Sherrod Brown

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I will not go long before the rollcall vote because I know how this place works. So thank you.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate the board, staff, and supporters of Growing Hope Globally as they celebrate their commitment to putting their Christian faith into practice by helping end hunger globally. Every day, Growing Hope Globally implements grassroots solutions to hunger that link rural communities in the U.S. with smallholder farmers in developing countries. Specifically, farmers in the United States tithe a portion of their crops to combatting global hunger. Their work makes a difference for so many people, both in the United States and around the world. This small nonprofit with big ambitions began with the compassion of two Ohio farmers and their friends who wanted to put their faith into action and help build a better world. Over the past 25 years, Growing Hope Globally has expanded from just one project in Stryker, OH, started by Vernon and Carol Sloan, to supporting projects in 21 different States that have served more than 2.2 million people. Vernon and Carol's idea was simple but powerful: fund agricultural development programs that support small farmers and rural communities through grassroots farmer-to-farmer assistance. I am inspired by the farmers in Ohio and across the Nation who invest their profits in agricultural development projects that support small farmers in countries facing hunger and food insecurity. Just last year, Growing Hope Globally hosted 130 U.S. projects. They oversaw 47 agricultural development programs in 30 countries, and they helped more than 200,000 people find lasting solutions to hunger. I am sure my Senate colleagues join me in congratulating Growing Hope Globally's 25-year journey. I look forward to supporting this important organization, and seeing all you will accomplish in the next 25 years.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Sharon Cohen, who retires this week from the Senate Dining Room. Over her almost three decades here, Ms. Cohen has left a lasting impression on a number of my colleagues and guests who have visited the dining room, including my children and grandchildren and the whole Senate dining team. Ms. Cohen has seen Senators come and go from this building. She has been here longer than most of my colleagues. She has been here longer than I have. I always look forward to seeing Ms. Cohen. She is always welcoming. She is always gracious. She makes an effort to get to know not just every Senator but every guest who comes through the doors regardless of whom they walked in with, regardless of their political affiliation. In a place where at times relationships can be tested and debate can be intense, Ms. Cohen always made Senate dining a welcoming place. It is clear to anyone who has met Ms. Cohen that she cares deeply for the people in her life--her family, her colleagues, her guests. She seems to always be thinking about what is best for others. Among her colleagues, Ms. Cohen is known for being steady and reliable and, most importantly, for her generous spirit. She is always helping whomever she can, however she can. She never asks for anything in return. Her colleagues shared that they don't think they have ever met anyone who works harder than she, and when she finishes her work, she helps everyone who needs it. She is a team player. She is a hard worker. Maybe most important, she has made a difference for so many people. Maybe all of us, my colleagues and I, can learn from that. The workers in these jobs often don't get a lot of recognition. They are too often ignored. Yet they are every bit as important to the Senate as the people on the Senate floor. She brings a dignity to this job--the same kind of dignity as a carpenter who is proud of her work or a sheet metal worker who is proud of his work or someone who works in manufacturing, someone who works in a veterans hospital, someone who provides home care--because all work has dignity, as she understands. Ms. Cohen is a treasured member of staff and of this institution. As her colleagues shared, they are sad to see her leave. While they know things will not be the same without her, they share Ms. Cohen's excitement for her next chapter. In retirement, she plans to spend time with her daughter and help care for her granddaughter. I know she will be missed by the Senate dining team. I know we will all miss seeing her. And I appreciate not just her work but the work of all people who serve in this body in all kinds of capacities. Ms. Cohen, thank you. I wish you a long, joyous retirement spent with your granddaughter. Congratulations.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize longtime friend Amy Kaplan, who retired this month after a long career of service. For the past 17 years, Amy has led the Jewish Federation of Cleveland as the vice president of external affairs. She has been a staunch advocate for Cleveland's vibrant Jewish community on a range of issues. I was speaking to the Ambassador from Israel today, Ambassador Herzog, about the vibrancy and the reach of the Cleveland Jewish community; how proud I was to have interacted with them for so many years. Amy, herself, followed in her parents' footsteps when she joined the Federation. Her mother was a staff member, and her father volunteered there often. Amy shares their commitment to their community and to their faith. Her work has made a difference for so many Clevelanders in the communities the Federation serves--those who are too often overlooked and those who too often don't have a voice in our government. She has worked with me and my staff to combat anti-Semitism, strengthen Federal resources for our seniors, and to protect Medicaid from cuts. She led advocacy efforts on bail reform, voting rights, and gun violence, and oversees the Federation's community relations work. Amy has ensured that the issues most important to the Cleveland Jewish community are on the agenda. She has been recognized over and over for her dedication to the community. She was named a ``Difference Maker'' by the Cleveland Jewish News, and she did it while caring for a family. I hope in retirement, Amy will get to spend even more time with her husband Ira and their children and grandchildren. Amy will be missed at the Federation. I am confident this won't be the end of her work with the Jewish community and won't be the end of her positive impact on Northeast Ohio. In his letter from the Birmingham jail, Dr. King wrote: Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability. Now, those were Dr. King's words, I would add, Progress rolls in because of advocates and activists like Amy Kaplan who listen, who learn, who work with communities to make a difference. Congratulations, Amy, on your well-earned retirement. Thank you, again, for your service to our community and to our State and wish you the best in your retirement. We look forward to working with your team to keep pushing for these important priorities and to make sure that Cleveland's and all of Ohio's Jewish community continues to have a voice in our government. I yield the floor.