Congressional Record — Senate, S1281 (March 22, 2022)
Summary
Congressional Record, Senate, page S1281, March 22, 2022, headed Correction. The Senate resumes consideration of the nomination of Ruth Bermudez Montenegro to be United States District Judge. The result is announced as yeas 55, nays 41 (Rollcall Vote No. 98 Ex.), and the nomination was confirmed. A senator who refers to Wyoming as a home State also speaks about the need for more American energy and criticizes the President's energy policies.
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“Congressional Record — Senate, S1281 (March 22, 2022).”
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March 22, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE CORRECTION S1281
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the need for more American energy. First, he shut down the Keystone XL
the previous order, the Senate will pro- When Joe Biden was running for Presi- Pipeline, shut down oil and gas leases
ceed to executive session to resume dent, he made a lot of promises that on Federal lands, and he shut down ex-
consideration of the Montenegro nomi- seemed to be all to the liberal left. ploration for energy in Alaska. Now his
nation, which the clerk will report. Now, to the hard-working people of my political appointees in the government
The bill clerk read the nomination of home State of Wyoming, these prom- are making it impossible to build gas
Ruth Bermudez Montenegro, of Cali- ises sounded more like direct threats pipelines. As a result, we are producing
fornia, to be United States District to their lives and their livelihoods.
Judge for the Southern District of Cali- 1.3 million fewer barrels a day, in
Joe Biden promised that, if elected, America, of oil than we were just be-
fornia. there would be ‘‘no more drilling on
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The fore the pandemic. Lower supply, high-
Federal lands.’’ ‘‘No more drilling,’’ he er prices—that is the law of supply and
question is, Will the Senate advise and said, including offshore. He said ‘‘no
consent to the Montenegro nomina- demand.
ability for the oil industry to continue
tion? So why is supply down? Well, the
Mr. DURBIN. I ask for the yeas and to drill, period.’’
Joe Biden is known for his multiple Biden administration hasn’t held a sin-
nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a gaffes, but these weren’t gaffes. This gle auction for oil and gas leases since
sufficient second? was intentional. He said it again and Joe Biden has taken office. At this
There appears to be a sufficient sec- again and again on the campaign trail. point in the Obama administration,
ond. Here is another one. He said: there had been more than 30 of those
The clerk will call the roll. I guarantee you we’re going to end fossil auctions. After 14 months in office,
The bill clerk called the roll. fuels. there should have been more than 50; in
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Joe Biden, on the campaign trail,
Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Joe Biden’s term, zero.
guaranteeing they are going to end fos-
CASEY), the Senator from West Vir- Courts have said that the President’s
sil fuels.
ginia (Mr. MANCHIN), and the Senator During one Democratic debate, Joe Executive orders on Federal lands,
from New Hampshire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) Biden was asked a specific question. He they said, are illegal. That is the Fed-
are necessarily absent. was asked if he would sacrifice ‘‘hun- eral courts. The President stubbornly
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is refused to open up our Federal lands—
necessarily absent: the Senator from dreds of thousands of blue collar jobs’’
right here in America to get rid of tra- ignoring the courts—failed to open up
Alaska (Mr. SULLIVAN). the lands to American energy produc-
The result was announced—yeas 55, ditional energy.
nays 41, as follows: Joe Biden said: tion.
[Rollcall Vote No. 98 Ex.] The answer is yes. In Western States like my home
YEAS—55 Yes, happy to sacrifice hundreds of State of Wyoming, this is devastating.
Baldwin Hickenlooper Rosen thousands of blue-collar, good hard- Half of Wyoming is Federal land, and
Bennet Hirono Rounds working jobs of the American people. Wyoming is sitting on a treasure trove
Blumenthal Kaine Sanders And today, the American people are
Booker Kelly
of American energy. We have it all—
Schatz living with the consequences of Joe
Brown King Schumer
oil, gas, coal, uranium for nuclear
Cantwell Klobuchar Sinema
Biden’s decisions. power. We have wind. We have sunny
Cardin Leahy Smith
Joe Biden is already the most anti- areas as well. We have it all. We need
Carper Luján Stabenow American energy President in Amer- it all. Joe Biden wants us to keep Wyo-
Collins Markey ican history. His policies against
Tester
Coons McConnell ming energy in the ground.
Cortez Masto Menendez
Tillis American energy have resulted in
Duckworth Merkley
Van Hollen much higher prices for American fami- The White House claims we don’t
Warner need to drill more, explore more for en-
Durbin Murkowski
Warnock
lies. One in five American families this
Feinstein Murphy
Warren past year have had to cut their spend- ergy because there are some leases that
Gillibrand Murray
Graham Ossoff Whitehouse ing to pay their energy bills. They have have not yet been used.
Grassley Padilla Wyden had to change the way they drive, the So why aren’t they used? I mean,
Hassan Peters Young way they eat, the way they shop. They that is a legitimate question to ask.
Heinrich Reed
have changed, and in many ways had to Well, half of them are waiting for Joe
NAYS—41 change, their dreams and their aspira- Biden’s permission to drill. Just be-
Barrasso Ernst Paul tions as their anxieties continued to cause you paid for a lease doesn’t mean
Blackburn Fischer Portman increase as prices increased but wages
Blunt Hagerty Risch
you have permission yet to explore for
Boozman Hawley didn’t keep up. energy on that area. You have to ask
Romney
Braun Hoeven Rubio
Yes, prices have gone up in 12 of the permission of the Federal Government
Burr Hyde-Smith Sasse 13 months since Joe Biden has taken after you pay the Federal Government
Capito Inhofe Scott (FL) office. This month, we have seen the
Cassidy Johnson for the lease. It is like renting an
Cornyn Kennedy
Scott (SC) highest gas prices ever. The Biden en- apartment and saying: Well, they are
Shelby ergy crisis is already the worst energy
Cotton Lankford not going to give you the key to move
Thune
Cramer Lee
Toomey
crisis in nearly half a century. So far, in yet.
Crapo Lummis Joe Biden hasn’t proposed a single so-
Tuberville
Cruz Marshall
lution, too busy blaming everyone The Biden administration has to
Daines Moran Wicker
other than himself. know that, but they continue to try to
NOT VOTING—4 Well, the Joe Biden blame game isn’t mislead the American people to say
Casey Shaheen working with the American people. The they are not being used.
Manchin Sullivan
American people remember Joe Biden’s Many of the leases that are still
The nomination was confirmed. campaign promises, and we have seen available are tied up in court by envi-
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. MUR- him wage war on American energy for ronmental activists, and they can’t ex-
PHY). Under the previous order, the mo- 14 consecutive months. plore for energy using those areas until
tion to reconsider is considered made When Joe Biden took office, the price the court cases are resolved. That is a
and laid upon the table, and the Presi-
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of gas was $2.38 a gallon. By the time normal ploy of the environmental ex-
dent will be immediately notified of Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, prices
the Senate’s action. tremist groups that are lined up with
had already gone up to $3.53 a gallon.
f the Biden administration to try to
Today, across the country, the average
keep American energy in the ground
LEGISLATIVE SESSION price is $4.24.
