Cory Gardner

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize a great Coloradan, Chris Dinsdale, who will be inducted into the 2020 Farm Credit Colorado Agriculture Hall of Fame. Chris is a banker and cattleman from Sterling, CO, who has devoted his life to benefiting his community. Chris is the coowner of his own business, while also serving on multiple boards, and is the current cochairman of the Bank of Colorado. No matter his role, he works tirelessly to help our rural communities grow and ensure our agricultural producers are among the most successful in the country. His passion for Colorado can be seen in every action he takes. I remember commenting to Chris about some of the new banks he was building in several towns across eastern Colorado. He smiled in response and said that he knew some of the banks would probably never make enough money to pay for the cost of the building but that ``the community had been so good to them'' that he wanted to repay the town with a beautiful new business they could be proud of. This is the kind of person Chris is, one who puts the community before himself, the kind of person who makes Colorado special. Chris's knowledge and expertise in Colorado agriculture has been recognized throughout the State, as Chris has earned several coveted awards from his community, including--Sterling's Business Person of the Year, Elk Businessman of the Year, and Logan County Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year Award. These awards demonstrate his ability to not only grow his own business but his ability to create a better Colorado through his investments in new infrastructure, as well as tuition assistance and scholarship opportunities throughout the Eastern Plains. The impact Chris has had and will continue to have will benefit generations of Colorado agriculture. I am proud to call Chris a friend, and he is more than deserving of this great honor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a Foreign Service Officer of the United States and a former Pearson Fellow in my office, who was tragically killed in an accident while serving his country abroad. After serving in my office for a yearlong fellowship, Nathan Lane was assigned to the Poland desk at the U.S. State Department here in Washington. Sadly, while on temporary duty in Poland, he was involved in a car accident. While he was initially hospitalized, his injuries proved too severe, and, surrounded by his loving family, he passed away on November 2. Nathan was a committed public servant who joined the State Department in 2000 and served in nearly every corner of the globe. He and his wife Sara and, later, his son Peter travelled from Mexico, to Russia, to Belarus, to Vietnam, and finally to Kenya. After his assignment in Kenya, he had the ``misfortune'' to be assigned to my office through a Pearson Fellowship. Here, my team and I got to see his diligence and dedication every day firsthand. During his time in my office, Nathan proved invaluable. His knowledge and expertise of foreign policy gave him a mastery of the portfolio, as revealed by his exceptionally researched policy papers on important international issues and matters that my team and I tackled in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Nathan's understanding of the dynamics of foreign relations and his skills at compiling pertinent information allowed him to craft the soon-to-be-released report on China. This product of the Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and Cybersecurity Policy will be a comprehensive report on the activities of China in the Indo-Pacific region. Absent Nathan's diligence and dedication, this report would not have been possible. Additionally, Nathan drafted a resolution urging the formation of an unprecedented treaty alliance between the United States and Indo- Pacific nations to collectively guard against growing cyber threats. The Cyber League of Indo-Pacific States, or CLIPS, was Nathan's brainchild. He was passionate about this idea and rightfully proud of this resolution, and my team and I are honored to carry on this torch. Of course, Nathan contributed so much more than just policy expertise. His kind heart and curious nature made him a friend to my staff and me. He would readily help those around him, even with the smallest tasks, without a whisper of complaint and quickly fit in as one of the team. Nathan had many passions beyond foreign policy. He loved chess, and every so often, we would catch him pulling up an ongoing game between times of busyness. He loved running, and it wasn't uncommon for him to step away from his desk at a convenient time to go for a quick jog around Capitol Hill. Perhaps his greatest passion, though, was baseball. Indeed, one of his most timeless contributions to our office was his membership of Coors & Corn, the joint softball team between Senator Sasse's office and mine. We may not have won it all that year, but we certainly would not have stood a chance without Nathan. As we celebrate the World Series in Washington, Nathan was such a great Nats fan that, every time we cheer for that team, we will also be cheering for him. He was one of a kind. He was cheerful, eager, and caring; his loss will be felt by all of us who knew him. I ask my colleagues to join me in praying for his family, his wife, and his son and commemorating the man who graced so many of us with his compassion. Mr. President, I yield the floor. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. GARDNER

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

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, this week across this country, we celebrated Veterans Day. Veterans Day in Colorado and across the country means a lot of different things to so many people across our Nation, but one thing it has always stood for is a day of thanks to share and celebrate the men and women in our families and our communities who have done so much for our country so that it continues to be the greatest Nation on the face of this Earth. In Colorado, we celebrated with parades, parties, charity fundraisers, races and marathons, and events all over the Centennial State to recognize the work of our veterans and the sacrifice of our veterans and their families. Admission to all of our State parks was free so veterans and their families could enjoy the land they have defended. In Colorado Springs, where we have a number of veterans and Active- Duty military members, three of the largest school districts didn't take the day off for Veterans Day but, instead, they held veteran appreciation events, breakfasts and lunches with local veterans, invited special speakers, wrote letters to men and women who have served, and had other opportunities for students to learn about the sacrifices our veterans have made for our country. We in Colorado--we in this country take great pride in our veterans and our veteran community. In Colorado, our six military bases, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, all play a critical role in defending our Nation and keeping the world a safer place. Colorado is home to more than 400,000 veterans who have bravely served our country. Earlier this year, I was fortunate enough to meet more than 100 Colorado heroes as part of the High Plains Honor Flight, a tradition that has been carried on for a number of years. It is an incredible tradition every year--bringing Colorado veterans to our Nation's Capital, touring the war memorials, and taking the opportunity to meet these veterans, look them in the eye, shake their hands, and say thank you. I could spend all week talking on the floor about Colorado's veterans and their incredible acts of service, but if you get the chance, I hope you will visit Pueblo, CO. The Home of Heroes Medal of Honor Memorial is in Pueblo, CO. The memorial pays tribute to more than 3,400 people who have received our country's highest award for military valor. Outside the memorial, there are four statues, one for each of Pueblo's Medal of Honor recipients. One of these men, Lt. Raymond G. Murphy, was a U.S. marine who was serving in Korea in 1953. After a failed raid with heavy casualties, Lieutenant Murphy organized and led his platoon in a heroic rescue effort to save his fellow marines. Providing cover and driving back the enemy, he rescued his fellow men who were under intense enemy fire. He sustained numerous wounds but refused treatment until everyone else had been treated. Lieutenant Murphy stayed on the battlefield until every marine was accounted for. When President Eisenhower presented Murphy with the Medal of Honor, he was quoted as saying: ``What is it about the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!'' That is our Pueblo, CO. Whatever it is, there must be a lot of it in Colorado's water. U.S. Army CPT Florent Groberg--another Coloradan--was based out of Fort Carson. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Afghanistan. In 2012, his patrol was ambushed by an individual wearing a suicide vest. Captain Groberg rushed to the individual and grabbed him, driving him away from his fellow troops and down to the ground. The bomber's vest exploded, severely wounding Captain Groberg. He miraculously survived the blast, and his heroic actions and selflessness saved many of his patrol members' lives. His actions were certainly extraordinary, and they showed the character of the men and women who serve. They would do anything to protect those they love. I am also reminded of a Coloradan I have had the honor of working with and meeting over the last several years. Two years ago, in fact, I had a Veterans Day experience I will never forget with another veteran who refused to give up on his fellow brothers and sisters in arms. I was visiting Donald Stratton, who was a seaman 1st class on the USS Arizona when the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Mr. Stratton was one of the last five remaining survivors stationed on the USS Arizona. Since that time 2 years ago, we have lost Lauren Bruner. There are even fewer today than there were. He told me how a young sailor named Joseph George disregarded the orders to abandon ship in order to save his life and the other sailors. Joseph George never received a medal for his actions, and Donald Stratton didn't think that was fair. It didn't sit well. Mr. Stratton and I and his family worked together to finally convince the Navy to honor Joe George, to give this hero the recognition he deserves. Donald Stratton's story sticks with me because he had already fought one war for his country, and then he had to spend another 16 years fighting government bureaucracy in order to honor the man who saved his life and the lives of others. It is a reminder that our veterans need our help and our support to receive the recognition and the care they continue to deserve. All of the stories I have shared and the individuals I have talked about are extraordinary, but there are so many other--countless acts of heroism. Every single person in our armed services today is extraordinary. Every day, they perform heroic acts of service and make sacrifices that may not make the national news or the front page of newspapers, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that they sacrifice for our country every day. They have put their bodies and their minds through vigorous training, boot camps, and deployments. They have given up valuable time with their loved ones. They are away from home for months at a time, if not longer. There are the holidays they will never get back and the important milestones they have missed with their families as they placed their civilian lives on hold to serve our country. And too many people return with wounds of war, both physical and mental. All of these sacrifices and their willingness to place their lives on the line for the country they love add up to a debt we can never repay--never pay back. I hope that the Veterans Day celebration this week serves as a reminder that it is our responsibility to take care of those who have taken care of us. We owe it to our Nation's veterans to ensure that they can receive the best possible care and that they have the tools and support necessary to navigate civilian life. The Senate and the House have taken great steps to improve the lives of veterans and the care they receive, but we can always do more, and we must do more. We must do more and never give up. We can do better than the status quo. For veterans living in rural areas like the Western Slope or Eastern Plains of Colorado, long drive times and a shortage of doctors and nurses at the VA facilities make it difficult to receive the care we promised. There has never been a fight too dangerous or a task too difficult for these men and women who have served our country, and that is the approach we need to take. We have to be in this fight to make sure we approach veterans' care with the same commitment and find creative solutions to ease the transition to civilian life, to make sure they have the care they need, and to make sure we have enough physicians and nurses and doctors in these places to provide