Congressional Record, Senate, March 15, 2022 (S1170) — Iditarod and Nomination of Shalanda D. Young

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Congressional Record, Senate, page S1170, March 15, 2022. A senator's remarks celebrate the 50th Iditarod and Brent Sass, whose team of 11 dogs crossed the finish line after 8 days, 14 hours, 38 minutes, and describe the race's volunteers and veterinarians. Under the heading Nomination of Shalanda D. Young, Van Hollen supports her nomination to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget. He notes her service as staff director of the House Committee on Appropriations and as Acting Director of OMB for the past year.

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“Congressional Record, Senate, March 15, 2022 (S1170) — Iditarod and Nomination of Shalanda D. Young.” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2022-03-15-crec-2022-03-15-pt1-pgs1170-2d107cd513/, SHA-256 a6e4e618129cef177c8dbdc5a6b3285ef72e0d10317eb4488f21a38af8b5d0a6.

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S1170 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 15, 2022
as checkpoints or opportunities for the checkpoint. It is about 77 miles from show your dog team, your character,
many volunteers to basically gather. the finish line in Nome. He was teed up how you show what it means to be a
There is about 1,500 people who volun- here to win third place, and depending true competitor and for representing
teer to put this race on. So for those on where you are in the rank is how the great State of Alaska so well.
who set the trail markers, who set out much of the purse you will take home. And to all the others that are still on
there with their snow machines to And if he was going to make third, it the trail, we wish you well and safety
mark that trail, it is nothing more was going to be about $44,000 in prize and Godspeed.
than like wood markers that you would money. But he is getting ready to leave I yield the floor.
get at Home Depot or Lowe’s, with a the checkpoint and his dogs said: Nope, NOMINATION OF SHALANDA D. YOUNG
little painted orange on it. That is the we are not moving. Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I
sophistication of this. This is what So think about it. You are that close rise to support the historic nomination
guides the team in a blizzard. to $44,000. You are 77 miles from the of Shalanda Young to be the next Di-
The veterinarians are there. Four to finish, and your dogs have said: This rector of the Office of Management and
five vets cycle through each check- has been a long trek, and this is where Budget. Ms. Young brings deep experi-
point, because each dog needs to be we are stopping to just rest. ence with the Federal budget process
checked every time they go through So Brent Sass didn’t push those dogs. to her role at OMB, having served as
their checkpoint. He waited as they rested, and when staff director of the House Committee
All of these folks come from all they were ready, he took it slow, he on Appropriations. She has been serv-
around the country to volunteer. They took it steady, he brought them to the ing as Acting Director of OMB for the
pay for their flights up. They take a finish line, and he ended up placing past year, and her top-notch perform-
week off work, and they are there. 20th instead of 3rd. And he did that for ance in that role leaves no doubt that
They are there to support not only the his team. she is eminently qualified to be con-
race, but they are there to support And for that, he was recognized twice firmed as OMB Director.
gold-standard canine care. with the Vet’s Choice Award for the Ms. Young came into OMB in March
And so it is also a celebration about care that he shows his dogs. 2021, the same month that Congress
the volunteers. This is such a great But it is not just his team that Brent passed the American Rescue Plan. This
part of our State’s heritage, our cul- is known for taking care of. He is also was a time when the Nation faced an
ture. Again, you can tell I get a little known for taking care of his competi- uncertain future, with coronavirus vac-
enthusiastic about it. Even my neck- tors along the trail. cines just starting to go out and unem-
lace is a dog sled with a musher on it. There was a headline a few years ployment remaining stubbornly high at
So this is the time of year that I like back that said ‘‘Sass to the Rescue . . . 6 percent. Under Ms. Young’s leader-
to celebrate it. Again.’’
So this morning at 5:39 a.m., Alaska ship, OMB played a key role to imple-
And time after time, Brent has been ment the American Rescue Plan to
standard time—so about 9:30 here in highlighted for acts of heroism on the
DC—8 days, 14 hours, 38 minutes since fight the pandemic and move our econ-
trail. In vicious storms, he has helped omy forward. The results have been
beginning a roughly 1,000-mile race, mushers and their dog teams reunite
Brent Sass and his team of 11 dogs widespread vaccinations, millions of
after becoming separated on the trail. new jobs, unemployment falling to 3.8
crossed the finish line. And keep in mind, there is no rescue
So here is Brent with his two dogs, percent, and the fastest economic
team out there. It is you, and if you are growth in nearly 40 years.
yellow roses flown in from—I don’t
lucky enough to have somebody else We have achieved a great deal during
know where those yellow roses came
from, but they certainly weren’t from come upon you—fortunate. the first year of the Biden administra-
But during one race, a fellow musher tion, but we must recognize that there
Nome, AK.
But that man has traveled with his was at risk for scratching the race, and is still so much left to accomplish.
team for 8 days now, 14 hours, 38 min- instead of leaving him behind, as many Shalanda Young is the right person to
utes to win the 50th Iditarod. competitors might have done, Brent have at the helm of OMB to craft re-
I had a chance to talk to Brent by helped him scale Eagle Summit so he sponsible budgets and turn the policies
phone just about an hour after he went could stay in the race. we craft into actions that make a real
in to Nome. He sounded pretty vibrant, But one of the most notable rescues difference for the American people.
pretty excited, pretty happy. took place in 2011 on the trail of the The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. MUR-
I had talked to him in the starting Yukon Quest. Hans Gatt, a four-time PHY). The Senator from Michigan.
gate on Saturday, and I said: Brent, I champion, was stalled out. He wasn’t Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I ask
think this is your time. I think this is able to clear the summit. The weather unanimous consent to speak for 2 min-
your time because you have proved conditions were awful. So Hans did the utes.
yourself year over year in the Iditarod only thing that he could do, which is to The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without
and certainly in the Yukon Quest. hunker down into a sleeping bag in objection, it is so ordered.
Brent lives in Eureka, AK, on a these horrible winds, the driving cold Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I rise in
homestead that was established back snow. support of Shalanda Young’s nomina-
in the 1970s. He is a pretty seasoned Brent’s sled comes upon Hans, sees tion to be Director of the Office of
musher. He took part in his first that he is on the verge of hypothermia. Management and Budget.
Iditarod back in 2012. He got ‘‘Rookie He hooks his sled to the back of his Ms. Young has done an exemplary job
of the Year’’ that year. He is a three- own, and he hauls both teams up over serving as OMB’s Acting Director for
time 1,000-mile Yukon Quest champion. the summit. And Brent credits his the past year. She is a dedicated public
So the Yukon Quest runs a different then-lead dog Silver for guiding them servant and a proven leader.
race, from Canada into Alaska. It is to safety in these awful and harsh con- She has played a key role in the ad-
also a 1000-mile race. It is equally ardu- ditions. As a result of their teamwork ministration’s efforts to help the Na-
ous and extraordinarily difficult. He and heroism, the Quest created the Sil- tion recover from the pandemic. She
took first place in the Yukon Quest in ver Legacy Award in Silver’s honor. has worked closely with Congress to
2015, 2019, 2020, and also first in this Brent claims that to be one of the pass the historic bipartisan infrastruc-
year’s abbreviated 350-mile Yukon proudest moments of his life. ture package, and she is truly com-
Quest. I wish that I could have been there mitted to making the Federal Govern-
So a couple little quick stories here, this morning at 5:39 in Nome to watch ment work better for the American
because I know I don’t have much Brent cross the finish line as a first- people.

ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
time, but this guy is pretty excep- time Iditarod champ with his team. I have absolutely no doubt that Ms.
tional. He is not only a strong compet- But even from afar, we can hear the Young is the right choice to lead the
itor, but the care that he provides his Alaskans celebrating Brent for his in- OMB going forward. I urge my col-
dogs is amazing. credible feat. leagues to join me in voting to confirm
One story from 2016: Brent was get- So to Brent Sass, we celebrate you. Shalanda Young to be the Director of
ting ready to leave the White Mountain We thank you for the care that you OMB.

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March 15, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1171
VOTE ON YOUNG NOMINATION sume legislative session and proceed to So what the CDC said is, we are going
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the consideration of S.J. Res. 37, which to take an additional month, and we
the previous order, all postcloture time the clerk will report. are going to analyze the science around
has expired. The senior assistant legislative clerk closed spaces—transportation venues—
The question is, Will the Senate ad- read as follows: and we are going to look at this issue
vise and consent to the Young nomina- A joint resolution (S.J. Res. 37) providing of traveling from one community to
tion? for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 another, and then we will come up with
Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, I ask for of title 5, United States Code, of the rule a best recommendation and best guid-
the yeas and nays. submitted by Centers for Disease Control ance with respect to mask mandates in
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a and Prevention relating to ‘‘Requirement for
transportation. That sounds very rea-
sufficient second? Persons To Wear Masks While on Convey-
ances and at Transportation Hubs’’. sonable to me, very reasonable to ex-
There appears to be a sufficient sec- tend the mask requirement by 1
ond. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ator from Virginia. month.
The clerk will call the roll. I would argue to my colleague Sen-
The bill clerk called the roll. Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise in
opposition to S.J. Res. 37, which we are ator PAUL—this is his resolution—we
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the
now considering and which we will vote should be weighing in with the CDC
Senator from Illinois (Ms. DUCKWORTH),
on at 5:30. and giving them best guidance—and,
the Senator from California (Mrs. FEIN-
This is a resolution that would use obviously, they are considering what
STEIN), and the Senator from New
the CRA process to undo the CDC guid- science is recommending; they are in
Hampshire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) are nec-
ance requiring use of masks on trans- dialogue with the transportation indus-
essarily absent.
The result was announced—yeas 61, portation: planes, buses, trains, and try that has strong feelings about
nays 36, as follows: some transportation hubs. that—and then seeing what guidance
I think this is an issue that should be the CDC comes up with in April before
[Rollcall Vote No. 80 Ex.]
discussed, and, possibly, to use a med- the April 18 deadline, to which they
YEAS—61
ical metaphor, a scalpel should be used have extended.
Baldwin Heinrich Peters That would be reasonable, but what
Bennet Hickenlooper Reed
to make it just right. Unfortunately,
Blumenthal Hirono Rosen the CRA process is a meat cleaver, and this resolution does is not reasonable.
Blunt Hoeven Sanders this is not the kind of thing we should It not only wipes out the mask require-
Booker Hyde-Smith Schatz be using a meat cleaver against. ment; it wipes it out forever. It states
Brown Kaine
Burr Kelly
Schumer If S.J. Res. 37 passes, it could lead us that the CDC no longer will have the
Shelby authority to impose a mask require-
Cantwell Kennedy Sinema
to be extremely vulnerable if there
Cardin King
Smith were a resurge in coronavirus cases, as ment in transportation unless or until
Carper Klobuchar we are seeing in other nations like Ger- this body passes new legislation allow-
Stabenow
Casey Leahy
Cassidy Luján Sullivan many. ing them to do so.
Collins Manchin Tester Let me explain. The CDC imposed a That legislation in the Senate would