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the following interns in Senator Kelly's office be granted floor privileges today, July 25: Andras Deak, Ayden Clytus, Eden Wein, Tony Ruan, Keiko Tani, Melissa Moreno, Samara Klotz, Soyun Cho, Violet Barnett.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, it is my honor today to rise in support of Rachel Bloomekatz to serve as a judge on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. People often think of the courts, especially the circuit courts--this comes from a nonlawyer, keep in mind--as something like an ivory tower, detached from everyday people's lives. We know the decisions judges make affect Ohio's workplaces and affect Ohioans in their paychecks and in their own personal freedom about how to live their lives. That is why it matters so much whom we promote to these important jobs. We want our brightest talent. We need our brightest talent on the bench. We need thoughtful judges--thoughtful judges who adhere to the highest ethical standards, who follow the letter and the spirit of the law. We need judges who are compassionate, capable of recognizing and understanding the many different perspectives of the people who will come into their courtrooms. And we need judges with wisdom and with a love for our country's core values. Rachel Bloomekatz will be all of those things. She will protect the rights of all Americans, not just the powerful and the privileged-- something, unfortunately, we see far too much of in the Nation's highest courts. Ms. Bloomekatz brings with her not only impressive legal credentials but the empathy, the intellect, and the deep commitment to justice required to serve the people of the Sixth Circuit. Rachel had an impressive academic career, to be sure. She clerked for highly respected judges on the State supreme court, in the Federal district, and in circuit levels, and she clerked on the U.S. Supreme Court. Rachel has a robust and successful litigation practice where she has advanced the cause of justice. Throughout her career, Ms. Bloomekatz sat on both sides of the table. She represented people across the ideological spectrum. She has represented companies and consumers. She has argued on behalf of the government and for the rights of private citizens. She has been recognized for the breadth of her practice, which includes work on both civil and criminal matters, both types of cases she will see as a judge on the Sixth Circuit. She has worked with women's groups, and she has worked with veterans groups, seeking justice for women harmed while giving birth on Active Duty at military hospitals. She helped to represent our colleague Senator Marco Rubio with an amicus brief, arguing in support of his legislation providing protections for victims of human trafficking. Don't just take it from me. Listen to the chorus of people from all across the ideological and political spectrum who enthusiastically support Rachel Bloomekatz's nomination. Twenty fellow Supreme Court clerks, including several Scalia clerks and Kavanaugh clerks, wrote to the Judiciary Committee saying: We hold diverse opinions on many areas of law. We are united in our view, though, that Rachel is an extraordinary nominee who will uphold the best traditions and defining attributes of the Federal courts, the rule of law, equal justice, fidelity, and the Constitution. They are joined by 25 Ohio appellate lawyers--again, from across the political and ideological spectrum--who also wrote in support. They said: Some of us will no doubt disagree with some of the opinions Rachel will author or join on in the Sixth Circuit. We are united, though, in urging the Judiciary Committee and the United States Senate to confirm her to the Sixth Circuit. The letter goes on: Rachel has the right temperament to serve as an Article III judge, and her intelligence, diligence, and respect for the rule of law will make her an excellent addition to the Sixth Circuit. Perhaps Ms. Bloomekatz's most powerful endorsement is from the judges already on the Sixth Circuit who have appointed her to represent clients in serious cases with fundamental rights at stake. Ms. Bloomekatz is supported by Jewish leaders who represent the breadth and diversity of Ohio's Jewish community--Eric Fingerhut, former Member of the House, the president and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America; Howie Beigelman, the executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities, who recently brought a group of his colleagues to Washington, last week, to talk to Members of the Ohio delegation in both parties about the evil scourge of anti-Semitism. Rabbi Kanter, Rachel's rabbi when she was a child in Nashville, said: Rachel's deep values, informed by her Biblical faith, have led to her compassion for people and her commitment to justice and to the law. I can think of no better endorsement than that. I can think of no better candidate to serve the States of the Sixth Circuit--my State of Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, and Tennessee. There is no better candidate than Rachel Bloomekatz. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Rachel Bloomekatz's confirmation.