Joni Ernst

Ms. ERNST

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 Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Madam President, for months, as our Nation has confronted this pandemic together, everyone in America--every single one of us-- has been asked to make serious sacrifices, whether that has meant working overtime in a hospital caring for the afflicted, temporarily closing a family business, euthanizing hogs and cattle, or forgoing important life events like a high school prom or a college graduation. COVID-19 has brought with it very challenging times. While we have missed milestones and time together, Americans across the country have stepped up to help slow the spread of this virus and its toll on the lives of our fellow citizens. While we cannot return to life as usual just yet, we are entering a new phase. Step by step, State by State, America is safely reopening. In Iowa, Governor Kim Reynolds has led our State with a steady hand during this critical time. Under Governor Reynolds' thoughtful plan and guidance from public health officials at the local, State, and Federal level, Iowa communities and businesses are starting to safely reopen, and many activities are carefully resuming. Iowans can once again participate in America's great pastime and play golf. Places of worship are opening for services while taking smart precautions. And while they will not be as crowded as they once were, restaurants and bars are taking the first steps in opening again, as well as are places that we all grew up going to in Iowa--our amusement parks, racetracks, outdoor performance venues, movie theaters, and museums--all with important public health guidelines in mind. All of this is contingent, of course, upon having smaller groups of people and continuing to practice social distancing--simple precautions that can make a big difference. While we all yearn for life to return back to how it was a few months ago, we must be smart about taking the appropriate steps. Certainly, we want to see our elderly relatives, gather with our family and friends once again, and return to work and school. But, folks, the pandemic is not over. Let's take this one step at a time and keep in mind that while restrictions are being loosened, they are not eliminated, and there is a good reason for that. As this process moves forward, Washington can make this transition more safe and successful. Working in partnership with the administration, State leaders, and the private sector, we can continue to increase testing and ensure those who may be infected are following proper guidelines and getting the care and information they need to limit the spread of the virus. We need to make sure our essential workers and others returning to the workforce have the personal protective equipment--the PPE--necessary to allow America to get back to work while ensuring the safety of our great workers. In addition, these frontline essential workers should absolutely be able to keep more of their hard-earned paycheck--something I am working on closely with the administration and my colleagues. Our small businesses must be protected from predatory lawsuits so that Iowa's mom-and-pop shops can continue to provide paychecks to their hard- working employees. Of course, we must continue to support our families--our moms and dads who are struggling to purchase diapers; our childcare providers and workers who have continued to look after our kids; our family caregivers who are helping Iowa seniors and those who are most at risk during this pandemic--and make sure we are prepared for whatever might come next. Let's not only focus on the immediate needs but on the long-term national priority for critical medical supplies and other materials to be produced right here in the United States of America. We should never again depend on a foreign nation to protect our citizens, especially one like the Communist Party of China, which has been continually and unsurprisingly deceptive about this threat from the very beginning. Folks, while we still have a ways to go before we can return to life as we know it, we will get through this, and when we do, we will revive the great economy we have built together and prepare for an even stronger future together. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to use my military rucksack in my speech.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, on Monday we honor the fallen on Memorial Day. While we traditionally spend this day of remembrance with our family and friends, things will look a little bit different this year. Even though we will not have the same services and ceremonies that we typically take part in, it does not make this day any less important. Just like every year, on this Memorial Day, let's commemorate the servicemembers and families who have sacrificed in defense of our freedom. The freedoms we cherish, which are so often taken for granted, did not come without a price. For generations, American patriots have secured our blessings of liberty by willingly laying down their lives in defense of our great Nation. Every fallen soldier leaves behind a grieving parent, child, sibling, spouse, or friend. These family members and friends never forget that knock at the door, the sound of Taps, the loud thunder of the 21-gun salute, or the touch of a folded flag once laid on a casket. As a combat veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, I know that the men and women in uniform who served bravely alongside the fallen never forget either. I think of Iowans, like Iraq War veteran Richard Miles, whose picture I proudly display on my desk; Iowa Army National Guardsman Brent Maher. Iowa National Guardsman James Carney, whose family are dear friends, just 22 years old, was killed in Afghanistan. Army SGT James ``Jamie'' Skalberg, Jr, died in combat in Afghanistan at just 25 years old, leaving behind his beautiful son, who was not even a year old when he lost his father. SGT Joseph Milledge was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his unit, as it searched for weapons in Baghdad, and he was just 23. It was the knock that I gave on his mother's door to tell her that her son would never be coming back home. Command SMA Marilyn Gabbard, the first woman in the Iowa Army National Guard to be promoted to the rank of Command Sergeant Major, was killed in Iraq in a Blackhawk helicopter crash. These stories and many, many more of these men and women of Iowa are heartbreaking and heroic and the very reason for Memorial Day. For 23 years, I served alongside the best of our Nation, women and men who risked absolutely everything to preserve our great freedoms. One of the many ways I pay tribute is through a ruck march. Every couple of months--that is, until COVID-19--I would gather a group of people to go on a ruck march. I grab my rucksack, filled with nearly 35 pounds of weight, and march down around the