Congressional Record, Senate, March 1, 2022, No. 37
Summary
The opening of the Congressional Record, Senate, Vol. 168, No. 37, for Tuesday, March 1, 2022. The Senate met at 10:15 a.m. and was called to order by Mr. Whitehouse, who assumed the Chair as Acting President pro tempore under a designation by the President pro tempore, Mr. Leahy. The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the prayer. A Senator's remarks say that Kharkiv has endured especially heavy fire with mounting civilian casualties and that the Senate must say without equivocation that the United States stands behind the Ukrainian people, working on a bipartisan basis to pass an aid package providing humanitarian and security assistance.
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Cite this document
“Congressional Record, Senate, March 1, 2022, No. 37.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2022-03-01-crec-2022-03-01-pt1-pgs845-7-f75185c9a7/
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Congressional Record
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117 th CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION
United States
of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE
Vol. 168 WASHINGTON, TUESDAY, MARCH 1, 2022 No. 37
Senate
The Senate met at 10:15 a.m. and was a Senator from the State of Rhode Island, to Kharkiv has endured especially heavy
called to order by the Honorable SHEL- perform the duties of the Chair. fire. Civilian casualties, tragically, are
DON WHITEHOUSE, a Senator from the PATRICK J. LEAHY, mounting.
President pro tempore.
State of Rhode Island. Today, every single Member of the
Mr. WHITEHOUSE thereupon as- Senate must say once again, without
f
sumed the Chair as Acting President equivocation, that the United States
PRAYER pro tempore. stands behind the Ukrainian people and
The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- f behind all people in all nations who op-
fered the following prayer: pose the aggressions of despotism.
RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME
Let us pray. In the weeks to come, the Senate
Merciful God, guide our lawmakers The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- must work on a bipartisan basis—and
and empower them to meet today’s pore. Under the previous order, the in lockstep with the Biden administra-
challenges. leadership time is reserved. tion—to pass a strong aid package pro-
Lord, our world seems under attack, f viding both humanitarian aid and secu-
but we continue to place our trust in rity assistance to Ukraine.
CONCLUSION OF MORNING
You. When we feel fear, remind us that The strongest signal we can send to
BUSINESS
all power belongs to You. We thank Vladimir Putin right now is that the
You that mere human beings cannot The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- United States stands together—to-
prevail against Your might and maj- pore. Morning business is closed. gether—with the people of Ukraine.
esty. f Twenty years ago, when our own de-
Lord, keep a record of the tears of mocracy was attacked right here on
LEGISLATIVE SESSION our own soil, Americans banded to-
those who cry out to You from around
the world. Rescue them from their an- gether—Democrat and Republican—to
guish and keep them from defeat. POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF defend our Nation and our democracy.
We pray in Your matchless Name. 2022—MOTION TO PROCEED—Re- Today, as democracy faces its great-
Amen. sumed est crisis in Europe since the end of the
Cold War, we must likewise band to-
f The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- gether in support of our friends in
pore. Under the previous order, the Ukraine. So far, the President has done
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Senate will resume consideration of an excellent job uniting our Nation and
The Presiding Officer led the Pledge the motion to proceed to H.R. 3076, our allies against Putin. This was not
of Allegiance, as follows: which the clerk will now report. an easy job. The President had to show
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the The senior assistant legislative clerk patience from some who had urged him
United States of America, and to the Repub- read as follows:
lic for which it stands, one nation under God,
to do things that would have torn the
Motion to proceed to Calendar No. 273, relationship apart—the European-
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
H.R. 3076, a bill to provide stability to and American relationship.
f enhance the services of the United States Now, because of the President’s
Postal Service, and for other purposes.
APPOINTMENT OF ACTING strong leadership, the Russian Presi-
RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY LEADER
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE dent finds himself more isolated and a
The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- greater pariah than at any other mo-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pore. The majority leader is recog- ment in his time in power. When the
clerk will please read a communication nized. full weight of international sanctions
to the Senate from the President pro UKRAINE takes effect, the consequences will be
tempore (Mr. LEAHY). Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now, catastrophic for Putin and the Russian
The senior assistant legislative clerk with each new day of war in Ukraine, economy.
read the following letter: the brutality and sheer evil of Vladimir On the flip side—on the flip side—di-
U.S. SENATE, Putin’s aggression against the Ukrain- visions within the United States or
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE,
ian people becomes more apparent. amongst our allies will only strengthen
Washington, DC, March 1, 2022.
To the Senate: Failing at securing the country with Vladimir Putin and strengthen his re-
Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, quick strikes, Russian forces are evi- solve that he can win this war, and we
of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby dently starting to engage in siege tac- must resist him and his deeply cynical
appoint the Honorable SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, tics. Over the past 12 hours, the city of efforts however necessary. We must be
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∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor.
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S846 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2022
united in this moment, and so far our pain of inflation is being felt around and working-class people. That seems
unity has precisely been our greatest this country and around the world, to be where the Republicans are at.
asset in resisting Putin’s aggression: thanks largely to the disruptions of the This is just wrong, especially at a
from unity amongst American people pandemic. time when American families are look-
in solidarity with Ukraine to Amer- The two greatest things vexing the ing for our help in lowering costs. So,
ica’s unity with our European allies. American people are completing our tonight, the President will make clear
So I hope our Republican colleagues in recovery from COVID and getting life that while we have a lot of work left to
this Chamber will work with us and the back to normal and fighting increasing do, we have gotten a lot of work done
administration to stay unified with a costs. already. And the Democratic Senate
strong aid package. And Democrats in the Senate will will continue, likewise, to focus work-
We don’t know how this crisis will keep our laser focus on precisely those ing on legislation that completes our
evolve, but one thing that will not issues: bringing down costs for the recovery from COVID and does every-
change is the need to maintain a American people so we can reap the thing we can to make sure it doesn’t
united front so long as Vladimir Putin full benefits of our historic growth. come back, to lower costs, to strength-
continues down his path of violence. From relieving shipping bottlenecks to en our buoyant economy, and preserve
For that reason, the Senate will con- making insulin more affordable, to America’s place as a nation of immense
tinue working in the weeks to come on lowering the cost of food, these are opportunity deep into the 21st century.
a strong aid package that will erase some of the things Americans want, I yield the floor.
any doubt where our allegiance lies. and these are the issues that Demo- I suggest the absence of a quorum.
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS crats right now are working to help The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
Mr. President, now on another sub- solve. pore. The clerk will call the roll.
ject, tonight, President Biden will These problems must be handled, and The senior assistant legislative clerk
come to the U.S. Capitol and deliver Democrats and the Biden administra- proceeded to call the roll.
the first State of the Union of his Pres- tion continue to work on them like a Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I
idency. Whenever the Nation takes laser. Again, full recovery from COVID ask unanimous consent that the order
stock of the state of our Union, it is and increasing costs are the two big- for the quorum call be rescinded.
important to know where we are today gest remaining issues on our domestic The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
compared to where we were a single calendar, and we are focused on them. pore. Without objection, it is so or-
year ago. That, indeed, is a revealing But even so, we cannot ignore that we dered.
measure of any President’s leadership. have come far. RECOGNITION OF THE MINORITY LEADER
And despite the immense challenges And let me say this: The State of the The Republican leader is recognized.
we still have, what a difference be- Union is also an important and rare NOMINATION OF KETANJI BROWN JACKSON
tween last year and this year. At the moment for the American people to see Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, last
beginning of last year, we were facing what the party in office actually week, President Biden announced his
the very worst of the pandemic. Unem- stands for. choice to succeed Justice Stephen
ployment was over 6 percent. Most It is under Democratic leadership Breyer on the Supreme Court, Judge
forecasters said it would take years— that we will continue to work to lower Ketanji Brown Jackson. Judge Jackson
perhaps more—to make significant costs, to fight inflation, give working was confirmed less than a year ago to
progress in our recovery. families ladders of opportunity to get the DC Circuit Court of Appeals.
