Kevin Cramer

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Madam President, I rise today to emphasize the importance of this year's National Defense Authorization Act--both why it is important and what we must accomplish this week while we are still here. The primary obligation of Congress is to provide for the common defense. For the past 57, 58-plus years, Congress has met this obligation primarily through passage of the NDAA. With this bipartisan legislation, we have provided our Armed Forces the resources and authorities they need to defend our country. This bill keeps America on track by confronting the readiness crisis in our military branches. I am the first North Dakotan ever to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and I consider this a great honor. North Dakota is home to two Air Force bases: Minot, which is home to two of the three legs of the nuclear triad, the B-52 bombers and Minuteman ICBM missiles; and one in Grand Forks, home to the RQ-4 Global Hawk mission and, effective in just a few days, on Friday, the 319th Reconnaissance Wing. We are also home to multiple Army and Air National Guard units and missions, ranging from construction and combat engineers to security forces, to ISR and launch and recovery Reaper operations. Our Army National Guard, in fact, has an air defense artillery regiment that regularly protects us right here in the Capital region as part of Operation Noble Eagle. Our military community is a foundational element to our State as it is to many States. To us, the NDAA is not just arbitrary funding numbers for abstract aircraft and equipment. This legislation supports those in my State and across the country who defend our Nation at home and around the world. We are honored by the outsized role our patriots play in defense of our Nation and the cause of liberty. Our commitment to them and their families must be clear. When they are called into action, they will have every resource they need to carry out successful missions. I want to address a fundamental aspect to this week's debate. Apparently, there are some in this body who would rather bypass budget negotiations and pass a continuing resolution. There are others who want to delay passage of this important priority until later in the year. We cannot simply kick this can down the road. Passing a CR is handing our military community months of uncertainty and anxiety and could nullify much of the good work that we are doing here today and this week, such as improving the livelihoods of our servicemembers. Delaying passage to accommodate the political ambitions of a few of our Democratic colleagues is simply unacceptable and should be dismissed as quickly as it was suggested. Those who offer their lives in service to our country represent the best of what America has to offer. What they give us, we can never repay, but we can do our best to help as they serve and transition back to civilian life. For example, this NDAA seeks to improve the livelihood of our volunteer military force with benefits such as the largest pay increase in over a decade. It also provides personal assistance for military spouses looking for work or hoping to retain their job after being relocated. We also included language that encourages the Air National Guard to provide tuition assistance. To keep us safe from foreign adversaries, this year's NDAA bolsters our nuclear triad with an enhanced commitment to modernization--a move I firmly support. While recently visiting the Minot Air Force Base, I witnessed the reality the base's airmen face every day. Our brave men and women in uniform feel the weight of the world on their shoulders. Yet they remain vigilant and alert--and most of the time quite cheerful, I might add. Deterrence works. It has always worked. Democratic and Republican administrations over the last several decades have supported this. Eliminating a leg of the deterrence does not eliminate the threat. The world does not become a safe place when we remove that which keeps us safe. If we defied history and the military community by unilaterally weakening our superior arsenal, as some in the House have proposed, we would be placing the fate of the world in the hands of our adversaries. That is not to say the bill shouldn't be amended. In fact, I want to bring attention to a matter that wasn't included that I believe should be. I submitted an amendment, along with a stand-alone bill, that honors the Lost 74--the 74 Vietnam veterans who died in the sinking of the USS Frank E. Evans, whose names are not included on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. This year marks 50 years since they were killed off the coast of Vietnam while serving our Nation. Congress passed this legislation last year in the House NDAA, but it failed to be added in conference. This year, I moved from the House to the Senate, and so did this bill. It has received overwhelming, bipartisan support from my colleagues here and from constituents across the country; however, the bureaucrats in Washington remain firmly opposed. It is inexplicable to me that bureaucrats could determine that these sailors' ultimate sacrifice is unworthy of being memorialized simply because they were on the wrong side of an arbitrary line. Their disregard for these veterans has been a source of tremendous frustration to me throughout this process. I have had my own motives questioned. I have been told it would require too much ``work'' to change the memorial. I have even heard fears expressed of precedent being changed, as if finding more ways to honor the fallen and forgotten would somehow set a bad precedent for the future. These excuses are insufficient. The Lost 74 and the families they left behind deserve better than this, and I have no plans to quit this fight for them anytime soon. But this and other possible inclusions aside, this NDAA contains important national security efforts, including the establishment of the U.S. Space Force. The Senate Armed Services Committee came up with a bipartisan proposal that reduces redundancy in space programs, defines clear leadership on space at the upper echelons of our military, and guarantees dedicated servicemembers to the space domain. I thank my colleagues for seeing the administration's vision and working in a bipartisan fashion to improve it. I led two important amendments to the Space Force proposal that were adopted in the committee markup. The first requires that the commander of the Space Force report directly to the Secretary of the Air Force after the first year of establishment. The second is that the commander of the Space Force become a permanent member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also after the first year of establishment. Both were supported by the Department of Defense and should be maintained through conference negotiations. The first provision--reporting directly to the Secretary--ensures that the Space Force commander has direct access to the top civilian