Christopher Coons

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I object to the modification.

Mr. COONS. Madam President, if I might, just in concluding this particular exchange, several things are also important to make clear. First, I think every Member of this Congress is concerned about the security, the independence, the safety of Ukraine and about aggressive actions by Putin's Russia. Second, earlier today, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate majority leader urged that all holds on ambassadorial nominees be waived. In the interest of America's security, our place in the world, our ability to do the job that we have to do here in this body of advocating for and representing the interests of the United States by confirming qualified and competent nominees, they have urged that every hold be lifted. That is the current position of the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and the majority leader. Hearing the objection of my colleague from Texas, I understand there is a significant gap. I commit to working to trying to resolve this in a responsible way, but, in my view, the right lies on the side of those who are saying we should not have holds on Ambassadors. I also agree that there should be consideration of the issue of whether or not sanctions appropriately should be imposed on the Nord Stream pipeline going forward. It is my hope that, working together and listening to each other, we can yet find a way forward. One last comment and concern: At the end of this calendar year, every nominee will return to the White House and need to be renominated. It is my hope that we will also come to an understanding that every nominee for an ambassadorship who has already been heard by the Foreign Relations Committee and advanced to this floor will not be returned and there be a requirement that they be reheard in front of our committee. We can find a fast path forward. I dedicate myself to finding it and working with any colleague interested in working with me to close this gap in the days that remain. With that, Madam President, I would like to thank you and my colleagues. I yield the floor.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my State Department fellow Deanne de Lima be given floor privileges throughout the remainder of this Congress.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I rise as chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics, and on behalf of the vice chairman, members of the committee, and its staff, to pay tribute to Deborah Sue Mayer as she retires after 23 years of Federal service including the last 6 as chief counsel and staff director of the Select Committee on Ethics. As a paramedic, a naval officer, and attorney, Deb's career tells the story of a life dedicated to public service. She joined the Senate in January 2015 after 4 years as director of investigations for the House Committee on Ethics. From 2002 to 2011, Deb was a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice; beginning as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York's Organized Crime and Racketeering Section. Deb went on to serve in the Department of Justice Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division, where she investigated and prosecuted corruption at all levels of government throughout the United States. Since 1998, Deb has served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Navy, first on Active Duty and continuing her career in the Reserve Force. In her time as chief counsel and staff director, Deb personally advised members of the Committee and Senate, oversaw the nonpartisan staff in providing ethics advice and education, administered the Senate's financial disclosure program, modernized and redesigned the committee's website, and conducted investigations and enforcement of ethics rules, laws and standards of conduct. Beyond the Senate, Deb represented the committee at conferences and on councils around the country and abroad. In all these efforts, Deb brought her trademark dedication to rigorous accuracy and precision. On behalf of the members and staff of the Select Committee on Ethics, I thank Deb for her decades of service to our country and commitment to the U.S. Senate. I offer my sincere best wishes and gratitude to Deb and her family as she begins her retirement. Thank you, Deb.

Mr. COONS

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

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak to the fiscal year 2022 State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill. Every year as December approaches, we finally roll up our sleeves and get serious about passing the critical appropriations bills that fund our government for the new fiscal year, and this year should be no different. We are, in fact, already a month into fiscal year 2022. Until we complete our work on the Appropriations Committee, Federal Agencies are compelled to run on autopilot--something they can manage for a few weeks, even a few months, but it creates immense problems for Agencies and has grave consequences for every State and county and municipality in this country if it goes on too long. What I am talking about today is the grave risk that we will end up with a continuing resolution. Now, a continuing resolution doesn't sound that scary, but it is appropriations-speak for doing nothing, for a zombie government, for conducting business as if time has stopped and nothing has changed. As the relatively new chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, I am acutely aware that running our government on autopilot undermines the ability of the United States to be a global leader, to defend and advance our national security and foreign interests, and to counter the influence and aggression of our competitors and adversaries. If we were to continue month after month through this entire fiscal year with no appropriation, what are the things that have happened that we would fail to respond to? Well, tragically, in Ethiopia and in Afghanistan, there are humanitarian crises unfolding before our eyes, where millions are at risk of starvation. In Haiti, due to the recent earthquake and political changes, armed gangs have taken over much of the capital, and tens of thousands are homeless. In Venezuela, the ongoing crisis with the Maduro regime continues to worsen, putting enormous pressure on its neighbors as millions of Venezuelans flee to other regions seeking refuge. We are also continuing to work to vaccinate the world to stop further the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the development of even more deadly variants than the Delta variant. Last year's State and Foreign Operations bill included a small fraction of what is now widely recognized as being essential to prepare for the next outbreak of a deadly virus, which could be even more lethal than COVID-19 or Ebola and more transmissible. A continuing resolution would deny the U.S. Government the resources included in this year's bill to lead the global pandemic response. Now, Mr. President, I will not attempt to go through the entire roughly 320 pages of this year's nearly $60 billion State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, but I do want to talk about, at the top level, some of the most important provisions and some of the most significant ways in which it deals with ongoing challenges in our world. Last year's bill included almost nothing to help nations deal with the worst impacts of climate change, impacts that are occurring with greater frequency and intensity than previously predicted. Rising temperatures, severe droughts, food shortages, flooding, fires, and other extreme weather events are more and more common here in our own country and around the world. Last year's bill continued the counterproductive practice of failing to meet our assessed dues at the United Nations, adding another $200 million in our arrears, arrears that today are nearly a billion dollars. If we continue this another year with a CR, who benefits the most from our delinquency, from our absence at the world stage and at all the different organizations and entities within the United Nations? China. China has been methodically paying what it owes, expanding its influence, and has already surpassed us as the largest donor to several different U.N. agencies. If you think that doesn't matter, imagine a world in which China is the largest contributor, supporter, shareholder, influencer of United Nations organizations and has the largest number of employees and sets the rules and standards at the dozens of U.N. entities that are critical to global commerce, to global society, and to the rules-based international order. Last year, our SFOPS bill shortchanged U.S. public diplomacy and broadcasting, and we saw an emboldened Russian Government expel Radio Free Europe and all of its staff. Last year's bill did positive things. It rejected the Trump administration's proposed deep cuts to State Department operations and personnel, but it did little to fill the yawning gap caused by a hiring freeze and steady attrition due to a loss of morale. Practically all of our Embassies, our consulates, and USAID missions are today operating at below--and in some cases far below--their authorized staffing, their critically needed capacity. Over the last 4 years, I will say that our reputation as a stalwart defender of democratic values and of human rights, a reputation earned over decades, was tarnished. Reaffirming those values and rebuilding our reputation requires more than brave speeches and good words. It requires investing in the staff, in the