The increase before Putin’s invasion and keep American workers off the job.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ate will now resume legislative session. was a lot larger than the increase after So it seems that the percentage of
The Senator from Wyoming. Putin’s invasion. Month after month leases being used that they can use is
ENERGY after month, prices have gone up, and where you would want it to be, but
Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I at the same time, Joe Biden has dou- there are more that need to be used,
come to the floor today to talk about bled down. but Biden is tying them up.
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S1282 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 22, 2022
American energy workers are doing tween Democratic gimmicks and Re- Putin’s unprovoked war against
their part. It is time for Democrats in publican solutions. Ukraine.
Washington to start doing theirs. In- The only solution, the real solution Each day that the war grinds on,
stead, Democrats seem to be taking ac- to the high energy prices is more sup- Putin’s brutality exceeds the last. As
tions that are going to make this Biden ply, and the supply is more American his advances against major cities like
energy crisis and high-energy prices energy. It is not going to Iran; it is not Kyiv have slowed, his barbaric war
even worse. going to Venezuela; it is American en- crimes have mounted. Americans have
Last year, Joe Biden proposed more ergy supply. We have the resources. We seen the harrowing images of Russian
than a dozen tax increases on Amer- have the expertise. We have the work- strikes hitting schools, hospitals, ma-
ican energy. A bipartisan majority in ers. We have the energy in the ground. ternity wards, and designated humani-
this body—in the U.S. Senate—blocked The Biden administration and the tarian quarters, indiscriminately kill-
the tax increases from ever becoming Democrats will not let us get it out of ing children, women, and men.
law. Now Democrats are trying to raise the ground. The solution is for Joe The horror of each day is amplified
taxes on American energy again— Biden and the Democrats to get out of by the fact that this is not a war of ne-
again. the way so we can get American energy cessity. This is a war of choice, a war
There is a bill in this Senate right out of the ground, and it can be used chosen by Vladimir Putin. And that
now to raise taxes on American energy here at home in America. choice grew out of Putin’s fear of de-
and then send out government checks. Earlier this month, I sent a letter to mocracy, his fear of freedom of expres-
That is a bill that is going to make in- the President, the morning after the sion.
State of the Union Address. I sent it Just today, Putin’s crony court sen-
flation worse. And, by the way, infla-
along with every Republican who tenced Russian democracy activist
tion is already at a 40-year high. Peo- Alexey Navalny to 9 years in a max-
ple are suffering under the inflation serves on the Energy Committee. I am
the ranking member of that com- imum security prison. First, they tried
like they haven’t in a long, long time. to poison Navalny; now they want to
Paychecks are not keeping up. People mittee. We sent President Biden a to-
do list, 10 action items that he could silence him with 9 more years in jail.
are feeling the pain. So you see the lengths to which
I heard it at the grocery store in Cas- take today to restore American energy
dominance—because we were energy Putin is willing to go to silence one
per, WY, on Sunday; heard it at the man. You can imagine how he fears a
airport in Casper, WY, on Monday. dominant the day he came into office,
and we are now energy dependent. That democracy of 44 million Ukrainians on
The Democrat’s bill will do nothing his border. He is scared of the example
to increase the supply of energy. In is how you get such an increase in gas
prices and the pain at the pump for the it sets to the Russians that he keeps
fact, higher taxes would only decrease under his authoritarian thumb. He
the supply. Government checks would American people.
Step 1 is to open up our Federal lands wants to extinguish—snuff out—the
increase energy demand. You put the flame of liberty in Ukraine before it
two together, it is an inflation night- to energy production. The President
ought to auction off leases right away, catches fire in Russia.
mare. So he started a war, a brutal war.
Other Democrats have proposed a and he has a lot of catching up to do.
Now, Vladimir Putin has shown the
pause on the gas tax, saying that might He should also approve the 4,600 drill-
world who he really is: a scared tyrant
actually lower the price a little bit— ing permits that are today stuck in
who thinks he can snuff out democracy
not much, a little bit. Oh, the ones who limbo and stop putting barriers to pipe-
and freedom by brute force. But he is
cosponsored this, they are all running lines and infrastructure that are used
wrong. He can kill a lot of people, and
for election this year, and the plan, of to move oil and gas to market.
Our Nation is an energy superpower. he has; but whether it is a matter of
course, is to put the gas tax back in weeks or many months, Putin will not
It is time we began to act like that
place right after the election. be able to kill the aspirations of the
again.
The gas tax is what is used to pay for I yield the floor. people of Ukraine. We see proof of that
work on Federal roads and highways. It The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. MAR- fact every day in the defiant words and
is called the highway trust fund. It is KEY). The Senator from Maryland. heroic actions of Ukrainians every-
how we fund these. I chair the Environ- Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, I where.
ment and Public Works Committee, bi- just wanted to take a few moments to Amidst the horror, the blood, and the
partisan work with Senator CARPER. respond to some of the remarks made misery, we have seen amazing
We know how the funding goes to build by my colleague from Wyoming. strength. The people of Ukraine are
the highways, the roads, and the infra- I think we all saw a jump in big gas fighting for their homeland, for their
structure of this Nation. That is part of prices when Putin invaded Ukraine. freedom, and for the power to control
it. It is a gimmick. Then this body called upon the Presi- their own destiny. Ukrainian men and
Even Democratic economist Larry dent, in a bipartisan manner, to say women of all backgrounds and ages
Summers called the idea—I called it a that we don’t want to import any Rus- have joined in this cause, blocking the
gimmick; he called it ‘‘goofy and gim- sian oil into the United States because path of Russian tanks with their bod-
micky.’’ This is Larry Summers. we don’t want our dollars going to ies, making Molotov cocktails, tending
Other Democrats in the House are Putin to help fund his war. That was to the wounded, and taking up arms.
asking Joe Biden to declare a climate the right thing to do. That also in- Their courage speaks to the very best
emergency. They want him to tighten creases gas prices. of the human spirit.
his choke hold on American energy We also know that there are thou- Like most Americans, I am deeply in-
production. It is going to drive up sands of leases on public lands that are spired by their resolve and their for-
prices even more. It is going to drive not being used today and drilled by oil titude, and the whole world should
supply down and prices up. But not one companies that have those leases. In learn from their determination because
of the ideas that the Democrats are fact, the Senator from Massachusetts, the stakes in this war go far beyond
proposing will actually bring down the the Presiding Officer, has said we the borders of Ukraine. This is a fight
cost of energy for American families should have a law saying use it or lose for the future of democracy itself.
who are struggling today under the in- it. And I support that position because As President Zelenskyy said in his
flation of Joe Biden and the Demo- instead of using it, you see oil compa- address to Congress last week:
crats’ policies. Not one of their ideas nies exploiting the current situation to Russia has attacked not just us, not just
have windfall profits and use those our land, not just our cities. It went on a
would increase the supply of American brutal offensive against our values . . .