leadership of the Air Force, just like the Navy-Marine Corps model. The Commandant of the Marine Corps does not report to the Chief of Naval Operations, and neither should the Space Force commander be forced to report to the Air Force Chief of Staff. Reporting to the Secretary will give our space forces an equal voice in the Air Force's budget development process. We all know that real authority in the Pentagon is budget authority, and unless the Space Force has a true voice in the budget process, they will never be prioritized appropriately. When testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Strategic Command commander and vice chairman nominee General Hyten spoke to the challenges of the Air Force Chief of Staff making space a priority, stating: We have to have somebody in the Pentagon that focuses their total attention on space all the time. I have known every chief of staff of the Air Force for the last 20 or 30 years, and they've all carried space effectively into the tank. They've all cared about space. But it is a secondary issue. Rather than automatically relegating space to a secondary issue, the Space Force commander should follow the Marine Corps model and report directly to the Secretary of the Air Force. In addition, the Space Force commander should be a statutory member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Joint Chiefs, of course, are the primary military advisers to the President. The President makes strategic decisions on the composition and use of our national security resources based on the counsel received from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Without a separate, equal voice at the table, the Space Force commander will inevitably be marginalized from critical decisionmaking and resource allocation processes. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dunford, reiterated this point when he said that ``the key is to have individuals who are singularly focused on space and make sure we incorporate that perspective, that very healthy perspective, into the outcome, which is a joint force that can fight.'' General Dunford is exactly right. The Space Force commander should have a seat on the Joint Chiefs and bring that singular focus of space to the table. I understand the concerns surrounding these amendments, and I agree with my colleagues that we should minimize overhead and unneeded bureaucracy, which is why both of my amendments do not take effect for a year, and the language specifically bars any new staff or additional billets in the interim. Last week, the ranking member of the committee cited CBO estimates on the potential costs of these amendments. I would like to quote the same CBO report for additional context and reference. The CBO report says that ``the estimates in this report are for illustrative policy options; they do not represent cost estimates for any particular piece of legislation.'' With that in mind, I would ask the Department of Defense to take these concerns seriously and use the 1 year to craft and present a plan to appropriately implement these two provisions. My colleagues' concerns are not unwarranted; however, it would be poor policy to hamstring the Space Force from the beginning rather than set it up for success. It is worth noting that the House NDAA establishes a Space Corps and takes two concrete steps directly in line with my amendments. The leader of the Space Corps would report directly to the Secretary of the Air Force and sit on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, without the 1-year delay my amendment would require. The House, Senate, and Department of Defense are largely in line with these two provisions. The idea of the Space Force will become a reality with this year's NDAA. The establishment process will be incremental and requires oversight, but our first step must set the conditions to ensure its success. The importance of this NDAA is clear. Passing it is vital to my State and to our Nation. It supports our troops, bolsters our nuclear deterrence, and provides for the creation of a Space Force capable of defending the next domain of military conflict. For these and dozens of other reasons, I urge my colleagues to support it and pass it quickly to demonstrate our commitment to our highest priority. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CRAMER

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

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it recess until 9:30 a.m., Thursday, May 23; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, like my colleagues and like people from around the country, North Dakotans are very proud of our military heritage. In fact, North Dakotans sign up at a rate four times the national average. I think you will hear that theme throughout the Midwest especially. I am grateful to Senator Ernst for her leadership today as we stand and do something we ought to do every day. It is something we ought to do in church when we are sitting next to them in the pews and when we are talking to our neighbors who are serving or their spouses or family members. We are saying: Thank you. Forgive us for not saying it more often. Frankly, part of why we don't say ``thank you'' more often is because we go about our business in complete comfort, unaware of the dangers around the world because you all do your jobs so very well. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. President, North Dakota is home to two Air Force bases. I recently finished a tour of the military bases in North Dakota, and I want to speak briefly about the airmen at those two bases. Grand Forks, ND, houses the 319th Air Base Wing, known as the Warriors of the North. Just last Saturday, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson visited Grand Forks and redesignated this base as the 319th Reconnaissance Wing. This is one of only three of its kind. I am continually impressed with the mission of the Global Hawk. The Global Hawk mission that is headquartered out of Grand Forks is remarkable. I believe that Grand Forks is a place that is well-positioned for the future of warfighting. To the west of Grand Forks a couple hundred miles is the community of Minot. Minot, ND, is home to the 5th Bomb Wing and the 91st Missile Wing at the Minot Air Force Base. This is interesting because, of course, the bomb wing operates the intercontinental ballistic missiles and the B-52 bombers at the same base. That is two of the three legs of the nuclear triad we hear so much about. You are not going to find a stronger proponent of the nuclear triad than you will in me because it is the only base of its kind. As the base's motto goes, ``Only the best come North.'' Our greatest defense is in detouring our adversaries, and certainly the nuclear triad is important to that. Every day, the airmen in Minot wake up with literally the weight of the world, in many cases, on their shoulders. So for their service and their willingness to stand in the gap in the defense of the