personnel, in the organizations and the programs that support human rights and that fight for democracy around the world. I know Senators of both parties recognize the imperative of our maintaining our reputation as the world's leading democracy, of fully staffing our Embassies, of strengthening our alliances, of countering growing Russian and Chinese influence, and of maintaining our world leadership role in public health by responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. But what also needs to be recognized is that none of this is possible if we simply continue funding these requirements at last year's level. The fiscal year 2022 State and Foreign Operations bill was posted on the Appropriations Committee website Monday, and I am introducing it as a bill in total today. I urge our Republican colleagues to work with us to arrive at a top line for fiscal year 2022 appropriations, to complete work on this and the other appropriations bills, and to avoid a yearlong continuing resolution that is in no one's interest. This year's State and Foreign Operations bill was drafted with input from leaders in both parties, which has been our longstanding practice. Senator Graham of South Carolina, the former chairman and now ranking member, has been an invaluable partner. He and I have traveled to a number of countries together, and I value his ideas, his input, and his priorities and those of his staff. Many of his ideas are reflected in the fiscal year 2022 bill, as are requests of many Senators of both parties. Every draft of this bill was shared and edited by both sides. Neither Senator Graham nor I got everything we wanted, nor should we expect to. There are things that his side opposes; there are things that my side wanted that are not included because of his objections. Contrary to what some have suggested, this was not a partisan process. Does this bill differ from what the Republicans would have drafted if they were in the majority? Of course. But it is, in fact, a compromise, the result of disciplined and thorough negotiation between both parties. We did our best to incorporate the requests of other Senators, regardless of party. And if we had included every dollar that was asked of us, we would need a budget allocation five times the amount we were given to spend. That alone tells you a great deal about the strong bipartisan support for global leadership and engagement. The budget allocation our subcommittee was given is, in fact, $1.75 billion below President Biden's budget request, and that made us make even tougher budget choices than we initially imagined. The entire SFOPS budget amounts to only 1 percent of the Federal budget, contrary to the mythology many of us hear out on the stump, in townhalls, and in campaign events. Folks come to us all the time who imagine that if we just eliminated foreign aid, we would cover the entire Federal debt. One percent--1 percent--of the Federal budget is dedicated to our State Department, our USAID professionals, our engagement in world organizations--all of the good that is done on behalf of the United States and that strengthens our role in strategic and, I would say, moral leadership in the world at a time when our allies are under unprecedented pressure. The fiscal year 2022 State and Foreign Operations bill provides critically needed funds to rebuild the muscles of the State Department and USAID, to fill vacant personnel positions, to allow for diplomats and aid workers to serve as professional and dedicated representatives to the United States around the world. I will remind you, many of them serve in dangerous and remote posts, from the Horn of Africa to South Asia and Central America. But unlike our men and women in uniform, they don't carry weapons to defend themselves. They, instead, carry the full faith and credit of the United States, our reputation and our support, and our thanks. And there are provisions we should be adding to future bills to ensure they have the full support they need and deserve to have successful careers representing us overseas. As I mentioned earlier, the clarity with which we all see the urgency of combating climate change has become sharper and sharper as natural disaster after natural disaster imposes billions of dollars of costs on the American people. This bill provides nearly $2 billion in proactive investments in key climate programs to support clean energy technologies and help other countries adapt to climate change. This should be a priority for the Senate and the United States. There are parts of the world already experiencing temperatures that make life unbearable, where water scarcity is an existential threat, food insecurity is increasing, and there is a risk of widespread hunger. In coming years, projections are the number of migrants driven from their home countries by climate change will increase dramatically to tens of millions of people moving across the face of the world, driven by climate change. It is not too late for us to act, but it nearly is. And this significant investment, meeting the President's budget request--in fact, in some areas exceeding it--is, I think, an important signal of our commitment to combat climate change. This bill also provides a billion dollars to support global health security, an $800 million increase in the current level, recognizing the global pandemic in which we are currently struggling to provide vaccines and public health support for the rest of the world. It also provides support for a wide range of sustained and bipartisan long-term global health investments: combating malaria, polio, tuberculosis; for nutrition, water, and sanitation programs; and maintaining strong support for the PEPFAR Program to combat HIV/AIDS, first initiated by President George Bush and sustained by his successor administrations. This bill also maintains critical support for vital allies and partners, for the nations of Israel and Jordan and other allies throughout the world, and it pays our commitments to international organizations like NATO and the IAEA. It provides funds to continue our leadership role as the world's largest contributor to the U.N. World Food Programme, which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for the critical, lifesaving difference they have made in feeding the world's most vulnerable people and in responding to the current global humanitarian crisis. This bill includes a nearly $150 million increase for vital programs in Central America to address poverty, violence, and other root causes of migration while also attempting to address the rampant corruption and impunity within the governments of the countries of Central America with which we look to partner. There is also a critical new investment here I want to point out briefly. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, something a number of us have a hand in crafting, will have an increased budget by more than $100 million to support private-sector investment in development overseas with standards that are higher, that are more transparent in terms of labor, environment, and fiscal soundness and transparency. I think this is critical for us to combat rising Chinese influence through the Belt and Road Initiative and for the United States to have a new tool to partner with our closest allies in development finance. This also provides $900 million to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, another initiative of the Bush administration sustained by its successors, that has demonstrated that long-term compacts with clear standards and clear metrics can contribute meaningfully to development in the Third World. The bill supports programs to protect and promote internet freedom, religious freedom, and freedom of expression, all of which are critical ways that we don't just talk about but we show our values in the world. And it increases funding for programs to support free and fair elections, human rights, and democratic institutions at a time when authoritarianism is gaining ground in nearly every region of the world. No country has the ability to match the United States when it comes to standing up to ruthless dictators, whether in Burma, in Russia, or in Iran, and people everywhere are counting on us to do so. This bill also prioritizes funding for programs to combat transnational crime and corruption and to hold accountable foreign officials who enrich themselves at the expense of their own people, and it provides funding to help countries--especially those hardest hit by the pandemic--to reform and strengthen struggling economies. And, for the first time, it highlights the need for greater engagement through diplomacies and specific programs in the Arctic region, which is rapidly becoming an area of focus and of strategic competition. Whether it is investing in rebuilding the professional staff at the State Department and USAID or whether it is shoring up our alliances and our partnerships with key allies or reasserting U.S. diplomatic leadership in international organizations, it is the funding and the authorities in this bill that will enable us to remain and to strengthen our role as a global leader. As President Biden leaves to go to the G20, to go to COP26, the global climate summit in Glasgow, we should be sending a strong signal of support. We should be taking up and passing this bill. If we simply remain on autopilot, if we doom the Agencies I have spoken about in my brief remarks today to a zombie year on autopilot, we will weaken our standing in the world. We will take a critical tool out of the toolkit of our President, who I believe many of us supported because of his ability to represent us well on the world stage and in recognition of the many crises that confront our world today. Appropriating funds for the Federal Government is among our most important responsibilities under article I of our Constitution. It is not something to be casual or blase or nonchalant about. It is something to take up, to seriously debate, and to act on. With just 6 weeks before the continuing resolution runs out, it is time for us to act on the State and Foreign Operations bill and all the other fiscal 2022 appropriations bills so we can avoid a zombie government under a continuing resolution and demonstrate that the Senate of the United States can still legislate in the best interests of the American people. Thank you.