energy. So the contrast could not be profits not to reinvest in war produc-
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against our freedom, against our right to
clearer. tion but to engage in stock buybacks live freely in our own country, choosing our
The debate in this country today is a to help their CEOs while they keep the own future—against our desire for happiness,
debate between the Biden blame game prices high. against our national dreams—just like the
and American energy production. It is UKRAINE same dreams you have, you Americans.
a debate between climate elitists and Mr. President, I am here today on the That was President Zelenskyy last
working families. It is a debate be- floor as we mark day 27 of Vladimir week before Congress. He spoke of self-
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March 22, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1283
determination. He spoke of individual has long conspired to erode support for American life when politics stopped at
liberty and freedom. Those are values NATO from within its member coun- the water’s edge. I realize that era is
enshrined in America’s own founding tries. He believes freedom means for the most part over, but I hope—I
documents. unending chaos, and he wants to see us hope this country is strong enough and
So Putin is not just trying to take bicker ourselves into oblivion. When wise enough to put aside our politics at
over Ukraine; he is, as President NATO and our key democratic allies least for the purpose of making com-
Zelenskyy said, trying to destroy the are divided, Putin and authoritarians mon cause to support democracy and
notions of democracy and freedom that can win. When we are united, we win. stand up against Putin, as long as it
we hold dear. Putin wants to see free- When it comes to Putin and Russia, takes.
dom fade and democracy fail, and he is Members of Congress on both sides of That unity will be tested. I already
not alone in that effort. the aisle have known this for years. see divisions in Congress over the ad-
Just before the Winter Olympics in Even when the former President at- ministration’s response to this inva-
Beijing, Putin traveled to China and tacked NATO and belittled our demo- sion. Sometimes Members of the Sen-
met with another autocratic leader, cratic partnerships, lawmakers on both ate or the House will have an idea to
President Xi Jinping. Putin and Xi sides of the aisle united to reaffirm our help Ukraine or an idea to punish
signed an agreement stating that rela- support for the alliance. In 2018, a bi- Putin that they want implemented im-
tions between Russia and China had partisan group of Senators reestab- mediately. I often have the same im-
‘‘no limits,’’ ‘‘no limits.’’ On that day, lished the NATO Observer Group to pulse. But let’s be clear: The success of
they formed a pact of autocracy. And, keep an open line of communication the President’s strategy has been the
today, China’s state-run media parrots with our NATO partners. I am proud to rapid coordination of our steps with
Putin’s lies as Russian tanks encircle be a member of that group. our allies, whenever possible. That is
Ukrainian towns. In 2019, the Senate passed a resolu- how we pack the biggest punch.
President Xi is watching closely to tion reaffirming our support for NATO There are also some measures where
see if Putin’s model of autocracy by in the face of the former President’s at- the President has asked for immediate
conquest might work in other places, tacks. That same year, Speaker PELOSI action and Congress has delayed. Five
might work in Asia. China has already invited NATO Secretary General days ago, the House of Representatives
violated its international obligations Stoltenberg to address a joint meeting passed a bill to strip Russia of its
by stomping out freedoms in Hong of Congress. She did that on behalf of a most-favored-nation trading status. It
Kong. Now, the Chinese Communist bipartisan group. That was the first- passed 424 to 8. When is the last time
Party is eyeing their own democratic ever such address by a NATO Secretary we saw a vote like that in the House of
neighbor, Taiwan. As Beijing weighs General. Representatives?
the risks of trying to forcefully unite President Biden pledged that he That bill is sitting right here in the
Taiwan with mainland China, its lead- would strengthen that tradition of Senate right now. We should and could
ers are monitoring Russia’s invasion of unity, rebuild U.S. relations with our pass it today. We should certainly pass
Ukraine, and they are watching closely allies, and stand up for democracy, and it before President Biden leaves
how we and the world respond. that is what he has done. On day 1, he Wednesday—tomorrow—to meet with
Mr. President, the good news is the got to work repairing our tattered alli- NATO allies and leaders from the Euro-
United States has rallied our NATO al- ances after the beating they took dur- pean Union and G–7.
lies and partners in Europe. Even part- ing the last administration. He orga- Sometimes around here, if the Presi-
ners beyond the West have responded nized the first of two summits for de- dent announces a sanctions measure a
with unity and resolve, including mocracy last December to rally global day after somebody else thinks about
Japan, South Korea, Australia, New partners, and the Biden State Depart- it, he gets criticized for it being too
Zealand, Taiwan, and Singapore. One ment organized dozens of diplomatic late; but here, the Senate has been sit-
hundred forty-one countries voted at missions to countries around the world ting for days on the House bill, and
the United Nations to condemn Putin’s to foster democracy. every day that goes by is another day
war. So let’s be clear: This speedy, severe, that Russian producers and exporters
Support has come not only in words and synchronized response from the make more money, make more dollars.
and votes but also in deeds and help. United States and our partners did not Every day that goes by provides some
Last week, President Biden signed the come about by chance. It wasn’t ran- relief to Putin’s cronies and the Rus-
$14 billion emergency Ukraine legisla- dom. Our unity came from the delib- sian economy. So let’s stand together
tion passed by the Senate and the erate strategy of this President and his in this Senate and act on that legisla-
House. The United States, our NATO administration. President Biden under- tion now.
partners, and others are supplying stands that there is a global contest I also appeal to my colleagues—espe-
Ukrainians with the weapons they need between autocrats like Putin and Xi, cially on the Republican side—to speak
to fight Putin’s army. We are providing who want democracy to die, and those out against those here at home who are
millions of Ukrainian refugees in Po- like Zelenskyy, who want it to flour- spreading Putin’s propaganda. A case
land, Romania, and other neighboring ish; and he has shown that democratic in point has been the fast-spreading lie
countries with humanitarian assist- unity is the strongest instrument we that the United States and Ukraine
ance, and we are delivering aid to the have against the forces of autocracy. have bio labs in Ukraine to help de-
millions more displaced within Mr. President, that unity was on full velop bioweapons. That is just flatout
Ukraine itself. display in February when I traveled to false, but that lie has been fueled in
The United States has also worked in the Munich Security Conference with a part by some in the rightwing media.
concert with our allies to unleash bipartisan group of lawmakers from On March 3, the Kremlin circulated a
sweeping, punishing sanctions at a both the House and the Senate. We met memo to Russian media saying it is
speed the world has never seen; and in Munich on the eve of Putin’s inva- ‘‘essential’’ to feature Tucker Carlson,
these sanctions are aimed right at the sion. And because President Biden had who has been spreading this kind of
heart of Russia’s economy, at Vladimir the foresight to share our intelligence misinformation about Putin’s war on
Putin, and at his cronies. We have cut about Putin’s intentions with the his show. The lie about the so-called
off Russia’s financial system from the world, NATO, the European commu- American and Ukrainian bioweapons
world. The ruble is in shambles. The nity, and members of the G–7 had time labs was also picked up and peddled by
ill-gotten gains of the oligarchs are to prepare and coordinate our response. China’s state media.
