Rand Paul

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Glauber's Sports, a family-owned small business in Carrollton, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. In 1863, a young shoemaker, John Glauber, established Glauber's Shoes in Carrollton, KY. Opening up shop on Main Street, the business provided quality footwear to residents of Carroll County and the surrounding area. Over the next 140 years, Glauber's Shoes became the oldest shoe store in Kentucky and over time expanded its offerings to include hunting supplies. Passing through multiple generations, by the early 2000s, John Glauber, a fourth-generation descendant of the original owner, ran the business alongside his son, Randy, who started helping out around the shop when he was in the sixth grade. After graduating from high school, Randy worked in the store full time and learned how to run the family business. He later took over when his father retired in 2005. Since taking over, Randy further expanded the store's hunting inventory and renamed the store to Glauber's Sports to more accurately reflect its inventory. Today, Glauber's Sports is lauded as a one-stop-shop for hunting and shooting sports enthusiasts in Northern Kentucky. Praised for great customer service, Randy has demonstrated a dynamic approach to managing the store, actively responding to local market demands by expanding its stock and ensuring the needs of the community are met. To accommodate its growing inventory, Glauber's Sports moved locations from Main Street to Fourth Street in 2007. With over 1000 firearms in stock, the store carries a wide range of rifles and shotguns. Additionally, Glauber's Sports sells other supplies like muzzle loaders, crossbows, outdoor wear, hunting blinds, and scopes. Looking to the future, Randy is committed to continuing the family tradition of serving Carrollton and is training his son, John, to take over the 158-year-old business for decades to come. A pillar of the community, Glauber's Sports is actively involved with various local organizations. Over the decades, Glauber's has supported area schools' sports teams and events like the Carroll County Fair. Furthermore, Randy regularly volunteers with local shooting sports organizations by coaching the Carroll County High School trap club and 4-H shooting sports clubs and by doing so passes on a lifelong passion for shooting sports, gun safety, and his support for the Second Amendment. Additionally, like many other small businesses, Glauber's Sports is a member of the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the Chamber of Commerce. Glauber's Sports is a remarkable example of the resilience and adaptability of family-owned small businesses. Small businesses, like Glauber's Sports, form the heart of towns across Kentucky by regularly stepping up to support the needs of their communities. Congratulations to Randy, the Glauber family, and the entire team at Glauber's Sports. I wish Glauber's Sports the best of luck and look forward to watching this family-business' continued growth and success in Kentucky.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, on July 2, 2021, a quick succession of events that lasted only 30 minutes shocked a Louisville neighborhood and showcased the extraordinary professionalism of the Louisville Metro Police Department. Together, with the support of MetroSafe Dispatch and information provided by a vigilant civilian, the stranger abduction of a 6-year-old girl was witnessed and reported, the suspect's vehicle was identified and stopped, and the victim was rescued--unharmed--and returned to her family. People around the Nation have now seen the emotional bodycam video of the moment when Officer Burba picked up this young girl and whisked her to safety. It is a scene that brings a tear to the eye of every loving parent. Stranger abduction is rare, thankfully, but it is even rarer that such quick action leads to a conclusion such as this. While one officer's actions were immortalized on film, today I want to recognize all of the members of LMPD's Third Division, First Platoon, Squad One. Each officer was willing to risk personal injury to rescue this child and capture the suspect. They include Sergeant Joe Keeling, Officers Stephen Barone, Jason Burns, Travis Elder, Charles Ennis, Aaron Flannery, Malliccaaii Green, Nicholas Green, Clint Greene, Jake Harris, Mark Manning, Aimee Mills, Michael Rach, Bradley Russell, Tom Stettenbenz and Lucero Aguilera Vasquez. Key members of MetroSafe Dispatch who handled the response were Dispatchers Emily David and Hannah Hurley, and Jim Intermaggio, who took the inbound call. Finally, although several citizens made 911 calls regarding the incident, Prentiss Weathrford, who witnessed the abduction, pursued the vehicle and took down critical license plate information. This LMPD squad, a capable dispatch team, and an alert citizen worked in concert to redeem what could have been a most tragic scenario. I am grateful to them, and the community is grateful. And I believe that the family of this 6-year-old girl would agree that all those who responded are deserving of this special distinction.