Joe Donnelly

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, I thank the leader, who is my friend and colleague, Chuck Schumer, for his kind words. I thank Senator Durbin, who is here, as well, and I thank all the Members. I see my friend Senator Fischer. We team up on the Strategic Forces Subcommittee. Of my friend Senator Grassley, not everybody knows Senator Grassley has relatives who are spending eternal rest in Michigan City, IN, which is not too far away from where I live. To everybody who works here--to the incredible team that makes everything go and to all of our pages who have done such a wonderful job--it has been such a privilege to serve in the U.S. Senate. What an unthinkable thing for a kid to have a chance to do. To actually be here takes your breath away. Our Nation is so extraordinary, such a wonderful place. The trust we are given to represent our people is something that we take so seriously. To the whole team, nothing we do could ever be done without your hard work, and the effort we have put in to be part of that is something I will never forget. I just say thank you. Thanks to everybody here. It has been such a privilege. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize and honor the distinguished career of U.S. Army Reserve COL Gregory A. Scheidhauer as he retires from his nearly three decades of service to our Nation. Dedication to his country and commitment to his fellow servicemembers are qualities that define Greg's career, and his years of effort have made lasting improvements to our Nation's defense. Born in Silver Spring, MD, Greg went on to attend Bowie High School and, later, West Virginia University, where he earned his bachelor of science degree in sports management in 1990. He joined the Army ROTC program at West Virginia University in 1988 and began his military service upon graduation, commissioning in 1990. In 2009, Greg joined my office in the House of Representatives as a defense fellow, where he served alongside my staff for the year. His expertise, assistance, and advice were invaluable to the team, and our office, as well as all Hoosiers, greatly benefitted from his work. After his service in my office, Colonel Scheidhauer became a legislative liaison for the Office of the Chief of Army Reserve at Fort Belvoir. In 2010, Greg deployed to Iraq and served as the director of logistics for the Joint Forces Special Operations Component Command- Iraq, JSOCC-I, during Operation Iraq Freedom and Operation New Dawn. He worked to ensure the U.S. Special Operations Forces servicemembers throughout Iraq had the supplies and equipment they needed for counterterrorism operations and training. Upon his return, he was selected to serve as a congressional budget liaison in the Army's Congressional Budget Office. Greg's hard work in that role led to his being named the Chief of the Army Reserve Legislative Affairs Division in 2014, where, for nearly 5 years, he oversaw the legislative liaison team and worked to engage and inform Members of Congress and our staff members on the Army Reserve. As we thank Greg for his dedicated work over his career, we must also thank his family who have been his support system through it all: his wife Andrea; daughter, Alexis; and sons, Brennan and Christopher. The sacrifice of our servicemembers is immense, but so is that of their families, and we are grateful that they have shared Greg's time and expertise in the service of our county. Greg has served with distinction and honor and now will be retiring to spend time playing golf and basketball, cheering on the Mountaineers and the Redskins, and, of course, spending time with his family. I congratulate Greg on his career of service and wish him the best as he moves into the next chapter of his life.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Good deal. Thank you.

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise today for the final time representing the great people of Indiana here in the U.S. Senate. My 6 years representing Hoosiers in this body and the 6 years I spent as a Congressman for the Second District of Indiana before this have been among the great honors of my life. I am the grandson of immigrants--immigrants who came here with nothing except the dream of America--a dream that says that any opportunity can come true, that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything. My dad was in the CCC. For all of our young pages here who have no idea what the CCC is, it was the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was for teenagers your age, back in the Depression, who were asked to go and try to help raise money for their family so that the other family members could eat. My dad was shipped to Idaho to build bridges. Today we call that infrastructure. Back then, we said it was building bridges. He built bridges all throughout the Pacific Northwest, having grown up in the Lower East Side of New York City and having never been west of the Hudson River in his life until that point. It was America that gave him that chance. My brothers and sisters were the first generation to ever go to college. That is how America works. You work hard, and each generation builds on the next. We are so lucky to live in this country that is so blessed and that gives us this opportunity, but we have a responsibility here to meet the challenges that have been given to us. I want to take this opportunity to discuss some of the things I have learned in my time in Congress and to share a few thoughts on how the work that happens here, and how it will happen in coming years, is going to be absolutely essential to how our Nation moves forward and succeeds. In my 12 years here in the Capitol, I have prided myself on the relationships I have built and on the bipartisan nature of working together. I have been found to be one of the most bipartisan Members. My friend Heidi, who is down the aisle here, who gave a wonderful speech this morning, was my partner on so much of this. I would never have been able to achieve for Hoosiers so much of this without working together in a bipartisan fashion. My friend Todd Young is across the way. He is the other Senator from Indiana. Our focus has been on how to make life better, whether it meant assisting constituents or resolving an issue with a Federal agency. In one case, a pizza parlor owner came up to me. He was 90 years old. Now he is 93. He said: My streetlight is out. You are my Senator. It needs to be fixed before the big game this weekend. I called the mayor, and it was fixed. He was asked that weekend, and he said: Of course, I got it fixed. I called my Senator. That is what I did. We are multitasking in this job. It is to make lives better. I was blessed to work with my friend Ron Johnson, the Senator from Wisconsin. We worked on legislation called the Right to Try Act. It means giving people who are sick the chance to get medication they need. We were told: There is no shot. This can't get done. We had zero votes at the time. When it was done, we had 100--100. A young man from my State, Jordan McLinn, has the chance to get the medication he needs now. People all over the Nation do. Other kids with Duchenne muscular dystrophy can also get help, and other people with ALS can also get help. That is the purpose of this job--that we work for them. I was able to get more than 50 provisions signed into law over the past 6 years. It was only possible because I worked together every day with every Senator. There are friends like Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski who, when the government shut down, we worked to end it. It became like a regular group that we had. Every time it shut down, we would work to open it back up again. You learn from other Members, like Roger Wicker, who I worked together with to end military suicide. We have not been able to end it yet, but we sure worked on it every day. We learn from others Members in hearings about the difficulties people in their States are facing, and we work together to address common challenges. You can be from Idaho, you can be from North Dakota, you can be from New Hampshire, or you can be from Indiana, but we all have the same challenges. All of us worked hard to get here. Our jobs should not be worrying about politics but worrying about making lives better. Partisanship gets us nothing. Division gets us nothing. I was thinking: What is the best way to explain this? It is this. When a fire department goes to a house, they don't ask if the person living there is Democrat or Republican. They are just there to help their neighbor. No soldier has ever asked, when they are in a foxhole fighting their way out: Where do you come from? Which party are you? What is your religion? What is your ethnic background? You are Americans. You are in this together. You have each other's backs. As an institution, the Senate must be a place that we are all proud of, that promotes that ideal, and that sets the example that we want our children and grandchildren to follow. It means getting to know one another. It means listening to other perspectives and to other experiences. One of the things that amazed me the most--and when I was out campaigning and going to town halls, I never failed to be astounded-- was when folks came and said: You didn't do the one thing I wanted; so I am really mad at you, and I will never support you again. I said: But we did 19 other things. They said: But I didn't get that one. I said: Apparently, you are not from a family of five children, like I am. There were five children and two dogs. So when there were seven pork chops, I was the last to wind up with one. So if you are someone who wants 100 percent of what you want every time, this is not the place. This is a place where we can get 70 percent to build America, to make it a better place. The rhetoric--the divisive rhetoric--and the political campaigns, increasingly funded by tens of millions of dollars of anonymous, dark money interests, are really doing damage to this country. I have always been for campaign finance reform. The reason I wasn't very good at raising money--which I wasn't very good at--was because people ought to have a right to know who is talking to them, who is standing up for what they have to say. I have always believed that if you have something to say, you should be willing to put your name on it. I am concerned by our inability here to tackle serious, long-term issues. My friend Heidi touched on it. Our obligation, as public servants, is to leave a country for our children and grandchildren that is in better shape than we got it. It is the most basic promise that we make. My wife Jill's dad was a Guadalcanal marine. He was wounded in the South Pacific. I told him: You are our hero. He said: No, I was born at the wrong time. I said: But you are still our hero. He said: Look, I did my job, which is to leave for the next generation a better country than was given to me. That is what we are supposed to do. My friend Michael Bennet has talked about this a lot, but we have a deficit right now of $21.8 trillion. I had to look because it was, I think, $21.7 trillion yesterday. This deficit is going to destroy everything we are trying to do in this country, and we have done next to nothing to address it. My friend Chuck Schumer can probably relate to this the best, but there is an old cartoon. It was Popeye. Popeye had a friend named Wimpy. Wimpy loved hamburgers, but Wimpy never had any money. So Wimpy's saying was this: ``I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.'' That is the American government today. We do things, and we don't pay for any of them--but someday we will. That someday is now. My friends Jordan and Peter Hanscom just had a baby boy about 5 months ago. You know what he was born into? $67,000 of debt. It is because we didn't have the responsibility to pay for our bills. At the end of next year, 2019, the deficit is going to $23 trillion. Unless we do something here, it is on an unstoppable course to be at $30 trillion. So what did we do here? We passed a tax cut, because what is another $1.5 trillion? It is a tax cut at a time when we have a full-employment economy, a strong economy. We passed a tax cut, and we are now running, in a great economy, over $1 trillion in deficits every year. If we can't balance our books now, when are we ever, ever going to do this? Right now we are on a course that, within 10 years, the interest payment will be almost $1 trillion a year, which is unsustainable. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, was asked in 2010, when the deficit was $14 trillion: What is the most dangerous thing to our national security? China? Russia? He said: The debt, because we can't pay for anything, and if we can't pay for anything, how am I going to protect the men and women who serve this Nation? We have serious, serious work to do. At my church back home, St. Anthony's Church in South Bend, IN--I know, an Irish kid going to St. Anthony; you have to question it sometimes--we were running up a debt, and we were solving it by adding more debt to fix the debt we had. A new pastor came in. He came to the pulpit one Sunday, and he said: Here is the deal. We are not spending anything we don't have anymore. We need to have the revenue to match what we want to do, and the things we want to do and can't pay for, well, we will continue to want to do them, but we will not do them. Magic occurred. We balanced our books. The parish went on. It got stronger, and all of a sudden, we were in the black. As a body here, we do not have the right to tell CJ, that little boy, and children being born today--we don't have the right to financially cripple the country they will be inheriting. We had ancestors who fought for this Nation. I think of my Uncle Tom, who fought with Patton in North Africa and who gave everything he had. His Purple Heart is in my office. It has been there every day while I have been there. They sacrificed everything. The least we can do is to pay our bills, not to give out crazy tax cuts that we can't pay for, and to make sure that we balance our budgets. We are better than this. Sometimes we just have to have the ability to say no--to say no to things that, by common sense, you would never do with your own checkbook, or if you did, the end would not be very, very pleasant on that kind of thing. If we continue doing these things, this amazing and wonderful place that I have been a part of, with the most amazing colleagues--that is the part that has been so great. It is every colleague, and one is better than the next. But this is a long-term threat to our democracy and to our country's success. We can do better, and every one of you can lead on this. Too often, what we watch in our politics doesn't reflect the spirit or the values or the diverse coalitions of Americans that have made this country so successful. It is not the type of example we want to be leaving for our kids. I will tell you the kind of example we want to leave. It is when we do great, great things when we have looked up and have seen our country in trouble. I had the privilege to represent Kokomo, IN, back in 2008, 2009 when the economy collapsed, and we had a transmission plant. We built all of the transmissions for all of the Jeeps in the country there. That is why I drive a Jeep. But those wonderful people--we went from over 5,000 to less than 100. They counted on us. We came together, and we said: We can do big things. We can get this done. President Obama--I told him: Chrysler is going to make it. He said: How do you know? I said: I lit a candle at Mass. Does that work? He laughed. He said: Well maybe not, but I will give it a shot. You have to have faith in the people of this country, that if you give them a fair shot, they can get it done. As an institution, we came together, Democrats and Republicans, including my friend Fred Upton from Michigan, who is right across the line, and together we got it done. That plant, which had over 5,000 people working there and then less than 100 when we crashed, has over 9,000 there today because we looked at each other and said: It is not about Democrats or Republicans; it is about making sure that mortgages can be paid, that these people will not lose their houses, that we can continue to make great products here in this country. I think of healthcare, and I often think maybe this is why I wound up here. A friend of mine, Al Gutierrez, who is the CEO of St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Mishawaka, called me after we had so many problems getting it started a couple of months later, and he said: I just want to fill you in on something that happened. We had a big meeting of all of the brain trust. It is because we have had so many terrible heart cases come in, so many people who were sick who had come in, and we are trying to figure out what has gone wrong that so many people have had bad heart cases recently. So we had the CFO, the surgeons, the this, the that, and one person raised their hand 5 minutes in and said: This is the first time they have ever had insurance. They could never afford it before. These are our working families. Moms and dads, who would be really sick, had this amount of money, and it either went for the tuition for their daughter at Ball State or to get well, and parents always take care of their kids first. They looked at each other and said ``Well, that is the end of the meeting'' because they could get healthcare for the first time. Every townhall I have gone to--and it is not unique to me; it is to everybody; it is to all our Members, Republican and Democrat--I have people come up and say: The healthcare bill saved my life. I wouldn't be here otherwise. I have one family, triplet girls. They were born at 6 months, came out of the hospital at the 10th month. Their hospital bill, when they came out, was $5 million. The mom and dad said: We would have lost everything, and we don't know if our kids could have made it, but the healthcare bill saved us. The healthcare we had saved us. It is big stuff that we do right, and it is not perfect. That is where we have to come together, not to attack things but to fix things, to make things better. Almost nothing in this world started out perfect. You fix it a little bit here, you fix it a little bit there, and you can get there. So when I saw those families, I thought of all of you because you gave them healthcare; you gave them a chance. I think of my friend John McCain, who is not with us anymore, who stood up and said: I am not going to worry about party. It is country first. When he did that, he made sure those people could still get healthcare. It is every Senator's job to work toward those goals until they are reality. I know it sounds naive--constantly working together--but we can, and we must, and we know from recent experience there are a lot of things we can work together on, to be more functional, to be more productive. One of them is the chance I have had to work with our men and women in uniform. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, serving with Chairman Levin, Chairman McCain, a wonderful ranking member, Jack Reed, who is here with us today--chairman ad hoc--being able to advocate for those servicemembers is one of the most amazing responsibilities we could have, ensuring that they have everything they need. They are mostly in their twenties. They are defending freedom in every corner of the globe. They give us the ability to be safe, to live in our houses. I remember going to Coast Province in Afghanistan, right by the Pakistan border. The Indiana National Guard was there. I said: What message do you want me to take home to your families? They said: Tell them we got this. We know how to do this. And tell them we are going to make sure they are safe. That is what these men and women were about. I had the privilege of going to Iraq with Kirsten. We got the same message from amazing people who gave everything they had--everything. I think of my first 8 months in Congress. It was in 2007, and things were in flames, and in our district in Indiana, as in many of our other States, we have a lot of people who serve. Per capita, we are about first in National Guard people, and in 8 months, I lost eight young men. We were losing one every month. Last year was 10 years later. If you want to know the awesome responsibility we have, all of those young men we lost--those children who were 2 and 3 and 4 and 5--they were 13 and 14 and 15. I saw their folks; I saw their moms, and their moms would say: They want to know what their dad was like because he is not here anymore. I would tell them what a hero their dad was, what an amazing person he was. We have tried to work to not only keep them safe, but to stop military suicides. I worked with the dad and mom of a young man, Jake Sexton, who took his life on his second tour when he came home for R & R. His home is near Muncie, IN, and he just couldn't go back and took his own life. His dad called me and said: Can we do something? I want Jake's death to mean something. So all of you helped me, and we all worked together, and we made it so that every servicemember would get an annual mental health assessment, and they wouldn't be punished for doing it. What I mean by that is they wouldn't worry that they wouldn't get the next promotion, that they wouldn't get the next step up. I remember four-star GEN Joe Votel, who came before our committee and said: I want everybody to know that I have sought mental health. I am a four-star general, and we are in this together. So in every branch of every service, every member can now get an annual mental health assessment. You helped me give them the chance to do this. We have to also make sure that as we do this, we help them transition back to civilian life. One of the other things the Indiana National Guard told me in Afghanistan--as I was leaving, I said: What do you need? Trucks? Vests? Better MREs? They said: No, we just need a job when we go home. We need to make sure they have that chance, that we stand up for our veterans. We have been able to get new veterans centers in a number of places around our States because we promised them we would be there for them, and we have an obligation to keep our word. I know that Johnny Isakson and Jon Tester work every day to make sure they can get it done. The work that has been done by all of these people takes your breath away. They don't get paid much. They are in the most difficult places in the world. And when they come home, all they ask for is a decent job, decent healthcare, and a chance to see their family survive and do well. As I said, I think of those young men and women every day. When you want to know what progress you have helped us make--when Kirsten and I first came in together in the House, we were losing almost one every month. Now, it is not perfect; the world isn't perfect. But most of our young men and women are home. We do the best we can to keep those countries safe, to keep our country safe, and together we can continue to improve on it. One other thing I want to mention is--and Heidi talked about it today--this past year we have lost 70,000 young people to drug addiction--70,000. It has become more than car crashes. It has become more than anything else you can think of--70,000 people to opioids, meth, fentanyl; it is the whole batch. We can try nonstop to help them, to provide hope and purpose and dignity where they may not be feeling it--one kind word, one bit of assistance, one bit of encouragement. I went to an event in Indianapolis, and it was an event for families who had lost someone and families who have someone in rehab. A young man came up to me from one of the wealthiest families you could think of--doing really well, the whole family. I saw him there, and I said: Mike, who are you here for? He said: Me. He had gotten hurt, had received an opioid in treatment. He was in a spiral that was nonstop. His mom was there with him. She said: I don't think I have slept a night since. So we can do this together. One of the things we just did, we just passed a law that would allow the FDA to give early approval to nonaddictive painkillers so that when somebody is hurt, they don't wind up getting addicted. I am telling you that this is a five-alarm fire. In my State, well over 1,000 died last year from this in all parts of the State, all towns, all areas, Bridgeport--it doesn't matter, your religion, your race, anything. This is the great danger that parents need to be worried about, that we can stop. We can provide hope and purpose and dignity; that is what we have to do. These are moms and dads and brothers and sisters and sons and daughters, and when you lose one, your family is never, ever the same again. I have seen the faces, I have met the families, and I spend time with them. The Senate can be a place in which we work together as a team-- Pat has seen it in Kansas; Johnny has seen it in Georgia. When we work together as a team, when we leave name calling out, there is no division, and there is no agenda, other than making it so that every kid can come home safe every night. Before I finish, I would also like to thank so many wonderful people. I have met so many friends and had so many opportunities. I have traveled to places I could never imagine. You know, we used to have a saying in Indiana: The only places you could go to in a CODEL are places where you could get killed. I was able to go to Afghanistan, to Iraq, to South Korea. I say the first part as a joke. The second part is, it is because our young men and women were there, and they were there keeping us safe. All they ever wanted was a chance to represent this Nation that they love so much--those wonderful people. I want to thank the folks who work here in the Senate, who have done so much for all of us--the ones