Shelley Capito

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to address this Chamber at an increasingly important moment in our Nation's history, to discuss the national security issues that we are currently facing and the ways in which the U.S. Senate can address them. On the floor, over the past several weeks, I have repeatedly called for American leadership in support of our allies abroad and in support of the many challenges that we face here at home. Again, today, I renew that call for American leadership and continue to stress the urgency created by the trials at hand: from the vicious, horrific attacks on our allies in Israel by Hamas to Putin's aggression we see in Europe; from North Korea's brazen nuclear posturing to Iranian militias attacking our men and women overseas in uniform; and, of course, the increasing tensions that we see in the Indo-Pacific, where China continues to threaten stability and to pursue the largest military buildup since World War II. We are currently living in times and are tasked in making decisions that will greatly shape the world in which we and the young people here today will be living in. Our Nation is being tested. Our resolve is being tested. And a country as powerful as ours needs to show strength, clarity, and control that only the United States of America can generate. This is something I have addressed repeatedly with my constituents across West Virginia and something that I am confident they understand and agree with. The Mountain State is incredibly patriotic. We are very proud Americans. Pride in our country and a steadfast belief in the ideals and values that we stand for are invaluable, both now and in our future. I agree with my fellow patriotic West Virginians that this is the greatest country on Earth and that the title requires us to make critical investments in both our own national security and in the security of our allies, before it is too late. It is imperative that Americans across this country recognize this and that we come together as our adversaries attempt to turn us against one another. I am appreciative of the Biden administration for proposing a supplemental appropriations package that addresses key areas of concern that I have talked to, but those key areas of concern that we see across our country and the world. That being said, the administration's supplemental request needs to be recognized for what it is--a request. The Senate must and will have a say in how this is formulated. The Biden administration has not shown the strength it needs to during these challenging times. We need to unabashedly stand with Israel. We need to responsibly support Ukraine as they further deteriorate Putin's military. They are getting back land that they lost. They are regaining it. We need to strengthen our allies and our own defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific. And we may need to make strong changes to policies that have allowed our southern border to remain in chaos for years now. Any response from the Senate must reflect these four categories because they are directly tied to what is in the best interest of our country and our national security. Yesterday, I participated in a Senate Appropriations hearing to examine President Biden's request. This was an important step. It allowed us to grow consensus as we move toward a supplemental that will be crafted by the Senate. I firmly believe that this was one of our most important Appropriations Committee hearings, and I congratulate the chair and the vice chair. This hearing highlighted how investments into the defense of Israel and Ukraine go a long way to strengthening our own defense capabilities and how the lack of deterrence and enforcement at our southern border is creating elevated threats to our national security. This further underscores the importance of responsible relief efforts that need to be included in a response from the Senate. It is critical that a Senate-crafted supplemental address all four areas that I have mentioned and that we provide the tools needed for our allies to win and to strengthen our own defense capabilities, at the same time, in the process. Israel is currently under attack by Hamas and Hezbollah and terrorists who are supported by America's most evil adversaries. American lives have been lost, and far too many innocent families have been left without a home and without their loved ones. Ukraine is facing an unjust and unprovoked ground war, the likes of which we have not seen in generations--nor did we think we would see in this generation. Putin's aggression creates dangers all around the globe. The Ukrainian military is decimating Russia's military strength without putting one American troop in harm's way. Additionally, funding toward Ukraine goes straight into replenishing our own stockpiles with new and more advanced weapons. These are weapons that are made in the U.S.A., for the U.S.A., some of which are made in my home State of West Virginia. Our Indo-Pacific allies remain on heightened alert. I saw this directly when I visited the region last summer. It is irresponsible to neglect the tie between the attacks on Israel, the war in Ukraine, and the security of Taiwan and the increasing aggression from China--and on our southern border, which remains in chaos. President Biden's policies have led to record after record of illegal crossings, with an alarming amount of encounters with individuals on our own country's Terrorist Watch List. I saw where Secretary Mayorkas testified yesterday that 600,000 ``got-aways''--we don't even count them in the over 2 million who were apprehended. This is 600,000 people who are believed to have entered our country without any interdiction at all. We don't know who these people are. We do not just need funding for a border wall; we need substantial changes in policy, as I said earlier, that will strengthen our security and protect our homeland, which has been left under siege for far too long. It is important that Congress and the American public recognize the importance of support across those four categories. The investments will support our own defense industrial base. It will increase the security of the United States. We will support our allies in their time of need, and, most importantly, we will keep U.S. servicemembers from fighting in these battles. Each of these categories is in the direct and best interest of the United States and the security of our homeland and the security of our allies. There is no doubt that now is the time to act. If we fail to meet our obligations in any of the four areas, we weaken the overall impact of all of them. I am confident in the ability of this Chamber to craft a supplemental that meets the growing and urgent national security needs of our country and our world. The time for American leadership is now.

Ms. CAPITO

Ms. CAPITO. Mr. President, West Virginia lost one of its truly beloved sons when G. Ogden Nutting of Wheeling passed away on August 25 at the age of 87. To call him a community leader doesn't come close to capturing the leadership, dedication, and inspiration he provided the city of Wheeling, the State of West Virginia, and the entire Tri-State region of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. I rise today to pay tribute not only to his legacy, but also to the enduring one of his beloved wife, Betty Woods ``Snookie'' Nutting, who survives him. The two of them, both Wheeling Hall of Fame inductees and also Distinguished West Virginians, exhibited the best of West Virginia for seven decades. G. Ogden Nutting served in many capacities at his family's business, Ogden Newspapers, Inc., for more than 60 years. His contributions, both professional and philanthropic, benefited numerous organizations in Wheeling to include the Oglebay Foundation, the Wheeling Park Commission, the Salvation Army, United Way, the Elks and Rotary clubs, Bethany College, West Liberty University, and West Virginia University. Ogden was recognized by national organizations for his excellence in and passion for the newspaper industry and for setting standards for future generations of journalists. His partner throughout has been his wife Betty Woods ``Snookie'' Nutting. Her commitment to historic preservation literally changed the face of Wheeling, helping to save and rehabilitate dozens of Victorian- era buildings in West Virginia's first capital city. She recognized excellence and beauty in the city's historical architecture while epitomizing it in the way she lives her life and serves her community. I am proud to have called Ogden Nutting a friend to me and my family and am humbled to extend my deep gratitude to Snookie for her loyal and selfless dedication to making our State a better place. To their family and friends, I share in your grief in Ogden's passing, celebrate his life, and am enriched by the example these two fine West Virginians have set for all of us. Wheeling and the entire State of West Virginia are a better place because of these two fine people.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, we were here last week when I addressed the floor on this very issue that I want to talk about again because it is so absolutely critical to the world's security and our security, because violence is continuing to rage in Israel. We continue to hear the horrific and heartbreaking stories of Hamas's vicious attack on innocent Israeli civilians and families, and our own American citizens remain unaccounted for and are being held hostage by Hamas in the wake of their unjustifiable terrorist attack on the nation of Israel. In this Chamber and in this country, our support for Israel and their right to defend themselves must be unwavering. We must stand with our ally and friend as they continue to withstand barbaric attacks from terrorist militant groups and threats from all directions. There is absolutely no question that now is the time for American leadership. Our response needs to be united, and our response needs to meet the urgency of a moment just like this. As a world power, the United States of America has both the responsibility and the wherewithal to support our allies, especially as they come under attack by nefarious adversaries. It becomes vitally important that our Nation recognize this, that the American public hear the stories from those in Israel, and that we understand the brutal, inhumane, and devastating tactics that Hamas is deploying on the residents of the Jewish state. Last week, I had the opportunity to speak with two American families who have members who are being held hostage in Gaza by the terrorist organization Hamas. These stories are gut-wrenching--one, a 3-year-old child; the other, a married couple--and bring to light what is truly happening in Israel right now. Elderly families were ripped from their homes, children taken from their parents, family members executed in front of their loved ones. I am a mother myself and a grandmother, and I know everyone in this Chamber and everybody listening has members of their own family and loved ones they care about so deeply. So can we really imagine what that feels like? This is the reality that the Israeli people are facing every day. These attacks need to be condemned and denounced in the strongest possible terms, and they have been, and it makes it all the more imperative that the United States provide the support it needs to stop and root out the evil Hamas. It is impossible--impossible--to understate--or to overstate, even-- the outside role that Iran has played in these past 18 days since the initial attack. We know--we know--that Iran is financially supporting Hamas. We know in the strongest terms that Iran has helped reinforce Hamas's military strengths and capabilities and training. We know that Iran is backing Hezbollah, to the north in Lebanon, who stands at the ready to open a second front of this war along the Israel-Lebanon border. We know that the Iranian-backed militias are responsible for the recent attacks on U.S. personnel stationed in the Middle East, and we know that Iran harbors deep resentment and hatred for our own United States and our ally Israel. Make no mistake, Iran is an evil empire, and they must be held accountable for these attacks as well. Sanctions need to be imposed and enforced on this regime and all others that are complicit in the illicit Iranian oil trade, which funds terror and aggression in the Middle East. The unmistakable anti-American hatred from Iran and its allies creates greater questions regarding our own national security. It highlights the importance of our investments in our own homeland security and national defense. We are at a very difficult juncture right now, and the security of America and the defense of our allies should remain our first priority. In addition to the terrorist attacks in Israel, there is a large- scale ground war in Europe perpetrated by Russia, the likes of which we have not seen since World War II. China continues to increase their posture and presence toward Taiwan. And our southern border is totally porous. It remains under siege. And 2.48 million immigrants came across our border in fiscal year 2023, a new record--a new record. Just last month, we set another new record: over 269,000 encounters at the southern border and then not to mention that 169 of these encounters were people on our terror watchlist, which is more than the last 6 fiscal years all tied together. So what does that tell you? We are not sheltered from terrorism. We can't think that what we see going on in the Middle East can't come here. We know it has been on our shores before, and there is no reason it can't come back unless we do something where we make intentional investments. So now is the time to make those investments into our national security across the board. Support for Israel, Ukraine, the Indo- Pacific, and our southern border is paramount and will serve to directly invest back into our own country and our own defense. America's place on the world stage requires a level of leadership and accountability that we must accept with authority--we are the superpower--while we must always prioritize the needs of our own country first and then the support of our allies. The good news is that when we are supporting the defense of our allies, we are also investing in deterrence and also supporting our own security and deterrence. I am supportive of providing supplemental funding towards our defense capabilities--our southern border, Israel, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific allies--because it is in the best interest of our country, our citizens, our neighbors, but I say in the strongest terms, I mentioned the southern border, but this must be front and center of any kind of supplemental that comes forward. The Senate will have its say on the supplemental. The President has put his proposal before us. I would venture to say that will drastically change. The buckets may not change so much, but certainly the areas of influence will, and we will have a bill that creates and reflects our own thoughts, what we think. We need to craft a response to the attacks on Israel and other national security emergencies of this time. I believe the Biden administration has been defined by its shakiness. The Senate needs to be defined by its strength and make certain that our country is ready and able to act. There is no doubt that the United States is currently being tested by our adversaries, but we must make certain that we don't respond with weakness. By working together--and I think we will and can--I am confident in our ability to lead. We must meet this moment, as our Nation has done in times of trial before. That is what will define this body, and we will move our country forward. With that, I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I join my colleague from Kansas and many others who are going to be on the floor today in full and total support of one of our most steadfast allies, the State of Israel. I also stand here today to strongly condemn--condemn in the strongest terms--the terrorist attacks perpetrated on Israel by Hamas. Since the initial attack on October 7, we have lost 31 American citizens. Other Americans remain unaccounted for and are being held hostage. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed, and countless families have been left without a home and without their loved ones. This is an unacceptable tragedy and recalls far too familiar memories of terrorist attacks in our own Nation's history. We remember vividly the devastating and hostile attacks that ISIS deployed and can clearly see the parallels between their terroristic actions and the wrath that Hamas is now perpetrating. Now is the time to unabashedly and unapologetically support Israel, and I do. It is also time to support Israel's right to defend themselves and their people. The United States and Israel has a long, long history of demonstrating mutual respect and allegiance to one another. It dates back to 1948, when President Truman became the first world leader to recognize the Jewish State. Since then, Israel has displayed unmatched loyalty and provided critical support to our country in the Middle East. Israel has stood beside us in some of our darkest hours, and now, as friends do, we will do the same for them. It is imperative that Congress take action now and provide the support that Israel needs in the face of these terrorist attacks, both to properly defend themselves but also to provide the humanitarian resources needed for those whose lives have been decimated by a group that shows no mercy toward civilians, many of whom are women and children. Our country must do all that it can within our power to rescue American hostages and return them to safety. This has to be met with increased urgency because time is of the essence. I am afraid the longer we wait, the sadder the stories, especially for those hostages who are in severe need of medical attention. We must also make certain that the $6 billion in frozen assets that the Biden administration planned to send to Iran in September remains frozen. It is incomprehensible to me that the Biden administration made the announcement that they were going to unfreeze $6 billion to Iran and that they would do that on September 11 of this year. Additionally, it is imperative that the Biden administration finally strengthens and enforces U.S. sanctions on the Iranian regime, which is raking in billions of dollars--the Iranian regime is raking in billions of dollars--in illicit oil sales. It is past time to get tough on Iranian oil and to stop the regime from skirting our U.S. sanctions. Iran is selling 1.4 billion barrels of oil per day this year and using these proceeds to fund what we just saw over the last several weeks--these murderous actions of terrorist groups throughout the region--and they fund their own military at the same time. It should surprise no one that Iran, the world leader in state- sponsored terrorism, was heavily involved in this attack and that they continue to support the unjustifiable actions of Hamas. The leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have put forth a resolution, of which I am an original cosponsor and support strongly, as do many of us. This resolution declares that Congress will stand with Israel. It reaffirms Israel's right to self-defense. It condemns Hamas and Iran and calls on the Biden administration to further impose sanctions on Iran. With the support of 99 Senators, once passed, this will send an almost unanimous message to the world that acts of terrorism and violence will not be tolerated or go unpunished. I have been encouraged by President Biden's response following the attacks on Israel. However, President Biden's time in office has been defined by a level of, in my view, passiveness and ambiguity that has emboldened our adversaries, and it has lacked the strength that is required of a superpower. That being said, this is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. One of our strongest allies is under attack, and a nation as strong as ours must display a united front as well as call these attacks on Israel exactly what they are, an act of terrorism. There is no doubt that the continued assault on Israel creates a seismic shift in our foreign policy. Just a few weeks ago, on this very floor, I warned about the uneasy closeness that was cultivating between our adversaries. Nations that shun our values and reject democracy are finding refuge with each other and stand in direct opposition to our ideals and our way of life. The connection between these countries-- Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea--cannot be ignored and only further underscores the importance of strengthening our own military capabilities. We need to be providing military aid for Israel that will serve to not only reinforce our allies but also invest directly back in our own defense. We will serve to reenergize our defense industrial base by restoring the arsenal of democracy that defines our leadership as the United States of America. Moving forward, we must act decisively and lead in the way that America has done before in times of emergency and adversity. This is the United States of America, the greatest country on Earth. We have the capacity and the obligation to defend our allies as they face unjustified aggression from adversaries. These attacks on Israel are brutal beyond comprehension and have led to the slaying, as I said before, of innocent families, women, and children. It is incumbent upon us to show steadfast support for Israel and to reiterate how military aid from the United States is in the best interests of both of our nations. The world is watching and expecting the United States to lead. I encourage my colleagues to recognize the magnitude of this moment, which many of us have been expressing here on the floor today, and join together in our unwavering support of Israel. With that, I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, Monday marked 22 years since the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our Nation. Although we are now over two decades removed from one of the greatest tragedies in our Nation's history, the memories remain in our minds as if it had just happened yesterday. We will never forget. Many of us were here that day, including me, and I certainly will never forget that awful horrible tragic day. Those horrific events in New York City and Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA, forever changed the national security of the United States of America. Our Nation banded together, and we supported one another as we rebuilt and recovered. As part of our collective response, we saw the beginnings of the Global War on Terror. Together, with the help of our allies, we made significant progress in countering violent extremism and eliminating the territorial gains that the Islamic State had made. While this threat still remains today, we made progress in diminishing the ability of terrorists to harm Americans. Now we are again seeing the landscape of our national security shift as we are facing a new challenge of rising threats from nations like Russia and China. Putin's unwarranted aggression has created a large-scale ground war in the European continent--something that was really nearly unthinkable just a few short years ago. Adding to that, we are witnessing the unprecedented buildup of the Chinese military state. Make no mistake, those Chinese military investments were made with U.S. capabilities in mind. Nations that directly oppose U.S. values and interests are beginning to create an uneasy closeness with one another. Just yesterday, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, pledged ``full and unconditional support'' for Russia's Vladimir Putin. And we don't know what the behind-the- scenes conversations were or the tradeoffs that were made. This is something that we must monitor closely, and it demands a collective and united response. The growing threat from China was something that I discussed with the United States Indo-Pacific Command leaders when I met with them over August. This is a real threat and underscores the importance of working with our allies in this region. Our allies in the Indo-Pacific area are very important when it comes to both deterrence efforts and facilitating U.S. operations in the event of a crisis or conflict. That cooperation is a key piece in our ability to protect the power that the United States has led with. The AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States further cements this relationship and ensures that we will become even more interoperable with our allies in the Indo- Pacific. We need to maintain a strong military posture in this region and bolster our cybersecurity and technological abilities to ensure that our Nation and our allies will be ready for any and all threats that we may face. The intrinsic relationship between China and Taiwan and Russia and Ukraine cannot be lost on us. There is no doubt that China and Xi Jinping are closely watching Russia's attempted land grab and are taking notes of the united resistance that they are now facing. Stopping Russia in Ukraine will send a clear and direct signal to China that violent, unwarranted aggression will be met with a swift and unified response. It is vitally important to recognize that supporting Ukraine explicitly and clearly strengthens our own national security. I truly believe that is a fact. Our support for Ukraine has benefited the United States by illuminating vulnerabilities in our own defense industrial base, which we now have the opportunity to remedy. Without this, we might not have discovered these issues until a crisis of our own, and these production challenges would have severely disabled our ability to defend ourselves and strengthen our U.S. warfighters in a time of conflict. It is important to recognize that funding Congress has appropriated in support of Ukraine is going directly back into our own capabilities. This has initiated facilities upgrades at our ammo plants. It has boosted production at our defense industrial base sites and funded replenishment of our own U.S. arsenal. As Leader McConnell mentioned on Monday, by showing support for Ukraine, Americans are making strides in our competition with China, we are degrading the Russian military capacity, we are encouraging our allies to ``Buy American,'' and we are reassuring the importance of investing in their own defense. We have seen this directly from our allies like Australia and Japan, which are making serious investments in their defense capabilities, or the UK, which has also pledged meaningful military support for Ukraine. Moving forward, NATO members need to take the commitment to pledge 2 percent of their GDP towards defense more seriously and move at the speed of the threats that we face. One thing is for certain: This is not a time to show weakness. However, President Biden and his administration have unfortunately not shown the strength needed in the face of these rising threats. We saw this in the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan in 2021, where 13 of our servicemembers senselessly--senselessly--lost their lives, or just this weekend when President Biden claimed, while he was on a trip to the Far East, that ``we're all better off if China does well.'' And then on 9/11, of all days, the Biden administration notified Congress that they are negotiating with the leading sponsor of terrorism--Iran--and sending $6 billion in frozen assets with little or no accountability. Actions like these endanger every American abroad and display a level of deficiency that is inconsistent--inconsistent--with the true standing and power that the United States has. We are currently at a pivotal moment in our history, both in the history of our Nation but also the history of the world. American leadership has always transcended nefarious forces. That, I am confident in. We must always lead with the strength that defines this leadership and work to ensure that our national security remains the foremost priority that it deserves to be. My own State of West Virginia, which has deep roots of military service and patriotism, has established a growing presence and participation in our national defense infrastructure. West Virginia companies and universities are stepping up and are contributing in increasingly important ways to the military industrial base in this country. From ammunition production to cybersecurity advancements and critical components for vehicles, aircraft, and weapons, West Virginia is leading the way. Our country must follow this example and continue this level of investment into our national security, with each and every one of us contributing to the proud tradition of American leadership. I yield the floor.

