Tom Cotton

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Reserving the right to object. I would first like to begin by joining my colleague from Texas in mourning the loss of the nearly 3,000 innocent Americans who died in the September 11 attack. We must never--and we will never--forget them. I also want to extend my prayers to families who lost loved ones that day and who bear the weight of their loss in their hearts every single day. However, I must object to this bill today because it hasn't yet received the careful consideration and deliberation that the subject warrants. First, contrary to some suggestions, the bill would enact more than mere technical corrections to earlier legislation. Rather, the bill's provisions would significantly change how a highly technical area of U.S. law is interpreted. But the Judiciary Committee hasn't held a hearing or a vote on this bill, not the fault of the Senator from Texas to be sure, but a fact, nonetheless. I also question whether the Foreign Relations Committee should evaluate the bill as well, given its consequences for our foreign policy. Second--and speaking of foreign policy--the bill could have far- reaching and consequential implications for our policy in the Middle East. Thanks to Israel's artful diplomacy and incredible military, Iran's so-called ``axis of resistance'' lies in rubble in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, with Iran itself, therefore, exposed on its flanks for the first time in a generation. I would suggest at this highly promising, yet highly sensitive moment that all our efforts should be focused on uniting our friends and our allies in the region to put an end, once and for all, to the threat of a nuclear-armed, terrorist-sponsoring Iran. Finally, this bill could have the unintended but unwelcome result of further delaying resolution and recovery for the 9/11 litigants' cases. The courts will likely need to reopen and relitigate past decisions based on the changed law, while a disproportionate amount of any future recovery could go primarily to insurance companies and lawyers instead of the families of the victims--if any recovery comes at all. For these reasons, I must object today while suggesting that the new Congress revisit the matter with the hearings, regular order, and full consideration that the subject deserves. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, in reserving the right to object, this bill is a threat to U.S. national security and an insult to basic fairness and the principle of equality before the law. It is the biggest giveaway to the liberal press in American history. The so-called PRESS Act would turn reporters into a protected class, free to hold, share, and publish highly classified and dangerous information that no other American is allowed to possess. The passage of this bill would turn the U.S. Senate into an active accomplice of deep state leakers, traitors, and criminals along with the America- hating and fame-hungry journalists who help them out. This legislation would make it all but impossible to ever compel a reporter to reveal their sources or compel them to return classified information in their possession. Reporters would become the only class of people legally permitted to possess classified information in an unsecured and unmonitored environment. It gives reporters rights that no other American possesses. No Senator even has these protections. In fact, if the Senator from Oregon was given unsecured classified information and refused to turn it over, he could be censored, prosecuted, and possibly put in jail. And we wouldn't want that to happen. We would miss him dearly. Even former Presidents don't have the rights that this legislation provides to liberal journalists. Just remember, the FBI raided President Trump's house on the mere accusation that he held unsecured classified information. And unlike President Trump, President Biden actually committed this crime and only escaped prosecution because the prosecutor concluded he was too addled to be convicted. Thanks to this bill, reporters at CNN, MSNBC, and the New York Times would have more rights and privileges than former Presidents and Vice Presidents. This bill would also embolden every leaker and would-be traitor in the Federal Government within arm's reach of classified or damaging information. Leakers could reveal anything from the placement of American troops in foreign countries to the location of nuclear weapons, with only the thinnest and hardest to prove exceptions. They could release embarrassing or incriminating information from FBI background checks. They could also release information provided by allied nations, endangering America's alliances around the world. If this bill became law, every leaker would sleep well at night knowing their accomplices in the media would never have to turn them in. The leakers could also release, say, phone records of discussions between the President of the United States and foreign leaders, and this bill would protect any reporter who released or possessed the contents of those calls. Maybe it should be called the ``Alexander Vindman Protection Act.'' Not surprisingly, President Trump recently wrote:

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, I appreciate the remarks of the Senator from Oregon. The Founding Fathers designed the Senate to be the sober second thought to the House of Representatives or even transient and fleeting public opinion. The Senator from Oregon cited the unanimous vote in the House. Sometimes, that is an indication of widespread support for a sound and wise policy, but on occasion, it is an indication that a rash, impetuous, hasty, impulsive decision by the House deserves a sober second thought in the U.S. Senate. And not for the first time, I am pleased to provide the sober second thought on this and other issues. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, I would like to take a few moments to recognize Maj. Matthew ``Maddog'' Guertin who has worked in my Senate office this year as a defense fellow. Major Guertin--soon to be lieutenant colonel--is a patriot who has served our country nobly and made it a safer place. In 1 short year, he has proven to be an invaluable member of my staff. Major Guertin commissioned into the Air Force in 2010 as a distinguished graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. After completing his graduate degree from Rice University, he trained at the prestigious Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training in Texas before becoming an F-22 pilot. He quickly became a proven combat leader, having flown 150 combat hours in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, including 10 sorties over Syria and Iraq and dozens of defensive counter air hours to protect American ground troops. The Air Force stated that his actions ``directly contributed to the defeat of Islamic State insurgents.'' Major Guertin also flew hundreds of hours on Operation NOBLE EAGLE and alert missions in defense of the Alaskan coast and National Capital Region. Following his deployment to the Middle East, Major Guertin spent 3 years at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska, flying and instructing pilots on the F-22. There, he earned the Meritorious Service Medal for outstanding work in leading 206 airmen, increasing the base's operational capability, and playing a pivotal role advancing Air Force capabilities during Arctic exercises. In 2021, he moved to Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia where he quickly distinguished himself as the Air Force's F-22 subject matter expert. During his time in Virginia, Major Guertin led all requirements and force structure planning for a fleet of 185 F-22 aircraft, affecting about $7 billion in investment over a 5-year period. He secured a $1.4 billion budget increase for the F-22 and successfully executed 30 program requirements. That is three times more program requirements than the last 19 years of F-22 history combined. Major Guertin ultimately championed the upgrades to the F-22 being implemented today that will secure the fighter as the United States' premier air superiority platform throughout the decade and beyond. For his contributions to such a critical aspect of U.S. military strategy, the Air Force awarded Major Guertin the Meritorious Service Medal, and the Defense Department gave him the 2023 Defense Acquisition Workforce Award for Requirements Management. I could not have been assigned a more knowledgeable and skilled pilot to join my office in January 2023, representing the Air Force in Congress as a defense fellow. During his time in my office, Major Guertin staffed high level meetings and helped prepare me for numerous committee hearings, briefings, and legislative efforts. His colleagues deeply appreciated his initiative, dedication, and good cheer. He clearly demonstrated his passion and dedication to making this great Nation safer every single day working in the Senate. Thankfully, the Air Force also recognizes his commitment to service, as it recently announced Major Guertin's upcoming promotion to lieutenant colonel. Finally, I cannot honor Major Guertin without also thanking his family: his wife Jamie and his four children Abigail, Benjamin, Madison, and Nathan. Major Guertin is clearly a great father and a great husband, and I am grateful to his family for sharing him with my team. Major Guertin has had an extraordinary career, and he will serve his country well in the years ahead. He is exactly the kind of man and leader that our military needs. For these reasons and many more, I was honored to have Major Guertin in my office this year. Maddog, thank you for your service to Arkansas and to the United States of America.