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I come to the floor to speak to the fiscal year 2022 State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill. Every year as December approaches, we finally roll up our sleeves and get serious about passing the critical appropriations bills that fund our government for the new fiscal year, and this year should be no different. We are, in fact, already a month into fiscal year 2022. Until we complete our work on the Appropriations Committee, Federal Agencies are compelled to run on autopilot--something they can manage for a few weeks, even a few months, but it creates immense problems for Agencies and has grave consequences for every State and county and municipality in this country if it goes on too long. What I am talking about today is the grave risk that we will end up with a continuing resolution. Now, a continuing resolution doesn't sound that scary, but it is appropriations-speak for doing nothing, for a zombie government, for conducting business as if time has stopped and nothing has changed. As the relatively new chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, I am acutely aware that running our government on autopilot undermines the ability of the United States to be a global leader, to defend and advance our national security and foreign interests, and to counter the influence and aggression of our competitors and adversaries. If we were to continue month after month through this entire fiscal year with no appropriation, what are the things that have happened that we would fail to respond to? Well, tragically, in Ethiopia and in Afghanistan, there are humanitarian crises unfolding before our eyes, where millions are at risk of starvation. In Haiti, due to the recent earthquake and political changes, armed gangs have taken over much of the capital, and tens of thousands are homeless. In Venezuela, the ongoing crisis with the Maduro regime continues to worsen, putting enormous pressure on its neighbors as millions of Venezuelans flee to other regions seeking refuge. We are also continuing to work to vaccinate the world to stop further the spread of COVID-19 and prevent the development of even more deadly variants than the Delta variant. Last year's State and Foreign Operations bill included a small fraction of what is now widely recognized as being essential to prepare for the next outbreak of a deadly virus, which could be even more lethal than COVID-19 or Ebola and more transmissible. A continuing resolution would deny the U.S. Government the resources included in this year's bill to lead the global pandemic response. Now, Mr. President, I will not attempt to go through the entire roughly 320 pages of this year's nearly $60 billion State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill, but I do want to talk about, at the top level, some of the most important provisions and some of the most significant ways in which it deals with ongoing challenges in our world. Last year's bill included almost nothing to help nations deal with the worst impacts of climate change, impacts that are occurring with greater frequency and intensity than previously predicted. Rising temperatures, severe droughts, food shortages, flooding, fires, and other extreme weather events are more and more common here in our own country and around the world. Last year's bill continued the counterproductive practice of failing to meet our assessed dues at the United Nations, adding another $200 million in our arrears, arrears that today are nearly a billion dollars. If we continue this another year with a CR, who benefits the most from our delinquency, from our absence at the world stage and at all the different organizations and entities within the United Nations? China. China has been methodically paying what it owes, expanding its influence, and has already surpassed us as the largest donor to several different U.N. agencies. If you think that doesn't matter, imagine a world in which China is the largest contributor, supporter, shareholder, influencer of United Nations organizations and has the largest number of employees and sets the rules and standards at the dozens of U.N. entities that are critical to global commerce, to global society, and to the rules-based international order. Last year, our SFOPS bill shortchanged U.S. public diplomacy and broadcasting, and we saw an emboldened Russian Government expel Radio Free Europe and all of its staff. Last year's bill did positive things. It rejected the Trump administration's proposed deep cuts to State Department operations and personnel, but it did little to fill the yawning gap caused by a hiring freeze and steady attrition due to a loss of morale. Practically all of our Embassies, our consulates, and USAID missions are today operating at below--and in some cases far below--their authorized staffing, their critically needed capacity. Over the last 4 years, I will say that our reputation as a stalwart defender of democratic values and of human rights, a reputation earned over decades, was tarnished. Reaffirming those values and rebuilding our reputation requires more than brave speeches and good words. It requires investing in the staff, in the personnel, in the organizations and the programs that support human rights and that fight for democracy around the world. I know Senators of both parties recognize the imperative of our maintaining our reputation as the world's leading democracy, of fully staffing our Embassies, of strengthening our alliances, of countering growing Russian and Chinese influence, and of maintaining our world leadership role in public health by responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. But what also needs to be recognized is that none of this is possible if we simply continue funding these requirements at last year's level. The fiscal year 2022 State and Foreign Operations bill was posted on the Appropriations Committee website Monday, and I am introducing it as a bill in total today. I urge our Republican colleagues to work with us to arrive at a top line for fiscal year 2022 appropriations, to complete work on this and the other appropriations bills, and to avoid a yearlong continuing resolution that is in no one's interest. This year's State and Foreign Operations bill was drafted with input from leaders in both parties, which has been our longstanding practice. Senator Graham of South Carolina, the former chairman and now ranking member, has been an invaluable partner. He and I have traveled to a number of countries together, and I value his ideas, his input, and his priorities and those of his staff. Many of his ideas are reflected in the fiscal year 2022 bill, as are requests of many Senators of both parties. Every draft of this bill was shared and edited by both sides. Neither Senator Graham nor I got everything we wanted, nor should we expect to. There are things that his side opposes; there are things that my side wanted that are not included because of his objections. Contrary to what some have suggested, this was not a partisan process. Does this bill differ from what the Republicans would have drafted if they were in the majority? Of course. But it is, in fact, a compromise, the result of disciplined and thorough negotiation between both parties. We did our best to incorporate the requests of other Senators, regardless of party. And if we had included every dollar that was asked of us, we would need a budget allocation five times the amount we were given to spend. That alone tells you a great deal about the strong bipartisan support for global leadership and engagement. The budget allocation our subcommittee was given is, in fact, $1.75 billion below President Biden's budget request, and that made us make even tougher budget choices than we initially imagined. The entire SFOPS budget amounts to only 1 percent of the Federal budget, contrary to the mythology many of us hear out on the stump, in townhalls, and in campaign events. Folks come to us all the time who imagine that if we just eliminated foreign aid, we would cover the entire Federal debt. One percent--1 percent--of the Federal budget is dedicated to our State Department, our USAID professionals, our engagement in world organizations--all of the good that is done on behalf of the United States and that strengthens our role in strategic and, I would say, moral leadership in the world at a time when our allies are under unprecedented pressure. The fiscal year 2022 State and Foreign Operations bill provides critically needed funds to rebuild the muscles of the State Department and USAID, to fill vacant personnel positions, to allow for diplomats and aid workers to serve as professional and dedicated representatives to the United States around the world. I will remind you, many of them serve in dangerous and remote posts, from