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

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, just yesterday, all of us returned to the U.S. Capitol following a 5-week stretch where we exercised the opportunity to meet with our constituents in our homes, visit updated projects and attend events in our respective States; and some of us traveled across the country and around the world to expand our understanding and gather lessons so that we can apply that to our work here in Washington. I was able to accomplish this at home by attending my State's annual economic development summit, where I met business leaders from all across West Virginia on a variety of issues from a variety of fields. Through meetings with individuals in specific industries, I was able to share the landscape that I currently see in Washington and hear about the specific policies that are impacting West Virginia most directly. I was also able to attend a really great event, a ribbon- cutting ceremony for a brandnew high school in Kanawha County. This school, Herbert Hoover High School, had been decimated--the former school--in 2016 by floods, and we all gathered there and celebrated something that was really awful into something very joyful. And our own home State Brad Paisley came and gave us a concert to celebrate with. During the ceremony, the West Virginia spirit was really palpable as the community worked hard to remedy the scars from that horrible flood. It was a special occasion, and I think it proved to me and to all of us the resiliency that defines the people of my State, and I would say Connecticut as well. The August work period also provided the opportunity for me to lead an all-women Congressional delegation of bipartisan, bicameral members to the Indo-Pacific region. The trip kind of had a dual mission. The first was to discuss national and global security and energy in the Indo-Pacific region. The second was to explore issues related to the empowerment of women and girls--the status of women in sports--and building on current momentum in that space. To do both in a week is certainly a tall order, as the two are seemingly disconnected. We went hoping, originally, obviously, to see the U.S. women's soccer team play in the World Cup. We didn't quite get to see them, but we did see all of the excitement around the Women's World Cup, and we did get to see a great match between Japan and Sweden. But the experience we gained proved that these topics are really more related than what meets the eye. The center focus that binds these two missions that we had together are our U.S. values. These values have tangible power, and our ability to lead by our values displays the influence that our Nation has in both of these areas. When Congress passed title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, sex discrimination and education programs and activities offered by any entity that receives Federal financial assistance was barred. It was monumental legislation for women and women's sports. This forever changed the way that women participate in our society and has paved the way for life-changing scholarships, a dramatic change in women's participation in our economy, and the consequent rise of U.S. women's sports. The ascension of women's involvement in sports has created a ripple effect that is not just felt in our country--we certainly saw it halfway around the world--but around the entire globe. American coaches and former players have traveled globally to inspire and encourage the next generation of female athletes. Businesses have funded and broadcast women's games, as they didn't in the past. And in America, girls' participation in high school sports continues to rise, with 3.3 million girls competing in high school sports in the 2022 school year. The truth is, the growth of women's sports, both domestically and internationally, is a result of that increased role that women now embody. Communities and countries around the world, including our own country, are more likely to be peaceful and successful when women fully participate in society. The world has begun to realize that this kind of support is simply the right thing to do and is now embracing the values that the United States has led with. Our codel saw this directly through our travel in Australia and New Zealand and our meeting with leaders from the Women's World Cup. We met with the U.S. leaders, and we met with the international leaders. And while the United States didn't take home that title this year, our presence alone continues to have an impact in every tournament where the Stars and Stripes are represented. Now, the question remains, how is women's empowerment a metaphor-- sports I am talking about too--a metaphor for global security? Well, here in Congress we have supported Ukraine not just in defense of democratic values and territorial sovereignty, but also because it advances U.S. security interests and deterrence. The United States has led the push to bring together allies from Europe and across the world to not just understand the threat created by Putin, but to respond to it with strength. We have made that progress by leading with our values and with our interests to stop aggression in its tracks, whether it is in Europe or elsewhere. The United States has shown the way through significant bipartisan military support. Our global leadership against aggression and autocratic land grabs has built a formidable opposition that Russia simply did not anticipate and that China can see clearly every single day. For example, our codel witnessed joint exercises in the Australian seas that were the first of their kind between India, New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Japan has, for the first time, committed more than 2 percent of its gross domestic product to defense. Sweden and Finland have just recently joined NATO. The EU is buying more crude oil from the United States as they divest from Russia. And new economic partnerships are cropping up globally as a result of our U.S. leadership. The tie between women's empowerment and global security is an American values-based leadership. The members of our bipartisan and bicameral codel--we saw that firsthand. As our leadership and values inspire nations across the globe, we must respect, encourage, and celebrate those that exemplify it. You know, you don't have power if you don't use it; but by working together, our strong leadership here in the United States can continue to change the world. I really cherished the opportunity to gain experience, knowledge, and perspective from our leaders at the headquarters of the U.S. Indo- Pacific Command, as well as leaders throughout the region, when it comes to domestic and international security matters and energy issues in the Indo-Pacific. I am also thankful for the company and counsel from the other members of our codel: Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi, Representative Chrissy Houlahan from Pennsylvania, Representative Kathy Castor from Florida, and Representative Nicole Malliotakis from New York, as well as their steadfast desire that we all share together to engage on these topics and issues. There is no doubt that Congress has an extensive list of challenges facing us in the coming month, but I am really confident in our ability to meet the needs of our country--both domestically and abroad--and to exemplify that value-based leadership that was evident throughout our trip. I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise today to bid farewell to a good friend, a great confidant, and a strong leader: my chief of staff of over 18 years, Joel Brubaker. I am joined in the Galleries by many folks who have worked with him, who know him, and who love him just as I do. Joel started with me in the year 2005, when I was just entering my third term in the U.S. House. His experience in working with Bill Shuster and Bob Walker--both Pennsylvania Representatives from Joel's home State of Pennsylvania--prepared him well to head up a growing and aggressive congressional office from West Virginia. Joel's path to Capitol Hill started in Lancaster, PA. He was born there and was raised by his mother Eleanor. I haven't had the chance to meet Eleanor yet, but from what Joel has told me, she is a strong and independent woman. Joel is also the youngest of four boys. My husband and I have always said that, no matter what the problem is, big or small, Joel handles it exactly like the youngest of four boys would--calmly, for the most part, and like it is no big deal. After graduating from high school, Joel went to Gettysburg College and, later, picked up an MBA at American University. His talents as a legislative director for then-Congressman Shuster led me to realize that those very same talents were perfect for our office to help us make decisions, to hire people. And do you know what? The results speak for themselves. Last week, we had a gathering of well-wishers to send Joel off. The room was full--full--of folks from hockey players to former employees to coworkers to friends from West Virginia to neighbors and family, including my very own family, because our families are very much together. It was great to see so many individuals from all walks of life gathered in one place to wish Joel a good sendoff from a place that he truly loves. Speaking of things that Joel truly loves, he has quite a few favorites in his life. First of all, Katrina, his wife of many years-- who is one of my favorites too--and their two terrific children, Kat and Heath. Believe it or not, I remember Kat and Heath's births and their birthdays. Kat was a page here a couple of weeks ago, and we loved it. In fact, Katrina was 6 months pregnant with Kat when I interviewed Joel for the job of chief of staff, and now Kat is going to be away for her freshman year at Ole Miss. Ice hockey is another one of Joel's favorite things. Whether it is pond hockey in freezing New Hampshire, going to a Caps game, watching his kids play hockey, or the Capitol Members hockey game--which, I must admit, he is a star there--he just loves the game. And he has the lineup of framed jerseys in his office to prove it. Joel loves beef jerky; Chick-fil-A; Disney World and crazy rides; decorating his house outrageously for Halloween and Christmas--for those of you who live in Arlington, yes, that is his house--politics, especially West Virginia politics; and the Fourth of July. He always attends the national Independence Day celebration on the Capitol lawn. That brings me to another strong attribute that we will miss about Joel. Joel loves his country and our traditional American values. He has not--and never has been--one to shy away from talking about what a great country we have. And he is grateful. He is grateful for that. Joel has a great sense of integrity, and he is always careful--very careful--to make sure that we are all working within the boundaries of our office--and for me, especially, my oath of office. I appreciate his very keen sense of right and wrong, and I will miss the way we both see our duties through the same lens. Now, Joel is not perfect. He will not fly into our great State of West Virginia, and he hasn't for many years. Apparently, one flight was just a little bit too much for him over those mountains, so he began to name our airlines ``Air Fallujah.'' He almost stayed overnight one time in my district office to fend off some very aggressive protesters, and he is known to have a camping- style cot that is very unique that he used in our campaign office once upon a time. Rumor has it the cot still exists today, despite Katrina's best efforts to get rid of it. You could always tell you are getting under Joel's skin because his voice always raises an extra octave. Apparently, Joel and I had three disagreements over 18 years. But do you know what? He tells me--and I am pretty sure--I think I won all of them. Joel's sense of humor has carried us through tough times, hard campaigns, long days and nights, missed vacations, and challenges associated with larger and larger responsibilities. I personally will always appreciate his affection for both of my parents and his compassion for the difficulties of watching them decline. Our whole family will miss Joel, because we really are parts of each other's families. Joel has an enormous affection for West Virginia. He is a Mountaineer and holds the same sense of pride in our foundations and aspirations as if he had been there his whole life. As I have often said in my speeches, and I will say to him: The country roads of West Virginia will always welcome you home, Joel. Good luck. We will miss you. You will always be a big part of my life and our lives. Eighteen years is a long time, but it has all been great. Thanks.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to talk about something we have been hearing a lot about recently, and that is Bidenomics. The President and his Cabinet have been traveling the country trying to convince the American people into believing that the President's economic vision for the country has our Nation on the right path. Well, I can assure you, after being home for the last 2 weeks, that these false messages are not really resonating with the American public. Polling data between June 6 and July 7 of this year shows that, on average, two-thirds of Americans believe that our Nation is going on the wrong track. If you spend a few minutes at the supermarket, a car dealership, or a retail store, or if you are looking to purchase or rent a home, or if you face energy and utility bills or the prices at the pump that middle-class American families are having to pay-- everybody is paying--this should be no surprise. So what exactly is Bidenomics? Let me break down a couple of definitions of this term as they relate to American folks outside of the beltway, and certainly those would include people whom I represent in West Virginia, which I consider the backbone of our country. Bidenomics means you are getting less while spending more. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since President Biden took office, grocery prices have increased 20 percent, energy prices have increased 38 percent, prices for fuel oil have increased 45 percent, gasoline prices have increased 52 percent, natural gas prices have increased 20 percent, electricity prices have increased 26 percent, prices for used cars and trucks have increased 35 percent, prices for new vehicles have increased 20 percent, apparel prices have increased 10 percent, and airline fares have increased 39 percent. But the list goes on and on. Bidenomics means that inflation is just a part of everyday life. Today's inflation report marks the 30th straight month that year-over- year inflation is over the target rate of 2 percent. The President is touting this decreasing inflation as something to celebrate, but there is really nothing to celebrate here. Americans have felt the blunt and unapologetic force of inflation for over 2 years. Bidenomics is certainly not a science. If it were, it would be a shifting one. Remember when inflation was only supposed to be transitory? The individual who voiced that opinion, who himself is not an economist, got a promotion from the President and is now Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Bidenomics means, if you are looking to rent or buy a home, you might just be out of luck. Rampant spending from the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act were main contributors of high inflation and, in turn, the source of soaring interest rates. So, on top of that, rental prices for a primary residence have increased 15 percent, furniture prices have increased 19 percent, the average rate of a 30-year fixed mortgage is now 7.22 percent, and, just this May, home prices hit record highs. All of this combined leaves the prospect of buying a home seemingly unattainable to many American families and compromises the American dream. I would add here that young families can't get in the game of buying a house, fixing it up, living there for a while, and moving on to a little bit nicer, better, bigger home as their family grows. Bidenomics means that if you have a small business, it will be harder to maintain and grow, and if you want to start a small business, it is nearly out of the question. Increased taxes felt directly by mom-and- pop shops combined with skyrocketing costs have made it very difficult to support a business along our Main Streets. Increased prices on consumer goods and basic needs means that wage growth cannot keep up with employers' rising costs. Bidenomics means the destruction of the financial health of a lot of our American families. The Feds's ``Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households'' report was just released Monday. And it stated that ``[o]verall financial well-being declined markedly over the prior year'' and that one-third of Americans say they are worse off financially than they were the year before. These are devastating statistics, but, unfortunately, they show the dire straits of an economy that has a 71-percent probability of recession, according to the New York Federal Reserve's recession probability model. One aspect of Bidenomics that really baffles me is the President's willingness to take credit for the current state of our economy and his efforts to make this the centerpiece of his White House. There is a long list of achievements that our President has failed to adequately address and accept accountability for. Certainly, the crisis at the southern border is one, the weakened status of our military another, and the out-of-control spending that has defined his time in power. Yet, surprisingly, President Biden is more than happy to accept responsibility for the state of our Nation's economy. And in this one instance, he does have the right of ownership because they are his policies that have been put into place. So for my State of West Virginia, Bidenomics is costing West Virginia families an additional $713. That is not a year. That is a month. That is a month. President Biden and his administration continue to lead our country down the wrong path, but if we look at Republican-led States where Republican Governors are in charge and have been able to prove their resilience among these enormous headwinds: increased earnings in States like North Dakota and my colleague's home State of Nebraska, booming manufacturing sectors in States like Florida and Texas, or States with record surpluses like my own State of West Virginia where Republican leadership is leading the way. So moving forward, our Republican colleagues and I will continue to fight for proven solutions that rein in unnecessary spending, that bring down inflation, that increase market competition, that lower tax burdens on our small businesses, and spur the economic development that every State in this Nation needs. With that, I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise to talk about something that is unseen but really impacts every aspect of our daily lives, something that has major implications on the future of my State and many rural States just like the Presiding Officer's rural areas, and that is reliable broadband connection and the implementation of service in our unserved and underserved areas. Internet connection is something that we often take for granted, certainly in the DC area we do--especially in our cities and urban communities. It is a mainstay of so many facets of our life. So just think about it. We rely on internet connection for our communication with our family and friends, our emergency services, obtaining information. I have already done that about five times today, getting some additional information--banking, conducting business, and as we experienced firsthand during the pandemic, essential aspects of our workforce participation, the education of our children, and I would add in healthcare here. Even as we transitioned back to in-person work and school post-pandemic, these capabilities are so essential and greatly beneficial. In West Virginia, our State is the only State entirely encompassed by Appalachia, and we are recognized across the world for our mountainous terrain. So we love our mountains in West Virginia, but our topography in West Virginia has dealt us a challenging hand when it comes to adopting needed advancements to connect people to the internet. So we know one thing: It is expensive, and it is a lot easier said than done. But this lack of broadband connectivity and reliability is one of the biggest concerns that I hear every time I travel in the State. That is because our homes, our schools, our hospitals, our health clinics, our churches, our businesses, if they lack the appropriate level of connectivity or lack it entirely, you are behind. You are behind. You are not participating. You can't get the help that you need. You can't communicate the way you want to. And in a lot of cases, you are not going to live in a place that doesn't have connectivity. So this is something that must change and something that I am committed to changing. So one of my first initiatives as a U.S. Senator was launching my Capito Connect Plan to help bridge this digital divide that we see in the country. The plan served as a roadmap for bringing affordable, high-speed internet connection and access to our homes, our businesses, and our classrooms throughout the State. Since launching this initiative, we have made a lot of progress--we have--connecting our communities in our State. We have had a lot of conversation, and, really, we have kind of bridged a lot of what we thought would be the impossible. We have expanded cellular service in Paw Paw, a very remote area, and in Lincoln County, a very rural area, by initiating searches for providers. We have secured millions of dollars in broadband funding investments through the USDA programs, and we have hosted multiple visits with our FCC officials to bring attention to our State's broadband needs. Increasing rural broadband funding has been a focus of the Appalachian Regional Commission. I have also supported major broadband builds like Zayo's announcement to connect a fiber optic network right through the North Central part of our State. We have also been receiving critical feedback from listening sessions in all 55 counties, including soliciting all kinds of data back from folks in West Virginia onto our website. Also, when we were leading efforts to craft the bipartisan infrastructure law, I made sure, along with many others, that this was included because this is an essential part of our infrastructure. And we are making a difference. So we have made a lot of advances. We have. But there is still much more work to accomplish. Now is not the time to look back and see what we didn't do and how maybe we could have done it better. Now is the time to look forward and see where we are and where we are going to be. So we are at a really critical moment here and one we must take advantage of. We have all prioritized funding and provided funding for broadband in many different pieces of legislation. We have done that every year in appropriations--and I am on appropriations--and I personally have made sure that we have included this not just in the appropriations bill but also in the bipartisan infrastructure package. So, on Monday, I was back home in West Virginia and got the chance to speak to some of the greatest young men and women in our State at West Virginia Girls State and West Virginia Boys State. It is clear in talking to some of them that our best and brightest are unlikely to stay in our State if they don't have this reliable broadband. It just doesn't make sense. The lack of internet connectivity will impact how they join the workforce, how they further their education or perform the tasks of everyday living that have become so dependent on broadband. So Congress has a much needed and very important role to play here, and I am confident in our ability to rise to this occasion in the face of this challenge. But in order to distribute the unprecedented funding that is coming from the bipartisan infrastructure law to the communities and States that need it, we have got to have accurate data. This has been a flaw in the system. That is why NTIA and FCC have been tasked with developing the National Broadband Map, to determine where the unserved and the underserved communities were located. Why is that important? Because much of the funding, as it should be, is not to up your service in an urban area or up my service in Charleston, WV, in a more, I would say, suburban-type area, but it is to go to these unserved and underserved areas. We have to have accurate data. So with accurate data, we can work and distribute funding as we should, as is proper. There is no doubt that the first maps that came out in November were inaccurate. They failed to properly account for the connectivity needs--I know I can speak for my State, but I am sure it is the same all across the country. And this is something that our State of West Virginia, we really took it personally because we know that this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to really get it right. So they invited challenges. They said if you can identify a residence or a home or business that is shown as being served, and you are unserved or underserved, then you can challenge the map to say that is an inaccurate recording of the status of broadband activity. So we had over 120,000 challenges of which 86,000 of these were accepted. That means they went back and looked, and working with our State broadband council that has done a phenomenal job, they went back and looked and found that 86,000 homes or businesses that were recorded as being served in actuality had either no service or very little service--something that was considered underserved. This is going to help us as the distribution of the larger sums of money come to actually provide the dollars to get to those places. These developments are encouraging and the FCC will continue to improve this and two future versions are being planned. The need for connectivity remains. Updated mapping shows that over 271,000 locations in my State now remain without service. I think some people watching this would probably say: It can't possibly be that you don't have service. But if you get to some of these remote areas, and sometimes they are not even that remote, you get out into some of the more rural areas where there is maybe one provider or there is no competition, it is not an economic model to serve one home that is 10, 15 miles away. So there are people. When I get a show of hands in classrooms in West Virginia, I get at least 20 percent to 30 percent of the students in those classrooms do not have good service. Think about doing their homework when they get home. They can't do it. Most of it relies on information that you get from the internet. So it really puts those students and those families behind. While funding will be allocated by the end of this month, we have to make sure also that it is not wasted. Sadly, we have seen this happen. In our own State in 2010, money was wasted when our first chance came along to be able to connect more people. So we have to make sure that that doesn't happen. That is why I have introduced the Rural Broadband Protection Act. It is a bill with broad bipartisan support that would improve government programs responsible for connecting people. I look forward to marking up this legislation in committee here soon. West Virginians have been persistent and diligent and, honestly, I think, quite patient--but are now very frustrated--throughout the process. They can always expect the same from me, as however they are feeling is however I am going to feel, because that is how you are as a representative. So I will continue my efforts for these broadband capabilities--to go to that last house, that last home, that last business--in this Mountain State. We are on the cusp, I think, of a major breakthrough here--we are all on board on this--and one that I am committing to see through. With that, I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I ask that the rollcall vote begin now, immediately.

