John Hickenlooper

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 2107 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, in the West and across America, national parks and public lands are our pride and joy. They are also a huge part of our economy. Colorado's public lands power a $17 billion outdoor recreation economy, which employs more than 132,000 Coloradans. Recently, the Trump administration has taken aim at our national parks and other public lands. They illegally fired thousands of people who are responsible for wildland mitigation, for habitat conservation, and outdoor recreation management, among other things. Some Republicans are adding fuel to the fire by pushing to sell off public lands to pay for these tax cuts for the ultrawealthy. The tax handouts for the wealthy are so large and so important that some are willing to plunder our public lands. So let's be clear. Our public lands are not for sale. Senator Heinrich and I have introduced a simple amendment--a ``yes'' or ``no'' vote--to prevent this reckless fire sale of our campgrounds, our forests, and our national treasurers. How could one vote against that? I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is at its core a law enforcement agency. Congress established the CFPB 15 years ago to protect Americans from fraud, from getting ripped off by banks and credit card companies, financial institutions. Today's Republican-led resolution weakens the CFPB's ability to protect consumers as part of a broader effort by the administration to shut down consumer protections entirely. Now let's take a minute to go back in time to the time before the CFPB existed, right before the 2008 financial meltdown. Back then, abusive fees and misleading disclosures meant that Coloradans paid more for mortgages, more for credit cards, and more for student loans. Fly- by-night lenders made massive profits by targeting vulnerable families with excessively high-cost loans, turning credit from a tool for opportunity into a tool for scams. Financial scammers could all too easily slip through the cracks in oversight. There just wasn't enough oversight. In some cases, there was no oversight. Our neighbors were getting hit with hidden fees and frauds when they took out a mortgage, when they used a credit card, if they were just paying for school. There was no cop on the beat. The result? By 2008, years of this shady, abusive practice helped spark a devastating global financial crisis. Six million households lost their homes to foreclosure, and a quarter of our families lost 75 percent of their wealth. Americans lost faith in our financial system. In 2010, Congress created the CFPB to help make sure this could never happen again. Congress gave it a simple job: to protect Americans from getting ripped off. The Bureau cleaned up mortgage markets, debt collection, student loans, and much, much more. It worked to protect veterans and servicemembers. Fast-forward to today, and the CFPB's results really speak for themselves. The Bureau has delivered $20 billion--that is billion dollars with a ``b''--back to Americans through its enforcement actions. It has brought relief to 200 million Americans and small businesses facing scams or abusive practices. In Colorado, nearly 67,000 people have sought help from CFPB, including more than 6,200 servicemembers. Thousands of those complaints led to relief for consumers. It really is a remarkable track record--that is, until it was decided by Republicans to--well, they want to eliminate many of these protections, if not all of them. This vote today would unwind protections designed for the modern financial system, for the everyday payment apps we all use like Venmo or PayPal. It would allow some of the largest financial firms in a consumer's life to stay in the shadows, to operate outside of any oversight. That is exactly the approach to consumer protection we had 20 years ago, before the CFPB, before the 2008 financial crisis. This is but the latest attempt to leave consumers vulnerable to scams. In fact, the Trump administration is trying--I think many people believe illegally--to abolish the CFPB entirely. They fired dedicated staff who protect consumers, they canceled the lease on the CFPB's office, and they literally ordered a total shutdown of the Agency--an unprecedented effort to defy Congress. The administration believes that the CFPB doesn't deserve to exist. Maybe they think that scammers and fraudsters have finally hung it up and have gone to find honest work, but I think the American people know better. The administration wants to take our economy back to the time before the financial crisis of 2009, with weaker protections and no one looking out for consumers. If the Trump administration gets its way, it is clear who the winners will be--loan sharks, shady mortgage companies, junk-fee merchants. The losers will be the rest of America-- any Coloradan who wants a fair deal on a credit card or a mortgage. Bottom line: More money in the pocket of fraudsters, scammers, and the unscrupulous; less for the little guy to save. I urge my colleagues to stand up for American consumers and vote no on this resolution. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, the United States is in an energy boom. Our Nation has never produced more electricity or oil and gas than we are producing right now. This ``all of the above'' approach to energy using everything--including solar, wind, and geothermal--is keeping energy prices as low as possible for working families but at the same time is recognizing that climate change is real and moving toward a clean energy future. Excluding coal, the United States produced more energy than any other country in the history of the world in 2023. It appears that some in this administration are determined to undo that progress. Despite American leadership in energy, the President signed an Executive order on his first day declaring a national energy emergency. That sounds dramatic, almost theatrical, because it is meant to be. Let's call this political theater for what it is--an attempt to accelerate oil and gas projects while at the same time holding back our renewable energy. Of course, there are things that we need to be doing to keep energy cleaner, prices lower, and to cement American energy independence. For starters, we need to increase energy production. We need to meet our energy future by streamlining the permitting of our new energy projects--of all of our energy projects--while at the same time being mindful of the environmental impacts and giving impacted communities a public