being seized at this very moment. It allowed us to plan the rapid delivery So, Mr. President, all of us should
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The unity we see today among de- of weapons and the imposition of uni- stand up and speak out against this
mocracies in the face of Putin’s aggres- fied, crushing sanctions—unity in ac- misinformation. American media fig-
sion marks a double triumph. Not only tion. ures can say what they want. That is
does it allow us to form a united front I hope we can maintain that unity of their right. But so can we as Members
against Putin, it also undermines his purpose here at home. There was, as of Congress, and I would argue we have
strategy of weakening democracies. He the Presiding Officer knows, a time in a duty to make our voices heard and
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S1284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 22, 2022
join in the chorus of those calling out will revoke the favored nation status authorized the Treasury Department to
Russian lies across the globe. and normal trade relations; and that get stimulus payments to American
Every day, we see thousands of Rus- we will do what Mr. Zelenskyy has families and increased unemployment
sians flood the streets, from St. Peters- asked us to do, and that is to make it payments because we knew that mil-
burg to Siberia, to protest Putin’s war. clear that the Magnitsky sanctions, lions of Americans would be unable to
The world witnessed Russian journalist which are individual sanctions imposed work as we came together to slow the
Marina Ovsyannikova speak out against the perpetrators, Mr. Putin and spread of the virus.
against the invasion on live, state- his enablers in Russia, will be main- The bill also provided hundreds of
sponsored TV, with a sign calling out tained with reauthorization of the billions of dollars to support our Na-
Putin’s lies. global Magnitsky statute. tion’s small businesses. I was proud to
These heroes are carrying on know- I hope we will get to that as early as lead bipartisan negotiations on the
ing full well the risk that they put this week because I agree with my col- small business provisions of this bill on
themselves in, the risk that they will league that every day we delay it, in the Small Business Task Force, which
be thrown in jail or worse. The least we fact, is helping Mr. Putin. We need to included myself and Senators JEANNE
can do in Congress is to stand up to lies make it clear and enact that statute, SHAHEEN, MARCO RUBIO, and SUSAN
here at home that aid and abet Putin’s which, by the way, the Biden adminis- COLLINS.
propaganda machine. tration strongly encourages us to do. As we negotiated these provisions, we
Make no mistake, even in unity, CARES ACT had several key facts in mind. First,
there will be spirited debate here. We Mr. President, 2 years ago, the small businesses have low profit mar-
will have disagreements over how to United States declared COVID–19 a na- gins and carry little in cash reserves,
best respond to Putin’s aggression, but tional emergency. By then, it was clear so they could only survive a few weeks
we should never ever disagree about that we were experiencing a once-in-a- of a closure without some form of sup-
who the true enemy is. Vladimir Putin century pandemic and that preventing port. Secondly, eventually, Americans
is to blame for this attack on democ- the spread of this dangerous virus unable to work would return to work,
racy. Vladimir Putin is to blame for would require our Nation’s greatest and it is much easier and quicker for
death and destruction in Ukraine. collective effort since World War II. small businesses to reopen with their
Vladimir Putin is the enemy—not one Here in the U.S. Congress, we knew existing staff instead of hiring new
another; not the other party; not the that this era-defining challenge would staff. Third, keeping small businesses
President. require unprecedented action from the in operation would make our eventual
There are plenty of things for us to Federal Government to confront the recovery come about more quickly and
fight about, but in the current battle economic and public health crisis cre- much more robustly. So we wanted to
for democracy and freedom in Ukraine ated by COVID–19. keep small businesses afloat. We want-
and the larger fight for democracy and The pandemic has waxed and waned ed to keep their employees employed.
freedom around the world, the stakes in the 2 years since then, so opportuni- We wanted to keep our economy mov-
are simply too high for us to fall back ties for American families and small ing forward.
The Economic Injury Disaster Loan
on partisan games. Let’s come to- business owners to return to their nor-
Program, which predates the pandemic,
gether. Let’s stay together. And if we mal lives have come in fits and starts.
had already been approved to provide
do, I am confident that democracy and But one lesson that has remained true
loans to small businesses harmed by
justice will prevail. through these ups and downs and has
COVID–19. So we knew that small busi-
To those countries and leaders been confirmed on multiple occasions
nesses would have access to the long-
around the world who stand on the through the pandemic is that the U.S.
term capital they needed to adapt their
sidelines, I say that neutrality in the Federal Government can—it must—
businesses and make other invest-
face of evil is complicity. In the end, play a role in solving our Nation’s
ments.
freedom and the dignity of the human longstanding, difficult, and intractable EIDL can meet small businesses’
spirit will prevail over subjugation and problems. long-term capital needs, but we knew
oppression every single time. They Let us remember those first few that we had to move quickly to meet
need to get on the right side of history. weeks of the pandemic. The vast ma- the immediate capital needs of these
I yield the floor. jority of Americans did not know what businesses, so we created the EIDL Ad-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- to make of the Centers for Disease Con- vance Grant Program to send $10,000
ator from Maryland. trol’s January report of a novel virus, grants to small businesses that applied
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, before I the coronavirus identified abroad. By for EIDL.
start my remarks in regard to the mid-February, small business owners We knew how important it was to a
2-year anniversary of the CARES Act, I were already feeling the effects of re- recovery to keep employees on payroll,
just want to compliment my colleague duced revenues. By the end of Feb- so we created the Paycheck Protection
from Maryland on his statements in re- ruary, the U.S. economy was rapidly Program to provide small businesses
gard to Mr. Putin’s aggression in deepening into a recession. There were with loans worth up to $10 million to
Ukraine. severe disruptions in domestic and cover the cost of up to 8 weeks of pay-
Everything he said I totally concur global supply chains, leading to short- roll, and we made a promise to bor-
in—the unity that President Biden has ages in food and critical personal pro- rowers to forgive the loans as long as
been able to instill not only among our tective equipment, and the unemploy- they used the funds for payroll or other
traditional allies but the global com- ment rate was increasing rapidly. allowable expenses.
munity; the strength of our help to the Congress had to act and act fast, so We created a debt relief program to
Ukrainian people, the help that we that is exactly what we did. We passed cover all costs associated with new and
have given in regard to humanitarian the CARES act—a bold, unprecedented, existing SBA loans for 6 months. We
relief; and the sanctions that were led and comprehensive $2.2 trillion COVID invested in the SBA entrepreneurship
by the United States—but we now have relief package that met the scale of the development programs to hire experts
global support for many of these sanc- crisis we faced—and we did it without and increase capacity to help small
tions, which are making a difference. partisan rancor or political infighting. businesses navigate the ups and downs
This is clearly a battle between good The bill passed the Senate 97 to 0. It is of the pandemic.