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, reserving the right to object, in the first two decades after the Revolutionary War, America was under siege and our Capitol was ransacked, but I don't recall in reading history that any of our Founding Fathers said that they would flee the country or leave and give up on the quest for liberty. The quest for liberty requires fighting by the people who have been given their liberty, the people whom we have helped to get their liberty. You can say the people in Afghanistan helped us or you can also say we helped liberate them as well. They have been free for 20 years. It seems like it might precipitate the overcoming of the Taliban if you take 18,000 of the most westernized, those who speak English, and you say: Flee, flee, flee. The end is coming. Well, guess what. The end comes quicker if they all leave. So I would encourage them, rather, to stay and fight. I think it would be good to have many English speakers in Afghanistan. The future of Afghanistan could be a bright future, but they are going to have to fight for it. And, ultimately, it is their fight. And if we offer easy escape and easy plans to leave the country, we are assuring the defeat of the people who are our friends in Afghanistan. So I object to this piece of legislation.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I will recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize a woman-owned small business, Rustic Roots on Second of Pikeville, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. Located in downtown Pikeville, Rustic Roots on Second opened its doors in 2015. After graduating from the University of Kentucky, founder and owner, Maura Minix, wanted to provide a place for Kentucky artisans to showcase and sell their work. Maura, who grew up in Prestonsburg, KY, saw an opportunity to set up a shop in neighboring Pikeville. She established Rustic Roots on Second, providing a retail outlet for Kentuckian and Appalachian artisans. Today, Rustic Roots on Second continues supporting and promoting small businesses and artisans in eastern Kentucky. Over 30 local vendors sell their goods at the store, ranging from food and textile goods to artwork and furniture made from used bourbon barrels. Maura's mother, Brenda Minix, is a key part of the operation, working as store manager and serving as the ``face'' of the business around town. Customers are regularly greeted by name and treated according to the golden rule. Rustic Roots on Second also serves as an event venue, renting out its shop for celebrations, fundraisers, and business events. The store works with local artisans to host classes and workshops, rotating offerings to meet community interest. From painting to dulcimer playing, teaching and celebrating the arts is a priority. Notably, Rustic Roots on Second is a leader in downtown Pikesville's business community. They regularly participate in local and regional events, including the Appalachian Vintage Street Market, Wine-Tasting & Retailgating, and Pikesville's famous Hillbilly Days festival. Rustic Roots on Second is a member of the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and is involved with Shaping Our Appalachian Region--SOAR-- Kentucky, which fosters entrepreneurship and innovation in the region. They are committed to revitalizing and promoting downtown Pikeville through their support of the Pikeville Main Street Program, Inc. Like many small businesses, Rustic Roots on Second actively supports charitable and civic organizations. For several years, Maura and Brenda have teamed up with local businesses to host picnics and decorate their storefronts to thank police officers, firefighters, and first responders for their service. They regularly support fundraisers for clubs, churches, and sports teams and have sponsored silent auctions to benefit local schools. Rustic Roots on Second's advocacy and community leadership has been recognized in local and regional publications. When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, Pikeville rallied together to support Rustic Roots on Second. As a nonessential business, Rustic Roots on Second was impacted by the lockdowns. Maura and Brenda adapted, overhauling and expanding their online store to continue serving customers nationwide. As Kentucky reopened, Maura and Brenda worked with local small businesses to ensure downtown Pikeville reopened safely, welcoming locals and visitors alike to their vibrant community. Rustic Roots on Second is an outstanding example of the critical role small businesses play in uplifting and advocating for their communities. Congratulations to Maura, Brenda, and the entire team at Rustic Roots on Second. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I will recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize a family-owned small business, Batteries Plus Bulbs of Bowling Green, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. Since 2004, David Paschall has owned and operated a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise in Bowling Green, KY. As a young man, David owned and operated a successful service station in Puryear, TN. After meeting his wife, Dorothy, David relocated to Bowling Green in 1988. Dorothy, who was working in Bowling Green at the time, is a Kentucky native and a graduate of Western Kentucky University. Over the next few years, David started working in the batteries industry. When local entrepreneur Steve Sheldon opened a Batteries Plus Bulbs franchise in 1999, David joined his friend as store manager. In 2004, when Steve moved on from the company, David and Dorothy purchased the store. Today, Batteries Plus Bulbs Bowling Green continues to thrive under David and Dorothy's leadership. In addition to their original location, they own and operate Batteries Plus Bulbs franchises in Elizabethtown and Somerset, KY, and Clarksville, TN. David and Dorothy's care and attention to detail are evident in every aspect of their business. Their strong sense of family has built a tight-knit and supportive team, with several long-time employees working over a decade at the store. Customers are regularly greeted by name and treated according to the golden rule. Finding a solution to a customer's problem is prioritized over pushing a sale. Notably, Batteries Plus Bulbs Bowling Green is known for its beloved mascot, Morris. A rescued cat, this 13-year-old orange tabby delights staff and visitors alike. The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce recognized David's outstanding work, naming him the 2016 Small Business Person of the Year. Together with his wife, Dorothy, David gives back to his community. Locally, Batteries Plus Bulbs has sponsored several sports teams and charitable organizations, including the Bowling Green/Warren County Humane Society. David and Dorothy are active within their local church community as well. Notably, Dorothy also served as executive director of the Barren River Area Development District and was involved with the Hospice of Southern Kentucky. Like many small businesses, David and his team stepped up to keep their community supplied during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an essential business, they stayed open and adapted to State guidelines, ensuring all of their employees stayed healthy. Despite the challenges, at the end of 2020, Batteries Plus Bulbs Bowling Green was ranked No. 25 out of 740 franchises nationwide by the national corporate office. Batteries Plus Bulbs is a notable example of the endurance and resilience of family-owned businesses. Small businesses like Batteries Plus Bulbs form the heart of towns and cities across Kentucky, regularly stepping up to support their communities. Congratulations to David, Dorothy, and the entire team at Batteries Plus Bulbs Bowling Green. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky and beyond.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I will recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Bluegrass Family Wellness, PLLC, of Crestwood, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. In 2014, Dr. Molly Rutherford and her husband Chris Rutherford founded Bluegrass Family Wellness, PLLC, in Crestwood, KY. A graduate of Virginia Tech, Dr. Rutherford earned an MPH in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University and an M.D. from Eastern Virginia Medical School, specializing in family medicine. After 8 years of working in the healthcare sector, Dr. Rutherford and her husband established Bluegrass Family Wellness. Through a direct primary care model, Bluegrass Family Wellness provides individualized, affordable, and accessible medical care for Oldham County and the surrounding area. As a medical practitioner, Dr. Rutherford has been at the forefront of battling the opioid crisis in Kentucky. She pursued a specialty in addiction medicine, ensuring that Bluegrass Family Wellness treated addiction with an evidence-based approach balancing medication and counseling. From 2018 to 2019, Dr. Rutherford served on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Pain Management Best Practices Intra-Agency Task Force, which produced a report highlighting the connection between pain management and the opioid crisis. Dr. Rutherford served as president of the Kentucky Society of Addiction Medicine. She is a board member of the Unbridled Project, a nonprofit advocating for evidence-based solutions to the opioid crisis. Together with her husband Chris, Dr. Rutherford consistently gives back to her community. Locally, Bluegrass Family Wellness has sponsored several Little League teams, the Oldham County Youth Football League, and East Oldham Middle School. They support