forum. We need to upgrade our grid. We need to increase clean, domestic, critical mineral production. But that is not what this Executive order will do. In fact, it won't do a single one of these things. They claim we are in an emergency, an energy emergency, but they continue to block Federal wind and energy permits. They claim we are in an emergency, an energy emergency, but then they ship oil and gas overseas. They claim we are in an energy emergency, and yet their actions would cede complete control of what eventually will be an enormous global market in renewable energy to China. The administration has also fired thousands of government workers who play vital roles in American energy--all in the name of government efficiency and giving tax cuts to the ultrawealthy. Listen, I am all for making the government more efficient. I have worked on that most of my public life. If you want to seriously look at how we spend money and where we can actually cut fraud, waste, and abuse, I am game. But hastily, almost randomly firing Department of Energy employees or letting go 300 workers who maintain our nuclear security and safety--I don't think that is the way to do it. Our office has even heard from a private company that worried that the Federal employee responsible for managing their permitting process is about to be fired, placing the entire success of their project at risk. They help bring energy to our local communities. This will stop them dead in their tracks and raise prices for households at the same time. America's energy economy is booming, in large part because of the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act--bills that make historic investments in American-made energy. These bills have created more than 400,000 good-paying jobs. Yet there is an effort by some in the Congress--mostly Republicans; I should say all Republicans--and the administration to slash and impede the progress that we have made, even though an estimated 70 percent of the benefits--the jobs, the investments, the increased energy--are going to red States. Cutting funding from these critical pieces of legislation is going to hit our rural communities the hardest, where it could provide the greatest benefit. It will shrink county government revenue; it will force layoffs; and, ultimately, it will increase the cost of energy. Clean energy isn't just some liberal boogeyman. It is not some notion. In fact, most of the energy that is ready to go as we expand our capacity--it is ready to go--is clean and affordable. Solar, wind, and storage, they make up 95 percent of the capacity of new energy ready to connect to our grid. Wind generates 10 percent of our electricity now and will provide much more affordable renewable energy if more permits were made available. Withholding funds already appropriated by Congress through these laws could balloon energy bills by up to 12 percent for American families. That is at least $240 a year for working families that they will have to come up with one way or another. When you are struggling to afford eggs at the grocery store, trying to balance your checkbook at the end of the month, the last thing you need is an increase in your energy bill. Some in Congress, some Republicans, have introduced their budget which strips critical services for Coloradoans while adding $4 trillion to our national debt, all primarily so they can give tax breaks, which more than half go to the ultrawealthy who, at least many in Colorado, don't even want them. I put an amendment on the floor that would strip any provision from their budget that would raise energy costs for Americans. How can people be opposed to that? Yet every Republican voted against it. I think they are putting politics over people. We are able to keep energy prices low for working families because we use everything: oil, gas, geothermal, wind. So rather than limiting energy sources, proclaiming a false emergency, or firing critical government employees, let's meet the moment and usher in a new energy future that helps everyone, a future marked by a resilient energy grid built by American innovation that delivers low-cost, reliable energy for every Coloradan, for every American. If this administration is looking for a bipartisan roadmap on this, we have one. We should pass permitting reform that streamlines review for all energy projects, not just oil and gas. We can build a modern electric grid that will reduce energy prices for all. Let's continue supporting emerging technologies like advanced geothermal and nuclear so that we can remain dominant in the markets that are emerging. And let's stop picking winners and losers. The vast majority of new electricity is coming from low-cost solar, wind, and energy storage. Let's follow the law and let the investments in energy from the past few years go to the communities that need them. Let's cut the nonsense. This isn't an energy emergency; it is an emergency opportunity. This administration's actions certainly would cause an emergency for many Coloradoans and American working families. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I call up my amendment No. 925 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, the United States is producing more energy right now than any country in the history of the world. We are in the middle of an energy revolution. We got here by embracing an ``all of the above'' approach to energy, including solar, wind, and geothermal, to keep prices as low as possible for working people. Most of the energy that is ready to go today is clean and affordable. Any action that blocks the rollout of that will raise prices for working Americans. It is going to kill jobs and seek complete control of emerging industries in China. In fact, in the last few years, we have passed bills that make historic investments in American-made energy. These bills create more than 400,000 good-paying jobs, and yet there is an effort by this administration to trash the progress we have made. These actions will balloon energy bills for families--at least 240 bucks a year for working families everywhere--at a time when they are struggling to afford eggs at the grocery just as inflation begins to rise again. Rather than limiting energy or firing critical government employees, let's welcome our new energy future, a future marked by resilient energy, rebuilt by American innovation for cheaper, more reliable energy for every Coloradan in America. A simple yes-or-no point of order will ensure nothing in the budget will increase energy costs for working families. How could you vote against that?

