Martin Heinrich

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 4859 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. HEINRICH. I ask unanimous consent that the Durbin-Cornyn amendment at the desk 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. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 348, S. 1324.

Mr. HEINRICH. 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. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 5328, introduced earlier today by Senator Cortez Masto.

Mr. HEINRICH. I further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the Republican leader, the Senate proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 1271, Lynne M. Tracy, of Ohio, a Career Member of the Senior Foreign Service, Class of Career Minister, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Russian Federation; that there be 10 minutes for debate, equally divided in the usual form, on the nomination; that upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action; and that the Senate resume legislative session.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 7939, which was received from the House.

Mr. HEINRICH. I ask unanimous consent that the Moran substitute amendment at the desk be considered and 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. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. 1294.

Mr. HEINRICH. I ask unanimous consent that the Van Hollen substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and agreed to; and the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.

Mr. HEINRICH. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 3285 and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 499, S. 1942.

Mr. HEINRICH. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be withdrawn; that the Manchin substitute amendment, which is at the desk, be considered and 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. HEINRICH. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I am truly honored to join my friend and colleague Senator Lujan to recognize the life of Congressional Medal of Honor recipient and Gallup's own staff sergeant, Hiroshi ``Hershey'' Miyamura, who passed away this past November. The State of New Mexico ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of one of our State's and, really, one of our entire Nation's greatest heroes. A second-generation Japanese American, Hershey Miyamura first volunteered for the U.S. Army near the end of World War II. He did so at a time when many of his fellow Japanese Americans--and that includes his future wife--were detained in American internment camps. He served in the storied 442nd Infantry Regiment, which was composed of soldiers with Japanese ancestry and became one of the most decorated units in U.S. military history. Following the start of the Korean war in 1950, the Army recalled Miyamura, who had remained in the Army Reserves, into Active Duty. The Korean war is often labeled the ``Forgotten War,'' and it is true that far too many Americans have forgotten the incredible sacrifices that were made by American servicemembers who fought alongside Korean as well as United Nations allies. More than 36,000 American servicemembers and more than 7,200 members of the Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army gave their lives to defend a free and democratic South Korea. In the face of unthinkably harsh conditions, many servicemembers demonstrated the very best of what it means to be an American--none more so than Hershey Miyamura. During an intense overnight firefight from April 24 to April 25, 1951, then-Corporal Miyamura ordered the men in his machine gun squad to fall back. Corporal Miyamura covered the withdrawal of his entire company from advancing enemy forces. He killed more than 50 enemy combatants in both hand-to-hand combat and with his machine gun. After he sustained severe wounds, enemy forces captured Corporal Miyamura as a prisoner of war but not until after he had allowed all 16 of the men in his machinegun squad to safely withdraw. In later years, Hershey was most proud of the fact that each and every one of the men who were under his charge that night survived the entire Korean war and returned home to his family. After his capture, Corporal Miyamura marched hundreds of miles to a prisoner of war camp, where he would endure nearly 2\1/2\ years of captivity. During this time, he served as a source of strength and comfort to many of his fellow prisoners of war as they endured terrible conditions. Nearly a month after an armistice agreement was reached, ending the hostilities on the Korean Peninsula, Corporal Miyamura was finally turned over to American authorities in Freedom Village. In a living history interview conducted years later with the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Hershey remembered what it was like to see the American flag flying again for the very first time. Hershey said: Until I saw that flag, the Star Spangled Banner, waving in the breeze, did I know that I had learned what it represents. That alone is what makes you feel so humble. It was also only after his release that Hershey learned that his actions had earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor. Upon his return to the United States, President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented Corporal Miyamura with the Medal of Honor at a ceremony at the White House. Hershey also received a Purple Heart, a Prisoner of War Medal, a Combat Infantryman Badge, and a Meritorious Service Medal, in addition to the service medals recognizing his service both in the Korean war as well as in World War II. He achieved a final ranking in the U.S. Army of staff sergeant. Hershey Miyamura's lifelong dedication to his country never ceased. It continued long after his decorated military service ended. After he received his honorable discharge from the Army, Hershey opened up a service station along Route 66 in his hometown of Gallup, NM. He remained active in his community until his dying days in advocating for his fellow veterans and in inspiring young people with lectures on patriotism, faith, and service. It was one of the greatest honors of my public service career to work alongside Hershey in opening the VA's community-based outpatient clinic in Gallup in 2015. In 2018, I was also proud to join Hershey for a tour of the site that is now the Gallup State Veterans Cemetery. In recent years, Hershey touched the lives of countless young people in Gallup during his regular visits with students at the local high school that is named in his honor. The Miyamura High School Patriots wear the colors purple and silver in honor of Hershey's Purple Heart; and a bronze statue of Hershey in his Army uniform and wearing his Medal of Honor stands at the main entrance of Hiroshi Miyamura High School. I hope that none of us will ever forget the profound example of humility and patriotism that Hershey Miyamura left to each of us as his enduring legacy. Hershey Miyamura truly embodied the best of what our Nation stands for. My thoughts are with Hershey's daughter Kelly; his sons, Pat and Mike; his four grandchildren, and all of those in New Mexico and across our great Nation who are mourning his loss and honoring his memory.