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great economist, a trailblazer, and a friend of mine: Dr. Bill Spriggs. Bill was born here in Washington, DC, to a professor and a schoolteacher. He shared his parents' love of learning and went on to attend Williams College for his undergraduate degree and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for his PhD in economics. Bill began his career in academia and brought a new lens to economic policy: calling attention to the role of race in our economy. Over the years, Bill mentored thousands of students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, Norfolk State University, and Howard University. Bill was committed to lifting up all voices in his classroom and helping all students, especially people of color, advance in a field dominated by White men. As Assistant Secretary of Labor during the Obama administration, Bill worked on a number of issues from trade to minimum wage, to racial disparities in the labor market. Bill then transitioned to be chief economist at the AFL-CIO, where he was a frequent and outspoken advocate for workers, in particular Black workers. Over his career of service, Bill's advocacy and policy expertise made a difference for so many. It is simple: Workers are better off because of Bill. And his impact extends far beyond the impressive roles he held; at every step of his career, Bill challenged his colleagues to consider how systemic racism in our economy hurts working families of color. In the summer of 2020, following the murder of George Floyd, Bill published a powerful open letter to his fellow economists where he criticized the field's approach to race as a factor in the economy. He called on economists to reflect on and rethink how they study race. And he asked that they commit to creating policies that uplift workers of color and their families. The letter served as a starting point for discussion about the Fed's role in economic inequality. His work shaped the national conversation. He found that Black workers were disproportionately hurt by import shocks to the economy, like NAFTA and Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China. His work reminded us that just as we were starting to create more jobs that support the middle class like manufacturing and make them more open to Black workers, our country's trade policy enabled the shipment of those jobs overseas. The work that we have to do now to rebuild our country with a real pro-American pro-worker industrial strategy that is finally inclusive to all stands on his shoulders. It is up to all of us to continue that conversation and uphold Bill's legacy. On a personal note, I had the privilege of working with Bill a number of times over the years. He testified before the Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Committee at least four times since I took over as the lead Democrat. Each time, Bill testified about policies that would help workers. He offered his support for COVID relief packages to get families through the pandemic. And he stood up for communities and people that have been overlooked by economic policy for far too long. Bill offered thoughtful counsel; he took time to talk to my staff and share his expertise. He was kind, thoughtful, and a brilliant economist. Bill understood that worker rights are intertwined with civil rights. And above all, he was committed to fighting for the dignity of work; he and I shared a goal that, one day, hard work will pay off for everyone no matter who you are or what you do. May we all follow Bill's example to dedicate our lives to service, to push toward that goal until every worker can count on the dignity of work. Our thoughts are with the Spriggs' family and with all those who knew and loved Bill.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments of two Ohioans from Duncan Falls, Brad Ryan and his grandmother, Joy Ryan. Together, they visited every National Park--all 63 of them--and they set a world record along the way. Joy is the oldest woman to visit every National Park. It took them 8 years and brought them new adventures all over the country. In 2015, Brad invited Joy to camp and hike with him in the Smokey Mountains. Joy was 85 at the time and accepted the challenge. She had never been to a mountain before, and when they reached the top, she remembers a group of college kids cheering for them. This was just the beginning. Over the past 8 years, they have ziplined at the New River Gorge in West Virginia, where Joyce broke the record for the oldest person to complete the course. They whitewater rafted at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska. At the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, Joy even rolled down a sand dune. Their final trip, to National Park of American Samoa, took them 6,700 miles from their home in Duncan Falls, OH. Brad didn't set out to take his grandmother to every National Park; he knew she hadn't seen mountains or deserts or oceans, and he wanted to make sure she had the chance to experience all the natural wonder our country has to offer. Along the way, they accomplished something remarkable. Congratulations.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and congratulating the Center for Science and Industry-- COSI--on their National Medal for Museum and Library Science. It is an outstanding achievement and a testament to the work COSI educators, curators, and support staff do. It wouldn't have been possible without their dedication and service. COSI staff engages Ohio's next generation of thinkers, leaders, and problem solvers. They spark students' interest in the sciences and in technology with hands-on learning and interesting exhibits and inspire them to become the leaders who will continue our State's proud tradition of leadership in innovation for decades to come. I am grateful for all COSI does for the Columbus community, and I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating these Ohioans on this achievement.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing and congratulating the Toledo Lucas County Public Library on their National Medal for Museum and Library Science. It is an outstanding achievement and a testament to the work the librarians and support staff do. It wouldn't have been possible without their dedication and service. The Toledo Lucas County Public Library educates and engages Ohioans of all ages by creating spaces where everyone can broaden their horizons with books, technology, and innovative classes. Their commitment to helping kids learn to read is building Ohio's next generation of thinkers, leaders, and problem solvers. One day these students will be the leaders writing our State's next chapter. I am grateful for all they do for the Toledo community, and I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating these Ohioans on this achievement.