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, pursuant to section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act, I move to waive and I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I appreciate what the good Senator from Illinois has gone through and enunciated in great clarity. Our government plays a critical role in informing the public. The American people look to us for trust. They look to us for guidance during the roughest points of our history. They look to us for accurate, factual information so they can have the freedom to raise their families without fear and anxiety. That trust is broken when partisan officials use their platforms to spread reckless and damaging information. They attempt to overwhelm Americans with views that push anti-science narratives or foreign propaganda often that threatens our national security. You can't go onto social media anymore without running into a fake headline or some hyperbolic clamor with no source. I mean, for so many people, the more you see, the more you believe, and this leaves Americans dazed and confused, unsure of who to trust and where they can go to get accurate information. Unfortunately, the new administration has shown a bias towards elevating people who peddle disinformation, spreading seemingly random falsehoods about our voting systems, marginalized groups, or our public health. This has real negative impacts on Americans. Way back in 1980, I graduated with a master's in Earth sciences. I moved west to work as a geologist. Earth sciences is kind of low on the Pavlov pyramid of science, but I published peer-reviewed studies, and I have a reverence for the scientific process. I think I understand how it works, despite the fact that there are not that many of us left around here anymore. I will be the first to admit that science can sometimes surprise us. It is always evolving. It is why the entire field of science relies on constant evaluation and constant research to continue to make new discoveries or deepen our understanding of complex problems. Leading with science helps us get the most accurate information we can. Yet the Trump administration's appetite for anti-scientific claims and disinformation is something that, in many ways, threatens all of us. It puts our country at risk. This morning, the Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard as the Director of National Intelligence. I voted no on her confirmation. Ms. Gabbard has none of the relevant qualifications or intelligence experience sufficient for this role. Officials from both sides of the aisle have raised concerns about her ability to provide the President with impartial analysis as the Nation's top intelligence officer. Ms. Gabbard has frequently parroted Russian disinformation. She repeated Russia's erroneous justification for its brutal invasion of Ukraine. She criticized Kyiv's democratic government--a steadfast partner of the United States--and she spread, repeatedly, falsehoods about her own involvement in bioweapons research in Ukraine. Let's be clear about what this means: An American adversary invades another democracy, and Ms. Gabbard actively pushes their narrative. Either she cannot distinguish fact from fiction or she intentionally chooses to promote false claims. Either scenario should be disqualifying for a Cabinet official, let alone one who is responsible for ensuring the President has accurate and timely intelligence. As they say, ``He who stands for nothing will fall for anything.'' Regardless of her intentions or what she actually believes, her readiness to champion clear disinformation undermines our national security and puts American servicemembers at risk. As the Director of National Intelligence, Ms. Gabbard will have full visibility into every threat that the military and civilian personnel who perform these vital missions in Colorado and across the country and around the world are working tirelessly to address. They need leaders-- we need leaders--who base every assessment and decision on accurate intelligence, not propaganda, especially not propaganda from one of the most threatening rivals we have. President Trump's nominee to the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., is another clear example of someone who is willing to overlook facts and science when it is convenient. He has a wide following, and many people look to him for guidance and for leadership. In particular, his ideas of a healthier America appeal to many Coloradans. Indeed, they appeal to me as well. But make no mistake: Our country can and should be healthier, and we all share a vested effort in that direction. There is a bipartisan appetite to get us there. We should provide better food options and keep unsafe chemicals out of the products that we eat, but we have to be able to do it in tandem with fact-based science and thoughtful policy to protect Americans and to keep them safe. RFK, Jr., has shown a propensity for anti-science claims. One of his most anti-scientific claims is that autism is caused by childhood vaccines. This is a claim that has been spread through many communities for decades. It is all based on a single paper published back in 1998. That paper was retracted years ago, and there have been hundreds of studies on the nonexistent link between autism and the measles vaccine ever since. They have all--I repeat--they have all had a zero connection between vaccines and the cause of autism. Let me be clear: Every single one found a zero connection. It is settled science. Vaccines are not only extremely safe; they are extremely effective. Every year, they save millions of lives all around the globe. We have effectively eliminated horrible diseases like polio, and we are making considerable progress toward a vaccine for HIV and for AIDS. In the last hundred years, our country's average life expectancy has increased by 30 years, and 25 of those 30 years are largely attributed to vaccine adoption and clean drinking water. Vaccines not only save lives, but they also make lives healthier and happier, which is as they were intended. Now, some of the damage from disinformation about vaccines is nearly impossible to undo. Why would anyone accept the results of one debunked paper rather than the conclusions of hundreds of studies that have been conducted since? It is completely understandable for parents to have questions and concerns about vaccines that their children receive. I know I have as a parent. As a parent of two kids--one who just turned 2 years old--I understand the concern that families feel. We want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep our kids healthy and safe. We do the best we can with what we have to make them as healthy and happy as possible. People who peddle vaccine skepticism are preying upon parents' very rational fears to advance these conspiracy theories. Parents are trying their hardest to keep their kids safe and healthy, and it is irresponsible for people to plague them with pseudoscience and misinformation when the science has been settled on this for decades. The measles vaccine is safe and does not cause autism. It is personal for me, too. My son Teddy--now in college-- unfortunately, got pertussis, or whooping