the Horn of Africa to South Asia and Central America. But unlike our men and women in uniform, they don't carry weapons to defend themselves. They, instead, carry the full faith and credit of the United States, our reputation and our support, and our thanks. And there are provisions we should be adding to future bills to ensure they have the full support they need and deserve to have successful careers representing us overseas. As I mentioned earlier, the clarity with which we all see the urgency of combating climate change has become sharper and sharper as natural disaster after natural disaster imposes billions of dollars of costs on the American people. This bill provides nearly $2 billion in proactive investments in key climate programs to support clean energy technologies and help other countries adapt to climate change. This should be a priority for the Senate and the United States. There are parts of the world already experiencing temperatures that make life unbearable, where water scarcity is an existential threat, food insecurity is increasing, and there is a risk of widespread hunger. In coming years, projections are the number of migrants driven from their home countries by climate change will increase dramatically to tens of millions of people moving across the face of the world, driven by climate change. It is not too late for us to act, but it nearly is. And this significant investment, meeting the President's budget request--in fact, in some areas exceeding it--is, I think, an important signal of our commitment to combat climate change. This bill also provides a billion dollars to support global health security, an $800 million increase in the current level, recognizing the global pandemic in which we are currently struggling to provide vaccines and public health support for the rest of the world. It also provides support for a wide range of sustained and bipartisan long-term global health investments: combating malaria, polio, tuberculosis; for nutrition, water, and sanitation programs; and maintaining strong support for the PEPFAR Program to combat HIV/AIDS, first initiated by President George Bush and sustained by his successor administrations. This bill also maintains critical support for vital allies and partners, for the nations of Israel and Jordan and other allies throughout the world, and it pays our commitments to international organizations like NATO and the IAEA. It provides funds to continue our leadership role as the world's largest contributor to the U.N. World Food Programme, which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for the critical, lifesaving difference they have made in feeding the world's most vulnerable people and in responding to the current global humanitarian crisis. This bill includes a nearly $150 million increase for vital programs in Central America to address poverty, violence, and other root causes of migration while also attempting to address the rampant corruption and impunity within the governments of the countries of Central America with which we look to partner. There is also a critical new investment here I want to point out briefly. The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, something a number of us have a hand in crafting, will have an increased budget by more than $100 million to support private-sector investment in development overseas with standards that are higher, that are more transparent in terms of labor, environment, and fiscal soundness and transparency. I think this is critical for us to combat rising Chinese influence through the Belt and Road Initiative and for the United States to have a new tool to partner with our closest allies in development finance. This also provides $900 million to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, another initiative of the Bush administration sustained by its successors, that has demonstrated that long-term compacts with clear standards and clear metrics can contribute meaningfully to development in the Third World. The bill supports programs to protect and promote internet freedom, religious freedom, and freedom of expression, all of which are critical ways that we don't just talk about but we show our values in the world. And it increases funding for programs to support free and fair elections, human rights, and democratic institutions at a time when authoritarianism is gaining ground in nearly every region of the world. No country has the ability to match the United States when it comes to standing up to ruthless dictators, whether in Burma, in Russia, or in Iran, and people everywhere are counting on us to do so. This bill also prioritizes funding for programs to combat transnational crime and corruption and to hold accountable foreign officials who enrich themselves at the expense of their own people, and it provides funding to help countries--especially those hardest hit by the pandemic--to reform and strengthen struggling economies. And, for the first time, it highlights the need for greater engagement through diplomacies and specific programs in the Arctic region, which is rapidly becoming an area of focus and of strategic competition. Whether it is investing in rebuilding the professional staff at the State Department and USAID or whether it is shoring up our alliances and our partnerships with key allies or reasserting U.S. diplomatic leadership in international organizations, it is the funding and the authorities in this bill that will enable us to remain and to strengthen our role as a global leader. As President Biden leaves to go to the G20, to go to COP26, the global climate summit in Glasgow, we should be sending a strong signal of support. We should be taking up and passing this bill. If we simply remain on autopilot, if we doom the Agencies I have spoken about in my brief remarks today to a zombie year on autopilot, we will weaken our standing in the world. We will take a critical tool out of the toolkit of our President, who I believe many of us supported because of his ability to represent us well on the world stage and in recognition of the many crises that confront our world today. Appropriating funds for the Federal Government is among our most important responsibilities under article I of our Constitution. It is not something to be casual or blase or nonchalant about. It is something to take up, to seriously debate, and to act on. With just 6 weeks before the continuing resolution runs out, it is time for us to act on the State and Foreign Operations bill and all the other fiscal 2022 appropriations bills so we can avoid a zombie government under a continuing resolution and demonstrate that the Senate of the United States can still legislate in the best interests of the American people. Thank you.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I also want to extend my congratulations to four individuals, four friends, both former colleagues and folks I have known for a long time, who have just been confirmed by the Senate of the United States. Their confirmations will be conveyed to the President, and they will begin their service. I wanted to briefly thank the Members of this Senate for acting quickly and appropriately to confirm the nominations of Senator Flake to represent us in Turkey, of Senator Udall to represent us in New Zealand, of Vicky Kennedy to represent us as Ambassador to Austria, and of Mrs. Cindy McCain to represent us at the U.N. agencies in Rome. All four of these incredibly talented individuals are deserving of confirmation, and I am encouraged by this progress. I remain gravely concerned, however, at just how many nominees await action here. There are dozens of countries where there is no confirmed American Ambassador, and I hope that this moment of progress will be a predictor of other progress to come soon in terms of other confirmations. (The remarks of Mr. Coons pertaining to the introduction of S. 3075 are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.'')

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I have 8 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I rise today to honor a dedicated public servant of the First State, an attorney, community leader, and friend to many, who this summer concludes a distinguished legal career of more than 45 years. Attorney Brendan O'Neill of Wilmington, DE, wore many hats during his career: county and Federal prosecutor, a criminal defense lawyer in private practice, and chief public defender. Delaware is known as a State of neighbors, and when it comes to Brendan O'Neill, there is no better neighbor. Brendan was, for a decade, my actual next-door neighbor, and we even studied and took the Delaware bar exam together in 1992. Looking back on his long legal career, Brendan reminded his wife, Liz O'Neill, about all of the positions he has held over the years. ``I've had a very interesting professional life. It's been a lot of fun,'' Brendan said, adding as he often does, jokingly, ``I've done everything but make money.'' Brendan has had a truly remarkable run. Before I offer some sentiments and well wishes from family and friends, it is only appropriate to chronicle his career. After graduating from the UC Davis School of Law in 1975, Brendan became a prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, transitioning later to a Federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office there. Following those early years, Brendan started a criminal defense practice, O'Neill and Young, in Santa Monica, which overlooked beautiful Palisades Park and the iconic beach on Ocean Avenue. That practice, cofounded with his college friend, Wayne