the best possible care. Earlier this year, I introduced my VA Readiness Initiative, which is a comprehensive package of improvements and reforms to ensure we are following through on every one of these promises to veterans. The VA Readiness Initiative focuses on four pillars to support veterans: expanding access to services, encouraging innovation, VA accountability, and empowering transitioning servicemembers. It introduces more oversight and more transparency and accountability at VA facilities to eliminate fraud and increase the quality of care. In order to ease the transition to civilian life, it enhances programs that help veterans start small businesses and train for future careers in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. It promotes innovative approaches to suicide prevention, which is a heartbreaking problem in the veteran community. In Colorado, we are losing one of our own nearly every 7 hours to suicide. In recent years, we have lost more veterans to suicide than we lost in combat. Think about that. We have lost more veterans to suicide than we have lost in combat. In Colorado, we lose roughly 200 veterans a year to suicide. I am working with my colleague Senator Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin to designate 9-8-8 as a national suicide hotline that veterans and anyone else in crisis can call when they need help. Veterans answered our call when we needed them; we need to answer their call when they need us. When somebody is suffering from a heart attack or a medical emergency, a crisis, we all know to call 9-1-1, but how many people know a number to call if they find themselves in a time of mental health crisis? Is there a 10-digit hotline? Yes, there is. How many people can know that and know that now off the top of their heads? How many people can tell a friend in need what that hotline number is? Let's simplify it. Let's make it a three-digit number like 9-1-1 for health crisis emergencies. Let's make sure we have 9-8-8 for mental health needs. The current suicide hotline number is 10 digits long. This is an easy-to-remember hotline--9-8-8--to connect people in crisis with professional help. When a veteran is in need, a phone call is made, and they will receive specialized care for veterans. Press 1 to be directed to the veterans support line, where they can receive mental health support specific to the unique needs of our veterans. I also hope every veteran in Colorado will look to our offices--my office in Colorado and my colleagues' offices--Senator Bennet and others--if there is anything we can do to help. Oftentimes, too many people don't know about the services that can help them. Thanks to the outpouring of veterans who contact my office each and every year, we were able to help open the VA Medical Center in Aurora, CO, last year. It was long overdue but essential to their care and to making sure we have the finest medical care for Coloradans. Senator Johnny Isakson from Georgia, chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee--somebody who is stepping down from this Chamber at the end of the year, and we will miss him greatly--was instrumental in making this happen and will be greatly missed when he leaves. Johnny is a true statesman and a champion for our veterans. We in Colorado are grateful for his work to make sure that the VA hospital in Aurora is the crown jewel of our support system in our State for veterans. November is also Military Family Appreciation Month. I certainly want to express my gratitude to the military families who share the burden of service. This is not just an individual effort; it is indeed a family effort. When one member of the family serves, the entire family serves. We all know this can be a difficult time of the year. The holidays are coming up for troops and their families. As all of us celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and other traditions in our families, I hope each one of our prayers will go to a military family in need, heroes who are placing their dreams on hold to protect the American dream. To everyone who has served this country, thank you for the sacrifice you have all made, and know that our Nation is grateful. It is because of the commitment you bring that we can continue to live in a nation with unlimited opportunities, a nation founded in liberty and rooted in the principles that inspire hope and optimism around the world. To every veteran, thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you have done in service to our beloved country. May God bless you, and may God bless this great United States of America as you continue to serve and as we continue to serve you. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I come to the floor to talk about several amendments I am working on in relation to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies; the Agriculture; the Interior and Environment, and Related Agencies; and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bills that this body will be working on shortly. The first amendment I am offering to the legislation addresses a very serious issue; that being the rising scourge of methamphetamine around the country. Methamphetamine--meth--use is something we talked a lot about a decade ago. Conversations turned to opioid abuse in this country--and rightfully so--and focused on opioids, but unfortunately meth use is now increasing dramatically in States like Colorado as we continue to address the opioid epidemic. When I traveled across Colorado over the summer and last week and through the August work period, I heard from rural sheriffs across the State who were especially concerned about the severe impact that meth was having on our small communities. Headlines this summer and as recently as this week talked about the increase in meth use across Colorado and the country. From 2011 to 2018, treatment admissions for meth across Colorado increased by nearly 40 percent. In 2018, 318 people died in Colorado from meth overdoses. That is a 750-percent increase over 10 years. From 1999 to 2018, there has been a 1,450-percent increase in meth deaths in Denver alone. In 2018, which was just last year, the Denver Police made nearly 1,500 meth-related arrests. Indeed, there were more meth arrests in Denver than there were arrests for heroin and cocaine combined. Meth causes property damage. It damages our families. It can cause, certainly, permanent damage to the individual who is using meth, and it causes tremendous harm to families. In Utah, just in August, nearly $2.2 million worth of methamphetamine was confiscated--seized--in the State of Utah that was heading to Colorado. That $2.2 million was enough meth to provide 1.1 million individual doses in Colorado. It was on its way, and it would have done great harm. I have introduced an amendment that would add $1 million to the COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program. This $1 million increase would allow one more fully funded grant to go to an area, to a State, to a drug program to help reduce and to break up this cycle of meth. We have heard from the people in Colorado. We have heard from the sheriffs. We have heard from our communities to do more. I believe this amendment does more to help to address the epidemic of meth and the lives it is shattering in Colorado, and I hope my colleagues will be able to support this issue. In particular, I thank Senator Daines, Senator Tester, Senator Gillibrand, Senator Baldwin, and Senator Jones, who have all joined me in adding $1 million, fully paid for and offset within the bill, in order to help combat this epidemic of meth in our country and certainly in our States like Colorado. Another amendment I have been working on is the bulletproof vest amendment. We have seen far too many attacks on our law enforcement over the past several years. This legislation would provide a $1.1 billion fund for our Nation's law enforcement officers with type 3 bulletproof vests. These vests are capable of stopping more powerful rifle ballistics and, therefore, would allow more officers to come home at the end of the day from their service. That is what we need to be focusing on--how to protect the men and women in blue in our communities. I am proud to have joined legislation earlier this year that has been signed into law that permanently reauthorizes the Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Program, and I hope we continue to build and offer our support to those who defend that thin blue line. The crown jewel of our conservation programs, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, has benefited Colorado and this country so significantly over the past several decades. It is something that has affected every State in the country in our being able to preserve and protect some of our most pristine environments across this great land. Last spring, we were able to work together in a bipartisan effort to permanently authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This legislation, which is the amendment I will be offering to the bill, would fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. So, while we have done a great thing in permanently authorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, we need to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This amendment would do just that and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Why is this important? The outdoor economy, that of protecting our public lands, is so critical to the State of Colorado. The outdoor economy alone in Colorado generates $28 billion in consumer spending and $2 billion in State and local tax revenue. It employs close to 230,000 people just in Colorado alone, which makes Colorado the year-round destination for visitors. If you are interested in skiing, there are already 40 inches of snow in Summit County, and several ski resorts have opened up already. It is snowing right now in Colorado, so this amendment is all the more important as people look to our State for the continued enjoyment of the great outdoors. I have a bipartisan amendment with seven of my colleagues--Senators Bennet, Daines, Tester, Burr, Heinrich, Collins, and Shaheen--that will fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund for fiscal year 2020, and I hope this Chamber will support the legislation. I am also working on an amendment that will address the ski area fees that our ski resorts pay to the Federal Government in order to operate on public lands and have their ski runs on public lands. Many times, the ski resorts, the ski areas, are the largest employers in our mountain communities and contribute significantly to the economy and to the health and stability of our local communities. There are 122 of our ski areas that operate on National Forest System lands. They generate, roughly, $37 million in rental fees for the Treasury. Yet staffing levels for those very recreation programs are 40-percent lower than they were in the year 2000. Just as more and more people are enjoying our public lands, we see fewer and fewer people who are employed by the Federal Government to deal with those public lands, to process the permitting needs, and to address the needs of our public lands. Fire borrowing has been an issue that has gobbled up some of the funding that has helped manage our forests. We have put a bipartisan fix in place that will no longer allow that money to be gobbled up, but we need to find a solution as to the ski area fee retention as well so we can allow that money to stay within the forest in which it is generated. Now that we have the fire borrowing fix, we can put the ski area fee bill in place and have even more dollars returned to the forest from which those fees are generated so we can address the staffing issues and other complex issues we face in our national forests. This bill alone would allow a portion of that $37 million to be returned to the forests from which they were generated. That means more timely permit application processing at the Forest Service and better customer service from those in the ski areas that are trying to accommodate even more and more people who visit our great ski areas. I am also working on an amendment to the legislation that deals with RTD, which is our public transit system in Denver, and the Front Range. Years ago, the Department of Transportation was working on an effort that refunded some programs in Colorado. The RTD, more than 20 years early, had basically paid off the loan on one of these projects. The RTD was told it would be reimbursed by the Department of Transportation if it paid this off. Unfortunately, even though it has paid it off early, it has not been reimbursed. If you look at the effort and the project it accomplished with this loan, the Denver Union Station project is one of the highlights of urban renewal in the country. The RTD got the loan successfully paid off early--a great success. Now it needs that money back in order to continue investing in Colorado. I am working with Senator Bennet to make sure this money gets back to Colorado, which is one of the amendments we have filed.