Washington Monument and back. These marches offer time for us to remember and reflect on the service and sacrifice of those in our armed services. A couple of years ago, I went on the Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, NM. This is 26 miles. It is a marathon in the desert, with a 46-pound rucksack--not my typical 35 pounds. Folks, let me tell you, it was exhausting. My feet were blistered. My legs were swollen and sore, and my back ached for days after. There were times during that march when I thought I couldn't keep walking and I was probably dehydrated, and I just simply wanted to quit. But every minute and every mile was worth it because we were honoring the lives of the fallen, those who were on that Bataan death march and others who had sacrificed family, comfort, health, and, in so many cases, their lives. The Bataan march really put the meaning behind Memorial Day into focus. While this weekend is a time to reflect on the sacrifice and lives lost, this entire month is Military Appreciation Month. So I want to take just a minute to commend our servicemembers. During this pandemic, our men and women in uniform have fought tirelessly against this invisible enemy, and they have been doing an outstanding job. For instance, our troops have stepped up to care for patients in hospitals and created deployable medical units, such as the Air Force expeditionary medical system, Army combat support hospitals and field hospitals, and Navy expeditionary medical facilities. Members of our U.S. Air Force have transported critical supplies around our Nation. And the heroes who are near and dear to my heart, our National Guardsmen, have been working around the clock to disinfect public spaces, to hand out food, and to provide transportation and logistic support. To all of our servicemembers at home and abroad, thank you. And to their families and loved ones who also make tremendous sacrifices, we appreciate you and we support you. Because of the ongoing service of our military men and women, we will defeat this virus. Folks, on this Memorial Day and during Military Appreciation Month, I pray we take time out of our lives, we pause, and we remember all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, and the families and the friends and loved ones whom they left behind. To all of our soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors who never returned home, today we honor you. May God bless our troops and their families. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, in March, our country lost a great statesman and my fellow ``squealer,'' former Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. A family physician who delivered more than 4,000 babies, he was known as ``Dr. Tom'' in Oklahoma, but in Washington he was called ``Dr. No'' because of his fierce opposition to adding more red ink to the national debt. Having served just 10 years in the Senate before retiring in 2019, the year I was elected, I never had the honor to serve alongside Dr. Coburn. Nonetheless, his leadership and his efforts to eliminate government waste and overreach continues to be an inspiration to me and to many others. ``If you cannot find waste in any part of the Federal budget,'' he once commented, ``it can only be for one reason--you haven't looked.'' Many of the outlandish examples he exposed are now what I call legendary. Take, for example, the shrimp on a treadmill, and of course there was the ``bridge to nowhere.'' Every Federal agency in Washington feared the notoriety of being called out in Dr. Coburn's annual report of government excess known as the waste book. He led the fight that ended congressional earmarks that were known as pork projects. While others got credit for creating new government programs, Dr. Coburn took on the thankless job of trying to unravel the maze of duplicative, overlapping programs and redundant and inefficient bureaucracy. The law he authored requiring the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, to identify duplication within Federal programs has saved our taxpayers more than $260 billion to date. I think the head of GAO said it best; that this law is ``the gift that keeps on giving, and it will for a long time.'' This effort is not just saving money; it is making government more efficient in other important ways. An egregious example found that as a result of Coburn's duplication law, there are 10 different agencies with 23 different overlapping and fragmented definitions for sexual violence. If we can't even define the problem, how are we going to stop it, folks? That is why I am proud to say that I have joined Senator Ron Johnson's efforts to clarify the definition of sexual violence and improve data collection so that we can address this issue head on. Another law Coburn authored with none other than then-Senator Barack Obama put all Federal expenditures online so that taxpayers could simply Google to find out how their tax dollars are being spent. Hailed as the greatest government transparency reform since the Freedom of Information Act, the public website, USAspending.gov is helping to keep Washington accountable for how every cent is spent. If you go on the website today you can find ridiculous examples of binge-buying bureaucrats who are ringing up tens of billions of dollars of last- minute, unnecessary purchases at the end of a fiscal year, splurging on unnecessary things like tons of Tater Tots, $4.6 million on crab legs and lobster, and even a foosball table. When I heard of this outlandish spending, I embraced my inner Tom Coburn and took action, putting forward a bill to end Washington's year-end, use-it-or-lose-it spending sprees. Folks, Tom Coburn was not afraid to work across the aisle to find compromise without compromising his principles or values. There is no better example than the friendship he struck up with President Obama. The two were elected to the Senate the same year, and they were on opposite sides of nearly every major issue during their time in Washington. Yet Dr. Coburn would regularly call to offer encouragement to President Obama and pray for him and his family. The two of them could even be spotted hugging and laughing together at the State of the Union Address. At a time when the focus too often is on what separates rather than unites us, these are relationship goals we should all aspire to achieve with one another if we hope to tackle the unprecedented problems now facing our Nation. Our hearts and prayers are with Dr. Coburn's wife Carolyn and his daughters and grandchildren as they grieve his loss. While he can never be replaced, we can all take comfort knowing Tom Coburn has made this world a better place and that the legacy he left behind endures through many of his staff members as well, such as Roland Foster, who is now on my staff. The legacy he left behind endures and the crusade he championed continues. Mr. President, I yield the floor to my colleague from Indiana.