And, of course, as the Trump Presi- to the middle class, and thrive there Now, every Senator must carefully
dency came to a bitter and ignoble end, once they are in the middle class. evaluate Judge Jackson’s record, legal
our country was still in shell shock Republicans can’t say that. Crippled views, and judicial philosophy. The
from the violent assault waged upon by Trump’s cult of personality, be- nominee, the Senate, the Court, and
this Capitol and upon democracy itself. holden to corporate interests and the the American people all deserve a proc-
Today, as we continue to face the se- ultrarich, the Republican agenda would ess that is free of embarrassing antics
rious challenges of our time, just look trap Americans in a vortex of deep cyn- that have become the Democratic Par-
at how far we have come. The economy icism—issues that would not solve to- ty’s routine whenever a Republican
has now grown at the fastest rate in a day’s dilemmas—while they pass legis- President nominates a new Justice—
single year since the 1980s. We have lation that overwhelmingly would ben- the baseless smears, the shameless dis-
added back the most jobs in a single efit the very few wealthy people. tortions. The country deserves a proc-
year than in any President’s term If anyone doubts where the Repub- ess that is painstakingly rigorous and
ever—6 million jobs. Congress passed— lican Party stands today, all they have befitting the seriousness of a lifetime
and the President signed—the biggest to do is read the bizarre, truly stunning appointment to our highest Court.
comprehensive, standalone infrastruc- plan released by the junior Senator I, for one, don’t care what Judge
ture law in generations, which is now from Florida last week—the head of Jackson’s friends wrote in her high
fixing our roads and bridges, supply the Republican Campaign Committee— school yearbook. I care that American
chains, and putting people to work which proposed everything from rais- families are facing major crises that
across the country with good-paying ing taxes on low-income Americans to bear directly on Federal courts and our
jobs. Jobs have always been the No. 1 naming a useless and ineffective border legal system, from surging violent
issue to working families. And on that wall after Donald Trump. crime and systematically weak pros-
measure, this first year has been a Imagine, we are talking about get- ecutors to open borders and campaigns
very, very large success. ting back to normal and recovering to shrink religious freedom and the
And after years of President Trump from COVID and reducing costs, and rights of conscience.
currying favor with despots and auto- they are talking about naming a border What is more, one of our two major
crats—we all remember what he said wall after Donald Trump. Which party political sides increasingly makes
about Vladimir Putin over and over is going to solve America’s problems? noise about attacking the very legit-
again—the world can now rest assured Indeed, an analysis released yester- imacy and structure of the Supreme
that the United States is once again a day by the Tax Policy Center found Court itself. The country needs a seri-
reliable ally in the defense of democ- that low-income households would pay ous and sobering examination of all of
racy and our alliances like NATO. an average of nearly $1,000 more in it.
And of course, COVID cases are sig- taxes next year under a plan like Sen- I look forward to discussing these
nificantly dropping, communities are ator SCOTT’s and that nearly all of the issues and many others with Judge
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reopening, mask mandates are revers- new taxes under a plan like his would Jackson when I meet with her tomor-
ing, and over 215 million Americans— be paid by those making less than row morning.
215 million—have now been fully vac- $100,000 a year—cut the taxes on the It has been less than 1 year since
cinated. wealthy, as they did when Trump was Judge Jackson was confirmed to the
The road has not been easy, and cer- President and they had the majority, DC Circuit. Since then, I understand
tainly the work is not yet done. The and now increase taxes on poor people she has authored only two opinions,
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March 1, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S847
both in the last several weeks. I am tion’’ that top liberal economists On foreign affairs in particular, I am
troubled by the combination of this warned would ‘‘set off inflationary sincerely rooting for President Biden’s
slim appellate record and the intensity pressures . . . we have not seen in a success. We need steady, serious, and
of Judge Jackson’s far-left, dark generation.’’ Inflation has surged so smart leadership to help guide the
money fan club. steeply, most Americans have seen West through this perilous time, but on
Throughout the jockeying that pre- their real wages actually cut. most issues, what the American people
ceded President Biden’s announcement Then came the decision to cut and deserve tonight is a commitment to
and, indeed, dating back to her prior run from the international coalition we drastically change course. If this ad-
confirmation last year, Judge Jackson led in Afghanistan. President Biden’s ministration does not majorly correct
has attracted loyal and intense support top military advisers warned that re- its course, the American people may
from some of the very same dark treat would embolden terrorists, en- correct course for them this coming
money, far-left activists who have de- danger loyal partners, and leave our in- November.
clared war on the institution of the telligence capabilities in the region I am glad the American people will
Court itself. One has to wonder why badly handicapped; but the Biden ad- also hear from Governor Kim Reynolds
these leftwing organizations worked so ministration failed to heed these warn- this evening. She is a strong and suc-
very hard to boost Judge Jackson for ings and presided over a disastrous cessful leader who delivers real solu-
this potential promotion. withdrawal. Our biggest adversaries tions for the great people of Iowa. She
I am sincerely looking forward to took notes, and now, one of them is fought COVID without declaring war
meeting Judge Jackson, to a thorough testing the limits of the West’s resolve on freedom or common sense. She
conversation tomorrow morning, and to oppose his murderous conquest. backed the blue, stayed tough on
to the vigorous Senate process that lies Then there are the alarming trends crime, and kept Iowa’s economy open.
ahead. this administration has placed on the I look forward to hearing her reac-
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS back burner but which communities tion to the President’s remarks and her
Mr. President, on another matter, to- across America are facing every day. thoughts on how Washington could bet-
After spending the Presidential cam- ter serve Middle America.
night, President Biden will deliver his
paign talking about potential amnes- I suggest the absence of a quorum.
first State of the Union Address.
One year into his term, the American ties, the Biden administration wasted The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
people have a lot of questions they no time in making our southern border pore. The clerk will call the roll.
would like answered: why Democrats more porous. The CBP has reported its The senior assistant legislative clerk
plunged ahead with reckless spending highest single-year total for southern proceeded to call the roll.
border encounters on record—with no Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask
that caused the worst inflation in 40
sign of a coherent administration re- unanimous consent that the order for
years, why violent crime and illegal
sponse in sight. the quorum call be rescinded.
immigration are setting all-time Meanwhile, Democrats’ response to a
records, why the administration hap- The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. MUR-
historic surge in violent crime has been PHY). Without objection, it is so or-
hazardly withdrew from Afghanistan to double down on the hostility toward
and proposed to cut defense spending dered.
police and the prosecution that has en-
after inflation at a time when Russia is couraged it. Across America, radical
NOMINATIONS
trying to redraw maps in human blood. Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, every
local prosecutors are simply declining
When President Biden took office 1 day, Americans get up, go to work, and
to charge whole categories of crimes.
year ago, he inherited major tailwinds do their jobs. It is time that all of us in
But, instead of condemning this extre-
and a brimming optimism. Brilliant the Senate do ours.
mism, the Biden administration has
scientists and Operation Warp Speed We have five outstanding nominees
endorsed it, staffing their Justice De-
had developed vaccines in record time, for the Federal Reserve. They are
partment with some of the most out-
and we were already putting doses in ready. They are ready to get to work
spoken critics of law and order.
more than a million arms every day. Meanwhile, this Justice Department fighting inflation. And that fight is all
Scientific data had already proven goes out of its way to keep tabs on par- the more important now as Americans
that, after a devastating year for chil- ents who dare to question teachers brace for possible impacts at the gas
dren and families, schools were safe to unions’ veto power over established pump and throughout our economy
reopen in person. medical science or who exhibit skep- from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Thanks to the historic CARES Act ticism toward woke propaganda in pub- Vladimir Putin has made it clear he
and another targeted, bipartisan stim- lic schools. doesn’t care whom he hurts in his ma-
ulus that had just passed weeks earlier, So that is a heck of a rap sheet, but niacal quest for power. He has no prob-
our economic foundations had weath- I am afraid the most damaging legacy lem attacking innocent Ukrainians de-
ered the pandemic lockdowns and were of President Biden’s first year is bigger fending their country and wanting to
primed for a roaring recovery back to than just his unwise policies. Demo- continue their freedoms and their de-
normalcy and prosperity. Before the crats have not just tried pushing bad mocracy. He has no regard for hard-
pandemic, Republican policies had ideas through our institutions; even working families in the United States
America as a net exporter of oil for the under the Presidency of a self-styled and Europe and across the world who
first time since World War II. institutionalist, the far left has tried can’t afford higher energy prices.