Mr. GARDNER. The National Institute of Standards and Technology is one of the Nation's premier research agencies in the Federal Government. Colorado is lucky to house the second-largest contingent of NIST staff in Boulder, where they work on issues like telecommunications, biosciences, forensics, and quantum information science and technology. NIST's Boulder campus, and their affiliated NIST/JILA partnership, has won three Nobel Prizes and three National Medals of Science. These preeminent experts were charged with continuing to build on the successes in the National Quantum Initiative Act, which passed into law just this last Congress. But in order to remain competitive globally, competing against countries like China, the United States has to continue its robust investments in science and research and development, and that is going to require investing in our science facilities as well. When I was able to travel to the NIST facilities in Boulder, I witnessed a trash can and giant trash bag used to collect rainwater from a leaky roof. Nobel scientists--prize-winning scientists working there. It is harmful to think that it is okay for this great country to have Nobel Prize-winning scientists working in a facility that can't even keep them dry because the roof leaks. While I am grateful to the Appropriation Committee's attention to increasing the construction and facilities budget for NIST in recent years, we have a lot more work to do. That is why, in light of the National Quantum Initiative, I introduced an amendment to the Appropriations bill to provide an additional $161 million for construction and renovation costs for NIST projects. In partnering with universities, like the University of Colorado at Boulder, NIST can continue to expand their work on issues like quantum in renovated and new state-of-the-art research facilities. That benefits the United States and will retain and grow our competitive advantage around the globe. Another issue that I continue to hear about in Colorado, that we were able to address through the appropriations package before us, is affordable housing. It is an urban issue; it is something that you face in Boulder or Denver or Colorado Springs. But it is an issue that I hear in some of the smallest communities, as well as the biggest communities. So Senator Young and I have been working on an amendment that deals with affordable housing. We know we have a relationship between the lack of affordable housing and issues relating to health, education, nutrition, and job outcomes. And those issues, combined with homelessness and lack of affordable housing, combine with other issues to create strains on government and other social services. The amendment we have offered will help us better understand those challenges and the root causes of and lack of affordable housing, and help us understand the effects of the affordable housing crisis on health and education and employment as well. It will help us to understand what work we need to do to solve the problem or whether there are smaller programs that are already working to expand, to help, do even more good. These are a number of bills related to the great State of Colorado, and in this country and I think will do a lot of good, and as we process these appropriations bills in a bipartisan fashion, we will be able to improve and help in addressing some major issues. With that, Madam President, I yield the floor. Health Insurance Plans

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Montana for his comments on the USMCA. I come to the floor today to talk about a farm tour that I have done every year that I have been in the Senate. This is a tradition that started when I was in the House of Representatives with the wheat growers in Colorado, where we go around the Fourth Congressional District talking about those issues that matter to our farmers in the wheat business. Colorado's Fourth Congressional District raises the vast majority of wheat in the State of Colorado, and about 87 percent of that wheat gets exported. Senator Daines' comments on the USMCA and what that means for Eastern Colorado are incredibly important. I hope that is a bipartisan effort that we can all get behind in the House and the Senate, and, of course, it has to start in the House, and we need the House to act as quickly as possible because those wheat farmers in Eastern Colorado need the certainty of new markets. The cattlemen in Colorado need the certainty of new markets and existing markets. That is exactly what the USMCA will do. I commend my colleague for his words on the USMCA. Over the last several months, I have been participating in this annual Colorado farm tour that I undertake every year with not only my staff but producers from across Colorado. It is in conjunction with a number of organizations in Colorado, like the Colorado Farm Bureau, Colorado wheat growers, corn growers, cattlemen, and others, who all come together to show us every aspect of Colorado agriculture, from the production itself to the actual processing and finishing of agricultural products. We drove hundreds of miles across the State of Colorado, starting in Greeley at a cheese-making plant. Almost all of the milk that is produced in Colorado--Colorado being one of the highest milk-producing States in the country--goes into cheese that every American gets to enjoy. Whether it is Domino's pizza or Papa John's pizza, that cheese most likely comes from Colorado. This is a great opportunity on this tour to connect all four corners of Colorado and the work that we do in agriculture and to hear their concerns. We ended the farm tour at the State Fair in Pueblo. What was particularly special about this year's farm tour, though, was, of course, being joined by the Colorado Farm Bureau, and the fact that it is the 100th year anniversary of the Colorado Farm Bureau. Congratulations to the Colorado Farm Bureau. We will be talking about that more over the next several months. Congratulations on this very historic anniversary, and thank you so much for joining this tour and making it happen once again. As Members of Congress, all of us are used to discussing policy topics, but keeping farming and ranching at the forefront and keeping rural America at the forefront of those discussions is critically important because we need to focus specifically on those issues facing our farming and ranching communities. In Colorado, the ag community accounts for more than 170,000 jobs. It is responsible for more than $40 billion in economic activity. It is one of the largest economic drivers in our State--a State that has been transformed by energy jobs and high-tech aerospace jobs. Agriculture remains one of the highest job sectors in the State. Even though it is so vital to our State, we know how much of a struggle it has been in agriculture over the last several years. According to the Department of Agriculture, 2019 farm income is projected to be down 49 percent from its peak in 2013. Over the last 6 years, we have seen a nearly 50-percent drop in farm income. Debt held by our farmers and ranchers is at $409 billion this year. That is up from $385 billion the year before. There is significant worry in the heartland about what is happening to our agricultural communities and the future of farming and ranching in this country. One way to immediately help to provide solutions to solve this problem for farmers and ranchers is to make sure that we implement the 2018 farm bill programs as quickly and expeditiously as we can and that we resolve outstanding trade disputes, that we pass the USMCA, and that we resolve the trade dispute with China so that we can continue to open up new markets, develop new markets, and thrive with existing markets. When an industry that accounts for nearly 11 percent of our Nation's employment is struggling like agriculture is, we simply can't wait any longer to provide help. We must act now to put the ag community back on the path to sustainability, so that not only current generations of farmers and ranchers can continue in operation but new generations of farmers and ranchers can come back to Colorado, North Dakota, and States across this country to make sure they have bright futures in agriculture. Even in the face of difficult times, we saw on this tour how farmers and ranchers are innovating and looking to address new markets to increase their incomes. They are opening up new markets through the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, whether that is a trade agreement with ASEAN or Taiwan. Another example is clean energy opportunities that our farmers have embraced. On one of the stops during the tour, we visited a farm in Eastern Colorado near Limon, CO, to talk about what wind production means for that rancher. The farmer leased the land, the area, to Xcel Energy, which is Colorado's largest investor-owned utility, to install wind turbines, which provides them with an alternative source of income. Another rancher in the county talked about how they may earn as much as $5,000 per turbine for the wind operations on their ranch. If you think about it, this farmer had 20 turbines on his land--that is $5,000 times 20. That is $100,000 in income that this farmer would not have otherwise had. Farm income is down 50 percent, farm debt has increased, but this wind production, with a very small footprint, may be the difference between keeping in operation this year and next year. We have to welcome that kind of diversified agriculture opportunity. Another example of diversified income for agricultural producers is in Springfield, CO, in the far southeastern area of the State, where we visited a hemp processing plant. This Chamber has done great work when it comes to hemp, a new value-added opportunity for farmers and ranchers in Colorado. When this hemp processing plant is fully up and running, they are hoping to employ around 50 people. We went to this facility, and there is millions of dollars of equipment being invested in a small town. Employees will have a shop, a gym, and recreational facilities. They are going to build a lake there and hire 50 employees in Springfield. I