For the People Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., April 26, 2021)

Summary

This is S2194 of the Congressional Record, Senate, April 26, 2021, with interleaved columns of floor remarks. A Senator from Alabama, whose name is not printed in the text read, criticizes the defense budget and cites military aviation accidents, and honors Curtis T. Sprouse, a World War II veteran who joined the Army in 1943. Another speaker honors Arkansas teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, and Mrs. Blackburn, under the heading For the People Act of 2021, criticizes S. 1 as a policy power grab. Mr. Peters recognizes the Senate confirmation of Deanne Bennett Criswell as Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with the views attributed to the speakers.

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“For the People Act of 2021 (Cong. Rec., April 26, 2021).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-04-26-crec-2021-04-26-pt1-pgs2194-3-72537d2a23/, SHA-256 65f236cc443498a734da952239e0893d05b5f197e8b421067ddc84d9a2ae9816.

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S2194 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE April 26, 2021
Aviation Safety, the military had more the men and women who keep us safe. dous new challenge, from masks and
than 6,000 noncombat aviation acci- I urge my colleagues and President social distancing to teaching classes,
dents since 2013, destroying 157 air- Biden to do the same. where some students were at their
craft, at a cost of $9.41 billion. Even REMEMBERING CURTIS T. SPROUSE desks and others were on the screen.
worse was the human cost. There are Madam President, finally, I want to Arkansas teachers, once again, did the
198 souls that have been lost in these take a moment to honor the life of a impossible for their students.
tragic accidents, affecting hundreds great person in Alabama, a war vet- Over the last year, I have heard from
more spouses, children, family, and eran—Curtis T. Sprouse. educators who worried for their own
friends. Mr. Sprouse joined the U.S. Army in health and safety but said their dedica-
When asked why these causes oc- 1943 at the age of 17. He served in the tion to their students was stronger
curred, servicemembers pointed to in- 318th Infantry Regiment under General than fear. They learned new skills lit-
adequate training programs, risky George Patton in the European the- erally overnight, overhauled the cur-
maintenance practices, and spotty ater, including the Battle of the Bulge. riculum, and reimagined every aspect
funding, among other reasons. Ala- For his bravery, he earned the Bronze of their classroom to comply with
bama is home to Fort Rucker, where Star, Purple Heart, and Good Conduct COVID–19 guidelines. Somehow, they
every Army helicopter pilot comes to Medal, among other honors. also made our kids feel safe—safe
get their training. When I visited the He passed away in Dothan, AL, last enough to learn, set an example with
folks at Fort Rucker, they told me week at the age of 98. their positive attitudes, and let stu-
about the very real need for increased A year ago, I visited with Mr. dents know how important they were,
flight training hours for our pilots, Sprouse at a restaurant in Dothan, and whether in the classroom or on a com-
which requires more investment and we sat at a table known locally as the puter screen.
prioritization in the defense budget. ‘‘table of knowledge.’’ It is where locals As they worked to maintain the aca-
This last week, two pilots were in- have sat and talked for decades, where demic progress of each child, they also
jured in a helicopter crash at Fort people are said to solve the world’s provided a lifeline in an otherwise cha-
Rucker during flight training. I am problems with conversation. That day, otic time. It is amazing to see the
sure General Francis and the U.S. Mr. Sprouse and I talked about his smiles on faces of the kids when they
Army safety center will do a thorough service, and I talked to him about my see their teachers. Even though noth-
investigation and provide feedback on father’s time, who at the same age ing was normal, they gave students an
the improvements needed to ensure today would be 98. We talked about escape back to normalcy by being there
that this does not happen again. The World War II. We didn’t end up solving and continuing to do what they do
safety of our flight program must be a the world’s problems, but we did talk best—teach.
top priority. We must listen to our men about how to humbly, graciously, and When we look back at the heroes of
and women in uniform and invest in patriotically serve our great country. this tumultuous time, it is clear that
the proper training and safety meas- Mr. Sprouse was a humble man, but teachers will be among those we honor
ures that will prevent these crashes. it was men like him who defended our as society’s most valuable players.
Alabama stands ready to continue to country and the world from evil. And, On behalf of the people of Arkansas,
build our military so we can maintain ultimately, they prevailed. We owe Mr. I want to thank our teachers for the
our status as a preeminent fighting Sprouse a debt of gratitude we can great work that they have done this
force in the world. We have got hun- never fully repay. year and every year to bring out the
dreds of contractors and more than I yield the floor. best in each child and pave the way to
200,000 employed in the defense sector The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- a brighter future.
across the State of Alabama. These ator from Arkansas. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
topnotch men and women support our TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
military installations from ship- Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I clerk will call the roll.
builders in Mobile to Redstone Arsenal rise today to recognize the extraor- The senior assistant legislative clerk
in Huntsville, and many places in be- dinary work of the teachers in Arkan- proceeded to call the roll.
tween. As Winston Churchill said, sas and across the country. Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Presi-
‘‘Give us the tools, and we will finish As we prepare to celebrate Teacher dent, I ask unanimous consent that the
the job.’’ Appreciation Week, it is clear that edu- order for the quorum call be rescinded.
We are willing and able, but those cators are in a class by themselves The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
tools require sustained funding from when it comes to resilience. Over the objection, it is so ordered.
the Federal Government. Telling our last 12 months, they have shown us FOR THE PEOPLE ACT OF 2021
forces to fight a war with outdated what it means to be selfless and brave Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Presi-
tools is like giving a football team at a time when both were critically dent, we are less than 100 days into the
some leather helmets and decades-old necessary. Biden administration, and already we
poorly fitted pads and expecting them I am especially proud of teachers in can identify a pattern in how they are
to compete against modern equipment. Arkansas who rose to the challenge of building their policy initiatives, inter-
But that is exactly what President leading classes 100 percent virtually for acting with Congress, and marketing
Biden’s defense budget is asking our the first time and then embraced re- their ideas to the American people. In
military to do. Frankly, it is a huge opening our schools in August 2020. The every example, the governing rule can
disappointment, coming from our Com- sudden transition to virtual learning be boiled down to ‘‘what you see isn’t
mander in Chief. We cannot let our was an extraordinary hurdle, as edu- what you are going to get.’’
men and women down. cators had to learn new technology and So far, in this 117th Congress, every
Thankfully, it is Congress—not the new teaching techniques overnight. single major policy proposal that DC
President—which has the power of the For all of us who have learned to use Democrats have forced into the spot-
purse. And, really, this should be our Zoom, it is worth taking a moment to light has been based on a false premise.
first order of business every year. It is imagine an online classroom with 30 They have intentionally misled the
that important. wiggling first graders who want to American people and are now catering
In the coming weeks, I will be work- show you their pets, or that you are to the increasingly radical leftwing
ing with my colleagues on the National teaching calculus to high school stu- that gets further out of step with the
Defense Authorization Act and budget dents who are preparing for an AP rest of this country each and every

