Roger Marshall

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, before we wrap up this Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, I just want to go back over a couple things as well. Senator Welch, it is always a pleasure to work with you. Whether we are trying to connect high-speed internet or give milk to schools, it is always a joy. I appreciate your hard work and greatly appreciate your staff and my staff as well. I think our staff never gets enough credit. They did all the heavy lifting--the chairman and ranking member, of course, and their staff, and the Ag Committee's staff as well. Senator Alsobrooks, thank you so much for coming down this morning and educating me on this disability issue as well. And I see the Senator from New Mexico Mr. Lujan is here as well and is also engaged in this effort, and we appreciate his support and many, many, many others. So a big thanks. This has been a multiyear process for my staff, a personal goal. I was raised on whole milk. I didn't know there was anything except whole milk, and I always wondered why all of a sudden our youth weren't drinking any milk. And just many of us prefer the taste of it, and guess what, nutritionally, I think it has some really great qualities as well. Mr. President, I would like to ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 111, S. 222.

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

Mr. MARSHALL

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

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to use a prop during my remarks.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I don't have to tell anybody in this room that this is day 39 of a Democrat shutdown--day 39. A real common question I get is: Who is winning? Are the Republicans winning? Are the Democrats winning? I will tell the Presiding Officer: No one wins when there is a government shutdown--especially when it goes on this long--and it is certainly not the American people. My heart goes out with empathy to those folks who have not received a paycheck since October 1--hard-working Americans. I especially feel for our TSA workers, our air traffic control workers, all those people who are out there keeping us safe, our Capitol Police. All those folks who are involved in the day-to-day safety of Americans, thank you for continuing to work without being paid. It is interesting to me to understand why the Democrats have shut the government down. And you can blame whomever you want to, but I think it is an 80-20 issue that Americans don't think it is right to shut down the government, holding everybody hostage over these Biden ObamaCare bonuses. So $35 billion a year, that is what they are holding the government up over--$35 billion a year--these enhanced Biden ObamaCare bonuses. That is one-half of 1 percent of the Federal budget that we are keeping everything else under wraps for--$35 billion that is being given, by the way, to insurance companies--another subsidy to insurance companies. Overall, ObamaCare actually costs the Federal Government closer to $150 billion a year. That is right. We are spending about $150 billion of your taxpayer dollars supplementing other people's healthcare. It was interesting. When they sold this to the American people, they said it would cost $40 billion or $50 billion. But we are already triple that, and that is what the American taxpayers are paying. That is $400 million a day. That is right. We are giving insurance companies $400 million a day of stipends from the ACA, from ObamaCare--taxpayer money, $40 million a day. If you look at this ObamaCare overall, by the way, there is about $25 billion of fraud. And we are going to get into that in a second. And, again, there is $35 billion of these Biden ObamaCare bonuses, and, overall, it is a $150-billion-a-year project. These dollars are funneled straight into the coffers of big insurance cartels through ObamaCare subsidies. All the while, they deny claims. Think about what insurance companies are doing today. Through prior authorization and other issues, they are able to deny claims, to jack up costs for everyday families, sending many into bankruptcy. All the while, they are boosting their profits, driving up their stock values. Now, what do you mean ``driving up stock values''? You know, there is driving up stocks, and there is driving up stocks. I think, when you take a look at this one chart here--and I believe that President Trump put this on Truth Social today, as well. United--this is since ObamaCare was enacted. UnitedHealthcare Group is now up almost 1,200 percent. This is their stock price. CIGNA is at 800 percent. I know you are feeling sorry for Humana at only 500 percent. Molina here is at 859 percent as well. So, certainly, we understand that these insurance companies have profited from these direct subsidies from ObamaCare going into their bank accounts. But what is important is these subsidies aren't really helping the little guy. It is corporate welfare on steroids that boosts the profits of giants like UnitedHealthcare, which pocketed over $14 billion in earnings last year alone, laughing all the way to the bank on the backs of struggling taxpayers--$14 billion in earnings. Don't feel sorry for them that they are not going to get this $35-billion-a- year subsidy. The big winner of ObamaCare has always been and will always be large health insurance companies, they and the lobbyists who helped write ObamaCare. I want to remind everyone, though, that the ACA ended up being not so affordable as well. Premiums are up over 200 percent and sometimes 400 percent since its conception, and we are expecting another spike of 25 percent increase in premiums. Regardless of what Congress does or doesn't do with ObamaCare, the premiums are going to go up 25 percent. And for the most part, the government stands to pay for that entire increase. The way ObamaCare is set up, you pay a percentage of your income. So if the insurance rates--if the premiums go up 10 percent, 20 percent, 100 percent, the government is going to subsidize and take care of all that increase. That is one reason why the insurance companies wrote ObamaCare this way. There is basically no recourse. They know, whatever they make the premium, the government is going to pay it. That is why it is not working. And what else? ObamaCare, like Medicaid, is not meaningful healthcare. With an average deductible of $5,000, that is not meaningful access to healthcare. ObamaCare is an abstract failure. It is expensive. It doesn't work. It doesn't give you access. I think everything I have said so far is undeniable. It is inarguable. It is factual. But I want to turn now to think about goals--goals that Republicans, Democrats, and Americans would have when it comes to healthcare. Republicans want every American to have meaningful, affordable access to healthcare. And a $5,000 deductible for people at 200 or 300 percent of the poverty level, frankly, does not give you meaningful access to healthcare. I want to turn to talk about fraud just a little bit more. Get this: 35 to 40 percent of ObamaCare recipients that are enrolled in ObamaCare never file a claim. Let me say that again. There are 24 million people on ObamaCare, and 35, 40 percent of those people never file a claim. These are ghost people. They don't even know they are on ObamaCare. They have been falsely enrolled in ObamaCare. Some people would say: Oh, but there are always some people that don't file a claim. It is usually more like 10 percent. More like 10 percent of people in a pool of insurance