several charitable organizations, including a scholarship for a City Schoolhouse, a private school in Louisville, KY. Dr. Rutherford and her family are active within their local church community, as well. Notably, Dr. Rutherford is a member of the Coalition for a Healthy Oldham County, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Society for Addiction Medicine, the Kentucky Academy of Family Physicians, and the Indiana State Medical Association. Like many local physicians, Dr. Rutherford and her team stepped up to keep their community safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic unfolded, Dr. Rutherford continued seeing patients in person and by telemedicine. She treated COVID-19 patients at her practice and published a peer-reviewed article alongside several physicians regarding early outpatient treatment for COVID-19. Dr. Rutherford consistently spoke out about the negative effects of lockdowns, highlighting impact on individuals battling addiction. Dr. Rutherford published op-eds on the harm school lockdowns caused children, successfully advocating for reopening Jefferson County Public Schools. Bluegrass Family Wellness, PLLC, is a remarkable example of the critical role that small, family-oriented medical practices play in their communities. Local medical practices like Bluegrass Family Wellness form the heart of towns across Kentucky, regularly stepping up to support their communities in times of crisis. Congratulations to Dr. Rutherford, Chris, and the entire team at Bluegrass Family Wellness. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. This bill adds over $250 billion to our debt. The additional debt will make us weaker, not stronger. As we speak, the massive Federal spending of the last 2 years is already causing inflation throughout the supply chain and eventually will lead to economic stagnation. There is nothing conservative about this bill. The bill is nothing more than a Big Government response that will make our country weaker, not stronger. I object.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, we are currently $28 trillion in debt. Whose fault is it--Republicans? Democrats? The answer is yes, yes on both fronts. Both parties are responsible for the debt, and one side is honest about it. One side will tell you they don't give a fig about the debt: The debt be damned. We are for new monetary theories. Spend as much as you have got; borrow as much as you can; and somehow we are going to combat the influence of China by borrowing more money from China. It doesn't really seem to make a lot of sense, but that is where we are. So we have before us a bill that will simply add to the debt. We will go further in debt. You might make the argument that we are actually less strong as a nation the more in debt we are. Where is the opposition? Now, there is no opposition on one side of the aisle, and on the other side, there is feigned opposition. The Republicans will feign opposition to the debt. They will say: Well, yes, we care about the debt, and the other side spends too much and borrows too much. You will hear Republicans throughout the land campaigning against the debt, only to come to Washington and vote for most of the debt. So what we end up with is a $28 trillion debt. We actually borrow more in a month than we used to borrow in a year. In March of this year, we borrowed $660 billion in 1 month. The proposals for spending are alarming. We have spent and borrowed more in the last 2 years than we did during World War II. There are going to be repercussions of so much borrowing in such a short period of time. We are seeing a misallocation of capital throughout the economy. We are seeing a grossly inflated stock market. We are starting to see inflation throughout the supply chain throughout the economy. There are going to be repercussions. The question we have to ask ourselves is, Are we willing to look at the example of countries like Venezuela or Zimbabwe that completely destroyed their currencies? People say that couldn't happen in America. It largely hasn't happened because we have been the reserve currency of the world. We have been fortunate. People describe it as having the cleanest shirt in a closet full of dirty shirts. The dollar is weakened by such extravagant spending. Yet people still cling to the dollar because the other currencies are weaker. This bill simply adds more to the debt. We say we are going to combat China through this bill, but we are going to combat China by increasing a Department of government--the National Science Foundation--that is actually, probably, one of the most wasteful Agencies in government. William Proxmire was a conservative Democrat from Wisconsin back in the sixties and seventies. He started an award called the Golden Fleece Award. One of the first Golden Fleece Awards William Proxmire gave was an award for a study about what makes people fall in love. You would think, with the lampooning through