The same voters who gave President to wreck—wreck—our institutions al- Our Senate colleagues of both par-
Biden the Presidency gave him a razor- together. ties, led in part by the Presiding Offi-
thin margin in both Chambers. His Tonight, we will hear from a Presi- cer today, Senator MURPHY, have so far
only mandate was to govern from the dent who assigned a commission to shown a united front against Putin. We
middle. study packing the Supreme Court be- are united in the need for punishing
In his inaugural address, President cause his party didn’t like its current sanctions against Putin and his cro-
Biden promised to do just that—to ideological makeup. nies. But along with these sanctions, it
unite and to heal—but for the past We will hear from a President who is our job to do all we can to make sure
year, he and his administration have urged his former colleagues to tear up Putin’s invasion does not hurt hard-
often behaved like they are trying to Senate rules in order to rewrite the working Americans.
fail their own test. rules of American elections, likened Let’s be clear. This body, this admin-
Remember, the President made sti- anyone who opposed these efforts to in- istration, this Fed will do all it can to
fling American energy independence a famous racists, and continues to stoke combat inflation. When it comes to
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day-1 priority, killing miles of pipeline racial animus with wild nonsense about spikes in energy prices because of
and freezing new jobs and new explo- a revival of segregation. Putin’s warmongering, our resolve is
ration with the stroke of a pen. We will hear from an administration strong. Our commitment to democracy
Then came the spending bill his ad- that has failed its own tests and which, is certain.
ministration called the ‘‘most progres- candidly, has the public approval fig- This is not the moment for political
sive domestic legislation in a genera- ures to match. stunts. As we deal with the first land
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S848 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2022
war in Europe since World War II, as risks—risks of cyber attacks, risks of horror as once again an imperialist
we confront inflation, as we work to climate change, risks brought about by Russia sets its sights on a sovereign
continue our economic growth—in fact, many, many banks not having the cap- nation in Eastern Europe.
in the past year, for the first time in ital that they have held that they Vladimir Putin’s unjustified and un-
two decades, America’s economic should—she served as cochair of the G7 justifiable war of aggression has al-
growth is stronger than China’s eco- Cyber Expert Group. She is a former ready left hundreds dead and created a
nomic growth. Our rate of growth ex- Fed Governor. She was No. 2 at Treas- massive refugee crisis as noncombat-
ceeds China’s. As we emerge from this ury. She was a banking commissioner ants flee Russian attacks.
global pandemic, everyone understands in Maryland. She has elevated this At this minute, Russia continues to
we need a full Federal Reserve Board— issue of cyber attacks and cyber attack press forward with attacks on several
the first one in nearly a decade. It has risks on corporate boards. She played a fronts, with a focus on the capital city
been since 2013 before we have had all pivotal role in helping craft the Obama of Kyiv, but courageous Ukrainian re-
seven members of the Federal Reserve. administration’s efforts to combat sistance, both from its formal military
The Federal Reserve is in some sense cyber threats in the financial industry. and from an increasing number of civil-
the supreme court of our economy, as She is the leader we need at this crit- ians, is slowing Russia. Kyiv and other
one Nobel Prize-winning economist, ical moment on all of these issues, es- major cities remain under significant
Joe Stiglitz, said. pecially cyber. Let’s get her on the job. pressure and could fall within days, but
Americans don’t want more political Let’s get all of these nominees on the Ukraine is demonstrating a fierce re-
theatrics; they want solutions to take job. solve and continuing to blunt Russian
on Putin, to protect our national secu- Dr. Lisa Cook and Dr. Philip Jeffer- advances.
rity, and to bring down costs. There is son—they understand workers and Russia has also been a victim of its
no more reason for delay. communities that make our economy own deficiencies, such as poor tar-
These nominees have met with every work. geting, broken supply lines, and a lim-
Senator, five nominees. These nomi- Dr. Cook was born in a small town in ited ability to fight at night. Surpris-
nees have met with every Senator who Georgia, graduated from Spelman, ingly, Russia has not yet established
asked for a meeting. These nominees went to Oxford to study as a Truman full air superiority, with some Ukrain-
met with staffs of Senators who asked. scholar, and has a Ph.D. from Berke- ian jets still flying and some air-to-sur-
They offered to meet with many of my ley. face systems still available. This
colleagues who refused to meet with Dr. Philip Jefferson grew up in the means Ukraine can still fly combat
them and in a couple of cases, met with shadow of RFK Stadium—grew up with sorties and strike back against Russia.
them and were pretty combative, but not a lot of material assets—and Similarly, Ukrainian command, con-
that is OK. These nominees did every- worked as a young man at the Federal trol, and communications appear to be
thing we asked of them, and then my Reserve before he went back to school intact.
colleagues boycotted the vote—some- and got his Ph.D. He is now dean of a How long these conditions can last,
thing I have never seen happen, not prestigious school in the Carolinas. however, is an open question, which
just since I have been chair of Banking, As I said, they understand workers. underscores the urgent need to con-
Housing, and Urban Affairs; I have They understand communities. tinue to provide Ukraine with the
never seen it since I have been in the Chair Powell and Governor weapons it needs to stay in this fight
Senate, where one party boycotted a Brainard—the two nominees who have and to bring the free nations of the
vote and stopped that vote from actu- already been serving on the Fed—led world together to sanction and isolate
ally happening as a result. the Fed’s extraordinary effort to sup- Russia for its unjustifiable aggression.
These nominees answered every ques- port our economy throughout the pan- This is Ukraine’s fight, but the United
tion posed to them at the hearing. demic. States and allies can provide weapons
They answered every question sub- We need a full Federal Reserve and humanitarian assistance while im-
mitted for the record. In one nominee’s Board. We need a united front to make posing swift and severe sanctions
case, she answered almost 200 questions our economy stronger, to take on infla- against Russia.
in a 48-hour period, before the deadline. tion, to take on Putin. I implore my We must also shore up NATO to send
Then more questions came in after the Republican colleagues: Just show up. a signal to Putin that the United
deadline, and she still answered them. Vote no if you want to vote against States will make good on our defense
All of these nominees have cooperated these five nominees. That is certainly commitments. This is essential not
with both parties in making sure that your right. But we don’t come to the only to help prevent this war from
we can move forward. Senate where they hand us a paper and spreading farther into Eastern Europe
If we are going to continue to grow say: Check a box—‘‘yes,’’ ‘‘no,’’ or ‘‘I but to send a message to China that
our economy, we need all seven Fed don’t think I will show up and do my similar acts of aggression will not be
Governors in place. We need these pro- job.’’ No. You vote yes or you vote no. tolerated. We know Taiwan remains in
fessionals working, debating, and mak- I just implore my colleagues on the the crosshairs of President Xi, and just
ing decisions about monetary policy Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs as Putin is flexing his power in Europe,
and interest rates and jobs and tack- Committee to show up to cast their communist China is looking for any
ling inflation. We need these profes- votes, and we will then move forward. opening to pounce.
sionals to do the Fed’s critical work on We need them to make our economy Many pundits have speculated about
something we hadn’t really thought stronger and to take on inflation. Putin’s mindset and ultimate goal with
much about before—helping prevent The world is looking at us now. We this attack and how far he would be
cyber attacks in our financial system. are still the leader of the free world. To willing to go despite mounting losses. I
Let me single out one of these five play these political games while in the think it is clear he is willing to take it
nominees because she has great exper- midst of this awful attack, this poten- to the next level. We should be con-
tise in an issue the American public is tially growing land war in Europe, to cerned that as Russia continues to
more and more concerned about. We play games on the committee and with- meet heavy resistance, Putin will order
know and we have heard discussions in hold your votes and not show up to his generals to increase pressure no
the media about Putin potentially hav- work—let’s show the world what a matter the cost—this means no matter
ing interest in cyber attacks against functioning democratic government the cost to his own troops, many of
our country, against Europe, against looks like. Let’s get this done for the them young soldiers and conscripts,
us. Sarah Bloom Raskin—this is the people whom we serve. and no matter the cost to the Ukrain-
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moment for her in her record and ex- I yield the floor. ian people.
pertise. She helped lead efforts in both The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Re- Putin’s failures in Ukraine and
government and the private sector. publican whip. mounting international pressure may
Before she was nominated for the UKRAINE also spur Putin to escalate beyond
Federal Reserve to be Vice Chair of Su- Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, over the Ukraine and lash out against the West.