cough, when he was 4 months old--before he was able to finish his full vaccination schedule--after he interacted with an unvaccinated child. Because of how rare whooping cough is now, it took us a while to get the correct diagnosis. Finally, when we got him into Children's Hospital, I remember staying up all night for 2 nights in a row to blast little puffs of oxygen into his coughing face--to snap him out of those coughs--about every 10 minutes and to prevent his oxygen blood levels from dropping too low. It is one of the most frightening experiences of my entire life. Whooping cough--that disease--is rare because of the vaccine and because of the adoption of that vaccine. America was able to almost completely stamp it out of existence. If we backslide in the number of children getting vaccinated, stories like what happened to my son Teddy are going to become more common and more severe. When you consistently promote uncertainty in settled science, it begins to raise doubts about all science, and it slows our progress using science against the really big challenges, like a cure for cancer and vaccines for the next pandemic. In President Trump's first full term--at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic--Operation Warp Speed helped bring vaccines to the public in record time. The National Institutes of Health estimate that Operation Warp Speed saved over 140,000 lives by speeding up the development of vaccines by more than 5 months. When the next pandemic comes along--it is not if; it is when--we are going to need a robust Federal response and preparedness plan. We need the ability to get to a vaccine down to 100 days. We need that plan to be guided by actual science. Otherwise, we obviously endanger the lives and health of all Americans. The Department of Health and Human Services also oversees Federal medical research as Senator Durbin pointed out. The research has unlocked groundbreaking achievements in public health and will continue to help us cure diseases and work toward solutions for a variety of illnesses. However, the White House announced late last week that they are slashing funding for the National Institutes of Health. This will have devastating impacts on research projects in Colorado and across the United States, including places in Colorado like CU- Anschutz, Fort Lewis College, and National Jewish Health. Our Colorado institutions are at the forefront of medical research from everything from clinical trials for veterans who are struggling with PTSD to individuals with Down syndrome. These cuts for research institutions, rural hospitals, and our veterans will impact our most vulnerable communities--all this to give tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans. Again, I am all for making government more efficient and smaller. If you want to seriously look at how we spend money and where we can cut actual fraud and waste and abuse, I am in. I am game. But I struggle to understand how stripping funding for cancer research or Head Start or hiring programs for law enforcement officers is wasteful. These cuts throughout our government are exaggerated by the extreme nominees who are really ill-equipped and ill-experienced to handle large governmental organizations. The administration also continues to illegally dismantle Agencies without having congressional approval. They have attempted to freeze Federal funding--something the courts have halted but that the White House continues to pursue. Colorado and the American people are caught in their crosshairs. I have committed to opposing nominees who pose a genuine threat to Colorado. We have also helped support lawsuits and oppose some of these Executive actions. I would be the first to admit our government isn't perfect. Government never will be. I would be the first to recognize that it takes all of our elected officials to do their duty for the American people and to be truthful and for our constituents to hold us accountable. The American experiment in democratic government is just too important to confirm people who actively spread disinformation and refuse to follow science. It threatens Coloradans. It puts all of us at risk. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. On behalf of Colorado hospitals and clinics, rural areas, I vote no on this vote.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I would like, first, to recognize the great Senator from New Jersey, Senator Cory Booker. It is never easy or fair to speak after him. But I take the floor today to urge my colleagues to vote no on President Trump's nominee for the Office of Management and Budget, Russell Vought. Some remember Mr. Vought from when he served as the head of the same Agency during President Trump's first term. He is one of the very few repeat appointments--clearly, a reflection of his loyalty. You may also know him for his leadership, his authoring of Project 2025--that far-right agenda that the President, during the campaign, swore up and down he had no idea about. I would leave it at that, although, I think he understood many discussions, perhaps, outlined in the framework. Project 2025 would gut our longstanding and globally admired framework of checks and balances. It would gut them. It would ensure civil servants will be hired and fired on the basis of political loyalty--something that this country has struggled for many decades to get rid of. It would truly weaponize our system of justice--again, something that almost everyone works toward keeping nonpartisan. It lays out in detail the plan to dramatically change our American system of government, perhaps for a very long time. It is truly not a question of if anymore. The plan and the people putting it in place are disregarding laws and norms dating back to the Constitution. They are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. This means firing or pushing out vast swaths of the Federal workforce of civil servants. These are career civil servants, many of whom have devoted their lives to keeping our government running--from processing Social Security checks; keeping our weather systems afloat; or helping to stop waste, fraud, and abuse. Some would say our Federal workers don't do anything. But they are honest, hard-working Americans. Project 2025 is just getting started. If confirmed, Mr. Vought and Project 2025 could have devastating consequences for Colorado. Deep in Project 2025 are plans to heavily restrict access to contraceptives and abortion medication, denying women and families the freedom to make their own reproductive decisions; plans to make healthcare more expensive by repealing policies that empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and drive down the cost for healthcare seniors; plans to make Colorado less resilient to these increasing frequent disasters caused by extreme weather. They are already reinstating cruel immigration policies and threatening to come after the LGBTQ community. At a time when grocery prices are rising on everything from eggs to meat, Project 2025 is going to make life harder for Colorado farmers and ranchers and more risky. Project 2025 would cut safety nets for our ag producers when they have a bad season. It includes plans to gut essential