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, over the last few weeks and months, Iowans from every corner and county of our State have faced unforeseen challenges and hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In trying times like these, the American people have always banded together and have risen to the occasion, and this pandemic is no different. This has been especially true in Iowa, where I have seen and heard so many heartwarming stories of Iowans stepping up to help other Iowans. Take Ann and Megan, for example, two teachers in the Knoxville Community School District. These two Iowans noticed that some of the residents at the West Ridge Specialty Care center might need some additional entertainment due to social distancing. So they started an Amazon wish list and, with the help of their community, were able to provide games and other fun items for the residents to use during the day. Then, there are the hard-working folks at the Iowa Motor Truck Association, who are helping to provide meals to our truckdrivers all up and down Interstate 80. And, of course, there are the great men and women of the Iowa National Guard, who are working around the clock to deliver medical supplies and materials across the State. It is not just individuals. It is also local Iowa companies and their workers who are stepping up and helping out. Kent Corporation in Muscatine has been working closely with local nonprofit partners to address food insecurity for folks in their community. Partnering with the Salvation Army, United Way, and the Muscatine Center for Social Action, they are preparing nearly 300 meals every Wednesday and Thursday to be distributed to families and individuals who are in need. Folks, while we are facing challenging times, we have also been reminded of the generosity and charity of the men and women across our Nation and the tremendous courage and resilience of our workforce. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, essential workers in the United States have continued in their daily jobs to care for and protect Americans, to produce and deliver food and essential goods, and to uphold our Nation's critical infrastructure. These men and women--our moms and dads, brothers and sisters--are putting the livelihoods of their fellow Americans ahead of their own. Each and every morning, despite the pandemic, they wake up, and they go to work. In this fight against the invisible enemy, the critical logistics operators, the supply workers, medical professionals, and the many others who are on the frontlines responding to coronavirus could not be more important to our victory. They truly are our heroes. Folks, our nation cannot weather this pandemic without our essential workforce. They, first and foremost, deserve our gratitude. Today, we want to say: Thank you. Thank you to our doctors, our nurses, and our healthcare workers who see firsthand the seriousness of this disease, yet put their own health and lives at risk to care for those who are infected. Thank you to our truckdrivers who have driven for thousands of hours--often back and forth on lonely roads--to keep our economy running and to deliver the necessities we rely upon and often take for granted. Thank you to our farmers who continue to work around the clock to feed and fuel the world. Thank you to our grocers, cashiers, and retail employees who keep our store shelves stocked and the checkout lines moving. And thank you to our childcare providers who have continued to care for our kiddos throughout these tough times. Folks, these frontline workers deserve more than a heartfelt and well-deserved thank you. They need to know they are appreciated for their selfless service. That is why I am proposing we give these heroes a break--a tax holiday--and allow them to keep more of their hard- earned paycheck. Together, with the sacrifice of these essential workers, the spirit of generosity we have seen across Iowa, and the service of our leaders at every level of government, we will get through this. The battle continues, but I know that we can and we will beat COVID-19. Stay safe and stay strong. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I would like to recognize Iowa Safe Schools as they hold their 15th annual Iowa Governor's Conference on LGBTQ Youth today, May 11, 2020. This annual tradition, which began in 2006, is an effort to help end bullying in our schools and to create leadership opportunities for LGBTQ youth students from not just Iowa but from States across the Midwest. Thank you to Iowa Safe Schools for continuing your mission of providing a safe environment and community for Iowa's LGBTQ youth to learn and grow.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we have a clear objective right now, which is to get additional, immediate relief into the hands of the American worker and to do it fast. That is what we are focused on, folks. That is what we have been focused on since passing the phase 1 package, and then the House-led phase 2 relief package last week. The phase 2 bill was not perfect, but I was happy to support it because it was the right thing to do. It was the support that Iowans needed. Since President Trump signed that package last Wednesday-- nearly a week ago--I have continued to hear from Iowans--those in our hospital industry, those in the restaurant industry, agriculture, trucking, retail, childcare, biofuels. I have heard from all of them, one-on-one conversations about the need for additional and immediate relief--relief for the young families in Iowa right now who are feeling very anxious about how they are going to make that end-of-the-month rent payment come April 1; relief for the nurses, like my cousin, and the doctors who are fretting about going into work because they don't have the personal protective equipment they need to prevent them from getting and spreading the coronavirus; and relief for the small business owner who so badly wants to able to keep her employees on the payroll so that when we get through this pandemic--and folks, we will get through this pandemic--she can get her business up and running and can keep sending her employees those paychecks. We have a lot of those small business owners all across our Main Streets and all around our squares in Iowa. I also think about the seniors across my home State of Iowa who are probably worried about access to the medical services and the care they might need during these very challenging times or the middle-aged couple who have been looking at the market and seeing those markets spiraling down every single day and wondering, What does that mean for our future and for our retirement plans? Folks, the American people are hurting right now. They are very anxious. And now, more than ever, they are looking to us. Iowans and, of course, all Americans need to know that we have their back and that their livelihoods