the years of the ridiculous lizards on treadmills and of Panamanian frogs, that, after a while, people would say: Instead of giving more money to this Agency that is so full of waste and ridiculous studies, we should give it less money. So, perhaps, if we wanted it to reform, we would say to the National Science Foundation: Instead of increasing your budget 68 percent, why don't we reduce your budget 10 percent and say behave better. What if we were to reform how they pick their committees? For example, if you want to study cocaine and if you want to study Japanese quail using cocaine and if you want to know if they are more sexually promiscuous, do you know how you would get approval for your funding? You would call up your other buddies who study cocaine in animals and say: Hey, I have got this great, new study. Would you guys like to join in it and be my peer-review committee? It is actually the ridiculous studies that we discover that are being voted on by people who are selected by the people who are doing the studies. What they do is they select other people with ridiculous studies, and they say: We will vote for yours if you will vote for mine. So how do we get $500,000 spent in studying Panamanian frogs? They want to know whether or not the mating call of the country frogs in Panama is different than the mating call of the city frogs. Well, in coming from a rural State, I can tell you that the mating call of the country folk is always different than the mating call of the city folk. We could have polled the audience. Are quail more sexually promiscuous on cocaine? I think we could have polled the audience. The thing is, there could be some reforms. For example, as much as I am opposed to government spending, there are some important diseases. Let's say Alzheimer's, cancer, diabetes, heart disease. Why wouldn't we make the committees for the National Science Foundation have someone on there from one of the big five diseases? Why wouldn't we put a taxpayer advocate on there? Why wouldn't we have some sort of inspector general process so that this doesn't happen? We have to review this. This isn't an academic point. We have now discovered that the NIH was funding the Wuhan lab. So we should have oversight on what happens, but after 50 years of abuse at the National Science Foundation, we are still studying will people eat ants to combat climate change. Seriously, that was a study. How many ants will people eat, and how many ants do you have to eat to reduce the global warming by 1 degree? It is a lot of ants. The thing is, those are the kinds of studies that we are having coming out of here, and we don't make it any better by increasing their budgets. If you are a wasteful Agency and we give you more money, we will get more waste. If you want less waste--and this goes not only for this. It goes for the military. It goes for any other Agency of government. If you give any Agency more government money, you will get more waste. You won't get less. The cocaine was actually the NIH, not the NSF. The NIH has got some of the same problems. One of the ones from the NIH, in recent years, was $2 million to see, if someone in the buffet line in front of you-- when you are going through the buffet or Luby's Cafeteria--sneezes on the food, are you more or less likely to eat the food? $2 million. Now, look, if you want to come to me and say that we should study Alzheimer's disease, I have open ears--and on heart disease, diabetes-- but if you want to study whether if somebody sneezes on the food makes you more or less likely to eat the food, that is just ridiculous. The American people know it is ridiculous. If the American people could see what we are voting on, they would say: Oh, we are going to combat China by giving more money to the most wasteful Agency in the world. Where is the money coming from? Is it out of a surplus? Can we go over to the Federal Reserve and open this big safe? Is there a big case of money? Is there a rainy day fund? Is there a savings account that we can tap into to say we are going to have government-funded research to combat China? No. We have to borrow the money from China. Think of the irony. We borrow the money from China to put it into technology. We complain about Chinese socialism, which is the government running everything and spending all of the money. So what are we going to do? The same thing. We are going to borrow the money from China. Then we are going to have government-directed research, to which we will all say: Oh, socialism isn't good, but the government directed this. Yet we are going to do the same thing, and we are going to be stronger than China. This is a good example--and this is sort of a technical detail--of how the committee process works and how grant funding works. There was $700,000 allotted from the National Science Foundation for autism. Look, I know parents who have kids with autism, and I can be convinced that the Federal Government