world, I am immensely grateful and always impressed. Of course, I would be remiss to not also mention the airspace station in Cavalier. I think it is the Air Force's smallest base, but it is a very important installation. As we debate in this Chamber the need for a modernized space force, understanding the work this base does has further compelled me to stand in support of a modern, capable military unit able to defend the emerging domain that space has become. A special thank-you to those 40 or so airmen in Cavalier who do an incredible job far from home and in many cases far from a lot of other people around them. On a more personal note, I want to say ``thank you'' to the military families and spouses of those stationed in North Dakota, as my colleagues have done. As we know, in a family, everybody serves. In a small community, everybody serves together. They come from all over the country, and they bless our local communities and our State with their work in North Dakota. They deserve a very special thanks for that service. Our military community is not, of course, defined solely by our Air Force bases; it is also defined by our incredible Army and Air National Guard in North Dakota. In Fargo, for example, I am going to highlight this one unit--the 119th Wing of North Dakota's Air National Guard, known as the Happy Hooligans. They are frequent recipients of the Air Force's Outstanding Unit Award. In fact, earlier this year, they received their 20th Outstanding Unit Award. This is an award that is given to the units that distinguish themselves by exceptional service and outstanding achievement. No group better exemplifies that than the Happy Hooligans. In fact, no unit has received more Outstanding Unit Awards either in the active Air Force or in the Guard than the Happy Hooligans. Congratulations. While we are talking about the Guard, I want to say a special thanks not only to the families--because, as I said, they all serve--but in the Guard, there are a lot of people who serve, including their employers. I don't think we say ``thank you'' to the employers often enough who accommodate--no, facilitate--no, encourage the incredible military personnel who do a great job for us on the homefront, as well as when called into action beyond our borders. The mission of the National Guard is to provide ready units, individuals, and equipment supporting our communities, our States, our Nation. If I might elaborate a little bit on homeland issues, just a few short years ago, our State called on our National Guard to meet that mission. We were abandoned by the Federal Government, and the North Dakota National Guard was deployed to help keep the peace. It is appropriate today, on this Peace Officers Memorial Day, that we recognize this relationship. The National Guard was deployed to keep the peace as out-of-State activists with no interest, really, in North Dakota--they flooded our State to violently protest the legally permitted Dakota Access Pipeline. Absent Federal help, our Governor called on our National Guard as a last resort. You would think that would have some serious ramifications. Well, the reality is, because of the quality of our guardsmen, they did what the previous administration would not--they stood up for the rule of law, and they stood in the way of radical protesters even while their own families were targets of the radical protests, the harassment of radical protesters from everywhere other than North Dakota. They put their lives at risk and did it without provocation, without escalation, and with a calming presence. They didn't run from their orders. They didn't balk at their commands. They answered the call to peacefully and professionally defend our State from the chaos that descended upon us. Again, ``thank you'' is inadequate. It is all we can do today. I would just compel people to say ``thank you'' more often. As you see that neighbor, as you see that person sitting next to you, make it a point to say ``thank you'' out loud, in front of friends. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

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

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, in a little bit, we are going to have the opportunity to vote to confirm Drew Wrigley as the next U.S. attorney for the District of North Dakota. First of all, I want to thank Leader McConnell and Leader Schumer for providing this opportunity to vote to confirm this outstanding candidate. A little bit about Drew. First of all, he is a good personal friend. Drew is a sincere public servant. He has served our State as our Lieutenant Governor and previously as U.S. attorney for North Dakota under President George W. Bush. He has a servant's heart. The thing I like so much about Drew is, besides being a professional prosecutor--and prior to even being a U.S. attorney, he was a longtime prosecutor in Philadelphia in the district attorney's office. He is good at his job. He is smart. He is compassionate. He cares as much as anything about the rule and the letter of the law and the victims of crimes. But the thing I like the most about Drew is that he is a courageous prosecutor. He doesn't just take the layups. He is willing to push to the edge for victims, for justice. He takes the tough cases, and he takes them on. Win or lose, he fights as hard as he can for the cause of justice and for the victims of crimes. So it is a great honor for me today to advocate for Drew's confirmation, and I look forward to the opportunity in a little bit to vote for it. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues, first of all, in, yes, opposing this Green New Deal, this joint resolution, that is full of so many dangerous policies and positions. But before I get into my reasons for that, let me also join my colleague from Wyoming in saying I am for the things he is for and even more--carbon capture, utilization, and storage, refined coal, all kinds of ways that we can accomplish the same goals together, with realistic proposals, not fantasies. Let me also say something that should warm the heart of our colleague from Massachusetts. The Koch brothers strongly opposed my candidacy and my election to the U.S. Senate. I owe them nothing, and I am grateful. You know, I wasn't always this pessimistic about the possibilities in this Chamber. I believe, in fact, that divided government presents an opportunity for the parties to come together to find common ground and to have legislative victories based on shared goals and shared values. I hope we can get back to that. I had hoped for it even on controversial issues, like immigration and healthcare, and I certainly hoped for it on energy policy, but when I heard that the Democrats were proposing this Green New Deal, I didn't view it as an opportunity for political gamesmanship. I viewed it as an opportunity to find common ground, to compromise, to find balance, and to negotiate the way that I believe our founders intended it. I don't think killing