pervision, a key position to weigh past week, the world has watched in He has already ordered his nuclear
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March 1, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S849
forces on high alert—yet another carry out regime change. Putin has lifeblood of the Russian economy, and
unprovoked escalation that has drawn also claimed that the Ukrainian mili- that is Russia’s energy sector. Every
immediate condemnation. tary is moving equipment into residen- dollar the world denies Putin by not
The United States and other free na- tial neighborhoods, which would be buying his oil and gas is one less dollar
tions must match the resolve of the consistent with a resistance or insur- he has to spend on his war of aggres-
Ukrainian people and respond with gency defensive posture but will also sion in Ukraine.
swift and severe consequences for give Russia pretext to increase civilian The conflict in Ukraine is also a
Putin and his cronies. The people of targeting. timely reminder that energy independ-
Ukraine have shown their fierce deter- Vladimir Putin is apparently on a de- ence is not only economic security but
mination to fight, drawing inspiration lirious quest to restore the Soviet national security and that here in the
from emerging stories of heroism. Union and once again see Ukraine United States, we need to do every-
A reported ‘‘Ghost of Kyiv’’ fighter under its thumb. Unfortunately for thing we can to get our energy pro-
pilot has allegedly scored six kills him, he apparently reckoned without ducers off the bench and into the game
against Russian jets. It may only be an the people of Ukraine. Each missile so that we don’t have to rely on foreign
urban legend, but it has captured that strikes a village, every rocket regimes for energy supplies.
Ukraine’s underdog grit nonetheless. that strikes an apartment building, The situation is also a reminder of
Ukrainian border guards on a remote every tank that rattles by a once-quiet how important it is to make a robust
island in the Black Sea refused to sur- town will only further stoke Ukrain- investment in our own military to re-
render to the Russian Navy in a defiant ian’s resentment of the Kremlin. store our Nation’s readiness. The
radio transmission. Judging by the way Ukrainians are Vladimir Putins of the world will only
A Ukrainian solder sacrificed himself fighting, I don’t think they will ever respond to strength, and we need to en-
on Friday by manually detonating accept Russian rule. As the growing sure that our Nation’s military is pre-
charges to collapse a bridge when there number of Russians boldly protesting pared to meet threats from traditional
was not enough time to detonate them in the streets—from Moscow to St. Pe- state actors as well as terrorist organi-
remotely before a Russian column tersburg to Siberia—and online are zations. When it comes to dictators
closed in. making clear, Putin is also losing the like Putin, the best way to secure
A Ukrainian woman defiantly ad- trust of everyday Russians, particu- peace is through robust deterrence.
dressed Russian occupiers, offering larly of the younger generations whom As Congress reviews the administra-
them sunflower seeds and telling them he is likely leaning on for conscripts tion’s supplemental request for foreign
to put the seeds in their pockets so and who will inherit a decimated econ- security and humanitarian assistance,
that sunflowers will grow when they omy. Even the daughter of Putin’s own we cannot offset this funding by de-
die in Ukraine. spokesman posted on Instagram ‘‘No to grading our own defense. This is a mili-
Ukraine has handed out over 18,000 war!’’ which went viral before it was tary emergency—just ask the people of
weapons to reservists around Kyiv, deleted. Ukraine—and we should treat it as
with social media posts showing men Russian protests have spread to more such. I hope Congress will come to a
and women lining up to volunteer. than 50 cities, and, in keeping with his sensible solution in the days and weeks
Ukrainian Parliament Member Kira KGB past, Putin’s response has been to ahead.
Rudik is taking up arms, hoping to in- detain protesters and restrict access to My thoughts and prayers today are
spire other women to join the resist- Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately with the people of Ukraine. I hope they
ance. Ukrainian media is broadcasting for him, however, it has become clear know that their courage and deter-
instructions on how to make Molotov that he will not be able to fully hide mination have inspired millions, and I
cocktails to attack Russian vehicles. the truth from the Russian people. pray that the United States and free-
Then there is President Zelenskyy, Russians are clearly coming to know dom-loving countries the world over
who has led the Ukrainians with ex- Putin as a murderous warmonger who will continue to do our part by pro-
traordinary resolution and courage. will isolate them from the free world. viding the lethal aid Ukrainians need
President Zelenskyy is believed to be It is unfortunate that the world did to stay in this fight and by imple-
Putin’s top target, and there are re- not take a more aggressive stance menting biting sanctions that will
ports of Russian forces being sent into against Vladimir Putin before he in- leave Putin and his cronies out in the
Ukraine for the express purpose of as- vaded the sovereign nation of Ukraine. cold.
sassinating Ukraine’s President. Yet, I supported sanctions against Nord I yield the floor.
according to press reports, when he was Stream 2 and the other punitive meas- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
offered the chance to evacuate, ures of the NYET Act before Russia ator from Wyoming.
Zelenskyy said: made its attack. It is too bad it took STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
The fight is here. I need ammunition, not Putin actually going to war for the Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I am
a ride. world to get serious about checking going to join a number of my Repub-
Former Ukrainian President Petro Russian aggression. However, I am lican colleagues on the floor today to
Poroshenko has also been visible in pleased that the United States and our talk about the State of the Union.
Kyiv, saying Ukraine will resist ‘‘for- partners are finally moving forward Tonight, President Biden will come
ever’’ when asked how long the nation with unprecedented sanctions against to Congress to give his annual State of
can hold out. Russia’s economy. the Union Address. He is going to try
Ukraine’s resolve has been on display The United States is sanctioning to do his very best to paint a rosy pic-
for the world to see, as have Vladimir Russia’s central bank and freezing its ture of the status quo. No matter how
Putin’s true colors. Putin was given assets in the United States, and a hard the President of the United States
every chance to choose diplomacy and growing number of nations are united tries tonight, Joe Biden cannot hide
peace. Instead, he chose war. to block Russia from the SWIFT finan- the fact that his policies have put
Putin has offered wild justifications cial transaction messaging system. If America in crisis. There is a war in Eu-
for his attacks, suggesting that blocked from this system, Russia will rope. We have the worst inflation in 40
Ukraine somehow posed a nuclear have to conduct run-of-the-mill bank- years, the worst violent crime in 25
threat to Russia and is governed by ing transactions directly between years, the highest prices at the pump
neo-Nazis and drug addicts. He has also banks, adding costly delays that should for gasoline in 7 years, and the most il-
called for Ukrainian soldiers to defect discourage any business with their legal crossings into the United States
and to ‘‘take power into their own banks. Putin has also joined the select ever. So no matter what Joe Biden says
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
hands.’’ It may be that Russia is laying list of despots, like Kim Jong-un, indi- tonight, he is the one who has created
the groundwork for a narrative that vidually sanctioned by the United these crises. We are less secure at home
there is an organic pro-Russian contin- States. and abroad than the day Joe Biden
gent within Ukraine, possibly within While I am glad we have taken these took office.
the Ukrainian military itself, to be steps, there is more we can and should Over the last 10 months, the Amer-
stood up as an ‘‘authentic’’ coup to do, including directly targeting the ican people have said loud and clear
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S850 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2022
that inflation is a top concern, and Joe the man behind the podium, the Presi- Even with the narrowest of margins,
Biden has only poured fuel on the fire. dent of the United States. and you can’t get much more narrow
He told us that the fire would burn I yield the floor. than a 50–50 Senate, President Biden
itself out quickly. Yet inflation has I suggest the absence of a quorum. let his party’s agenda be dictated by
only burned hotter. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. the most radical progressive wing of
Yesterday, the Associated Press put KAINE). The clerk will call the roll. his party. The extreme radicals refused
it this way. The Associated Press said: The legislative clerk proceeded to to compromise on a wish list having
‘‘On cusp of Biden speech, a state of call the roll. nothing to do with COVID.
disunity, funk, and peril.’’ The article Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask President Biden should instead have
goes on to say: ‘‘Today’s national psy- unanimous consent that the order for listened to Professor Larry Summers.
the quorum call be rescinded. He was President Clinton’s Treasury
che is one of fatigue and frustration.’’