Mr. COTTON

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

Mr. COTTON

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

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the career of Roger W. Jenkins as he prepares to retire after 11 years as CEO of Murphy Oil Corporation, an oil and natural gas company whose history extends back to the early 1900s in El Dorado, AR. Roger began his career with Texaco but moved to Murphy Oil as a drilling manager in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2001. In 2007, he was named senior vice president of North America and elected CEO in 2013. Roger was a skilled manager and operator, helping reposition Murphy Oil as a leading producer in the Gulf of Mexico, while solidifying its financial strength. Roger Jenkins has made extraordinary contributions to south Arkansas, stewarding Murphy Oil's ``El Dorado Promise,'' a generous scholarship program for the graduating high school students of El Dorado, AR. Murphy also recently donated $10 million to build new dorms and a baseball stadium at South Arkansas College. Roger has long provided outstanding leadership on the boards of the American Petroleum Institute, National Petroleum Council, and LSU Foundation. He has been recognized as LSU's Alumnus of the Year in 2016 and as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Gulf South Region, in 2023. He and his wife Jill have multiple scholarship programs in their own name for veterinarians and engineering students. Roger also serves his community through Catholic Charities USA and United Way. Thank you, Roger, for your extraordinary contributions to the State of Arkansas and American energy security. Best wishes for a well-earned and enjoyable retirement.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, the First Baptist Church of White Hall is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The White Hall Baptist Mission was organized on July 24, 1924, by Dr. J. D. Sayers, Brother J. L. Lee, and the deacons of First Baptist Church of Pine Bluff. There were 11 charter members. The new church shared a school building with the First Methodist Church of White Hall until Mrs. Clara Pinkington donated the property at 8203 Dollarway Road for a new building in October 1924. In 1925, a church building was erected and the name was changed to Lee Memorial Baptist Church in memory of Brother J.L. Lee. It was completed debt- free in 1926. In 1985, under Brother Jack Ramsey, members voted to change the church name to its present-day name, the First Baptist Church of White Hall. While additional structures were added to the facilities throughout the years, the older buildings are still used today for educational space, children and youth ministries, and other fellowships. First Baptist Church of White Hall has had 18 pastors in the last 100 years. And remarkably, the tenure of the last two pastors Brothers Bob Harper and Paul Williams have spanned 36 of those 100 years. I join the church members, White Hall community, and State of Arkansas in recognizing First Baptist Church of White Hall in this milestone.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, the State of Israel is facing the deadliest threat to its existence in a generation. To its south, Israel is waging a war of survival against Hamas terrorists, who slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and abducted more than 250 men, women, and children. To its north, Hezbollah--the most armed terrorist organization in the world--is menacing Israeli towns and forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes. Just last month, Iran launched more than 300 ballistic missiles and attack drones at Israel-- for the first time attacking the Jewish State from Iranian territory. Outlaw rebels and brigands in Yemen are also firing missiles and drones at Israeli and allied shipping, to include U.S. naval vessels. As Israel is under siege at home, it is also under diplomatic assault abroad from Hamas's proxies at the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, and even American college campuses. Joe Biden's allies on Capitol Hill have grown increasingly hostile as well. The majority leader and the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, called for the removal of Binyamin Netanyahu from power. The majority leader said that Israel needs new elections. I think New York may need new elections. Senator Bernie Sanders said we should not send ``another nickel for Netanyahu,'' while Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supports a bill that would strip the tax-exempt status of pro-Israel charities. That is bad enough, but, unfortunately, instead of backing our Israeli friends to the hilt in this moment of maximum danger, the Biden administration has sanctioned Israelis, condemned its military, and second-guessed it, while trying to undermine its democratically elected leader. Two weeks ago, Joe Biden went a step further, halting the shipment of bombs and precision-guided bomb kits that Israel needs to limit civilian casualties and destroy Hamas strongholds inside of Rafah and, for that matter, to free hostages, including American citizens. The President also announced that he will withhold additional offensive weapons to Israel if Israel targets Hamas in Rafah, as if there were much difference between offensive and defensive weapons when Israel is surrounded on all sides by mortal enemies. Joe Biden is instituting a de facto arms embargo on Israel that will save Hamas. The reason appears be to simple: He wants to appease a small minority of pro-Hamas voters in his own party in critical swing States he believes are necessary for his reelection. That is why I have partnered with Congressman Ken Calvert to pass the Israel Security Assistance Support Act, which would reverse Joe Biden's arms embargo on our ally. This legislation simply requires the prompt delivery of all weapons shipments approved by Congress. It also withholds pay from any Department of State or Defense bureaucrat who withholds vital military aid from Israel. Earlier last week, the House did its part and passed the Israel Security Assistance Support Act with a bipartisan majority that included over a dozen Democrats. Now it is the Senate's turn. Therefore, Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 398, H.R. 8369. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. COTTON. I regret that the Democrats will not allow this bill to come up for a vote, which, again, would simply ensure that aid that Congress has approved is delivered promptly to Israel in the middle of a shooting war of survival--a bill that, I would remind everyone, passed the House of Representatives with a bipartisan majority. The time is now to reverse Joe Biden's de facto arms embargo on Israel. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I thank Senator Boozman. I join with Senator Boozman to honor former Senator David Pryor--a great Arkansan, statesman, and dedicated public servant. David Pryor first entered public office in the Arkansas State House of Representatives when he was only 26 years old. Not even 6 years later, his fellow Arkansans elected him to Congress, where he served in the House for 6 years. In 1972, he narrowly lost a race for Senate against a longtime Democratic incumbent, having pushed the race into a runoff, but the grace and magnanimity he showed in defeat that year led him directly to victory 2 years later when he was elected Governor in 1974. After two successful terms in the Governor's mansion, he was elected to this body in 1978. He served here with distinction for 18 years. Over the course of his storied political career, David Pryor won an impressive 12 elections and served the people in public office for more than 30 years. He was a reformer who opposed segregationist policies of his own party, championed the interests of seniors and farmers, and was respected by friend and foe alike. He fought for better conditions in our nursing homes, lower prescription drug prices for our sick, and the Taxpayer Bill of Rights to give relief to the average American. He led Arkansas through recession and recovery and left an enduring legacy on our State government. Throughout his time in political office, he kept a plaque on his desk with three simple words: ``Arkansas comes first''--an example that continues to inspire me and Senator Boozman and all of those who serve the Natural State. After leaving the Senate, he didn't just retire or fade quietly away or tend to his own private affairs; rather, he continued to serve others. He supported the University of Arkansas, he established the David and Barbara Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, and he contributed to a series of academic and humanitarian ventures. David Pryor leaves behind a loving family, including his wife, Barbara, of 66 years; three sons, including Mark, who also served in the Senate for 12 years; and two sisters. My prayers and the prayers of so many Arkansans are with the whole Pryor family during this moment of their grief. But David Pryor also leaves behind a grateful State. When he retired from the Senate, he said: Arkansas owes me nothing, and I owe Arkansas everything. I would submit that is not quite right. Our State does owe David Pryor quite a bit. It owes him a debt of gratitude for a life well lived and committed to public service and inspiring so many others. He fought for what he believed would make Arkansas better, and for that, we will remember the life and legacy of David Pryor with fondness, respect, and gratitude. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I recently returned from a trip to El Salvador, where I met President Nayib Bukele and saw firsthand the effects of his remarkable transformation of that country from the most dangerous nation in our hemisphere to one of the safest. As we drove around San Salvador, the images were commonplace yet extraordinary--children played soccer in the parks, young women jogged at twilight, couples dined outdoors--commonplace because one should expect to see such scenes in any decent community; extraordinary because they were unheard of just a few years ago. Unfortunately, this trip was also a reminder that President Biden is as weak, unpopular, and divisive abroad as he is at home. And just as he coddles criminals and cartels in our own country, he too often sympathizes with them in other nations. Since taking office, President Biden has refused to meet President Bukele, Secretary of State Tony Blinken has criticized him, and the administration has significantly reduced foreign assistance to his government. One must ask why. After all, President Bukele is the most pro- American leader in Latin America, and he overwhelmingly won two elections--free and fair elections, I must add, contrary to liberal allegations. Indeed, one of his bigger vote shares came from Salvadorans living outside the country, including in the United States, far removed from any supposed intimidation or coercion inside El Salvador. It is not surprising because, after years of bloodshed, the Bukele government is bringing stability and safety to a country that desperately needs it, which is also good for America. There has been a 40-percent drop in illegal Salvadoran migrants arriving at our border. No, Joe Biden doesn't oppose President Bukele for good or fairminded reasons. He opposes President Bukele because he is tough on El Salvador's murderous gangs, the most prominent of which is MS-13, a group with the psychotic motto ``kill, rape, control.'' Our own country has experience with this sadistic gang. In 2017, not far from here in Wheaton, MD, members of MS-13 beheaded a man, cut his heart out, and stabbed him over 100 times. The year before, members of the gang murdered two teenage girls on Long Island, NY, using baseball bats and a machete. And just last year, an illegal immigrant member of MS-13 in California was convicted of torturing and murdering a 10-year- old boy. Let me say that again. He tortured and murdered a 10-year-old boy. That is what MS-13 has done here in America, the richest and most powerful Nation in the world. It has done far worse to the people of El Salvador. And MS-13 isn't alone. Factions of the infamous 18th Street gang also terrorized the country. Before the government's crackdown, more than 100,000 gang members and associates roamed the streets of the nation of fewer than 6\1/2\ million people. For years, they waged war with each other and the government, turning neighborhoods and cities into ungovernable battlefields. They would impress preteen boys into their gangs or demand preteen girls provide sexual favors--or they would kill the whole family and still take the boy or girl. As a result, El Salvador has long been one of the most dangerous nations on Earth. Indeed, it was so dangerous that many of my Democratic colleagues have argued that those fleeing the country should automatically be eligible for asylum here. In late March 2022, 2 years ago, the nation reached its breaking point when gang members committed 87 murders in a single weekend, killing more people in 3 days than were killed in the entirety of the previous month. Tragically, March 26, 2022, marked the deadliest day in El Salvador since the end of that nation's civil war 30 years ago. Finally, people had had enough. President Bukele requested the declaration of a state of emergency, and the National Assembly agreed. The government surged troops throughout the country, overwhelming the gangs and arresting and imprisoning its members. One active gang member told reporters: There were too many soldiers everywhere all at once. According to recent estimates, the Bukele government has imprisoned more than 75,000 gang members and killed hundreds more. President Bukele's prison-or-death anti-gang strategy has worked. In 2022, the number of murders in El Salvador dropped nearly 57 percent and then dropped another 70 percent last year. In 2018, the Salvadoran murder rate stood at 53 per 100,000. Last year, it was 2.4 per 100,000. For context, Washington, DC, had a murder rate of 40 per 100,000 last year. That means I was much safer 2 days ago in what was once the murder capital of the world than any of us today are in Joe Biden's Washington. Yet Joe Biden, one of the least popular, least successful, and most pro-criminal leaders in the world, is lecturing one of the hemisphere's most popular and accomplished Presidents on crime. In particular, the Biden administration has expressed concern that the emergency declaration, which suspends certain due process protections, is a threat to the rule of law--apparently, an even greater threat than the marauding thousands of gang members still at large. President Biden evidently doesn't understand that order is a prerequisite for law. Indeed, it is a prerequisite for nationhood. Without order and the state's monopoly on force, you don't have a country, and you certainly can't have a democracy. Perhaps President Bukele's tactics are harsh. I don't think so, but I will grant you that. But they were also absolutely necessary to establish order. And I would remind the Biden administration that El Salvador's gang members aren't victims; they are murderers, rapists, and many of them have American blood on their hands. I saw up close thousands of these savages--or devils, as President Bukele puts it--when I toured the Terrorism Confinement Center, the massive new prison housing tens of thousands of gang members. The inmates live together by the dozens in group cells. They don't go outside. They don't take classes. They don't get visitors. Most will never leave. Armed guards are everywhere you turn inside the triple-walled prison, including on the steel-grate ceilings so guards can monitor the inmates from above. Some so-called human rights groups whine about this prison. I guess they think it is too harsh. And it is not Club Med, I will concede, but the inmates receive food and water, they conduct personal hygiene daily, and doctors and nurses work at an aid station next to the cells. Those same groups also complain about a supposed lack of due process. I don't know. Call me crazy, but if it is illegal to belong to a gang and you have got MS-13 tattoos all over your face and body, I am not sure what more process you are due. Maybe that is just me. No, the victims aren't the devils I encountered at the Terrorism Confinement Center. The people of El Salvador are the victims. After years of abuse, law-abiding Salvadorans, particularly those from poor and working classes, overwhelmingly support President Bukele's efforts to restore order and a meaningful rule of law. I am hopeful that El Salvador's leaders will help bring stability and prosperity to a nation that deserves better than gangland terrorism, and I urge the administration that if it is unwilling to help, at least stay out of the way. Finally, the example of El Salvador not only exposes the failures of President Biden's approach to foreign policy but also his approach to crime. If nothing else, President Bukele has proven once again that incarceration works, obviously. If you lock up murderers, amazingly enough, there will be fewer murders--a truth so obvious that only liberal ideologues could miss it. Sadly, that is what we have in many places in today's criminal justice system: progressive lawyers who refuse to prosecute criminals; progressive judges who refuse to sentence them appropriately; and progressive politicians who pass jailbreak bills to release them. So long as we continue to pursue these progressive policies, our communities will, sadly, continue to look more and more like El Salvador--not the El Salvador of today but of just a few years ago. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the scheduled rollcall vote begin immediately.