Young, operated from 1979 to 1993. It was then, Liz said, that Brendan was ``deported from California'' to Delaware, where he landed a position as a lawyer in the civil division of the Delaware Department of Justice. In 1995, Brendan launched what would become a 26-year career in the Delaware Public Defender's Office. In May 2009, Governor Jack Markell tapped Brendan to be the chief public defender, a position of trust he fulfilled for 12 years. ``Brendan O'Neill was a fierce advocate for his clients and a key proponent for the right of all accused to have a competent defense,'' former Governor Markell said. ``His was one of the most important nominations I ever made, and I'm not the least bit surprised he is widely recognized as having been a highly effective public defender. Delaware is better for his service, and I am proud to be associated with this intelligent, joyful, passionate, and competent leader. I have no doubt he will continue to be a widely respected member of the Delaware community in retirement.'' During his 12 years as Delaware's chief public defender, Brendan and his team overhauled the system for providing indigent criminal defense by creating the office of defense services, or ODS, which now includes the public defender's office and the office of conflicts counsel. Brendan implemented the practice of vertical representation statewide in all courts. Attorneys with ODS successfully challenged the constitutionality of Delaware's death penalty statute. He acquired additional office space for ODS's Kent County and Sussex County practices and increased the focus on holistic defense to address clients' ongoing needs and issues. On top of those accomplishments, ODS was voted as one of the best workplaces in Delaware for 10 consecutive years. Being a public defender is not an easy job. People outside of the legal profession often asked Brendan how he could represent folks who allegedly committed terrible crimes. Liz said that she was often curious about that herself, knowing the nature of his responsibility. Brendan generally responded, Liz said, by reminding folks that public defenders represent people who were accused of crimes and that the American legal system was founded on the presumption of innocence. Brendan often made the analogy that we don't want doctors who chastise us about how we got our medical condition. We want doctors who listen to us and help us with our problems. The same goes for lawyers. We want them to fight for us, Brendan said, and help us get the best possible outcome. He often has held that there is no greater pressure than representing an innocent person. As a defense attorney, the facts are often not on your side, so you do the best you can to put on your case. Brendan's career is full of people he has helped in very stressful situations, facing potential consequences from losing their license, their freedom, or their life. His clients benefited from his nonjudgmental nature, generous heart, good humor, practical approach, understanding, and kindness. ``I can only count on one hand, the times when he couldn't see the good in his client,'' Liz said. ``In those cases, he always fought for someone close to them, a mother, wife, son, or daughter.'' Despite the odds and the outcomes, Liz said, Brendan was consistently supportive of his clients, sometimes even providing them with practical things like Liz's favorite pair of sweatpants, which happened to be in the backseat of his car. He was a constant source of encouragement and positivity to many Delawareans, whether it was the father saying goodbye to his teenage son found guilty or the girlfriend of a drug dealer starting anew in the witness protection program. Brendan often stayed in touch with the family and friends of his clients long after the verdict came down. Brendan always fought hard for his clients, giving them and their loved ones his best shot. The courtroom was theater to Brendan, and he thrived on being prepared and at the top of his game. ``I remember many nights listening to a closing argument at the dining room table with a cardboard box as a podium and charts taped to the walls as he practiced his speech,'' Liz fondly remembered. Brendan is a person who respects everyone's role in the court system. He often would go out of his way to get to know the people who made it happen, including the bailiffs, court reporters, clerks, judges, and the ``other side,'' depending on his role as a prosecutor or a defense attorney. Many Delawareans don't know that Brendan had a thriving pro-bono practice over the years. He counseled countless teens, young adults, and their parents about legal problems, things such as DUIs, disorderly conduct, speeding tickets, etc. He was there to provide nonjudgmental guidance for legal issues and emotional support. Along with his pro-bono effort, Brendan volunteered innumerable hours over the years as a board member for organizations such as the Central YMCA, Catholic Charities, Salesianum School--and his current role as the chair of Autism Delaware, an organization close to his heart. Brendan is a person who embraces new beginnings. He looks forward in times of uncertainty, disappointment, success, and happiness and encourages others to do the same. There are so many examples, but the biggest one is leaving his California-based law practice, taking and passing the Delaware bar after 17 years of already being an attorney, and starting anew in Delaware. Besides all of the volunteer work and his impressive career as our top public defender, Brendan's hallmark is serving his clients, coworkers, friends, and family well. His five children--Brendan, Eamon, Brian, Claire, and Rainey--are paramount in his mind and life. If you are on his team, he is in your corner. Claire O'Neill Peabody, who interned at the public defender's office for a summer, wasn't exactly sure what her dad did there other than being the chief cheerleader, making the rounds every day, stopping by offices telling people what a great job they were doing. He is known for motivating both his employees and his family with famous one-liners and other inspiring words. ``Dad has a phrase, saying, or one-liner for just about every situation life can throw at you,'' Claire said. ``One of his many mantras is `Next play!' '' That one-liner, in particular, is one that he says to his kids all the time. ``While explaining it takes away from the one-liner magic,'' Claire said, ``I am pretty sure he wants us to take what we've learned from a previous experience but focus on the next thing in front of you.'' Her dad's own ``next play'' will include a lot of play: golf and tennis, two of his favorite activities. ``He's earned it,'' Claire said. ``So good luck on your next play, Duner! Hit em straight!'' Eamon O'Neill said one of his favorite things about his father is the ability to relish in the simple joys of life while they are happening. His dad does not need to lose something to appreciate it; he enjoys what he has while he has it. ``For as long as I can remember, he has encouraged me to do the same,'' Eamon said. ``Often, this happened as we were driving to one of the thousands of soccer practices my dad selflessly took me to over the years. As we were getting close to the field, he would remind me of how great and how much fun practice is and how lucky I was to be playing a game I loved with my friends.'' This lesson did not always stick with Eamon as a teenager, but he thinks about it often as an adult. ``The ability to be present and grateful and enthusiastic during the small and routine moments of life,'' Eamon continued, ``is something I love about dad and try to emulate every day.'' Brian O'Neill, who plays offensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings, said, ``play hard, have fun'' is one of his dad's most famous quotes. ``He has said this to us a few thousand times over the years. The message is simple--give your best and have fun while doing it.'' Brian said that his father has lived and exemplified that quote every day of his professional and personal life. ``I know he gave his best-- to his cases, clients, coworkers, and colleagues,'' Brian said. ``I know damn well he also had so much fun along the ride. He always says if you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life. If I can have half the fun he did in my career--I know I'll have a chance!'' My family had the opportunity to get to know the O'Neills well. They lived next to us when we were in the Triangle Neighborhood in Wilmington. There was a fence between our yards, and we took that fence down; we were one big family. Brendan is truly the salt of the earth. He is smart, loyal, and kind. He is funny and always makes everyone in the room feel welcome. ``You want Brendan on your team,'' my wife Annie said. ``He takes everything in stride; he sticks by you. We love him, and he and his family fill our cup and our hearts!'' For me, Brendan epitomizes what it means to be a good attorney, a good father, and a good friend--really the best of Delaware, an immeasurably decent and kind person. Along with so many in our State, Annie and I wish him and his family the best in retirement. To Brendan, as the old Irish blessing goes: ``May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and may trouble be always a stranger to you.'' For your extraordinary dedication to advancing justice in the State of Delaware, for all of the people whose lives you have positively impacted, and for the decades of service and sacrifice: Thank you.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the scheduled vote take place immediately.