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without Secretary and President Obama’s Chief
They go on to say it is ‘‘the malaise of
objection, it is so ordered. Economic Adviser. Professor Summers
our time.’’
REMEMBERING RICHARD C. BLUM
In March of 2021, Joe Biden signed warned that all the spending the pro-
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, two gressives were insisting on would fuel
the single largest spending bill in
things, and the first one is very short the fires of inflation, and now we know
American history. He put $2 trillion on
but something that is sorrowful that how right Professor Summers was.
America’s credit card, flooded the
we have to talk about, Senator FEIN- But that $2 trillion spending binge
country with cash, government cash.
STEIN losing her husband. Senator just whet the appetite of the very
Since then, prices have gone up faster
FEINSTEIN is a friend of mine. You get young radicals in the Democratic
and faster than wages.
very well acquainted with people when Party who don’t remember the 1970s’
Joe Biden repeatedly said inflation
you work with—like when I was chair- stagflation. And if they had memories
would be ‘‘transitory.’’ He said it
man of the Judiciary, and she was of stagflation, they willingly ignored
month after month after month as peo-
ranking member. For years before history.
ple felt their paychecks being eaten
that, she and I chaired or cochaired the Instead of offering to find common
away. In December, Joe Biden said in-
drug caucus. ground on issues like prescription drug
flation had ‘‘peaked.’’ Joe Biden has So we all know that she lost her hus-
been dead wrong again and again and pricing, the Democrats wasted much of
band of 42 years over this weekend. We the year trying to spend another $4
again. The American people are re- know that he had a long battle with
minded of this every time they go to trillion on a slew of brandnew entitle-
cancer. Dick and DIANNE supported ment programs.
the gas station, every time they go to each other during everything life threw His one significant bipartisan
the grocery store, and every time they at them, and they had fun along the achievement, passing a bipartisan in-
pay their heating bill. It is no wonder way. Together, they were even strong- frastructure bill, was all but gift
Joe Biden’s approval rating on han- er. DIANNE has dedicated herself to wrapped and handed to him by a bipar-
dling inflation, which is the No. 1 con- working for the people of California, tisan group of Senators.
cern of the American people, is just 31 and she had no better confidant and Even then, liberal Democrats nearly
percent. That means Republicans don’t supporter than her husband Dick. derailed it by insisting its fate be tied
approve, Independents don’t approve, Many Americans think that Senators to the passage of their unrelated lib-
and a lot of Democrats don’t approve of of opposing political parties don’t get eral spending spree that is referred to
how the President has handled their along, and that is not the case. All 100 as Build Back Better. Opponents called
No. 1 concern. of us know that here. It is too bad that it ‘‘Build Back Worse.’’
So tonight I expect President Biden journalists always make controversy Thankfully, moderate Democrats in
will once again ask Congress to pass the center of everything, so people—at the House successfully delinked the
another reckless tax-and-spending least in Iowa—have an extraordinary two bills, as we did in the Senate, and
spree. He will call it Build Back Better view that we never speak to each sent the infrastructure bill to the
or, more accurately, ‘‘Break Your other, and that is not the case. President’s desk. So that was a bipar-
Back’’ bill. I am not sure what he is And I would just point out how Sen- tisan victory for the President, and it
going to call it. It is going to be Build ator FEINSTEIN and I have worked to- was a victory for bipartisanship in this
Back Better part 2. gether. Barbara and I express our deep- Senate.
No matter what the President says est sympathy to DIANNE and her family Now, even more importantly, thanks
tonight, the American people are going on Dick’s passing, as they grieve the to the leadership of Senator MANCHIN,
to continue to say, ‘‘No, thank you,’’ to loss of a life well lived. along with the principled stand of Sen-
all this additional government spend- BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ator SINEMA, Democrats multibillion-
ing. Mr. President, now to another point dollar liberal spending spree floun-
The American people do not trust that I have come to talk to my col- dered—Build Back Better floundered.
this President or the Democrats to leagues about. As a result, we avoided piling even
tackle the issues that they care about. In Biden’s inaugural address a year more gasoline into the inflation fire.
Inflation is eating away their pay- ago, he called repeatedly for unity. He But as Larry Summers warned and
checks and has been doing so now said: Senator MANCHIN feared, the fire of in-
month after month after month. We can treat each other with dignity and flation is already burning brightly. It
Millions of people are entering this respect. We can join forces, stop the shout- is picking the pockets of hard-working,
country illegally. Shelves are going ing, and lower the temperature. For without middle-class Americans, who are pay-
empty. No whitewashing by this Presi- unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and ing more for gas and groceries, and, for
dent can cover up this painful reality fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage.
that matter, everything else.
for the American people. I was glad to hear him say all of President Biden’s reluctance to stand
So tonight I will listen carefully to those good intentions. I took it, really, up to the radical voices in his own
what the President has to say. The as an invitation for bipartisanship. It party or listen to moderate criticism
American people don’t want to listen sounded like the Joe Biden that I knew has led to failure after failure.
to a fairytale tonight. They are not as a Senator for the 28 years that he There is President Biden’s decision to
looking for a bedtime story from the and I worked together. So I reached shut down the Keystone Pipeline day 1
President of the United States. The out early on to offer to work with him of his administration and, more re-
American people are looking for real on lowering the cost of prescription cently, to not shut down Russia’s Nord
answers. drugs. Stream 2 Pipeline.
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Joe Biden can brag if he wants. The But right out of the gate, he rejected But now, thanks to Germany and the
American people know the truth. good-faith offers from all of us to work Ukraine situation, that is shut down—
America is in crisis. The American peo- together on another COVID relief pack- but no thanks to President Biden.
ple understand that. And the American age, as Republicans and Democrats had He pulled the few remaining troops
people know that the person to blame on five others throughout the year of out of Afghanistan in a chaotic hurry,
for all of this is squarely right there, 2020. leaving Americans stranded.
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March 1, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S851
He has even accused friends across dant oil, gas, and coal reserves dif- that, first, evaluates U.S. oil imports
the aisle, people of my political party ferently, and they treat it as a liabil- and exports; second, assesses our en-
whom he has long worked with, as ity. ergy security risks based on oil im-
being Jim Crow racists. We are seeing the direct consequence ports; and, third, encourages U.S. do-
This isn’t the uniting President that of that approach, allowing investment mestic oil production to offset Russian
he promised that he would be on Janu- and dollars to flow to energy producers imports. This is all about a return to
ary 20 of last year. like Russia, Iran, and other countries regulatory certainty to protect our ca-
The good news is that it is not too that leverage their own energy against pacity to produce energy, and that
late to change course. So, hopefully, he our interests, with little or no regard means helping producers attract cap-
will get a big voice from both political for environmental stewardship; where- ital investment.
parties about it is not too late to as, our environmental stewardship is It is time we unleash the full poten-
change course and work in a bipartisan the best in the world. tial of U.S. energy producers to
way. It is time we harness our vast stra- strengthen our energy independence
There is reason to believe that he is tegic energy reserves and maintain our and weaken authoritarian adversaries
trying to be Franklin Delano Roo- status as a global energy powerhouse. like Russia and others. In addition to
sevelt. But trying to be FDR without President Biden will soon deliver his strengthening national security, robust
FDR’s popularity and FDR’s super- State of the Union Address, and it is and domestic energy production will
majority in the Congress—that ap- time he works with us to support our help provide lower energy costs and re-
proach has failed. domestic energy producers and aban- lief from inflation for hard-working
I invite President Biden to face re- don his failed approach to energy pol- American families. We need to unleash
ality, ignore the radicals in his polit- icy. our energy resources for the sake of
ical party, whether in Congress or on Each additional barrel of oil we can our own consumers and our allies.
his staff, and work across the aisle in a produce here at home strengthens our I yield the floor.
way I know we can. I saw that regu- economic and national security and The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms.
larly for 28 years. Be the President you helps our allies. Each additional U.S. SINEMA). The Senator from Iowa.
promised to be at your inauguration, in barrel offsets production from Russia STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
other words. and other adversaries. Each additional Ms. ERNST. Madam President, to-
The American people want action on night, the President will deliver the
barrel of oil helps reduce prices for
issues that they are facing this very annual State of the Union Address. And
American consumers, and because en-
day: inflation, spike in violent crimes, I have to admit, as a result of Presi-
ergy is built into virtually everything
prescription drug costs, open borders, dent Biden’s policies over the past
we consume, lowering energy costs
and you could have a myriad of other year, nearly everything is up—con-
helps bring down inflation. That means
things. sumer prices, up; violent crime, up; the
I could name three things that I am empowering and encouraging our do-
national debt, illegal border crossings,
part of a bipartisan effort to get things mestic producers and reversing the
fatal drug overdoses, our trade deficit—
done: One, take on Big Tech, KLO- Biden administration’s policies that
they are all up.