can be involved in some way, but the $700,000 that was allotted for autism was then taken and subcontracted to a bunch of eggheads who wanted to listen to a tape of Neil Armstrong on the Moon. If you are as old as I, you can remember being in school and seeing the crackly black-and-white pictures coming back from the Moon and hearing Neil Armstrong say: ``[O]ne small step for man, one giant leap for mankind''--or did he say: ``[O]ne small step for a man''? A group of ``researchers''--and I use the term loosely--at the National Science Foundation got $700,000 of autism money to study one word, the preposition ``a.'' Did Neil Armstrong use the letter ``a'' or the word ``a'' or did he not? So they studied, and they were diligent. They listened to this 20-second clip over and over again. I think it took them a year of listening to this. They wrote reports and had findings. Do you know what their conclusion was in the end? It was, We just don't know. We just don't know. Was it ``[O]ne small step for man'' or ``[O]ne small step for a man''? This is something you could fix before throwing and heaping more borrowed money on the National Science Foundation. Maybe we could say that you can't subcontract money that was meant for Alzheimer's to ridiculous research. How would you stop it? Maybe you would have a committee that reviews the grants and that has someone on the committee from one of the big five diseases who actually says: Should we be spending the money on autism or should we spend the money on Neil Armstrong's statement on the Moon? Should we be spending it on this versus diabetes? You see, everything is a tradeoff. Everybody comes to Washington. If you ask them--you know, the people who advocate for Alzheimer's or diabetes or cancer--``Are you getting enough money?'' and when I tell the autism parents that their money went to study Neil Armstrong, do you know what I get? I get dropped jaws and people going: You have got to be kidding me. My mother or father is dwindling away from Alzheimer's, and they spent money studying Neil Armstrong? Did he say: ``[O]ne small step for man'' or ``[O]ne small step for a man''? This is lizards on the treadmill. Dr. Coburn was a Senator here for a long time, and he liked to talk about waste as I do. This was a decade ago--maybe more--that Senator Coburn was on the floor and would be talking about lizards on a treadmill. I think his was lizards underwater on a treadmill or--no. It was shrimp on a treadmill, I think. They have got lizards on treadmills, but they have got shrimp, and they have got crawfish on treadmills. Think about it, really. We are a big, proud country, but we are $1 trillion in debt. Before we get to all of the extra stuff--before we get to all of the COVID bailouts--we are $1 trillion in debt just from the institutional expenses of the country. We bring in about $3 trillion in revenue, and we spend about $4 trillion. Of the money that we bring in, $3 trillion is a lot. We could spend that on a lot of good things, but we can't simply just say we are going to spend it on lizards on a treadmill and that somehow we have enough money to do that. So of the expenses that we have, most of the money is consumed by Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, food stamps, and the military, and then a variety of the welfare programs. But that consumes $1 trillion more than comes in. So we have been meeting over the last year, just spending extra money beyond the trillion-dollar deficit. So we have a trillion-dollar deficit just from our ordinary expenses, and then we add to that, you know, a couple trillion here for COVID last year, a couple trillion more. We are going to do a couple trillion more for free college, free daycare, free this, free that, but it is not free. There is no such thing as a free lunch. There is nothing in this world that you will get for free. You will either have the future paying for it--our kids and our grandkids paying for it--or you will pay for it through inflation or you will pay for it through default. And you can default in a dramatic way, through the destruction of a currency, or you can default in a gradual way through price inflation. As it is, we are starting to see the price inflation take off. There are people concerned about inflation that is already in the stock market and where this goes from here. But I don't think this bill makes us stronger. In fact, I think the Chinese sit back and, you know, hold their hand up and sort of titter and laugh at America thinking they are going to be stronger by borrowing more money from China. So I just don't think it makes us any stronger at all. I think it makes us weaker, and it would be one thing if it weren't being so horribly wasted. Lizards on a treadmill. So they get the lizard on a treadmill and then they have active x rays to look at its joints. They were curious as to why a lizard waddles. So if you have ever seen a lizard or an iguana when they