who, when you talk too loud, will lean over and tell you ``The whole country is hearing what you are saying right now,'' and then quickly move away to the back--for their hard work and dedication. I want to say thank you to the committee staffs who help shape policy and ensure we can have robust debate and oversight on the big issues of our time; to the Capitol Police, our friends, who have been so amazing to all of us, who protect us and keep us safe; to the cooks and the cleaning teams and the building maintenance folks. I think my office was painted every month for the last 6 years. To the whole gang, you make this place work. You make this Nation work. I also thank my staff, who are here on the floor with me--no, Heidi, you were wrong; this is the best staff in the Senate--who have done amazing work and who have every day made me look better and smarter than I am. I am incredibly grateful to them. They have resolved thousands of cases. In 2016, we received about 350,000 faxes, emails, letters, and combinations. We had an election. In 2017, we received 1.5 million--five times more--with the same amount of people, who sent out every letter, who followed up on every call, who repeatedly were there for the people of our State so that they knew their government cared about them and loved them and wanted their lives to be better. I couldn't do this job without them. I also want to thank my family, who are in the Gallery--my children: Molly, her husband Mike, my son Joe, and my wife Jill--who have been through all of this. I remember we had a family dinner, one of those summits you have around the table. This was back when I decided to run for Congress. I told my family: What do you think? I have been asked to run for Congress. My son said: That is the worst idea I have ever heard. He was close. But they have been on this journey with me for 12 years, and it has been an amazing journey. I want to thank everyone from my State. What an amazing privilege to represent them. I remain optimistic about the future of our country. We have to take these issues seriously. Our country is filled with hard-working, decent people who just want us to do commonsense things. I have been privileged to travel all 92 counties all over my State, all corners of the State, and I think Indiana's best days are ahead and our country's best days are ahead. May God bless all of my colleagues here in the Senate with the wisdom and courage you will need, because we don't just lead the Nation; we lead the world. May God bless and protect this institution, Indiana, and our country that we all cherish and love so much. This has been the privilege of a lifetime for a person whose family came off the boat at Ellis Island. My grandmother's passage documents said she had $10, and her occupation was ``maid.'' But she believed in America. She believed in this amazing country. We have been privileged to help lead it, and it has been one of the greatest privileges of my lifetime. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for as much time as I may consume.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today, I wish to recognize and honor the extraordinary public service of Janak ``Hodge'' Kanti Patel, who has been my State director for the past 6 years in the U.S. Senate and my district director for the prior 6 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. Over 22 years in the House and Senate, Hodge has served the people of Indiana with a high level of integrity and professionalism, combined with a strong emphasis on constituent services and community engagement. A longtime resident of South Bend, IN, Hodge attended St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church and School, St. Joseph's High School, Holy Cross College, St. Mary's College, and the University Notre Dame. While at Notre Dame, Hodge interned for then-Third Congressional District U.S. Congressman Tim Roemer and was hired upon graduation as a case manager, where he worked on military, veterans, and immigration case work until he was promoted to the role of field representative in that same office. In 2001, Hodge joined the staff of U.S. Senator Evan Bayh as his Northeast Indiana Regional Director, where he covered 21 counties and two offices: Fort Wayne and South Bend. Upon my election in 2006 to the U.S. House of Representatives, I invited Hodge to join my team as district director. In his role, he helped establish three congressional offices and hired a highly dedicated team of nine staff members to help serve the more than 700,000 Hoosiers that I represented for three terms in Congress. Together we worked to establish an expanded VA community based outpatient clinic in downtown South Bend, a full service veterans healthcare clinic for St. Joseph County, as well as organized job fairs, job-seeker workshops, and access to capital events for small businesses across the Second Congressional District. Hodge also helped to organize more than 1 dozen constituent stakeholder advisory groups and oversaw our office's military service academy nominations process. In 2012, when I was elected to the U.S. Senate, I once again asked Hodge to join me. As my State director, Hodge led my team in Indiana and played a vital role in hiring 20 staff members to help serve Hoosiers and established six Senate offices located in Evansville, Fort Wayne, Hammond, Indianapolis, Jeffersonville, and in my hometown of South Bend. Over the last 6 years, Hodge oversaw our constituent services team that managed 12,000 cases and recovered $12.6 million for Hoosiers. He also played an important role in working with our grants director to proactively seek out opportunities where we could enhance nonprofit organizations and local communities in their efforts to serve the public. Additionally, there were more than 100 projects around the state that Hodge and the Indiana State staff team worked on to ensure a favorable outcome. Finally, Hodge was also able to build coalitions and gain a high level of respect among his counterparts in Indiana on both sides of the aisle in both the House and Senate. I am extremely proud to recognize Hodge Patel's 22 years of tireless commitment to public service on behalf of Hoosiers. I wish Hodge and his four children Harper, Dylan, Elliott and Quinn, as well as his partner, Ali Oesch, the best in their future endeavors outside of public service.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today, I wish to recognize and honor the extraordinary service and sacrifice of Fort Wayne Police officer David Tinsley. His life was characterized by humility, selflessness, and commitment to his community. Born in Bloomington, IN, David graduated from Owen Valley High School in Spencer in 1986 before going on to earn a bachelor's degree from Ball State University. In 2002, David began his work as a police officer in Fort Wayne, receiving his southeast division second shift assignment shortly thereafter. In 2005, David switched to the overnight shift, continuing his law enforcement service. For 16 years, David valiantly put his life on the line as a member of the Fort Wayne Police Department to protect those in the Fort Wayne community. David is remembered fondly by his fellow officers. Fort Wayne Police Chief Steve Reed called him a ``cop's cop'' and, at David's funeral, told the many people gathered that David was looked up to by those in the department. Pastor Thomas Eggold recognized David's selflessness, his willingness to sacrifice his time and be of assistance. Pastor Eggold also called David quiet and soft-spoken, a sincere and humble man of God. David's friends knew him as caring and compassionate, a loyal and genuine friend, but also as a tough and courageous man. He enjoyed music and was taking lessons to learn to play the bagpipes. On Monday, September 10, 2018, David and an officer in training began pursuing what appeared to be a stolen vehicle. Eventually, the pair got out of the car and, with a police canine, searched the area on foot before arresting the suspect. On the way back to the squad car, David collapsed, suffering a heart attack, and died shortly thereafter. Known to be a loyal and loving father and husband who cared immensely for his family and beloved by many, David is survived by his wife Kristina Tinsley; his children, Tyler, Ian, and Lexie; parents Albert and Bonnie Tinsley; siblings, Albert, Lane, and Scott; and many other relatives and friends. Through his work as a Fort Wayne Police Department officer, David put the safety and well-being of his fellow Hoosiers above his own every day. He exemplified the very best of Hoosier values, and the Fort Wayne community is eternally grateful for his years of service keeping it safe. Let us honor the legacy he left for us and strive to emulate his commitment to serving his fellow citizens.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss the opioid abuse epidemic, which has taken the lives of too many Hoosiers, harming families and communities across my State and our country. This is a public health crisis. It is a complex problem, and addressing it will require all of us to work together in a bipartisan way at the Federal, State, and local levels. I am very pleased that the House and the Senate have worked together over many months to write this bipartisan legislation, the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act. This bill provides important new tools to combat the opioid epidemic and to work to ensure that those providing prevention, treatment, and recovery services in our communities have the resources necessary to help those in need of assistance. I am also proud that this legislation contains several bipartisan bills I helped lead over the past year. For Hoosiers in Northern Indiana, one particular provision in this legislation is particularly significant. On July 26, 2017, Dr. Todd Graham was senselessly murdered in South Bend after refusing to prescribe an opioid to a patient. To honor Dr. Graham's memory, I helped to introduce the bipartisan Dr. Todd Graham Pain Management Improvement Act with my friend and fellow Hoosier Senator Todd Young. This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to study Medicare's payment and coverage policies for nonopioid pain treatments. It could also help to increase access to nonopioid treatments and prevent future patients from developing an addiction. It would never have been possible without the leadership and courage of Julie Graham and the Graham family. Another way of increasing access to nonopioid pain treatments is to encourage the development of new nonopioid pain treatments. I helped to introduce two bipartisan bills to achieve that goal. These bills would require the FDA to clarify how nonopioid pain treatments can qualify for expedited approval and to clarify how it will assess treatments that reduce the need for opioids. Provisions based on both of these two bills are included in this legislation so we can get closer to helping treat pain without the risk of addiction. On another front, as we work to provide health professionals with new treatment options, we must also make sure that there are enough health professionals to provide substance abuse disorder treatment in communities that need them. There are far too many areas in my State of Indiana and across America that lack access to meaningful addiction treatment and the trained professionals to provide it. Earlier this year, I worked with Senators Lisa Murkowski and Maggie Hassan to address this issue by introducing the bipartisan Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Act. This bill provides up to $250,000 in student loan forgiveness for trained addiction treatment providers who will work in areas with a shortage of mental health professionals or an above-average overdose death rate. This new initiative helps to recruit more providers to work in addiction medicine and to serve in areas that most need their services. I am very proud to report that the Donnelly-Murkowski-Hassan bill was included in this larger legislative package. Drug overdoses killed more than 72,000 Americans in 2017, including nearly 30,000 from opioid overdose. In Indiana, 1,840 Hoosiers were lost to overdoses just last year alone. That is heartbreaking, as each person is someone's loved one and someone's family member. We have a lot of work to do, and I will not rest until we reduce this overdose rate, because one overdose is one too many. The SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act will provide critical resources to communities across Indiana and across America. I look forward to seeing this legislation passed here in the Senate and then signed into law by the President. I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address this epidemic. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that my defense fellow, John Galer, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 115th Congress.