BUCHAR and GRASSLEY; take on the big
curtail production. But what isn’t up is the public’s view
meatpackers, GRASSLEY and TESTER To start, the Interior Department
of the President and his policies. In
and FISCHER and WYDEN; and take on needs to immediately end the leasing
poll after poll, the majority of Ameri-
prescription drugs, as WYDEN and I moratorium and hold previously post- cans disapprove of the job that Presi-
worked on that prior to last year, when poned lease sales, both onshore and off- dent Biden is doing. On nearly every
Democrats took over, and they forgot shore. key issue facing the country, Ameri-
We need to expand our energy infra-
all about it. cans, by and large, just do not think
Let’s get some of these things done. structure to ensure efficient delivery Mr. Biden is up to the job. And more
I yield the floor. to consumers. That includes approving than two-thirds of Americans lack con-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- the Keystone XL Pipeline, which is leg- fidence that President Biden can bring
ator from North Dakota. islation that I led, and we passed dur- the country closer together, something
ENERGY ing the Obama administration. Now, it he promised the American people that
Mr. HOEVEN. Mr. President, I rise was vetoed by President Obama, but it he would do. Folks, this is really no
today to discuss the need to imme- was my bill. We approved it in this surprise since it is, after all, the Presi-
diately increase our domestic energy Chamber, approved it in the House, got dent’s unpopular partisan policies that
production to counter Russia’s inva- it to the President, and the President are driving Americans further apart.
sion of Ukraine. vetoed it. If he hadn’t, we would have President Biden might try to mask
For an energy-rich nation such as Keystone Pipeline today, bringing mil- himself as a moderate, but no one is
ours, it is unacceptable that our coun- lions of more barrels of energy to our being fooled. Behind the mask, the real
try has been increasingly reliant on country and to our allies, working with Biden agenda is more mandates from
Russia for oil. In recent months, we our closest friend and ally, Canada. Washington, higher prices for all Amer-
have imported nearly 600,000 barrels We need to strengthen our energy icans, and less security at home and
per day of Russian oil. At the same trade with Canada—as I said, obvi- abroad. As a direct result of mandates
time, the Biden administration has ously, one of our most important al- imposed by this administration, for ex-
worked systematically to shut down lies. ample, thousands of healthcare work-
domestic U.S. oil and gas production. It also includes building new natural ers have lost their jobs at a time when
American oil and gas producers, in- gas pipelines to connect areas like New we need them more than ever.
cluding those in North Dakota, have England to domestic gas reserves in And because of the massive amount
proven that they have the capacity to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. of money being printed in Washington,
produce more oil here at home. We had We need to expand liquefied natural inflation is soaring at its highest point
gotten to 1.5 million barrels of oil a gas—LNG—exports to our European al- in 40 years. The cost of food, gas, hous-
day production; now, 1.1 million barrels lies to provide cleaner, more efficient ing, and just about everything else is
a day. alternatives to Russian gas. significantly more expensive today
We can do more; other States can do The gas that we send from our LNG than it was before President Biden was
more. We need to do it not only for our facilities to Europe, on a lifecycle sworn into office.
consumers here at home but to help basis, has 41 percent less emissions The President chose leftwing climate
our allies in Europe. than Russian gas. fantasies over national security. His
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Our economy, quality of life, and se- I will soon be introducing the Amer- doctrine of appeasement has resulted
curity depend on access to low-cost, de- ican Independence from Russia Act, bi- in America becoming more energy de-
pendable energy from all sources, both cameral legislation, with Representa- pendent on foreign adversaries like
traditional and renewable. tive CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS, which Russia for the energy that is necessary
The Biden administration’s hostile requires the President to provide Con- to heat our homes and keep our coun-
energy policies treat America’s abun- gress with an energy security plan try on the move.
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S852 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2022
And with the Russian military on the most important mandates in America, sult of launching an assault on domes-
march in Europe and terrorists in con- the ones that are listed in our Con- tic energy production is that energy
trol of Afghanistan once again, the na- stitution’s Bill of Rights, which pro- prices skyrocketed.
tional and economic security of our tect us from government intrusion. But for that matter, everything has
Nation has been set back decades. It is These goals don’t represent a par- skyrocketed—food, electricity, rent,
really quite stunning and gravely con- tisan platform but rather an inclusive home, lumber, gasoline, heat, every
cerning what an incredible mess Presi- agenda for all Americans that puts basic expense. Working families are
dent Biden has created in such a short each one of us back in charge of the di- suffering and especially seniors—espe-
period of time. rection of our own lives. It is a vision cially those on fixed incomes.
Yet the White House is attempting to based on freedom, on liberty, on oppor- Then we have our southern border—
convince the American people that ev- tunity. the absolute chaos and crisis on our
erything is fine. The President called Folks, I know this vision works be- southern border—over 2 million people
his hastily ordered exit from Afghani- cause that is exactly what is happening crossing illegally into this country, the
stan an ‘‘extraordinary success,’’ de- in my home State of Iowa under the worst rate of illegal immigration in 61
spite leaving thousands of Americans leadership of our Governor and my years. And it is worth noting that
and allies behind. friend, Kim Reynolds. She has led with Biden inherited, the year before, the
And the Biden administration has re- Iowa common sense and compassion lowest rate of illegal immigration in 45
peatedly denied that rising prices and since day one. years. So he turned success into failure
empty shelves are even a problem, Right now, Governor Reynolds is ex- because he implemented the radical
while fanning the flames of inflation panding opportunities for everyone by leftwing ideas of open borders from the
and out-of-control spending. Folks, if cutting taxes to help families and extreme left.
simply printing money could solve the small businesses. She is standing up for The crime and chaos of disease com-
problem for us, we would be living in a our freedom, putting our kids first, and ing from 2 million illegal immigrants
utopia right now since Washington ensuring parents have their voices is compounded domestically by the ex-
spent nearly $7 trillion last year alone. heard. treme left’s war on the police. We have
Instead, every American is feeling the Under her leadership, Iowa was the seen the far left advocating abolishing
pinch of Bidenomics—because spending first State to reopen our schools during the police, advocating defunding the
is not the solution, folks; it is the prob- the pandemic. Governor Reynolds is police. We have seen George Soros’
lem. pushing back on the massive Wash- funded district attorney releasing vio-
And you would think that in light of ington overreach from President Biden lent criminals. And as a result, crime
Putin’s aggression and the threats and standing up for our way of life. is up, murders are up, carjacking is up.
from other adversaries, our Com- And she is fighting to keep the left’s And the Biden administration has em-
mander in Chief would be focused on ‘‘woke’’ agenda out of Iowa. braced that radical agenda, nominating
strengthening and modernizing our de- Folks, Governor Kim Reynolds is the not one, but two of the leading advo-
fenses. Instead, funding for the Depart- perfect choice for the Republican re- cates of abolishing the police to senior
ment of Defense is being held hostage sponse to tonight’s State of the Union positions in the Department of Justice.
by the President and Democrats in Address and her record of success in Unfortunately, every single Democrat
Congress until the widely popular 50- Iowa is the ideal contrast to the life in in this Chamber voted to confirm those
year-old ban on taxpayer funding for Joe Biden’s America. leading advocates for abolishing the
abortions is repealed. Things are not fine, folks. You and I police.
