Kevin Cramer

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following Senators be permitted to complete their remarks prior to the scheduled rollcall vote: Senator Grassley, Senator Cramer, and Senator Hoeven.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, when I walked through that door--I guess it was only about 50 minutes ago--I had no intention of speaking. Half an hour ago, I had no intention of speaking today. But I need a little therapy. So congratulations, therapists--I have a couple of things on my mind. As I stand here--as we stand here--uncertain about what this Saturday morning in August is going to produce, I just had some thoughts. My first thought seems probably pretty basic, and it is to the Democrats in the Chamber--specifically, their leadership. Breaking news: Donald Trump won the election. He is the President of the United States. You don't have to like it, but he did. He won. What got me a little bit ramped up this morning was I started thinking about all of Joe Biden's nominees that I voted for, and I got to thinking about the many Cabinet Secretaries in the Biden administration whose cell numbers I still have and I am happy to use. We were in this together. I got to thinking about how very, very special this institution is, in a country that is made up of self-governed people. We, ladies and gentlemen--we, Mr. President--are the representatives of those self- governed people. And in many respects, what we are going through this weekend is in large part a direct reflection of the division of our country--for sure, for sure. But I submit that we have a higher responsibility than to simply gravitate to the worst instincts but, rather, elevate this institution to a more aspirational conclusion. It is not even really a new conclusion; it is the tradition and the history of this institution. So as I was looking at the leader's chart in the cloakroom earlier, I see this rather rich history of an institution that, first of all, respects the prerogative of the person who won the Presidency while also protecting our prerogative to have some oversight and to advise and consent. Boy, when I think of supporting Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense, a decision I came to regret--not because I didn't like him but because he proved to be a pretty bad Secretary of Defense--nonetheless, nonetheless, Joe Biden had won the election, and that is who he chose. When I supported Pete Buttigieg for Secretary of Transportation, I had higher hopes, but we had a decent working relationship, and I was happy to have supported him. When I introduced Shalanda Young in the Budget Committee in her hearing to become OMB Director, that was a decision I never regretted and still do not. But I will tell you, this morning, as I stand here in early August on a Saturday morning, with this circle of zero percent bright-gray, as though there is such a thing as bright-gray, I am frustrated. This is the future of this place if something good doesn't happen today in this place. And I fear we are going down a path we may never ever be able to go down again--or at least go the other direction. Some fights aren't worth winning, much less losing. I have always loved this institution and the norms of it, but this is not normal. This is the exception. And this I do not want to ever have become normal. But I, as somebody who appreciated the relationships--and still do--that I have had with Joe Biden's nominees, today, if you were to ask me to vote for a Joe Biden nominee, I don't give a rat's rear who they are, how great they are, how spectacular they may be--I don't care what their credentials are--the message to me is I have to vote no. We darned sure aren't going to let them have it the easy way. We are darned sure never going to do 46 percent of the next President's nominees with a voice vote or unanimous consent because the new norm is we fight every one of them because they won the election instead of us winning the election. It is not OK, friends. It is not OK, Mr. President. Last night, in this Chamber, we did something rather remarkable together with a very large bipartisan vote. We passed not one, not two, but three appropriations bills--as Chairman Collins reminded us, the first time we have done it before the August recess since 2018. We celebrated for a complete--oh, I don't know--30 seconds maybe. And the American people instead are waking up to this--to this. And what this is--what this is--this is us voting for very low positions in the sub-Cabinet of appointees and nominees--not unimportant jobs, by the way, but low positions in comparison to the Cabinet--one every 2 hours, one every 2 hours, because that is as fast as we are allowed to go with the 1,200 or so nominees that we have the responsibility of confirming or not. And here is what I fear. I fear that the occasional bad nominee will always pass now, from now on, because we have turned--somebody has turned this into a shirts-and-skins game. So from now until eternity, the first question is going to be: Oh, I don't know. Who won that Presidential election again? Oh, yeah, the other team. Well, we can't allow them to have their nominees on a simple voice vote. It will, I am afraid, have a very, very, very bad ramification on this institution if we don't correct course sometime today, if we don't come to some sort of an agreement that recognizes that Donald Trump won the election and has the right to have the government that he wants and that we have a prerogative to make sure that it is not just confirmed but that if there are some bad apples along the way, that they get held up for greater scrutiny. But if this becomes a straight skins-and-shirts game, then all discretion is out the window; then all oversight is really out the window; then the responsibility of scrutiny goes out the window because it is one team versus the other team, with nobody looking out for the American people. As I said, I didn't intend to get up and talk today. I don't know that I feel any better for it. But we have an opportunity today-- today--to knock out this obstruction by the leader of the Democratic Party in the U.S. Senate. If we don't, if something doesn't happen today, then we, in my view, are confronted with the only other choice, and that is a major rules change that acknowledges the new reality in this country. I don't want that to be the case. I am still more optimistic than the path we are on. With that, thanks for your time. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the Government Accountability Office opinion letter dated June 25, 2025.