crop insurance. Project 2025 even wants government to get involved in the specific techniques our ranchers use to farm. Our Colorado farmers know their land better than anyone else. Hanging small farmers out to dry does nothing to lower grocery prices for Americans. We have been hearing in our offices from producers across the State who are very concerned about what this Project 2025 means to them. We have over 38,000 farm operations in Colorado. Some harvest wheat. Some raise meat or poultry. Some specialize in dairy. All of them support our rural communities and play an essential role in feeding families really all across the country. We don't have to speculate about what Mr. Vought would do to the Office of Management and Budget. He has really laid it all out in Project 2025. He wrote Project 2025, to a large extent, himself. One of his finest contributions is a section championing the executive branch's ability to overreach and ``impound funds.'' Let's not mince words. This is, by all historic measures, blatantly unconstitutional. Congress alone has the authority to decide how government spends its money. This isn't an opinion. It says explicitly in article I, section 9, clause 7: No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law. ``Made by Law,'' designated by Congress. Again, in article I, section 8, clause 1: The Congress shall have the Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense of general Welfare of the United States. We got a taste of how Mr. Vought would attempt to execute something like this last week. In a truly chaotic, late-night, 2-page memo, the Trump administration halted all Federal grants and loans. We are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars--Federal spending for a staggering number of programs, programs that provide America's healthcare, food, nutrition, housing, childcare, and so much else. The memo stemmed from an Executive order calling on Federal Agencies to review and eliminate spending on ``woke'' ideologies or the ``Green New Deal''--both things that aren't clearly defined and don't, in any specific way, exist. In this rush to create chaos and a jumbled policy, the implementers didn't bother to specify which programs would continue and which programs would end. Our office and our staff were immediately flooded with calls-- hundreds and thousands of calls. We heard from folks in every corner of Colorado--big cities, small towns--asking: What does this mean for them and their families? There was real fear, real worry, and for good reason. The Trump administration tried to walk back the original memo to clarify that the freeze wouldn't affect individual payments like Social Security or food stamp benefits, but that didn't clear up too much. It certainly didn't help that the White House Press Secretary couldn't answer specific questions, like pertaining to critical government programs like Medicaid, whether they were going to be affected. Frustrating as it is--and I get how frustrating it is--there are reasons why the government moves slowly. All of this, if implemented as requested, would have had a devastating impact on Colorado, a devastating impact. The Federal programs and funds make up roughly 25 percent of our State's effort to build transportation and infrastructure and provide needed services for the most needy in our State. Head Start, a truly vital service for over 9,000 low-income kids in Colorado, would be forced to shutter its operations that provide these low-income kids of all communities with the early childhood education, health, and nutrition that they need. Even as we speak, there are reports that Head Start providers around the Nation are not able to access funds. If implemented, it would cut off 83,000 low-income Colorado families from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps heat their homes in a cold winter. These are folks, in many cases, who are unable to pay their heating bill or wouldn't be able to heat their homes without this assistance. Our public safety and law enforcement would be weakened. The pause would strip funding that helps our local agencies prevent terrorism, helps them crack down on drug trafficking and prevent crimes and provide services for those who have been victimized by crime. Colorado has one of the largest veteran populations in the country-- something we are very proud of--but this funding would cut resources for those vets. It would cut resources for community-based suicide prevention efforts, organizations that provide care for veterans experiencing homelessness, and services for veterans living with disabilities, many of them taken in the defense of our Nation. It is hard to be cruel to those who have given their country so much. Before entering public service, I was in the restaurant business. At our brewpub in downtown Denver, we would cook, pack, and donate meals every year to Meals on Wheels to feed seniors throughout the Metro Denver area. I have seen firsthand the difference this makes, the relief it provides to seniors who need it. Many of them don't leave the house and are so grateful to have someone come that they can talk to as they get their meal. But the Federal funding freeze left Meals on Wheels in Colorado and all across the country unsure of how and whether they would be able to continue serving meals. Over 25,000 Coloradoan seniors every day rely on Meals on Wheels to access food. Why would we leave our seniors hungry and unsure when their next hot lunch is going to come? Our office also heard directly from a Colorado rural health organization about how this Federal funding freeze would have life-or- death effects on Coloradoans in 47 rural counties. When we are in towns like Cortez or Hugo or Julesburg, we hear all the time about how our rural hospitals, clinics, and community health centers are already strained by workforce shortages and by rising costs. These medical providers are on the frontlines in dealing with our Nation's mental health and opioid crisis, and we are cutting their ability to provide these services? These folks in rural Colorado and in suburbs around every city in Colorado are watching their friends, family, and neighbors struggle with mental health issues that rose up after the pandemic. This funding freeze wouldn't just strip funding from these programs; it would force our critical rural hospitals to lay off staff or turn away patients at a time when they need it most. We should be fighting to increase access to quality, affordable healthcare no matter where people live, not take it away. The Federal funding freeze has already been blocked by the courts several times because it is blatantly illegal. It makes no sense. But make no mistake, Mr. Vought and the Trump administration will keep poking and prodding our courts and our Constitution until they get their way. All of these actions serve a sinister purpose: to completely transform our government into one that gives enormous--enormous--tax cuts, largely directed at those who don't need them and--in many cases in Colorado--don't want them and puts working-class Americans out to pasture. The Federal funding freeze is just one of many chaotic actions Mr. Vought and the administration are pushing. We see Project 