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

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Christopher A. Coons. Thank you, Mr. Charles E. Schumer.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, today has been great day for the American people, a great day for our democracy and for bipartisanship. Some of you may know that just hours ago, over at the White House, a determined group of Republicans and Democrats, led by Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Senator Rob Portman, Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Susan Collins, and a number of others, announced a deal on an infrastructure package with the White House that represents the largest investment in infrastructure in a generation. This is a big accomplishment that I will talk about in a few moments, but I also want to bring attention to something that happened earlier today on the floor here that may just go overlooked because of the other important news of the day. By a vote of 92 to 8, this Senate passed the Growing Climate Solutions Act, introduced by my friend and colleague from Michigan Senator Debbie Stabenow, the chair of the Agriculture Committee, and my friend and colleague from Indiana Senator Mike Braun, who is my cochair of the Climate Solutions Caucus. This bill, the Growing Climate Solutions Act, is a great example of how we can bring everyone to the table to find common ground on solutions that will protect our environment, help create jobs, and combat climate change. It will help farmers and foresters in Delaware, in Michigan, in Texas, across our whole country, and we will benefit from changes in the way that they care for their land or forests, and it will help them to participate in carbon credit markets. It will provide a framework for rewarding America's farms and forests, and those who tend them, for climate-smart practices. This is a commonsense, broadly bipartisan bill that will help us create a more sustainable future for our communities, our country, and our planet, with our farmers and our agriculture community taking the lead. It reminds me of another signature moment that happened just at the very end of last year when, in December, the bipartisan Energy Act of 2020 was passed. Senators Murkowski and Manchin shepherded that into law late last year, and it modernizes our country's energy policies across a dozen different major areas. Each of these bills--the Growing Climate Solutions Act and the Energy Act of 2020--were, in part, fostered by the bipartisan Senate Climate Solutions Caucus. Founded in 2019, this caucus has held more than 30 events and meetings, including many focused on natural climate solutions such as the Growing Climate Solutions Act. Every Member, all 14 Members, of this bipartisan caucus cosponsored the Growing Climate Solutions Act, and I applaud Senators Stabenow and Braun for building a significant coalition here in the Senate to support it, a coalition that ranged from some of the most engaged and active environmental groups to the American Farm Bureau, one of the strongest voices for America's agricultural community. Our work on climate is far from done. Members of the Climate Solutions Caucus have introduced a whole series of bipartisan bills that would promote natural climate solutions. Senator Portman and I have the Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act; Senator Shaheen is leading the Forest Incentives Program Act; Senator Rubio, the Restoring Resilient Reefs Act; and many more. We should advance these and many other bipartisan bills that every Member of our caucus supports and on which we are taking the lead. Let me be clear. I support bold action on climate. I support President Biden's climate agenda. And there are many more things we can and should do, but I think it is possible for us to both move ahead on those things that have enduring bipartisan support in this Chamber and across the country and to move ahead on those things that perhaps do not yet enjoy bipartisan support but where the need to act is urgent.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, let me also, if I can, speak for a few more moments about the historic deal reached earlier today on infrastructure. This is about creating jobs. This is about investing in our economy and our communities and our country, and this is about strengthening the United States globally against our adversaries and competitors. I need not remind you that just 1 year ago public health and economic crises created by the COVID-19 pandemic were ravaging communities all over our Nation. And today, under the leadership of the Biden administration, COVID-19 cases and deaths are down by over 90 percent. More than 70 percent of adults over the age of 30 have been vaccinated. As a result, businesses are opening, communities are opening, States are opening, our unemployment rate has come down significantly, and our economy is recovering at a robust pace. But if our economy is going to be sustainable, if it is going to be long term, if it is going to be robust, we have to make long-overdue investments in infrastructure. Globally, the United States now ranks 13th in infrastructure. In every State, we have roads, bridges, tunnels, and water systems that are crumbling or aged. Just in my little State of Delaware, we have more than 200 miles of highway deemed in poor condition. And as the climate continues to change, low-lying States like mine are particularly susceptible to increased damage. We had more than 10 extreme weather events causing up to $2 billion of damage in the last decade, and a lot of that damaged our infrastructure because it is built right up against the waterways, the coasts, the bays. We have one of the most important rail lines in the entire country, the Northeast corridor, that runs right through Wilmington, DE. One day without service on this Northeast corridor costs our economy $100 million. And that day isn't hypothetical; it happened during Superstorm Sandy, the hurricane that pummeled the east coast a few years ago. Across our State and every State, infrastructure is in dire need of repair, of resiliency, and of upgrade, and doing that can help create jobs and strengthen our country. We are losing our competitive edge, and our global competitors, like China, are outpacing us. That is why I was so encouraged to see the bipartisan U.S. Innovation and Competition Act pass this body just a few weeks ago. A key piece of it was the bipartisan CHIPS Act that recognizes we need to invest in cutting-edge R&D, in semiconductors, and in the industries of the future. But we can't move people, capital, products, and ideas if we don't invest in our infrastructure--in the broadband, the highways, the ports, and the roads that make us competitive globally. The $559 billion in new Federal spending on infrastructure that is the core of the deal announced today is a downpayment on rebuilding our roads and bridges, fixing our lines of public transit, and expanding port and airport capacity. It also includes $47 billion toward climate resiliency, critically needed work to make sure that our infrastructure can sustain the growing storms all across our country. I think this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put America on the right track and exactly at a moment when the leaders of China and Russia are telling the world that American democracy can't work; that the riot that occurred in this building on January 6 is foreshadowing the collapse, the failure of American democracy. It is important for us to show our citizens here at home and our competitors abroad that American democracy still works and that we can deliver meaningful solutions for our States, for our country, and for the world. There is a lot more for us to accomplish on President Biden's agenda--the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan--and we will have to move that forward, but I think this is a day for us to celebrate legislating together and finding a pathway to the House and to the President's desk for the biggest investment in infrastructure of my lifetime. This is a great day for this institution and our country.