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I rise to urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the nomination of Dr. Jared Bernstein to be Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, or CEA. Dr. Bernstein is highly qualified, with close to four decades of economic experience. He has devoted his career to working on economic policies that ensure growth reaches all Americans, fighting to make our economy fairer--something there is a lot of talk about in here but not enough action. Since the beginning of the Biden administration, he served as a member of CEA. Before that, his experience, again, tells the story. He served in various senior-level roles inside and outside government-- chief economist and economic policy adviser to then-Vice President Biden; Deputy Chief Economist, Department of Labor; a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities; economist at the Economic Policy Institute--all the kinds of qualifications that feed into this job. Dr. Bernstein is widely respected by his peers from both sides of the aisle. I want to really make that clear. Before his nomination hearing--and I chair the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, from which he came. Before that hearing, seven--seven--former CEA chairs--the only one that didn't is long, long, long retired. I don't know if he was even asked. But seven former CEA chairs, who served in Republican administrations, wrote to the committee in support of his nomination. Three of them served under President Trump. Think of that. Seven Republican former CEA chairs--still Republicans, most of them, much more conservative than Jared Bernstein--they all wrote a letter together, initiated by one of the Trump nominees, one of the Trump CEA chairs, Kevin Hassett. He led the effort. He told the New York Times: I disagree with Jared about a lot, and Jared and I have been disagreeing about things for 20 years. But he really is a fundamentally good person who tries to figure things out with an open mind, and [sometimes he] changes his mind. That is really all you want from a CEA chair. Again, President Trump's chief economist said that Jared Bernstein has an open mind and changes his mind. That is precisely the kind of openness to ideas from anyone, of any party or point of view, that we should all want in an economic adviser. Despite Dr. Bernstein's years of experience, despite his impeccable credentials, and despite receiving support from seven--I believe the most recent seven--former CEA chairs serving in Republican administrations, my Republican colleagues on the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee all voted no to Jared Bernstein. Now, the decision to vote against his nomination is partisanship for the sake of partisanship, and I will give you an example. This sort of tells the whole story, Mr. President. The Banking and Housing Committee has a tradition of members voting for the President's pick. This isn't the Secretary of the Treasury. This isn't the Secretary of Labor. There are major disagreements. This isn't the head of the EPA. This is essentially the President's personal economic adviser. So regardless of ideology, we support that, as I did--and I will get to that in a second--with the Trump nominees. Whom the President picks, we support in this body. It is one of the good traditions of the Senate. Not all traditions are good here. That is one of the good traditions of the Senate. In 2017, I voted for Kevin Hassett, President Trump's nominee to serve as CEA Chair. I wasn't wild about Kevin Hassett. I liked him as a person. I wasn't wild about his ideology. He much too much believed that if you cut taxes on rich people and you give corporations all these tax breaks, it will trickle down and grow the economy. I didn't buy that. I still don't buy that. We saw that huge tax cut. All it did was make rich people richer, make corporations move jobs overseas more quickly. It never trickles down to help middle-class workers. It never honors the dignity of work. We know that, but, nonetheless, because the President of the United States, duly elected, picked him as his Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers and Kevin Hassett was honest, he was credentialed--he just was wrong on issues, but that shouldn't stop us from supporting for that position. In 2021, Pat Toomey, the ranking member of the Housing, Banking, and Urban Affairs Committee, voted for Cecelia Rouse, President Biden's CEA nomination. The way I voted for a more conservative economist than I wanted, Senator Toomey voted for a more liberal economist than he wanted because she was qualified, she was credentialed, and she was an honest person. Next step: The Senate confirmed both of them--Dr. Hassett's nomination, 81 to 16. I led our side of the aisle, with my fellow Democrats here, in an overwhelming--only 16 of them voted against, out of 48 or 49 then, because I stood in the committee and said: We owe this to the White House. The tradition is such in the Senate that you support the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Dr. Rouse's nomination passed 95 to 4. Senator Toomey did the same. So we all used to agree in this body until somebody made it much more partisan. Never before in this nomination was there this kind of partisanship. We have agreed that the President is entitled to have his choice of CEA Chair. I see no reason why that should change today. Dr. Bernstein's Republican peers and Democratic peers all came together and supported him. There is no reason the Senate shouldn't, in that same bipartisan fashion, vote to confirm his nomination. There are no really good reasons at all to do that. I urge my colleagues to support Dr. Jared Bernstein's nomination to be Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the vote scheduled at 5 p.m. begin immediately.