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Col. Darin Durand, a great American and an exceptional member of the U.S. Air Force. As the Air National Guard Liaison to the Department of the Air Force's Senate Liaison Division from May 2023 to December 2024, Colonel Durand performed his duties with exceptional professionalism during the 118th Congress. Hailing from Plattsmouth, NE, he is a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He represents a true Total Force officer, having served over 26 years on Active Duty, in the Air Force Reserve, and in the Air National Guard. Like his father, Col. Arthur Durand, U.S. Air Force retired, and his younger brother Lt. Col. Ryan Durand, U.S. Space Force retired, he has demonstrated exceptional and unrivaled officership throughout his career. He served in various personnel, command, and special staff positions with experience at the squadron, group, wing, major command, and combatant command level and deployed in support of Operations Allied Force and Enduring Freedom. Colonel Durand distinguished himself with professionalism and dedication as the sole Air National Guard Legislative Liaison in the Department of the Air Force's Senate Liaison office. In this role, he advised Department of the Air Force senior leaders and helped shape over 150 strategic engagements with Senators, Congressmen, and staffers to advance U.S. Air Force and Space Force priorities. He provided seamless collaboration with the Department of the Air Force in all 100 Senate offices. In 20 of those offices, one which was mine, he was the principal Air Force liaison to 20 Senators and their staffs. He also collaborated closely with the Senate Space Force Caucus to effectively educate Senate offices and defense committees on the Department of Defense's newest military branch and its alignment with the National Defense Strategy's focus on Reoptimization for Great Power Competition. A driven leader skilled at building relationships, Colonel Durand spearheaded initiatives within Headquarters Air Force that bridged the information gap between Members of Congress and the Department of the Air Force. He fostered a shared understanding of congressional priorities and Departmental objectives, enabling the alignment of goals and a cohesive, multifunctional approach to achieving them. He directly supported the successful execution of nine Senate confirmation, posture, and subcommittee hearings, and he provided the Senate with critical information and language refinements necessary to complete the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Colonel Durand's commitment to enhancing global partnerships was evident when he planned, executed and led 13 congressional and staff delegation trips. These trips within the United States and overseas, supported the Air Force Caucus, State delegations, key Senate committees, and our allies and partners. These interactions successfully strengthened international collaboration and cultivated relationships crucial for advancing shared defense priorities and select Department of the Air Force equities. His direct involvement and oversight helped Members of Congress make informed decisions to ensure the Department of the Air Force possessed the right authorities and resources necessary to equip our warfighters and fulfill its role. One highlight is Colonel Durand coleading the Senate delegation for the bicameral 2023 and 2024 Reagan National Defense Forums. His significant efforts resulted in more than 70 successful engagements between Senators, current and former administration officials, senior military leaders, industry executives, technology innovators, and leading-edge thought leaders. These interactions helped my colleagues and our staffs advance conversations and collaborations critical to achieving our shared national security goal of peace through strength. Colonel Durand became a fixture on Capitol Hill, before moving on to serve as the Air National Guard adviser to the director of the Air Force's legislative liaison in Washington. I know he is forever grateful to his wife Frances for her unwavering commitment and many sacrifices in supporting his calling in the defense of our Nation. I am thankful for Col. Darin Durand's service and his work with my office and the Senate over the past 2 years on issues of vital importance to the defense of the United States. I salute this American patriot whose selfless service has kept our country safe and strong.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, on June 18, 2025, Jim and Rachel Chambers commence their 50th year of marriage. Jim and Rachel met at Cedarville College, both in preparation for ministry. Little did they know, this common calling would lead them to the joint venture of a lifetime. After getting married in 1976, the Chambers began their journey together as many newlyweds do: humble beginnings, a can-do attitude, and constant reliance on God and each other. This has characterized their lives ever since. They built their own home from the ground up, raised a family in it, followed God's calling to serve the people of Zambia, Africa, as missionaries, and have now returned home to where they started together. No matter the location, Jim and Rachel's home has exemplified love and hospitality. They both come from humble circumstances, surrounded by loving parents who pinched every penny and worked whatever job was necessary to give them opportunity. This sacrificial generosity has been emulated by Jim and Rachel ever since. They have welcomed foster children, provided shelter to widows and orphans, given respite to fellow missionaries and pastors, and always been available when family came knocking. From tea parties and pillow forts for their kids and grandkids to giving a glimmer of hope to the hopeless, their home has always been full of heart. Family has never been in short supply for the Chambers. Jim comes from a family of 12 children, Rachel from a family of four. They have been blessed with six children--Nathan, Anne, Megan, Micah, Mary, and Rebecca--five children and one grandchild by marriage--Nathan, Michelle, David, Jake, Brandon, and Jake--19 grandchildren--Abigail, Caleb, Joanna, Hannah, Andrew, Karis, Adrianna, Timothy, Ethan, Kaeden, Jamin, Selah, Elisabeth, Julia, Levi, Asher, Leo, Claire, and Sophia-- and a great-grandchild--Heinrich. From Ohio to Zambia, Indiana, Honduras, Pennsylvania, Florida, and right here in the Halls of Congress, the fingerprints of their legacy are everywhere. Isaiah 40:31 says, ``But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.'' June 18 starts Jim and Rachel's 50th year of waiting on the Lord together, soaring together, running together, and relying on the strength that never fails together. Congratulations on 50 years and many more to come.