Folks, is this really the time to play know that, and we feel that every day. We have seen Joe Biden imple-
abortion politics with our Nation’s na- But Governor Reynolds—her leadership menting illegal and unconstitutional
tional security? and her vision for a better future— vaccine mandates; standing up and fir-
Having spent the last half-century in leaves me very optimistic about what ing soldiers and sailors and airmen and
Washington, President Biden is totally lies ahead for America. marines; advocating that doctors be
out of touch with the everyday needs of I yield the floor. fired, that nurses be fired, that police
Iowa families. And the world around us The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- officers be fired, that firefighters be
has become much more dangerous ator from Texas. fired, that airline captains and flight
under his watch. Mr. CRUZ. Madam President, to- attendants be fired—an assault on our
Just remember as you listen to his night, on the other side of the Capitol, liberties. And as disastrous as the do-
address, every time the President pro- President Joe Biden will tell the Amer- mestic policy has been and as disas-
poses increasing Washington spending, ican people what a great job he has trous as the economic policy has been,
that translates into higher prices and done. He will read a speech, and seated the foreign policy has been even worse.
taxes for you. Every new government behind him will be NANCY PELOSI and We saw in Afghanistan the cata-
expansion the President proposes Vice President Kamala Harris. strophic withdrawal—the surrender to
means more Washington mandates and Not even the most extreme Demo- the Taliban, leaving Americans behind.
control over you. And no matter who cratic partisan can believe that the And unfortunately, when that hap-
he blames for the security crises we are last 14 months have been a success. Joe pened, every enemy of America, they
in now, it is the President’s poor deci- Biden campaigned for President as a looked to Washington, they looked to
sions and lack of leadership that con- reasonable and centrist moderate, and the Oval Office, and they took the
tinue to make our Nation less safe at he abandoned every one of those prom- measure of the man in the Oval Office;
home and abroad. ises the moment he put his hand on the and they all concluded that the Presi-
To get our Nation moving in the Bible. Instead, he has handed the agen- dent was weak and feckless and ineffec-
right direction, we need a forward- da over to the most radical and ex- tive.
looking, freedom-first agenda. To en- treme voices on the far left, and the re- As I said at the time when we with-
sure our families have and can afford sult for the country has been disas- drew from Afghanistan, the chances of
the food and essentials they need, the trous. Russia invading Ukraine have in-
supply chain must be fixed. To protect In 14 months, we have seen trillions creased tenfold. As I said at the time,
and prepare our children for the future, of new spending and trillions of new the chances of China invading Taiwan
we need schools to be a place of learn- debt, the highest debt in the history of have increased tenfold.
ing, not ‘‘woke’’ indoctrination. To our Nation. When the President is weak, when he
protect our Nation from foreign We have seen a war on domestic en- is ineffective, our enemies are on ad-
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
threats, we need to ensure U.S. energy ergy production. In his first week in of- vance and every region of the world
independence and the strength of our fice, Joe Biden shut down the Keystone you look at is worse for America.
military remains unmatched. And to Pipeline, destroying 11,000 jobs, de- Russia has launched the largest war
form a more perfect union, Washington stroying 8,000 union jobs. He halted in Europe since World War II. China is
needs to stop micromanaging how we new leasing on Federal lands and off- more aggressive—is running concentra-
live our lives and start abiding by the shore drilling, and the predictable re- tion camps with a million Uighurs, is
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March 1, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S853
murdering and torturing innocent peo- heard language, both in committee I suspect what you are going to hear
ple in China. hearings this morning and here on the President Biden say tonight—this is
And mind you, when I brought a vote floor, that I would characterize as a my intuition; I don’t have knowledge.
to the Senate floor that said the U.S. kind of a ‘‘blame America first’’ atti- He is going to acknowledge the incred-
Government should not purchase goods tude. If something is going on—if a dic- ible pain we have been living under in
manufactured using slave labor in Chi- tator like Vladimir Putin acts in a hor- this country and around the world for
nese concentration camps, every Demo- rific way—it has got to be America’s the last 2 years—nearly unprecedented
crat but one voted no. fault. It has got to be Joe Biden’s fault. in a century. He is going to point out
These are extreme positions. This is I don’t think our instinct should be to that there are still significant chal-
not the mainstream. This is not the blame America first when dictators in lenges and that there is still too high a
center. This is the radical and extreme the world undertake despicable ac- percentage of Americans who haven’t
left. NANCY PELOSI will not portray it tions. taken advantage of these vaccines.
on her face, but she knows in January What I have noticed in these com- Yes, inflation is a problem, and there
she will no longer be Speaker of the ments today in trashing our President are problems that we have to deal with,
House. And I will say, Joe Biden’s be- and in trashing the country—sort of a but when you look at strong job growth
coming President was the best thing cherry-picking of evidence—is that my and strong wage growth and strong
that ever happened to Vladimir Putin. colleagues have brought up some GDP growth and when you look at de-
Biden began his Presidency by sur- things that are really very legitimate clining case numbers, I will tell you
rendering to Putin, waving the sanc- concerns. Inflation is a very, very le- what I see. I see the beginnings of
tions on Nord Stream 2; sanctioned bi- gitimate concern that has to be ad- something that we often see in Amer-
partisan sanctions that I authored that dressed. Yet I have listened to these ican life—an American comeback. We
had stopped that pipeline, that had speeches, and not one has talked about are comeback people. We are comeback
stopped an invasion of Ukraine; and record job growth. Not one has talked people.
Biden decided surrendering to our ad- about strong GDP growth. Not one has A friend of mine once said: Tough
versary was a better policy. As Neville talked about dramatic increases in the times don’t last. Tough people do.
Chamberlain has demonstrated, ap- wages and salaries of low- and mod- We are tough, tough people.
peasement doesn’t work. erate-income people. As I travel around Virginia—and I
The state of America is strong, but Is that because my colleagues are un- was traveling around Virginia last
the state of the Union and the state of aware of those things? week—I don’t fundamentally see funk
the Federal Government in Washington No. They know these things. They or malaise or ‘‘poor, poor, pitiful me’’
is disastrous. Yet the one bit of bright are just choosing not to discuss them or blaming America for the woes of the
light on the horizon that I am con- because what they want to do is to world or blaming Joe Biden for the re-
fident President Biden will not point to paint a picture of an American mal- ality of a tough situation we have been
aise, an American funk, an American living through. I see people with their
is that the American people will vote
disaster. That is not what this country chins up and their heads held high, who
in November, and I believe they will
is. Yet my colleagues are very willing will acknowledge that we have chal-
change the path we are on.
to paint a false picture by omitting
We have seen the disaster of the ex- lenges and that we have got problems
key evidence.
treme radical left. If Biden could re- to solve but who believe that we are on
I listened to the speeches this morn-
member the Joe Biden who swore me ing, and not one mentioned that our way to a better chapter after a
into office, the Joe Biden who swore COVID deaths and hospitalizations are very difficult last couple of years.
many of my colleagues into office, the That is the can-do spirit I see around
coming down dramatically and that
Joe Biden whom we served with—if he Virginia. That is the can-do spirit, I be-
the CDC now has said, in most of my
could remember that Joe Biden—it lieve, that has always characterized
Commonwealth and in most of the
would be a very different administra- country, you needn’t wear masks in- Americans, not a ‘‘we are on fire’’; ‘‘it
tion. Sadly, this White House has de- doors. I would think they might have is a malaise time’’; ‘‘it is a funk time.’’
cided the radical, extreme, socialist mentioned that because part of the rea- No. I see a can-do spirit and the begin-
left sets the agenda, and the results of son for this recent progress is the vac- nings of an American comeback under-
that agenda are playing out for fami- cinations; it is the vaccines that were way after what has been the most pain-
lies all across the country. developed in the previous administra- ful 2 years during my 64 here on the
I yield the floor. tion. They could have taken a little planet.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- credit for it, but, no, they didn’t men- I don’t know, if I am right, whether
ator from Virginia. tion it at all. COVID is coming down. that is good news or bad news for my
Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I ask There is strong economic growth, colleagues who are here on the floor,
unanimous consent that I, along with strong job growth, strong wage and sal- painting the negative picture. I would
Senators Hagerty, Peters, and ary growth. think it would be good news. But if it
Portman, be recognized to speak for up Around the world, a NATO that the were good news, why wouldn’t I have
to 5 minutes each before the scheduled previous President trashed when he heard some acknowledgment of job
recess. was cozying up to the dictator Vladi- growth or wage growth or GDP growth?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without mir Putin is demonstrating to the en- Why wouldn’t I have heard acknowl-
objection, it is so ordered. tire world that, when it is resolved to edgment about COVID cases coming
Mr. KAINE. Madam President, I was unify, the power of American-led alli- down?