Mrs. CAPITO. I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to bring attention to the issues that Americans are facing at home--the problems that I see and hear from my constituents in West Virginia, and I am sure the Presiding Officer hears many of the same in your home State. I want to raise the question as to why the Senate is not bringing some of the solutions to the floor. As you know, I am a lifelong West Virginian. I care deeply about and understand the concern of our residents and the difficulties that our families are facing. Our families, our veterans, our small business owners, our manufacturers, law enforcement, and communities--they are struggling--what they are struggling with. I was initially inspired to get involved in public service when I saw these local issues arising, and many of those I have tried to help face in my own home community of Charleston, WV. Later on, as the passion in me sort of grew, I decided to seek a bigger platform in the House of Representatives and, now, here in this esteemed body, the U.S. Senate. As public servants, it is our responsibility to not only put forth but to take action on issues that Americans are facing. We can do that to improve the lives of those we serve. But it seems to me and it pains me that so many of the legislative solutions that we have come to work to craft--some of which are bipartisan--collect dust on the majority leader's desk. In fact, that, to me, is very unacceptable. Let's start with the issue that touches so many lives--the issue of addiction. Our country is in a deep and continued battle with an addiction crisis, something I raised multiple times on this Senate floor and something that I am committed to curbing and stopping. With the data available from the CDC--the latest report on drug overdose deaths--it is obvious that fentanyl, our clear and common enemy, is fueling the highest overdose rates we have seen for individuals between 25 and 44. CDC provisional data released on May 17 also revealed that more than 100,000 Americans--100,000 Americans--died from drug overdoses in 2022, becoming the most deadly year on record. And some of those, I think-- some of us in the Chamber tonight might know one or two people or at least families who are affected. My colleagues and I have introduced legislation that will further coordinate efforts to disrupt the distribution of fentanyl, to block efforts to ship illicit drugs into the United States, and to improve law enforcement training to crack down on drug trafficking tactics. In a crisis this deadly and urgent, time is of the essence, and these bills deserve the time to be considered. Yet, despite these alarming statistics and the commonsense solutions that we have put forward, the majority leader has refused to take any of these bills up on the Senate floor. Regarding law enforcement, over the weekend we had one of the saddest things happen in our State of West Virginia. A West Virginia State trooper was tragically killed in the line of duty. Our hearts are broken with the loss of Sergeant Cory Maynard. He was only 37 years old. He had a wife and two children. It is a very tragic, tragic story. Our brave law enforcement officers defend communities across our States from crime and work incredibly hard to help keep our cities and towns safe. They are the first to answer the call. They continuously-- continuously--show courage and heroism. There must be swift penalties in place for criminals who target our officers, and resources must be available to ensure their safety. I joined several of my colleagues last month to introduce several pieces of legislation that support law enforcement officers and increase their safety. But I will say it again: The majority leader has yet to take up any of the legislation that we have offered. Additionally, residents across my State and the entire country are still reeling with the elevated costs of all things--from housing, energy, food, and everyday essential items. And, as our economy continues to prove its weakness under President Biden, the hard-earned dollars of hard-working Americans do not stretch as far as they need to. In May, the Institute for Supply Management's industrial PMI showed that our manufacturing sectors are shrinking. We hear all about that we have to make more here. Guess what. Our manufacturing sectors are shrinking. Extended pressure on manufacturing output and prices for goods has been caused by higher interest rates, increased cost of living, and complete economic uncertainty. And this further restricts our ability to make things in this country. That is why I have introduced the American Investment in Manufacturing Act. It is a bill that would reinstate a much needed measure that allows industries affected by sustained high interest rates to grow, to increase jobs and wages, and to contribute to the U.S. economy. It is past time that this body stand with American manufacturing--our small business owners and the employers and employees that keep this great country running. My colleagues and I continue to put forward solutions that invest in an ``all of the above'' energy plan: innovative ways to utilize everything from conventional, renewable, and nuclear energy sources to build back our energy independence; solutions that rein in government spending, that attack the true causes of fraud, waste, and abuse, that will saddle future generations with insurmountable debt; solutions that provide proper resources to our veterans, those who have served our country and put their life on the line for our freedom deserve our utmost respect and support. What makes this all the more frustrating is that the Senate has proven our ability to legislate in a bipartisan way. We have done so on multiple fronts in recent memory on issues like infrastructure, American competitiveness, and just last week as we acted to raise the debt ceiling and avoid economic catastrophe. There is no reason why this body should be hamstrung on addressing the biggest needs of our country and improving the lives of our residents in the areas where they need it the most. I understand that floor time is a precious commodity, especially knowing that we have to take up action on several must-pass pieces of legislation. We have to pass 12 appropriations bills out of this body; we have to pass the farm bill; we have to pass FAA reauthorization; and perhaps, most significantly, a bill that under this Democratic leader has never gotten a fair amount of its time or consideration, the National Defense Authorization Act. The American people want to see this place work for them. They want to see action on issues that impact them every single day. I encourage the majority leader to heed the concerns of our constituents and join in our efforts to provide the answers American families and communities are desperately looking for. Until then, my Republican colleagues and I will continue to put forward the answers that the American people deserve. I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the importance of both the permitting sections and the provision to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline that are included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act. I want to commend Speaker McCarthy and House Republicans for negotiating legislation that makes responsible reductions in government spending while avoiding a government default. Included in this legislation are key elements of the BUILDER Act permitting reform proposal, which was championed by Congressman Garret Graves and by House Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman. The bill represents a positive first step in improving the permitting projects for all kinds of projects. By amending the National Environmental Policy Act for the first time since 1982, we will help projects of all types whether we are talking about a road, a bridge, a transmission line, a renewable energy project, a pipeline, or a port. Simply put, a project shouldn't take longer to permit than it takes to build, and that should be true regardless of what type of project is under consideration. This legislation will impose statutory deadlines on the completion of environmental impact statements and environmental assessments. It will streamline the review process with threshold language that tells Agencies when various levels of review are necessary. It allows Agencies to share categorical exclusions for similar projects, because multiple Agencies should not have to do the same work twice. It makes sense. By placing the One Federal Decision policy into the NEPA statute, this legislation will allow project sponsors to work with a single lead Federal Agency. Most of those listening probably thought that that was what was happening anyway. But, no, all of these different Agencies were giving all individual opinions. If we want to build things in this country, we should not force project sponsors to bounce back and forth from one Agency to the next, often facing litigation at every step. It is just simply common sense to allow project sponsors to work with one lead Agency. More work is needed beyond this bill to fix our broken process for permitting projects. Reforms to the judicial review process, timelier Fish and Wildlife Service reviews, and improvements to the Clean Water Act are all very important. I introduced the RESTART Act last month with a number of my EPW Republican colleagues to address those issues, and I will continue to work in a bipartisan way to see additional reforms enacted into law. Today's legislation is a positive step on permitting reform. Again, I want to thank Congressman Graves and Chairman Westerman for their efforts to get us to this point. Mr. President, the Mountain Valley Pipeline is a prime example of an important project that has faced senseless delays, mostly as a result of litigation filed by anti-natural gas activists at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. This project has undergone numerous--numerous--environmental reviews and has received approvals from multiple Federal Agencies both under the Trump and the Biden administrations. These include actions from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, better known as FERC; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land Management; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection; and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. These are Agencies that have already approved the construction of this pipeline. Given the multiple actions by Federal and State environmental agencies' approving this project, assertions that this project has not gone through adequate environmental review are just plain wrong. Both the Trump and Biden administrations have expressed support for this project. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm recently sent a letter to FERC endorsing the project. The Mountain Valley Pipeline is 95 percent complete and would be finished today if it weren't for the rulings by the Fourth Circuit that have stayed or vacated multiple approvals granted by Federal and State environmental regulators. The Fourth Circuit has acted nine times with respect to the Mountain Valley Pipeline. On eight of those nine occasions, the court has either stayed or vacated an approval from a Federal or a State agency. Only once did the court uphold an approval for this project, and that was when the court upheld water quality certifications from the State of Virginia, under section 401 of the Clean Water Act. But, within days of that opinion, the same Fourth Circuit panel vacated similar 401 water quality certifications from the State of West Virginia. Because certification from both States is necessary to allow the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a required 404 permit for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, vacating certification from one State has had the effect of continuing to prevent the project from moving forward. We have become all too familiar with the Fourth Circuit's blocking of key projects. The same panel that has rejected nearly all of the State and Federal approvals for the Mountain Valley Pipeline brought before it took similar actions to vacate State and Federal approvals for the now canceled Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Project sponsors for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline appealed one of the Fourth Circuit's four adverse rulings against that project all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court reversed the Fourth Circuit in a 7-to-2 opinion that was written by Justice Thomas and joined not only by Republican-appointed Justices but also by Justices Ginsburg and Breyer. Despite winning at the Supreme Court, the Atlantic Coast Pipeline was canceled amid the threat of continuing litigation and permitting challenges. Activists are using the same playbook at the Fourth Circuit to try to stop the Mountain Valley Pipeline. This is a pipeline that will result in $40 million in tax revenue and $150 million in royalty payments in West Virginia annually once it is completed. The project will open markets to West Virginia's natural gas, providing good-paying jobs not just in my State, and enhancing our Nation's energy security and our own national security. Given the project's benefits and given approvals from State and Federal regulators across multiple administrations from both parties, I do not believe that a handful of judges should have the final say. This legislation will ratify approvals issued under the Biden administration from the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service, along with approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. These documents will be insulated from judicial review to prevent further delays. Additionally, this bill requires the Army Corps of Engineers to issue necessary project permits, including that 404 permit I talked about earlier, within 21 days. Both Virginia and West Virginia environmental regulators have issued necessary certifications for this permit, but the Fourth Circuit has delayed further permitting action by vacating West Virginia's certification. This legislation makes it crystal clear that Congress expects the Mountain Valley Pipeline to be completed, consistent with the previously approved environmental documents. I have consistently fought for commonsense reforms so that we can actually ensure that we can build here in America, including key projects such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline. It is my hope that permitting reforms--both the provisions that are in this bill and those that we should consider in the future--will allow projects to be approved and constructed in an efficient manner that does not require congressional intervention. It also should be pointed out and emphasized that this does not mean that any environmental regulation that is put forward is ever shortchanged or overlooked. That is not the point here. On occasions when the process fails projects of significant regional and national interest, we have the authority and the responsibility as elected Representatives to step in and ensure a project is allowed to proceed. I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise in opposition to the Senator's amendment. This Mountain Valley Pipeline is an important infrastructure. It has been vetted numerous times. It has permitting-- all permits that are from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the Fish and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Land Management. These are all permits through both administrations--both the Biden and Trump administrations--that have already been offered. They are in a judicial hellhole right now where they can't get out. This is absolutely essential to the eastern seaboard. It is jobs and tax revenues in the State of West Virginia, and I think this is an opportunity for us to cut through this redtape and move forward with the very essential infrastructure package.