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, high school basketball tournaments are a highlight every March in North Dakota. Athletes, coaches, students, parents, and fans of all ages come together from around the State to make these tournaments unforgettable experiences. This year's boys class A basketball championship on March 22 was an epic game, a rematch of the Kindred Vikings and Devils Lake Firebirds teams that played for the title last year--add to that an unlikely comeback from a 26-point deficit and a Kindred buzzer beater win of 59 to 58. It was even more exciting for my family because Kindred is my hometown, and I lettered all 4 years in Kindred High School sports. Our teams in the late 1970s did not compare to the athletic excellence of the players today. This year, with only one loss the entire season, the Kindred Vikings took home their second boy's basketball championship trophy, having won their first in 2021. They entered the tournament as the No. 1-seeded team and kept their winning streak going up to the final game. Guard Brooks Bakko made the winning point in the last-second tip-in. These 15 talented players all contributed to their successful season by tapping into the strength of each other. They demonstrated teamwork at its finest. This year's players are Brooks Bakko, Gabriel Iverson, Karson Ouse, Jakob Starcevic, Presley Peraza, Izaak Spelhaug, Jackson Schlieman, Kylan Swenson, Gabe Whipple, Eli Maack, Carter Gronwold, Tyler Gronwold, Graham Hesse, Kyle Campbell, and Lukas Starcevic. Scoring leaders for the championship game were forward Karson Ouse with 17 points, Jakob Starcevic with 13, Brooks Bakko with 12, and Presley Peraza with 10. And, Brooks Bakko and Presley Peraza were selected by the State sportscasters and sportswriters to be on the All-State Team. I congratulate the team, as well as Coach Brad Woehl, assistant coaches Brent Plante, Matt Hagen, and Jimmy Hoy, and all the loyal fans on this State championship. A sincere thanks also goes to the Kindred Public School administrators, teachers, staff, and the entire community for the role they play in supporting quality education. This was a championship game we will remember for years. I join all North Dakotans in thanking each and every Kindred Vikings player for inspiring us with your basketball excellence. You continue to show us what can be achieved by combining faith and passion with determination and teamwork.

Mr. CRAMER

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

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 34, S.J. Res. 18.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to Calendar No. 27, H.J. Res. 25, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. CRAMER

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

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. If I might reclaim a moment. I think there are two Montana Senators who should be wearing those ties. But, anyway, we will find them later. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER. I was not there.

Mr. CRAMER. Yes.

Mr. CRAMER. Yes.

Mr. CRAMER. Yes.

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I am going to do what I do so well and so often and agree with John Hoeven. How is that?

Mr. CRAMER. I won't bore you with a lot of the same information. But he did set up--I think, John, you set up a perfect opportunity to dig into the dynasty a little bit when you went through every year. Remember, we have been in Congress every year that they won one of these FCS championships. Somebody reminded me of that yesterday. So we have given a lot of these speeches. I have made several in the House. Webster says that a dynasty is ``a succession of rulers of the same line of descent''--``a succession of rulers of the same line of descent.'' So when Senator Hoeven went through the names of those coaches in these last 14 years, they are in the line of descent. Craig Bohl, who went to Wyoming from NDSU, was the coach when NDSU became eligible for the FCS championship series. Just to put a little bit more meat on that, NDSU was a Division II-- NCAA Division II powerhouse for years, winning several national championships. They switched over to Division I and then became eligible. They didn't become eligible to even be in the tournament until 2008. So just imagine that. They were, basically, the junior varsity until 2008, when they became eligible for the playoffs. And in 2010, they got to the quarter finals. So we got these ten championships, but let's not forget, they--and one of the other times, one of the other 4 years that they didn't win the national championships, they were in the quarter finals. And 2 of the years of those 4, they were in the semifinals. And the other year, they were the runner-up. So what are they, then, 9 and 0 in Frisco. No wonder we like Fargo South. I might also point to this little tidbit--and maybe the NCAA is doing this to us on purpose: Next year's game and the next couple of years are going to be in Nashville. So Marsha and Bill are going to have to host this. But, anyway, we will wait for that to happen. So 10 championships since 2011. That is a dynasty. Everybody is using the word ``dynasty.'' ESPN is using the word ``dynasty.'' You can't help but use the word ``dynasty.'' Senator Hoeven, you are correct to compliment the Bobcats. My gosh, I mean, the two quarterbacks in this game, Tommy Mellott from Montana State and Cam Miller from NDSU, played each other in the same game when they were freshmen. Both of them started for their respective teams when they were freshmen, and NDSU prevailed in that game as well. But what a program and what a great group of guys that created. One of the things that I wanted to throw out there is--by the way, this poster, this is what I texted to President Trump about 30 seconds after the game. NDSU posted this image on their X or their Twitter feed, so I forwarded it to President Trump and said: Does this mean we get to come to the White House? He said yes, with an exclamation mark. He loves the program. He loves the program. But NDSU is a really good football program, the best football program, but there are a lot more. NDSU is a research institute. It is a land grant university. John and I and anybody in ag country knows how valuable, how important they are to our economy, to our farmers, the research that they do. They are an R-1 research university, one of the top 100 research universities in the United States, with about 12,000 students, about 100 majors, and, of course, graduate programs and doctoral programs--all kinds of opportunities for young men and women who are looking for an education and a fun place to get one. So we are just so proud of North Dakota State University. We are proud of all of our universities, the private ones and the public ones. They stand out in so many ways. But this is NDSU's day. We are just honored to be able to celebrate with them in this sort of special way. And I look forward to going to Nashville about a year from now and watching another one, John. John, he is a little more--you know, he doesn't like to set the bar too high and get disappointed. But we are almost never disappointed. So I am getting my tickets for Nashville. With that, I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, it is a great honor for me to be able to speak tonight about my good friend and fellow North Dakotan Governor Doug Burgum. On November 15, President Trump announced his choice of Governor Doug Burgum to serve as