Mr. DONNELLY

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

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I come to the floor to bring attention to suicide prevention, an issue of tremendous importance to families and communities across Indiana and our country. The Senate will be introducing a resolution very soon recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for designation of September as National Suicide Prevention Month. Every year, we lose nearly 45,000 Americans to suicide. It is the 10th leading cause of death in this country and second leading cause for those ages 15 to 34. Think about that for a moment: 45,000 lives every year, 123 lives every day, 1 life every 12 minutes. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention champions the message: ``Be The Voice . . . Stop Suicide.'' Whether we are Senators or family or friends or coworkers or even strangers, we can all play a role in helping to prevent suicide. We all must ``be the voice.'' So what is our voice? Formally recognizing Suicide Prevention Month is a start, and I am proud to have cosponsored that resolution. Yet it can't just be about a day or a week or a month on which we pause to reflect. This is a heartbreaking challenge for our communities, and we must be working year-round and across the aisle--there are no Democrats or Republicans in this--to find the solutions that provide Americans with the help they need to get through their most trying times. Over the past several years, Congress has found a number of bipartisan solutions to help address this tragic problem, but our work is far from done. There are still 45,000 Americans every year and their families and their friends who need our help. They need our action. As I started my time in the Senate, I made it a focus to find bipartisan approaches to suicide prevention. In Indiana, suicide claims over 1,000 lives every year. That is one Hoosier lost every 8 hours. In 2013, my fellow Hoosier Jeff Sexton reached out to me to share the tragic story of his son Jake. Specialist Jacob Sexton, an Indiana National Guardsman, tragically took his own life in 2009 while on leave from a deployment to Afghanistan. His story is far too familiar for Active, Guard, and Reserve servicemembers and for veterans as well. Despite representing less than 10 percent of the population, these Americans comprise almost 20 percent of the suicides. Their communities lose over 7,000 members every year as they struggle with the stresses of the military service that we as a nation and as a Congress ask of them. So the question is, What can we do to help them and to prevent these tragedies? Hoping to answer that question, the first bill I introduced in the Senate focused on suicide prevention in the military and in our veteran communities. Introduced in 2013 and signed into law in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act, my Jacob Sexton Military Suicide Prevention Act addressed a critical gap in mental healthcare for our troops. All too often, many of our servicemembers would go years without having any mental health assessment, without having a medical professional ask: How are you doing? How are you feeling? If you are feeling a little off or a little unsure, we have all the means you need to get help. Congress worked together to pass that bill into law, and now we have ensured that every servicemember, Active, Guard, and Reserve alike, receives an annual mental health assessment--a professional look to make sure the member isn't fighting a battle he or she can't win on his or her own. That is why I was pleased to hear from every service Secretary and Chief last fall that annual mental health assessments have been 100 percent implemented throughout the services. Even with an avenue for help, though, many servicemembers were cautious about reaching out for assistance. They feared the stigma could hurt them professionally or personally. They feared repercussions to their deployability, their promotions, or their security clearances. We also made sure to include privacy protections as a part of the Sexton act. It is critically important that these brave men and women who come forward can get the support they need without suffering professionally for just seeking help. In building upon the Sexton act, my Servicemember and Veteran Mental Health Care Package, which was signed into law as part of the national defense bill in 2015, is a three-part, bipartisan effort to ensure servicemembers and vets have access to quality mental healthcare, whether they seek it through providers in their communities, the Department of Defense, or the Department of Veterans Affairs. First, the Military and Veterans Mental Health Provider Assessment Act guarantees that the Department of Defense's primary care and mental health providers are trained to recognize signs of suicide risk and other mental healthcare best practices. Next, the Community Provider Readiness Recognition Act developed a new designation for community healthcare providers that demonstrates a strong knowledge of military culture and mental treatments that are focused on servicemembers and veterans, specifically pertaining to mental health. Finally, the Frontline Mental Health Provider Training Act helped the Department of Defense establish a pilot program to expand the availability of physician assistants to meet the increasing need for mental healthcare evaluations and services for servicemembers and military families. I am proud to have helped pass each of these efforts, and I believe they are some of the Senate's most important achievements in the past 5 years as the demand for military mental health services has never been greater. It is extremely important that we leverage all of our assets in support of our veterans, servicemembers, and military families through legislation like the Sexton act and the Care Package. It is critical that our support for mental health extends beyond Active, Guard, and Reserve duty and that we continue to honor this commitment to our veterans. Another piece of bipartisan legislation that I was proud to work on was the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act, which was signed into law in 2015. This law is key to getting timely and effective mental healthcare to prevent suicide in our veteran communities. The bill's namesake, Clay Hunt, was a decorated veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who tragically took his own life after he struggled with PTSD and depression. The Clay Hunt SAV Act requires annual third-party evaluations of VA mental health and suicide prevention programs. It creates a centralized website that provides information on VA mental health services, and it requires the VA to collaborate on suicide prevention efforts with nonprofit mental health organizations. As our country still faces a rate of more than 20 veterans who take their lives every day, we must continue to find opportunities like these to help prevent veteran suicide and improve the mental healthcare services that are available to our heroes. It shouldn't come as a surprise that the law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe often face some of the same stresses that affect our servicemembers and our veterans. It is becoming increasingly common for them to repeatedly experience challenging and even horrific situations on the job. Protecting the psychological health and well- being of those who serve our communities is a critically important issue. With fellow Hoosier Senator Todd Young, I was proud to introduce the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act in early April 2017, to help get it through the Senate unanimously in May of 2017, and signed into law by President Trump this past January. This bill was inspired, in part, by Lebanon, IN, Police Officer Taylor Nielsen, who, in 2016, was called to a horrific crime scene. With the gruesome images of the scene etched in her mind, Taylor began to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and, at one point, sought to take her own life. Fortunately, her fellow officers recognized her situation, sought help for her, and saved her life before it was too late. The Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act helps our law enforcement officers get access to the mental healthcare they need as they keep our communities safe every day. The law authorizes grants to initiate peer-mentoring pilot programs. It directs the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services to develop resources for mental health providers based on the specific mental health challenges that are faced by law enforcement, and it studies the effectiveness of crisis hotlines and annual mental health checks. It also directs the Departments of Defense and Justice and Veterans Affairs to confer about existing DOD and VA mental health practices and services that could be adopted by our law enforcement agencies. In working together with my colleagues, I am proud of these successes, but mental health issues and suicide impact every part of our Nation; they don't discriminate. We must look for ways to ensure that our workplaces, our schools, and our rural communities have the mental health care and treatment resources they need. One critical resource is the national suicide hotline. By calling 1- 800-273-8255, every American can access free and confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is a wonderful service, and we are working to make it even better. The bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Improvement Act, which I introduced with my friend Senator Hatch, was signed into law a month ago. It will increase the effectiveness of the current suicide prevention lifeline system and the Veterans Crisis Line by requiring the Federal Communications Commission to study the system and to make recommendations on how we can improve it. One of these improvements is in seeing whether we can include a three-digit hotline number that would better connect folks to crucial crisis resources. Now, in the time I have been on the Senate floor today--just in this short time--we have likely lost another American life to suicide. At the current rate, in 12 more minutes, we will, heartbreakingly, lose another. As a parent, this is so heartbreaking and so tragic that we have to do whatever we can to prevent these tragedies--123 Americans every day, 45,000 every year--of people who can make our lives and our country so much brighter and so much better every day. It doesn't have to be that way--that they will be gone. It is incumbent on all of us to harness the sobering reminder of this National Suicide Prevention Month and ensure that every American knows there is hope and that support is just a call or a conversation away. There are people and there are resources that are available to help you get through any challenges that you have. You are loved, and you are cared about. We want to make sure you have everything you need to get through whatever difficult time you may be facing. I am proud of these efforts--proud that we have put aside any party politics to address this issue that affects all of us. Our job is not done though. We have to exhaust every avenue to provide all Americans the support they need to prevent suicide. Let's tackle this program together. Let's ``be the voice.'' I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, as a parent, I know there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our children. It is the most basic desire of any mom or dad to watch their child grow up happy and healthy and to achieve his or her God-given potentials. Sadly, for too many children in this country, the chance at a healthy life and a bright future is stunted by external environmental factors beyond their control. In some communities, in States like my home State of Indiana, with a long history of commercial and industrial manufacturing, the potential for exposure to hazardous contamination is a reality that must be constantly monitored and carefully managed. For that reason, I would like to talk about why our work on this appropriations bill that would fund agencies, including the Department of Labor, as well as Health and Human Services, is so important. Last week, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, also known as ATSDR, held a community meeting in East Chicago, IN, to discuss the ongoing impacts of lead exposure in particular neighborhoods built over an old U.S. Steel lead smelter. At the meeting, ATSDR released a report which indicated that in these neighborhoods 30 percent of children tested between 2005 and 2015 had blood lead levels above the CDC's reference level. That is 12 times higher than the national average of 2.5 percent. The impacts of lead exposure are dangerous and irreversible. Even low levels of lead have been shown to affect a child's I.Q., the ability to pay attention, and academic achievement. Think about what that means for these children, for their families, for the community, and for our country. In East Chicago, the fight to combat lead exposure is a team effort, and it also includes partners from the city, the State department of health, and IDEM, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services at the Federal level. It is critical that our Federal partners continue to support these efforts by providing the best science, research, and resources to help identify and remediate contamination, as well as educate our impacted communities. That is why I am pleased that this appropriations bill more than doubles the current level of funding for CDC's efforts to reduce childhood lead poisoning. This funding is critical for lowering blood lead levels and preventing future harm. It also helps educate healthcare providers and the public about lead poisoning, monitor childhood blood lead levels, and provide funding to States for childhood lead-poisoning prevention. Another important tool we have to protect the health and safety of our communities is Trevor's Law. Authored by my good friend Senator Mike Crapo and passed as part of the bipartisan Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act in 2016, Trevor's Law was designed to provide Federal agencies with the authority to help conduct investigations and to take the necessary actions to help address factors that may contribute to the creation of cancer clusters. Additionally, the law is intended to better enable Federal agencies to coordinate with State and local agencies and the public in investigating and addressing potential cancer clusters. It is the type of commonsense support and coordination Americans expect when they face the fear that something may be putting the health and the safety of their community and their beloved children at risk. For the community of Franklin, IN, in Johnson County, Trevor's Law is the type of Federal support they need today as they work with the State to seek answers to reports that nearly 50 children have been diagnosed with various types of cancers in the last 8 years. Unfortunately for these families, many of whom I have had the privilege and opportunity to get to know, Trevor's Law has not yet been implemented. That is why I am offering a simple amendment. It provides $1 million to fund the implementation of Trevor's Law so we can leverage every bit of knowledge, research, expertise, and ingenuity to make sure our communities are safe places to raise our families. We are blessed to live in a great country, founded on the idea that our children can grow up to be anything they dream of. Our job is to keep that promise for future generations and to give young people every chance there is to succeed. I urge my colleagues to join me and Senator Crapo in taking this important step to ensure that we employ the very best scientific research, knowledge, response, and coordination to ensure that our communities remain safe places to raise our children. Madam President, I yield back.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today, I rise to recognize and honor the extraordinary courage of Noblesville West Middle School teacher Jason Seaman. Jason's actions on May 25 to protect his classroom of students during a shooting at the school in Noblesville, IN, exemplified his selflessness, dedication to his job, and the deep commitment he has to his students, the school, and the entire community. Jason graduated in 2007 from Mahomet-Seymour High School in Mahomet, IL, where he was a star athlete. He went on to play college football at Southern Illinois University and earned a degree in elementary education. Prior to teaching at Noblesville West, Jason was an instructional assistant at Harrison Parkway Elementary School in Fishers, IN. In 2014, he was hired at Noblesville West, where he currently teaches science to seventh graders and coaches football and track. Jason is described by his fellow teachers as a devoted colleague. On the morning of Friday, May 25, just after 9 A.M., an armed student entered Jason's classroom and opened fire. Jason intervened, distracting the assailant with a basketball and tackling him. In the process, Jason was injured. According to news reports, he was shot three times: in the abdomen, hip, and forearm. Jason underwent surgery and was released a day later from the hospital. In the aftermath of the shooting, instead of seeking attention, Jason focused on others; he thanked first responders for their actions, his students for their support, and turned his attention to the other victim, encouraging others to help the family of student Ella Whistler, who was critically injured, by donating to help cover her medical expenses. In addressing the shooting, Jason revealed a lot about his character in the way he talked about it. In brief public remarks, he said, in part, ``I want to make it clear that my actions on that day in my mind were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances. I deeply care for our students and their well-being. That is why I did what I did that day.'' Because of Jason's heroic actions, witnesses say that more students were not hurt, and he helped to save an unknown number of students' lives. Jason's courage and commitment to his students represent the very best of Hoosier values. Jason set an example for others and has been rightfully recognized as the hero he truly is. Let us strive to emulate the example this man has set for us and honor his dedication to his students and community. On behalf of Hoosiers, we all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to this exceptional man.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I am here to talk about the bipartisan, commonsense farm bill that we are working on in the Senate this week. Agriculture is an essential part of the fabric that defines my home State of Indiana. Hoosier farmers are growing the food that feeds our families. Biofuel producers are making the ethanol and biodiesel that drive our economy. Ag students and researchers are developing the technologies of tomorrow. Together, they represent the best of Hoosier values. Right now, Hoosiers farmers in our communities are navigating significant challenges. They need us to work together to help provide solutions. Our farmers are dealing with turmoil on the international marketplace, uncertainty in Federal policies, like the RFS, and low commodity prices that, in many cases, are below the cost of production. This farm bill can provide our ag community with some stability, and we need to ensure that we do our part to get it across the finish line. Here is how Indiana Farm Bureau president Randy Kron described the situation: Farmers are relying on the Senate to pass a farm bill that will allow them to plan for their operations with some level of certainty for the next five years and provide a safety net in case extreme weather or a natural disaster damages their crops. Indiana's farmers are facing a lot of uncertainties right now. The dairy industry is facing low prices and lost contracts, there are fears over potential retaliatory tariffs and their impacts, there is a grain surplus that has brought commodity prices down drastically as well as the uncertainty of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Net farm income is down more than 50% compared to just five years ago, and the agriculture community is depending on the passage of this farm bill. If our nation's farmers have the programs and assurances they need, all U.S. citizens will reap the benefit of quality, affordable food in our grocery stores. Phil Ramsey, a corn and soybean farmer from Shelbyville, IN, and the chairman of membership and policy for the Indiana Soybean Alliance, described the challenges farmers are facing by saying: After a spring that has challenged our farms from nearly every angle, Hoosiers and rural Americans need a Farm Bill now more than ever. With farm income down . . . input costs skyrocketing, the ethanol industry constantly under attack, and disrupted trade relations sharply driving down prices, the stability and safety net provided by the Farm Bill are critical to our farmers and ranchers across the nation. Randy and Phil are right. Now, more than ever, farmers need us to do our job, to put together a farm bill that makes sense and gives them the opportunity to succeed. A farm bill that gives us the best opportunities to be successful will help farmers manage the risks outside of their control, but it is about much more than that. It is also about helping rural communities thrive and also about fighting food insecurity. It is about investing in tomorrow's farms and the most advanced technologies. It is about ensuring that Hoosiers have the resources and the tools to develop new markets for their products anywhere in the world. It is about promoting conversation so that farms and natural habitats remain healthy, generation after generation, and doing the conservation work to make that possible. Because there is more wisdom in Indiana than in Washington, DC, I firmly believe a good farm bill is one that is written with input directly from Hoosiers and that addresses issues important to our State. From Wayne County to Evansville to Washington, IN, to DeKalb County, to Jasper County, to Rensselaer, across our State there are great ideas, great leadership, and great entrepreneurial skills that can help us build the best farm bill possible. That is why I took every opportunity to listen to the priorities and concerns of Hoosiers who are involved in nearly every segment of our State's agriculture community during my farm bill listening tour and in meetings over the past year-plus. From student groups and researchers to anti-hunger advocates, to soybean and corn growers, to pork and dairy farmers, and to just about everyone in between, I wanted to hear from all of them about what this farm bill should do. I am not hired help for the people of Indiana. I work for all of our citizens. I took what I heard from Hoosiers, and I worked with my colleagues to develop this bill, to work this bill, and to successfully secure provisions that would include risk management tools for our farmers, while still ensuring full planting flexibility; to expand market opportunities for Hoosiers products; to promote impactful, voluntary conservation activities; to help fight the opioid epidemic, which is a scourge on our State and our country; to support rural communities with investments in high-speed internet and waste and drinking-water infrastructure; to fight against food insecurity; and to invest in the research necessary for tomorrow's technologies. I would like to highlight a few of the Hoosiers priorities in this bill. One of my top priorities was helping to fight the opioid epidemic in rural communities. We know it will take all of us, working together, to confront this opioid epidemic--this horrible nightmare that we have. We have more work to do to stem the tide of this public health crisis in our rural communities. I am pleased this bill includes three of my bipartisan provisions that combat the opioid epidemic by targeting telemedicine and community facility investments for substance abuse treatment as well as by investing in prevention and education programs. We want all of our families to be safe. We want all of our citizens across this country to avoid this scourge. We lost over 60,000 of our fellow brothers and sisters across this country to drug abuse last year. We do not want to lose one more, and we want this farm bill to help end this. These