products are not filing a claim. In this case, it is 35 to 40 percent. And, overall, I think we could say that this group of people on ObamaCare is a high-risk group. Big cities like Chicago will push people who took early retirement and push them onto ObamaCare. These are typically sick people who have been pushed off other plans and they went toward ObamaCare. Trust me, I am going to address that. That is why we need a high-risk pool that would address those types of folks as well. But the point here is that some 10 million people on ObamaCare are not using it, but the insurance companies are getting the entire premium paid by the Federal Government. So 10 million people, a premium every month--it is like a slot machine going to big insurance companies. So what is the solution? Instead of giving money to insurance companies, let's give it to the American people. Let me say that again. Instead of giving money to the insurance companies, let's give it to hard-working Americans--what a novel idea. Let's turn patients into consumers once again by funding some type of an HSA or a flexible spending account. Call it what you want to. But instead of giving the insurance companies dollars--these premium dollars--let's give that money to hard-working Americans. I did miss one point I wanted to make when it comes to fraud. In addition, to address those people that are ghosts, there are ways to fix that--real simple ones. No. 1 is to have some type of meaningful ID. Right now, basically, you could give an insurance peddler out there just your name and your birth date, and they can enroll you. They need to go through the same type of regimen that it would take, say, to enroll for Medicare. There are biometrics that we can use as well. But, in addition to that, all we would have to do is have a monthly payment. And I understand; it doesn't have to be a lot. You are at 150 percent of poverty level; you don't have a lot of money. But if there is a $10 or a $20 payment coming out of your Apple Pay card once a month, you would see that every month. And if you didn't know you were enrolled in something, it would force you to call this company and say: Hey, I didn't sign up for this. And we need the highest enforcement levels when people are defrauding the Federal Government like this as well. Let me return now to our flexible spending accounts, our HSAs. Right now, there is about $12 billion every year we are spending on cost- share reductions--CSRs, as they are called up here. So we are spending about $12 billion a year on these cost-sharing reductions. In addition to that, there is another $35 billion we have been spending on these ObamaCare enhanced bonuses, if you will. So our belief is that we take both of those fundings--the $12 billion and the $35 billion--and put it on an HSA card, no different than we do with food stamps or all the other Federal programs, and use that money, then, for your out-of-pocket expenses. You couldn't use it on premiums. That would not make any sense. You would use it for your out-of- pockets, your deductibles, your copays, and that would allow you to purchase--to start driving insurance premiums down by picking a product that you know that you have some money in your own bank account, so to speak, to take care of those out-of-pocket expenses. So, eventually, as this group of people become consumers again and they become better consumers out there, comparing the price of one hospital to another or a surgery center to a hospital or a doctor's office versus another's doctor's office--making those choices themselves--they are going to drive the cost of healthcare down. And I wanted to remind everybody that we wouldn't touch the original subsidies. So the original ACA subsidies--again, this is pre-Joe Biden--those would remain in place. So don't feel sorry. The insurance companies are still going to get $100 billion a year of these subsidies from the original ACA plan. We are just taking these new enhanced subsidies--this Biden bonus money and the CSR money--and putting those into some type of HSA account. There are lots of other things we could do, as well, to help drive the true cost of healthcare down. We have talked a lot about a pricetags bill, letting patients become consumers and letting them shop--so forcing hospitals and surgery centers and imaging centers and all other healthcare providers to provide a pricetag along with some type of quality outcomes as well. We need to end silver loading. We need to expand options. I hope that we could let people choose association healthcare plans or ministry plans as well. There are many, many things we could do to impact the cost of prescription drugs for this group of people as well. I will start winding it down here and just say, you know, enough with the lies about the so-called affordable care. The big insurance company cartels have formed a monopoly that controls premiums, with the Federal Government acting as their personal ATM, dishing out billions in enhanced subsidies that only inflate their executive bonuses and shareholder dividends, while leaving millions without meaningful access to healthcare. It is time we demand an end to this rigged system where insurance behemoths rake in tens of billions of dollars in revenue yet rely on some $150 billion in yearly government handouts under the ACA, turning public health into a private profit machine at our expense. Our carrot-and-stick approach uses federally funded FSAs-HSAs to encourage mindful spending and reward efficient users by converting a portion of their savings into a retirement account eventually. All of this fosters consumerism. If you think about the ACA, we are spending $6,500 a year of Federal dollars per each patient--$6,500 per year, per patient. We are not spending any more than that on Medicaid, and then the States are putting their money on top. We might as well move these patients into Medicaid and continue to subsidize these insurance companies. It makes no sense to anybody up here, but yet we continue to throw good money after bad money. In this case, we are keeping the Federal Government closed because of this insane program. And maybe it is just pride. Maybe it is just the pride of my friends across the aisle that they won't admit that the ACA--``Unaffordable Care Act,'' ObamaCare--was a failure. It destroys competition. It destroys consumerism. Overregulation always leads to consolidation of industry. We have seen it with insurance companies, with hospitals. We are seeing it now with doctors' practices even. It is going to be hard to fix this overnight. This has been the law of the land for 15 years. But everything where we are today--the reason that rural hospitals are going broke, the reason that we have $5,000 deductibles, the reason that premiums are going up 25 percent, it is because of the ObamaCare rules. Again, the insurance companies wrote ObamaCare. They, their lobbyists, big hospital systems--they are the ones that wrote ObamaCare, and here we are. They have been on the gravy train now for over a decade--$150 billion a year for these 24 million people. I want to open the government. I want to open the government, but I can't be forced to throw good money after bad money. So many of us want to fix healthcare. That is why I came here. Fixing healthcare won't be easy. It is 18 percent of our GDP. But there are fixes out there. It will take a bipartisan effort. It is going to take months and not weeks and not days to fix it. All I can do is, I have outlined a plan here. If my friends across the aisle would embrace just two simple concepts of dealing with fraud and instead of giving money to big insurance companies, we give it to hard-working Americans, I think that is framing two pieces of a very good healthcare package--a very good, bipartisan healthcare package. So I am asking you to come across the aisle and shake our hands and say: Yes, let's get to work on that. But in the meanwhile, we need to get the government open. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Madam President, today we recognize Quinn Lloyd of Columbus, KS, and honor the life and legacy of a young man whose kindness, character, and generosity have had a profound effect on his community and our Nation. Known for his warm personality and infectious smile, Quinn was a beloved son, brother, friend, and teammate. A force on the gridiron and joy to all who knew him, Quinn brightened the lives of everyone around him. Even in the face of unimaginable tragedy, Quinn's generosity has continued through the gift of life he provided to others in need through organ donation. This incredible act of selflessness and courage exemplifies the strength of his spirit and the depth of his character. On November 4, 2025, his family, friends, and the Columbus, KS, community joined together for Quinn's Honor Walk, a moving ceremony that celebrated both his life and the hope he has given others. His gift will help others live, and his light will continue to shine through the lives he touched. Quinn will be laid to rest alongside his sister Ruby, surrounded by a community that loved him deeply. Though his time with us was far too short, his legacy of kindness and generosity will endure for generations and continue to inspire. I now ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Quinn Lloyd and in offering our prayers and deepest sympathies to his family, friends, and the entire Columbus, KS, community.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, good morning. Good morning to all my colleagues here today. Now, as all the Senators know, as all America knows, my friends across the aisle have kidnapped the Federal Government. In fact, they have now voted a dozen times not to reopen the government. And even surprising to most of us, twice they voted against funding the military during these challenging times. I think it is obvious to all America that this is a political shutdown; that this is show biz to them; that this is an opportunity for their left, lazy media to shout and scream at President Trump and to kowtow to their far-left, Marxist base. Now, when you kidnap somebody or an entity, you have to have a ransom. Now, the opening ransom from the Democrats was an additional $1.5 trillion added to our national debt, borrowed from my grandchildren--$1.5 trillion. It was just this week that the Federal Government passed a $38 trillion level for our national debt. We are spending a trillion dollars a year on interest alone. So that was the opening ransom. And now they seem to be locked in on throwing more money at a very broken ACA, the 24 million people on the ACA. But it is interesting to me how, when they want to talk about healthcare, they hide behind rural hospitals, that they think, ``Oh, we are going to help those,'' when 97 percent of rural America voted for President Trump. And under President Trump's leadership, in our Big Beautiful Bill we have $50 billion of a health transformation fund for rural America. But the first thing the Democrats want to do is to take that away. It has been maybe one of the most hypocritical statements I have ever heard. They want to help rural America, help rural hospitals, but they want to take away this $50 billion transformation fund. Instead, they want to put all their eggs in one basket on Medicaid. Look, a hospital loses money every time they see a Medicaid patient. Every time a Medicaid patient walks into the emergency room, that hospital is losing money on that patient as well. Despite that, the Republicans, in our Big Beautiful Bill, increased spending on Medicaid to the tune of $200 billion a year. We need to work on getting people off of Medicaid. Let's get them back to work and help them get good health insurance as well. Now, their latest idea is that they want to throw more money at the ACA. They want to throw more money for the 24 million people on the ACA. Look, Democrats own healthcare, right? The ACA has been the law of the land for 15 years. If any hospital fails today, tomorrow, next week, next year, the year after, if anybody's health premiums are going up--and they are--then it is on the backs of Democrats. The first thing you need to realize is that when you are in a hole, stop digging. When do they think we can stop throwing good money after bad money? Look, I want to fix healthcare. I want to drive down the cost of healthcare. Now, as my colleague from Oklahoma pointed out, the premiums for the ACA are up 200 percent, is what he mentioned--I think that is a pretty good number--over the last 6 years. But beyond that, the average deductible for the ACA now is $5,000. Can you imagine you are a family of four--an average salary back in Kansas is $60,000 a year. And the Democrats think throwing more money at the ACA, which gives you a $5,000 deductible, is going to solve the problem. Well, of course, it is not. So we need to address the affordability of the ACA, and we need to address the premiums. Then, beyond that, we need to address the fraud. Look, this program has grown from a $50 billion-a-year projection by the famous Congressional Budget Office--they said it would be $50 billion. We are spending $150 billion a year now on the ACA, and we think there is $25 to $50 billion of fraud in that. I think that if you polled Americans and said ``Look, there is a Federal program which is paying subsidies for people's premiums, but there is $50 billion of fraud in that,'' I think Americans would say ``Hey, we sent you to Congress, to the Senate, to fix the darn problem.'' And we know how to do that. This is a simple fix. Not one time have you heard a Democrat say: We want to fix what is broken in the ACA. No. All they want to do is throw more money at it. It would be so easy to fix the fraud, and we know how to do it. How do we address the cost of healthcare? Well, it starts with adding pricetags, right? Can you imagine walking into a restaurant and trying to decide if you want the two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, onions on a sesame seed bun versus the two quarter-pounders and didn't know the price difference? Of course not. But that is what we are asking Americans to do when they have a procedure done. They have no idea what it is going to cost; they have no idea what outcomes are. Americans need to realize that you could have a surgery done in one facility for--let's say it is a hip replacement. Maybe one hospital gets $10,000, but another one, they are reimbursing at $50,000. I am not making those numbers up. I ran a hospital. Those were the exact numbers just 6 or 7 years ago. By the way, the hospital that was getting reimbursed the lower amount had better outcomes, less infections, and less blood clots. Look, the Democrats own healthcare right now. These are their policies. When they are ready to do something more than just throw money at one of the most broken systems in the history of America, then we are here to talk to you. But first of all, we need to open the Federal Government. I yield the floor.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Madam President, I call up my amendment No. 3213 and ask that it be reported by number.