Secretary of the Department of the Interior and to chair the National Energy Council. He is the perfect candidate for this job, and I urge this body to take up his nomination swiftly. To my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, I encourage you to engage with him throughout the confirmation process. You will find the same inquisitive, engaging executive that North Dakotans know very well. Doug Burgum does do things differently than most, I will warn you. It is his nature. He is, after all, a risk-taker. He literally mortgaged his family farm to get $250,000 in seed capital that he needed to buy into his first company, a small business solutions startup in Fargo called Great Plains Software. Great Plains grew from a dozen or so to over 2,200 employees before it was sold to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion. Now, Fargo, ND, is home to one of the largest Microsoft campuses in the country. Doug Burgum, ever the entrepreneur, became a venture capitalist and, much like President Trump, turned to real estate development. He founded the Kilbourne Group, revitalizing downtown Fargo. In 2016, he burst into the North Dakota political scene during his first run for Governor without any prior political experience, catching the party and the State by surprise and overwhelmingly-- overwhelmingly--winning. As Governor, Doug led like a CEO and guided our State to one of the highest rates of GDP per capita. Under his pro-business leadership, we also have one of the lowest unemployment rates in the Nation. Agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and technology make our State a commodity powerhouse that feeds and fuels the world. Mr. President, North Dakota is also where our Nation's 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, came to live and ranch. The Badlands were where he learned and built his legacy of natural resource management and where he recognized ``the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the natural resources of our land.'' He went on to say: I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us. Governor Burgum embodies the TR spirit North Dakotans love so much. He understands the delicate balance between energy development and stewardship better than anyone I know. And, more importantly, he is committed to that delicate balance. His Teddy Roosevelt ethos will surely be a model for his service as Secretary of the Interior. Mr. President, no doubt part of the reason President Trump chose Doug Burgum is they are both successful entrepreneurs and political outsiders. But just as importantly, both are unafraid to disrupt the status quo. By definition and tradition, a Cabinet Secretary's role, of course, is limited to the confines of the Agency that they lead, the Constitution, and the laws of the United States. But when President Trump announced Governor Burgum as his choice to serve as Secretary of the Interior, he also announced the formation, the establishment of a National Energy Council with Doug serving as its very first Chair. This will include every Agency involved in every step of the development, production, and distribution of American-made energy. This coordination is a radically commonsense solution to the inane complexity of an overbearing bureaucracy. As Chair of the National Energy Council, he will also have a seat on the National Security Council, proof that President Trump understands energy security is, in fact, national security. Doug Burgum is who a global talent agency would recommend to be Chair of the National Energy Council if you paid them $1 million to hunt for the perfect candidate. Doug's leadership potential on energy and natural resource development is far greater than an individual Cabinet post. The pick of Governor Burgum and the creation of the Council are brilliant moves by a President who has made energy dominance a central pillar of his second administration. And like every other Cabinet Secretary nominee, Doug Burgum will come before the Senate, first in the committee, of course, then on the floor for a Senate-wide vote. We will fulfill our constitutional duty and obligation to provide our advice and, ultimately, consent to the President's nominee. A Senate-confirmed Cabinet Secretary also serving as Chair of the National Energy Council lends special legitimacy to the post. His confirmation by this body makes him more than a czar or a powerful bureaucrat. The Council will provide accountability that the so-called Biden climate advisers never had. Instead of White House lackeys dumping policies on the Agencies, the Agencies themselves will craft the policy in coordination with one another and Congress. The Federal Government is sprawling, contradictory, and just plain inefficient and ineffective. It needs a visionary at the helm to make plans that are coordinated and complementary, working toward a common national goal. Unfortunately, the current administration's energy policy has been anything but cohesive. Let's just take one issue, carbon capture and sequestration--CCUS--technology, as an example. The administration's climate and energy strategy has always acknowledged that carbon capture utilization and storage is critical to reducing emissions while keeping electricity reliable and affordable. They passed laws and rules offering billions of dollars of incentive from the Departments of Energy and the Treasury to develop and to get CCUS off the ground. Then another Agency within the same administration, the EPA, finalized its Clean Power Plan mandating CCUS while it is still in development. Then they set the capture requirements so high, nobody--no matter how much money you have--could meet them, completely undercutting a technology they said was necessary--even mandatory--to meet their climate objectives--multiple Agencies in the same administration working against each other, seemingly on purpose. It makes no sense and is just one example of many of the need for a coordinated energy policy. We need these dedicated outsiders like President Trump and Governor Burgum to even begin cleaning up the mess of the last 4 years and make energy policy make sense again. Undoing the mountain of Biden administration regulations is the first step to unleashing our energy potential. But it will take deliberate, thoughtful coordination between the Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Agriculture, and, yes, the Department of Justice and others. Encouraging American energy development requires making producers' interactions with the Federal Government as seamless as possible. And we must have a Justice Department committed to the laws and policies they are responsible for defending. There are lots of examples where arrogant DOJ attorneys overrule Agency lawyers in litigation on behalf of the Agencies. Can you imagine having an attorney who disagrees with you so they go to court and litigate against your position? That happens all the time in our DOJ. As Chair of the National Energy Council and Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum will be at the forefront of slashing redtape and unleashing American dominance to make American energy great again. I congratulate President Trump and Governor Burgum. January 20 can't get here too soon. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is seemingly doing everything they can to prevent our veterans and seniors from receiving quality long-term care. That is their mission, but they seem to be doing everything they can to prevent it. Instead of working to ensure quality care for our veterans and seniors, the Agency seems hyperfocused on what appears to be a warpath--a warpath to push long-term care facilities to their limit. Rather than listening to the substantial feedback from facilities and managers, healthcare leaders, and Members of Congress, the Agency insists on implementing these overbearing, unrealistic rules and procedures to flex its bureaucratic muscle, as if to just show us how big their muscles are. The actions of CMS are far beyond misguided, and the result is the intentional--it seems to me--disregard for the actual safety and care of the seniors and veterans they are charged to care for. In North Dakota, our facilities are really feeling the squeeze, and the issue is really twofold. First and most importantly for my State, the minimum staffing rule--the minimum staffing rule. In an attempt to ensure adequate staffing levels, CMS went over the top. In May, CMS issued this minimum staffing rule which requires long-term care facilities to implement new staffing requirements. Now, these are institutions that are already woefully understaffed because of a lack of a workforce. Most burdensome is the new requirement to have a registered nurse--a registered nurse--on-site 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, rather than the previous 8 hours a day, 7 days a week. Less than a quarter of North Dakota's facilities meet this requirement, and among rural facilities only 14 percent will meet that mandate. And we should make no mistake, this is an unfunded, one-size-fits-all mandate coming from the bureaucratic bullies at CMS. In fact, by CMS's own lowball estimates, this regulation--it is almost hard for me to say this number. By their low-ball estimates, this regulation will cost facilities over $40 billion to comply. Why would you want to impose $40 billion more of unproductive costs on our facilities that are there to care for our seniors and our veterans? To meet these elevated staffing levels, our facilities really have no good options, if they have any options at all. At existing staff levels, North Dakota facilities would need to reduce the average number of residents served per day by about 74 people to satisfy this mandate. Let me say that again: To meet this mandate, North Dakota facilities would have to reduce--reduce--the people they care for by 74. They are being required to hire more staff from a supply of registered nurses that simply does not exist. I don't know why they would be surprised by this. We have a nursing shortage. Hello, CMS. Wake up. Listen to one or two people, and you will know we have a nursing shortage in this country, and it is particularly challenging in rural America. Now, if they don't get that, if they don't find the nurses, of course, they do have the option of reducing the number of seniors they serve, as I mentioned earlier, or just closing their doors entirely. That doesn't seem to meet the stated goal of CMS. It is also clear that this rule will disproportionally harm our small, rural States like North Dakota, as I said, and certainly our rural facilities. These are the same facilities already struggling to stay open. In my State, we have had six facilities close since 2021, indicating the already challenging operating environment, and I fear this misguided rule will supercharge this trend and deprive rural individuals--remember, these are people, CMS; rural individuals, people--the opportunity to receive care in their home communities, near the people they love and know the best: their families and their friends, their loved ones. Mr. President, this math just doesn't add up. How does CMS not understand that this mandate is impossible to meet? Or maybe they do. I fear that they maybe actually do understand that. CMS's intransigence seems to imply that it doesn't care. Every State will feel the negative impact of this rule, but rural States like mine will be hurt the most. I have sent letters advising CMS to hold off on this one-size-fits- all rule as far back as January of last year, and I have questioned CMS officials at hearings about the mandate's impact on already stressed staffing challenges. And opposition to this rule has been bipartisan. It has been across the aisle and across the Capitol. In one example, Senator King and I sent a second letter last October before introducing a bill together in March to require the Veterans' Affairs to study the CMS rule's impact on our war heroes, our veterans. Again, in June, we made the same request in a letter. I also cosponsored a bipartisan Congressional Review Act resolution of disapproval in June to overturn the rule CMS is so unwilling to modify. In addition, litigation is ongoing in two Federal districts, both of which argue the Agency exceeded its statutory authority and the rule should be set aside. It is not uncommon for Agencies lately to overstep their legal boundaries. Our concerns have simply, to this point, fallen on deaf ears at CMS. The minimum staffing rule is part of a broader pattern of CMS's bureaucratic crackdowns on facilities for no reason other than it can. And that is what bothers me so much about bureaucratic bullies is they are bullies because they can be, without materially improving the health and safety of long-care residents. Again, that is their goal-- supposedly, that is their goal. This brings me to the second part of the issue impacting our long- term care facilities. They are called civil monetary penalties or, in bureaucratic speak, CMPs. They are punitive monetary actions that CMS can take against long-term care facilities in situations where CMS determines they do not substantially comply with Medicare or Medicaid participation requirements, the requirements that the bullies create out of thin air. These penalties are heavily used to punish facilities beyond a simple correction. The goal should be to help them comply, not to punish them. During a survey visit of a facility--just for instance--an inspector can issue citations for a range of violations. The inspector has the ability to issue citations based on perceived severity, ranging from no actual harm up to immediate jeopardy, which indicates an issue or situation that puts a resident's health or safety at imminent risk-- again, as determined by CMS. The problem only begins with the initial citation, however. CMS can still issue additional citations following the survey or the