remember asking one of the other county commissioners who was on the tour with us in Baca County: Did you ever imagine a day when one business would bring 50 employees to Springfield? The answer was very quick: No, never at all. This as an incredible opportunity, not only for the farmers in the area but the community that will now benefit from 50 good-paying jobs with benefits. That is just one other source of revenue that we can achieve. We also had the opportunity to visit Agriculture Research Station in Akron, CO, where they are doing tremendous research on dryland oilseeds and new technologies. One of the things we talked about is how we can make it more effective to produce dryland crops and how we can make oilseed opportunities available for additional value-added opportunities in the area. We also had opportunities on the farm tour to talk about mental health needs and what is happening in our communities. On too many stops during the farm tour, I heard about the impact that our struggling ag economy is having on the mental health of farmers and ranchers. A 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found that agricultural workers have a higher suicide rate than any other occupation. When we passed the farm bill in 2018, we also included language called the FARMERS FIRST Act, which will help to create mental health opportunities for those involved in agriculture and help to make sure that we have suicide assistance and prevention training for mental health assistance and suicide prevention efforts for farm advocates to help create support groups and reestablish the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network. That needs to be something that we all talk about back home with our agricultural community. Because they have provided food and fiber for this country and, certainly, the world, we need to make sure we are supporting them in every way. We also talked about how we saw a nearly 40-percent increase in admissions for meth addiction in Colorado between 2011 and 2018. While we talk a lot about opiate addictions in this country, it is actually meth that our sheriffs are most concerned about in our rural areas. While we address the opiate epidemic, we also have to be giving and providing new tools and resources to deal with the addiction scourge of methamphetamine. Alarmingly, a significant number of that meth is coming into Colorado from, basically, industrial-scale manufacturing facilities and sophisticated operations in Mexico and China. We need to make sure that we disrupt those operations. We need to advocate more for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program and the anti-methamphetamine task force to help law enforcement prevent cartels from getting these kinds of drugs into the country and continue to work on programs like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to focus on recovery resources and prevention. Everywhere we went on the farm tour, we heard about the labor shortage, whether it was the cheese-making facility or whether it was the ranch or the hospitals that we visited on the farm tour. They talked about the need for labor. We need a guest worker program that meets the needs of labor in this country. Housing issues seem to be something that we don't talk about when it comes to our rural areas. We talk a lot about it when it comes to the Denvers and the mountain communities and resort communities. Our rural areas are facing housing shortages and needs, as well. We introduced legislation and are working on legislation out of this farm tour to help focus our labor and housing shortage needs. I have talked about trade and the opportunities we have with trade to open up new markets and to resolve current trade issues, and we need to continue to work on that. While the agricultural community is currently facing very serious issues, I want to be clear that our farmers and ranchers are as strong as ever. Growing up on the Eastern Plains of Colorado and still living in the heartland of Colorado agriculture, I have always observed the incredible positive impact that agriculture has on our communities-- rural communities and urban centers as well. When the Federal Government gets out of the way of farmers and ranchers and growers and allows good things to happen, that is when our rural communities grow and thrive. A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to celebrate National Farmers Day. It was a day to celebrate the great community that has always been the backbone of this Nation, but we can never express all of our thanks to this industry simply on 1 day of the year. To all of our farmers and ranchers, to those who make our breakfast, lunch, and dinners possible by providing abundant food and fiber for this country and this world, I am grateful for them and look forward to continuing to work on new solutions and better opportunities in the years to come. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I stand here today to recognize the veterans of High Plains Honor Flight who have made their inaugural trip to Washington, DC. Distinguished veterans from World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war have made the journey to visit the national memorials dedicated to their service. Military service is an exceptional duty to the country. Few words can describe the gratitude we all share for sacrifice that these men and women have made to preserve our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When the United States has been threatened, our veterans have bravely answered our countries call without reservation. Twice a year, the Honor Flight welcomes veterans from across the country to fly to Washington, DC, free of charge, so that they can visit the national memorials dedicated to their service. Please join me in honoring Charles Assmus, Clarence Carlson, John Dutton, Gordon Norton, Willis Sibley, Michael Abramovich, George Edinger, James Forrest, Alan Gates, Charles Hall, Jason Laguna, Richard Lindemann, Richard McCown, James McWilliams, Gerald Mitchell, Erlis Morse, John Oliver, Bernard Pisciola, Donald Price, Earle Ridgway, Richard Stoltzfus, Wayne Tobey, Johnny West, Benjamin Zimmerman, Robert Davison, Gerald McDuffee, Jed Pancoast, Ronald Adam, Ronald Albers, Leon Bartholomay, Richard Belt, Hal Bennett, Kenneth Blum, Clyde Bullard Jr., Kenneth Butcher, Jan Carlson, Allan Cazer, Terry Chandler, Spencer Chapin, Daniel Crego, James Crowell, James Davies, Robert Delva, William Dowling, Gerald Ecker, Carl England, Thomas Evans, Ricky Farrier, Markton Gadbury, Roy George, Don Gooding, Jack Hall, Calvin Hamilton, Robert Jacobson, Charles Jett, Larry Johnson, Daniel Katze, James Keeler, Gene Keys, Daniel King, Raymond Kirchner Jr., Damian Kisner, Richard Knight, Terrence Kullbom, Dale Langholf, Noel LaRose II, Harvey Lawson, Richard Lawson, Robert Loner, Jerald Lucas Antonio Luna, Thomas Mason, Tony Mathias, Bobby Matthews, Charles McConnell, Timothy McGinnis, Allen Meyer, Blythe Miley, Richard Miller, Thomas Mitchell, Robert Montgomery, James Morgan, Richard Morris, Paul Niebel, Larry Odegard, Carol Jean Padilla, Theron Parlin, David Patterson, Mark Patterson, Robert Pennington, Randall Peonio, Arturo Perez, Floyd Peterson, Christopher Petroff, Linda Pickett, Gary Pitt, Donald Posselt, Richard Ranabargar, John Rasmussen, Robert Righi, Gary Schuler, Curtis Shaffer, John Shaffner, Lee Sherbenou, Donald Simmons, Jerry Skelton, Richard Smith, Richard Smith Jr., Jimmy Spence, Donald Spotanski, Roger Stocker, Thomas Tedesco, Virgil Treadway, Ted Turner, Thomas Wartella, Arthur Weidner, Mark Williamson, Garry Wilson, William Woolman, Darell Zimbelman.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, today I wish to honor and celebrate Dr. Michael Cherington of Castle Rock, CO. This fall, Dr. Cherington is reaching the age of 85. He has lived a full life and helped many others to do the same. Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1934, Michael, who often went by the nickname ``Mickey'' showed initial greatness at age 10 when his father arranged for him to play against the American chess champion, Arnold Denker. Arnold defeated all the adult opponents in the room. Mickey's game ended in a draw. After graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, Mickey attended Pitt Medical School, then moved to Colorado Springs for a year of residency. During that year, he received an important letter ``Greetings, You're being drafted into the U.S. Army.'' His extended stay in Colorado with the Army would become the hook that kept him happily in the State to this day, some 60 years later. Dr. Cherington set up a private practice in neurology in Denver and was made professor at the University of Colorado Medical School. He served the community very well in both of these capacities, helping thousands of patients in Colorado. As an author of dozens of articles and other research, he became known internationally and traveled around the world to meet with neurologists as new medical discoveries were allowing people to be cured of ailments that were once a fatal diagnosis. His time in Colorado led him into an unusual field of neurology, studying survivors of lightning strikes. His work in this field led to a new nickname, ``Lightning Doctor'', and he would go on to publish many articles about lightning injuries and how to avoid them. His work led to the creation of the Lightning Data Center, which brought together experts across several areas of expertise and disciplines. Soon the Lightning Doctor was on local TV and beyond, including ABC's ``20/20,'' ``National Geographic,'' and even ``Unsolved Mysteries.'' Through Mickey's work, he was able to help people avoid the doctor's office, or worse, by educating them about lightning storms and lightning safety. Today, Dr. Cherington lives happily with his wife Nancy Cherington and spends time with family and close friends. That chess player from Pittsburgh can still be seen around a chess board--most likely on his iPad--or spending time with his children or their nine grandchildren. Thank you, Dr. Cherington, for your contributions in your work and for those around you.