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that will enable our military to do the exam while attending class from their passing day.
job better today and prepare for all the car at a Wi-Fi hotspot. Somehow, with Consider last month’s absurd $1.9
challenges tomorrow. This debate is ul- great creativity and dedication, teach- trillion spending package. The Demo-
timately about whether or not we have ers embraced this mission and contin- crats billed this as ‘‘the American Res-
the willpower to fight to defend our ued to do everything they could to cue Plan’’ and ‘‘COVID relief,’’ but
way of life and our great country. reach each child. only 9 percent—9 percent—of the total
Well, I am willing to keep fighting When Arkansas schools reopened in package pricetag went for testing, vac-
for the United States by investing in the fall, they were faced with a tremen- cinations, and healthcare jobs. The rest

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April 26, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S2195
they used on a massive blue State bail- don’t stand up to scrutiny in the light iar with the ins and outs of their neigh-
out and blatant redistribution of of day. And that is what is happening. borhood polling places than DC Demo-
wealth. You know, it isn’t just false adver- crats could ever expect to be. And that
It is the same story with this tising. It is not a falsehood. It is not doesn’t bode well for the administra-
month’s $2.25 trillion spending pack- misrepresentation. It is not an inaccu- tion or the current congressional ma-
age. They have done their best to pass racy. It is not an accidental lie. This is jority.
this off as an ‘‘infrastructure plan,’’ an intentional lie. They are perpe- I yield the floor.
but even if you add up every single line trating this lie on behalf of a radical I suggest the absence of a quorum.
item that is dedicated to roads, leftist minority of Americans whose The PRESIDING OFFICER. The
bridges, highways, interstates, ports, ideas are so destructive that they clerk will call the roll.
waterways, airports, broadband, and wouldn’t withstand 10 minutes of good, The legislative clerk proceeded to
the power grid, only a little over one- solid, robust, respectful bipartisan de- call the roll.
third of that plan will pay for actual bate on this Senate floor. Mr. PETERS. Madam President, I
infrastructure projects. The rest—the Nothing about S. 1 will serve the best ask unanimous consent that the order
rest—of that $2.25 trillion is just an- interests of the American people, and for the quorum call be rescinded.
other slush fund for union activism, my Republican colleagues and I aren’t The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
climate change auditors, and Green the only ones who see the problems objection, it is so ordered.
New Deal fantasies. with it. Tennesseeans are worried Mr. PETERS. Madam President, I
S. 1, the so-called ‘‘voting rights’’ bill about this, too, because, in Tennessee, also ask unanimous consent to deliver
that my colleagues across the aisle we did the work to clean up our voter my complete remarks prior to the vote.
have spoken so passionately about, rolls and implement fair voter ID laws. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
completes the trifecta of bait-and- We cut down on fraud and increased objection, it is so ordered.
switch bills, advertised as one thing faith in the electoral process. CONFIRMATION OF DEANNE BENNETT CRISWELL