visit, sometimes many months later. I will try to explain this as simply as I can so you get the sense of just how awful this is. The Agency continues to expand its ability to issue these citations and related penalties to exert even more control over the facilities. And there is where the real issue is: control over you. The irony here is that for every dollar spent on a penalty is one less dollar invested in staff, the facility itself, equipment, anything that might enhance the care for the senior or the veteran. Our seniors and veterans certainly deserve to live in safe, regulated facilities. But this is not about letting facilities off the hook when infractions occur; rather, this is about the avalanche of penalties facilities face after a single infraction and the consequences of excess fines. But it gets worse. CMS has updated its ability--remember, every time I reference what CMS is doing with regulations or updating, that is them arbitrarily, individually, unilaterally making up lies. For your benefit? I don't think so. So they updated their ability to impose these penalties for up to three survey cycles. What does that mean? Most of these survey cycles--these are the visits, again, by a regulator. Most of them include inspections on average of every 12 months. To simplify the math, what this means is paper-pushing bullies in Washington could issue another penalty from the comfort of their desks on top of the original penalty imposed at the time of the survey. They don't even have to leave their desk. In fact, I suspect many of them never have, except the ones that now work from home--that work from home. This could be months or years later and without ever having to set foot in a facility or in a State other than the District of Columbia and the surrounding counties. So what is the purpose of these additional delayed penalties? Who thinks this would be a good idea? Well, it is certainly not about taking immediate action to enhance the care or to help them comply and help the safety of residents or addressing noncompliance during the visit itself. No. To make matters worse, for certain citations--now, get this. When I read this, I had to check on it and check on it to make sure this is true. For certain citations, facilities are financially incentivized not to challenge the findings. Let me say that again because it is almost too hard to believe. For certain citations, facilities are financially incentivized not to challenge the findings. Isn't that rich? In fact, CMS offers a 35- percent extortion discount to facilities if they waive their right to a hearing and just simply accept the penalties from the bureaucratic bully that was imposed. This, of course, only further empowers the bully and allows the initial citations to stand undisputed. It is unconscionable. I can't even believe it is legal; and maybe it is not. I hesitate to even share this, but I feel I have to. I have had facility managers in my home State plead with me not to use their specific example for fear of retaliation from the bureaucracy, the very people who are supposed to be helping provide safe, reliable care for our veterans and our seniors. The recently finalized skilled nursing facility rule introduced yet another way to punish facilities with the addition of--get this--per instance per day civil monetary penalties. Only a bureaucrat could love a title like that. This is what's called an instance multiplier of fines--an instance multiplier of fines--based on the number of residents impacted or the number of times the conduct is repeated. It is another flawed approach as citations already account for this. When the initial citation is issued, it accounts for scope. It accounts for how insulated the incident is or pattern, how widespread the pattern may be. All of that is calculated into the initial citation. But if that is not good enough, they can always go back and say: You know what? Let's multiply instances and see if we can't punish them a little bit more so maybe they could close down. If these rules and penalties were really about better care for residents, CMS should yield to reason. However, the actions of the bureaucrats at CMS prove they are out of touch--simply out of touch-- with operational challenges actually facing these facilities and the people that the facilities serve. If they, in fact, want to achieve the stated goal of improving quality, well, these decisions do just the opposite. In fact, what they do is they reduce choice and access and, ultimately, they lead to facilities closing. I don't think that is the goal. It is not the stated goal. Maybe it is somebody's goal, but it is not the stated goal. I hope those with the ability to do something about it enter reality one of these days and listen to our warnings. They are real. These are real people living in real places. And, yes, they might be in red States--I am sorry, some of them are. A lot of these rural places are. But that is not your job to worry about the politics. I have little faith that they are going to do the right thing and reverse course, but I pray they will. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, welcome to the Senate. You look good up there.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Madam President, it is an honor to recognize the nearly half century of distinguished service of a remarkable North Dakotan who retired this year. Dale Dannewitz began his locomotive railroad engineering career on July 24, 1978, with what is now Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad. This came after earning a degree in diesel mechanics at what is now Williston State College, working at Cummins, Inc., and completing an apprenticeship with Burlington Northern. In these 50 years, Dale performed his duties with great skill and dedication. He began working on trains in the Minot area, then ran routes between Minot and Glasgow, MT. He was a distributive power mentor in Minot for a year before spending 4 years as a foreman of engines in Mandan. He completed the rest of his career as an engineer in Minot. For a few years, he was a team member for the Trauma Response Action Involvement Network, a group of engineers and their spouses who provided counsel and support to people impacted by a train crossing accident or event. He was also a volunteer for Operation Lifesaver, Inc., a rail safety education nonprofit which helps students and young drivers understand the safety precautions around railroad tracks and highway-rail grade crossings. Over these years, Dale has had a front row seat watching technology and design advancements in railroad transportation. As he was quoted in Railway Age magazine in an article at the time of his retirement, he said, ``I've enjoyed everything and learned to take the safe route, always--it's what it's all about. It was a good ride.'' It is people like Dale Dannewitz who have ensured the safe movement of products and commodities across the continent by rail. On behalf of all North Dakotans, I thank him for his service and congratulate him on his well-earned retirement. May you enjoy many years of health and happiness in the future.