are our top priority. What we have seen over the past several days is a very sad attempt by folks across the aisle to stall and exploit this crisis as an opportunity to jam through their political wish list. Folks, we can have those policy debates. We can have those another day. But with each passing minute we waste, more lives are at risk, more jobs are lost, and more communities are turned upside down. We are not going to play games anymore in the U.S. Senate. The American people have made it quite clear: They need relief, and they need it now. This phase 3 relief package is not and will not be a ``Christmas tree'' bill. In fact, folks, it has been the product of hours and hours of bipartisan negotiations from five different groups. Those working groups have worked late into the night and over the weekend to come up with a good bill for the American people. This bill is squarely focused on getting immediate relief to millions of hard- working Americans across our great United States. Just a while ago, the Democratic leader was on the floor, and he was touting a number of these provisions. As my colleague from West Virginia pointed out, those provisions the leader is touting have been in this package. These are not new provisions. These are not new provisions, folks. We should have, and we could have, advanced this bill days ago. This bipartisan phase 3 package includes billions of dollars for our Nation's healthcare workers and our healthcare system as a whole. This has been a big priority of mine--something I have heard from time and again from Iowa's hospitals and healthcare professionals and something I have called on Congress to respond to: billions of dollars for additional personal protective equipment and other materials. Healthcare workers are depending on us to help increase the supply of the PPE they need so that they can continue to battle the spread of the coronavirus and care for their patients, some of whom are our most vulnerable. There are billions of dollars for small businesses across our States to be able to keep employees on the payroll and pay their bills. Again, that is a huge priority for Iowa. Again, as my colleague from West Virginia stated, about 99 percent of her businesses in West Virginia are small businesses. That is true in Iowa, as well, with 99 percent of our businesses being small businesses. There are billions of dollars to provide direct financial assistance to individual Americans to ensure access to testing and a future coronavirus vaccine is covered at no cost--at no cost--to the individual and dollars going to expanded telehealth and to increase care for our veterans and also to provide unemployment insurance and to defer student loans. Folks, the list goes on and on and on. This bipartisan phase 3 relief package is focused on the American worker and our American family. Again, many of these provisions have been in the bill since the beginning. These are not new provisions. We need to stop these stall tactics. It is not time for long, drawn-out policy debates on the floor of the Senate. Folks, now is the time for action. It is time for Congress to step up, put aside our partisan wants, and show up for the people of our States. I am an eternal optimist, and I have hope that we will be able to come together and reassure the American people that they are our top priority. Each and every one of us in this body has an obligation to the men and the women who elected us to do our jobs, and right now our job is to get Americans the relief that in some instances they are literally crying for. To my friends across the aisle, I believe you know what the right thing to do is. Join us. Put the people ahead of party. Help us deliver additional relief to the men, the women, and the children of our great Nation. Let's pass this phase 3 relief package today. Folks, we all want you to stay safe and stay strong. God bless you all. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, our country is facing a crisis. Maybe I don't need to whisper that. Our country is facing a crisis. I have served many times over--many times over--in crisis: floods, hurricanes, and war in a slightly different suit. We are facing a crisis. We have three States that have had National Guardsmen activated in support of the coronavirus pandemic. We are in a crisis. And right now, right here in Congress, we have the ability--the duty--to act and to provide additional, much needed relief to the American people. Last night, and, unfortunately, yet again today, have been very, very disappointing displays of putting partisan politics ahead of the immediate needs of the American people. Now, some would call this righteous indignation. I say, no, it is fighting for the American people. My friends on the other side of the aisle delayed--no, let's say it the way it is. They blocked--they blocked--this package to move to cloture to further debate this bill, this bipartisan relief package. Let me make this clear. The votes we have been taking haven't even been on the final bill. It is simply a way for us to continue negotiating and debating on a path forward on a bipartisan relief package--a package that, again--I am going to echo what my colleague from Ohio said--was written in a bipartisan way, two Republicans and two Democrats from those lead committees assigned to these task forces. Folks, Iowans deserve better than this. All Americans deserve better than this. This is no time for political games and partisan wish lists--and, yes, there are partisan wish lists out there--of things that have nothing to do with the immediate needs of this pandemic. This is a time for action, folks, and it is a time for leadership. Look, folks, the Senate took up a House-led phase 2 package that many of us considered not perfect. Phase 2, now, let's keep that in mind. There are many phases going on during this pandemic. Phase 2, we didn't feel that was perfect. Well, what happens when a phase 2 is not perfect? You move to a phase 3 because we need relief. We put our differences aside here in the Senate, and we supported--we supported the phase 2 package and provided the second round of immediate relief for our workers, our families, our seniors, and our businesses across the country. Why? Folks, gosh, darn it, it is the right thing to do. Why can't my Democratic colleagues do the same? We need to be working in the most efficient and effective way possible to get immediate relief to the men, the women, and the children across this country. We need to give them what they need. I have spoken directly with Iowans by phone all week: the small businessowners, the members of our ag community, many workers at our hospitals and in our healthcare industry, these moms and dads, the employees and employers, the grandmas and the grandpas, nurses and doctors, small businessowners, farmers, and veterans; you name it. They are all in crisis at this very moment. I can't