provisions I have discussed were developed from my bipartisan rural opioids package I introduced with my friend, Chairman Pat Roberts, then-Senator Strange, and with Senator John Hoeven from North Dakota in 2017. I thank all of them for partnering with me on these efforts. I have also advocated for efforts to ensure that farmers are provided the tools they need to be good stewards for our environment, to hand off to our children and grandchildren, and an even safer, better, stronger planet. This bill will eliminate potential disincentives for voluntary conservation practices like cover crops and supports soil health improvement programs. It also allows States to increase cost sharing for the most impactful conservation practices. Soil health and clean water are a passion for many Hoosiers, and for many Hoosier farmers, and this bill helps in those efforts. The need to expand market opportunities has also come up in my conversations with our farmers. I am fully committed to expanding market opportunities for our ag products. This farm bill will increase opportunities for Hoosier farmers through export promotion programs. I worked with my colleagues on proposals to open up more markets for American exports, including my bipartisan bill that increases investments in two important export promotion programs: the Foreign Market Development Program and the Market Assistance Program. This is legislation I introduced in September of 2017 with my friends and Senators Joni Ernst of Iowa, Angus King of Maine, and Susan Collins of Maine. I have also worked to ensure full planting flexibility for our farmers who want to plant fruits and vegetables. This ensures that farmers can diversify their farms without worrying about losing access to commodity support programs in the future. It may sound a little bit technical, but it is critically important, and we have to make sure it gets done. Ensuring planting flexibility is a strong passion of mine. It builds on the bipartisan bill I introduced with Senator Todd Young, my colleague from our home State, in December of 2017, and it also builds on my work in the 2014 and the 2008 farm bill. Another important issue I care deeply about is helping those struggling with food insecurity. I am really proud that this bipartisan bill strengthens the oversight of the SNAP program and helps to fight food insecurity by reforming food assistance programs while protecting access to benefits and maintaining the integrity of the programs. It makes it easier for seniors to access food assistance by reducing burdensome paperwork. This is based on legislation I worked on with my friend Bob Casey from Pennsylvania. Providing for the future of agriculture by making the investments in vital research and extension activities is another priority. This bill contains a provision of mine that reauthorizes and revamps the New Era Rural Technology Program to help our community colleges fund efforts to develop a workforce trained in the precision agriculture technologies that are expected to continue to improve the efficiency of modern farming. I have a few more amendments I am hoping we can get adopted this week, including one that increases funding for the Emergency Food Assistance Program. This helps food banks and pantries respond to the needs of their local communities. I have also introduced a bipartisan amendment with Senators Smith and Fischer. It allows community colleges serving rural areas to receive funding through USDA's Essential Community Facilities Program. This helps ensure rural communities have the local educational opportunities that can help our children thrive, that can help our friends and neighbors thrive, and that can help create success in every county in my State and across our country. Finally, I thank all of my colleagues on the Senate Agriculture Committee for their efforts to ensure that we had strong bipartisan support for getting the farm bill to this point. Everybody worked incredibly hard; everybody focused on doing what was right for America and not worrying about politics; and everybody focused on how we can help our ag community be stronger, have more success, and do even better in the future. Our farmers need us to continue working together as advocates for agriculture and for a farm bill that supports their hard work. The ag community gets up in the dark, works all day, and goes home in the dark. They are an incredible example for everybody in our country about dedication to family and faith and community and country. I know the farmers of Indiana and in Hoosier rural communities are tired of being pawns to partisan politics. They have been dealing with depressed commodity prices, chaotic trade markets, and the uncertainty of Federal policies, whether it was the previous administration's expansion of the WOTUS rule or this administration's efforts to undermine the RFS. It is time for us to do our part to make sure this is a strong bipartisan bill and that it is an example of us working together--not as Democrats or as Republicans but as Americans--to do good things for our economy and for our people. I urge the Senate to promptly pass this bill so we can conference with the House and get this to the President's desk as quickly as possible. Farmers and rural communities in Indiana and across our country are counting on us. It is an incredible privilege to represent our ag community on the Agriculture Committee and to work with the farm bill to make the lives of everybody in our farming communities better, stronger, and even more successful. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise to discuss my efforts on the Senate Armed Services Committee, on behalf of the people of Indiana, to craft and advance a defense bill that supports Indiana's role in our Nation's defense and protect America's security interests and defense- related jobs. Before I get to that, though, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the chairman of our committee, my friend Senator John McCain. He is an American hero. I hope as he watches the Senate do its bipartisan work on this year's NDAA, the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act, he knows that all of us here are thinking of him back in Arizona and wishing him the best in his battle. When we think about John McCain, we think about a fighter. We think about the epitome of a man who defends our freedom every single day. I am proud he is our chairman, and I am proud he is my friend. Now I want to talk about provisions I secured in the national defense bill that we are considering, efforts I supported, and an amendment I filed. I am proud of the many contributions Hoosiers make to the safety and security of our Nation--most especially those brave men and women who volunteer to put on the uniform in service to our country. I am also proud of the thousands of working men and women who go to work in the dark every day to manufacture the highest quality products and equipment that support and protect our warfighters. From humvees and transmissions to satellites and aviation braking systems, Hoosiers know a key strength of our military is the technological and quality advantage that American manufacturing gives to our warfighters. In fact, it is with those friends and neighbors in mind that I want to talk about the importance of ensuring that the equipment used by our Armed Forces and the jobs--the moms and dads who go to work every day to build that equipment--stay right here in America. One of the provisions I pushed hard for and was included in the bill requires the examination of the F-35 supply chain in order to ensure that key manufacturing capabilities are not being sent abroad, jeopardizing the backbone of America's future Air Force. Workers at the Honeywell facility in South Bend, IN, currently manufacture components for the braking mechanism for the F-35 airplane--one of the most technologically advanced aircraft ever built. I am told that next month, the last raw forging shipment will come to the facility for Hoosier workers to manufacture these components. Honeywell is planning to send that manufacturing work for the F-35 overseas to a plant in Turkey. While Turkey is a member of NATO, it is on a concerning path of crumbling democratic norms, and it is in the process of purchasing a missile defense system from Russia. That is not the kind of place where we should be manufacturing critical components for one of the most advanced warfighting machines in our arsenal, particularly when we have trained, experienced, talented, patriotic, devoted American workers in South Bend, IN, who want to continue doing this work protecting our men and women and keeping our Nation safe. What is more, if the U.S.-Turkey relationship deteriorates further, I am concerned our country will not have access to a critical component of our most sensitive aircraft or missile or radar. We don't currently know what future threats to our supply chain will emerge. This Congress and the American people should know the answers to those questions. I believe my provision will help us get to the bottom of it and find those answers. Another provision I authored that the Senate Armed Services Committee adopted as part of this bill would ensure that our Nation retains key national security capabilities within the Federal workforce. I also fought to keep key sectors of our defense industrial base robust and secure from threats, such as tampering and counterfeit parts. That work happens at the Naval Support Activity Center in Crane, IN. In addition, another measure I supported that is included in this bill ensures that companies that provide products crucial to our national defense are not purchased by a foreign adversary like China. When it comes to our national defense work, I believe it is critical that our policies encourage companies to invest in American workers and communities at home and penalize those that ship work to foreign countries. That is why I proposed an amendment that is simple and clear: Federal defense contracts, funded by American taxpayers, should go to companies that employ American workers. My amendment, which is based on my End Outsourcing Act, would allow contracting officers to take into consideration a company's outsourcing practices when awarding Federal contracts. It is common sense. Our Federal tax dollars should go to companies that invest in and support American workers. When defense work is shipped from American companies to other countries, it can hurt our national defense, our workers, and our communities. Finally, I want to highlight a provision that has been mentioned by my colleagues that I strongly supported in this bill that helps protect American telecommunications security, which is an important part of our national security. Specifically, this bill includes a provision that prohibits the Department of Defense from procuring, obtaining, or renewing contracts that utilize equipment or services from China's Huawei Technologies or ZTE Corporation. Huawei is reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice for potentially violating U.S. sanction laws as it relates to Iran. ZTE sold sensitive technologies to Iran and North Korea in violation of U.S. sanctions laws. I am concerned about the administration's recently announced deal to roll back penalties against ZTE, and I think this measure in the Senate, in our national defense bill, would be an important step toward helping safeguard our telecommunications industry's security. I am hopeful the Senate will soon pass the national defense bill. It is bipartisan. It is not Democratic, it is not Republican; it is American. It is an example of what we can accomplish together. I am proud it will help protect our national security and American jobs, and it also includes a number of provisions that are vital to Indiana. I would like to close by again saying how honored we are that this is the John McCain Defense bill. What an extraordinary chairman he has been for us. We wish him well. We hope he is getting stronger every single day, and we look forward to seeing him in the Chamber soon. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY. We heard my colleague from Maryland and my colleague from Arkansas; therefore, I object.