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to again speak on the multifaceted crisis that has defined our southern border and how the inaction and misleading rhetoric from President Biden and his administration has only exacerbated the continued fallout our country is experiencing. Since the beginning of his tenure in the White House, President Biden's trademark has been border chaos with over 6.3 million illegal border crossings under his watch. Actions do speak louder than words, and President Biden continues to prove that his priorities are miles and miles away from the southern border. He has only visited the southern border once since becoming President. He has supported funding cuts to the Department of Homeland Security in his recent budget proposal; and that Department is charged with securing the border. Our Border Patrol agents deserve needed support from the administration who has laid the crisis they face squarely at their feet. In this past week, according to the U.S. Border Patrol, there have been 67,759 apprehensions, 15,780 approximate ``get-aways,'' 179 pounds of meth, 56 pounds of fentanyl, and 34 pounds of cocaine--all seized at our southern border in just 168 hours. With our Border Patrol stretched inconceivably thin with little support from the administration, it is hard to fathom the true amount of illegal crossings, human trafficking, and illegal drugs that are currently entering our country through the southern border. On top of all this, on Sunday, a person on the U.S. terror watchlist was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border crossing in San Diego. This further proves the national security implications regarding this border crisis and the message displayed to the world about the State of our ports of entry. The impact of the unprecedented amount of drugs entering through our southern border is certainly not lost on me either, nor anyone in this body. My State of West Virginia has seen the impact of this crisis directly, and it has created irreversible scars on our communities. I just mentioned 56 pounds of fentanyl has been seized just last week alone. That is enough fentanyl to kill 12 million Americans. Recent data from the CDC shows that between 2016 and 2021, fentanyl overdoses have risen 279 percent in this country. Those between the ages of 24 through 44 have the highest overdose rates, and those involved fentanyl. Through conversations I have had on this topic with the Biden administration officials, I have found their answers to be highly insufficient. This is a crisis that is killing a generation, and we know that these drugs are flowing across our southern border. The administration needs a better answer, and they must swiftly act to stop this killer. Now as the title 42 authority has expired, it has added to the confusion on the southern border. The Biden administration is trying to reset a new normal based on failed policies as an attempt to redefine and hide their border failures. Trust me, the American people are not fooled by the recent victory lap taken by the Biden administration or their effort to claim success or progress. To the Biden administration, what they consider low numbers still far exceed the daily average of the prior administration. In fact, if illegal crossings continue at the levels that the administration is tallying, this White House is on track to break the previous record they set last year for the number of illegal immigrants caught at the border. This is not lost on the American people. Unfortunately, this is a habit we have kind of seen from this President. We saw similar messaging antics from the administration regarding gas prices when they touted decreases that still put us above the average before President Biden even took office. The same goes for inflation, which saw record increases only after Democrats' supercharged spending. Yes, it came down, but it is still way, way too high. Mitigating the border crisis is an ongoing effort and one we have to monitor closely. For example, will the administration's actions of the past week create a massive backlog of asylum claims? What does that do to our system? It only adds to the issue of interior enforcement, something the Biden administration has clearly never prioritized. Despite the President's too-little, too-late action, our border remains open. I know with certainty that once someone enters our country, the chances of them being expelled are very, very low. As we move forward, the situation of the border needs to be tightly watched, and it needs to be tracked over time if it deviates based on many different factors and changes to policies that we are currently experiencing. But above all else, we have to remain committed to policies that do secure the border, policies that protect our communities. I don't know how these border communities are doing it. I really don't. Policies that support our Border Patrol officers and policies that prevent the unprecedented humanitarian tragedy that has become the custom over the past several years--whether it is the drug influx, the human trafficking, and just the human sorrow that we see that this has generated. My Republican colleagues and I remain committed to this mission, and I encourage the Biden administration to do the same. I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself, and that is what has happened to the American Negro. Something within has reminded him of his birthright of freedom, and something without has reminded him that it can be gained. Consciously or unconsciously, he has been caught up by the Zeitgeist, and with his black brothers of Africa and his brown and yellow brothers of Asia, South America and the Caribbean, the United States Negro is moving with a sense of great urgency toward the promised land of racial justice. If one recognizes this vital urge that has engulfed the Negro community, one should readily understand why public demonstrations are taking place. The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides--and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence; this is not a threat but a fact of history. So I have not said to my people: ``Get rid of your discontent.'' Rather, I have tried to say that this normal and healthy discontent can be channeled into the creative outlet of nonviolent direct action. And now this approach is being termed extremist. But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ``Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.'' Was not Amos an extremist for justice: ``Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.'' Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: ``I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.'' Was not Martin Luther an extremist: ``Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.'' And John Bunyan: ``I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.'' And Abraham Lincoln: ``This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.'' And Thomas Jefferson: ``We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . . `` So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists. I had hoped that the white moderate would see this need. Perhaps I was too optimistic; perhaps I expected too much. I suppose I should have realized that few members of the oppressor race can understand the deep groans and passionate yearnings of the oppressed race, and still fewer have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of our white brothers in the South have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and committed themselves to it. They are still all too few in quantity, but they are big in quality. Some--such as Ralph McGill, Lillian Smith, Harry Golden, James McBride Dabbs, Ann Braden and Sarah Patton Boyle--have written about our struggle in eloquent and prophetic terms. Others have marched with us down nameless streets of the South. They have languished in filthy, roach infested jails, suffering the abuse and brutality of policemen who view them as ``dirty nigger-lovers.'' Unlike so many of their moderate brothers and sisters, they have recognized the urgency of the moment and sensed the need for powerful ``action'' antidotes to combat the disease of segregation. Let me take note of my other major disappointment. I have been so greatly disappointed with the white church and its leadership. Of course, there are some notable exceptions. I am not unmindful of the fact that each of you has taken some significant stands on this issue. I commend you, Reverend Stallings, for your Christian stand on this past Sunday, in welcoming Negroes to your worship service on a nonsegregated basis. I commend the Catholic leaders of this state for integrating Spring Hill College several years ago. But despite these notable exceptions, I must honestly reiterate that I have been disappointed with the church. I do not say this as one of those negative critics who can always find something wrong with the church. I say this as a minister of the gospel, who loves the church; who was nurtured in its bosom; who has been sustained by its spiritual blessings and who will remain true to it as long as the cord of life shall lengthen.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to talk on a subject that is of great importance to me and of great importance to employers, workers, consumers, and--really--everyone across this country; and that is, the need for substantive reform of our country's Federal environmental review and permitting process. Now, this is a subject I have talked about a lot. I have championed efforts to make sure that our environment and economy benefit from a functional Federal environmental review and permitting process, and I am now and once again leading environmental review and permitting reform efforts through the Environment and Public Works Committee, and I am working with my fellow Republican Senator, who is the ranking member over on Energy and Natural Resources, Senator Barrasso from Wyoming, and we are working across the aisle with our counterparts. Permitting reform is much more than just legislative text. It is more than just updates to laws that have been on the books for years or about replacing counterproductive measures implemented by the Biden administration. It is an essential element in giving our Nation what we need to be successful in the future. Without permitting reform, American energy will continue to be stalled, jeopardizing our security here at home as well as for our allies abroad. Without permitting reform, communities across America will struggle as they are denied access to the good-paying jobs that they need and are capable of doing. Without permitting reform, America will not build at all. The same country that mined the coal, that made the steel, and that built the democracy and led the way for industry across the world will be held back by endless review processes, continuous and continuing court challenges, and crippling regulations that limit our ability to be the world leader that we know we are. In my State of West Virginia, which is synonymous with energy generation, we have long seen the negative effects created by a permitting process that is designed to stall rather than to produce or create. There are multiple real-world examples of how our broken environmental review and permitting process is holding up my State of West Virginia's ability to move forward, and it is impacting multiple sectors important not only to the people of my State but also to our national economy. In the transportation sector in West Virginia there is Corridor H. Corridor H is a critically important highway that West Virginia needs to help commerce flow and to jump-start the economy in the central part of our State and to encourage our growing tourism industry. In the manufacturing sector, there is Nucor Steel, an innovative, cutting-edge steel and steel products company that can't, as yet, build their plant as quickly as the Biden administration keeps creating new emissions guidelines. And, in the energy sector, there is the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 304-mile-long natural gas pipeline that is on the brink of completion-- over 90 percent completed. Yet it is unable to deliver its needed contribution to American energy independence due to the regulatory burdens and endless legal challenges that have gone on longer than the actual construction of the pipeline itself. These are just three examples in the State of West Virginia. Think about the national impact created by outdated permitting processes, the damage inflicted on our communities and our economy, and the opportunities we are losing because of an administration that champions redtape, feeds frivolous lawsuits, and whose Agencies celebrate delays that lead to the total abandonment of critical--critical--projects. It just doesn't make sense, quite simply. Even the renewable energy projects and manufacturing efforts central to the Biden administration's Agencies are being held up in permitting purgatory. President Biden has long pledged that he will build our country back better. Well, news flash, Mr. President. You can't ``build back better'' if you can't build at all. The fallout created by a broken environmental review and permitting process further strains our sputtering economy, drives up energy prices for consumers, negates good-paying jobs for hard-working Americans, and, really, jeopardizes our ability to build into the future. Now, as my constituents in West Virginia would say, well, what are you going to do about it? Well, from conversations we have already started in the EPW Committee, I will soon be introducing legislation, in tandem with my colleague Senator Barrasso, that delivers on the environmental review and permitting process reform that our country needs. This legislation will benefit all projects--renewable, conventional, surface transportation, manufacturing, all of the above. This legislation will mandate enforceable timelines with clear time limits and predictable schedules for environmental review and consequences when Agencies fail to reach these decisions in a timely fashion. This legislation will fashion guidelines that process and decide legal challenges to projects expeditiously, instead of creating a sea of endless litigation. The legislation will actually amend the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, and NEPA, and fix the obstacles holding our country back from the prosperity we deserve, while maintaining--of course, maintaining--environmental protections. I will emphasize, as I have many times in the past, that any tangible, lasting environmental review and permitting solutions must be accomplished through regular order. Backroom deals will not cut it. In fact, they will only lead to confusion among the American public and buyer's remorse among the participants. We have forged the blueprint for bipartisan compromise through the EPW Committee time and time again, and this process should be no different. I encourage my colleagues in both Chambers, on both sides of the aisle, as well as President Biden, to heed the calls from communities across the country on the urgent need for environmental review and permitting reform and to join in our efforts to deliver the modifications that America's employers, workers, and consumers need. I look forward to the continued debate on environmental review and permitting reform, while always maintaining our shared goal of moving America forward. With that, I yield the floor, and I see my colleague--who has been very instrumental in all of this, as we worked together with our colleagues--Senator Barrasso.