and evil, and I just really wanted to one of the greatest acts of bipartisan- In total, the CARES Act included
compliment my colleague from Mary- ship I have witnessed during my career more than $375 billion in aid to small
land on his statement, one on which I in politics. businesses. The aid could not have
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
hope all of us agree, and that we can The CARES Act provided funding to come soon enough. The initial $349 bil-
move forward very quickly on the leg- our public health infrastructure for lion in PPP funds were exhausted in
islation you refer to that passed the testing, tracing, and vaccine develop- less than 2 weeks. SBA approved more
House of Representatives that would ment. It directed funds to State and than 1.6 million loans in that time.
make it clear that we will not do busi- local governments that were straining SBA’s laudable efforts to deliver re-
ness with Russia as normal; that we under the cost of the pandemic. It also lief to small businesses also came with
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March 22, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1285
disappointments and missed opportuni- lenders that are better able to get but we once again found common
ties. Senator SHAHEEN and I fought to funds to underserved and underbanked ground to pass the bipartisan Eco-
include a provision in the CARES Act communities. nomic Aid Act, providing $900 billion in
that required SBA to issue guidance to We wanted to make sure that those COVID–19 relief, including an addi-
the banks participating in PPP to who needed it could get it, and I am tional $325 billion for small businesses.
prioritize loan applications for small proud that we were able to include that In this bill, my Democratic colleagues
businesses in underserved commu- in that legislation. and I secured an additional $30 billion
nities. We knew that those small busi- Thanks to the set-aside, approxi- set-aside for smaller lenders in addi-
nesses that had priority relationships mately 600 new, mostly nonbank, lend- tion to expanding eligibility to addi-
with banks would be first in line, but ers that did not participate in phase 1, tional industries and nonprofits. The
we wanted the SBA to make sure that participated in phase 2 of the PPP pro- Economic Aid Act also provided eligi-
those that did not have those privileges gram. We should take great pride in ble small businesses with an additional
would also be able to benefit by the knowing that the set-aside worked. Second Draw PPP loan worth up to $2
PPP program. According to the Government Ac- million.
We insisted on the inclusion of this counting Office report issued in Sep- The bill created new programs as
provision because we knew that a pro- tember of last year, banks made the well. The Shuttered Venue Operators
gram like PPP, which relied on finan- vast majority of PPP loans during Grant Program was created to provide
cial institutions to make loans, ran the phase 1 of the program. As a result, the grants of up to $10 million to live
risk of worsening the existing inequi- program favored larger small busi- venues, independent movie theaters,
ties in our private capital market. nesses. During phase 2, however, the and other cultural institutions that
We simply could not allow small Agency found that the share of loans to were shuttered as a result of COVID–19.
businesses in our most vulnerable com- underserved businesses and commu- And a new $20 billion Targeted EIDL
munities to fall further behind. SBA nities ‘‘was proportionate to their rep- Advance Program was created to pro-
failed to issue the guidance. So it was resentation in the overall small busi- vide additional EIDL Advance grants
no surprise when organizations rep- ness community.’’
to our Nation’s most vulnerable small
We succeeded in the second round.
resenting underserved small businesses businesses that couldn’t afford to take
For example, 42 percent of the loans
sounded the alarm that women, mi- out a loan. They needed grants.
approved during phase 1 of PPP went
norities, small businesses in rural com- I would like to take a moment to
to businesses with between 10 and 499
munities, and other underbanked bor- speak on why the Targeted EIDL Ad-
employees, but those businesses only
rowers were at risk of being frozen out vance Program was necessary.
accounted for 4 percent of all the busi-
of the program. Similar to how the Trump adminis-
nesses in the United States. We know
The SBA’s inspector general would tration initially handled the PPP, hin-
that women-owned and minority-owned
eventually report that the Agency’s dering the program’s utility, the ad-
small businesses are less likely to have
implementation of PPP did not fully ministration’s implementation of the
employees at all, and when they do,
align with the intent of Congress. With EIDL Advance Program also made it
they have less employees, on average.
funds exhausted after less than 2 During phase 2, the share of loans to less useful to small businesses. The
weeks, the prior administration re- the larger of these businesses with 10 CARES Act directed SBA to provide
quested additional funds for PPP—and or more employees dropped to 17 per- $10,000 grants to all EIDL applicants,
only PPP—which would have neglected cent. We achieved our objective. but the Trump administration only
the equally important EIDL Program, And while only 9 percent of the PPP provided $1,000 per employee up to 10
which had also exhausted its funds by loans issued during phase 1 went to employees.
then. businesses located in counties where The Targeted EIDL Advance Pro-
It is important to keep in mind that women-owned businesses accounted for gram addressed the problem directly by
since these programs were designed to a large share of all businesses, the targeting the program to the most vul-
work together, funding one without the number doubled to 18 percent during nerable communities and providing
other would not meet the needs of phase 2, which is in line with the share small businesses in those communities
many small businesses. of small businesses nationwide owned with the remainder of the $10,000 Con-
Once again, Members of this Chamber by women. gress intended them to receive. We cor-
worked with our colleagues across the Similarly, 36 percent of phase 1 loans rected the mistake initially made.
Capitol to create a comprehensive went to small businesses in high-mi- It remains frustrating to know that
COVID–19 relief package that we all nority counties, and that number in- our Federal response to the pandemic
could agree on, which passed the Sen- creased to 50 percent in phase 2. could have helped even more small
ate, again, unanimously. In every example in underserved businesses. So it was welcome relief
The bill provided an additional $370 communities—minority-owned small when President Biden was inaugurated
billion of funds to the SBA COVID–19 businesses, women-owned small busi- because I knew that America’s under-
relief efforts, with $310 billion for PPP, nesses—because we targeted the funds served small businesses would have a
$10 billion for the EIDL Advance Grant to mission lenders, because we were champion administering phase 3 of
Program. able to get the entrepreneurial services PPP, and we in Congress would have a
The bill also provided $50 billion for to small businesses that needed the partner committed to ensuring that
the EIDL Program, which allowed the help, we reached the underserved com- these programs helped as many small
Agency to make more than $350 billion munity. businesses as possible.
in loans. And similar to the ways in I would like to take a moment to The administration hit the ground
which the CARES Act implemented highlight the significance of these find- running. In February of 2021, President
lessons learned during a prior economic ings. The fact that women and minori- Biden instituted a 14-day priority pe-
downturn, the second package imple- ties face historic and pervasive barriers riod for PPP, during which the SBA
mented lessons learned during the first to entrepreneurship is not new, and the only processed applications for small
round of PPP. primary barrier is their inability to ac- businesses with fewer than 20 employ-
Since the SBA did not issue the guid- cess capital. But the GAO’s report con- ees.
ance as required by the CARES Act, firms that through the policies, the The administration also changed the
Senate Democrats championed more capital access gap is bridgeable. We can loan calculation formula for small pro-
prescriptive policies to make the PPP bridge this gap if we pass the right prietors and eliminated an exclu-
fairer and more equitable. policies. sionary restriction that prevented
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
I remain proud that we were able to After the end of phase 2 of PPP on small business owners with a prior non-
set aside $60 billion of PPP funds to be August 8, Congress negotiated the next felony conviction from obtaining a
distributed by credit unions, commu- round of COVID–19 relief, which was PPP loan for their businesses.
nity development financial institu- not finalized until December 22. In addition to these administrative
tions, minority depository institutions, Negotiations may have taken much actions, President Biden also proposed
community banks, and other small longer than any of us would have liked, and Congress enacted the American
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S1286 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 22, 2022
Rescue Plan. The bold relief package erators Grant Program has also been a barriers that have inhibited the growth
created the Restaurant Revitalization resounding success. After awarding of small businesses in underserved
Fund to provide grants to restaurants more than 12,800 initial grants worth communities are far from insurmount-
and bars that lost revenue due to more than $11 billion at an average of able.