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, there is no better place in the entire United States than Ohio for the Space Command Headquarters and their additional units. Our State is ready to lead our military into the next frontier. And I rise because I don't know that my colleagues think--I understand we all care about our own States, but I don't know that they think enough about how my State has been for decades--literally decades--in many ways, the premier aerospace State in this country. The Wright Brothers are from Ohio, American heroes like John Glenn, and Neil Armstrong. The story of modern aviation was written in Ohio. Our State continues to lead the country in aerospace innovation and in military service. We have nearly a million veterans in Ohio, and I would like to call out--it is not really the purpose of the speech--but call out one veteran in particular. My mother is from Mansfield, GA; my dad is from Mansfield, OH. And my dad went off to war, and my mother came to Washington to help in the war effort. My dad, when he came back from overseas, went to a soldiers' dance at the Mayflower Hotel, and my dad met my mom at that soldiers' dance--one from Georgia, one from Ohio. And my daughter, who runs the YWCA in Columbus, was in town last night, and we decided to have dinner at the Mayflower Hotel. I am sure it looks very different. It wasn't a soldiers' dance, but it was fun to celebrate my parents and her grandparents. Back to the subject directly on aerospace, on Space Command, think about the military installations we have across my State. We have Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, of course, but the Air Force Research Lab and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center and the Space Force's National Space Intelligence Center. We are home to the 88th Air Base Wing of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, where they support our military aircraft, engines, munitions, electronics, and cyber weapon systems. We have the Air Force Materiel Command that keeps Air Force weapons systems ready for war. Wright-Patterson has been a leader in military aviation development since the time of airplane inventors like the Wright brothers. It is positioned to lead us into the future. Just 150 miles away is NASA Glenn Research Center--one of only 10 in the country--at Lewis Field in Cleveland, and a few miles west in Sandusky, near Lake Eerie, is the NASA Armstrong Test Facility. These are facilities researching and developing and testing innovative technologies, taking us to the next frontier. We have the 178th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group at the Springfield Air National Guard Base. We have our Air Guard and Reserve bases--Toledo, Springfield, my hometown of Mansfield. It makes sense to base our country's space military leadership near these important assets that make Ohio the right location for both the U.S. Space Command headquarters and additional Space Force units. Think about the opportunity for collaboration here. Having Space Command located alongside the Air Force Research Lab will assist in the creation of new space technologies and capabilities. The NASIC at Wright-Patt is already the Space Force's intelligence center. Close proximity to NASA Glenn and Armstrong Testing Facility in northern Ohio will allow Space Command and Space Force to benefit from their unmatched experience and expertise in space missions. The Armstrong Testing Facility performs specialized research and testing that can't be done--that can't be done anywhere else in the world. Locating Space Command and additional Space Force assets in Ohio also means that the world's leading trade schools, research universities, Federal laboratories in Ohio, to our east Pennsylvania, to our north Michigan, to our west Indiana, to our south Kentucky and Tennessee, and Illinois are nearby, ready to work together to provide a pipeline of workers to be on the frontline of the next frontier of modern warfare. This proximity is, pure and simple, Mr. President, unmatched. Ohio alone has a network of world-class research universities and community colleges--14 4-year public universities and their 24 branch campuses, 23 2-year community and technical colleges, nearly 60 4-year private universities. Moving Space Command and Space Force units here would be good for the military, good for Ohio, good for our national economy. Ohioans know how important aerospace sector jobs are to our State. There is a direct line that runs from GE Aviation in Cincinnati through the base and aerospace companies in Dayton and around Columbus and up to NASA in Cleveland, touching thousands of Ohioans, reaching every region of our great State. With the CHIPS Act, we are bringing 10,000 good-paying, high-tech jobs to central Ohio making semiconductors. If you don't think this plays a role in our national security, ask the Chinese Communist Party if they would rather the chips for our cars, phones, missiles, planes, and satellites be made overseas. We are finally correcting that. We finally understood as a nation that we can't continue to outsource manual labor. We finally understand that chips should be made here-- they were invented here and should be made here; that light bulbs invented here should be made here; that steel, where we led the world, is coming back and building our bridges and all that we should be doing. We are already the center of the country for aerospace jobs. We are going to be a major hub for semiconductors and manufacturing. Locating our space military leadership near the domestic hub of both semiconductors and aerospace innovation is good for Ohio's economy, and it makes sense for our military. The military challenges of the future demand that our servicemembers have the most innovative, cutting-edge technology. Ohio and the entire Midwest make that technology. It is not a partisan issue, Mr. President. It is not ideological either. We have always worked together to support and grow these jobs and to invest in Ohio's military installations. This is no different. Ohio representatives from both sides of the aisle support this effort. This letter is led on the Senate side by me and on the House side by Republican David Joyce from northern Ohio. Together we call on the President to bring new space missions to Ohio. It is simple: Ohio stands ready to meet the space-related national security challenges the United States faces now and in the future. It is how you bury the term ``Rust Belt.'' We bury it with the Air Force Research Laboratory. We bury it with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center. We bury it with the National Space Intelligence Center. We are burying it with NASA. We are going to bury it with U.S. Space Command and U.S. Space Force coming to Ohio. Nomination of Molly R. Silfen