Mr. MARSHALL. Madam President, the American flag represents something deeply personal to most of us in this room. Someone from every generation in my family, going back to the Civil War, has served under one flag--the American flag. It is more than stars and stripes. This one flag is a symbol of sacrifice, of freedom and unity. Every time we place our hands over our hearts, we are reminded that we are one Nation under God. We are not a patchwork of ideologies competing for space on a flagpole. No flag that divides or politicizes should ever be flown on a Federal building. This is about respect. It is about unity and putting America first, standing together under one flag--the Stars and Stripes--and that is why I urge my colleagues to support our amendment, ensuring only the American flag is flown on Federal buildings.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. I move to proceed to the motion to reconsider the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R. 5371.

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the cloture vote to proceed to H.R. 5371.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, here we are, day No. 2 of the Schumer shutdown, or should we call this the AOC shutdown? After all, when the puppet master gets outmaneuvered by his own radical Squad, who is really calling the shots? Shouldn't we give the Squad some credit here for this shutdown? Now, let me say that a different way. This Democrat shutdown is nothing but a cynical political shutdown, with Senator Schumer kowtowing to his radical, leftwing extremists. He is desperately recoiling, fighting to stave off a primary and to save his party from the piranhas in their own midst. Look, I am sure he feels like he has been steamrolled by President Trump and the overwhelming ``America First'' mandate that 78 million American patriots who voted for real change. Everything else--all other excuses--is just a pathetic smokescreen to hide their failures. But let's take a closer look at some of these Democrat excuses. Again, they are decoys; they are camouflage and why this is indeed a Schumer shutdown. First of all, there is no substance to their arguments. They want to talk about healthcare. Boy, do Republicans want to fix healthcare, but the real problem is the cost of healthcare. Healthcare has gone up 400 percent in the last couple of decades. It is the cost of healthcare. All my Democratic friends want to do is just keep throwing more and more money, more and more subsidies, making big healthcare systems rich. Premiums are going to go up 20 percent this year--20 percent. Again, healthcare is what is leading inflation. If it wasn't for healthcare inflation, we would probably be down closer to 2 percent. So regardless of what happens here in Congress in the next 3 to 4 months, your healthcare premium is going to go up 20 percent on average. This shutdown is keeping us from working on the real problem, and that is the cost of healthcare. Think about Republican solutions that we have out there right now. We have legislation that we call the Price Tags bill that we hope to debate, work up, and mark up in our healthcare committee this fall. What that bill does is it forces every hospital, surgery center, imaging center to put a pricetag on the procedures you are going to have done. Can you imagine walking into a restaurant and not knowing the price of a good Kansas steak versus some cheap-grade steak from another country? You couldn't imagine that. So when you are sitting there, deciding whether to have your hip replaced at a hospital like in my hometown of Great Bend, America, versus having it done at another facility, you will see that you can have the same procedure done for maybe a fifth of what it costs at other facilities. By the way, we have better outcomes, and we have better customer service as well. Patients deserve pricetags. You know, other solutions out there are expanding healthcare savings accounts where you can use pretax dollars for different opportunities as well. If you really want me to solve the riddle of the cost of healthcare, we need to make America healthier again. That is why Republicans, under President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, were trying to pass policies which would lead to a healthier America. Think about it--70 percent of Americans have a chronic disease. You think about heart disease and hypertension, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's, cancer, and mental health issues. Ninety percent of the healthcare dollars being spent in this country are spent on those chronic diseases. Think about our youth. Twenty percent of our youth are on a prescription drug, 30 percent are obese, and 40 percent of our youth have a chronic disease. We have a mental health epidemic in our youth as well. So if you want to drive down the cost of healthcare, we need to make a healthier America, we need more transparency, we need to promote innovation, and we need to turn patients into consumers again. Then lastly and most importantly, we need to make America healthy again--and for all the right reasons. The benefit of driving down the cost of healthcare is just one of them. Think about this: America is spending 18 percent of its GDP on healthcare right now. Singapore is spending 4 percent. Most advanced countries are going to spend half of what we do on healthcare. People ask, well, why are our outcomes worse? It is because we are sick. We have sicker people. The incidence of diabetes, hypertension-- all those things are going through the roof. That is why our outcomes aren't as good as other countries' are. Rural healthcare. Let's talk about rural healthcare for a second. My goodness, do I care about rural healthcare. I was born in a rural hospital. I had an OB practice for 25 years in rural America. I was on call every day, every other day for 25 years. You can call my wife and ask her--we didn't sleep through the night for 25 years. We delivered a baby almost every day. Then I was blessed to lead a group of doctors and run that rural hospital for over a decade as well. I oversaw three health departments. If anybody understands the importance of rural healthcare, I think it would be me. That is why I have spent a lifetime trying to fix all of these riddles that we have right now. Now, my friends across the aisle say that they are worried that rural hospitals are closing all of a sudden--all of a sudden--and that they want to try to fix this issue. Well, they have actually contributed to the problem. But here is one of the most hypocritical things I have ever heard since being up here. So the Democrats say that they are closing the government because they want to save rural hospitals, but the first thing they are going to do is take $50 billion away from our rural health transformation funding--$50 billion from rural health transformation funding--something I have been working on with this administration since the New Year, what that would look like if we had the money. But no. What my friends across the aisle want to do is they want to control healthcare; they want to keep throwing good money after bad money. They think that Medicaid is going to save the day. Let me tell you something about Medicaid. Only 5 percent of Medicaid funding goes to rural America. Five percent of Medicaid funding goes to rural America. Hospitals and doctors lose money on every Medicaid patient we see. Now, it doesn't mean we shouldn't take care of them. We took care of everybody in our hospital regardless of their ability to pay, regardless if they were a citizen or not. We didn't know, and we didn't care. We went in and took care of these patients. But certainly, running a private OB practice and running a hospital, I realized that we lose money on every Medicaid patient we see. Having Medicaid is not the same as access to healthcare. Who in the world even thinks that could be the case? Talk to any doctor, talk to any patient that has Medicaid. Ask them--let's say they have a herniated disc in their back. Ask them how long it is going to take to get in to see a neurosurgeon. It is going to take 6 months; it is going to take a year. So, in reality, probably less than half of the doctors, in a true measure, participate in Medicaid. It has to be the most failed system, the biggest waste of money I have ever seen. There are better solutions out there than Medicaid. I am so excited about, again, solutions. Republicans have solutions. I am so excited about this transformation fund and the opportunity that does that. Here is what is really rich--here is what is rich. So there are hospitals closing and pharmacies closing today, tomorrow, last year, but that is a result of the Democrats' failed policies. Our legislation that we passed this year--signature legislation that is going to change the course of America--none of that is going to really kick in for 2 or 3 years. It is just beyond me for the leader of the