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Madam President, I rise today in this Chamber to pay tribute to a dedicated Delawarean, a friend who is wrapping up 36 years of public service to our State and our Nation. Lynne Terry Phifer of Newark, DE, a valued member of my Senate staff, is retiring at the end of this month. She has been a high-spirited, pure-hearted presence for us as long as I have known her, and I am deeply grateful to Lynne for her service and grateful for her significant contributions. Before I say farewell, though, it is only fitting to highlight her long career and offer up some thanks and some thoughts from her friends, family, coworkers, and well-wishers. Her story didn't start and doesn't end with her more than 8 years serving in my offices for the Senate and for Wilmington, DE. She grew up in a community along the banks of Naamans Creek, where it empties into the Delaware River. It is known as Claymont, DE, an area that has become better known, perhaps, because of Claymont's favorite son, our President, Joe Biden. Lynne graduated from Claymont High School in 1972, the same year Biden was first elected to this Chamber. It was at Claymont High School where, some members of my staff report, in good humor, Lynne made a name for herself ``playing a mean clarinet.'' I didn't know clarinets could be mean. Lynne's public service career began shortly thereafter. She started a 10-year run with Delaware's Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Social Services, and the Division of Personnel. After that, her career continued across city, county, State, and Federal governments. From 1988 to 1992, she worked for well-known Mayor Dan Frawley of Wilmington. She later took on similar responsibilities for our Lieutenant Governor and now-Governor, John Carney, and later for Paul Clark, my successor as county executive in New Castle County. Paul said it was his good fortune to have hired Lynne. She was a shining light in the field of government service-- County Executive Clark said-- and an absolute joy to work with. I am privileged to call Lynne my friend and wish her the best in retirement. Governor Carney offered similar sentiments, saying: When I was Lieutenant Governor, Lynne helped make our office run smoothly and always offered a helping hand to constituents. She is a compassionate, hardworking colleague and a good friend, and I am personally grateful for Lynne's many years of dedicated service. . . . I wish her and her family all the best in retirement. For more than 8 years in my office in Wilmington, Lynne has seamlessly managed my front office and my college internship program. And I can't tell you how hard a job it is to be the person who answers the phone, day in and day out, particularly when serving a Senator like me who seems to draw all sorts of attention and angry phone calls. So Lynne, thank you in particular for handling all the calls and complaints and concerns of Delawareans who call in day in and day out. Lynne has remained our beloved gatekeeper, the first person to greet visitors, the familiar voice on the main telephone line, someone who has handled sometimes literally hundreds of calls a day. She is known for being reliable and trustworthy. She is highly regarded by my whole team and recognized for her breadth of knowledge of our State, who is who, which call needs to be answered first, who are the movers and shakers. She is known for always staying calm and professional when helping constituents. And, trust me, some of these calls can be incredibly emotional and difficult, whether assisting someone needing a vaccination appointment or dealing with a veterans benefit question. She has run my internship program flawlessly, and that is a true testament to Lynne. During her more than 8 years of running that, she has interviewed, hired, trained, mentored, and supported more than 150 college interns--a good number of whom have gone on to join our full- time professional staff. She is, as Brendan Mackie would say, a true force multiplier. Several of our interns, as I have mentioned, have gone on to be staff, both in Wilmington and in Washington, and many others have gone on to executive branch Agencies or to be activists, attorneys, nonprofit leaders, mentors, and volunteers. It is a profound understatement to say that my team and I, and my wife Annie and I, will deeply miss Lynne. Annie and I have known Lynne going all the way back to their time together in the Women's Democratic Club of Delaware, when we were young couples and looking forward to someday both being parents of twins. On my current staff, Marcus Wright, who is my outreach coordinator, added: Lynne is always at the top of her game. As her counterpart in DC, I [learned to] lean on her knowledge and followed her example. She helped me be a better staffer, and I owe her an enormous debt of gratitude. Desiree Burritt, one of my most seasoned and capable caseworkers, said: Lynne is ever-present and incredibly dependable. Jessica Glass, my deputy scheduler said: Lynne not only helped me through the intern program . . . but I'm learning so much . . . sitting on the other side [now] and getting to interview interns with her! She . . . [has] watched me go full circle during the past four years. Brian Cunningham, a beloved former staffer, said: I always appreciated Lynne's warm greetings to the littlest guests in the office-- He means his kids-- when [my] kids came to visit, or sit with their parent to help finish out the workday, it was Lynne who . . . had a stash of snacks [and always a kind word]. Among her coworkers, she has earned a lot of good-natured nicknames: Lynney, Lynney-Boo, Lynne-yrd Skynyrd, and others I won't repeat, but she is clearly omnipresent in the hearts and minds of those who served alongside her in Delaware. Her dedication goes far beyond government service. She has volunteered her time with so many groups. I mentioned the Women's Democratic Club. She has also served as chair of the 22nd Representative District Committee, serving Hockessin, Pike Creek, North Star, and Newark for many, many years. And she was honored with the Distinguished Service Award from the New Castle County Democrats in 2008 for her tireless service. On the homefront, her pride and joy include Dennis Phifer, her husband, and their twin sons, Matthew and Christopher. We can't forget the beloved family canine, Elle. In her retirement, Lynne will have more time to spend with Dennis, Matt, and Chris, and her network of friends, going all the way back to her Claymont days. She looks forward to spending her mornings with Dennis, she says, making him coffee, reading the paper together, and staying up late, as Dennis dozes off, trying to finish the daily crossword. She surely will have more time with Elle, walking her around the neighborhood and spoiling her with treats. Dennis said of Lynne, who absolutely loves animals, that she wants to use her newfound time to volunteer to help service dogs and other support animals. Alice Paul, the famous suffragette, in speaking about the fight for women's rights, said: ``I always feel the movement is a . . . mosaic. Each of us puts in [our own] little stone, and then'' at the end, you see a beautiful mosaic. When looking back at Lynne's years of public service--36 years--this analogy seems apt. Lynne has been a hard-working and headstrong person, someone who has done incredible things, often behind the scenes, and helped create her own great mosaic through her decades of dedication and service to our community, our city, our county, our State, and this Senate. Whether it was throwing her support behind Joe Biden amid a Senate reelection run or helping constituents in my office or the hundreds of folks she has trained and recruited and mentored, Lynne's mosaic will last long and reach far, leaving her mark on Delaware for many, many years to come. Lynne will undoubtedly continue to accomplish good and meaningful things, finding those moments in small pieces of colored stone or glass or ceramic and putting those in place, adding to her ongoing mosaic of life. In closing, through her career, her volunteerism, and her civic activism, Lynne has made a real difference. I can't thank her enough for her first-class dedication and her friendship. Lynne will be deeply missed in the Senate, and filling her shoes will be near impossible. Lynne, thank you. Best of luck in all your future endeavors. You are treasured, and we will cheer you on your way as you celebrate this next chapter of your life. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise to call up my amendment No. 1588, which is cosponsored by Senators Graham and Lujan, Barrasso, and Collins. This amendment would establish a Foundation for Energy Security and Innovation, a nonprofit Foundation to support the Department of Energy's mission to help raise private capital to accelerate the commercialization of new and cutting-edge technologies. As China has dramatically ramped up their R&D funding, our Federal funding has remained stagnant, threatening U.S. competitiveness and our potential to develop, bring to scale, and export clean energy technologies. This amendment will take a model already proven by Foundations affiliated with the NIH, the CDC, the Department of Agriculture, and create a Foundation to channel private sector investments into our world-class scientific innovation institutions, our National Labs. This new Foundation would support the great work already happening at the Department of Energy by leveraging public-private partnerships to address tech transfer barriers. Working on this bill over the years, I have heard significant interest from the private sector and philanthropists looking for an entity to coordinate their investment. This bipartisan and bicameral bill passed the House last year with the leadership of now Senator Lujan, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage. I want to thank my partners, Senators Graham and Lujan, for their leadership and thank Senators Barrasso and Collins for cosponsoring, Senators Schumer and Manchin for their support, and Senators Wicker, Cantwell, and Young for their leadership on the Endless Frontier Act. I yield the floor.