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I rise in opposition to the amendment. I take a back seat to no one when it comes to standing up to China. Lindsey Graham and I have been fighting to close the trade deficit for decades. I went to junior high at Johnny Appleseed Junior High in Mansfield, OH, with the sons and daughters of machinists and IUE members and steelworkers and auto workers and carpenters and millwrights and plumbers and pipefitters and operating engineers. Ten years later, most of these jobs were gone, and so much of industrial America all over the country has been lost because of bad trade policy with China. But do you know? The People's Republic of China would love for us to pass this amendment because, if it passes, the United States of America will default, and they will be rejoicing in Beijing. Stand up to China. Vote no on this amendment. Vote on Amendment No. 93

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, each year during Police Week, we honor the law enforcement officials who make the ultimate sacrifice in service to their communities, to our State, and to our country. This year, we will add the names of five Ohioans to the National Law Enforcement Memorial, all who laid their lives down last year: Deputy Sheriff Daniel Kin, Deputy Sheriff Matthew Eugene Yates, Police Officer Dominic Francis, Agent John Dale Stayrook, Deputy Sheriff Terrence Nicholas Bate. Sadly, we already know of one more name that will be added to the memorial next year: Officer Timothy James Unwin III of the Springfield Township Police Department. Each one of these losses is a tragedy for a family, for a community, for their fellow officers. These Ohioans' lives are a reminder of the ideals we should strive for. We need officers who are true public servants in the best sense of the word, people who give themselves to their communities. And these Ohioans gave so much. In their memory, I want to reminisce for a moment about each of them and tell my colleagues why this is so important and who these public servants were. Deputy Sheriff Daniel J. Kin was a devoted husband and father to two young children. He was known for his easygoing personality and being a colleague and friend whom everyone could count on. Deputy Kin was a Sandusky native--a community on Lake Erie--and helped his father run their family farm in his free time. He gave his life while serving as deputy sheriff at the Wyandot County Sheriff's Office. Deputy Matthew Eugene Yates served his community for 15 years at the Clark County Sheriff's Office as a member of their special operations team. His colleagues remember Deputy Yates for his joy but also his strength and his bravery. He mentored younger deputies and children in their community. Our thoughts are with his wife, his daughter, his stepsons, and his father, who also served in the Clark County Sheriff's Office--a long history of public service in that family. Police Officer Dominic M. Francis grew up in Bluffton, OH, and returned home to join the Bluffton Police Department after playing football at the University of Findlay and serving at the Findlay Police Department and the Hancock County Sheriff's Office. Officer Francis received the Officer of the Year award twice, multiple letters of commendation, the Chief's Leadership Award, and the Bluffton Police Department Lifesaving Award. He was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers as Top Cop and earned the Ohio EMS Star of Life multiple times. He loved spending time with his wife and two children at Indian Lake and served in law enforcement for 19 years. In honor of his memory, a portion of I-95 that runs near Bluffton has been renamed the ``Officer Dominic Francis Memorial Highway.'' Agent John Dale Stayrook was a dedicated husband, father, and grandfather and devoted to the communities he served. He worked with the Medina County Drug Task Force, Northeast Ohio, and the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency, serving for 19 years. He enjoyed woodworking and spending time in nature with his family and his friends. In February 2022, Agent Stayrook passed away after contracting COVID- 19 in the line of duty. Deputy Terrance Nicholas Bateman was a Cleveland native and--it is difficult--often a Cleveland sports fan who served with Franklin County Sheriff's Office for 25 years. Deputy Sheriff Bateman was well- respected and adored in his community. He supported his colleagues and always had a kind word to offer. He loved cooking for family and friends--his wife, his five daughters, and two sons and two brothers. We can't begin to repay the debt we owe these officers and all these families, but we can work to protect more officers in the communities they swear an oath to serve. That is why I am working with colleagues of both parties on legislation to support law enforcement as they do their jobs. I am joined by Arkansas Republican Senator Cotton to reintroduce our Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act to protect first responders when they encounter dangerous substances like fentanyl on the job. We introduced the Providing Officers With Electronic Resources Act to help State and local law enforcement organizations secure high-tech, portable screening devices to detect fentanyl--similar equipment and detection devices that our men and women serving us at the border have. Our law enforcement officers are on the frontlines of the addiction crisis. They are dealing with evermore dangerous forms of fentanyl on the job. It is why I work with Members of both parties on a plan to target the illicit fentanyl supply chain, from the chemical suppliers in China to the cartels that transport the drugs in Mexico. I am pleased the Presiding Officer today is someone who has great expertise in that, representing his State of New Mexico in that part of the world. I will keep fighting to make sure police officers can retire with dignity. My bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act will ensure that Social Security benefits will be there when officers retire from a life of dedicated service--officers who pay into the State retirement system but also paid into Social Security. I will work to ensure first responders have the support they need to cope with stresses of responding to crisis situations. This Police Week, let's offer law enforcement officials and public servants more than empty words. Let's honor the memory of these women and men who laid down their lives and served their communities by getting their fellow officers the tools and training they need to do their jobs and to build trust with communities they are sworn to protect. I yield the floor.