tell you how many of those Iowans were crying on the phone with me. They keep saying: We need it now. We need relief now. Maybe you don't think, across the aisle, that phase 3 is perfect, but--you know what--the longer we delay this, the more Iowans I am going to hear crying on the other end of the phone. Not one of them has told me: Don't pass this bill. Not a single one of them. What they have said is it needs to be done today. Again, I will remind you that there are States where we have mobilized National Guard soldiers. The President and those Governors don't just mobilize National Guard soldiers because it is a fun thing to do. They do it because we are a nation in crisis. Just overnight in Iowa, we had 15 more cases, and that is a total of 105 cases of coronavirus in my home State. That is not a lot compared to other States, but--you know what--Iowa is not populated a lot like other States. In Iowa, 105 is a lot. Just a couple hours ago, I was on a call with Iowa's State leaders who were at the State Emergency Operations Center. Let me say that again--Emergency Operations Center, an EOC. You don't just set those up for fun, folks. You set them up when your State is in crisis. They gave us a picture of what is going on with our workers and our small businesses on the ground in Iowa. Within 3 hours, the State received over 11,000 calls for unemployment insurance, and 2,000 of them are self-employed. They will not qualify for unemployment insurance. You know what would relieve their hurt? This package, phase 3. Meanwhile, my Democratic colleagues are holding this bill up that would actually deliver the relief that is necessary for these workers whom I just mentioned for things that have nothing to do with a crisis. Senate Democrats are stalling funding for hospitals and small businesses until they get to jam through their Green New Deal. You tell me: What does placing emissions standards on airlines have to do with getting Iowa families and workers the relief they need right now? The Green New Deal was brought up on this very floor last year. How many of them voted for it? None. None. Big zero. Big zero. They didn't believe in it then, so why are they trying to jam it through now? Americans from every corner of this Nation are looking to the Senate for more help. This is an extraordinary situation, folks, and it requires an extraordinary response. This is, arguably, the biggest bill ever--nearly $2 trillion of funding. But is that enough? If we were offering up $3 trillion, would it be enough? If it were $4 trillion, would it be enough? I guarantee you that our friends on the other side of the aisle would say: Oh, that is not enough. We need the Green New Deal. We need XYZ-- which has nothing to do with the COVID-19 crisis. We are better than this. Let's come together in a bipartisan way, as we have done through much of this process. We took up phase 2. We supported it. I was glad to support it because it was the right thing to do. Let's deliver for the American people. It is our duty. We do not have time to delay. We must pass this additional relief now. Again, it is phase 3. There may be many more phases to go. And if the Democrats believe it is the right thing to do, they will get this package done today, and we will move on and have discussions for yet another phase. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I have 10 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on pending nominations. Committee on Environment and Public Works The Committee on Environment and Public Works is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Douglas Benevento, of Colorado, to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and David A. Wright, of South Carolina, and Christopher T. Hanson, of Michigan. Committee on Finance The Committee on Finance is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10:10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nominations: Kipp Kranbuhl, of Ohio, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Sarah C. Arbes, of Virginia, to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Jason J. Fichtner, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Social Security Advisory Board. Committee on Foreign Relations The Committee on Foreign Relations is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10:10 a.m., to conduct a hearing. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing on the following nomination: James E. Trainor III, of Texas, to be a Member of the Federal Election Commission. Committee on the Judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a closed roundtables. Committee on Veterans' Affairs The Committee on Veterans' Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a closed roundtables. Select Committee on Intelligence The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 2 p.m., to conduct a closed roundtables. Subcommittee on Personnel The Subcommittee on Personnel of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing. Subcommittee on Seapower The Subcommittee on Seapower of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Wednesday, March 11, 2020, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, with spring approaching, the days are getting longer and temperatures are warming up. Many are hitting the gym, trying to get that summer bod before heading to the beach, including some turtles. That is right, your tax dollars actually paid for a study that put turtles on treadmills. So here we have our turtles on a treadmill. To no one's surprise, it turns out that turtles are really, really slow. OK. That is what our tax dollars went to. In fact, this wasteful study found that turtles moved at nearly the same pace as dead turtles on a treadmill. Aren't you glad that Washington bureaucrats used your hard-earned dollars to conduct this study? Good grief, folks. How many of your tax dollars went to this study, exactly? Well, folks, your guess is actually as good as mine because there is no legal obligation for most Federal agencies to publicly disclose the price of government projects, even though the American taxpayers are paying for them. Folks, this is your money--your money. Shouldn't you have a right to know how it is being spent? It has been said before, and I surely believe it: Government functions best when it operates in the open. This is the basis of Sunshine Week, which begins this Sunday. Sunshine Week is celebrated every year in March to remind us of just how important it is to have government transparency, especially when it comes to how our tax dollars are being spent. Transparency really is fundamental to the principles upon which our Nation was founded. The people have power to affect the decisions made by those of us who are elected leaders, and, in turn, Congress has the authority to hold accountable the millions of unelected Washington bureaucrats who ultimately write the rules and regulations that impact