walk funny, they waddle. So why do they waddle? You know, what do their joints look like in x rays? And so we spent, you know, $1.5 million studying lizards on a treadmill. One of the perennial problems in the Third World is the black market. We have it in our country. It is sort of a function of when taxes and regulation in the official economy become so onerous that you need to escape the official economy. That is what the black market is. So a good example is New York City. The taxes on cigarettes are so high in New York City that you have a black market. In fact, the death of Eric Garner--the sad death of Eric Garner being choked to death in New York City had to do with taxes. And some people were offended by this. They go: It was police brutality. Of course, it was, but it was police brutality based on exorbitant taxes that caused this man to be selling cigarettes--loose cigarettes in order to try to make a living. But that is what happens when government becomes so big. So in parts of Africa, Uganda in particular, there is a big black market. And so God knows why or why in the world we are spending our money studying this, we decided to study gambling in Uganda. So we spent $30,000 studying gambling in Uganda. Well, it turns out the black market develops because they don't have good title to their land, they don't have good rule of law, they don't have the things that have made our country great. But instead of sort of exporting think tank ideas on how great capitalism is, we waste it through government grants studying why Ugandans gamble. It kind of is reminiscent going back to the Wuhan lab. People say-- this is what Dr. Fauci has been saying. Dr. Fauci says: Well, who wouldn't want to study the SARS virus? Well, yeah, we should. But, then again, why would we pay the Chinese to do it? Well, there are all these viruses in China. Well, are the Chinese destitute? I think we are here because the Chinese are kicking our butt in trade, and everybody is worried about China so we are going to do all this stuff to combat China, and yet we send money to a Chinese lab. Now, we recently voted to change that, but it has been going on for decades. In fact, Dr. Fauci, in committee the other day, said he still trusts the Chinese, the Chinese scientists. He seems oblivious to the fact that perhaps there is a military influence in these labs and perhaps the scientists don't do anything without permission of the Chinese military; perhaps if there was a militarization of the virus going on--oblivious to that. So there is a Space Camp in Alabama. My kids went to it one year. It is a great camp, and I am all for it. I, you know, would like to see more Americans go. If some American kids, you know, don't have the means, it would be nice if we could help American kids go to Space Camp. But I am not so sure, you know, why we borrow money from China to send kids in Pakistan to Space Camp in Alabama or to Dollywood--you know, $250,000. We also spent over a million dollars in Afghanistan doing an anti- drug program. Unfortunately, really, the drug problems in our country-- they grow it. They grow it like corn. It is a crop for them. The problem is the demand comes from us, but we spent a million dollars on public relations television programming in Afghanistan, and it was to convince the Afghanis not to use drugs. It was in English. So the vast majority of them couldn't understand or--you know, most of them don't have television sets anyway. But this is the kind of thing that runs rampant throughout our government. So, you know, we talk about where would we find the resources to be a strong country again, to do the things that we could do to combat what happens in China. When we look at that, we say where could the money come from? Well, we spend $50 billion a year in Afghanistan on the war. It has been going on 20 years. The war is 18 years past having any useful mission at all. The mission was over probably once the Taliban was defeated. There was still some mission for bin Laden, but it didn't really require necessarily troops on the ground and nation-building. But we have been doing nation-building in Afghanistan. So our Nation crumbles, and we worry about China--you know, the threat of the ascendance of China--and yet, what are we doing? We are borrowing money from China to build roads in Afghanistan. One of the things they did in Afghanistan years ago is they were going to build a natural gas gas station. This was to reduce the footprint of Afghanistan, the carbon footprint. So this is the absurdities we sometimes go to with climate change. This is a country that cooks their food on open fires often. This is a country with an average income of about $800. Most people do not have a car. So what did we decide to do for Afghanistan to reduce their carbon footprint? We decided to build a natural gas gas station So the natural gas gas station was built. It was supposed to cost $800,000, but, you know, sometimes