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, I rise today to ask the Senate to send H.R. 2930, the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act, to the President's desk for his signature. The need for this legislation is pretty straightforward. In 2016, the Governor of the Pueblo of Acoma learned that a sacred ceremonial shield had been stolen and was about to be sold to the highest bidder in Paris. When Governor Riley informed me about this robbery of the Pueblo's cultural patrimony, I called on the State Department to take all possible action to halt the auction. Thankfully, intense public outcry and diplomatic pressure were enough to halt the illegal sale of a Tribe's cultural patrimony. Finally, in November 2019, more than 3 years after the shield was put on the auction block, it was voluntarily returned to the Pueblo. However, this only happened because of intense public outcry and notoriety. In most cases like this, the item has been sold or simply disappears into a private collection. Under current Federal law, it is a crime to sell certain protected Native American cultural objects, things like the Acoma shield, here in the United States. But there is still no Federal law prohibiting the export of stolen cultural items and requiring the cooperation of foreign governments in recovering them. In many cases, Tribes in New Mexico and across our Nation have been forced to effectively pay a ransom to recover their sacred items or had to stand by and watch the sale of their priceless religious and cultural items in international markets. The lack of an explicit ban on trafficking these items to foreign countries was actually cited by the French Government when they initially declined to stop the auction of the Acoma shield. Grave robbing is illegal in every single State in the United States, and yet we allow Tribal religious objects, many of which were stolen literally from grave sites, to be exported and sold in foreign auction houses. We cannot let this loophole that allows foreign trade in Native religious heritage to go on for even one more day, and I would urge my colleagues to pass this bill today and end this awful practice. Mr. President, as if in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 2930, which was received from the House and is at the desk; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, through the Chair, I just want to take a moment to articulate the same commitment publicly, and we look forward to working with my colleague from Alaska, who has been so helpful in putting the STOP Act to a successful resolution. I look forward to working with her to get the Don Young package moved as well.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, it is my honor to recognize the heroic life of Samuel F. Sandoval, Sr., who passed away on July 29, 2022. Mr. Sandoval had been one of the last four remaining Navajo Code Talkers who served during World War II and whose unbreakable code using the Navajo language delivered military communications and played an indispensable role in America's victory in the Pacific. Mr. Sandoval was Naasht'ezhi Dine'esh, Zuni Clan, and born for Tl'aashchi'i, Red Cheek People. He was born on October 24, 1923, in Kimbeto, NM, near Chaco Canyon and graduated in 1942 from the Navajo Methodist Mission School in Farmington, NM, where he was discouraged from using the Navajo language. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in March of 1943 and completed his basic training Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, CA, where the original 29 Code Talkers had arrived the previous fall. After transferring to Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA, he and other Code Talkers created more than 600 codes using words from the Navajo Language. As one of the 418 Navajo Code Talkers, he used the 813-word Navajo code to securely send and receive military communications. Mr. Sandoval served in five combat tours, including Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Peleliu, and Okinawa, before his honorable discharge in January 1946. In recognition of his military service, Mr. Sandoval received the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, a Combat Action Ribbon, a China Service Medal, a World War II Victory Medal, a Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia Clasp, and an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with a silver star, in lieu of five bronze stars. After the war, Mr. Sandoval earned a degree in substance abuse counseling from the University of Utah. He worked for many years as a counselor, assisting Navajo people experiencing alcohol addiction and substance use disorders at his clinic, To-Tah Alcohol Counseling. Like other Code Talkers, Mr. Sandoval had strict orders not to discuss their secret mission during the war or until it was declassified decades later in 1968. After their role was revealed publicly, Mr. Sandoval and his late brother, Merrill Sandoval, took immense pride in their experiences as Code Talkers and worked to educate the public about their contributions. Mr. Sandoval told his personal account in both a book and documentary titled, ``Naz Bah Ei Bijei: Heart of a Warrior.'' In 2001, Mr. Sandoval received a Congressional Silver Medal from President George W. Bush in recognition of his service as a Code Talker. Earlier this year, during his last trip away from home, Mr. Sandoval received American Spirit Award for Bravery from the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA. He was looking forward to attending the groundbreaking for the Navajo Code Talker Museum in Tse Bonito, NM, which took place on National Navajo Code Talkers Day on August 14. My thoughts are with his widow, Malula, his surviving siblings, his six children, his 33 grandchildren, his 33 great-grandchildren, and all those on the Navajo Nation and in New Mexico who he inspired through his incredible life of service.

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. This amendment disrupts the carefully negotiated delicate balance of this agreement, putting really the entire reconciliation vehicle at risk. Therefore, I would urge my colleagues to vote no on the amendment. Vote on Amendment No. 5409

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, these are all problematic amendments that would jeopardize the underlying legislation and the progress on climate, on prescription drugs, and on a whole host of other things. So we should all vote no. We should pass this important bill, and we should be done with this. Vote on Amendment No. 5487

Mr. HEINRICH

Mr. HEINRICH. Mr. President, reserving the right to object.