Mr. COTTON

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

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, let's take a moment to take stock of how we got here: 3 years of weakness from President Biden. From the very beginning, President Biden appeased Russia, he appeased Iran, and he appeased China. He gave Russia one-sided extensions of arms control treaties. He looked the other way at Russian aggression against America in cyber space or threats to our friends in Europe. With Iran, from the very beginning, he wanted to go back into the failed nuclear deal. He refused to stand up to attacks on American forces throughout the Middle East that Iran is behind. And, from the beginning, with China he begged and pleaded to turn down the temperature--the temperature that, I would say, China has been turning up for years. Then, of course, there was the collapse in Afghanistan, in September of 2021, which put all of our enemies around the world on notice that President Biden was not up to the task of protecting America or aiding our friends. Vladimir Putin began to marshal forces on Ukraine's borders a few weeks later, and then he invaded 2 years ago. For 2 years, President Biden pussyfooted around. He wouldn't give Ukraine the weapons it needed to defend itself when they needed it. And, to top it off, here at home, he opened our border entirely to an invasion of over 10 million illegal aliens. So, last fall, when President Biden asked for more than $100 billion to try to solve his own failed policies, the Republicans here wanted to take the opportunity to try to force an unwilling President to protect our border, in addition to aiding our friends. So we engaged in several months of negotiations, and, after 4 months, we saw that the Democrats are more ideologically invested in open borders than they are a secure border or, for that matter, aiding our friends around the world. Now, I want to commend Senator Lankford from Oklahoma, who led these negotiations. I think he did the very best he could negotiating with stubborn counterparties who are ideologically invested in open borders. There are some good parts of the bill, but, unfortunately, the bill itself wouldn't solve the crisis at our border. And we didn't go down this path to pass a bill for its own sake. We wanted to force the hand again of an unwilling President to protect our borders. That is why all but four Republican Senators and some Democratic Senators opposed that legislation. So now we have in front of us a bill that spends $95 billion. Much of that spending--the defense spending--is needful, and I want to commend Senator Collins, who led that part of the negotiations, for doing an outstanding job of improving what President Biden sent out in his request for defense spending. If this bill doesn't pass into law, it should be a template for the future and hopeful legislation that might come back to us from the House. However, the bill still includes $19 billion in nondefense spending. Again, I want to commend Senator Collins for reducing that amount from what the administration requested, but that is still $19 billion, almost 20 percent of this bill. Madam President, $7.9 billion goes to Ukraine for direct budget support. I believe that we need to be aiding Ukraine with military hardware, ammunition, shells, and tanks. Europe is going to have to do more to pick up direct budget assistance to Ukraine. Up to $9.2 billion goes for humanitarian aid to Ukraine, to Israel, or to other vulnerable populations and communities. We don't know how the administration is going to break that down. So some--even much of that--could go to Gaza. There is no reason for the United States of America to be sending humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel was targeted with vicious atrocities on October 7 from Gaza by Hamas, and, no matter the guardrails in place, when aid goes to Gaza, Hamas doesn't divert it, doesn't steal it, doesn't commandeer it. Hamas and their cronies accept it because Hamas is the governing authority in Gaza. The United States did not send aid to Nazi Germany or Imperial Japan in World War II. It should not be sending it to Gaza during Israel's war for survival. There is another $1.6 billion in aid, mostly to post-Soviet states in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Maybe, some of that is useful spending, but if you look at the administration's own budget requests, they say that also goes to things like climate change resiliency or green energy investments. Finally, there is $481 million for grants to leftwing globalist NGOs whose main mission is not to secure our border but to accelerate the flow of illegals into this country. Now, I have an amendment that would strike all of this nondefense spending from the bill, reducing its cost by $19 billion, which is no mean thing when we are spending more than a trillion dollars a year than we take in. I would also point out that even if we didn't just put that money toward deficit reduction, it could also go to, say, three Virginia-class submarines for our own military, more than 170 F-35 stealth fighters, or more than 5,000 precision strike missiles. But Senator Schumer won't allow a vote on this amendment or other amendments. Now, I hope, when this legislation leaves the Senate and goes to the House, that the House of Representatives--in particular, the Speaker of the House--can sit down and negotiate directly with President Biden and get the kind of concessions that President Biden must make to address his own failures to secure our border. And, in that case, we will not only be able to protect our own border but also help our friends around the world who are in the crosshairs, thanks to Joe Biden's failures and his weakness. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, after Barack Obama selected Joe Biden to be his Vice President in 2008, one newspaper columnist labeled him ``Tehran's favorite Senator.'' Well, Tehran's favorite Senator has now become Tehran's favorite President. Since taking office, Joe Biden has taken every opportunity to enrich and empower Iran and its terrorist proxies. There is, perhaps, no greater single example of this than his obscene coddling of the Iranian-backed Yemeni terrorists known as the Houthis. These barbarians with rockets have kidnapped, tortured, and murdered American citizens--along with shooting down American aircraft. They have attacked our allies and slaughtered Yemeni civilians. The Houthi motto isn't subtle: ``God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, A curse upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.'' And in case anyone missed it, they also put it on their flag. Yet in his first days in office, Joe Biden removed the Houthis from the list of foreign terrorist organizations. The Houthis quickly rewarded this one-sided, unreciprocated generosity by launching a major military offensive against our friends in Saudi Arabia. At that point, Joe Biden could have simply admitted that he had made a mistake and redesignated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. He refused. In the 2 years since, the Houthis raked in money, expanded their territorial control, and stockpiled Iranian-supplied weapons. Unencumbered by American terrorist designation, they gathered their strength and waited for an opportunity to live out their creed of, again, ``Death to America, Death to Israel, A curse upon the Jews.'' After the October 7 atrocities in Israel, they saw that opportunity. Less than 2 weeks after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the end of the Holocaust, the Houthis began launching missiles at the Jewish State. In November, the Houthis then began hijacking ships and launching missiles and drones at both civilian and U.S. naval vessels-- all in an attempt to put pressure on Israel and protect their terrorist brothers in Hamas. Since November, the Houthis have attacked American and allied forces and international shipping an estimated 45 times, launching an estimated 31 missiles, 94 drones, and 1 drone ship. Yet, the President and his team of Iran accomplices, appeasers, and accommodators stood by for a month and a half as these terrorists attacked with impunity. When the administration finally did take action last week, its weak, pinprick airstrikes only took out a small fraction of the Houthis's offensive capabilities. Even the New York Times acknowledged in a headline that ``Much of Houthis' Offensive Ability Remains Intact After U.S.-Led Airstrikes.'' The least this administration could do is to redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet Joe Biden refuses even to fix that mistake. Americans are dead, but Joe Biden's pride and his ambition for a grand rapprochement with Iran are, apparently, more important to him and his aides than American lives. Instead, President Biden has opted to label the Houthis a ``specially designated global terrorist group.'' Well, that sounds like progress, but unlike the previous foreign terrorist organization designation, this designation includes no prohibition on Houthis travel and no sanctions on entities providing materiel support for these terrorists. How convenient for the ayatollahs in Iran. And this designation won't even take effect for 30 more days, giving the Houthis time to clear out their bank accounts and to sanction-proof their operations. And most amazing and most unforgivable of all, the administration also announced waivers for even these weak and limited sanctions. These waivers allow the Yemeni terrorists to keep receiving food, medicine, fuel, personal remittances, telecommunications and mail, and to maintain port and airport operations. Perhaps it makes sense that those in this administration don't want to punish groups and individuals providing materiel support for the Houthi terrorists. They would have to turn themselves in after 3 years of appeasement and conciliation. This administration must reverse course in the Middle East, redesignate the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, and put real pressure on Iran and its terrorist proxies, not Swiss cheese-like sanctions designed only for a good 1-day headline. Anything less is a betrayal of the American people, their interests, and our allies. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, today, I join Senator Boozman in mourning the death of Stone County Deputy Sheriff Justin Smith. On January 2, Deputy Smith was shot and killed in the line of duty while serving a warrant. With his passing, Arkansas has lost a selfless public servant, reflecting the very best in our State. Deputy Smith grew up in Arkansas, and he worked in law enforcement for 24 years--first as a corrections officer and then at the Stone County Sheriff's Department, where he worked for the past 14 years. Time and again, he went above and beyond the call of duty. Stone County Sheriff Brandon Long said of Deputy Smith: There was never a time he was called to come in that he didn't show up. He was the type of person that when his shift ended, if he needed to stay over, no questions asked. Deputy Smith was a gregarious and generous man who made friends and smiled easily. He enjoyed hunting and spending time with his large family. Deputy Smith is survived by his wife Lori, 3 sons, 2 daughters-in- law, 3 stepchildren, 4 siblings, and 14 grandchildren, along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Our prayers and the prayers of all Arkansans are with his family in this time of pain and mourning. One of his sons reflected: Perhaps the hardest part of all of this is that my dad only exists in memories and photos, and that's all we'll have left of him. Those heartbreaking words reflect the terrible danger that our men and women in blue and their families endure every single day. It is one of the many reasons our police deserve the lasting gratitude and support of their communities, States, and our Nation. That gratitude was on full display at Deputy Smith's funeral, where leaders from across the State attended, including Governor Sarah Sanders and Attorney General Tim Griffin. In fact, so many people wanted to honor Deputy Smith's life that the service had to be simulcast into a second church. On behalf of a grateful State, Senator Boozman and I want to thank Deputy Smith and his whole family for their service to Stone County and to Arkansas. God bless them, and God bless Arkansas. I yield the floor.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I join Senator Boozman today in congratulating the Harding University Bisons from Searcy, AR, for winning their first ever Division II football championship against the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers in a decisive victory--38 to 7. Going into last month's game, few could have predicted such a decisive outcome. Both teams were undefeated. While Harding had the No. 2 defense and the No. 3 offense in the country, the Orediggers had the No. 3 defense and the No. 2 offense. It was an evenly matched game if there has ever been one, but after the first quarter, the Bisons didn't let the Orediggers score a single point. Time and again, the Harding defense stopped the Orediggers dead in their tracks, with Nathaniel Wallace making two out of the Bisons' six sacks and linebacker Clark Griffin making six tackles, including two for a loss. The offense charged just as well as the defense stopped. Harding's offense ran for an impressive 502 yards, with running back Blake Delacruz rushing 212 yards for a championship record. Braden Jay added 161 yards on the ground and scored three out of the Bisons' five touchdowns, with Jhalen Spicer and quarterback Cole Keylon punching in the other two. It was a game that players and their families will never forget, and it is a game that Harding University and Searcy, AR, also will never forget. This championship victory is the culmination of years of hard work, dreaming, and especially prayer because, for those who don't know, Harding University is a small Christian college in the middle of our State, and Harding's Christian mission touches every part of the university, including the football program. In his pregame speech, Coach Paul Simmons told his players that ``the scoreboard doesn't matter'' and that the ``great cloud of witnesses'' around them ``just want to see you be excellent and do things in a way that really does honor God''--a great message from a great coach for a great team before a great game. With this game, Coach Simmons has led the Bisons to 65 overall wins since 2017--the fastest accumulation of victories in Harding University's history. I want to again congratulate Coach Simmons and his entire team for their extraordinary victory last month. I want to congratulate them for their even more extraordinary 15-and-0 season, in which they scored an average of nearly 47 points per game. The Harding Bisons should be proud of their many accomplishments. The State of Arkansas certainly is.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Reserving the right to object, I voted for this legislation in July as part of the annual Defense bill, and I don't personally oppose its passage. Senator Lee and Senator Paul have reservations about the bill, though they couldn't be present at this time. As a courtesy, therefore, I object on behalf of Senator Lee and Senator Paul.