innovators with something like a Green New Deal is how we accomplish the goals they say they are for in their Green New Deal. You can imagine my disappointment when I read the contents of this joint resolution. The Green New Deal is not serious policy. It is a fantasy. I am personally disappointed to see so many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle cosponsor this--especially those who are seeking higher office--and ignore the realities. Someone earlier mentioned that the Green New Deal never talks about airplanes. No, but it does say that we want to transition to 100- percent renewable energy by 2030. Well, I don't know how you fly airplanes without having fossil fuels. As the Presiding Officer may have seen, in my State of North Dakota, we are having a really, really cold winter. In fact, most of the Upper Midwest is. The National Weather Service referred to a stretch of this really cold weather earlier this winter as a polar vortex. We call it winter. Polar vortex or whatever you want to call it, it has been a rough winter. Rough winters aren't rare or new to us, but this one has been particularly cold. We were well below zero several days in a row. In fact, during the polar vortex, one day the wind chill was well below 50 degrees below. By the way, for those of you from the South, 50 below is below zero--zero. It is a really low number. But I believe there are some facts that have been left out related to how this will affect human health. On January 1, in Hettinger, ND, it reached 42 degrees below zero without wind chill. That is real temperature. Again, that has happened in many communities throughout the State. During these low temperatures, guess what doesn't happen. The wind doesn't blow, and when the wind doesn't blow, windmills stop providing energy, and they actually start consuming it. When I was a regulator, I cited a couple thousand megawatts of wind turbines in North Dakota. When the energy can't be produced by wind turbines, it turns to gas, and, then, guess what happens. Natural gas providers have to ask their customers to curtail their gas consumption because they need the gas for a more firm supply of electricity that backs up the wind turbines. Again, I was a utility regulator. I saw this happen a lot, and it happened just a couple of weeks ago in the Midwest. Can you imagine that when temperatures drop below minus 22 degrees and wind turbines stop working? That means that many North Dakotans, like my mom and my grandchildren, have to rely on intermittent electricity to fill the gap caused by the cutbacks in gas. Do you see the cycle of this? It is a circle. One bad thing leads to another bad thing. In this situation, it is when--not if--an electric outage occurs during a polar vortex, it would be disastrous for the people of my State and many others. This is a serious health risk, and I do not want my friends and family to ever wonder if they will be able to warm their homes when they need it the most. Even if the Green New Deal were to pass, we could never afford it. You have heard a lot of statements today from Members about the expected cost of up to $93 trillion. You can argue that it is not $93 trillion--that it is only $90 trillion, it is only $80 trillion, or it is only $50 trillion. It is too much. It is unaffordable. And $93 trillion is more than 90 percent of the combined wealth of all--I said ``all''--American households in this country. It would cost every American family as much as $65,000 per year, which, as you know, is more than the average yearly household income. A tax-and-spend agenda to pay for an energy plan that wouldn't even work flies in the face of one of our Nation's greatest success stories--our domestic energy production. To a large degree, the U.S. rocket ship economy is being driven by the energy renaissance happening all across our country, like in my State of North Dakota. Our strategy of energy dominance encompasses an ``all of the above'' approach--harnessing wind, oil, natural gas, solar, nuclear, and, yes, coal potential. Millions of Americans are employed by energy development, and that number is only expected to grow. In fact, in 2020 the United States will become a net energy exporter for the first time. At the same time, emissions have steadily decreased over the years, and it serves as a very important national security hedge. Why would we halt this positive momentum and stymie promising solutions? The key to a better energy future is not taxation regulation but innovation and empowerment, as so beautifully articulated by my friend from Wyoming.

Mr. CRAMER. If these recent polar vortexes and cold winters taught us anything, it is that we have a well-rounded energy policy that encourages the best ideas. We need to be pragmatic and collaborative to find solutions. That is not what defines this Green New Deal. It is unrealistic, unworkable, and unaffordable. I hope we never become so lopsided that my friends, neighbors, and family back home are unable to turn the heat on when they need it the most. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Madam President, I thank my friend and colleague, Senator Hoeven. Before I get into my prepared comments, let me first associate myself with his words and his eloquent appreciation and congratulations to the folks at NDSU and to the football team. Let me just say that I don't care what President Trump says--in Bison Nation, we never get tired of winning. March For Life Madam President, for the first time, I rise as a Member of this prestigious body, as a U.S. Senator, to talk about a critical issue that faces our Nation, which is every citizen's right to life. It is no coincidence that I rise today, the week of March for Life. This coming Friday is the 46th annual March for Life, during which citizens from across the country and hundreds from North Dakota, especially students from places like Shanley High School and the University of Mary and other institutions around our State, will unite to fight against the largest, deadliest, and most silent war this world has ever known. This, my colleagues, is the war against the unborn. During my time in the House of Representatives in the last 6 years and throughout my campaign for the Senate last year, I promised the people of North Dakota that I would fight for life at all stages. I unite, today, with those who will march this Friday, who will walk with heavy and hopeful hearts and who will pray for the 60 million discarded children who have been denied their very first breaths. Colleagues, I stand here to call to mind a child's right to life and protection within the womb of his or her mother. Since Roe v. Wade, which the Supreme Court decided in 1973, over 60 million children have been denied their right to life. There have been 60 million children who have been refused love, comfort, a hug, care, opportunity, and breath. They were torn from experiencing the beauty of the world that we are so fortunate to see. They were torn from