but that would accomplish something This is how it is supposed to work. Mr. PETERS. Madam President, I
completely different. We do not need Federal intervention to rise to recognize a historic confirma-
Now, S. 1 isn’t as much a taxpayer- protect the vote. So no wonder my tion that took place last week. On
dollar grab as it is a nearly unprece- Democratic colleagues chose to use the Thursday, the Senate confirmed
dented policy power grab that offers so- full weight of the Senate Judiciary Deanne Criswell to serve as the Admin-
lutions in search of problems. It ig- Committee to scare the American peo- istrator of the Federal Emergency
nores the promises of federalism. It dis- ple into believing they live in ‘‘Jim Management Agency. I would like to
regards the constitutional directive af- Crow America.’’ Throughout the course thank Senator PORTMAN for his support
fording States—affording the States— of last week’s hearing, which they and for working closely with me to see
power over their own elections. called ‘‘Jim Crow 2021: The Latest As- that Ms. Criswell was swiftly con-
It requires the use of ballot casting sault on the Right to Vote,’’ they firmed for this critical position.
technology and voter registration sys- weaponized the pernicious lens of crit- Ms. Criswell is an experienced, crisis-
tems that don’t even exist yet, but I ical race theory against Georgia legis- tested leader, well deserving of the
think you can bet that some politically lators and the thousands of election of- unanimous bipartisan support that her
connected companies will make a ficials and volunteers who work year- confirmation received. As she takes the
whole bunch of money coming to the round to bring as many eligible voters helm of FEMA, Ms. Criswell brings
market with this technology. to the polls as possible. more than 25 years of emergency man-
It would dismantle voter ID laws and Everyone should exercise their right agement and disaster response experi-
prevent local, meaningful cleanup of to vote. We should protect one person, ence at the Federal, State, and local
voter rolls. Your local election com- one vote. We should encourage people level.
mission wouldn’t be able to purge their in our local communities to cast their Having served as an emergency man-
rolls of individuals who have died or ballot. But my friends across the aisle, agement commissioner for one of the
moved away. We know that this leads they are desperate, and they are des- largest and most diverse cities in
you to a recipe for fraud. perate to distract from what S. 1 would America, Ms. Criswell knows what it
Speaking of fraud, it would force actually do, so desperate to distract takes to ensure the coronavirus vac-
States to allow ballot harvesting. That from what it would actually do that cination distribution is efficient and
is right; it would mandate that they they are willing to project the evil ha- effective and that every community
allow ballot harvesting. Everyone has tred behind slavery, segregation, and has the resources that they need to re-
heard of the perils that exist with bal- race-based violence, projecting that cover from this pandemic.
lot harvesting. It would mandate donor onto people whose only goal is to pro- As a former member of the National
disclosure, opening private citizens up tect the vote from criminals who would Guard and a firefighter, she under-
to harassment and violent attacks. It seek to defraud it and make certain stands the needs of our heroic first re-
would upend the mechanics of local that individuals are registered to vote, sponders as they continuously protect
elections for officials and voters alike that they vote, and that legal votes are Americans on the frontlines.
and cause chaos and confusion in every counted and those improperly cast are However, the pandemic is just one of
precinct in this country. not. many challenges that FEMA faces, and
So why in the world would Demo- Now, my friends across the aisle have Ms. Criswell understands that there is
crats even try to pitch this mess as an invalid premise, and they should all no one-size-fits-all approach to disaster
something that would protect voting pause and question their motives. The response and every crisis, from hurri-
rights? By all accounts, it would in- American people should be worried canes to historic flooding and wildfires,
crease the likelihood for fraud and con- about what is happening in this Cham- to the COVID–19 pandemic, requires a
fusion. Well, I think that they are ber when no one is looking. They coordinated strategy.
doing it for the same reason they should feel outrage at an administra- There is no doubt that Ms. Criswell’s
slapped a ‘‘COVID’’ label on a $1.9 tril- tion that deliberately tries to manipu- experience in emergency management,
lion wish list and an ‘‘infrastructure’’ late them into supporting destructive, extensive record of tackling crises on a
label on a $2.25 trillion wish list. They wasteful, and dangerous legislation. local and national level, and the desire
know that if the American people I think these bait-and-switch tactics to work on a bipartisan basis to im-
caught on to all that they are doing, are going to backfire. I think the scare prove our Federal disaster response in

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they would never win another election. tactics are going to backfire because every community are exactly what is
Now, think about that—if you know instead of being scared into submis- needed to meet the challenges that we
your policies are so unpopular with the sion, which is the agenda of the left, are facing now and those challenges
American people that you have to the American people are going to be that lie ahead.
cloak them behind different words, dif- scared into action. NOMINATION OF JASON SCOTT MILLER
ferent phrases, words that the meaning Based on the contents of H.R. 1 and Madam President, I rise to speak
of the word is evolving because they S. 1, I guess that they are more famil- about the nomination before us today,

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