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Madam President, I would like to take a few moments to recognize Maj. Allen ``Sig'' Black who has worked in my Senate office this year as a defense fellow. Major Black is a patriot who has served our country nobly and made it a safer and better place. It has been a pleasure to have him in my office. Major Black joined the Air Force in 2011 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at Pennsylvania State University. He began flying the F-22 fighter aircraft soon after completing the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training in Texas and has since become a masterful Air Force pilot and knowledgeable authority on virtually every detail of the Raptor. In total, Major Black served as an operational F-22 pilot for 5 years, deploying for combat operations in Operation Inherent Resolve and executing numerous homeland and Presidential protection missions. Prior to moving to Washington, D.C., Major Black spent 3 years at Edwards Air Force Base in California. There, where he attended the U.S. Air Force Pilot Test School and left as a distinguished graduate and the Liethen-Tittle Award winner as the top test pilot graduate in class 19A. While still serving at Edwards, Major Black also distinguished himself as F-22 command chief pilot and assistant director of operations of the 411th Flight Test Squadron, 412th Operations Group. In 2021, Major Black led the F-22 Combined Test Force through 26 F-22 and 20 F-16 developmental test missions and several first-time events. Twelve of his missions were supporting elevated risk F-22 envelope expansion tests. For one such mission, Major Black planned and led the first F-22 high angle of attack test in 17 years while carrying a new externally podded capability. His success in executing 12 additional missions evaluating new F-22 software led to the fielding of the first F-22 Rapid Agile Capability Release operational flight program. Major Black is a skilled military leader. He directed the No. 1 DOD weapon program, developed new F-22 open software pathways, and has helped lead numerous working groups. According to Air Force Materiel Command, ``The distinctive accomplishments of Major Black reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.'' For these achievements, Major Black was awarded the Lieutenant General Bobby Bond Memorial Aviator Award, which is the award for the best test pilot of the year in the entire Air Force. I could not have been assigned a more talented pilot to join my office in January 2023, representing the Air Force in Congress as a Defense Fellow. During his time in my office, he staffed over 25 high-level engagements and at least 10 hearings, along with helping draft dozens of pieces of legislation to strengthen our Nation's defense. He has also provided meticulous and incisive research that has guided my office on important public policy questions. His colleagues have been consistently grateful for his attention to detail, willingness to diligently analyze problems, and ability to translate complex military concepts into digestible language. His passion and dedication to making this great Nation safer was evident each and every day working in the Senate. Finally, I cannot honor Major Black without also thanking his family: his wife Kelsey, his daughter Sloane, and his son Nicholas. I am grateful to his family for sharing him with my team. Major Black has had a remarkable career and he has a promising future ahead. He is exactly the kind of man and leader that our military needs. For these reasons and many more, I was honored to have Major Black in my office this year. Sig, thank you for your service to Arkansas and to the United States of America.