nearly every aspect of our lives and decide how our taxpayer dollars are spent. This year, I have a couple of bright ideas to shine some light on how Washington is spending your money. Let's talk about those darn government boondoggles--those Federal projects that are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. Frankly, we know nothing about them because the government agencies aren't required to report this information to you. Well, I have a bill to help shed some light on these costly monstrosities. My Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act would require an annual report listing every single taxpayer-funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget or 5 years or more behind schedule. This will make it impossible for Washington bureaucrats to continue throwing our tax dollars into bottomless money pits without being noticed. Unfortunately, it is not just the billions wasted on boondoggles being kept secret. It is the cost of the Federal projects. So I have proposed a bill that requires every project supported with Federal funds to include a pricetag with the amount that is paid by taxpayers. That way, when your money is being spent to put turtles on a treadmill--the ones I mentioned to you earlier--you, the taxpayer, can decide if the price is right. Of course, the waste doesn't stop there. Did you know that Federal agencies spend over $1.4 billion every year on advertising and public relations? This includes--you will love this--more than a quarter of a million dollars for costumed mascots like Sammy Soil and Milkshake the cow--a quarter of a million dollars. There was nearly $10,000 to produce a zombie apocalypse survival guide. Yes, folks, I am not joking. And there was $30,000 for a martian New Year's Eve party and hundreds of thousands of dollars on tote bags, stress balls, fidget spinners, and other trinkets. Well, folks, thankfully, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is voting today on my bill, which forces agencies to disclose exactly how much they are spending on all of these government gimmicks. Folks, it is time we bag the swag and end this unnecessary taxpayer-funded propaganda. With our national debt now exceeding $23 trillion, there is literally no better time than Sunshine Week to start shedding more light on how Washington is managing or maybe, in this case, mismanaging your money. The only reason to keep taxpayers in the dark is that these spending decisions can't withstand the scrutiny. And, folks, that is exactly why sunlight is the best disinfectant. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session for a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Tuesday, February 25; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; finally, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Molloy nomination under the previous order.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Foreign Relations Committee be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 481.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the provisions of rule XXII, at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, February 25, the Senate vote on the following: one, confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 384; two, cloture on Executive Calendar No. 491; three, cloture on Executive Calendar No. 569; further, that if cloture is invoked on the nominations and following the third vote in the series, the Senate stand in recess until 2:15 p.m. to accommodate the weekly party luncheons; that following the lunch recess, the Senate resume legislative session and consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 3275 and the time from 2:15 p.m. until 3:30 p.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. I further ask unanimous consent that at 3:30 p.m., cloture on the motions to proceed to S. 3275 and S. 311 ripen and that following the votes on those motions to invoke cloture, the Senate vote on the following: one, confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 491; two, confirmation of Executive Calendar No. 569; and, three, cloture on Executive Calendar No. 416. I further ask unanimous consent that if cloture is invoked on the Greaves nomination, the vote on confirmation occur at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, February 27; further, that if any nomination is confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Thank you very much to the junior Senator from Indiana. We really appreciate his efforts on these bills as well. Again, I think all of us would agree that these are commonsense pieces of legislation, and we would love to see some movement coming from our friends on the left. We have had a wonderful colloquy this evening. Of course, again, thanks to the Senator from Montana, Mr. Daines, for leading this colloquy and for sharing his time with us this evening as we have talked about some of these measures. To the junior Senator from the great State of Nebraska, as well, Mr. Sasse, thank you so much for authoring the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act. And thanks to Senator Lindsey Graham, of course, for authoring his pain-capable bill. Again, we have talked this evening about those two bills that really hit close to home. I did happen to sit through the Judiciary Committee hearing that was led by Senator Sasse a couple of weeks ago, where we did talk about the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act. It was true that so many of our friends across the aisle were deflecting on the legislation. They were talking about a woman's right to choose. They were talking about being pro-choice and supporting abortion. The bottom line is, this is not a bill that has anything to do with those topics. This is about saving babies who are born alive after a botched abortion attempt. So I think we have to make that very clear as we move through tomorrow's proceedings. Again, thank you for the colloquy this evening. It has been very helpful in expressing our views about the rights of these babies to live and to make a difference in our world. With that, we will close out the colloquy, again thanking those who are supporting the bills, as well as those who joined us here on the floor this evening.

Ms. ERNST. I thank Mr. Sasse, the great Senator from Nebraska. I want to thank him for joining the colloquy and for offering the bill that would save these babies that, as he described, are born in horrific circumstances. But a baby is a baby, and it is undeniable. I do hope that we have a number of our friends and colleagues from across the aisle join us tomorrow in that vote and say that, yes, this is a life that deserves dignity and a chance and an opportunity. That is what we are asking for. So thank you very much for your work there. We will continue our colloquy. We have another speaker that is joining us from the great State of Indiana. I will yield to the junior Senator.