2025 come into clarity in this administration's illegal attempts to dismantle Agencies without congressional approval or their attempts to access Americans' sensitive data. Look, I am all for cutting government waste. If you want to seriously look at how we spend money and where we can cut actual fraud, waste, and abuse, I am game. A more efficient government will help us all. But that is not what is happening. I have worked as hard as I could to find ways to work across the aisle. That is not going to change. When I was mayor of Denver, when I was Governor of Colorado, we balanced the budget every year, and we worked hard to try to streamline government processes, just like every mayor and every Governor in this country. You can't just shove working families under the bus or violate the law to do it. We will fight these attempts in the courts, on the floor of the Senate--like now--and everywhere else we can to defend Colorado and the Constitution. It is time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project 2025 are trying to do. We have supported these lawsuits, we have opposed Executive actions, and we have voted against nominees. But if we need to hold the Senate floor, like we are doing now, vote all night, disrupt business as usual, we will do that too. I will oppose every nominee that poses a genuine threat to Coloradoans. It is why I am here on the floor and will vote no on Mr. Vought today. Coloradoans sent us to Washington to solve problems, not to create more. Project 2025 is a brutal plan to wreak havoc on our Nation and really change the way our government operates, the way our democracy functions. I hope people all over the State emulate that old movie ``Net Worth'' and they can shout out on every corner ``I am mad as hell, and I am not going to stand for it.'' Let's hope they get so loud that they can't be drowned out. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Madam President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 2997 and the Senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following bills: Calendar No. 581, S. 1553; and H.R. 2997.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment, where applicable, be agreed to; that the bills, as amended, if amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Madam President, Mesa County, CO, out in the far west part of the State, is bursting with opportunities for economic development. The CONVEY Act, which passed the Senate today, will help make sure there is sufficient space to continue that growth. This bill will direct the transfer of Federal land near Clifton, CO, to the local Mesa County government to support their domestic economic development. Specifically, the bill accelerates the sale of 31 acres of land near Interstate 70 in Clifton, CO. It is a parcel of land that was previously set aside for the Bureau of Reclamation's Grand Valley Reclamation Project, but Reclamation has indicated its intent to relinquish the 31 acres considered in the sale. The county will pay fair market value for those 31 acres of Federal land. The Federal Government has already determined that it no longer needs this land, and Mesa County has plans for ways to put it to work. This is a win-win for the Federal Government, for Mesa County, for Colorado, and for our country. By passing the CONVEY Act today, we will finally push this land transfer over the finish line. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

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

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of S. 3373, H.R. 4385, and H.R. 5770, and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: Calendar No. 629, S. 4576; S. 3373; H.R. 4385; and H.R. 5770.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. I ask unanimous consent that the substitute amendment to S. 3373 at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bills, as amended, where applicable, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Madam President, in Colorado and across the West, as you know as well as I, many, many communities are facing a historic drought crisis. Decades of drought are, in fact, long-term aridification and in many ways have become the new normal. These bills respond to the urgent needs of our drought-stricken communities. They maintain the Federal Government's ability to respond to drought and allow voluntary water conservation in the Upper Colorado River Basin. We need these now as we are seeing in realtime how drought threatens our very way of life. More than 40 million people rely on the Colorado River for water, food, recreation, energy. Our communities, our farms, our environment all depend on water. These bills extend programs that we already know work. At risk is our entire way of life. Thankfully, the two House bills I mentioned, the Drought Preparedness Act and WATER, the Water Data Improvement Act, will now become law. My colleague from Boulder, Joe Neguse, has done the heavy lifting to get this across the finish line in that Chamber. I am happy to do the same here. But the two Senate bills just passed will still need to pass the House to help us out in the West. We really are running out of time. The System Conservation Pilot Program enables voluntary water conservation in the Upper Colorado River, and I have been working closely with Senator Barrasso to reauthorize it. It is supported by the Upper Colorado River Commission and got its start in the depths of the 2022 Colorado River drought that continues to this day. It is critical that we pass this 2-year reauthorization because water users and farmers who participate need to make decisions now about signing on for next year. Any delay that will limit the Upper Basin's ability to find participants and run a successful water conservation program, we can't afford that. We are asking Speaker Johnson to please put this lifeline for western farmers and ranchers on the suspension calendar and make sure that it is able to pass this year. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call be waived.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Kaaren Hinck and her 20 years of service to the U.S. Senate. Although she is never one to seek the spotlight, we can't let her walk out these doors without acknowledging what has been a tremendous career in public service to eight Senators and one Representative across four States and two Presidential campaigns. Kaaren's Senate career got off to an auspicious start one day while she was at home playing hooky from school in Minnesota. Watching TV, she saw an ad for the Senate page program and thought that sounded like something she might like to do. In a sign of things to come, not only was she selected to become a page for her home State Senator, but she also worked it out with her principal so she could do an ``independent study'' and avoid the page program classes altogether, a born dealmaker even before stepping foot in the Chamber. After studying art history at Boston University, she returned to the Senate, this time interning for the ``Lion of the Senate'' himself, Ted Kennedy, before becoming his volunteer coordinator. Thus began her long association with the gentlemen and gentlelady from Massachusetts. Ted