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Madam President, it is a privilege to extend my congratulations to Jolene Molitoris as APTA honors Jolene for her extraordinary career and achievements for the public with APTA's Lifetime Achievement Award. My partnership with Jolene goes back decades, to our early work together in State government in Ohio when Jolene served on the staff of the Ohio Rail Transportation Authority. I introduced Jolene at her Senate confirmation hearing in 1993 for Federal Railroad Administrator, the first woman ever to head that Agency. Jolene went on to become the longest serving FRA Administrator. Jolene blazed more firsts when in 2009 Ohio Governor Ted Strickland appointed her as the first woman to lead the Ohio Department of Transportation, and in that role, she also chaired the Ohio Rail Development Commission. Recognized by WTS as Woman of the Year in 1995, Jolene has helped boost the women transportation stars who shine today, in addition to her own achievements. While at FRA, she served on the Amtrak board of directors when Amtrak launched the Acela in the Northeast Corridor, promoted rail revitalization with innovative new investment programs, and expanded the number of contracts her agency awarded to women-owned businesses to new Federal highs. At ODOT, Jolene oversaw ODOT's largest construction budget ever to that time and secured $400 million to bring robust rail service back to Ohio. Jolene's absolute passion for safety has meant the most. As recent tragic events in Ohio have again unfortunately demonstrated, safety demands unwavering commitment. At FRA and ODOT, Jolene urged Vision Zero, that we must passionately pursue zero incidents and zero casualties. She focused her agencies on safety root cause, expanding focus beyond mere blind compliance by the regulated community. During her FRA tenure, the railroad industry achieved 7 of the safest years to that time. Nearly 30 ago in 1996, Jolene brought together rail labor, rail management, and other stakeholders to form the FRA Railroad Safety Advisory Committee to develop new regulatory standards through a consensus process. RSAC continues to operate to this day as one of the few standing negotiated rule-making committees in the Federal Government, offering an elevated voice for rail labor and other advocates in our unceasing pursuit of safety. Jolene's promotion of Transportation safety excellence, rail passenger, and freight investment, of equity and inclusion--her vivid passion to do the right things for the people of Ohio and for our Nation--drive this APTA honor. I am proud to count Jolene as my partner and my friend, and I salute APTA for presenting this Lifetime Achievement Award to a most distinguished leader: Jolene Molitoris.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Madam President, it is an honor to join my colleagues of both parties on the floor today to read one of the greatest pieces of writing of the 20th century, Dr. King's letter from the Birmingham jail. I thank Senators Warnock, Tillis, Casey, Capito, Boozman, and Rosen for joining me. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that after I speak briefly, you will recognize, in this order, Senators Warnock, Tillis, Casey, then me, then Capito, then Boozman, then Rosen.

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, our former colleague, Doug Jones from Alabama, began this bipartisan tradition. It happened in his State, and it is an honor to carry it. Today, we recommit to Dr. King's mission--equal rights for all--to ensuring that every voice is heard and to the dignity of work. On Friday, we marked Workers Memorial Day, when we honor workers killed on the job over the past year and throughout our history. People don't talk enough about what Dr. King was doing when he was assassinated. He was killed in Memphis while fighting for sanitation workers, AFSCME Local 1633, some of the most exploited workers in our country. He traveled there following the death of two sanitation workers on the job. Not only was it a segregated neighborhood in Memphis, but, of course, even the garbage truck was segregated. Two White workers worked in the cab, and two Black workers worked in the back of the truck. They were killed when the truck malfunctioned and crushed them. Dr. King understood the deep connection between workers' rights and civil rights. Speaking to those workers, he said: [W]henever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity and it has worth. . . . All labor has dignity. Until we have equal rights for all and dignity for all workers, our work here remains unfinished. We have a long road left to travel. It is up to us to push our country further along the road. That is the message to me in Dr. King's words in the letter we read today. Just a quick preface of what this letter was about and then we will turn to Reverend Warnock. In April 1963, Dr. King was held in a Birmingham, AL, jail for the supposed crime of leading a series of peaceful protests and boycotts. The goal was to pressure the business community to end discrimination in their hiring for local jobs. Some White ministers from Alabama had taken issue with the boycotts. They told him: Dr. King, slow down. We are supporting you. We are for voting rights, too, but slow down. Don't move too fast. Don't demand too much all at once. Dr. King rejected that premise. It is up to all of us--as citizens, as leaders, as members of our churches in our communities--to get to work to demand justice and equality now, not at some hazy, far-off point in the future that never seems to get here. Dr. King made that point more eloquently and persuasively than any of us ever could. So I will turn to my colleague, the Reverend Senator Warnock.

Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I will continue. I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First, I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to ``order'' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: ``I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action''; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ``more convenient season.'' Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice and that when they fail in this purpose they become the dangerously structured dams that block the flow of social progress. I had hoped that the white moderate would understand that the present tension in the South is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which the Negro passively accepted his unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality. Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive. We bring it out in the open, where it can be seen and dealt with. Like a boil that can never be cured so long as it is covered up but must be opened with all its ugliness to the natural medicines of air and light, injustice must be exposed, with all the tension its exposure creates, to the light of human conscience and the air of national opinion before it can be cured. In your statement you assert that our actions, even though peaceful, must be condemned because they precipitate violence. But is this a logical assertion? Isn't this like condemning a robbed man because his possession of money precipitated the evil act of robbery? Isn't this like condemning Socrates because his unswerving commitment to truth and his philosophical inquiries precipitated the act by the misguided populace in which they made him drink hemlock? Isn't this like condemning Jesus because his unique God consciousness and never ceasing devotion to God's will precipitated the evil act of crucifixion? We must come to see that, as the federal courts have consistently affirmed, it is wrong to urge an individual to cease his efforts to gain his basic constitutional rights because the quest may precipitate violence. Society must protect the robbed and punish the robber. I had also hoped that the white moderate would reject the myth concerning time in relation to the struggle for freedom. I have just received a letter from a white brother in Texas. He writes: ``All Christians know that the colored people will receive equal rights eventually, but it is possible that you are in too great a religious hurry. It has taken Christianity almost two thousand years to accomplish what it has. The teachings of Christ take time to come to earth.'' Such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively. More and more I feel that the people of ill will have used time much more effectively than have the people of good will. We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy and transform our pending national elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. Now is the time to lift our national policy from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of human dignity. You speak of our activity in Birmingham as extreme. At first I was rather disappointed that fellow clergymen would see my nonviolent efforts as those of an extremist. I began thinking about the fact that I stand in the middle of two opposing forces in the Negro community. One is a force of complacency, made up in part of Negroes who, as a result of long years of oppression, are so drained of self respect and a sense of ``somebodiness'' that they have adjusted to segregation; and in part of a few middle-class Negroes who, because of a degree of academic and economic security and because in some ways they profit by segregation, have become insensitive to the problems of the masses. The other force is one of bitterness and hatred, and it comes perilously close to advocating violence. It is expressed in the various black nationalist groups that are springing up across the nation, the largest and best known being Elijah Muhammad's Muslim movement. Nourished by the Negro's frustration over the continued existence of racial discrimination, this movement is made up of people who have lost faith in America, who have absolutely repudiated Christianity, and who have concluded that the white man is an incorrigible ``devil.'' I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the ``do nothingism'' of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. For there is the more excellent way of love and nonviolent protest. I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle. If this philosophy had not emerged, by now many streets of the South would, I am convinced, be flowing with blood. And I am further convinced that if our white brothers dismiss as ``rabble rousers'' and ``outside agitators'' those of us who employ nonviolent direct action, and if they refuse to support our nonviolent efforts, millions of Negroes will, out of frustration and despair, seek solace and security in black nationalist ideologies--a development that would inevitably lead to a frightening racial nightmare.

Mr. BROWN. Thank you, Senator Rosen. Thank you to my colleagues who joined us today to read these powerful words: Senators Warnock, Tillis, Casey, Capito, Boozman, and Rosen. This is a diverse group on the floor today whose States reflect the vibrant and wonderful diversity of our great Nation, from the Deep South to the Mountain West, to the Industrial Midwest. We represent different places. We may disagree on many things, but we love this country. We know we can do better for the people who make it work. Dr. King and the civil rights leaders of his generation did more than just about anyone to push this country to live up to our founding ideals and to make the dream of America real for everyone. Protesting, working for change, organizing, demanding our country do better--those are some of the most patriotic things all of us can do. That is Dr. King's charge in this letter. My favorite single line certainly in this letter and maybe in all of Dr. King's preachings and teachings and writings: ``Progress never rolls in on [the] wheels of inevitability.'' ``Progress never rolls in on [the] wheels of inevitability.'' It rolls in because we make it so. That is our charge. Think about that campaign Dr. King was waging when he was martyred in Memphis. Think about who he was talking to--a union, Sanitation Workers Local 1613, AFSCME. Think of the circumstances. This was a very segregated Memphis. He was in a segregated, White neighborhood. Even the sanitation trucks where these workers were working were segregated. The cab of the truck was two White workers; the back of the truck was doing the actual lifting and picking up garbage--two Black workers. In February, before Dr. King first visited, the garbage truck--there was a torrential downpour in this White, segregated neighborhood. There was nowhere for these Black sanitation workers to go. They crawled in the back of the truck. It malfunctioned and crushed these two workers. That is why Dr. King was in Memphis the first time and the second time. As he wove together worker rights and civil rights and labor rights, he told these workers: What does it profit a man to be able to eat at an integrated lunch counter if he doesn't earn enough money to buy a hamburger and a cup of coffee? Those workers were vital to their community. They worked hard to provide for their families. They were denied fair pay, denied political rights, denied basic safety on the job. Now, the Presiding Officer today is Senator Cortez Masto from Nevada, who has joined in so many efforts on the Senate floor to fight for workers, to fight for the dignity of work, to fight for safety and civil rights and worker rights. It is not a coincidence that the workers who are so often the most exploited are low-income workers, especially Black workers. Until all workers have the dignity they have earned, Dr. King's work will remain unfinished. It means paying all workers a living wage. It means giving them power over their schedules. It means providing good benefits and safety on the job. It means letting them, if they so choose, organize a union. It is about the dignity of work. All workers get a fair share of the wealth they create. When we empower workers, we bring us closer to the society Dr. King envisioned where all labor has dignity.

Mr. BROWN

Mr. BROWN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 152 and S. Res. 185 and that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following Senate resolutions: S. Res. 152, S. Res. 185, S. Res. 192, S. Res. 193, and S. Res. 194.

Mr. BROWN. I know of no further debate on the resolutions en bloc.