COVID–19, added additional funds to more than 1 million per institution, Now is not the time to retreat. It is
the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant the administration also awarded more time for us to double down. In imple-
Program, added additional funds to the than 8,700 supplemental grants worth menting lessons learned during the im-
Targeted EIDL Advance Program, and more than $3 billion. plementation of PPP, we should create
provided $350 billion to States and lo- I mention all of that because we a new direct loan program within SBA
calities, which helped spur new State know our shuttered venues would be and further empower small businesses.
programs and replenish existing ones, out of business if it weren’t for the We must build on the inroads that the
like the RELIEF Act and the Maryland shuttered loan program. It has kept SBA has made with underserved com-
Strong Economic Recovery Initiative them in business. munities during the pandemic to get
in my own home State, and created a And the administration successfully entrepreneurial development, business
new Community Navigator Program to provided more than 100,000 restaurants mentorship, and technical training
get the SBA’s entrepreneurial develop- with the Restaurant Revitalization into communities that would benefit
ment resources in the communities Fund grants, worth more than $28 bil- from it the most. And we should con-
that would benefit from them the lion in grants. tinue to work in a bipartisan way to
most. I have seen firsthand the benefit of ensure that American small businesses
We had the Federal programs. Then these grants as I have traveled in have the tools they need to emerge
we had the navigators to help small Maryland. On Small Business Friday, from the COVID–19 stronger than ever.
businesses get those funds. And we pro- last year, I did a walking tour down The bottom line is our policies made
vided local funds through State and Main Street in Annapolis. Every single a difference. We saved America’s small
local governments so they could help restaurant owner I visited shared that businesses. We need to continue to
small businesses. We really went they may not have survived without work in the future to make sure the
through everything we could to help the Restaurant Revitalization Fund climate for small businesses is healthy
those that needed the help the most. grant. All of these restaurants are so that our economy can continue to
The significance of these actions— more than just a place to grab a bite to grow.
the passage of the bipartisan Economic eat. These are decades-old institutions We know that small businesses are
Aid Act in December, the Biden admin- owned by small business operators, and the growth engine of job growth in
istration’s administrative steps, and their closures would have been deeply America. We know that they are where
the American Rescue Plan—cannot be felt by the community. most innovation takes place in our
overstated. They helped set our Nation In the coming weeks, Congress must economy.
on course for the most robust economic finish the job by replenishing the Res- Our policies during this pandemic
recovery in American history. taurant Revitalization Fund. There are helped save small businesses and now
Phase 3 of PPP—January to May 31, still hundreds of thousands of appli- expand the opportunity for small busi-
2021—had the most equitable loan ap- cants waiting on funds. We have to fin- nesses, but we need to continue to pay
proval shares, according to a report re- ish the job for our restaurants, because attention to these issues.
leased in January of this year by if there are any lessons learned from I hope we can do this in a bipartisan
economists Robert Fairlie and Frank the past 2 years, it is that when Con- way. We need to replenish the funds for
Fossen. Fairlie and Fossen, both of those that have not been able to get it
gress comes together to produce
whom have been following PPP and the under the Restaurant Revitalization
thoughtful policies that address the
pandemic’s impact on small businesses Fund, and we need to pay attention to
system issues in our economy, it yields
closely for the past 2 years, cited the small businesses in this country.
results.
extraordinary increase in loan volume I yield the floor.
After enduring the deepest economic
of Prestamos, a CDFI that targets His- The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
contraction since 1947, the American
panic-owned small businesses, as an ex- ator from Nebraska.
economy grew at the fastest rate since
ample of the success of the PPP under
1984 with the first year of Joe Biden’s STRATEGIC DETERRENCE
the Biden administration.
These numbers are impressive. Dur- administration. Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, earlier
We are back, but we still have pock- this month, the commanders of the
ing phase 1 of PPP, Prestamos ranked
4,274 among PPP lenders by volume. ets that need help. U.S. Strategic Command and the U.S.
In an ironic twist of history, the les- Space Command, ADM Charles Richard
That was phase 1, where you really had
sons we have learned and the expertise and GEN James Dickinson, testified
to have an existing relationship if you
and capacity that we have built up before the Senate Armed Services Com-
were going to be able to get a PPP
within the SBA have now prepared us mittee for their annual posture hear-
loan. In phase 2, where we did a better
for what can only be described as an ing.
job of targeting, they ranked 325. In
entrepreneurial renaissance underway The backdrop for their testimony
phase 3, they were among the top
in our communities. According to the was two twin challenges facing the
ranked PPP lenders by volume.
They wrote that the 14-day priority Census Bureau, Americans registered United States and our allies: Putin’s
period in particular ‘‘helped to bring 4.4 million new businesses in 2020—4.4 desire to recreate the Russian Empire,
the PPP loans to disadvantaged small million new businesses—the highest demonstrated most recently in his
businesses.’’ total on record and a 24-percent in- unprovoked and unjustified invasion of
Thank you to the Biden administra- crease over the prior year. Ukraine, and China’s plan to massively
tion and the Democrats in Congress. Remarkably, the surge is being driv- expand their power, rolling back U.S.
The program hasn’t only been good en by entrepreneurs in some of our influence in the process.
for small businesses; it has also sup- most underserved communities, and Both of these American adversaries
ported small community banks. The our policies helped make that a reality. are expanding their nuclear arsenals to
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis For example, data shows that between back up their ambitions.
wrote that small business lending was February 2020 and August 2021, the As ranking member of the Sub-
a ‘‘key business line’’ for small commu- number of Black business owners in- committee on Strategic Forces and
nity banks during the operation of the creased by 38 percent. with STRATCOM’s headquarters in my
program and that the program will Congress needs to take advantage of State of Nebraska, I appreciated this
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
help smaller banks regain some of the the entrepreneurial spirit that is surg- chance to engage with Admiral Richard
ground they have lost through larger ing throughout our communities by on such an important issue.
competitors in the small business loan continuing to invest in our entre- As the commander of STRATCOM,
market. preneurs, especially those in under- Admiral Richard has one of the highest
The Biden administration’s imple- served communities. We have dem- pressure jobs in the world—overseeing
mentation of the Shuttered Venue Op- onstrated that the historic structural America’s nuclear forces. He knows
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March 22, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S1287
better than anyone how important our threatening to use their nukes against yond its designed lifetime and made
nuclear deterrent is to preventing war the other countries that signed that the need for modernization even more
around the world, and he understands statement. I believe it was clear to acute.
the threat posed by our adversaries’ anyone who had been paying attention Admiral Richard went out of his way
growing arsenals. that signing our names to a feel-good to stress this point during his testi-
Admiral Richard told the Armed piece of paper wasn’t actually going to mony. He told the Senate Armed Serv-
Services Committee that Putin’s war change anything about Putin’s behav- ices Committee:
in Ukraine is giving us ‘‘a very vivid ior or the behavior of China. Right now, I am executing my strategic de-
real-world example of the importance While our deterrent remains effec- terrence mission under historic stress, crisis
of extended deterrence.’’ What he tive, we are asking it to protect levels of deterrence, crisis deterrence dy-
meant by that is that, even though against a growing range of threats. namics that we’ve only seen a couple of
Putin has brought a major war back to Russia is continuing the deadliest war times in our nation’s history.