Kennedy would be a high watermark for most Senate careers, but Kaaren would go on to work for Senator John Kerry at the height of his Senate career and follow him onto his Presidential campaign. After the heartbreaking loss of 2004, she would embark on a new adventure: the post-Mickey Drexler Gap. But the siren call of the Senate beckoned, and Kaaren returned not long after leaving the Presidential campaign trail, this time to work for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse before returning home to Senator Kerry's office. A glutton for punishment, she would go on to work campaigns again-- this time for Senator Elizabeth Warren, including on her 2020 Presidential run, a campaign that will be remembered for the enthusiasm it inspired. Fortunately for me, she became one of my very first hires when I was elected to the Senate. You can imagine how fortunate I felt that someone with her experience would help us stand up the office. And now, almost 4 years later, Kaaren is the rock we have built that office on. It is hard to imagine the office without her. She is everyone's first stop when they hit a wall and have no idea what to do next. She is the one who makes the seemingly impossible, possible--the person who laughs at the idiosyncrasies of Senate rules and finds joy working around them. She is kind to everyone she meets, always generous with her time to help staff figure out their next career move or how to fix whatever problem has them stumped. Maybe that is also what makes her resolve so impressive. I pity anyone who sees in her kindness a person who rolls over in the face of a challenge. For our office--and I suspect for every office she has served--she has always been exactly what our office needed her to be. From a trusted adviser present at the creation, to acting chief when we needed a steady hand. I don't know what Kaaren will do next, but I know we haven't yet seen the height of her career. We wish her the absolute best and miss her already.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Madam President, standing here listening to my distinguished colleague from Alaska, it is hard not to be angry at what we as a country did, and we are here today to reckon with this disgraceful part of our past. The Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act is the first attempt by the Federal Government to formally investigate and address this horrific period in U.S. history. This legislation and the truth that it will unearth is an essential step toward healing. Now, from the early 19th to the mid-20th century, the U.S. Government established 408 Federal boarding schools across the United States. Now, these schools were created for the purpose of stripping Native American children of their language, their religion, and their cultural identity. In the over 100 years that these schools were in operation, our government took an estimated 100,000 Native American children from their homes and from their families. An estimated 40,000 of these children died alone, without their family, at government-sanctioned schools. And this is the story of one of those schools. Now, in 2022, I visited Colorado's Fort Lewis College. It is a wonderful, remarkable college. It has one of the highest, if not the highest, proportion of Native American students of any college in the country. But it traces its origin back to the Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School, and I went there to discuss the boarding school's history with students at Fort Lewis and with the Tribal Council of the Southern Ute and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribes. It is because of the hard work of Fort Lewis College and the hard work of the Tribes that we can bring many of the details of this dark history to light. Now, Fort Lewis was established in 1892 in Hesperus, CO. To call Fort Lewis a school really is--that is a bald-faced lie. Native American children were not given an education in reading or writing or math. The education model, instead, was based on assimilation into a White and Western way of life, and it came at a truly devastating cost. From 1892 to 1909, an estimated 1,100 children attended this boarding school in southern Colorado. These children were forcibly taken from their families of the Southern Ute, Navajo, Apache, and other numerous Tribes. Desperate to save their children, many Southern Ute families refused to turn their children over. As punishment, the school's superintendent Dr. Thomas Breen cut off the Tribe's food rations to try to force the children's attendance. Breen's tactics failed. The Southern Ute Tribe was steadfast in their resistance and their refusal to give up their children. Upon arrival at Fort Lewis, students were stripped of their clothing, their names, and, as Senator Murkowski said, their hair. Each day, the children were required to perform manual labor, like digging ditches and planting crops, oftentimes in the hot midafternoon sun. Combined with the poor sanitation and lack of food, many students quickly became ill. Disaster struck in the school's first year. A tuberculosis epidemic hit, followed by trachoma, known at that time as ``sore eyes.'' Two children died. Four others became blind. All were under the age of 12. Now, punishment of children at Fort Lewis was often severe. One father reported that his sons were forced to sleep outside in a coal shed in the middle of winter without adequate blankets. Superintendent Breen himself was known for sexually abusing his young female students and teachers. When the girls became pregnant, school officials made sure that they ``disappeared,'' transporting them to other schools to avoid suspicion. Our Federal Government never held Breen accountable. School reports show that 31 children died during the 16 years that the Fort Lewis school was in operation. I can guarantee you that the actual number is probably higher. This is the story of just one of these schools. There were four others in Colorado. There were 403 more across the country. That is 407 other Superintendent Breens, tens of thousands of children who died in unmarked graves and who never saw their families again. It is hard to imagine why our government was preying on our own children. Why would our government sanction such conduct? Our government understood that erasing Native people's identity was a necessary condition to erase their claim to their land, to assimilate them right out of existence, and to ignore the lands guaranteed by treaty to the Tribes. Don't take my word for it. In less than 50 years, from 1887 to 1934, Native Americans lost two-thirds of their Tribal lands, of their treaty lands. And the legacies of this deep trauma remain embedded in Tribal communities today. In Colorado, we see it in the high rates of poverty, the high rates of addiction, the high rates of suicide among our Native American communities. We see it in children who don't know their parents' indigenous names or who have lost their own language, families who don't know what happened to their relatives, to their ancestors, many of whom just never returned home. The Truth and Healing Act is not going to erase this dark past, but it does acknowledge our responsibility to unearth the stories