Mr. DONNELLY. I object.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Texas for his inspiring words and for his devotion to Texas veterans and to American veterans across our country. As we approach Memorial Day, this is a time to honor our fallen soldiers and to reflect on the enormous sacrifices the men and women in uniform have made for us who were killed while serving this Nation. Mr. President, I rise to recognize the service and ultimate sacrifice of four Hoosier servicemembers who gave their lives in defending our country in the last year. The sacrifices of Ryan Lohrey, Jonathon Hunter, Mark Boner, and Clayton Cullen will not be forgotten. In July 2017, we lost Navy Corpsman Ryan Lohrey. He died with 15 other servicemembers when a military refueling aircraft crashed in a soybean field in Mississippi. He was 30 years old. Born in Anderson, Ryan was described as selfless and patient and humble. He played football at Shenandoah High School in Middletown, where he graduated in 2005. Two years after graduation, Ryan joined the Navy and served our country in deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. During his service, he earned a Purple Heart for being wounded in battle. Last August, Army SGT Jonathon Hunter was killed in Afghanistan. Jonathon was born in Columbus. He was a man of faith who loved his country and his family. Before joining the Army, Jonathon played football at Columbus East High School and then pursued his dream of becoming a music producer before enrolling at Indiana State University in Terre Haute. He left college to join the Army. He was 23 years old and just 32 days into his first deployment when he and a fellow soldier were killed in a suicide bombing attack on a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan. Jonathon was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart as well as a Bronze Star. In January, we lost SFC Mark Boner of the Indiana Army National Guard. Mark was born in Fort Wayne. After graduating from Elmhurst High School in 1993, he answered the call to serve his country. Mark enjoyed being at the lake, and he was a fan of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He served in the Army and in the Indiana National Guard. Mark had completed tours in both Iraq and Kuwait and died at Fort Hood, TX, where he was training for his third deployment for his country. He was only 43 years old. Also in January, we lost another Hoosier: Army 1LT Clayton Cullen, of Bicknell. Clay graduated from North Knox High School in 2011, where he played soccer and served as student body president. After high school, he earned a degree from Indiana University and was in the school's ROTC program. Clay was 25. He died when the helicopter he was aboard with another servicemember crashed at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, CA. Each of these courageous men has left behind family, friends, and loved ones who miss them every day, miss them more tomorrow, and even more the following day. As we pay tribute to these servicemembers, let us also recognize their families. Our hearts go out to every one of them, not only on Memorial Day but every day. At everything from family dinners and get- togethers to holidays, someone is missing their husband, their father, their brother or son. There is an empty seat that every heart wishes was filled. While nothing could ever fill the void left by the loss of these servicemembers, their legacies live on through their families. The people I speak about represent not only the best of Hoosier values but of America's values. They serve their country so that we all can be safe, so that we all can be secure, so that we all can have our freedom protected. We grieve for them and we miss them. I join every Hoosier in praying for their friends, family, and fellow servicemembers. On Memorial Day, we will pause to commemorate the extraordinary sacrifice so many men and women in uniform from across our State and Nation have made. Every day, in conflict zones across the world, American servicemembers put themselves in harm's way. We thank them for their courage and bravery, and we remember the patriots who lost their lives and exemplified the very best of what our country is and can be. One other note, I remember a few years ago when I was driving through Starke County, IN. It was early in the morning on Memorial Day. I drove through the town of Walkerton, IN. It was early in the morning. In the town cemetery there were a couple of dads and moms and their children. They were putting flags on every veteran's grave who had served our country and devoted their lives to our Nation. That scene that I saw was being duplicated in towns all across my State and all across our country, because the one thing all of us as Americans understand-- whether we live in Indiana, Philadelphia, or in Ohio--is that there are young men and women from other towns and from other States who lost their lives to protect us, and we are all in it for each other. We are all in it together as Americans. On Memorial Day, please say a prayer and think about all those who gave us the chance to celebrate our freedoms. May God bless Indiana, and may God bless the United States of America. Thank you, Mr. President. I yield back. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, today I wish to recognize and honor the extraordinary service and sacrifice of Jeffrey Holt, a firefighter from Brownsburg who served in the Lawrence Fire Department. Selflessness, caring for others, and service to his community were defining traits of Jeff's life. On the morning of April 30, 2018, Jeff was participating in an annual physical assessment training when he collapsed and suffered an apparent heart attack. He passed away at Indiana Heart Hospital. Jeff's death left his fellow firefighters without one of their leaders, and he will be sorely missed by his fellow firefighters and loved ones. Jeff was a graduate of Indiana's Benton Central High School. After finishing high school, he worked at the Otterbein Fire Department in Otterbein, IN, as a firefighter and then as an EMT and subsequently joined the Purdue Fire Department in 1985. In 1994, Jeff began training to be a paramedic and, while training, met his future wife, Lindi. In 1996, he began his service in the Lawrence Fire Department as a firefighter and paramedic. Over the course of his career with the Lawrence Fire Department, Jeff served as an engineer, lieutenant, division chief of training, and deputy chief of operations. Outside of work, Jeff pursued his passion for music and was the lead singer in several bands. He shared this love of music and rescuing special needs animals with Lindi, his wife of nearly 20 years. He is survived and deeply missed by his wife, Dr. Lindi Holt, stepdaughters Jennifer and Rachael Kempfer, parents Dr. Donald and Marilyn Holt, brothers Dr. Steve Holt and Bill Holt, sister Kathy Stichnoth, as well as nieces, nephews, and a great-nephew. Jeff represented the best of Hoosier values. He put his life on the line day-in, day-out, serving his community and working to keep his fellow citizens safe. Those who knew Jeff described him as well-liked and respected, compassionate, dedicated, and loyal. Jeff set a strong example for others, and let us remember and emulate the example this selfless man set for us and honor his commitment to serving his community. On behalf of Hoosiers, we mourn with Jeff's family, the men and women he served with, and the Lawrence community. His legacy will live on and his memory will not be soon forgotten.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Madam President, as we observe National Police Week, I rise today to honor our fallen law enforcement officers and to discuss some of the ways we are working to make it safer for officers to do their jobs and protect our communities. Together, we honor and remember the lives of the law enforcement officers we have lost in the line of duty. These men and women put their lives on the line to protect our neighborhoods so that a Hoosier senior can safely sit on his porch and watch his grandkids play in the front yard or to ensure that working families can go to and from their jobs in peace. They are on the frontlines battling the devastating opioid epidemic that has plagued our State. Our police are the ones who work with our communities and local leaders to help stem violence and to help fight crime in our neighborhoods. They are the ones putting themselves in harm's way every single day. These officers are heroes. To their families, they are even more. They are moms and dads, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands, and their families pray that they come home safely at the end of every shift. Sadly, as we know, that doesn't happen every time. When we lose an officer, that loss is felt deeply, particularly by their family and those who know them and love them. It is a grief that is also shared throughout the entire law enforcement community and throughout our State. Since I began serving in the U.S. Senate in 2013, the Hoosier State has lost nine officers in the line of duty. I want to take a moment to pay tribute to these fallen heroes. In September of 2013, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Rod Bradway was shot and killed while responding to a domestic dispute call in a northwest Indianapolis apartment complex. A veteran officer, he had served with the Wayne Township Fire Department for 10 years before working for 5 years on the IMPD force. Officer Bradway is credited with saving the life of a domestic dispute victim and her baby before losing his life protecting them. In June 2014, Tipton County deputy sheriff Jacob Calvin was killed in a car crash while responding to an accident. Deputy Calvin served his community and our country in more ways than one. He was with the department for 2\1/2\ years and had previously served his country in Iraq in the U.S. Air Force and volunteered at the Kempton Fire Department as a firefighter and EMT. In July 2014, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officer Perry Renn was responding to reports of gunfire when he was shot and killed. Officer Renn served more than two decades in the force. He was a two-time recipient of the IMPD's Medal of Bravery Award, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart posthumously. Officer Renn was also a U.S. Army veteran. Also, in July of 2014, Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield of the Gary Police Department was found fatally shot while on duty in his