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, it is my honor to recognize one of North Dakota's legacy businesses celebrating 80 years of excellence next month in Fargo. TrueNorth Steel began as Fargo Tank Company by a Norwegian immigrant named Ole Rommesmo. Upon coming to America, he worked as a lumberjack in Minnesota before learning the trade of welding at a steel tank plant in Minneapolis. He moved to Fargo as a welder for the Fargo Foundry Company and tried unsuccessfully four times to start his own business before finally succeeding. During World War II, he worked in northern Canada for the United States military as a welder and construction foreman for an airbase. It was after the war in 1945 when Fargo Tank Company began, and the business has been going strong ever since. Reflecting Ole's values and principles of integrity, humility, commitment and knowledge, it has added products and services that now reach around the world. He died in 1990, and his son, Ole Rommesmo, Jr., took over the business. In 2011, the company's seven steel businesses merged to become TrueNorth Steel. Today, it serves many industries, including agricultural, construction, mining, road building, energy, and others on projects at power plants, refineries, golf courses, hospitals, fire stations, airports, stadiums, schools and universities, government, apartment and commercial buildings, wind farms, coal mines, river watersheds, water treatment plants, aquariums--and more. I congratulate the Rommesmo family for 80 years of providing steel solutions. TrueNorth Steel is testament to the importance of family- owned businesses across the Nation, and the impact bold entrepreneurs have had on our American economy. To my friends at TrueNorth Steel, you have enhanced the quality of life we treasure in our region and have set a very high bar for being a dedicated community partner at your locations across North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana. Thank you for all you have done to build the foundations of industry and infrastructure across our Nation. I hope you will thrive for many years to come. Happy Birthday, TrueNorth Steel.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Madam President, thank you to my friend and colleague Mr. Merkley for yielding a few seconds early in the evening. It is my honor to recognize a remarkable milestone in the Fargo, ND, and Moorhead, MN, area. For 60 years, Rick Electric, Inc., has been a shining example of hard work, dedication, and innovation in the Fargo- Moorhead area. Founded by David and Beverly Rick in 1964, this family-owned business has been a fixture in Fargo-Moorhead, providing topnotch electrical services and unwavering commitment to excellence. Their sons Gregory and Dennis took the helm in 1998, continuing the legacy of their parents with a passion for their craft and a deep-seated commitment to serving their communities and the region. Rick Electric's involvement in the National Electric Contractors Association speaks volumes about the family's dedication to upholding the highest standards of safety and professionalism. Their contributions go beyond providing quality service, as they have been integral to the growth and prosperity of the Fargo-Moorhead area and the surrounding region. As they celebrate this anniversary, I speak on behalf of all North Dakotans in recognizing Rick Electric for 60 years of outstanding service, leadership, and community involvement. The impact they have had on our region cannot be overstated, and I am honored to congratulate them on this remarkable achievement. Here is to Rick Electric and to many more years of success and prosperity. Thank you for all you have done over these past 60 years. Congratulations and happy birthday. I yield the floor.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, I rise to honor the 26 years of distinguished service of a remarkable North Dakota public servant who retired June 30. Lynn Helms, longtime director of the North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources, has been an invaluable and supportive resource to me in the U.S. Senate, as he was when I served in the House of Representatives and the North Dakota Public Service Commission. Through all these years, he made himself available whenever I asked, testifying at hearings, meeting with other lawmakers and regulators, and always providing wise and valued counsel to me and my staff. He is a treasure, not just to North Dakota, but to the entire energy industry. He is a spectacular regulator who understands the role of regulation, the role of rich mineral resources in North Dakota, and the contribution of these resources to American security and America's economy. In the Senate, I worked with him on several efforts and initiatives. A notable collaboration included the REGROW Act, a bipartisan bill to remediate the Nation's orphaned wells, which was built off the State program Lynn implemented. His leadership helped secure its inclusion in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law on November 2021. A graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Lynn spent his early years as a petroleum engineer with Texaco and the Hess Corporation. Since 1998, as the director of the North Dakota Oil and Gas Division and now the Department of Mineral Resources, he has had a front row seat to oil and gas development in our State. Through the ups and downs and challenges and triumphs, he helped steer North Dakota's petroleum industry through decades of responsible growth. He is the consummate professional, explaining to all of us the intricate challenges of regulating the drilling and production of North Dakota's oil and gas resources. His genial demeanor and steady voice during his 26 years with the State helped us all navigate through this epic time in our State's history. Today, North Dakota's economy is thriving due to the sensible energy development policies and reasonable regulations the State has championed. As a leading oil producing State, North Dakota's petroleum industry enhances the quality of life for our residents now and well into the future. During Lynn's tenure, the State's average daily oil production increased from 99,217 barrels per day in 1998 to an alltime high of 1,519,037 in 2019 before stabilizing. Under his supervision, natural gas capture also reached an alltime high of more than 3.5 billion cubic feet per day. It will take decades for the impact of Lynn Helms' contributions to our State to be adequately measured. On a personal note, I will miss working with him as a valued colleague. On behalf of all North Dakotans, I thank him for his years of service to the State of North Dakota. I congratulate him on his well-earned retirement and wish him many years of health and happiness in the future.