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, it is a pleasure to be on the floor today with the chair of our EPW Committee and with my friend from Arkansas, Senator Boozman. I am going to speak again about another example of the bipartisan work of our EPW Committee, where we have had accomplishments that are real, practical, and positive and result in good change for our country. On the EPW Committee, we have a history of working together, of crafting legislation together, and of getting good policy going. Sometimes it is not easy, but we have been able to do it. The cornerstone of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which made needed investments in our Nation's core infrastructure, was written and passed out of EPW. With the Water Resources Development Act, it was the same thing. It supports the work of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on projects across this country. It was passed out of our EPW Committee unanimously, and it eventually became law. Today, Chairman Carper, Senator Boozman, and I are reintroducing two pieces of legislation that had been previously approved by EPW and the Senate unanimously--both the committee and the full Senate--to tackle another issue in a bipartisan way, which is access to recycling in America. Not only is recycling something that we have found people really want to do, but it is great for the environment, and it is good for business. It supports over 1 million jobs and generates billions of dollars in economic output every year. But in order to grow these numbers, we need to ensure people who want to participate really can, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, such as areas of my State, so that they can do so. Mr. President, the first bill we are reintroducing today, the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, addresses challenges when it comes to recycling for many of our smaller cities and towns. In the one I live in, we have sort of stopped and started on recycling. Recycling services, including curbside recycling, are just simply not available. These rural areas share common barriers to accessibility: location and proximity to material recovery facilities and the size and density of the population. This is just not available. This has led to low processing yields and high costs in collection and transportation costs, making it difficult for material recovery facilities to operate at a profit. Our legislation would establish a pilot recycling program to ensure places like West Virginia, Arkansas, Wyoming, or Alaska aren't being left behind. The pilot program would award grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for improving recycling accessibility in a community or communities within the same geographic area. Along with improving access to recycling, it is important to fix important data gaps, as the chairman spoke about, when it comes to recycling in America. That is the intent of the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, which is the other piece of legislation we are introducing today. It would improve data collection on our Nation's recycling systems and explore the potential of a national composting strategy. Not only would this give us a better idea of how well States are doing through recycling and composting rates, but it would also help us identify those areas that may be struggling to sustain and grow proper recycling programs. These are simple steps we can take, supported by both Republicans and Democrats, to improve and expand recycling in this country. Americans in every community--rural and urban, on the coasts or in the heartland--share a desire to protect our environment. These pieces of legislation will help make it easier for them to recycle, to contribute to a healthier planet, and to create jobs along the way. With Earth Day coming up, it is fitting that we continue our efforts to expand recycling by reintroducing these bills today, alongside Chairman Carper and Senator Boozman, and I thank them both for their work. Drug Crisis Mr. President, I informed the Senator from Arkansas, but I need to inform Senator Carper that I am having back-to-back speeches, so I am going to totally change the topic here real quick before Senator Boozman talks about recycling. Thank you for letting me move ahead here. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about an issue that is impacting every State in our Nation, an issue that has the potential to impact every community, every family, and every person in the Chamber today, and that is the drug and substance abuse crisis. My home State of West Virginia knows all too well about the scars that this crisis has created and the devastating toll that it takes. West Virginia, unfortunately, continues to lead the Nation in overdose deaths per capita. It is a sad statistic for us, and although these deaths have been declining, every single overdose death is one too many. In 2020, we lost 1,197 West Virginians to overdoses. Data from our State health department indicates that over 80 percent of these deaths included an opioid. Our State's EMS teams responded to over 9,000 suspected overdose calls, and there were 6,916 emergency room visits related to overdoses. These numbers are just staggering and clearly show the continued and urgent need to address this crisis and the many forms that it comes in. This is certainly an issue that requires immediate attention from every level of government and deserves more than just four mentions in the President's most recent budget proposal. While I feel the President and his administration lack that sense of urgency, ending the addiction crisis and taking action to save countless lives remains one of my top priorities. Each time I meet with our northern or our southern U.S. attorneys in West Virginia, the drug crisis is by far the largest topic of discussion. Their offices see firsthand the amount of illicit drugs that are entering our State and work around the clock to remove the threat that these substances create in our communities. Like I have said in this Chamber before, last October our U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of West Virginia recovered approximately 75 pounds of cocaine, 19 pounds of methamphetamine, and nearly 5 pounds of fentanyl in Wheeling, WV, on one bust. Investigators found that traffickers had these drugs shipped from the U.S.-Mexican border to Ohio via tractor-trailer and used cash payments to people who flew from California to Pittsburgh to move the cash back and forth. The connection between the crisis at our southern border and the drug epidemic we are seeing at home does not get any clearer than that. In December of last year, the DEA announced nationwide seizures of over 50.6 million fentanyl pills and more than 10,500 pounds of fentanyl powder. The DEA estimates that these seizures could represent 379 million potentially deadly overdoses of fentanyl. That is enough fentanyl to kill every single American. And these are just the drugs that they found. With the Border Patrol stretched unfathomably thin, there is no telling the amount of drugs that are getting through undetected. We know that these drugs are entering our country through the southern border, making their way into each and every State and wreaking havoc. If President Biden would get a little more serious about stopping this, I think he has to get serious about border security. In a crisis this urgent, it is time to act. I have spoken with the DEA administrator about the support they need and the challenges that they are facing. I have introduced legislation, led letters, and pushed for initiatives that informed the public of the dangers of fentanyl getting in the hands of our youth, that strengthen our investigations on fentanyl trafficking, and that prevent fentanyl and synthetic drug shipments from being smuggled into the United States through the mail. Currently, we are working on efforts to crack down on and schedule the illicit drug xylazine, which I understand is also known as ``tranq.'' If you didn't know by now, xylazine is an easily accessible veterinarian tranquilizer that is being mixed with opioids, including fentanyl, increasing the number of fatal overdoses nationwide. This crisis is ever-changing, which means our approach needs to be multifaceted as well. I encourage the President, his administration, and all of our colleagues right here in the Congress to stay on this effort and stop the latest modifications before it is too late. Even in the midst of devastating losses in our State, I have always been inspired, encouraged, and moved by the efforts of people in West Virginia to end the drug crisis and help those in our State during the times when they need it the most. West Virginians continue to be responsible for the most innovative recovery solutions and prevention efforts that we have seen. The opioid crisis has made a personal targeted impact on communities all across our State, and in turn we have seen success through these community-based solutions. I have seen in Martinsburg, WV, with a program that is a police- school-community-health-and-education partnership working to prevent substance use disorders from ever happening to our youth. By building strong families and empowering the community, we build resiliency in children and families to help them overcome this horrible addiction. I have seen this in Kearneysville, WV, where they are building a recovery village so that individuals who are struggling with addiction receive access to family and community they definitely need. The detailed focus is on housing and workforce development, aspects of recovery that are absolutely critical. I have seen drug court programs all across our State, where West Virginians are building each other up, holding each other accountable, and giving those who struggle with addiction the chance for a life of recovery. You know, West Virginians take care of West Virginians, and there is no other issue that requires each and every one of us to work together quite like this one. So, President Biden, the drug crisis has created a dire situation in communities not just across my State but across the country. We have no time to waste. Every day of inaction results in turmoil and devastation for so many families and loved ones. We need to secure the southern border; we need to crack down on illicit drug trafficking and new tactics that criminals are implementing; and we need to deliver the tools our communities need to implement Federal programs and develop those community-based solutions that we know work best. We must do this together. We must do it now. Countless lives depend on us. With that, I yield the floor to my colleague from Arkansas, my fellow recycler, Senator Boozman. Recycling