patrol car. He was killed on his 47th birthday. Patrolman Westerfield had served the Gary Police Department for 19 years and, prior to that, in the U.S. Army. In September of 2014, Merrillville Police Department patrolman Nickolaus Schultz was shot when investigating reports concerning an evicted tenant. Patrolman Schultz passed away 2 days later due to his wounds. Patrolman Schultz was only 24 years old and had been on the Merrillville police force for 13 months. In March of 2016, we lost Howard County sheriff's deputy Carl Koontz, who was shot and killed while serving arrest and search warrants in Russiaville in connection with a narcotics case. Deputy Koontz was just 26 years old. He had served more than 2 years with the Howard County Sheriff's Department. In July of 2017, Lieutenant Aaron Allen of the Southport Police Department was shot while responding to a crash involving an overturned vehicle. Hours before he was killed--and there is a picture of this which tears your heart out--he walked his 5-year-old son to the bus for his first day of kindergarten. He was a 6-year veteran with the Southport Police Department and had previously been named the Officer of the Year for saving two Hoosiers' lives. He also previously served in the U.S. Air Force. Tragically, this year we have lost two Hoosier police officers in the line of duty. Boone County deputy sheriff Jacob Pickett was shot and killed in March during a vehicle pursuit in Lebanon, IN. As the suspect fled on foot, Deputy Pickett and Brick, his K-9 partner, followed in pursuit. Deputy Pickett was shot as he rounded the corner of a building. He served with the Boone County Sheriff's Office for 3 years and previously with the Tipton County Sheriff's Office and the Marion County Sheriff's Office. Earlier this month, just a few weeks ago, Terra Haute police officer Rob Pitts was shot and killed while investigating a homicide. As Officer Pitts and other detectives approached the suspect's apartment, the suspect opened fire, fatally injuring Officer Pitts. Officer Pitts had served with the department for 16 years and with the Sullivan Police Department for 6 years prior to that. These nine brave officers embodied values that should make their loved ones, their fellow officers, and every Hoosier incredibly proud. We remember their sacrifice and their courageous service, and we are thinking of their families, not only today, not only this week, but year round. As we pay our respects to those we have lost, we also have a solemn duty to support the family members of those officers who never had the chance to return home. We also must work to ensure that our officers and law enforcement agencies have the resources needed to do their jobs and keep our communities safe. Over the last few years, I have been honored to introduce and to get signed into law bipartisan legislation to help support law enforcement agencies and officers and to help with grant efforts to provide our officers with necessary tools. When officers and first responders are killed in the line of duty, they often leave behind beloved families, including school-age children. These families and children endure grief and trauma that we can't even begin to imagine. We must do all we can to help the families of our fallen officers and first responders, and this includes ensuring that their children get a good education. That is why I helped to introduce the bipartisan Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act. This allows the children of fallen first responders who pursue a college education to have access to the maximum level of Federal Pell grants authorized by law. I was pleased to support the government funding bill that passed in March, which included a provision based on the Children of Fallen Heroes Scholarship Act. Another critically important area we must continue to focus on is helping to equip officers with lifesaving equipment. It is no secret that our officers may face dangerous situations at any moment as they respond to calls and do their job. That is why I supported the bipartisan Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program Reauthorization Act. It was signed into law in May of 2016. It helps law enforcement agencies purchase bulletproof vests. Having those vests can prevent injuries for our law enforcement officers and can save lives. We experienced this firsthand in 2014, when IMPD officer Greg Milburn was shot in the line of duty. He credits his vest with his survival. In the past 3 years, police departments across Indiana have received a total of more than $1 million to help purchase bulletproof vests for officers so they can all go home at the end of their shift every day. Another essential role law enforcement officers play is working with our community leaders, elected leaders, and law enforcement agencies to tackle persistent crime and to improve neighborhood safety. I, along with many of my colleagues, have long supported robust funding for the Byrne Memorial JAG Program. This supports State and local law enforcement agencies in their efforts to address the specific public safety and criminal justice challenges facing our communities. This program also supports information sharing on terror and criminal threats, drug and human trafficking organizations, and sexual predators. Lastly, as officers go to work every day, they can encounter horrific scenes and experience traumatic situations that are just impossible to leave behind once the day is done. Last year, I authored and introduced the bipartisan Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act with my friend and colleague from Indiana, Senator Todd Young. Our bill was signed into law by President Trump in January. It helps law enforcement agencies enhance or establish mental health services for officers. It provides tools to help officers deal with mental health challenges and to combat the stigma associated with addressing those issues. This legislation also includes funding that the Department of Justice can use to initiate peer-mentoring pilot program grants for local law enforcement agencies. Our law enforcement officers deserve our support. They deserve it to ensure they can do their job safely and effectively. I will continue to work on bipartisan efforts to help our officers and their families. In the meantime, this National Police Week--this special week we have here every year--let's take a moment to pray for those fallen heroes, for their families, and for their fellow officers. They own our hearts for all they do for us. They protect our families, our children, and our communities, and they put their lives on the line every day for us, not knowing if they are going to come home safely or not. But still they go forward. Still they go out. Still our officers who are our friends and who protect us keep us safe every day. They earned and have always kept all of our respect and of everyone in our communities. They have our love. They have our devotion and our deepest appreciation for everything they do every day. May God bless all of these officers. May God bless Indiana, and may God bless the United States of America. I yield the floor.

Mr. DONNELLY

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleagues from Pennsylvania and Minnesota, who are still in the Chamber with us right now. Their focus has always been on honoring hard work, on making sure that we keep our word to the truckdriver who has paid in every day, who is riding down the Pennsylvania Turnpike or the Schuylkill Expressway or heading up I-35 in Minnesota and that we keep the promise that was made to them after 30, 35 years of hard work, of driving, of trying to keep people safe, of making a difference, of delivering the food people have to eat, the parts people have to put together at work to make sure our country can continue to move forward. Those are the folks we are talking about. If either of my colleagues would like to say anything else in regard to the amazing, hard work of the miners in Pennsylvania or the teamsters in Minnesota--those are the folks, the Central States Pension Fund and so many other pension funds, as well, that we fight for every single day to try to get this done because, as the Senator from Pennsylvania said, this is a job that is half done right now. We were able to make sure we protected the healthcare benefits that were promised. There was a miner and his wife with whom I spent time in Oakland City, IN, down in Gibson County where we have so many coal mines. When I saw him, he said: This is one of the greatest days for me when we were able to keep healthcare benefits. He said: ``It's not for me. It's because my wife, who is ill''--and they are both in their eighties--``can now get her medicine again next week.'' That is what his concern was. It wasn't about himself. It was about his wife and making sure, with the pain she was struggling with and the healthcare problems that she had, that he was able to make sure she would be OK. That is our job; it is to back up the word that was given to him because he spent his life working nonstop to keep our country moving forward, and all he asked in return is that we keep our word. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I want to thank the Senator from Minnesota. She has been a nonstop advocate for folks across her State and across the country. Another nonstop advocate has been my friend and colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Casey, who works tirelessly not only on behalf of the Keystone State but on behalf of working families all across America.

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, we are so fortunate to have such a fighter for the people of West Virginia in Senator Manchin. We are grateful for his hard work. We have another amazing fighter for the people of the State of Minnesota, Senator Klobuchar. Senator Klobuchar has fought nonstop on this issue as well.

Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, we are blessed to have with us my friend and colleague from West Virginia, Senator Manchin. No one fights harder for the working folks than Senator Manchin. No one fought harder to make sure we were able to protect the healthcare benefits of our retired mine workers. We worked together on that nonstop to make sure that promise was kept, and Senator Manchin has continued to work nonstop to protect the pensions of these mine workers and of so many others, like of the Central States. Senator Manchin has been kind enough to join us this afternoon, and we look forward to his remarks.