Mr. COTTON

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, since Joe Biden took office, Iran and its proxies have attacked American troops in the Middle East at least 135 times. Let me say that again: 135 attacks on American troops since January 2021. What is worse is that 52 of those attacks have happened in the last month since Hamas conducted its murderous rampage in its ongoing war against Israel. These rocket and drone attacks against American bases in Iraq and Syria have caused at least 56 servicemember injuries, 25 traumatic brain injuries, and 2 Americans have died because of these attacks. Just like they have been for years, these attacks are financed by Iran, Israel's greatest enemy. These attacks--let's be clear--are meant to kill Americans and to increase the conflict and the violence in the Middle East. So what has President Biden done in response to these attacks? Has he punished Iran and its proxies for killing Americans? Has he made it clear that the United States will not tolerate these attacks in the future? No, not even close. Consider the Biden administration has also failed to enforce oil sanctions on Iran, giving them over $90 billion, and now President Biden is, reportedly, once again, considering the release of the remaining $10 billion Iran is owed as part of its hostage exchange. What kind of message does it send to the people attacking our troops to give them another $10 billion more to fund their activities against the United States and Israel? In fact, since the terrible atrocity of October 7, Joe Biden has not changed his Iran policy in a single way. Of the 135 attacks on Americans, the Biden administration has hit back fewer than 10 times. Think about that; 135 times they hit us, fewer than 10 times did we hit them back. When the attacks against Americans increased in October, President Biden didn't even authorize a response for 9 days. It took at least 13 attacks on Americans for President Biden to finally react. And what did he do? The bare minimum, striking empty weapons storage facilities in eastern Syria. After these strikes, Secretary Blinken said: My warning to the Ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared. Well, it is not surprising that shooting a bunch of empty warehouses doesn't scare Iran. In fact, it emboldened them in the form of 22 more attacks. That is right. Proxies attacked American troops' positions 22 more times after that initial pathetic response. When Secretary Austin announced those strikes, he said: The United States does not seek conflict and has no intention nor desire to engage in further hostilities. Well, Lloyd Austin and Joe Biden may not seek conflict, but Iran does. And it will continue to try to kill our troops until they face real consequences, until they are scared straight. On Sunday, we finally did hit back again, but, again, we didn't even try to hold the real bad guys accountable; instead, the administration, once again, shot only at expendable proxies. Iran obviously was not deterred by this latest pathetic response. How do we know that? Once again, these proxies have committed four more attacks against Americans since Sunday. Iran has had a proxy strategy for decades. It uses groups like Hamas and Hezbollah and militias in Iraq and Syria to deny responsibility for its campaign of terror against Israel and the United States. When we kill their proxies, all we do is validate their proxy strategy. Iran will fight to the last Arab, but Iran will not fight if we hold the things at risk that they hold most dear: their shock troops in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, their Quds Force or, if necessary, sites and facilities in Iran itself. The United States needs Iran to know that we will not tolerate these attacks. We need to make sure Iran knows that we will not tolerate these attacks and that any attacks by Iran's proxies will be treated as an attack by Iran on the United States and be met with devastating consequences. That is one reason I will be introducing legislation later this week that would strengthen sanctions against the Iranian transfer of missiles and drone technologies to terrorists and even other nations like Russia, which uses them in its war against Ukraine. It will also stop Iran from developing the kind of long-range missiles that can threaten the U.S. homeland because, again, if we let Iran continue to shoot at American troops in the Middle East without shooting back at the Iranians who are directing those attacks, what will they do if they get their hands on missiles that can target America? What will they do if they get their hands on a nuclear weapon? It is time, today, to make Iran, once again, fear the United States before more Americans die. I yield the floor. (Mr. REED assumed the Chair.) (Ms. SMITH assumed the Chair.)