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise today to talk about the importance of unleashing American energy, the consequences of President Biden's refusal to invest in American energy, the impact this is having on energy States like West Virginia and Texas, and what steps we can take to move forward to fix the mistakes made by the White House and the jeopardy that they have put our country in. President Biden has made his stance on American energy clear since day one of his administration. As President, his policies and personnel choices have delivered on his campaign promises, and high prices are just part of the bargain. The administration has canceled pipelines, rescinded previously issued approvals for others, and raised barriers to building new ones. They have frozen oil and gas leasing and proposed raising royalties--costs that will be passed on to the consumer. The Biden EPA has continued to layer regulation on regulation, though I am pleased to report that, earlier today, through the congressional resolution, we pulled down the WOTUS rule that the EPA recently put forward last December. These are just a few of the unreasonable and misguided policy decisions this administration has made that have led to what we are facing today. Congressional Democrats have not been shy about their stance on an ``all of the above'' energy future. Look no further than the two pieces of legislation that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle boast about the most--the American Rescue Plan and the so-called Inflation Reduction Act. Just last week, while I was questioning President Biden's head of the Environmental Protection Agency, I was asking him about his Agency's budget. Administrator Regan admitted that, because of the Inflation Reduction Act, coal capacity and natural gas generation will plummet in the future. This is the coal capacity with the IRA. It is way down here below 50. If there had been no IRA, it would have been somewhere here, around 80. Let me say that again. Through data generated by the EPA and admitted to be true by the head of the administration, coal capacity and natural gas generation will be significantly lower in our country because of the Inflation Reduction Act. Here is natural gas with no IRA, up here. With the IRA, it will be way down here by 2040. He went even further--Administrator Regan did--and admitted the misguided policies with the Inflation Reduction Act will lead to the closures of coal and natural gas plants. This will lead to the shuttering of proud energy-producing communities across my State of West Virginia and our country, moving us further away from the energy independence that we desperately need and want. This clearly spells out the priorities of this President and underscores the urgency needed in reversing these policies. On top of all of this, the out-of-control reckless spending and Green New Deal priorities that are packaged in the American Rescue Plan have caused energy prices to soar alongside record inflation. So let's take a look at the consequences of President Biden's war on American energy by the numbers. When he took office, the average price for a gallon of gasoline was $2.39. Now the average price is $3.44--a 44-percent increase. And let's not forget what we just lived through 9 months ago when the record was set, when gas prices averaged about $5 a gallon for the first time in history. High gas costs like this just create a domino effect. In fact, increased fuel costs and shortages have made it more expensive to manufacture goods, to deliver goods, and, ultimately, to provide what we want and need in this country. It has made everything more expensive. This creates additional strain on our supply chains and feeds into the inflation that so many families continue to struggle with. Think about the cost of food at the grocery store. Add to this the price that Americans paid to heat their homes when winter came on. No matter what utility you used, it went up. Whether it was natural gas, electric, oil, or renewables, all prices went up. Those who heat their homes with natural gas are at the highest disadvantage in paying 25 percent extra this winter just to keep their homes warm. This truly shows that, no matter what, there is no escaping the consequences that President Biden and congressional Democrats have created by turning their heads on American energy. The good news is we know what we need to do to unleash American energy and move critical projects forward. Republicans and Democrats alike know it. We all know it. We must make genuine reforms to our Nation's permitting and environmental review processes. For example, it should not take 7 to 10 years to permit a mine or a large transportation project in the United States. It should not be typical for endless legal challenges to be filed, one after another, for the sole purpose of postponing and, ultimately, killing key energy projects. Projects that create jobs, that produce energy of all kinds, and that drive down costs should not be delayed or stopped because of burdensome regulations. The current system hamstrings States and employers that are trying to build anything here in the United States, and it needs to change. We need to provide regulatory certainty to our States. We need to expedite permitting and review processes while ensuring all environmental considerations are completed. We need to codify substantive environmental regulatory reforms and jump-start key projects like, in my State, the critically important Mountain Valley Pipeline. Together, we should address section 401 of the Clean Water Act. We should streamline the NEPA process with real deadlines for Agency reviews, and we should limit judicial review to avoid endless litigation that delays and sometimes cancels projects. I want to be very clear when I say ``projects.'' I mean projects of any kind. That means both renewable and conventional sources of energy. We have made great strides in advancing cleaner energy sources, but without the ability to build and build quickly, we will not capitalize on that process. Unfortunately, at every turn, the Biden administration has made it harder for any of these projects to move forward. I mentioned earlier the waters of the United States rule, the WOTUS rule. It significantly expands the Federal Government's authority when it comes to water sources across the country, and it will mean more people will have to get more permits and deal with more redtape--many times, on their own private farmland. Fortunately, we challenged that rule through a Congressional Review Act, and it passed in a bipartisan way in both the House and the Senate, and it will go to the President's desk. It is up to him. Have you listened to the voices of the American people or will you continue with these tactics that you have been doing? So what do we need to do? Why do we need to do it? How do we get it done? I have been saying all along that I believe the best solutions are by going through regular order--bipartisan, through our committees-- through the Environment and Public Works Committee, through the Energy Committee--and through any other committee that has relevant actions toward permitting. It is where we can hear those who know these issues the best. We can formulate solutions, hash out our differences, and compromise. I believe that is the only way that we can get permitting reform across the line, and I am willing to do whatever I can. I am glad the House is taking the first swing at this and sending us a great starting point for how we can finally address America's broken permitting process and give a boost to energy production right here at home. There is no denying there is growing momentum in the Senate to get real, legitimate permitting reform across the finish line and signed into law. I have had many, many conversations. I encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to heed the increased call for energy independence and help us deliver that ``all of the above'' solution, which we all say we want, that increases our national security, creates jobs, keeps good jobs at home, and that, lastly and very importantly, lowers the energy costs for American families. With that, I am proud to be here with my fellow Republican Senators who have the solutions to energy independence. With that, I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I want to thank the chair for presenting his side of the argument. Now I think we are going to hear the other side of the argument on why taking this rule down will pass today--because of the strong opposition to it. Today, we are going to have the opportunity to bring a divided Congress together, united in rejecting misguided and unnecessary overreach by the executive branch. In its attempt to regulate basically anything and everything, the Biden administration, once again, overstepped its boundaries in the Waters of the United States rule, or WOTUS, as we have heard, and they did this this past December. It is the third major change in 8 years. The chairman talked about all of the uncertainty. This is the third change in 8 years to the definition of what ``waters'' are and what is a subject of Federal jurisdiction. With this comes more uncertainty, more redtape, and more government for millions of Americans. It is clear we need to take action in the face of this burdensome rule, and it is exactly why I have introduced the Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval that we are about to vote on. So let's take a look at the new rule issued by the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers. President Biden's new WOTUS rule repeals the 2020 navigable waters protection rule that provided predictability and certainty for our farmers, our ranchers, our miners, our infrastructure workers, our homebuilders, and our landowners such that they can rely on. That 2020 waters rule properly implemented the Clean Water Act by protecting America's waterways through coordination and cooperation between the States and the Federal Government. Who knows their States better than the State regulators? This new definition, however, drastically expands Federal jurisdiction over streams, wetlands, and private property at the expense of the States and their citizens. It also adopts a subjective ``significant nexus'' test for determining what is and isn't subject to Federal regulation under the Clean Water Act, up to and including dry ditches--it doesn't sound like a navigable water to me--that could fill with rain during a storm event even in the middle of the desert. To sum it up, the Biden administration's WOTUS rule tells States and individuals that the Federal Government knows best. It is true to form for this administration so we shouldn't be too surprised. It is also important to note that this is all happening while there is a pending court case at the Supreme Court, right now, that will make many of these same determinations, but they couldn't wait. Of course, they couldn't wait. They had to grow the Federal Government's authority and redesignate waters that had never been designated before. So let's take a look at the impacts this WOTUS rule would have on farmers and on small businesses. There are 17,000 small businesses in the small State of West Virginia that will be impacted by this rule and our own ability to build in the future. We should be setting predictable, reliable policy for America's farmers and ranchers. Instead, under the Biden WOTUS rule, if I am a rancher in Arizona or a cattle farmer in Montana or own a family farm in West Virginia, I will literally have less control over my own land. Previously converted cropland and even irrigation ditches may now require a permit under this new regulation. The American Farm Bureau says: Farmers and ranchers should not have to hire a team of lawyers and consultants to determine how we can farm our land. Do you know what will happen? They won't hire the team of lawyers. They just won't farm their own farmland. Yes, that is what millions fear from this new ``waters of the United States'' definition. The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture says that this rule will ``significantly increase the regulatory burdens and create further uncertainty for state departments of agriculture, farmers, and ranchers across the country.'' Along with those who live and work in rural America, this rule will target employers of all sizes across our country as well. The National Federation of Independent Business writes that the Biden WOTUS rule will ``make compliance a nightmare for small businesses,'' adding, ``If there was ever a time to not impose additional burdensome regulations, that time is now.'' Often the cornerstone of our communities, small businesses need policies that support, not penalize them. Our Nation's future depends on our ability to build. That includes transportation, infrastructure, and energy projects of all kinds. President Biden knows that our Nation's broken permitting process threatens to undercut some of our own shared legislative accomplishments on infrastructure investment. Yet, at a time when we should be streamlining our Nation's permitting and review process, the Biden waters rule makes things worse. It comes at a time when we are trying to build here in America. It will require more people and more projects to seek more Federal permits, which is time and money and doesn't improve the environmental oversight. The environmental oversight is there, but it will cause fear that the EPA will take enforcement action at any given moment with eye-popping fines. The Associated Builders and Contractors writes that the Biden WOTUS rule will ``cause building delays due to regulatory uncertainty, plus increased permitting and mitigation costs, which will make it more difficult and expensive to grow food, produce energy and build critical infrastructure for the 21st century.'' We have heard our Nation's farmers, small businesses, and our builders loud and clear: President Biden's waters rule is bad policy at an even worse time. Now, I have been asked what a Congressional Review Act resolution would do, and during a recent Environment and Public Works hearing, this issue came up. If approved by both Houses of Congress and signed into law, this resolution would overturn the overreaching and expansive WOTUS rule issued in December and return to a narrower and more practical definition that was put in place prior to 2015. You may hear that this will leave waters unprotected. That is simply not true. The regulatory authority for waters that are not navigable nor travel interstate will be returned to the States as Congress intended in the Clean Water Act. Importantly, my resolution would prevent a substantially similar and overbroad definition from being written again. It would not prevent the EPA and Army Corps from issuing a narrower replacement rule that actually is common sense and addresses stakeholders' and elected officials' concerns and seeks to clarify the status quo. As you have just heard, States and the regulated community, including farmers and ranchers, have been very clear in their conclusion, and I agree: The Biden final rule on WOTUS is a significant expansion--not a narrowing--of Washington's role in regulating land and waters across the country, and it creates more uncertainty than it cures. The expansion of Federal authority and the encroachment on States' rights and private lands is the precise reason we have seen overwhelming support for my CRA resolution. When I introduced this resolution of disapproval, I was proud to do so with our friends and counterparts in the House of Representatives. Led by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves, the House passed this measure with bipartisan support, including nine Democrat votes. It is important to note that two of these Democrat votes came from the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee and the ranking member of the House Appropriations' Agriculture Subcommittee. These are folks who know the needs of our farmers and rural Americans very, very well and who bravely put the best policy forward ahead of partisan politics. So I thank them for their support in this effort. It demonstrates, again, that it isn't about party; it is not about party lines. It is about standing up to the needs of those who live and work in rural America. Well, we can stand by them today. We can also give a boost to our future transportation, infrastructure, and energy projects of all kinds across our country. With this resolution, we are sending a clear message that Congress, even a divided Congress, will defend working Americans in the face of Executive overreach. With that, I appreciate the support we have received in our effort to place this important check on Executive overreach, and I encourage my colleagues to vote yes on my resolution of disapproval. I yield the floor.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mrs. CAPITO

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