family and unknown friends. To deny 60 million innocent children the right to these things is the highest injustice to our people and the highest offense to our God. I speak on behalf of the citizens of North Dakota and of all citizens who will gather this week to say that it is absolutely unacceptable that within this country, life is treated as a commodity rather than a gift from an omnipotent Creator. Some of my pro-choice colleagues and friends may say that in taking this stance, I am standing against women's rights--nothing could be further from the truth--and that this is an issue of a woman's right. It is an issue for the millions of women who have been denied the right to life. I fully support women's rights. I just began supporting them 9 months earlier than some of my colleagues on the other side of this important issue. To my colleagues who are pro-life who are supportive of this fight, I remind them that abortion is a great injustice, but it is particularly common in situations and communities that have suffered other injustices. If we are going to be pro-life, I think we must be pro all of life and address the factors that cause women to decide to end the life of their unborn children. The United States has seen a great evil throughout its history. We have seen and experienced slavery, discrimination, and human trafficking. All of these things are illegal, and these things are issues on which we as a country take a moral stance. However, abortion is legal. Sixty million lives have been ended legally in our country. Here, in Washington, DC, nearly 40 percent of pregnancies end in abortion. In New York City, an African-American child is more likely to be aborted than born. As one Nation under God, we, as a country, should know better. We must know better, and I believe we do know better. No government should limit the lives of its youngest and most innocent citizens. As a Senator, I give you my promise to fight for life, and I ask my colleagues to join me. This is my promise to the people of North Dakota who have chosen me as their Senator and my promise to my fellow citizens, especially those who have never had the chance to speak with their voices. Within my first few weeks here, I have signed onto several pro-life priorities. I have signed a letter asking President Trump to veto any legislation that undermines the right to life. Additionally, I cosponsored the Protect Funding for Women's Healthcare Act, a bill that would end Federal funding for Planned Parenthood and shift that money to women's health services. In North Dakota, we don't have any Planned Parenthood clinics, but we have 16 community health centers and over 20 federally qualified health centers. Shifting this money toward these health centers would help the women in my State to receive better and more accessible healthcare. Let me say that again. Shifting funding away from the abortion clinics and toward these community health centers would provide more funds to the health centers that care for women across the State of North Dakota. Additionally, I have cosponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act and the Title X Prohibition Act, two bills to protect the taxpayer from funding the abortion industry. I have cosponsored the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which would guarantee that a child who survives an abortion will receive the same medical care as a premature child of the same age, and the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, which protects the rights of parents to be notified if their child is going to have an abortion. Finally, I have cosponsored the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would ban abortion after 20 weeks. My fellow Senators, I stand here because of the citizens of North Dakota and of the United States who desire to see these bills and many other important pro-life bills pass and signed into law. They want an end to this injustice. I recognize my responsibility to fight for the youngest, most vulnerable members of our society and our future generations. Today, I stand with my constituents and with the entire population of the United States, especially the men and women who have been robbed of their right to life. I urge my fellow Senators to take a stand on this pressing issue as well. With our united efforts, the killing of our unborn citizens will continue to diminish. Our work is fruitful. In every legislative session we see more and more laws passed at the State level to protect unborn life. From 2008 to 2014, the abortion rate in the United States dropped by 25 percent. Each year, we are making great strides and giving a voice to the voiceless. This fight is not a political fight but a fight for humanity itself. It is a war against all of us and against all of our children, no matter our ideologies. We have to learn to prioritize the issues in our own parties and work across the aisle. We have to look at each other with open minds and open hearts to solve this crisis that has plagued our country. We must do better at reaching out and uniting with one another in defense of one of the most fundamental rights--the right to life. The truth is this: We must uphold this right because ``we hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed''--at the time of creation--``by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.'' Without the first--that is the right to life--we can have neither liberty nor the pursuit of happiness. We have been denying the first for far too long. So let's join together now to give the future of our country, our next generations, the right to life. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Lamborn, Chairman Bishop, and the ranking member for their cooperation and for helping me move this important legislation that was sponsored, as Chairman Lamborn said, by Senator Hoeven, and for working on my companion bills that were introduced in the House earlier this year. I appreciate the hearings that the Natural Resources Committee held and for favorably reporting the bills out of the committee. These two bills to convey BOR property to local park entities are very important to many of my constituents. In July, two of those constituents, Tom Fisher and Craig Headland, came to Washington to testify in support of these bills. Combined, they represented over 100 families with homes on these reclamation properties who wished to cast aside the uncertainties of residing on Federal land and carry out their dreams of home ownership by purchasing the lands they maintain. Certainty, not only for them, of course, but for financial lenders, will generate greater investment in these properties to improve the lifestyle and the local economy, while maintaining the integrity of the use of the reservoirs. The land, beyond those residents, which makes up the vast majority of the acreage, will continue to be open to the public for recreation and other uses to the benefit of our people. As a firm believer in land use decisionmaking authority being as local as possible, I believe these bills will allow for better management and improved opportunities for the citizens of North Dakota and for our visitors. Lastly, I want to thank the administration for working on these bills with Senator Hoeven and me. I am grateful that the administration is willing to work on issues such as these that have carried on for years, and sometimes decades, with indecision and delay. So I urge support by my colleagues and, again, thank the chairman, the ranking member, and the committee for their good work.