Mr. COTTON

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

Mr. COTTON

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

Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, last month, Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists slaughtered over 30 Americans and 1,400 Israelis. These depraved savages raped women, murdered children, and executed entire families, burning some of them alive. The dead are still being identified, and families are still grieving unbelievable heartbreak. Yet, over the weekend, former President Barack Obama discovered complexity and ambiguity where there is none in these attacks. He said that we ``have to admit nobody's hands are clean, that all of us are complicit to some degree.'' What Barack Obama said over the weekend might pass for profound at cocktail parties on Martha's Vineyard or on podcasts with sycophantic former staffers, but it is also delusional and morally obtuse. Put simply, it is the confession of a guilty man attempting to implicate others, because we are not all complicit with Hamas's massacre of Jews, but Barack Obama sure is. No American President did more to embolden and enrich Iran and its terrorist proxies than Barack Obama. Indeed, his entire Middle East policy was crafted to appease Iran. As President, he stayed quiet when Iranian protesters took to the streets in the Green Revolution. He sabotaged legislation in Congress sanctioning Iran. He cut and ran from Iraq, knowing that Iran and its proxies would fill the power vacuum. He refused to enforce a self-drawn redline and stood by as Syria disintegrated into a ``geopolitical Chernobyl'' because Bashar al-Assad is an Iranian puppet. He consistently undermined Benjamin Netanyahu-- Iran's chief nemesis in the region--and even refused to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning Israel. And, of course, he negotiated the disastrous Iran nuclear deal, handing the ayatollahs over $100 billion in sanctions relief. Barack Obama singlehandedly saved the Iranian economy and harmed diplomatic relations with our allies in Saudi Arabia and Israel. When he left office, the Middle East was in flames, and Iran was on the march. Tragically, Barack Obama's coterie of Iran appeasers, apologists, and accomplices have returned to the White House. His understudy, Joe Biden, is now President. The man who helped to secretly negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, Jake Sullivan, is now National Security Advisor. His Treasury Secretary, who served as a de facto investment banker for the ayatollahs, is now Ambassador to Israel. Barack Obama's legacy is alive and well in this administration, and it certainly shows. Within days of taking office, the Biden administration removed the Houthis--another Iranian proxy--from the list of terrorist organizations without any concessions. And how did the Houthis reward Joe Biden? By firing dozens of missiles and attack drones towards Israel just days after Hamas's rampage. In his first hundred days, the Biden administration announced that it would send hundreds of millions of dollars to Iran's friends in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. They claimed it would foster peace and stability in the region. How did that work out? The next month, Iranian-backed militias launched 4,000 rockets into Israel. Since taking office, Joe Biden has enriched the ayatollahs with over $90 billion through his lax enforcement of oil sanctions and his unfreezing of Iranian assets. Tehran has predictably used this Biden bonus to strengthen its military and arm its proxies. Just last year, Iran doubled the budget of the Revolutionary Guard Corps--the shock troops of its terror regime--and it more than tripled its support for Hamas's military brigades. The very same month that Biden agreed to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets, the Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly started to assist with the planning of the October 7 attacks that killed, I say again, over 30 Americans and more than 1,400 Israelis. This is the nature of the regime that Barack Obama coddled for years. It is the nature of the regime that has dispatched its proxies to attack American servicemembers over 110 times since Joe Biden took office. Let me say that again. Iran's proxies have attacked American troops in positions in the Middle East over 110 times since Joe Biden took office. What have Joe Biden and his gang of Obama acolytes done in return? They fired a few missiles at empty proxy warehouses, merely validating Iran's proxy strategy. The ayatollahs are laughing at Joe Biden, just like they laughed at Barack Obama. Barack Obama is the last person who should pontificate on this issue. The only thing we should hear from him is an admission that he was wrong and an apology. Maybe he can include it in his upcoming fourth memoir due out later this year. My message to the former President is simple: Don't try to excuse your own failures by blaming the rest of us. The people ``complicit'' in the attack on Israel are the terrorists who committed it, the Iranian regime that funded it, and the Obama and Biden administrations that appeased them. The responsibility for the events of October 7 rest squarely on their shoulders and their shoulders alone. I yield the floor.