Europe for the first time since the end in Europe in nearly a century, and the And I’m doing it with submarines built in
of World War II and heartbreaking de- Chinese Communist Party—well, they the ’80s and ’90s, an air-launched cruise mis-
struction to the people of Ukraine, nu- sile built in the ’80s, intercontinental bal-
are hard at work expanding their own listic missiles built in the ’70s, a bomber
clear deterrence, including the ex- nuclear arsenal. And they are doing it built in the ’60s, part of our nuclear com-
tended deterrence commitments that at a pace we have never seen in world mand and control that predates the internet,
we provide our allies, has shielded history. and a nuclear weapons complex that dates
NATO countries and discouraged the I asked Admiral Richard about the back to the Manhattan era.
conflict’s spread. More specifically, U.S. intelligence community’s esti- We have ignored the need to mod-
without our nuclear deterrent, our mate that China plans to potentially ernize our deterrence for far too long.
plans to protect American citizens and quadruple their nuclear arsenal by the As Admiral Richard said at another
our allies would fall apart. year 2030. He told the committee: point during his testimony: The nu-
Take it straight from Admiral Rich- Last fall, I formally reported to the Sec- clear force we have today is the abso-
ard. He said: retary of Defense the PRC’s strategic break- lute minimum we need to guarantee
Every operational plan in the Department out. Their expansion and modernization in our security.
of Defense, and every other capability we 2021 alone is breathtaking. And the concern
have, rests on the assumption that strategic I expressed in my testimony last April has
The world has only gotten more dan-
deterrence is holding, and in particular that now become a reality. gerous over the past decade, and the
nuclear deterrence is holding. last few weeks in Ukraine are the lat-
China is attempting a rapid buildup
If strategic or nuclear deterrence fails, no est evidence of that.
other plan and no other capability in the De- of unprecedented scope and scale, and
we have no reason to think they will But Washington—well, Washington
partment of Defense is going to work as de- has spent that time procrastinating.
signed. stop once they reach the Pentagon’s es-
timate. We have even less reason to Our failure to make tough decisions
When people who care about a safe has left Admiral Richard with a deter-
and secure America say that strategic think it will take China 8 more years
to grow their stockpile to 1,000 deliver- rent that simply hasn’t kept up with
deterrence, especially nuclear deter- those of our adversaries. The final
rence, is the bedrock of our national able warheads.
Admiral Richard agreed. In response piece of Admiral Richard’s testimony I
security, that is exactly what we mean will read is this:
because, at the end of the day, Amer- to my questioning, he said:
Whatever the time estimate that the intel- We have reached a point where we can no
ican strength is the only thing that ty-
ligence community gives you on anything longer deter with the leftovers of the Cold
rants like Putin actually respect. War. We have life extended them to the max-
Just as we need to reassess our ap- from China, divide it by two and maybe by
four and you will get closer to the right an- imum extent possible.
proach to Putin in light of his invasion We must now start to recapitalize, re-
swer.
of Ukraine, we also need to rethink our So, no, I don’t know that we have any idea manufacture those that require a very ro-
approach to our nuclear deterrent. of [China’s] endpoint and/or speed. bust infrastructure . . . We’re 10 years be-
Barely 2 months ago, on January 3, the And as Admiral Richard pointed out hind the point where we needed to start re-
five members of the U.N. Security capitalizing the infrastructure . . . And the
at another point in the hearing, many
Council released a joint declaration on consequence is we simply won’t have the ca-
observers have gotten too caught up on pabilities that we are going to have to have
‘‘Preventing Nuclear War and Avoiding the ‘‘1,000 by 2030’’ figure. to deter the threat environment we’re in.
Arms Races.’’ Russia, of course, is one Since the Pentagon released their re-
of those five members. We cannot keep kicking the can
port in November of last year, an
People who want our deterrence to down the road. We are not in the 1990s
unspoken assumption has developed
continue aging while Russia and China or the 2000s anymore. The threat envi-
that China will simply stop building
modernize their own forces, including ronment is changing, and we have no
nukes once they reach that point,
many members of the media, rushed to choice but to keep up. But our nuclear
whether that is in 2025 or 2030. But let
hail the joint statement as a long- deterrent is sized based on the 2010 New
me point out, the Chinese Communist
awaited and revolutionary break- START Treaty, written in a very dif-
Party has given us no reason to think
through. They seemed certain that we ferent world, before Putin decided to
that that might be the case.
had turned a corner and that by sign- In fact, given their ambitions to take behave like a war criminal and before
ing this statement, we were ushering in Taiwan and develop a Chinese sphere of China’s unprecedented nuclear break-
a new and enduring era of world peace. influence beyond Asia, I think it is out.
I was skeptical. I wrote an op-ed in To wrap up, I would like to draw my
very likely they will continue building
National Review Online that responded colleagues’ attention to an exchange
far beyond that number.
to what I called the ‘‘delusional’’ parts from the Foreign Relations Commit-
And even as China works to expand
of that statement and the wishful tee’s hearings during the ratification
its nuclear arsenal, ours is rapidly
thinking that led the United States to process for the New START Treaty.
aging. The United States has not de-
sign our name next to those of Russia Responding to a question about
signed or built a new nuclear warhead
and China. whether the posture set by the treaty
More than a month before Putin since the end of the Cold War. We don’t
even have the ability to produce a new left the United States with nuclear
launched his invasion of Ukraine, I forces beyond what we needed, the
wrote: warhead right now, and we are the only
nuclear power unable to do so. China STRATCOM commander at the time,
This would be a historic moment for inter- GEN Kevin Chilton, completely re-
and Russia can. The United Kingdom
ctelli on DSK11ZRN23PROD with SENATE
national unity—or rather, it would be if it
were true. China and Russia may have signed can. France can. And India and Paki- jected that idea. He said instead:
this document, but they do not intend to stan can. Even North Korea can. I think the arsenal that we have is exactly
honor it. But here in the United States, we what is needed today to provide the deter-
They clearly did not. cannot. Instead, we have focused on ex- rent.
