Cory Gardner

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory call be waived.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. I move to concur in the title amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER. I move to concur in the House amendment, and I know of no further debate on the motion.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 1694. The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 1694) entitled ``An Act to require any Federal agency that issues licenses to conduct lunar activities to include in the requirements for such licenses an agreement relating to the preservation and protection of the Apollo 11 landing site, and for other purposes.'', do pass with amendments. Motion to Concur

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the Lankford amendment to the resolution be agreed to; that the resolution, as amended, be agreed to; that the Lankford amendment to the preamble be agreed to; that the preamble, as amended, be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration, and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 458.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that with respect to the Dietz nomination, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 585, S. 2204.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 2683. The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, that the bill from the Senate (S. 2683) entitled ``An Act to establish a task force to assist States in implementing hiring requirements for child care staff members to improve child safety.'', do pass with an amendment. Motion to Concur

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment, and I know of no further debate on the motion.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask that the Chair lay before the Senate the message to accompany S. 3989. The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following message from the House of Representatives: Resolved, that the bill from the Senate (S. 3989) entitled ``An Act to amend the United States Semiquincentennial Commission Act of 2016 to modify certain membership and other requirements of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission, and for other purposes.'', do pass with an amendment. Motion to Concur

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I move to concur in the House amendment, and I ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 5459.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. GARDNER. I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 1 p.m., Sunday, December 20; further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; further, that following leader remarks, the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the Noland nomination, under the previous order.

Mr. GARDNER

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

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 7898, which was received from the House.