Van Hollen require 60 votes. I would venture to
Coons Markey mandate to wear masks on transpor-
Cortez Masto Menendez Warner
Warnock tation in February of 2021—again, argue that there is no way, in the
Cramer Merkley
Durbin Murkowski Warren planes, buses, trains, and train and bus politicization of COVID, that a piece of
Gillibrand Murphy Whitehouse stations, as well as airports. legislation giving the CDC the power to
Graham Murray Wicker We all know that the CDC has re- do mask mandates in transportation
Grassley Ossoff Wyden cently examined the caseload of would get 60 votes in this Chamber.
Hassan Padilla
COVID–19 in the country and dropped So if S.J. Res. 37 passes, we will have
NAYS—36 their mask recommendations for most taken away from our premier health
Barrasso Hagerty Risch of the Nation. About 98 percent of the authorization the ability to impose a
Blackburn Hawley Romney mask mandate if it is necessary.
Boozman Inhofe Rounds
American population now live in com-
Braun Johnson Rubio munities where there is no mask rec- Now, I pray that it is not necessary.
Capito Lankford Sasse ommendation, thank goodness—not I am happy to see the reduction in
Cornyn Lee Scott (FL) even indoors. That is great. COVID caseloads in Virginia and across
Cotton Lummis Scott (SC) But in some parts of the country, much of the Nation. But there are
Crapo Marshall Thune
Cruz McConnell Tillis some parts of my Commonwealth, in- parts of Virginia where the caseloads
Daines Moran Toomey fection rates are still so high that the are still high and where masks are still
Ernst Paul Tuberville mask recommendation for wearing in- recommended. And there are parts of
Fischer Portman Young every one of our States or Common-
doors is still one that the CDC strongly
NOT VOTING—3 recommends. wealths where the infection rates are
Duckworth Feinstein Shaheen The CDC mandate, with respect to still high, and masks are still rec-
The nomination was confirmed. masks on transportation, was set to ex- ommended.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under pire on March 18, Friday. On Friday, So it is fine to wish that COVID is
the previous order, the motion to re- March 18, it was set to expire. After the going away. I mean, Lord, do we all
consider is considered made and laid CDC dropped the recommendation wish that it is going away, but we
upon the table, and the President will about wearing masks indoors, the CDC know that in some parts of the country
be immediately notified of the Senate’s decided to extend the mask require- it isn’t. And we also know, if we are
action. ment on transportation for 1 month, looking at the data internationally,
from March 18 to April 18. that China is experiencing a significant
f
Why did they do that when they were upsurge; Germany is experiencing a
LEGISLATIVE SESSION dropping the mask recommendation in- significant upsurge.
--- doors for much of the country? Well, So what if—what if—we face a new
the reason was pretty obvious, and COVID variant that starts to wreak
PROVIDING FOR CONGRESSIONAL they explained it. havoc on us, just as Delta did when we
DISAPPROVAL UNDER CHAPTER Here is the problem with transpor- thought we were in a decline, just like
8 OF TITLE 5, UNITED STATES tation: You might board a bus, plane, Omicron did when we thought we were
CODE, OF THE RULE SUBMITTED or train in an area with low infection in a decline? What if there is a new var-
BY CENTERS FOR DISEASE CON- but pass through areas of high infec- iant that comes and starts to wreak
TROL AND PREVENTION RELAT- tion and end up in an area of high in- havoc more broadly across the coun-

ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
ING TO ‘‘REQUIREMENT FOR fection. So transportation is a little bit try? Wouldn’t we want the CDC to have
PERSONS TO WEAR MASKS different than what should the rules be the power immediately, upon an up-
WHILE ON CONVEYANCES AND in an indoor venue in my hometown of surge of COVID nationally, to impose a
AT TRANSPORTATION HUBS’’ Richmond or in communities in Con- mask requirement on transportation?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under necticut, where the Presiding Officer If S.J. Res. 37 passes, they will not
the previous order, the Senate will re- lives. have the ability to do that.

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