Democratic Party to sit up here and cry about hospitals closing in rural America today and blaming Republicans. If there is any hospital closing today, tomorrow, next year, the Democrats own it. They own the failed policy, and America gets that. My gosh, I have never heard something so ridiculous in my life. But, again, Republicans have solutions, and we want to fix it. One of the ways to fix the failure of why these hospitals are failing is the economy that hospitals--rural hospitals are a reflection of the local economy. As agriculture goes, so goes rural America, so goes these hospitals. By the way, 97 percent of these rural counties voted for President Trump. He is never going to turn his back on them. We as Republicans are not going to turn our backs on them. I wake up every morning trying to figure out, how do we save rural hospitals and rural America? how do we recruit doctors to rural America? how do we recruit nurses to rural America? And all of a sudden, the Democrats have got salvation here, and they care about it? No. They are hiding behind that issue. They are hiding behind it because they don't have any substance to stand on. Again, the ACA has been the rule of the land for 15 years now. If there are any hospitals failing today, and there are, it is because of the overregulation of the ACA. Just like banks consolidating, hospitals consolidating, healthcare consolidating--all these different entities are consolidating because of overregulation created by Democrats. Our rural transformation funding is going to set those rural counties free to do what they think is best with the money. All right. Let's go to the next Democrat argument. Let's talk about these COVID-era subsidies for the ACA plans. What a joke. I just absolutely cannot believe they are going to hide behind this one. So think back to the original ACA. The ACA sets up funding to help supplement insurance premiums for a group of people based upon their ability to pay. That is probably 70, 80 percent of the premium right now, on average, is the way it was set up to be. In some cases, it was 95 percent. But then COVID comes along, and the Democrats boost those subsidies, so that now many Americans aren't contributing anything to those particular funds. And what this has led to is mass fraud, OK? So these COVID-era subsidies have led to mass fraud. Let me put some dollars and cents on this. When the ACA was first written, they thought we would be spending maybe $25, $50 billion a year on those subsidies. Well, we are spending $150 billion a year on these subsidies. We think that probably a third of that is waste, fraud, and abuse, and I could spend the next half hour talking about why we think there is waste, fraud, and abuse within it. But the way it was created allows for waste, fraud, and abuse. I can't fix that today. I can't fix it tomorrow. We need to fund the government and get back to work on this issue, and we know how to do it. But for Republicans to agree to these subsidies being continued, the first thing we have to do is to address the fraud. I bet that is a 90- 10 issue. I bet that 90 percent of Americans would like for us to fix the fraud in that issue and make sure the people who need it the most are getting the help. So that is one issue on the COVID-era subsidies. The next big issue-- I want to go back to premiums, OK. That is the real issue. These premiums are going to go up 20 percent this year. So regardless of what we do here, the premiums are going to go up 20 percent. That is where the sting is coming from, is how much these premiums are going up, and my friends across the aisle just want to keep throwing money at it. They want this corporate welfare where these subsidies are basically enriching big insurance companies. That is exactly what is happening. These subsidies are basically going to this consolidated insurance business out there. Most States, like mine, only have two or three insurance carriers left standing. When these subsidies go up for the people with an ACA plan, guess what? They are going to use that as an excuse to increase your plan that you are getting through that hard-working job of yours as well. So to have a meaningful discussion about these COVID-era subsidies, we need to--No. 1 is to address the fraud, and No. 2 is we need to address the rate of increase of these premiums as well. And listen to this: Even if this COVID subsidy went away, the Federal Government on average would be paying 80 percent of the premium. So we would be paying 80 percent rather than 90 percent of the premium. But if the premium has gone up 20 percent, just think about the difference on 80 percent versus 90 percent. That is where the sting is truly coming from. When do Democrats want to have a serious conversation about this, the real conversation about the cost of healthcare? My friends across the aisle want to bring these two issues together. They want to, you know, take a hostage. In order to keep the government open, they are saying: You have to give us these COVID-era subsidies, to prolong them. They are supposed to expire December 31 of this year. The Democrats passed this. It was supposed to be for COVID, and, like all the other COVID subsidies that drove us into massive debt, there was a sunset on it. They wrote the law. If they didn't want it to sunset, why didn't they continue the program for infinity just like they did with the original subsidies? So this, to me, is two different issues. We have the issue here of keeping the government open, and we have the issue here of healthcare. I want to take care of both of them, but it is going to take weeks, probably months, for us to come up with a solution for these COVID subsidies. So I don't think it is fair to keep the government closed down because they weren't willing to talk about this. It is interesting that we didn't hear a thing about this--at least I didn't--from the minority leader, that he was concerned about this, until just a couple days ago. Again, it makes me think he wanted the shutdown. He wanted the shutdown to appease his liberal left base. Here is another argument the Democrats are making. You know, there is a fight about healthcare for illegal aliens. I don't think anyone can argue that before our working-families tax-cut bill--our signature bill that is going to grow the economy--that before that legislation, that illegal aliens were getting healthcare. Even the CBO--and I hate to pick and choose when I use the CBO numbers--but the CBO said that 2 million illegal aliens were getting healthcare subsidies or free healthcare because of the loose, just unfettered process that States were using to verify who was eligible for Medicare. That is not me; that is not a Republican; the CBO said 2 million illegal aliens were getting care each year on the backs of American taxpayers. I don't know if that number is perfectly accurate, but if it is 1 million, 2 million, or 3 million, certainly illegal aliens were getting free healthcare on the backs of American taxpayers. So when the Democrats want to go in there and gut that bill and end the fixes, the loopholes we closed, I don't know how they can look America in the eye and say that is not the case. But regardless, I think that is a small issue. I think that is a red herring. That is not really what the issue is. It is just one more thing they can argue about to get America's eyes off the true challenge within their own party. The minority leader says we are not negotiating. I just think that is such an untruth, that we are not negotiating--my gosh. The Appropriations Committee--the Republican-led Appropriations Committee-- has been negotiating since President Trump was--actually, since we were--sworn in, in January. And we have just nothing but compliments to Senator Susan Collins and her team and the Democrats on the Appropriations team. They are doing their job, but Leader Schumer--Minority Leader Schumer--wants to do this negotiation in the back doors. He wants to continue the status quo where, for the government funding, they go back behind a door in a closed office. The cameras are off, and they want to cut a deal. You can talk about the four corners up here: the Speaker of the House, minority leader of the House, minority leader in the Senate, and then the majority leader, the head of the Senate here, of course, John Thune. So Senator Schumer thinks they can go behind closed doors--and there are two New Yorkers in that room--and build all their bridges to nowhere. But Republicans want to fund the government in open daylight, through the Appropriations Committee, with the lights on and the cameras on. The Appropriations Committee passes legislation. There are 12 buckets of funding to fund this discretionary spending that Senate Republicans are trying to lead here--12 buckets of funding. Again, under their great leadership, they have passed 8 of these 12 buckets out of committee. It is almost 90 percent of