021. That is not including the last 8 months.

This is an increase of 30 percent from the year before. Think of all the open seats that will be at the dinner table for Christmas lunch or dinner, the futures that will never be fully realized, the families forever mourning the loss of a loved one. It is happening every day.

We have these known issues made worse by a pandemic; there is no doubt. Yet Democrats' response has been to open our borders and allow cartels to profit off of trafficking fentanyl and other deadly substances into our country. It is hard to imagine.

Through the first 9 months of this year, the monthly average of fentanyl seized was 830 pounds--a month, 830 pounds. Compare that to a monthly average of 321 pounds from 2018 to 2020. Now, that is way too many--but 830 pounds a month. Two thousand pounds can kill 200 million people--200 million. That is three-fourths of the people in this country.

Instead, we need to look at how we can address mental health and break the cycle of drug addiction and homelessness. That should be a priority in this building. There are solutions out there if we approach the problem the right way. It is clear that the money we are spending and the programs that we have in place are not working.

We need to open our eyes. We should be strengthening the family. We know strong families are the backbone of a strong community, and right now, Democrats are too focused on sneaking in these progressive wish list items--like climate policy and taxes that put us on par with communist countries--into a bill under the guise that it will help all Americans. I am here to help Americans but the right way--all Americans.

Last year, Congress got to work on passing bills to help with COVID relief. While some relief funds were certainly necessary for those who needed it the most, the government's role quickly went from providing targeted stimulus to unchecked spending month by month. And this year, my Democratic colleagues assumed a predictable response to every problem they faced: Just throw money at it.

Folks, money is not the answer. People are the answer. And the money they want to use will be paid for, yes, by the American people. It is not government money. It is the American people, and it is the taxpayers' money.

But pumping more money into the economy is not the solution. It did not work for American families earlier this year when was passed a $1.9 trillion spending package that was passed off as COVID relief. It caused prices to rise and inflation to spike. It didn't address most of the issues families still face today.

We spent all this money, and we have got worse problems. We throw money around in the name of solving problems. And if we do it this time, it won't work this time either. We are putting the country more in debt, and we are making problems worse. People are starting to figure it out.

You know, as a football coach for 40 years, I know a little bit about strategy. I was a defensive guy. I like strategy. That is part of playing defense.

A good defensive player must make a decision based on what is learned in practice and what their experience tells them, then they have the confidence to commit to that decision. But the key to winning the matchup is to always watch where the ball is if you are on defense. We always taught our players to play the game with your eyes. If you go to any practice, you will hear this: Defensive players, play with your eyes and trust your eyes.

Offenses will throw motion across formation. They will run a trick play. They try to get your eye off the ball. You have the chance to go out there and stop the play if you trust your eyes.

The same thing is happening right now. We are playing defense, and we cannot take our eye off--not the ball, but this bill. We have got to trust our eyes. The American people have to trust their eyes. Democratic colleagues are trying all sorts of tricks and political spin to convince Americans that their Build Back Better bill is a championship-caliber win. They are banking on Americans to be too busy and be too caught up in the holidays to understand what is really in this bill.

But here is the thing: Americans should know that the Democrats' reckless tax-and-spend spree is nothing more than a gimmick, a trick play designed to fool the defense or the American people, to help a few, not everybody.

The American people should trust their eyes. This bill is not thoughtful policy that will change American lives. It is a way to increase Big Government socialism and pay for it by increasing taxes on not a few in the 1 percent, but everybody in this country.

Because of the way they are doing this bill, using an obscure procedural tool that is called reconciliation, everything in this bill has to be budgetary, as in related to the budget. Sometimes, this is useful, when you are trying to create a fairer, simpler Tax Code or make tax cuts. It is also a tool used to bypass the majority because it only needs 51 votes.

But the reconciliation process actually limits what Congress can do to address most issues facing Americans because everything in this bill has to be budget related. Reconciliation does not allow Congress to thoughtfully construct policy or to make improvements that do not spend money. Throwing money at existing programs or even creating new programs that simply send out checks is not the same as making meaningful change.

So when my Democratic colleagues say that their bill will help Americans, it will--a few--but not very many. All it does is throw money at problems, which is, as we have seen, not what our country needs. This reckless tax-and-spend spree creates a cradle-to-grave entitlement society but does not actually help people in that society.

If we really wanted to help American families, we would start with a bipartisan effort, meaning that we would discuss the needs of all Americans, not just a few. In this very tough time, all citizens need help. Everybody needs help. It has been a tough time. It has been a tough couple of years. But this has just been a one-way street.

We have folks who represent urban and rural areas, talking with each

other about what American families actually need and what actually works. We could create targeted, thoughtful bills that didn't rely on budget gimmicks or party lines to pass.

So we can't let our Democratic colleagues fool Americans. Their Build Back Better bill isn't making American families better. It is not helping Americans who are suffering from mental health issues. It is not helping our country's drug addiction problems. It is an anti-family bill that will make our country more dependent on Big Government, and it is spending money the wrong way.

I yield the floor.

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