of suffering and injustice that we have buried for generations. In 2022, I joined Secretary Deb Haaland, Secretary of the Interior, at a dedication ceremony for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. In front of Tribal leaders and elected officials, Secretary Haaland told the crowd: Stories like the Sand Creek massacre are not easy to tell but it is . . . our duty to ensure that they are told. This story is part of America's story. The Fort Lewis Indian Boarding School, along with the 407 others, is a part of our story. When we pass the Truth and Healing Act, we make a choice to tell the whole story, and we make a choice never to repeat it. Madam President, I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, this is my son Jack, who I think you know. Every time I look at him, I remember the doctor telling my wife Robin and me that we had literally a one-in-a-million chance of naturally conceiving a child--a one-in-a-million chance. Like so many other couples in America, we had experienced a family health issue that would make having a child very difficult and exceedingly unlikely--all but impossible. You don't know how hard it is to hear something so definitive, so final until you are in that situation. It was the end of a dream we had to create a child together, to grow our little family--our family that, like so many others, didn't have the usual path to this point, the usual path that makes having children without medical help all but certain. But regardless of what the doctor was telling us, we knew that we would welcome a child with more love and care than I could ever put into words, if we only had the chance. If red States like Alabama had their way, Robin's and my story would have ended there, in inconsolable heartbreak and what might have been, what should have been. Thankfully for us, we don't live in an America as envisioned by MAGA Republican extremists in Alabama. The one-in-a-million odds weren't the end of our dream. It was just the start of a new part. That part was called in vitro fertilization. It is not an easy process. It comes with its ups and downs, its uncertainties, and tremendous cost, both economic and emotional. But it meant our dream could still come true. And in December 2022, my wife and I welcomed this amazing little man, Jack Hickenlooper, into our family. In vitro gave us what we hoped for. It gave us our one in a million. And we are not the only ones. In 2022 alone, more than 2,300 babies were born in Colorado through fertility services. Across the country, it was nearly 100,000 families. Now, so many families like ours are cherishing the sacred experience of staring into your own child's eyes--when they take off the sunglasses--and of that child staring back. Every family should have that same opportunity. And to restrict that opportunity in some States but not in others, or for some people but not for others, is nothing more than anti-American. Aren't we the country that stands for equality and freedom? We are standing here voting on this today because the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, seizing the rights of millions of women, same- sex couples, and families like our own in the process. Don't take my word for it. Look at Alabama. We have already seen in vitro services stopped cold in the State of Alabama. That is not all. In the aftermath of the Roe decision, we have seen red States and MAGA Republicans trying to roll back the rights to abortion, to in vitro, and even contraception--banning contraception in America in 2024. The door is open right now for all of us to show our constituents that American families are more important than playing politics. I certainly hope we all do. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I am not sure I can add too much more beyond what has already been said. I come to the floor today to remember and add to the remembrances of the incredible life and the impactful legacy of Pat O'Toole. Senators Barrasso and Lummis and my fellow Colorado Senator Mr. Bennet have been very eloquent. But I think sometimes, really, it has to be said by everyone if everything has already been said. As was mentioned, he lived in the Little Snake River Valley that winds back and forth along the border of Colorado and Wyoming, and he did make a very big impression on both States. He may have legally resided in Wyoming, but both States claim him. More than anything else, he was a westerner and, in many ways, a consummate westerner. Pat understood western water and agriculture. He understood conservation. And just as the West was built by barn raisings more than shootouts, he harnessed the power of collaboration to really get to the heart of the complex discussions on managing our water and our natural resources. He was not only a graduate of Colorado State University; he was a longtime supporter. Obviously, he fell in love, met his wife, defined his future at CSU before he went off to South America for a little touring. He went on to serve as the longtime president of Family Farm Alliance, which stood up for irrigators all over the West and recognized the importance of food to the future of the country. And he touched many different groups at that intersection between agriculture and the environment. His public service and engagement spanned decades, including service as a State legislator in Wyoming and as an appointee on President Clinton's Western Water Policy Commission. But Pat's impact wasn't just limited to the West. He was well-known here on Capitol Hill. As each of the other Senators have said, he testified many times--more than 20 times--here in Congress. And this was not because he liked doing it or he enjoyed it, but he recognized he had a responsibility to share his expertise and to engage on legislation. He did it not because he found coming to Washington pleasurable but because he believed in the West and in his responsibility to make sure that decisions affecting the West were made wisely. And he really pushed to make sure that we had advancements in western water management. As Western States continue to wrestle with the extreme droughts caused by climate change, Pat's wisdom is going to direct us to good solutions, and his attention to process is going to inform us. I think it is important to remember that, no matter how many hats he wore, he was always a rancher at heart, raising ``cattle, sheep, dogs, and children'' on his family ranch. He was deeply committed to preserving the farming and ranching character that is so essential to the West, and he recognized the importance of conservation in protecting and maintaining that heritage. Pat's enduring love of the land was an example to all of us. I understand and recognize the great loss to the family and appreciate that Sharon and Bridget and Siobhan are here. But, really, it is all of our loss, and he will be sorely missed by our entire country. I yield the floor.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

Mr. HICKENLOOPER. Mr. President, I was absent for rollcall vote No. 347 on December 18, 2023. Had I not missed the vote I would have voted yea, to confirm Mr. O'Malley's confirmation.

Mr. HICKENLOOPER

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