not intending to speak. As the Pre- ances is a huge force for good in this We do need to work together. The
siding Officer knows, I was presiding, world. Presiding Officer inspired all of us with
and she was kind to spell me. So I am just trying to grapple with her work on the bipartisan infrastruc-
Yet, as I was hearing colleagues talk the one-sided presentation of American ture bill, which, as I was traveling
on the floor about the state of our disaster, American malaise, American around Virginia last week—and I am
country, what I was hearing from my funk. Here is the way I understand it. sure most of us were doing this in our
Republican colleagues were words like The last 2 years have been brutal. States—my mayors and my State offi-
‘‘malaise,’’ ‘‘funk,’’ ‘‘disaster,’’ and I The death toll due to COVID is now cials and my local economic develop-
was seeing visuals of a house on fire. nearly 950,000. It will eclipse a million. ment officials were talking with ex-
So I was compelled to stand and just I am 64 years old as of a couple of days citement about what this will mean in
offer a few extemporaneous remarks. ago. It has been the hardest 2 years in terms of the rebuilding of American
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
I don’t think America is a disaster. I my life and for our country with the communities where we haven’t in-
don’t think America is on fire. I don’t death, the illness, the economic devas- vested in infrastructure for a very long
think America is in a deep, unyielding tation, the job loss. It has been brutal time.
malaise. I have heard colleagues talk here, and it has been brutal all around I don’t think this is a moment when
about the situation in the world and the world, and it is not completely in the leadership class of this country
use the ‘‘appeasement’’ word. I have the rearview mirror yet. should be amplifying pessimism about
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S854 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 1, 2022
this country. I think it is a moment and Administration be discharged from postal worker employee will use when
when the leadership class of this coun- further consideration and that the Sen- they eventually retire, no matter how
try should be amplifying an optimistic, ate now proceed to S. Res. 512. far off that may be. This is something
can-do message that I think is in ac- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The that no business in America is required
cord with the values of Virginians and clerk will report the resolution by to do, and for good reason. It makes no
the values of Americans. I suspect that title. practical sense, and it has imposed an
that kind of a message—the acknowl- The legislative clerk read as follows: enormous cost on the Postal Service
edgment of the difficult reality but the A resolution (S. Res. 512) supporting re- that has threatened their ability to
foundation being laid for the begin- opening the United States Capitol Building provide reliable and timely delivery.
nings of an American comeback after 2 and Senate Office Buildings to the American In recent years, we have seen first-
tough years—is the message that we people. hand how burdensome policies have
are going to hear from President Biden There being no objection, the com- driven the Postal Service to resort to
tonight. mittee was discharged, and the Senate harsh measures to cut costs and, as a
With that, I yield the floor. proceeded to consider the resolution. result, compromise delivery service.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Mr. HAGERTY. I ask unanimous con- We must act now to set this critical in-
ator from Tennessee. sent that the resolution be agreed to; stitution on a sustainable financial
f that the preamble be agreed to; and footing by passing the Postal Service
that the motions to reconsider be con- Reform Act.
SUPPORTING REOPENING THE sidered made and laid upon the table. This bipartisan, commonsense legis-
UNITED STATES CAPITOL BUILD- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without lation will save the Postal Service
ING AND SENATE OFFICE BUILD- objection, it is so ordered. more than $49 billion in the next 10
INGS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE The resolution (S. Res. 512) was years by eliminating the aggressive
Mr. HAGERTY. Madam President, I agreed to. prefunding requirement for retiree
rose in this Chamber 2 weeks ago to The preamble was agreed to. health benefits and by integrating
again urge the Senate to reopen the (The resolution, with its preamble, is postal retirees’ healthcare with Medi-
U.S. Capitol and to reopen the Senate printed in the RECORD of February 15, care.
office buildings. At that time, Demo- 2022, under ‘‘Submitted Resolutions.’’) These changes will help ensure the
crats objected to my resolution in sup- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- Postal Service, which is self-sustaining
port of reopening. Two weeks later, it ator from Tennessee. and does not receive taxpayer funding,
has become even more clear that the Mr. HAGERTY. Madam President, I can continue serving the people and
American public is tired of government am glad that the Senate has agreed to avoid making severe cuts down the line
mandates and of COVID shutdowns. my resolution to reopen the Capitol, that would impact millions of Ameri-
Democrats have exploited the pan- and I urge the House of Representa- cans. These reforms will also require
demic to execute a power grab over tives to pass a very similar resolution the Postal Service to deliver 6 days a
American life—a power grab that al- that was introduced in that body so week so it can continue serving as a
lows Democrats to dictate whether that all parts of the Capitol Complex critical lifeline for countless commu-
children can attend schools, whether are open to the American people. nities that need timely delivery of
Americans can keep their jobs and op- I also stand ready to work with my their essential needs.
erate their businesses, and how elec- colleagues and with the Capitol Police This legislation will also make the
tions are conducted. These Big Govern- to implement this resolution so that Postal Service more transparent and
ment lockdowns and mandates have we can welcome the American people accountable to the American people by
caused irreparable damage that will be back into their Capitol as soon as pos- making weekly local performance data
felt for generations to come. As we sible. publicly available online, enabling
move ahead, we mustn’t lose sight of I yield the floor. every single community to see exactly
this lesson. f how the Postal Service is performing in
On the bright side, even the Biden ad- their area.
POSTAL SERVICE REFORM ACT OF
ministration is seeing the poll num- I introduced this legislation in the
2022—Motion to Proceed—Continued
bers, and they are adjusting the science Senate last year and have worked hand
accordingly. On Friday, the CDC The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- in hand with Ranking Member ROB
changed its guidance once again. Now ator from Michigan. PORTMAN from Ohio, as well as Chair-
indoor masks are not recommended for H.R. 3076 woman MALONEY and Ranking Member
most Americans. Masks are no longer Mr. PETERS. Madam President, last COMER on the House Committee on
required on either side of the Capitol night, the Senate came together for Oversight and Reform, to craft this
Building. Why, even Washington, DC, the American people and overwhelm- bill.
has opened up and lifted its mask man- ingly voted to move forward on his- Last month, the House passed this
date. Amazingly, all of this happened toric, bipartisan, bicameral, and long- legislation with overwhelming bipar-
just in time for the State of the Union overdue reforms that will help ensure tisan support. Last night, we saw this
Address. the stability and the long-term success body advance it with significant bipar-
The only science that is being fol- of the U.S. Postal Service. tisan support once again. Now the Sen-
lowed here is the political science, but, The Postal Service is one of our Na- ate has a historic opportunity to move
thankfully, America is returning to tion’s oldest and most trusted institu- this legislation forward.
normal. Americans everywhere are tions. It serves as a critical lifeline for I am proud to have helped secure sig-
safely living their lives—going to work millions of Americans, including sen- nificant bipartisan support for our Sen-
and school, visiting stores, attending iors and veterans in rural communities ate companion bill, with a total of 14
events, and gathering with their fami- who expect the Postal Service to de- Democratic and 14 Republican cospon-
lies and their friends. They shouldn’t liver vital mail, including supplies and sors backing the legislation.
have to know somebody in order to medications. Together, we can finally, after more
visit their Representatives, to take a However, for more than 15 years, this than 15 years, pass this commonsense,
tour of the Capitol, to get into this public service and its dedicated work- bipartisan legislation to set the Postal
building. ers have been hindered by burdensome Service on a stable financial foot and
It is time for the lockdown on democ- financial requirements. The need to bring it into the future. We can support
racy to come to an end. Today, I am quickly pass these balanced reforms, our dedicated and hard-working postal
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
once again asking my colleagues to re- which are broadly supported by the employees, as well as the customers
join reality and reopen the Capitol to American people, has become increas- whom they serve. We can set the Post-
those to whom it belongs—the Amer- ingly urgent. al Service up for success so that fami-
ican people. One persistent burden has been a re- lies and small businesses, veterans,
Madam President, I ask unanimous quirement to prefund every single cent seniors, and all Americans can con-
consent that the Committee on Rules of healthcare benefits that every single tinue to rely on this critical public
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