funding for the Federal Government--discretionary spending, again, of course--that they have already finished the job on. Senator Susan Collins has done an incredible job getting it through committee--bipartisan. You look at the votes on these bills, and it is 25 to 0, 23 to 2, 24 to 1--huge bipartisan victories done in the light of day. And then those should come here to the floor, and let America see exactly what is in them. And if there is a bridge to nowhere in there, let me stand up here and offer an amendment to strike that funding, and then let that Senator defend why his or her State should have this bridge to nowhere. That is what is supposed to happen in the light of day, but Senator Schumer wants to go back to the Dark Ages, where he can go in a back room--a back, New York room--and then cut a deal for all of his bridges to nowhere. The House, I believe, has passed all 12 of their funding bills out of committee. Now, we have got three of those across the floor. There are five more sitting there, but Senator Schumer refuses to release anybody on his side to vote for them, even though they voted for them in committee. Why? It is part of the political theater. He wants this shutdown. So I think America sees this, that we wanted to negotiate in good faith, but Schumer's idea--Senator Schumer's idea--of negotiating is now to go behind closed doors, where he is one of four people in the room, and then go tell the President, who was elected by 28 million people, and he wants to tell him what to do. So I asked, you know, as we go through this process--I asked myself this morning: So what are AOC and the Squad, who are empowered by the liberal legacy media, asking Senator Schumer to do or really telling him what to do? What are AOC, the Squad, the liberal media--what are they demanding from Senator Schumer? Well, they told him to take a hostage, right? So he did. He took a hostage. He took these COVID-era subsidies as hostage and the $1.5 trillion of added funding as hostage, and now they are asking him to shoot the hostage. So the Squad and Senator Schumer, they took the bait. They took the bait--hook, line, and sinker--like jumping into Brer Rabbit's briar patch. And guess what. They are about to get mowed down like dry cornstalks in a Kansas tornado. They took the bait. They took the bait, empowering the White House to finally shrink this Federal Government, this monster of a beast that we have here now. You know, when Joe Biden was sworn in, in 2021, there were about 2.8 million Federal employees. So President Biden started with 2.8 million. By the time he finished, we had over 3 million Federal employees. Now, President Trump is going to split the difference there. So we are still not back to pre-COVID, pre-Biden levels of Federal employment. Look, I am grateful for every Federal employee, and many of them do incredible work. But I think it is no secret that we could all be a little more efficient, that we all could work a little harder. And if we had a few less regulations, I think we would need a few less Federal employees as well. I don't want to sound callous or not caring. I am grateful for every job an American has. But my goal would be to help move some of these people with some of these Federal jobs and move them into the real world and adding to GDP rather than subtracting from GDP. That would be my goal. There is a reasonable number of people we need to do the work of the Federal Government, but I just think going from 2.8 million pre-COVID to over 3 million just seems to be too much. So, like I said, the Squad has led the Democrat Party into Brer Rabbit's briar patch, and they are about to get mowed down like cornstalks in a Kansas twister. I think the last thing I want to go back to here is that the Democrats were saying that they really want to add $1.5 trillion to our debt. Again, we have $37 trillion in national debt now as a nation. We are spending almost $3 billion a day on interest. That is right, America--$3 billion a day on interest alone, a trillion dollars a year. And they want to add $1.5 trillion to our national debt. But get this: In November of this last year, America rejected that plan, OK. That is why the voters gave Republicans the White House, the House, and the Senate. They didn't want us to borrow another $1.5 trillion. So what is motivating the Squad? What is motivating Senator Schumer to do this, to shut down the government? What is motivating their lust for power and their control of the American people? You know, I think the socialists have always thought, if you controlled healthcare, that is the first step in controlling the people, right? So what is motivating them? I think No. 1 is--let's just be frank here: It is Trump derangement syndrome. I think that is their No. 1 motivation to shut the government down. It is Trump derangement syndrome. They have a hatred for President Trump that I have never seen anything like this before in my life. I think the second reason is the liberal left has not realized they lost the election. You know, you go through these stages of grief and denial. That is the first one. The liberals have still not realized they lost the election. Seventy-eight million people voted for Republicans to control the House, the Senate, and the White House. They are rejecting the Democrats' lust for power to control Americans, to borrow from our grandchildren. So that is their motivation. Look, if they want to change these policies, then go win the election. If you want to change the policies, go win the election. You know, I think back to 2020, and the Democrats had a sweep, right? The Democrats swept the elections in 2020, and they added $2 trillion a year in debt. So they grew the budget from about $5 trillion to $7 trillion overnight. But when it came to keeping the government open, the Republicans didn't go back to them and say: Hey, we are going to keep the government open if you decrease your spending by $2 trillion a year. We didn't take that hostage. We could have. We could have. Does that make sense, comparing the 2020 election to this election? The Democrats swept in 2020. They came in and added $2 trillion of spending. But over a dozen times, Republicans walked the plank and said: We will keep the government open. I wasn't happy about it then. I am not happy about it now. I am not happy about the spending levels that we are fighting for right now. I think that they are way too much. If you want to continue your liberal, socialist policies, Democrats, go win an election. Go win an election. We came through with a bill for America to cut taxes, to grow jobs, to make the government more efficient, and look at what is happening. The gas prices are down. Grocery prices are down. The border is secure. All of those types of things are happening under Republican leadership. We want to address the cost of healthcare. We truly, truly do. I want to point out that we are just not going to negotiate borrowing another $1.5 trillion for continued throwing money at healthcare issues in order to keep the government open. Again, these are apples and oranges. We need to open the government back. We need to fund the government for a couple of months--a clean CR. Let Senator Collins and her team, working with Democrats, get that other 10 percent of funding across the finish line. In 2 months' time, we can bring those bills to the floor in front of the American public, debate them, offer amendments, make Senators defend their bridges to nowhere, as I call them, and then continue to work on healthcare. And it is not going to be easy. It is going to be painful. When $5 trillion is being spent on healthcare in this country every year, and all these big corporations are grabbing that money as it goes by their front desk, it is not going to be easy to drive down the cost of healthcare, but we have to do it. To me, this is common sense. We are asking the Democrats to vote for a clean CR, based upon levels of spending that every Senate Democrat in here that was in office voted for just 7 months ago. Seven months ago, every Democrat in here voted for these spending limits. Again, a dozen times under Joe Biden, Republicans walked that plank and kept the government open. I pledge to you; I pledge to every Democrat: No one is going to work harder than I will to help solve this riddle for healthcare, focused on driving the cost of healthcare down. But at the end of the day, the shutdown keeps us from doing the real work of the people, from having real debates about the cost of healthcare, our national debt, our spending, and all those things. During a shutdown, things freeze up here, and we can't do the work that we need to do in our communities to address these different problems. One of our Presidents once said this, and I am going to quote him: I know that it is said that one of the easiest things in the world is to give away somebody else's money. But government does not have money