Since then, Russia has put their de- tending the life of our current systems. We need to think long and hard about
terrent on high alert, essentially This has pushed our deterrent far be- if a deterrent designed around the
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S1288 CORRECTION CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE March 22, 2022
threats of 2010 is still what is needed [Rollcall Vote No. 99 Ex.] Olympic assists, Hilary also ranks sec-
for the very different and much more YEAS—50 – ond in most career assists. She played
dangerous world we live in now. Baldwin Heinrich Peters in her 22nd career Olympic Game, giv-
I hope the administration will ad- Bennet Hickenlooper Reed ing her the record for the most Olym-
dress that question in its upcoming Nu- Blumenthal Hirono Rosen pic Games played in U.S. women’s
Booker Kaine Sanders
clear Posture Review. In fact, the up- Brown Kelly Schatz
hockey history. This follows her earn-
coming fiscal year budget and various Cantwell King Schumer ing a gold medal in the XXIII Olympic
strategy documents we expect to be re- Cardin Klobuchar Sinema Winter Games in PyeongChang; a silver
Carper Leahy
leased soon, including the NPR, are a Collins Luján
Smith medal in the XXII Olympic Winter
chance for the administration to show Stabenow Games in Sochi; and a silver medal in
Coons Markey
Tester
that they do understand the challenges Cortez Masto Menendez the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Van-
Duckworth Van Hollen
that we face. Most fundamentally, that Merkley couver.
Durbin Murkowski Warner
is the erosion of global stability and Warnock Two-time Olympian Chase Josey, of
Feinstein Murphy
the increasingly challenging threat en- Gillibrand Murray Warren Hailey, earned seventh place in the
vironment facing our country. Graham Ossoff Whitehouse snowboard halfpipe. Chase completed
These documents are an opportunity Hassan Padilla Wyden two frontside double cork 1080s and a
for President Biden to propose a real- NAYS—46 cab double cork 1260 in his third run of
istic plan to meet these threats. I hope Barrasso Grassley Risch the 2022 Olympics, earning 79.50 points.
that he will. The hard truth is that Blackburn Hagerty Romney He earned sixth place in the halfpipe in
every day that we refuse to commit to Blunt Hawley Rounds the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in
Boozman Hoeven Rubio
the modernization schedule today’s PyeongChang and was fifth at the 2021
Braun Hyde-Smith Sasse
world needs is a day that Russia and Burr Inhofe world championships.
Scott (FL)
China become greater threats. They Capito Johnson Scott (SC)
Nick Blaser, of Meridian, who ranked
get further ahead. Cassidy Kennedy Shelby 28th in the world, competed in his first
Cornyn Lankford Olympic games on the U.S. Olympic
If we wait too long, we are going to Cotton Lee
Thune
wake up 5, 10, 20 years from now with Cramer Lummis
Tillis Skeleton Team. With three competi-
Toomey tors, the team was characterized as
no way to deter adversaries who did Crapo Marshall
Tuberville
commit to modernization. That is not Cruz McConnell
Wicker
‘‘small but mighty.’’ Nick, who came in
Daines Moran 21st place at the 2022 Olympics, was a
a position anyone wants to wind up in. Ernst Paul Young
We need to act like adults and make Fischer Portman top pole vaulter and hurdler at the
difficult choices to prioritize our nu- University of Idaho before competing
NOT VOTING—4
clear deterrent, the most fundamental in skeleton after college.
Casey Shaheen These athletes lead through their ex-
part of our defense strategy. And we Manchin Sullivan
have to keep modernization on sched- amples of dedication and persistence.
ule in the FY2023 NDAA. The nomination was confirmed. As younger generations watch, they
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. show us all how to turn preparation
I yield the floor.
PETERS). Under the previous order, the into achievements. Thank you, Olym-
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
motion to reconsider is considered pians, for representing Idaho and our
ator from Wisconsin.
made and laid upon the table, and the country so well in the Olympics, while
f President will be immediately notified overcoming the added pressures of
of the Senate’s actions. training and competing during a global
The Senator from New Hampshire. pandemic, in a high-risk and dangerous
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR
f political environment. We commend
Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I ask you for your extraordinary hard work
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
unanimous consent that the Senate and commitment.
proceed to executive session and vote The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
ate will now resume legislative session. f
on Calendar No. 678, the nomination of
Victoria Calvert, under the previous f EXECUTIVE REPORTS OF
order. MORNING BUSINESS COMMITTEE
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I ask The following executive reports of
the previous order, the Senate will pro- unanimous consent that the Senate be nominations were submitted:
ceed to executive session to resume in a period of morning business, with Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, for the
consideration of the Calvert nomina- Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Senators permitted to speak therein Transportation I report favorably the fol-
tion, which the clerk will report. for up to 10 minutes each.
The bill clerk read the nomination of lowing nomination lists which were printed
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without in the Records on the dates indicated, and
Victoria Marie Calvert, of Georgia, to objection, it is so ordered. ask unanimous consent, to save the expense
be United States District Judge for the f of reprinting on the Executive Calendar that
Northern District of Georgia. these nominations lie at the Secretary’s
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The RECOGNIZING IDAHO OLYMPIANS desk for the information of Senators.
question is, Will the Senate advise and Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, along The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objec-
consent to the Calvert nomination? with my colleagues Senator JIM RISCH tion, it is so ordered.
Ms. BALDWIN. I ask for the yeas and and Representative MIKE SIMPSON, I *Coast Guard nomination of Min H. Kim,
to be Commander.
nays. congratulate three Idaho athletes who *Coast Guard nomination of Michael A.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a competed in the XXIV Olympic Winter Cintron, to be Captain.
sufficient second? Games in Beijing. I commend Andrew *Nomination was reported with rec-
There appears to be a sufficient sec- Blaser, Chase Josey, and Hilary Knight ommendation that it be confirmed sub-
ond. for their diligence and dedication that ject to the nominee’s commitment to
The clerk will call the roll. resulted in them representing our great respond to requests to appear and tes-
The bill clerk called the roll. State and country on this world stage. tify before any duly constituted com-
sradovich on DSKJLST7X2PROD with CONG-REC-ONLINE
Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Four-time Olympic medalist Hilary mittee of the Senate.
Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Knight, of Sun Valley, once again com-
f
CASEY), the Senator from West Vir- peted with distinction on the U.S.
ginia (Mr. MANCHIN), and the Senator women’s hockey team. The team INTRODUCTION OF BILLS AND
from New Hampshire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) earned a silver medal, and Hilary JOINT RESOLUTIONS
are necessarily absent. scored one of the team’s two goals in The following bills and joint resolu-
Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is the final game. In the 2022 Olympic tions were introduced, read the first
necessarily absent: the Senator from Games, she scored her 12th career and second times by unanimous con-
Alaska (Mr. SULLIVAN). Olympic goals, becoming the second sent, and referred as indicated:
The result was announced—yeas 50, leading scorer in U.S. Olympics Wom- By Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr.
nays 46, as follows: en’s Hockey history. With 15 career DAINES, Mr. LEE, and Mr. BOOKER):
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