Mr. GARDNER

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

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, last weekend, the world watched as an attack was launched on the oil processing infrastructure of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The attack initially reduced Saudi Arabia's daily output capability by half, and that represents about 5 percent of the daily global production. Oil prices around the globe spiked by as much as 19 percent before starting to fall on the news that there was enough oil in reserves around the world to deal with any short-term reduction from Saudi Arabia. One of those reserve nations they were talking about, of course, included this great Nation, the United States. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is important to maintain. I think we all recognize that, especially in light of the attack on Saudi Arabia. Yet I have always believed and had the mindset that we need long-term energy supply solutions in this country. As the attack on Saudi Arabia has displayed, there is no foreign substitute for American energy. Should this attack on Saudi Arabia have happened before our Nation's energy renaissance, we would have been in a much worse situation. The near monopolistic control other nations once had on the oil and gas market no longer exist--a credit to American ingenuity and innovation. Over the last decade, we have had a turning point in this country on energy, which is something that leaders around the world talk to and point to in the United States. We have produced more oil and gas, we have improved energy conservation, and we have diversified our energy sources. In 2015, we got rid of another handcuff to securing energy independence. We lifted the export ban on oil. That policy change both boosted America's domestic energy industry and is helping today to settle markets after the attack in Saudi Arabia. Lifting the ban has unleashed millions of barrels of oil into the marketplace, which has kept prices steady and reduced the influence of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, and Russia. Think about that, what the United States has done to reduce that influence. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, U.S. petroleum and natural gas production increased by 16 percent and 12 percent respectively in 2018. These totals combined established a new production record. The United States surpassed Russia in 2011 to become the world's largest producer of natural gas and surpassed Saudi Arabia in 2018 to become the world's largest producer of petroleum. Last year's increase in the United States was also one of the largest absolute petroleum and natural gas production increases in history from a single country. The United States continues this trend toward energy independence, and that is a good thing. Yet, despite these successes, there are those who want to not just stop this trend but who fully intend to reverse our energy independence. Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have endorsed a Federal fracking ban. They want to ban the very production that gave us energy independence, that gave us independence from OPEC and Russia. They have endorsed ending fossil fuel exports, and they have endorsed eliminating energy development on Federal land. Yet, tell me, do any of these policies actually result in more affordable energy prices? Do these policies make energy more reliable? Do these policies keep the price at the pump down? Do these policies keep our allies across the globe safer? Do these policies keep our troops safer? Let's take gas prices. If my Democratic colleagues were truly concerned about the impact of gas prices on their constituents' pocketbooks, I am curious if any of them would come up with a calculation of what gas prices would be after the ban of hydraulic fracturing, the stopping of exporting fossil fuels to the global market, and the stopping of energy development on Federal land. What would the price be? I guarantee you that there wouldn't be very much opportunity or at least very much comfort for their constituents. Over 20 percent of the crude oil produced in this country in 2018 came from Federal land. There is little doubt that eliminating 20 percent of the supply of oil would have a significant impact on gas prices. Yet that is exactly what several have called for. Fracking has extended the productive life and resource recovery at the Bakken, Eagle Ford Shale, Marcellus Shale, Niobrara, and Permian Basin formations, just to name a few. As a matter of fact, the U.S. Geological Survey published an updated assessment of the Permian Basin's resources in 2018. By itself, the Permian already produces one-third of the Nation's oil, and the updated assessment estimates that over 46 billion barrels of oil, 280 trillion cubic feet of gas, and 20 billion barrels of natural gas liquids are trapped in these low-permeability shale formations. The Nation's supply of oil and gas reserves essentially doubled in the blink of an eye, according to that report. Colorado's Western Slope is home to the Piceance Basin. In 2016, the USGS issued a similarly larger reassessment of the recoverable resources in the Piceance. The USGS estimated mean volumes of 66.3 trillion cubic feet of gas, 74 million barrels of oil, and 45 million barrels of natural gas liquids. The Uinta-Piceance Basin that covers western Colorado and eastern Utah has an abundant supply of natural gas that could be exported through a west coast liquefied natural gas terminal, like Jordan Cove, to our allies in the Pacific. We have enough energy resources to meet our domestic needs and to meet the needs of energy overseas. So let's relish that fact. Rarely do we have a chance to provide economic opportunities here at home, to provide energy security to our partners abroad and make sure our allies have those opportunities as well, and to use the innovation and the investments we have made here to weaken our enemies all in one area, like in energy production. Let's think about what the world would look like if we had not moved in the direction of increased domestic production in recent years. The decline of Venezuela's oil production over the last 12 years and the resulting political instability in the country would have hurt the import ability of the United States. OPEC and Russia would have a significantly larger role than they do today in determining the global production levels, and we have seen how that has played out for the United States in the past. We could very well be where China is today--overly dependent on imports from Saudi Arabia and terrified at the slightest hiccup in its production ability, which could have far-reaching consequences for our economy or, rather, we would find ourselves exactly where we were in 1973. That is where we will end up if my colleagues get their way and ban energy production, hydraulic fracturing, or pass the Green New Deal, as they would like. These policies would make us once again dependent on foreign sources of energy and make us vulnerable to the geopolitical manipulation that comes with that dependence. As recently as 2005, we were dependent on imports for two-thirds of our oil consumption--more than twice what we were reliant on in 1973 when we had a supply crisis during the embargo. If that were still true today, this attack on Saudi Arabia would be a significant cause of concern for the United States and for the U.S. oil supply. Yet, because of the pursuit of energy independence in the United States and the security we have achieved through these innovations and developments, we are confident that we can weather short-term supply disruptions in the global market. Banning production, banning the development of energy in Colorado, or implementing policies like the Green New Deal would kill not only our opportunity to be energy independent and weather the storm of a global supply crisis, but it would also kill millions of jobs around the United States that pay far above average wages. The oil and gas industry supports over 10 million jobs in the United States, and it accounts for almost 8 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States. The jobs have an average salary of over $100,000 a year. These are good-paying jobs that enable people to provide for their families, contribute to domestic energy security and our goal of energy independence, and they will allow us the ability to send a responsibly developed resource to our allies overseas who want a dependable trade partner. Many of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, though, simply want to do away with this industry, those jobs, those salaries, that freedom, the independence, and the prosperity that it brings. Instead of talking about putting our traditional energy sources out of business, why don't we talk about hardening our energy infrastructure, protecting these critical assets, and continuing to responsibly produce those resources for us, the environment, and for the world? Doing so is a win for the United States. It is also a win for our communities and those who wish to partner with us in order to fuel the world's economy. It is incredibly important that we have energy independence, and I can't think of a more disruptive crisis the world could have faced had this happened in a country in which we no longer had the production that we do today. I hope we can work together on energy policies that continue to create jobs and grow the American economy. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, several months ago, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee had the opportunity to sit down with the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, to talk about a number of concerns around the globe, including our concerns about Huawei and ZTE and the fact that Huawei and ZTE pose serious threats to the national security of the United States and its allies. At the time, there had been a lot of discussion about what was happening in Europe and other places around the globe and about whether Huawei would be allowed to participate in our allies' networks and what that could mean for U.S. national security and our ability to continue to engage in national security conversations, intelligence operations, sharing of information, and the like. In that conversation, Secretary Pompeo said--and this was the entire group of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, both Republican and Democratic Members--in that conversation, Secretary Pompeo said that what would help would be to let Congress's voice be heard when it comes to Huawei and ZTE and that we should send a strong message to our allies that our concern with Huawei and ZTE is not a Republican issue, it is not a Democratic issue, it is not just a one-term-of-Congress concern, but it is an ongoing concern that we have with the security of our systems, our information, the lack of security and the vulnerability that Huawei and ZTE networks and equipment pose to the United States; that we send a message to our allies in a bipartisan, bicameral fashion that if they go forward and allow Huawei or ZTE to have access to their critical infrastructure networks, then that is going to pose problems for the United States; that we may have to tell them: Look, this kind of action could have consequences; that perhaps we don't share as much information with them as we otherwise would, or it could mean that certain facilities we were going to build together won't be built but all because of our concern over Huawei and ZTE. I want to thank my colleagues, Senators Coons, Markey, Cruz, and Rubio, who have joined me in cosponsoring this resolution. I want to thank Chairman Risch and Ranking Member Cardin for working with my office to get this resolution condemning and making a very strong statement against the actions of Huawei and ZTE back in July. Again, Huawei and ZTE pose a serious threat to the United States and our allies around the globe. This resolution makes clear many of the longstanding and bipartisan efforts we have made together to warn about the threats these companies pose to our critical telecommunications infrastructure. It further makes clear that the United States should reiterate to countries choosing to incorporate Huawei or ZTE into their new telecommunications infrastructure that the United State will seek to limit the risks posed to our government and military from use of such compromised networks. This is an issue that shouldn't be bound by partisanship; it ought to cut across the Members of this Chamber who agree on condemning the actions of Huawei and ZTE and standing up for our national security. That is why I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 136, S. Con. Res. 10. I further ask that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; the concurrent resolution, as amended, be agreed to; the Gardner amendment at the desk to the preamble be considered and agreed to; the committee- reported amendment to the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, tomorrow I plan to vote for the motion to instruct, which is in regard to language within the Defense Authorization Act that talks about the importance of protecting our national security interests against Huawei and ZTE. But when we are objecting to resolutions that are bipartisan because of motions to instruct that have no binding nature, I am concerned that perhaps we are not doing enough work to find those bipartisan solutions in this Chamber. So I hope, as I come back to this floor again to consider S. Con. Res. 10, to warn our allies that if they use Huawei or ZTE, there will be repercussions. The resolution itself is bipartisan. I hope we can come together as a Senate and recognize that motions to instruct are fine, but actual messages, condemnation, and understanding of our allies that actions will be taken are important. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, of course, the Senate is back in session after the August work period, where all of us were able to go home--and in the case of Colorado, go corner to corner--to visit with constituents, to have meetings, to talk about those issues that are concerning to the people of Colorado and what we can do to help provide solutions to the greatest challenges they see in their lives, their businesses, and in their State. It really is a remarkable time to go through such an incredible and beautiful State. In Colorado and in the West, we are blessed with amazing beauty and splendor. Our public lands are one of the smartest ideas this government has ever created over the 200-plus years of our Nation's history. To spend time in Southwestern Colorado, down by Mesa Verde National Park, over by Larimer County and Rocky Mountain National Park, to be on the Eastern Plains of Colorado, to visit places like the Sand Creek Massacre site, to reflect on what that dark chapter in our American history meant, to look at what we are trying to do to include Amache, the Japanese-American internment site, into our National Park Service, it really is a chance to reflect on the greatness of our country. This is a State that is composed of almost 50 percent public lands, a significant number of acres that are controlled, owned, and managed by the State of Colorado and, of course, a vast amount of acres controlled and operated by the Federal Government--whether that is the U.S. Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management or the National Park Service. It is the Bureau of Land Management that brings me to the floor of the Senate tonight. Prior to our departure for the August work period, an announcement was made from the Secretary of the Department of the Interior that the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management would finally be moving west and indeed would be moving to Grand Junction, CO. The Bureau of Land Management manages roughly 250 million acres of surface lands and surface area in our country, and almost all of it-- over 99 percent--is west of the Mississippi River. You can see the land that is highlighted in red here. Some of this land is just mineral rights and not surface land, but over here the vast amount of acreage is all surface land--some 245-some million acres of land, 99 percent of which is west of the Mississippi River. The idea we have been pursuing is that the public lands are managed better when you manage them from within the communities that those public lands surround. In the case of Grand Junction, CO, the Bureau of Land Management--almost 73 percent of Mesa County, in which Grand Junction resides, is public land. Why not make the decisions facing these millions of acres of public lands in the West, where the lands reside, instead of thousands of miles removed in Washington, DC? Moving the Bureau of Land Management headquarters closer in proximity to the land it oversees and regulates makes sense. It is common sense-- two things we don't hear very often in Washington. Moving the BLM is a priority I have been working on for a number of years, going back to an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing with Neil Kornze, then the Director of the Bureau of Land Management under President Obama. It was a hearing where almost every county commissioner in the West had objected to a regulation that the BLM was pursuing, and yet the BLM continued to pursue it. I remember being frustrated in this hearing and finally saying to Director Kornze: If you were just located in the West, if you just had your BLM offices in the West, your headquarters, you would understand why this is a bad idea. At the time, he kind of laughed and said: Well, we should think about that. Do you know what? We did, and I am pretty excited to say that in just a couple of weeks, we will be signing the lease for new office space in Grand Junction to house the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management. This is not--and I think this is important because this seems to get lost in the day-to-day shuffle of media coverage. This is not a partisan issue. This is not a Republican-driven idea or a Democratic- driven idea. This is a bipartisan approach that has been embraced by leaders on both sides of the aisle. Democratic Colorado Governor Jared Polis in July said of moving the Bureau of Land Management to Grand Junction that ``we are thrilled to welcome the Bureau of Land Management and their employees to the great state of Colorado. As I stated to Secretary Bernhardt many times, Grand Junction is the perfect location for the BLM because of the community support, (its) location closer to the land BLM manages and the positive impact it will have on our western Colorado economy.'' That wasn't a Republican who said that. That was the Democratic Governor of the State of Colorado embracing the move of the headquarters of BLM. In fact, we had both Republicans and Democrats cosponsoring legislation I introduced in the Senate and Congressman Tipton introduced in the House to legislatively move the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management to the West and now in Colorado. Unfortunately, we are starting to hear some partisan debate, though, creep into this incredibly important move. What we are seeing in Washington, of course, are Washington Democrats trying to stop the process. In the news, we read about Washington bureaucrats who are opposed to the move, but it is important to realize that this decision is not about the bureaucrats; it is about the job we are doing to represent our public lands. This is an agency that doesn't just work for each other. It is an agency that works for the people of this country and to do the best job they can representing and managing our public lands, the public lands they are charged to manage and to protect. Why wouldn't you do that job from where the public lands reside? Moving the headquarters to the West will improve support. It will improve engagement. It will improve oversight. It will improve collaboration with western Governors whose States, in some cases, are overwhelmingly dominated by public lands. It will improve relationships with State and local elected officials. It will improve relationships and management decisions and will work with the Tribes and Tribal officials and sports men and women and ranchers and grazers and farmers and recreationalists and energy users. It will also save States in western communities thousands of dollars in travel expenses. Imagine, if you live in Colorado and Western Colorado, that you no longer have to fly thousands of miles to Washington, DC; that you don't have to buy an expensive round-trip airplane ticket, spend the night at an expensive hotel, buy an expensive meal at an expensive restaurant. You get to travel, drive, or fly--a very short trip--to Western Colorado, with great air service and great interstate access. You don't have to pay for a Washington hotel or a Washington meal. These are things you can do when the BLM is actually located where 99 percent of the land they represent resides. Under the Department of the Interior's proposal, every western State will get additional staff. Two hundred ninety-six current Washington positions will be moved to locations throughout the West. From Alaska to Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Wyoming, all will receive new staff out of Washington, DC, and onto the public lands they represent, that they oversee. For those of us who are routinely in Washington, we will still be able to get information immediately and meet with officials from the Bureau of Land Management. The Deputy Director of Policy and Programs will continue to be located in Washington, along with 60 other positions that are responsible for budgetary items, legislative affairs, regulatory affairs, and public affairs. They will still be here. So it is not like Washington will all of a sudden have no one to call or no one answering their calls. It is a little bit absurd. It talks a little bit about the lack of hubris that government has, to think that only Washington knows best and only Washington can lead, to think that you can't manage these lands from where they are. This will improve the management of our public lands, and BLM employees will see benefits as well. The cost of living for BLM employees who move from Washington to a State office will be considerably lower. That will result in a significant increase back into their pocketbooks. Leasing costs are also worth raising when we talk about the BLM headquarters. The BLM compared leasing space for 27 staffers in Washington versus the leasing space available in Grand Junction, CO. The difference is $50 per square foot in Washington versus just over $32 per square foot in Grand Junction. If you think about what that means, it is a significant savings. You think about what it means for travel and the cost to taxpayers of travel expenses for BLM employees. According to the Department, in fiscal year 2018, BLM employee travel from Washington to the West was more than $37.2 million. There is no question that these resources could have been better spent on State offices and field offices that have been starving for resources for years. In its own analysis, the Department of Interior projects that the total cost over 20 years for the Bureau of Land Management's headquarters relocation and relocations to other Western States will have a net savings--get this--of over $123 million. Not only will we have better decision making and not only will the leadership of an agency that is the largest holder of public lands and manager of public lands in the country be located finally in the lands they oversee, with better decisions coming as a result, but we are going to save $123 million. It is a commonsense move designed to save taxpayer money, and management decisions will be better by the fact that these lands are now in their front yard, instead of thousands of miles away, bringing these decisions closer to the American people. The only reason to oppose this move is if you don't care about the people of the Western United States or you don't think somehow that the people in the Western United States are smart enough to figure out how to run public lands or manage public lands or maybe you don't think that Colorado is up to the task of being the headquarters of the BLM because apparently you don't trust the people in the West. There is no other reason to oppose this. This is common sense. Colorado is already home to significant portions of the USGS. Colorado is already home to NORTHCOM and NORAD. In fact, just today the new space command, the United States Space Command, stood up in Colorado Springs at Peterson Air Force Base. Yet, somehow, there are people--Washington Democrats--who don't think Colorado can handle the management of our public lands. It is offensive--it really is--to think that there are people in Washington who think that only Washington can do this job. It is wrong. We should stand up against that kind of, I guess, idea that only Washington can do something and fight back against that mentality. Colorado is home to significant EPA offices, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, significant resources of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Rocky Mountain Regional Office of the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. All are in Colorado. With so many acres of public lands, yes, we can manage public lands, and, yes, Colorado should be the gateway to our public lands in this great country and to all of the wonderful access opportunities that means to our economy, to recreation, to conservation. Ask any one of the thousands of Federal Government employees currently living in Colorado if they believe we can do this, and the answer is a resounding yes. Only in Washington do they think it is only Washington that can do the job. Washington bureaucrats and Washington Democrats can oppose Colorado all they want, but I believe in Colorado. I believe in our ability to manage these public lands better than they have ever been managed before. I believe this is the best place in the Nation to manage our public lands and to house and headquarter the Bureau of Land Management. As a result, we will have a cleaner and better environment, more conservation opportunities, and a greater public lands economy as a result. I am excited about this future. The people of Grand Junction are excited about this future. It is far time that we now have a little bit less Washington and a lot more Colorado common sense. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a giant of Denver and Colorado's business and philanthropic community, Mr. Roger Hutson. Mr. Hutson is the president and CEO of HRM Resources III, which is headquartered in Denver and produces energy in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Kansas. Mr. Hutson has a servant's heart. He has offered his business acumen and leadership experience to serve others in Colorado for decades. Mr. Hutson graduated from the Colorado School of Mines with a bachelor of science in geological engineering in 1982, one of the Nation's leading engineering schools. In 2004, Governor Bill Owens appointed Mr. Hutson to the school's board of trustees, and he was reappointed in 2009 by Governor Bill Ritter. During his two terms of service, he served as president of the board of trustees and chairman of the finance and audit committee. He has served on many other boards and commission at both the State and local levels. Because he is passionate about business, education, economic development, and public policy, Mr. Hutson was the first oil and gas executive asked to join the exclusive business organization known as Colorado Concern. There, he works with top Colorado executives who are interested in enhancing and protecting our State's business climate, a business climate that is widely recognized as the best in the Nation thanks to the work of people like Mr. Hutson. He has no doubt touched countless lives in Colorado as he has provided his time, talent, and resources to advance the causes he cares deeply about. He served as a mentor for the Denver Petroleum Club in 2013 and helped a group of young industry professionals raise more than $700,000 for the Wounded Warriors Project. He has also supported the Children's Hospital, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the Tennyson Center, and the Newman Center. Mr. Hutson will be honored next week at the Navy Seal Foundation's Denver Evening of Tribute. He is worthy of this recognition, and I thank him for serving and impacting so many people in the State of Colorado.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, several years back, at a committee hearing of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Director Neil Kornze of the Bureau of Land Management under the Obama administration was testifying before our committee on a regulation that was coming out of the BLM that most, if not all, of the county commissioners and various organizations in Colorado were opposed to. In fact, the opposition was so uniform in Colorado and throughout the West that I couldn't understand why the BLM was going forward with that regulation. Out of frustration, at one point during the committee hearing, I said: Director Kornze, if you were just located in the West, if you were just out west, you would understand why this rule is a bad idea. The response at the time, several years ago, was kind of a chuckle and a laugh, and, yes, well, we should talk about that. It planted the seeds of an idea that actually was made into reality just last week with the announcement that the headquarters of the Bureau of Land Management will be moving out west and, indeed, to Grand Junction, CO. This announcement was made on July 16, and I commend the efforts of Secretary Bernhardt and the Department of the Interior for listening to the people of the West. This isn't a Republican issue. This isn't a partisan issue. In fact, this idea to move the BLM headquarters out to the land that it regulates and oversees has been embraced by Democrats and Republicans across Colorado and throughout the West. They also talked about their intention in this announcement to reorganize the Bureau of Land Management and to relocate a significant number of headquarters jobs throughout the West, not just in Grand Junction but in Lakewood, CO, in Montana, in Utah, and beyond. I think it is important to talk about the reasons why it makes so much sense to have this particular Agency located in Colorado, in the West. Look at this map here. The red on this map is a combination of both mineral rights and surface lands. You can see the red. Forty-seven percent of all the land out west is where 93 percent of all Federal land is located. The Federal Government owns roughly 47 percent of this land out west. It is where 93 percent of the Federal land is located. Think about that. Ninety-three percent of all Federal land, here in the red, makes up 47 percent of the land ownership in the West. Nationwide, the Bureau of Land Management is responsible for managing approximately 700 million acres of Federal mineral estates located underground. That is the entire country, of course, but 245 million acres are surface acres, or Federal surface lands. All but 100,000 acres of those surface acres--all but 100,000 of those acres--are west of the Mississippi River, and located predominantly in the 11 westernmost States and Alaska. One of the frustrations I hear from local and county officials and environmental activists and farmers and ranchers is that when they deal with their BLM local field office, they seem to have a very good experience that people are working together to solve problems, and they like the conversations they have and the cooperation they are getting from the local and regional offices. But something happens when that decision-making process then moves to Washington, DC. Something happens, and all of a sudden the conversation and communication can stop. It changes. All of a sudden, the outcomes aren't what they thought they would be based on those local, productive conversations. We have seen directives and management decisions coming more from Washington, DC, lately, instead of from the local field offices, where people know their communities best and understand the land best. So what happens is that the deep pockets and special interests in Washington often carry the day, make the convincing arguments, thousands of miles removed from where the Federal and the public land actually is. That is why it is important to have this BLM move. It changes that. Instead of having special interests in Washington, in a community that has none of these public lands located in it, you are able to make that decision right here, in Colorado, surrounded by public lands, in a community that is defined by the public lands that they oversee. I believe government is going to work better when it is local, when local decision makers are closest to the land that the decisions they are making affect the most. That is why this decision is so important-- whether it is issues of withdrawal of locatable minerals or the reduction of grazing permits; the concept of multiple use over time; the idea that we can use this land for preservation, conservation, or that we can use it for energy development, or that we can use it for grazing. That has somehow fallen out of favor. My friend Greg Walcher, who is a former Senate staffer for Senator Armstrong, who used to head the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, wrote an op-ed about this point, pointing out that the multiple-use mandate includes managing 18,000 grazing permits, 220 wilderness areas, 27 national monuments, 600 national conservation areas, 200,000 miles of streams, 2,000 miles of wild and scenic rivers, 6,000 miles of national scenic trails, 63,000 oil and gas wells, 25,000 mines, and 50 million acres of forests. Not a square inch of that is in Washington, DC. It is in the 12 Western States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. It has never made sense for leadership to work 2,000 miles away from these States, insulated by the inevitably different perspectives of life inside the beltway. That is what is so important about this decision. When you don't live in the communities that are among and surrounded by these lands, it is easy to make decisions that close off energy development or close cattle ranches and grazing opportunities, because the consequences are felt out west instead of in Washington, DC. But this strong push by westerners--Scott Tipton, myself, Secretary Zinke, and others--began the conversation about modernization and the organizational structure for the next 100 years of the Bureau of Land Management, and I appreciate Secretary Bernhardt's decision to make this happen. Grand Junction, where the new BLM will be located, is an incredibly beautiful place, with people who are so supportive of this decision--a community that knows that when these decision makers are in their community, they are not going to have to drive hours or take a flight for 4 hours out of Washington to see BLM lands. Just to look out the window and to see the lands they manage will result in better decision making. Mesa County, where Grand Junction is located, is the county seat. It is 73 percent Federal land, 46 percent of which is managed by the BLM. In total, the BLM manages 8.3 million acres of surface in Colorado and 27 million acres of Federal mineral estates in Colorado. But we are not the only State that will benefit, obviously. There are a lot of other positions that will be moving across the country to the State and to the location where those jobs are a best fit. It makes sense. I know sometimes people think that Washington is the only place where people can do government's work or where people can find the kind of skilled workforce. That is one of the arguments that has actually been made against the BLM move--that only Washington has the skilled workforce able to do these jobs. Look, I am sorry, if you don't want to live in the counties and communities surrounded by public lands. Then, why are you working for a public land management agency? So I am excited about this. I thank the good people with the Secretary of the Interior who made this decision happen and the community of Grand Junction, which supported this from day one. In the same op-ed that Mr. Walcher wrote, he opened with a quote and said this: ``There is something more powerful than the brute force of bayonets: It is the idea whose time has come.'' That is where we have finally arrived today, an idea whose time has come, locating the decision makers who affect our western communities the most out in the western United States. I thank the Presiding Officer for the opportunity to talk about this decision. I commend the Secretary of the Interior for doing what is right by our public lands, and I will continue to stand up for public lands throughout this process. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

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

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, this afternoon the Senate will vote on permanent reauthorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. I am proud to lead this legislation with Senator Gillibrand, and I thank all of the incredible first responders for their efforts to make this day happen and, day in and day out, to get this legislation to where it is today. This critical legislation would fully fund the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and ensure that all those exposed to toxins and impacted by 9/11-related illnesses are thoroughly compensated, both now and as conditions are diagnosed in the future. Solving this problem is urgent as more and more people become sick-- people like Luis Alvarez, who came to Washington, DC, just a few months ago, postponing chemotherapy treatment to advocate for his fellow heroes. Luis is not here to watch from the Gallery today. He is watching from above. As we celebrate this vote today, we celebrate the lives of people like Luis Alvarez. The Never Forget the Heroes: James Zadroga, Ray Pfeifer, and Luis Alvarez Permanent Authorization of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund Act is named in honor of these three first responders who lost their lives to 9/11-related illnesses. Today, the Senate has an opportunity to honor these three and so many others we have lost who never stopped fighting for 9/11 first responders and the country they loved by voting yes on this critical legislation. I have shared with many of my colleagues that I never had the privilege of going to New York City before September 11, 2001, but I will never forget my first visit after September 11, 2001. It was just a few weeks after the attack had happened. I will never forget the smell. I will never forget the smoke coming out of the debris piles. I will never forget the silent firetrucks--their lights on but no siren-- as they delivered even more heroes to the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. I will never forget the fierce dedication of the men and women who came when they were called, watching the firetrucks with their flags heading to continue the work that by then had become so emblazoned in people's minds across this country. The work they did in those days, those weeks, and those months wasn't just for those in Manhattan who suffered an incredible loss. The work they carried forward for our country became symbols of our security, symbols of our freedoms, symbols of this country's willingness, determination, effort, and tenacity to fight back. Law enforcement officers and firefighters from across the Nation, including the West Metro Fire Rescue in Colorado, home of Colorado Task Force 1, have been tireless advocates for this effort. Every State has people who served in one capacity or another during the rescue and recovery operations of September 11. West Metro Fire District chief Steve Aseltine was one of 64 Coloradans with Colorado Task Force 1 who participated, as he said, searching through the rubble piles. Steve said: No one should be at risk of standing up and worrying, when this country needs them the most, whether the American Government has their back. If passed today, without amendments, the legislation will head straight to the President's desk for his signature. So I urge my colleagues today not to forget, to pass a clean bill, and to join me in opposing both amendments, and to stand with all of our first responders and heroes from that tragic day for this bill's final passage and ultimate enactment. I urge this Chamber to support those who have given so much to this country. I yield the floor.