except the money it takes from the people. And so every time we talk about spending money on this or that program-- On healthcare or COVID subsidies-- let us remember that the government has no money except what it takes from the people. And the people know that. And they are feeling it. They are feeling the pain of the government taking so much money. That is my quote. I go back to the President's quote here: And the people are tired of big government taking all the money they earn. Boy, if you are a Senator up here and you are listening to anybody back home, I think you understand folks back home are tired of Big Government taking all the money they can earn. So I ask my friends across the aisle--and they truly are friends. There is not an enemy. There is not a Democrat I would call an enemy. President Reagan said he had no political enemy, only political opponents. There is no difference than when we see gladiators on Sunday playing these football games, and at the end of the game, they are shaking each other's hands. Both parties should fight for what they think is right. But if we stay fixed on the goals--the common goals-- working toward a balanced budget, keeping the government open, driving down the cost of healthcare, and all of these things, I bet most of us agree on those goals. But in the meantime, we need to keep the government open. We need to pass a clean CR. Again, let's let the Appropriations Committee continue their negotiation to do their job, as we all work together up here. So as long as we stay on those same goals--those same goals, like I said--we want to keep the government open. We want to work toward a balanced budget. I want to fix healthcare. I want to fix the cost of healthcare. To anyone up here who agrees on those same goals, I will reach out my hand across the aisle, and I will pledge that we will listen and work together in good faith. But for today, let's pass a clean CR. I yield the floor.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to welcome to our Nation's capital His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Spiritual Head of the second-largest Christian Church in the world. His All-Holiness serves as the current Archbishop of Constantinople and leads over 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide. His All-Holiness is visiting Washington, DC, from September 15 through September 17 and will meet with President Trump at the White House. This visit coincides with his receipt of the Templeton Prize, a prestigious award previously bestowed upon renowned figures such as Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. For decades, His All-Holiness has been a steadfast advocate for religious freedom and unity among Christians worldwide. He has consistently called for the protection of religious minorities and has championed the rights of Orthodox Christians to worship freely. His efforts to promote dialogue between the Orthodox Church and other Christian denominations have significantly strengthened interreligious understanding. In my home State of Kansas, we are honored to have a strong and active Greek Orthodox community, with more than 4,300 Orthodox Christians and two parishes: St. Dionysios in Overland Park and Holy Trinity in Wichita. These churches embody the deep spiritual connection that Kansans share with the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Orthodox Christians around the world. I now ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this historic visit and in honoring His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for his unwavering commitment to faith and the common good.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize three Kansas community colleges that were recently ranked among the top 2- year colleges in the Nation by WalletHub: Manhattan Area Technical College, Pratt Community College, and Colby Community College. Community and technical colleges play a vital role in building the workforce of the future and making higher education accessible to students from all backgrounds. They provide affordable, high-quality education that prepares students for meaningful careers or further study. For many, especially in rural areas, these colleges offer the best path to career success and personal advancement. Manhattan Area Technical College earned the No. 2 national ranking, driven by its consistent record of placing graduates into high-demand careers with strong earning potential. Its focus on career and technical education equips students with skills that are both practical and accessible. Pratt Community College earned the No. 3 spot nationwide, celebrated for instilling financial responsibility in its graduates, who maintain one of the lowest student loan default rates in the country. This recognition underscores the college's exceptional return on investment and its commitment to preparing students for long-term professional success. Colby Community College earned the No. 15 national ranking, reflecting its ongoing excellence in serving students across western Kansas. The college has posted the highest graduation rate among Kansas community colleges in 7 of the past 10 years and led the State's community colleges in fall-to-fall retention in 5 of the past 6 years. As a proud community college alum, I know firsthand the opportunities that community and technical colleges provide their students. They open doors for hard-working Americans seeking a better future through education and training. I am proud to see these Kansas colleges leading the way in providing affordable, effective, and transformative education. I now ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Manhattan Area Technical College, Pratt Community College, and Colby Community College on this national recognition.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, typically, when we come to this hallowed floor, we are speaking on behalf of ourselves as Senators, but tonight, I also want to speak on behalf of my good staff. I would like to start with the Scripture from Psalms: The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Tonight, many of us indeed are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit. It is tonight that we gather with heavy hearts to honor the extraordinary life of Charlie Kirk--a visionary, conservative leader whose unyielding passion for freedom and faith ignited millions. Taken from us far too soon by a tragic political assassination on September 10, 2025, Charlie's light continues to shine as a beacon for all of us who cherish liberty. Charlie was born in 1993 in a Chicago suburb, and he revealed his political fire early on. As a high schooler, he volunteered tirelessly for campaigns, and he penned sharp insights for Breitbart--already challenging the status quo with the clarity of a born leader. At just 18, in 2012, he founded Turning Point USA, a movement that would transform the landscape for young conservatives, millennials, and Gen Zers alike. Through electrifying campus activism, his influential podcasts, and nationwide tours, Charlie mobilized a generation to stand firm against the shadows of Big Government and socialism. Today, many of those inspired young adults serve in our congressional offices, carrying forward the fight to safeguard our traditional values and constitutional rights from an ever-encroaching State. Many of these people will someday be speaking from this same floor. Now, Charlie wasn't just a preacher; he was a soul shaped by faith. He was unafraid to declare himself a child of God. He opened his heart and mind to every voice, fostering a genuine dialogue amid division. As a champion of free speech and individual liberty, he urged the next generation to reclaim traditional family values--the bedrock of a thriving America. Through Turning Point USA and his commanding media presence, he didn't merely shape conservative thought; he empowered a movement, defending our ideas against progressive overreach with grace, grit, and unwavering optimism. Though an evil act sought to silence him, it only amplified his voice, transforming Charlie into a hero, a martyr whose sacrifice has kindled a fire in us all. His spirit endures in the hearts of those he empowered to fight for liberty, reminding us that true leaders don't fade; they inspire. So I ask you, everyone listening today, including those of us who are brokenhearted and crushed in spirit, let us honor Charlie by living lives worthy of his legacy. Let not your anger turn into hate. Let me say that again. Let not your anger turn into hate. Please, don't let Charlie's distractors win. Rather, channel your emotions into fighting with renewed vigor--renewed vigor for the heart and soul of this great Republic, nurturing the next generation of conservative leaders. Charlie's flame burns brighter through each of us. May Charlie Kirk rest in peace. And may God bless his memory, his family, and our shared mission. I yield the floor.