Mr. CRAMER

Mr. CRAMER. Mr. President, in my 12 years in Congress, like you, I have been blessed to participate in lots of events--large ones, small ones, medium-sized ones--in my State, throughout our Nation, even around the world. It is difficult to rank them. Some of them are more memorable than others. They are all special. They are all important. Some of them are great celebrations. Others are more somber. Some are even sad, occasionally. But when these events are done, we go to the next thing on our very busy schedule that is prepared for us by someone we hire who is looking out for us. We trust that person with the irrevocable asset of our time, often with little opportunity to process or think much about what we have just done and what we have just participated in. As you know, it is Police Week in our Nation, and, of course, the evidence of that is all around us here in Washington, DC. I began my Police Week on Sunday, surrounded by heroes with badges at the 31st Annual TOP COPS Banquet. TOP COPS is a program hosted by the National Association of Police Organizations, which recognizes 10 heroic acts by local, county, State, and Federal law enforcement Agencies and officers during the previous year. The reason I attended this year's TOP COPS banquet was to join Fargo Police Officer Zachary Robinson and his wife Ashley--who are in the Chamber with us today in the Members' Gallery--as Zach received one of the 10 TOP COPS recognitions. Also attending were his parents, colleagues, and friends--including Governor Doug Burgum; our attorney general, Drew Wrigley; the chief of police from Fargo; and many, many others. Zach is a 7-year veteran of the Fargo Police Department, where he serves as a member of the honor guard, the crowd management team, and the Red River Valley Regional Bomb Squad. Officer Robinson, like so many of our law enforcement officers, also serves in the North Dakota National Guard. Mr. President, he epitomizes what it is to be a hero. On July 14, 2023, nearly a year ago, Officer Robinson was one of four officers to respond to a routine fender bender. As the officers were wrapping up their handling of the accident, Officer Robinson moved his police vehicle out of the street. A shooter, who was not involved in the initial accident, ambushed the officers, firing on them and a bystander. The shooter hit Zach's three fellow officers, killing Officer Jake Wallin and gravely injuring Officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes, both of whom attended the TOP COPS banquet with their spouses. Zach radioed to ``send everybody,'' as he engaged in a shootout with the assailant. Officer Robinson was literally the last man standing, but he did not hesitate as he moved toward--not away from, but toward-- the gunfire, putting himself between the shooter and the innocent-- finally, fatally wounding the assailant. This senseless, premeditated attack targeted police officers who were simply doing what they do: their jobs protecting and taking care of citizens in need. Evidence collected in the investigation revealed the shooter's fixation on mass shooting events and his likely intent to perpetrate an attack at a large event, like the Downtown Fargo Street Fair that was going on just a few blocks away or, in the next community over, the Red River Valley Fair. In his car alone, the shooter had more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition, multiple firearms, and several homemade explosive devices. This was a man intent on inflicting carnage on the community-- a community that had never seen anything like this before. Despite this quote--``it was a bad, bad day''--when Officer Robinson was asked if he had considered leaving law enforcement, he did not hesitate. He said he ``wanted to come back right away. There was no question I wasn't going to not come back to work.'' We will likely never know how many lives he saved that day--that his heroism protected that day--but his actions will never be forgotten by the Fargo community or the State of North Dakota. In addition to the TOP COP award, Officer Robinson earned the Medal of Honor from the Fraternal Order of Police, was named the Fargo Police Department's 2023 Officer of the Year and the 2023 National Rifle Association Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Several months after the shooting, he was asked what he thought of being called a hero and said he was ``grateful to be in the right place at the right time to do what needed to be done. I was just able to react and eliminate the shooter before he had the chance to hurt anybody else.'' It has been said that heroes are ordinary people who do extraordinary things, and while Zach's extraordinary act of heroism is what was celebrated Sunday night in Washington, DC, it is his humility that stands out the most to me. This is a characteristic, by the way, that is shared by his fellow officers who were involved in the horrific events of that day in Fargo. Officers Hawes and Dotas project this quiet strength and a noble concern for others, never shining the spotlight on themselves. And while it is not surprising, it is always encouraging. Officer Robinson's story--his refusal to yield, his swift action in the face of grave danger--captured the essence of why we must back the blue, always supporting our officers not just in words but in actions and deeds, ensuring that they have all they need to carry out their duties safely and effectively. During National Police Week, we honor Zach and his brothers and sisters in blue across the country who go to work every day to protect our communities, despite the dangers around the corner or across the street. This week is also a chance to remember the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf. At a time when police officers are all too often scoffed or defunded by the very people relying on them for public safety, we need to constantly remember the real-world impacts of their service. Every officer who is lost is a mother, father, sister, brother, a son, or a daughter taken too soon from a family who loves them and will miss them. Mr. President, our officers and their families deserve to know we will always have their backs. The TOP COPS awards banquet at the Omni Shoreham Hotel on Sunday was not just one of the many special events we all attend in these jobs. For me, it was the honor of a lifetime to be there to pay tribute to the most extraordinary of the ordinary. Congratulations to Officer Robinson for the TOP COPS award, to Chief Dave Zibolski and the entire Fargo Police Department, and thank you to all law enforcement officers for their everyday heroism. We love you, and we pray for you always. Mr. President, I yield the floor.