Mr. GARDNER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. GARDNER

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

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Madam President, thank you to the people of Colorado for this incredible honor that you have lent to me these last 6 years to serve you in the U.S. Senate. Thank you to my family--Jaime, Alyson, Caitlyn, Thatcher, to Mom and Dad and Lisa--who supported me in this last decade of service with your love and sacrifice, through missed ball games and lost teeth, school concerts and junior high dances, sore throats and first moments. Thank you to my incredible staff, many in the Chamber today, who are in Colorado and Washington, who made so many great things happen and whose difference will be felt for generations to come. You leave a mark on the country far beyond the etching of a signature on a desk on the floor. Thank you to my colleagues and to Senator Bennet for the honor of serving along your side and for your commitment to our Nation--and to the Capitol Police, the staff, to the support staff in the Senate who make it all possible. But above all, and most importantly, thank you to this great and extraordinary Nation for all that it means and represents--the hope and optimism that for over two centuries has led people around the globe to give up everything they have just to be here; to be a part of this Nation, to then turn around and fight for it through political strife and pandemics; to go to war to save the Union; to know how lucky and blessed that we are that out of all of the billions of people through the thousands of years of human history, we have had the privilege of being here in this place at this point to be a part of it. There has been a lot of coverage in the news lately about how the pollsters got it wrong. But one thing they seem to get right--and it won't come as a shock to my colleagues on the floor: Congress is about as popular as a Rocky Mountain oyster in a bullpen. We have been, together, able to do many good things, and I hope that we can use those successes to drive even more successes and show the American people that faith in this institution is actually well deserved. Over the last 6 years I have worked hard to pass the first-ever mandatory sanctions on Kim Jong Un and North Korea to denuclearize that regime. It was an honor to work with Senator Menendez throughout this process. Senator Markey and I led the passage of the first-ever comprehensive strategy for a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Asia Reassurance Initiative. Gary Peters, along with Lamar Alexander and me, led the reauthorization of the America Competes legislation to keep the United States competitive in science and engineering, to get more women and minorities into the STEM fields, and to advance our scientific research and discoveries. The 988 suicide prevention bill that Tammy Baldwin and I were able to pass into law represents the first bill in American history to pass the Senate and House unanimously with LGBTQ-specific language. This bill will save lives. I was honored to help move the Bureau of Land Management headquarters to Colorado and to finally get funding for the construction of the Arkansas Valley Conduit, and I helped lead the passage of legislation to complete our VA hospital in Colorado, to advance our cybersecurity, and to foster our relationships with Taiwan, South Korea, and beyond. And it was an honor of my time in the Senate to work with Lamar and Senators Manchin, Cantwell, Heinrich, Warner, King, Portman, Daines, and Burr on the Great American Outdoors Act, the holy grail of conservation legislation. In my first remarks on the Senate floor, I spoke about how no matter where across Colorado's four corners that you live--or across this great Nation--we all hope for the same thing for our children: to live in a loving home that values every citizen; that they learn the value of hard work and perseverance; where hard work is met with merited reward; that they find a nation of liberty and freedom that they help make a little bit more free and a little bit more perfect. All of us here in the Senate, the American people--all of us--are responsible for the starting point that we hand off to the next generation, and we have a moral obligation to make it the best starting point possible. The accomplishments that we have had together truly have helped create more opportunity for the next generation, and the work that we continue to do to get through this pandemic together will ensure that the next generation can indeed take advantage of those accomplishments and that the starting point for them is better than the generation past despite the struggles of today. You know, in Sunday school we learned an important lesson about this--that struggles and tribulation produce perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And since that very first speech that I gave on the Senate floor, I have come to recognize something that all of us--that everyone here-- has undoubtedly experienced--that our service to country is filled with moment after moment that gives us that lump in the throat, that brings a tear to our eyes, that fills our hearts with wonder for this Nation. Perhaps it happened to you when seeing the majesty of the United States Capitol brightly shining in all its glory on a crisp State of the Union Address night or maybe when we hear the passion in the voices of our colleagues as they tell the story of life and struggle and hope for the future. For me, these moments happen every day, and I am sure they do for you as well--just part of the wonder of this Nation and its Capitol. It was late at night for me nearly 10 years ago when I was leaving the Capitol building. I had walked through the Hall of Columns, and I heard some voices ahead near the door that I was heading toward. When I turned into the corridor, I saw a Capitol tour guide pointing at a phrase that was painted on the wall. I looked at it and read it too. It was William Jennings Bryan, and painted on the wall were these words: ``Our government, conceived in freedom and purchased with blood, can be preserved only by constant vigilance.'' I looked at the group reading it, and there in the center of them all was a young veteran in a wheelchair with bandages around his knees where his legs used to be. The gravity of this place, that moment, and the duty that we owe to this Nation struck hard. As I walked home, I kept thinking about it--about those words, about that moment, about that veteran, about this Nation and our responsibility. I thought about how that wall was painted with that phrase, but there are others that are blank and empty, spaces that have been left empty so that future generations can fill them in with their history--with new portraits and new phrases and new moments. But no matter the moment in time or the point in history, it is the same patriotic responsibility that we owe to this Chamber--to defend and serve our Nation, her Constitution, and the American people. George Washington in his Farewell Address said that the name ``American'' must always exalt the just pride of patriotism. He spoke of our Constitution and how it must be sacredly maintained and that virtue and wisdom must stamp every act. And despite the differences over policy and politics, it is our Union that ought to be considered as a main prop of our liberty, and that love of