Mr. MARSHALL

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

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a significant achievement in Kansas broadcasting: Steve & Ted in the Morning, a beloved radio program on 98.7 and 1330 KNSS in Wichita, recently aired its 7,000th show. For over 27 years, Kansans have counted on Steve McIntosh and Ted Woodward to start their day with news coverage, lively commentary, and a sense of local community. Their voices have become a daily staple across southcentral Kansas, reaching listeners at home, on the road, and everywhere in between. On August 26, 2025, Steve & Ted celebrated their 7,000th broadcast with a live gala show filled with special guests and heartfelt tributes. Joining the celebration were notable Kansans such as Mitch Holthus, the play-by-play voice of the Kansas City Chiefs; former Sedgwick County judge and long-time Wichita State basketball radio broadcaster Dave Dahl; and several other guests, colleagues, and friends. It was a powerful testament to the show's impact and the following these two broadcasters have earned over the years. This milestone also comes as Steve prepares to retire at the end of the year, capping off an extraordinary 55-year career in radio. Steve's leadership in Kansas journalism is respectable, with Edward R. Murrow and Marconi Awards to his name, as well as his induction into the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Together, Steve and Ted have established more than just a successful radio show; they have built a trusted relationship with thousands of listeners. Whether covering breaking news, interviewing local leaders, or simply sharing a laugh, their presence has been a constant in a rapidly changing media landscape. I have personally had the privilege of joining Steve and Ted on their show several times, and they kindly hosted my Kansas State Fair townhall in 2024. I now ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing this major milestone and congratulating Steve McIntosh and Ted Woodward on their 7,000th broadcast.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and celebrate a remarkable institution in my home State of Kansas, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home, which recently won the Newsweek 2025 Readers' Choice Award for Best Presidential Attraction. This prestigious accolade is both a tribute to an exceptional historic site and a powerful reminder of President Eisenhower's legacy, shaped by his smalltown upbringing in Abilene, KS. From his humble beginnings on ``the wrong side of the tracks'' to his election as the 34th President of the United States, Eisenhower's legacy stands as a testament to humility, integrity, and service above self. The Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum brings his story to life for visitors from across the country and around the world. Through its excellent exhibits and educational programs, the museum continues to inspire new generations to appreciate President Eisenhower and his skilled statesmanship. This award is a reflection of the dedicated staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to preserve and enshrine President Eisenhower's legacy. Their ongoing commitment ensures that this historic site remains not just a destination, but also a living tribute to one of America's most exemplary leaders. I am proud to see the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum receive this well-deserved recognition, and I invite all Americans to visit and learn more about President Eisenhower's legendary leadership, from the battlefields of Europe to the White House. I now ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home on this national honor and in celebrating the legacy of an American hero from smalltown Kansas.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Good morning. It is great to be here. I want to share with America the great work that Republicans have done on Medicaid. We are preserving it. We are protecting it. We are strengthening it for those who need it the most. We are going to make sure that your seniors in nursing homes, that pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities have Medicaid in the future. We are fiscally making Medicaid more sound. You know, it is only in Washington, DC, that you increase spending at a rate faster than inflation and you call it a cut. So we are increasing spending on this legislation. We are increasing funding for Medicaid. We are preserving and protecting it for those who need it the most. I urge everyone to vote no on this amendment. I yield the floor. Vote on Motion

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, as I look at this, the Senator's motion is on work requirements. Back home, we had a saying for people that had an aversion to work. They called it an allergy to work. My question is, don't you think a job brings value, that it brings dignity? Don't you think a job brings purpose and meaning to life? We have 7 million healthy American men across our country of working age that aren't working right now. Yes, we want to encourage people to go back to work. Our bill, as you point out, preserves and protects it for those groups. It makes it financially stronger so we can protect and strengthen it for seniors in nursing homes, for people with disabilities, for pregnant women, and for children. Let's protect Medicaid for those who need it the most. I urge a ``no'' vote on this. I will never apologize for encouraging people to go to work. Vote on Motion

Mr. MARSHALL

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

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Roger Barta, a legendary Kansas high school educator and football coach who devoted his career to guiding and mentoring young Kansans, both in the classroom and on the gridiron. For over 30 years, Coach Barta served as a math teacher and head football coach for the Smith Center High School Redmen. Throughout his tenure, he inspired countless student-athletes to pursue excellence in all aspects of life. His legacy is a testament to not only his character but also his extraordinary ability to inspire others. Before Smith Center, Coach Barta coached at Atwood, Tonganoxie, and WaKeeney. No matter the school, his approach was the same: focus on fundamentals, play as a team, and treat others with respect. His teams were disciplined and hard working, traits that reflect their coach. During his time leading the Redmen, he built one of the most successful football programs in Kansas State history--winning eight State championships, including five straight from 2004 to 2008, and leading the team to a 79-game win streak. He retired in 2012 with a career record of 323 wins and 68 losses. However, Coach Barta's impact extended far beyond athletic achievements. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and an inspiration to many. Coach Barta believed that mutual respect and love for one another were the keys to victory, a philosophy that continues to influence generations of high school athletes and the Smith Center, KS, community. Coach Barta retired from coaching in 2012 and was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame 2 years later. He is remembered not only as a remarkable coach, but also as an exceptional man. May his legacy serve as a lasting example of how success is built on character, consistency, and compassion. I now ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life and legacy of Coach Roger Barta and in expressing our gratitude for his positive impact on generations of young Kansans.

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize St. John the Baptist Croatian Parish for 125 years of service to Kansas City, KS. For 125 years, St. John the Baptist has stood as a beacon of faith, culture, and community service, offering spiritual guidance, preserving Croatian heritage, and fostering a welcoming environment for generations of families. The parish's steadfast dedication and perseverance in ministering to one another and the broader community exemplify the values that define both Kansas and our Nation. Their legacy of faith and cultural preservation has enriched countless lives across Wyandotte County and beyond, and their story rightly belongs in the pages of the Congressional Record. I commend the clergy, parishioners, and all those who have contributed to the growth and success of St. John the Baptist. Their commitment to service and tradition is both admirable and inspiring, and I am confident their parish will continue to thrive and make a lasting impact for generations to come. Once again, congratulations on this remarkable milestone. May the celebration of 125 years inspire continued joy, gratitude, and renewed commitment to the enduring values that make St. John the Baptist Croatian Parish such a treasured part of the Kansas City community. I now ask my colleagues to join me in honoring St. John the Baptist Croatian Parish for 125 exceptional years of service and devotion.

Mr. MARSHALL

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

Mr. MARSHALL

Mr. MARSHALL. I object.