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, every community has peace officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect their communities, and we don't say thank you nearly often enough. Today I rise to recognize four very special school resource deputies of the Cass County Sheriff's Office who have been given the Model Agency Award, which is the top honor that is given by the National Association of School Resource Officers. This award recognizes the work of law enforcement officers who promote safer schools and safer children, and they singled out the Cass County program as ``a shining example of the school resource officers program.'' The deputies work with students at Kindred, Maple Valley, Central Cass, Northern Cass, and Mapleton Elementary Schools. Supervised by Sergeant Tim Briggeman and under the command of Captain Jesse Jahner, the deputies are Jason Scott, Joe Crawford, Chris Potter, and Dan Hermann. Cass County Sheriff Paul Laney calls these officers the ``best of the best.'' On behalf of all North Dakotans, I congratulate them and thank Sheriff Laney and his entire staff for the high bar of excellence they deliver in serving all the citizens of Cass County.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, during one of my recent weekly talk radio townhalls, I spoke to a family member of a veteran who served aboard the destroyer USS Frank E. Evans during the Vietnam war. The Vietnam veteran, Richard Grant, from Fargo, advocates for servicemembers who died during the Vietnam war but are not presently recognized on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial here in Washington. The USS Frank E. Evans provided naval gunfire off the coast of Vietnam, including during the Tet Offensive. While conducting friendly maneuvers outside of the official combat zone, it collided with a friendly Australian aircraft carrier, killing 74 crewmembers. I introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to engrave the names of the 74 crewmembers who died on that day on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. Their sacrifice and that of their families is worthy not only of our mention, but of the high honor of being memorialized forever on the wall. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to lead this amendment and urge my colleagues to support it. I look forward to the day when the wall is engraved with the 74 names of the heroes of the USS Frank E. Evans.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Chairman, not long ago, President Trump successfully negotiated an agreement with Mexico to stop them from dumping illegally subsidized sugar onto the U.S. market. This amendment would undo the President's good work by reopening the floodgates to other foreign countries to send us their subsidized sugar at below their costs of production, further depressing the prices that my farmers receive. Vote ``no'' on this amendment.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Chairman, the Northern Plains Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site in Grand Forks, North Dakota, is doing extensive work with private industry stakeholders in advancing this very important emerging industry. However, the growth of the UAS industry is reliant on receiving dedicated spectrum allocation to ensure the connection for beyond visual line of sight operations. My amendment simply directs the FAA, the NTIA, and the FCC to submit to Congress a report on whether UAS operations of all sizes, at all altitudes, should be permitted to operate on spectrum that is designated for aviation use. It may also include recommendations of other licensed spectrum frequencies, such as LTE, that may be appropriate for flying UAS. I encourage my colleagues to vote for my amendment to advance the UAS industry, and I look forward to working with stakeholders and Members of the Senate to take it across the finish line.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, as we observe Women's History Month and continue celebrating the historic Olympic Gold Medal won by the U.S. women's hockey team, I rise to recognize two remarkable sisters from Grand Forks. Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux grew up in one of North Dakota's premier hockey families. These sisters have played together since they were teenagers and were standouts at the University of North Dakota. The first set of twins to play women's ice hockey in the Olympics, they brought home silver medals in 2010 and 2014. In last month's championship game against Canada, they helped make this win golden: Monique's goal tied the game, and Jocelyne flawlessly executed the game-winning shootout goal. Since returning home, they have joined Team USA in appearances across the Nation, inspiring a new generation of women athletes. A cheering crowd filled the Engelstad Hockey Arena in Grand Forks, many of them young girls and women on area hockey teams who came to congratulate their hometown champions who brought the U.S. women's hockey team their first Olympic Gold Medal. On behalf of all North Dakotans, I salute Jocelyne and Monique. You have set a high bar for women athletes across the Nation, and North Dakota honors your excellence.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, let me, at the outset, as Chairman Shimkus did, express how special it was to watch a chairman and a staff director work, I think I daresay, as peers, as a team. That is very unusual in a place where titles seem to matter more than they ought to and more than they do other places. I did have the opportunity to know Ray a little bit when I was on the North Dakota Public Service Commission, and he served on the Oregon Public Utility Commission. In fact, our terms mirrored exactly one with the other. A lot has been said about Ray's commitment to service, and I think it is undeniable. I think of the things he could have done and probably could have made a lot more money doing, but he chose, instead, to serve people. He serves as a testimony, frankly, in many respects. This opportunity we have tonight to pay tribute to Ray and his memory is a furtherance of his testimony, that we here, even in Washington, D.C.