the one ought to endear us to the preservation of the other. I believe that is what Lamar Alexander very eloquently spoke about on this very floor in his farewell just days ago. It is our country and the unity of nation that, despite our differences, will help preserve and will preserve our liberty. Washington offered his advice in his farewell as an old and affectionate friend--a friend who recognized our obligation to create a better starting point for every new generation But how do we heed this advice in a world of viral social media, click bait, and sound bites? Colorado Senator Bill Armstrong once said that while he was firm in his principles, he was flexible on the details. We all come to this place because of our core values and beliefs about this Nation. Those principles make us who we are. They drive our actions. They drive our debates. But, today, it seems as though we live in a world where tactics are elevated to the same status and importance as principles, and staying true to principle means that the tactics used to achieve that principle are elevated to the same importance as the principle itself. It is always my way or the highway. Senator Armstrong's flexible details would now be derided as violations of principle. We cannot govern when every tactic and detail is elevated to the level of principle. There is no compromise with this approach. We cannot find ways to bring people together for that unity of nation of which Washington spoke when the test for principles becomes so impossible to pass that only the very factions that he warned against can prevail. To my staff I often talk about this challenge as being one of the pillar and the paint. The pillars in a building are more than just ornamental. They are structurally necessary to the building itself. The pillars are our principles. They make us who we are. But the paint color--the details--we can figure that out together. We can respect the pillar and find agreement on the paint. We can hold people's principles in place, respecting those core beliefs that make you who you are, while finding ways to work together to find solutions to common challenges. That is how we pass the test of unity that brings people together, respecting principles while achieving solutions, because not every detail is a principle, and not every principle is a detail, and we need a legislative body that can recognize this. By doing so, we will follow through on the advice of Washington and preserve our liberty with unity of nation. Too many people have given up on the institutions of their government, and it is my hope that the American people will find this pillar-and-paint approach to be one that can make a difference because if they believe it--they believe that it will--then the American people will make sure their values are reflected in the representatives they elect. Several years ago, I had the honor of meeting a man named Donald Stratton. He came to my office accompanied by his family and the family of a sailor named Loren Bruner and the family of another sailor, Joe George. They were looking forward to yet another commemoration of the attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941--79 years ago yesterday. Both Donald Stratton and Loren Bruno were on the USS Arizona when it was attacked. Donald Stratton was on one of the ship's towers. He was surrounded by flame and surely believed that he would perish, when out of the chaos of that morning came a rope thrown by a yet-unknown-to-him sailor by the name of Joe George, who was aboard the USS Vestal, which was moored next to the USS Arizona. This rope saved Donald Stratton's life and several other shipmates. No one knew their lifeline was thrown to them by Joe George until years later. Once they learned who it was, they spent the rest of their lives fighting to get Joe George honored and recognized by the Navy. I was honored to be a part of that effort, and, finally, on December 7, 2017, led by Donald Stratton and the Arizona's remaining few, Joe George received the Bronze Star with ``V'' device for valor aboard the USS Arizona Memorial, with Donald Stratton attending one last time. He was fighting for this country and his countrymen to the very end. When I asked him how he did it, how he survived the attack and those flames and got back into the fight for this Nation, he chuckled, he laughed, and he gave me an answer that I truly didn't see coming at all. He said: ``Well, Cory, everybody has to be somewhere.'' Everybody has to be somewhere. He is right. We are here in the U.S. Senate. Most of you will still be here next Congress. Don't waste this opportunity to be who this Nation needs you to be at this moment of great challenge, to recognize the difference between the paint and the pillar, to know the difference between a principle and a tactic, where to take a stand and where to stand together, to bring a nation together in unity for the preservation of liberty, to recognize that to be American carries with it the greatness of a nation forged by fight and fire, tempered by wisdom, and made great by men, like Donald Stratton, who recognized that their duty and their time didn't just end with the last calling of the roll. Everybody has to be somewhere. Make it count for this Nation that you are here. If you go into any of my offices, you will see on the wall my mission statement, and it ends with this: We represent a State where the words to ``America the Beautiful'' were written--we will always look up to the Rocky Mountain horizon in the work that we do and remind ourselves that only through our actions will God continue to shed his grace on our great nation. Ours is a Nation founded on the optimism that no generation waits for the next to be told where to go. It is the great American horizon that compels us to continue to reach ahead, to rise, to achieve, and to believe in America. Ten years ago I sat on the floor of the United States House of Representatives as we prepared--some of my colleagues here with me--to be sworn into the 112th Congress. I watched with our daughter Alyson patiently sitting by my side as the peaceful transition of power took place--the hallmark of our Republic. As the most powerful constitutionally prescribed Member of the Congress, the Speaker of the House gave the gavel to a newly elected Speaker without gunshot or war, peacefully transitioning to a new majority. Today, I speak on the Senate floor with a heart of gratitude. As I leave, with a new Congress set to begin, I go home not because of or due to the threat of violence or revolution but because of the same constitutional governance that has given this country over two centuries of strength and certainty--a jewel among nations, exceptionally blessed by God. It has been a privilege to serve with you for this country. We owe every man, woman, and child that lives here our commitment to them to not pass on to the next generation a nation that is in decline or retreat but a nation that rises, a nation that reminds itself that ours is a country worth fighting for, a nation that believes in itself, because when you believe in America, when you believe in this country, the world has not seen anything yet. Thank you to my colleagues. Thank you for the honor of serving with you. And, Madam President, this kid from Yuma yields the floor. (Applause, Senators rising.)

Mr. GARDNER

Mr. GARDNER. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.