John Boozman

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the Boozman amendment to the resolution be considered and agreed to; the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; the Boozman amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 682 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I further ask that the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2502 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 1418 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 432, H.R. 1492.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 127, which was received from the House.

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be consider made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 510, H.R. 3153.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. BOOZMAN. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute be withdrawn, the Wicker substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to, and the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. The Chair, on behalf of the President pro tempore, upon the recommendation of the Majority Leader, pursuant to Public Law 116- 113, and in consultation with the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, appoints the following individuals to the Independent Mexico Labor Expert Board: Kyle Fortson of the District of Columbia and Charlotte Ponticelli of Maryland.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a significant legislative victory the Senate delivered for women veterans that will eliminate barriers to care and services that many women face when accessing the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA estimates that women make up approximately 10 percent of our Nation's veteran population. That number is expected to increase to more than 16 percent within the next 25 years. As a result, the number of women veterans receiving healthcare from the VA has more than tripled since 2000. The changing face of our military requires us to reexamine how we can best serve these veterans. The VA has been slow to modernize its delivery of healthcare and benefits to support their needs. Women veterans are more likely to face homelessness, unemployment, and go without needed medical healthcare. They are reluctant to turn to the VA for help. More than 50 percent of women veterans believe they are not entitled to or eligible for VA care. We must do more to fulfill our promise. We need to create a culture at the VA that welcomes women veterans and makes them feel like they belong. It is long overdue, and we need to update the belief that when a women seeks care at the VA, it is because her husband is the veteran. So often, it is not uncommon for a veteran employee to pass a woman in line and ask, you know, is her husband around. Arkansans have shared with me suggestions for improvement that include: expanding care options women can access at the VA to reduce the need for referrals to community care, increasing trained medical professionals who specialize in women's health issues, and enhancing privacy in exam rooms. These are reasonable steps that the VA can implement to ensure equitable access to services. The good news is, we are one step closer to making these upgrades a reality, thanks to Senate passage of the Deborah Sampson Act. The Veterans' Affairs ranking committee member, Jon Tester, and I introduced this legislation, fittingly, named after a Revolutionary War veteran who disguised herself as a man to help defeat the British. In her spirit, we must do more to address the gender disparities at the VA. We used the recommendations we heard from veterans in Arkansas, Montana, and all across the country to develop our legislation to eliminate the barriers to care. The Deborah Sampson Act creates a dedicated Office of Women's Health at the VA, expands the reintegration and readjustment group, counseling retreats for women veterans and their families, and improves call center services. It increases the number of gender-specific providers and coordinators in VA facilities, trains clinicians, and retrofits VA facilities to bolster privacy and improve the environment. It provides access to legal services for women veterans and expands childcare for veterans receiving healthcare at the VA. These are just a few of the improvements this bill requires the VA to implement so we can better serve the needs of women veterans. I appreciate the leadership of Senator Tester and the support of veterans service organizations and encourage Members of Congress to support this legislation. I applaud the Senate for advancing the legislation and urge my colleagues in the House of Representatives to quickly approve this bill so we can ensure women who serve in uniform receive the care and services that they so earned. Also, as always, I want to thank the staffs of myself and Senator Tester who worked so hard in this regard, and, simply, this would not have become law without their tremendous efforts. So, with that, I yield the floor.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I rise today with my friend and colleague from Arkansas to honor Helena-West Helena Police Officer Travis Wallace, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty on Thursday, November 12. Officer Wallace was trying to apprehend a suspect wanted in connection with a violent crime the previous week. Using his patrol car to block the exit of the parking lot where he spotted the suspect in the vehicle, he was fired on. Officer Wallace returned fire but was struck during the gunfight. Officer Wallace was targeted because he was a law enforcement officer in pursuit of justice. This is a somber reminder of the dangers police officers and other members of the law enforcement community face every day. They do so willingly, not knowing the challenges they will experience when they leave the comforts of their homes and their loved ones. Officer Wallace served with professionalism and dedication during his 10 years in law enforcement. For half his career, he worked for the Helena-West Helena Police Department, where he demonstrated his passion and commitment for helping those in need. The Helena-West Helena police chief described Officer Wallace as an ambitious leader who was eager to help the community. Another fellow officer applauded his influence on his career and thanked him for the skills he taught his brothers in blue that have helped better protect that community. The outpouring of support from the Helena-West Helena residents, citizens across Arkansas, and the members of the law enforcement community has given the police department strength, as members mourn the loss of this brave officer. I join with all Arkansans in expressing our gratitude for Officer Wallace's service and his sacrifice. We celebrate his life and example of courageous, selfless public service. May his family, including his son Travis Junior, find peace in knowing their loved one lived and died a true American hero. I yield to my colleague, Senator Cotton.

Mr. BOOZMAN

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I rise to honor the United Nations World Food Programme, which is receiving the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize today. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to those ``who shall have done the most, or the best work, for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.'' The World Food Programme, WFP, the largest humanitarian organization focused on eliminating global hunger and increasing food security, truly embodies those ideals. The organization was awarded the honor for ``its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas, and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.'' Those efforts, when put into numbers, show just what an enormous impact WFP has as a last line of defense between hungry people and starvation. Each year, the organization provides more than 15 billion meals to 100 million people in more than 80 countries. It was the world's largest nongovernmental provider of school meals, reaching 18 million children in 59 countries in last year. The logistical challenges of accomplishing this goal may seem overwhelming to most but not to the WFP. The organization has it down to a science. WFP's 18,000 staff has over 5,000 trucks, 120 aircraft, and 20 ships on the move daily, bringing food to those who need it most. The WFP's executive director, David Beasley, is a good friend of mine. His commitment to serving a higher calling is inspirational. I couldn't be more pleased that the spotlight is pointed on the work of the WFP under David's dedicated leadership. David will be the first to tell you that despite this honor, the WFP's work is far from complete. After the announcement, he said, ``The good news is we're feeding 80 million people on any given day in 80 countries. The bad news is it's getting worse out there--the famine, the droughts, the conflicts.'' While that assessment is spot-on, I would add one more factor to the list, the coronavirus pandemic. According to the WFP, the COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to double the number of people facing acute hunger to 270 million people. It may also lead to emergence of famine in multiple countries. The pandemic makes the lifesaving work of the WFP all that much more vital. In a world where 60 percent of people suffering from chronic hunger live in countries affected by violence, additional nutritional access constraints only serve to make food a more powerful weapon of war. The WFP's efforts to overcome that challenge and bring food to the hungry in conflict zones makes the organization well-deserved of the honor of a Nobel Peace Prize. Eliminating hunger at home and abroad takes an all-hands-on-deck approach. It requires leaders with visionary solutions and supporting team members who are willing to put in the hard work to bring about meaningful change. David Beasley and his team at the WFP embody these principles. I congratulate them and offer my continued support as we work together toward a world where hunger is no longer an issue.