-- yes, even here in the swamp; yes, for all the people who watch us wondering if there is any decency among us, we really are a family. So our tribute tonight is testimony to that because it is really testimony to his life. He served as such a great example to all of us. A lot has been said about Ray's sense of humor. Until you get to know him, he could make you off guard a little bit every now and then. I always appreciated, though, that Ray had an ability to take a serious moment seriously, take a serious issue seriously, but never take us too seriously. He allowed us to sort of gain perspective because he had such a good perspective. Oftentimes, it was his ability to make us laugh and to find the humorous anecdote in a moment. He was always calm. We can use a lot more calm. Maybe people don't know this, but each of us has really big, important issues that are absolutely life-changing and life-affecting and the most important thing in the world to us. Then we bring them to the greater good, to the larger group, and Ray had an ability to boil it down and, again, put it in perspective for each of us individually as well as all of us collectively. That is why he was such a great leader for all of us, the ability to balance intellect with humor, to be funny without being frivolous, being respectful while also joking with us, cajoling us, as the chairman said, with everybody from the Speaker to the Sergeant at Arms, to the freshman class. He had a tremendous ability. So, Mr. Speaker, to Chairman Walden, Kristine, and the family, we are all part of your family tonight. We all are hurting, and we all are mourning. It is hard to sugarcoat it. This thing called death is awful, this awful disease called cancer. Ray had the opportunity to serve with us in a committee that works to try and eradicate diseases. He was very helpful as we worked on important legislation to do exactly that, things like 21st Century Cures and other healthcare legislation. We are all better for having known Ray. Tonight we are just a little bit sad about it to say the least. God bless Kristine, the kids, and the grandbabies. I thank the chairman for his friendship, to Ray, and the way that was transferred--not just transferred, but aggregated, and in a dynamic way for all of us, he served as such a great example.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, John Andrist, a North Dakota State senator from Crosby for 22 years, died last week on Wednesday. He was a patriotic American who loved his Lord, loved his country, loved his State, and loved his community. John was a strong conservative who exercised his convictions with grace and facilitated dignified deliberations. While John made a mark as a public servant at many levels, it was his work as a newspaperman that leaves the most impressive legacy. His columns were sometimes provocative, always profound, but never mean. John was the president of the North Dakota Newspaper Association in 1970 and, in 1989, became the only North Dakotan ever elected president of the National Newspaper Association. John was inducted into the North Dakota Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2000 and received the national association's award for distinguished service. Distinguished service is the perfect description for John. While he is being laid to rest this weekend because his servant's heart has stopped beating, his legacy lives on in his words and his witness to decency. May we all strive to his very high standard of statesmanship. God rest your soul, John. I love you.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the Children's Health Insurance Program provides health coverage to low-income children and pregnant women who have an annual income above the Medicaid eligibility levels but have no health insurance. It provides care, in other words, Mr. Speaker, for some of the most vulnerable families in our Nation. It covers nearly 5,000 children in my home State. In fact, in fiscal year 2016, North Dakota received $19 million in CHIP funding. I encourage all of my colleagues to now support this important program that has historically had bipartisan support. I also want to urge my colleagues to quickly take up funding for community health centers, the special diabetes program, and other health programs that require extension. Community health centers in North Dakota are already feeling the negative effects of this funding uncertainty, particularly in hiring and leasing decisions. Mr. Speaker, we must not vote ``no'' on this CR because of what is not in the bill, but we must vote ``yes'' because what is in the bill is critical to the health of our children.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, no U.S. Air Force unit has ever won more than 19 Outstanding Unit Awards. This last Saturday, I was honored to be in Fargo as the North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Wing was awarded their 19th. The 119th Wing, known as the Happy Hooligans, has received this prestigious recognition nearly constantly since 2006. The Air Force Outstanding Unit Award is given to numbered units of the Active Duty Air Force, Air National Guard, and U.S. Air Force Reserve that have distinguished themselves by exceptionally meritorious service or outstanding achievement. The mission of the 119th Wing is to provide trained and ready airmen, executing world class MQ-9 and reconnaissance kinetic and nonkinetic target intelligence production, and expeditionary support capabilities for the Nation and State. Mr. Speaker, Aristotle said: ``We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.'' Freedom-loving people around the world are grateful to the Happy Hooligans from Fargo for making excellence in defending liberty a habit. Congratulations, Colonel Brit Hatley and Hooligans, and thank you for your outstanding service to the cause of freedom around the world.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the North Dakota State University Bisons, who, on Saturday, won their sixth NCAA Division 1 football championship in the last 7 years. When Chris Kliemen was named head coach at NDSU 3 years ago, he inherited a tradition of excellence and made it a dynasty. Merriam- Webster defines ``dynasty'' as ``a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time.'' Well, Mr. Speaker, winning six national championships in 7 years certainly meets the second half of that definition. And anyone who knows Bison football knows that they are a family. It is what makes them special. Quarterback Easton Stick was named the Game's Most Outstanding Player, but it was the Bison defense that shined the brightest on Saturday, holding James Madison University's explosive offense to a season low 241 yards and just 13 points. Perhaps it was linebacker Nick DeLuca who put it best when asked how the Bison defense was able to respond so spectacularly in so many difficult situations. He simply said: ``Just remain focused and calm.'' Good advice, Nick, in football and politics. Congratulations, Bisons. You make us proud.