Ms. ERNST. Absolutely, Senator Daines, and I am proud to join you on the floor for this colloquy this evening. I will take your place, and I have just a few words that I would love to share on these bills as well and protecting our unborn. Again, I would like to thank the Senator from Montana for arranging this colloquy. We want to get into some of these commonsense measures that we are speaking about this evening. I appreciate the Senator from Montana's words, and it is astounding that we are even having this debate on the floor of the Senate. Very, very commonsense, lifesaving measures are coming before us this week, and, first, I would like to step back a little bit and take a moment to answer the one key, big-picture question at the center of this debate and the debate that we have over life, and the basic question there: Is life valuable? And my answer to that question is absolutely. I see value in every single life, and we all have different ideas on how we measure the value of life, but I can boil it down a little bit. Some folks would say it is what a human being will bring to this world. Now, what that is can be determined by different measures, but what impact does a person have. Now, some, of course, will see celebrities. They will see athletes. They will see trailblazers and scientists and say: Wow, they have made their mark on the world, and they contribute so much. There is so much impact there. But then I see it in everyday, common people at home in Iowa, as well. I even reflect upon folks like a friend of my daughter's who grew up in our small community of Stanton. He has Down syndrome, and yet he contributed so much--and still does to this day--in our home community. He is our hometown spirit coordinator at every football game, and he is leading everyone in their cheers and supporting our hometown teams. And this young man brings so much joy to everyone. I would say that his life has made a huge impact on all who know him. We can think of the smallest among us as well, that baby in the womb, and how does that baby make an impact. As a mother, I know that fellow mothers can relate to this as well, but that baby makes an impact even in the womb. The experience of pregnancy can change a woman forever, not just physically but mentally and emotionally. Women I talk to will often comment on the amazing feeling and bond they will have with that child who is growing in their womb. They experience that heartbeat in the womb. And even to the effects that maybe we don't like to reflect on--I remember the swollen ankles I had in the last month of pregnancy. No offense to Fred Flintstone, but I had Fred Flintstone feet. Even things like that we can reflect on. But the impact of having that child stays with me. It changed me forever. I know that other mothers know that whether it is from the beginning of a pregnancy with a healthy, full-term child or whether it is a scary premature birth or, for some, the difficult and life-ending decision to abort, the fact remains that the tiny human being carried within us has forever left a mark on their mother. This truth spurs me on to fight even harder to protect the undeniable value that every human life has. Every human life has value. So today I stand with my pro-life colleagues in asking our pro-choice friends--many of whom are mothers and fathers themselves--to meet us in the middle. We may not be able to get on the same page when it comes to recognizing the inherent value each of these lives holds, but surely we can agree that protecting our most vulnerable from painful death is a unifying and humanitarian cause. What I would like to do is just tell you the story of my fellow Iowan, Micah Pickering. Micah is joining us on the Hill this week, and I encourage all of my colleagues to take some time to meet this incredible boy. He will be on the Hill tomorrow. When I first met Micah, he was just a couple years old, and his family had brought him into my office. I had this picture. I had just this picture in my office. Micah, then 2 years old, ran over to this picture, not knowing it was he, and he pointed at it and he said: ``A baby!'' I started to cry, and I said: ``Yes, Micah, that is a baby.'' Today Micah is happy, healthy, and he is 7 years old. He was born at 22 weeks, and that is the age of some of the babies we are talking about today--born at 22 weeks. When Micah was born, he was literally the size of a bag of M&Ms, a tiny baby. Folks, can't we all agree that this is a baby and that babies like Micah who survive a premature birth at 20 to 22 weeks--we are talking about those who survive at 20 weeks, which is more than halfway through pregnancy--are deserving of protection? I agree with that. The only difference between Micah and the more than 10,000 children who are aborted after 22 weeks' gestation--which is what Micah was--the difference, the dividing factor, is that Micah was wanted by his parents. His parents, Danielle and Clayton, saw his inherent value. The Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act is a measure that should meet the approval standard of my pro-choice friends because supporting this bill means giving all of the Micah Pickerings of the world an equal, fighting chance. The degree to which a child of any age is wanted does not diminish their value, and we have an obligation as lawmakers to protect their right to life. But if we cannot come together in support of a bill that protects viable babies from abortion at the point when they feel pain, then surely, surely a baby who survives an abortion attempt deserves the same degree of care as any other newborn. Folks, just think about it. These babies, their lives--they have already survived a horrific abortion attempt and have been given a second chance at life. But without our putting the necessary protections in place, these precious babies can literally be left to die. Those in the medical field who fail to care for these precious newborns need to be held accountable. Senator Sasse has helped lead the way in protecting these living babies with his Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, a commonsense bill that I proudly support. Given that we have an estimated 143 babies who died between 2003 and 2014 after surviving abortion, it is clear that we need to strengthen the current law. These babies deserve the basic medical standard of care regardless of how wanted they may have been. I implore you to think about the issue of life in a new way, one that is very simple. When you think about everyone you have come into contact with, whether it is your family, your friends, your coworkers, your spouse, even yourself, every single person was at one time a defenseless child in their mother's womb. Every life, from the baby who has just been conceived, to each and every one of you in this room tonight, has value. Whether you are that star athlete, whether you are that scientist making new discoveries, whether you are that hometown cheerleader, every life has value. To my Senate colleagues, we have had this debate before, but I ask that you consider these bills with new eyes focused on the inherent value of life. You have the opportunity to save lives, and I hope you will join me in doing so. I thank the Senator from Montana for raising this issue this evening, and I am proud to be a ``yes'' vote on both of these tremendous bills. I hope we can get others to join us in that effort. Thank you, Senator. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, there is really no way to sugarcoat it. Washington's budget process is broken. Every year, it is like clockwork. First, the President submits his budget, like we saw this past Monday. Then the House tears it up--no pun intended, really. They ultimately fail to pass their own budget, and then Congress kicks the can down the road before finally cramming through a budget-busting bill at the eleventh hour. There is no question this process is dysfunctional, but maybe, more importantly, its lack of transparency allows for wasteful spending to continue year after year--unchecked. Folks, this cycle has to end. We have to start chipping away at this ballooning debt, and we have to work toward cutting our government's most wasteful spending. One of the best ways to do this is to call it out when we see it. As some of you may know, every month, I give out my Squeal Award to call out the parts of our government that are wasting hard-working Americans' tax dollars. I highlight the most egregious waste found within the bowels of Washington, and then I put it forward and offer up a solution to stop it. Take, for example, what I like to call the binge buying bureaucrats. Every year at the end of September, the bureaucrats charge billions of dollars to taxpayers during Washington's annual use-it-or-lose-it spending spree. We have seen the compulsive buying include items like millions and millions of dollars of lobster and crab. We have even seen spending on games and toys or even on something like a $12,000 foosball table. Is that what we need in Washington, DC--foosball? I have also called out Washington's boondoggles that are just bottomless money pits for projects that never really even get off the ground. As for the contractors who are working on these boondoggles, the ones who are failing at their jobs, guess what--they are getting big, fat bonuses. A primary example of this egregious misuse of tax dollars is what I like to call the moondoggle. Right there. There you have it. Look at that--the moondoggle. I am talking about the rockets that are being developed for NASA's next Moon mission. This project is billions of dollars over budget and years--folks, not months but years--behind schedule due to poor performance. Yet NASA still handed out generous bonuses that totaled over $300 million to the contractor who is working on the project. Folks, it is absurd. This is absurd. We have to put an end to it, and thankfully I believe we might actually be on a path that will do that. Taxpayers should be encouraged that all of this ``squealing'' has finally been heard at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Both of these Squeal Award recipients--the binge buying bureaucrats and the infamous moondoggle--have been targeted by President Trump in his latest budget proposal. Within its pages, the President states that his administration is committed to stopping improper end-of-year spending and will begin closely scrutinizing how money is being spent at the end of the fiscal year to curtail waste. The President's budget also calls out the poor performance of the NASA contractor and proposes management improvements that would shave $300 million off the cost of the mission. This is encouraging, no doubt about it. In order to codify these efforts, I am putting forward a package of commonsense reforms to join the President in urging Congress to actually address Washington's spending addiction, get our budget process back on track, and ensure Iowans understand exactly how their hard-earned dollars are being spent. In order to force Congress to do its job and become a better steward of taxpayers' money, I have introduced the MAKE CENTS Act. This comprehensive package combines five simple ideas I have previously introduced. First off, it requires an annual report listing every government- funded project that is $1 billion or more over budget or 5 years or more behind schedule. Second, it requires every project supported with Federal funds to include a pricetag that is easily available for taxpayers. Third, it eliminates use-it-or-lose-it impulse purchases by limiting an agency's spending in the last 2 months of the fiscal year to no more than the average spent in the other months. Fourth, it prohibits Congress from going on recess without passing a budget on time. Fifth and lastly, it prohibits Congress from getting paid without its passing a budget on time. Folks, these are not new or radical reforms. Many folks in the Senate and in the House have proposed various versions of these items, recognizing the serious problem we face. Like the bill title reads, these ideas just make sense. If hard-working Iowa families have to manage their budgets, we really should expect Washington to do the same. So let's get at it. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Ms. ERNST

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

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Madam President, I want to first thank the House managers and the counsel for the President for their time and their hard work and patience these past few weeks. Yes, folks, we have had a robust and at times a rancorous trial. Some days I left here feeling angry, and some days I left more hopeful. Frankly, it is likely that many Americans--and in my case, Iowans--from every political stripe will feel hurt by this process at some level. But we are all representatives of the ideals and beliefs of the people we are here to represent. Like all of you, I have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution, and I take that oath very seriously. There have been a lot of arguments presented about what the Constitution says regarding the threshold for impeaching a President. It is clear to me that the Constitution goes out of its way to make it a high bar for removing the President. This is because the Founders were rightfully concerned that impeachment might be used to upend the electoral will of the American people. Absent restraint, the impeachment process would be all too tempting for those who oppose a sitting President to simply use it as a tool to achieve political advantage. Each of us had one job--one job--during this process: to decide, based on the evidence, whether the President committed an impeachable offense. Upon reviewing the record containing the testimony of 17 witnesses and over 28,000 pages, as well as hearing from both sides on their arguments presented throughout this process, I will vote against both Articles of Impeachment. The arguments of the House managers simply did not demonstrate that the President's actions rise to an impeachable offense. Given the constitutional requirements, voting any other way on these articles would remove the ability of the American people to make their own decision at the ballot box in November. This process was fraught from the start with political aims and partisan innuendos that simply cannot be overlooked. The House managers' arguments have argued that the American people cannot be trusted to render their own judgment on this President. I reject this premise and the complete distrust of the American people with everything in my heart. To do this would set a new and dangerous precedent in American history. As we sit here today, we believe we are experiencing a unique and historical event; however, if the case presented by the House of Representatives is allowed to be the basis for the removal of this President, I am afraid that impeachment will become just another tool used by those who play partisan politics. This is not what the Founders intended, and this is a very dark path to go down. Under the Constitution, impeachment wasn't designed to be a litmus test on every action of the President's; elections were designed to be that check. Further, the issue of foreign affairs has historically been fraught with peril for Presidents. Foreign affairs is an art, not a science, and trying to insert a formula into every Presidential interaction with a foreign leader is a path toward ineffectiveness. The Senate is about to close this chapter in American history. I pray that we do not allow this to become the norm. I also pray earnestly that we will shift into a spirit of cohesiveness, coming together to get our work done for the American people. Our people, our Founders, our country, and my great State of Iowa deserve better than this. I yield the floor.

Ms. ERNST

Ms. ERNST. Mr. Chief Justice, I send a question to the desk for myself and Senator Lankford.