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

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, today I wish to welcome President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan to my home State of Colorado. On Friday, July 19, President Tsai will land in Denver as she transits through the United States on to her way home from official visits with diplomatic allies in the Western Hemisphere. President Tsai will be the first sitting Taiwan head of state to visit the beautiful State of Colorado. It will indeed be a historic occasion. This visit to Colorado will highlight the special relationship that our State shares with Taiwan. Colorado exports $222.7 million in goods to Taiwan, making it the 10th largest export market for the Centennial State, the sixth largest in Asia. It is estimated that over 2,400 jobs in Colorado support the export of services to Taiwan. Our relationship extends well beyond trade ties. Denver recently became the new home for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in 2015. Colorado Springs and Kaohsiung City have been sister cities since 1983. The shared values of freedom, democracy, and prosperity provide for the strong basis of the longstanding friendship between our two nations. Taiwan is a shining example to its neighbors. In 2019, Taiwan was ranked the second freest country in Asia by Freedom House. It was also ranked the 10th freest economy in the world by the Heritage Foundation. The strength and vitality of Taiwan's democratic and economic system has made it a beacon of democracy in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world. The relationship between our two countries is critical for the United States, as we continue to advance the goal of a free and open Indo-Pacific and to promote our shared values in that region. This is why, during my time in the Senate, I have championed the ties between the United States and Taiwan. On December 31, 2018, President Trump signed into law the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, which declares that it is the ``policy of the United States to support the close economic, political, and security relationship between Taiwan and the United States'' and requires regular U.S. arms sales and endorses high-level reciprocal visits between our nations. President Tsai has graciously welcomed me to Taiwan on four occasions, including a memorable visit several months ago, when she graciously took me on a tour of Taipei's iconic Dadaocheng neighborhood. It is now my pleasure to return the favor this weekend when she visits my home State. Welcome, President Tsa, to the Centennial State, and may we continue to strengthen the bonds of friendship between our nations and our peoples.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I thank our colleague from Vermont for the accommodation of this extra time. USMCA is incredibly important to the State of Colorado. Colorado is a pro-trade State. We have about 750,000 trade-related jobs in Colorado. Of those 750,000 jobs, almost 250,000 are related to trade with Mexico and Canada. Nearly a quarter million of Colorado's workers are there because of trade with Canada and Mexico. It is a nearly $5 billion share of our economy--that is, the total number of goods, services, and exports to Canada and Mexico. That was a couple of years ago, so that number has obviously increased. Of the potatoes Mexico imports from the United States, nearly half come from Colorado. If you look at beverages, 97 percent of the beverages Mexico imports come from Colorado. If you look at crowns, closures, seals, 96 percent of those items exported or imported by Mexico come from Colorado. If you look at miscellaneous leather products, the hides and other products that Mexico imports, 87 percent of them come from Colorado. We know NAFTA has created thousands of jobs in Colorado. We know it has added thousands of dollars to people's incomes. We know USMCA is a better, stronger opportunity for us to gain even more jobs, more income, and more opportunity for the people of Colorado. So I thank Senator Hoeven for bringing people together on the floor to talk about the importance of free trade and particularly the passage of USMCA. I hope our colleagues in the House will hear this call to a brighter economic future, more trade opportunities, and greater U.S. leadership by moving the USMCA, adopting it, and putting it forward so the Senate can act on it and getting this agreement into law so we can actually once again start rebuilding opportunities with trade. I am strongly supportive of this effort. It is good for Colorado, and it is good for this country. I thank my colleague from North Dakota and my colleague from Vermont.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, Congress has no greater responsibility than providing for a strong national defense and keeping American citizens safe. The National Defense Authorization Act is one of the most important pieces of legislation to be considered by the U.S. Senate. It authorizes the weapons systems, programs, and resources that support the men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces. For decades, it has been approved with strong, bipartisan support. In my home State of Colorado, our military installations, including Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy, and Buckley, Peterson, and Schriever Air Force Bases, are on the cutting edge of readiness in protecting our national security. This legislation is foundational to their mission, their work, and our show of support for the military. I thank Chairman Inhofe and Ranking Member Reed for their bipartisan leadership on the Senate Armed Services Committee and on the floor. The tremendous responsibility of providing for national defense cannot be overstated, and they have handled the process with respect and the seriousness that it deserves. The security of the United States should always be more important than any partisan politics, and I appreciate their commitment that they have placed on national defense above all else. I also thank my colleagues for their bipartisan work on the National Defense Authorization Act. In working with them, I was able to achieve a number of great victories in amendments for Colorado and the Nation as well. Senator Schatz and I have a bipartisan amendment that will improve the public alert system and allow military communities access to clean and safe drinking water, which was another amendment that we were able to work on. I was able to work with Senator Toomey and Senator Van Hollen-- Senators from both sides of the aisle--to impose sanctions on the murderous North Korean regime. We will also vote today to support a bipartisan effort that I authored that will encourage the U.S. Congress to stand with the people of Hong Kong and their democratic values while we urge Hong Kong's authorities to permanently withdraw their flawed extradition bill and support human rights in Hong Kong. When one family member serves our country in uniform, the entire family serves. This legislation supports military families in Colorado and all over the world. It provides the largest pay increase in a decade for troops, and it continues to support military spouses. The NDAA addresses the challenges that servicemembers and their families face when they live in privatized housing, and it expands resources to address the PFAS water contamination in many of our military communities. This is an issue of life and health, and it matters greatly to the people of Colorado. I was pleased to work with my colleagues to continue addressing PFAS contamination. Of course, in Colorado, we are proud to play a very key role in defending the United States. These installations that I talked about are critical to national security and supporting our operations in space. I am thrilled that this year's NDAA authorizes the U.S. Space Force so that the United States can remain a global leader in space and not fall behind China or any other foreign competitor. Almost everything in today's age relies on space technology-- telecommunications, GPS, transportation logistics, precision agriculture, and, of course, the U.S. military. Establishing the U.S. Space Force will better organize the military to handle space operations and will put all military members who work in the space domain under the same organizational umbrella. Colorado is home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command, and it is the legacy home of the Air Force Space Command. As we establish the U.S. Space Force, Colorado is uniquely positioned to continue its support of our Nation's military operations in space and the mission set that space involves. We cannot risk falling behind our foreign competitors in the second space age. In order to guarantee the safety and security of American citizens, we must maintain our leadership in space operations and defense. I urge my colleagues to support the National Defense Authorization Act, which supports defense operations across the globe and the brave women and men who serve in the U.S. military. I will always fight to protect and grow the presence of the U.S. military in Colorado and work to ensure that these bases, which are essential to both national security and Colorado communities, remain strong. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor an officer of the Colorado State Patrol whose watch tragically came to an end earlier this month when he was killed in the line of duty. On June 14, 2019, Trooper William Moden was responding to an accident that occurred on I-70 in Deer Trial, CO. He was doing what he did every day--responding to an incident and giving a helping hand to Coloradans in need. He was assisting the passengers of a vehicle who were involved in a crash--one of whom was an 18-month-old child--when he was struck by a passing vehicle. Like too many of our Nation's law enforcement officers, Trooper Moden gave his life while protecting and serving others. William Moden was 37 years old and had served in the Colorado State Patrol for 12 years. His fellow troopers remember him as someone whose uniform was always perfect and whose boots were always polished. There is no doubt for any of them that he was meant to serve and that he did so with the utmost honor and dignity. While Trooper Moden carried out his duties with seriousness, his friends and loved ones remember him as someone with a tremendous sense of humor. At a memorial service held last week, he was described as having an infectious laugh--a laugh that was usually the loudest in the room. Many at the service remembered the time he put on a dog's shock collar just to see how it felt and to make others laugh. These are the kinds of memories his loved ones will remember forever. Just as he answered when his Coloradans called, his friends and family say he was someone who could always be counted on. He was reliable, dependable, and they often described him as their ``knight in shining armor''--someone who is always there to provide care and comfort. The chief of the Colorado State Patrol, Colonel Matt Packard, described William Moden as ``the true personification of what it means to be a Colorado State Trooper.'' At the memorial service last week, Trooper Moden was awarded the title of ``Master Trooper''--a rank given only to those who show great leadership and character. To those who knew him, William completely exemplified these characteristics and is certainly deserving of this high honor. We know we can never pay the debt of gratitude owed to people like William Moden, who risk their lives every day to ensure their communities are safe. The best we can offer is to never forget and to continue to celebrate the lives of those who sacrifice everything. I know my Senate colleagues will join me in mourning the loss of Trooper Moden and all those who have given their lives in defending the thin blue line. So for the second time this year, I come to the floor of the U.S. Senate and remember the words of LTC Dave Grossman, who said, ``American law enforcement is the loyal and brave sheep dog always standing watch for the wolf that lurks in the dark.'' I hope the outpouring of love and support that Trooper Moden's family and friends have received in the past few weeks bring them a small bit of comfort. To Trooper Moden's family and loved ones, our State thanks you for your service, sacrifice, and willingness to share William with the people of Colorado. Thank you. I yield the floor.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. GARDNER

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