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, we know that the economic and job creation benefits are key components of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, making the U.S. globally competitive again, giving much-needed tax cuts to American business, and much-needed wage increases to American workers. But, Mr. Speaker, it is really the long overdue direct tax benefits to the vast middle class, who don't have a lobbyist living in the rich suburbs of Washington, D.C., that take center stage for me and my fellow North Dakotans. You see, 80 percent of the citizens of North Dakota file claiming this standard deduction. That means, Mr. Speaker, that the vast majority of my constituents will see their deductions nearly doubled if they do nothing else. And obviously, with the doubling of the standard deduction, it will likely inspire even more North Dakotans to claim this simple deduction. Mr. Speaker, this huge benefit, combined with greater job opportunities and simpler, less expensive filing costs, and, of course, a generous family tax credit, will put more money in the pockets and less anxiety in the hearts of middle class North Dakotans. Supporting this reform package is easy for me because it is right for North Dakota, and I thank Chairman Brady for this outstanding work.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. It is no secret that a reliable supply of electricity is important to us on many levels, from human health, and, of course, to commercial productivity. As a former public service commissioner, I can tell you that one of the main reasons for large outages is trees growing in power lines. And one of the reasons for forest fires, oftentimes, is power lines falling in the forest. Fires get to the power lines; power lines create fires. This bill, I think, helps alleviate some of that. With consumers and regulators demanding, of course, reliable service, and a utility company's natural incentive to keep the sale of electrons flowing, vegetation management has improved tremendously over the years. However, deep within the lands that are managed by our Federal agencies, the potential for problems persists. My bill creates a pilot program, as the chairman described, for utility companies to partner with the Forest Service to voluntarily perform vegetation management proactively. Under Forest Service approval, utilities can propose a plan to selectively manage vegetation within 75 feet of the right-of-way with the least amount of disturbances as reasonably possible, and outside of designated wilderness areas is a very important point. All of that work would be paid for by the utility company, not by the Federal Government. Currently, this offer of right-of-way work is the responsibility of the government, and with a strict liability standard, Mr. Speaker, to any utility company to step in and help. There is not an incentive--in fact, there is a disincentive for them to do so. So under the pilot program, these activities will be subject to a more appropriate standard of liability, a gross negligence standard, along with any specific safety requirements imposed under the programs in agreement with the Forest Service. It removes the barrier for utility companies to carry out this important work not currently being done by them, to reduce direct impacts to damage utility infrastructure, and the amount of fuel for possible forest fires. There is a lot of bipartisan support for this. I appreciate my friends in the more mountainous and more forested regions than the prairies of North Dakota on both side of the aisle. I know there is good support in the Senate as well. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Miss North Dakota Cara Mund, who was crowned Miss America last Sunday. A native of Bismarck, Cara made history in our State when she became the first North Dakotan to be crowned Miss America. Throughout the competition, Cara shared her desire to make her home State proud, and boy did she do that, encouraging others to follow their dreams, saying: `` . . . it doesn't matter where you come from geographically.'' When asked what she hoped to gain from her year as Miss America, Cara said she is focused on what she can do for others. Cara has been giving back for years, having raised more than $78,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation through her Passion for Fashion Show that she founded when she was just 14 years old. As she travels the United States, I know she will inspire and impress everyone she comes in contact with. This former Capitol Hill intern plans to attend law school, become the first woman Governor of North Dakota, and perhaps even represent her State in Congress one day. I hope she waits a while. But anyway, Kris and I join all North Dakotans in congratulating our new Miss America. We are proud of you, Cara, and we look forward to hearing the positive message you are going to be sharing throughout this Nation throughout the next year.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Davis and my colleague, Mr. Peterson, from across the Red River in Minnesota for their support for this renaming of the Red River Valley Agricultural Research Center. For all of the reasons that Representative Peterson talked about, it is a world-class facility in a world-class town, and I think it should be named after a world-class guy, and I think Ed Schafer is that. I had the opportunity to serve under Ed when he was Governor for 8 years. I served in his cabinet. His intellect and his common sense are matched only by his boundless energy and his eternal optimism, qualities he brings to every job he does, including his work at the Department of Agriculture. When he was recognized by his former Governor colleague, President George W. Bush, and asked to join the administration in that department, it was a remarkable thing not just for agriculture, not just for Ed, but for our State. North Dakota is number one in the production of many crops. Agriculture is the number one industry in our State. It is what makes North Dakota what North Dakota is: the ability to feed hungry people in a growing world. Ed brought that common sense to USDA and that work ethic that works the land so effectively. I feel like this is a fitting tribute to him. It is a celebration not only of his accomplishments, but a celebration of agriculture in North Dakota and the entire Red River Valley, including Congressman Peterson's district, and really for our world. I would note that our two Senators, while it is easy for me to get unanimity in the House for the North Dakota House caucus since I am the only one, North Dakota's two Senators have a companion bill in the Senate introduced by Senator Hoeven and cosponsored by Senator Heitkamp, and they support this effort as well. I appreciate the work of the committee and the work of Ed Schafer, and I look forward, hopefully, to a celebration of the renaming.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. In wrapping up, I thank the chairman for the time and for his leadership. Let's pass this CRA and overturn this egregious, unproductive BLM rule and return the authority where it belongs, back to the States.