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. COONS

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

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, today it is my pleasure to honor William ``Bill'' Allen, Jr., local business leader, community activist, author, and friend, for his tremendous contributions to Delaware and the growth and success of our communities. If you have ever met Bill Allen, you will know he has a wonderful smile that will grab your attention when you walk in the room and will get you smiling as well. Bill is also serious about continuing to make important strides in inspiring and bettering our State. Throughout his extensive career in the collections solutions industry, Bill was often the first or most senior African American in his organizations. Bill consistently reached new levels and set important precedents, led change, and inspired young African Americans. The knowledge and experience Bill gained throughout his career in the collections solutions industry led him to start his own company, ALW Sourcing LLC, a collections and customer contact solutions business that he leads with a wealth of knowledge, entrepreneurship, and industry experience. In 2000, Bill and his wife, Dr. Kim Allen, founded A Friend of the Family, Inc., AFOF, a Delaware-based incubator for alternative learning programs. AFOF provides students with learning differences and behavioral challenges the tools and lessons necessary to overcome personal, environmental, and socioeconomic challenges. Under their leadership, the organization strengthens and empowers our community. The success of AFOF led Bill to be featured in Business Week, the Baltimore Business Journal, and JET Magazine. He and Dr. Allen also teamed up to coauthor a book, ``It Flows Through Us,'' which describes how working hard and giving back can generate success and happiness. When writing the book, Bill focused on making it accessible to all people so that it could be used in the minority- and women-owned business enterprise revolution. He also participates in this revolution through the multiple seminars he conducts yearly to increase individuals' understanding of business, diversity, leadership, motivation, and success. Bill's knowledge initiatives empower and inspire people to make positive changes that will improve lives across communities. Bill served as the board chair of the African American Empowerment Fund, AAEFD, at Delaware Community Foundation and as a board member for the nonprofit charity Friends of Hockessin Colored School #107, FOHCS. During his time as chair, he led the fund to provide $100,000 to the Hockessin Colored School #107, a historic school that played a role in a groundbreaking court case that became part of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. A student at the school was a plaintiff in the 1952 Delaware Court of Chancery case Belton (Bulah) v. Gebhart, which was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court jointly with Brown v. Board. Thanks to the funding that Bill helped secure, the historic school is now being transformed into a center for diversity training, inclusion, and social equity. Its legacy will continue and its purpose has been reignited. In my remarks at the reintroduction ceremony for this school, I stated that in order to change our future, we must confront our past. It is my firm belief that Mr. Allen's commitments to our community and the revitalization of the Hockessin Colored School have played an important role in this mission and the growth and inclusivity of our State. In both business and community involvement, all of Bill's accomplishments led to his induction into the Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2020 as one of the first African-American inductees. This honor was awarded to him by the Leadership Council of Junior Achievement of Delaware, which recognized his influence as a business role model to the students whom the organization serves. I believe that this is a fitting testament to the great work Bill has done for our State. Mr. President, Bill has made invaluable contributions to Delawareans. He has used his knowledge and experience to invest in a wide array of communities and inspire hundreds of citizens. He is well respected for such contributions and this recognition is well deserved. Bill Allen, on behalf of all you have supported and inspired throughout your career, please accept our sincere gratitude. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to the Delaware community and for your dedication to your work that has brought about change, set important firsts, and inspired others. Thank you.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, I rise today in support of Vanita Gupta's nomination to be the Associate Attorney General of the U.S. Department of Justice. Those of us who have had the joy and the honor of getting to know her and working with her know Ms. Gupta to be engaging and smart, a skilled and balanced lawyer and practitioner, and someone who will bring great values in leadership to the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Gupta has devoted her career to public service and to protecting and advancing the civil and constitutional rights we all cherish as Americans. President Biden, Attorney General Garland, and Lisa Monaco, the President's nominee to be Deputy Attorney General, have all made clear Ms. Gupta would serve as an integral part of the leadership team at the Justice Department. She would bring to that critical role a long record of working with folks across the ideological spectrum in our country on some of our Nation's most difficult and most sensitive issues, some that are urgent and pressing like criminal justice reform and policing. Unfortunately, a campaign launched against Ms. Gupta shortly after her nomination has painted a misleading portrait of her as a partisan and a radical. I won't repeat or rehash these unfounded critiques, but the fact is this caricature could not be further from the truth. As letter after letter has come in from her supporters to the Judiciary Committee, in which I serve, we heard over and over that, at her core, Ms. Gupta is a person who seeks to build bridges, to understand others' points of view, and to build consensus and solve problems. One of the elements of this campaign to mischaracterize her suggests that somehow she is anti-police or anti-law enforcement, and, in this particular instance, the distinction between those who worked with her and know her and what we have heard in this social media campaign and in our committee and here on the floor of the Senate could not be sharper. We heard from multiple leading national law enforcement organizations that have worked with her in specific and clear and concrete terms. The National Sheriffs' Association, in their letter of support, said: Ms. Gupta has an open mind and a strong desire to understand the viewpoint of each stakeholder. She is able to find common ground with law enforcement. They added: [Ms. Gupta] possesses immense credibility among law enforcement leaders. And they said: [She is] exactly the type of leader who is needed in the Justice Department today. From the Fraternal Order of Police: She always worked with us to find common ground, even when that seemed impossible. Her open and candid approach has created a working relationship grounded in mutual respect and understanding. And the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association in their letter said: [Ms. Gupta has a] proven history of working with law enforcement agencies . . . and elected officials across the spectrum. We even heard from a leading conservative advocate and activist, Grover Norquist, the leader of Americans for Tax Reform. Mr. Norquist wrote: I have come to know and respect Ms. Gupta through our common work on criminal justice reform issues. I found her strongly qualified, effective, principled, driven by a desire to seek common purpose and consensus. . . . At every step, Ms. Gupta was an honest broker, someone with an ability to understand, appreciate different perspectives, someone who sought consensus. Last but not least, we heard from Mark Holden, general counsel of Koch Industries, who worked with her on criminal justice reform and wrote the committee saying: I respected and admired how Ms. Gupta was not ideologically driven, but principled and solutions-oriented. . . . Ms. Gupta is a principled leader who seeks to find common ground and will work with anyone committed to making the system better and more effective. I just plead with my colleagues to reflect for a moment: Are these the sorts of letters that we would have received in support of someone who is genuinely intolerant and in support of someone who is the radical activist this misleading campaign has attempted to portray her as being? Instead, Vanita Gupta has demonstrated in her work and in her career that she is pragmatic, she is principled, and she is a relationship builder in search of solutions. Given this broad and bipartisan support in the letters that came to us on the committee and as Members of this body, I was surprised and disappointed that some of my colleagues on the other side have continued to levee this misleading barrage of unsubstantiated attacks. So, in conclusion, I would ask my colleagues to consider her fairly and to listen to the range and the scores of groups that have described her as a principled, honest broker. She cares deeply about protecting the civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans and about being fairminded and taking into consideration all points of view. She will bring that same approach to her service and leadership as Associate Attorney General. This should not be a party-line, partisan vote. Vanita Gupta is the right leader at the right time to help our U.S. Department of Justice tackle some very difficult issues, and I am pleased to stand in support of her nomination and will vote for her confirmation.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, in accordance with rule XXVI, paragraph 2 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I ask unanimous consent, for myself as chairman of the Select Committee on Ethics and for Senator James Lankford, vice chairman of the committee, that the rules of procedure of the Select Committee on Ethics, which were adopted February 23, 1978, and revised November 1999, be printed in the Congressional Record for the 117th Congress.

Mr. COONS

Mr. COONS. I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on the Guzman nomination be considered expired at 2:30 p.m. today.

Mr. COONS. I yield the floor.