government is not that efficient so they had a few cost overruns--83--and it ended up costing $45 million. So my question, as I heard about this natural gas gas station, was, How many Americans have a car that runs on natural gas? I think there are a handful of people who are really into it and have converted their cars into running on natural gas. There is a trucking company I am aware of. You know, it is not a bad idea, but it is a boneheaded, idiotic idea to build a gas station for natural gas vehicles in Afghanistan. They don't have cars, much less cars that run on natural gas, but we did it. We spent $45 million in Afghanistan on it. So my staff was over there looking at the waste, and they said to the military: Can we go see the famous natural gas gas station? And as they--they wanted to go see it. The marine said: Well, it would take two helicopters full of 30 marines in each helicopter to take you to the gas station, so we were told it was too dangerous, and we didn't want to insist on something that was that dangerous. So we spent $45 million on a gas station that we can't visit because it is too dangerous to serve up natural gas that nobody has a car that runs on natural gas. And my imagination goes to the gas station, and all I can imagine is sort of copper tubing sticking out of the ground, people running off with copper tubing. We built major highways over there, but one of the biggest problems is no cars, but the other problem they have in Afghanistan is people put their camels in their tents, and so if you ever want a car to go up and down the road, you got to shoo the camels and the tents off the road. We decided to build luxury hotels. See, this is part of our national defense. I think it was the Overseas Investment Bank, or whatever. We spent $90 million on a hotel in Kabul. Well, we didn't quite get it finished. The contractor built about half the hotel. He built the shell of the hotel with no walls. I think he completed one room so he could send pictures home to say he was making progress. The hotel was never built. The guy ran off with, like, 60 million of the 90 million. The hotel still sits there, and guess what. It is a shell of a building. Our people are worried about the Taliban crawling up in it and shooting down into our Embassy. So the next thing is--I am surprised it is not in this bill. It may be. Who knows what is in this bill. They need another 250 grand to destroy what is left of the hotel. The guy ran off with the money, and we have a shell of a building. It is a danger to our Embassy so we need to tear it down. So, really, you know, we should have an amendment to put more money in this bill to tear down the hotel--the luxury hotel that we subsidized in Afghanistan. The list goes on and on and on. The frustration of the American people is, Why does it never change? William Proxmire was talking about this in 1972, studying why people fall in love. Why do people date? The government is doing dating apps studying why people are happy or unhappy, studying whether or not, if you take a selfie of yourself smiling and look at it later in the day, whether or not that will make you happy. Seriously. Half a million here, a million there. Is there anything in this bill that will stop that from happening? So it has been happening for 50 years. You know, we didn't even authorize these things. They just go on and on. There is no oversight. You ask any questions, nobody wants to give you any answers, and it goes on and on. Now, this isn't just one party. Both parties do it. Both parties are going to vote for this bill, but I guarantee, if you put up the different waste things that are going on in our government and you said that this is the Agency that is studying the mating call of the Panamanian frog, these are the Agencies studying whether someone sneezes on your food, you think the American people would be with you? They are only with you because they don't know what you are doing today. They don't know that you are wasting more money; that you are shoveling good money after bad. They don't know that this is more of the same; that this has been going on for 50 years. And nobody, Republican or Democrat, is fixing the problem. We are just shoveling more money out the door. We are destroying our country. We are destroying our currency. Right now, it is a little bit at a time. It is coming through inflation, but inflation is out there. It is lurking. People are talking about it. But there is also another way you can destroy your country. If you look at the 20th century and you look at the decline in the stock market, most of it is in, like, 7 days. So those who think that we couldn't have a precipitous correction; that there couldn't be a precipitous correction, where all of a sudden everybody wakes up in the marketplace and says ``Oh, my goodness. The emperor has no clothes''-- we are $28 trillion in debt, and we have companies that have, you know, 200-to-1 price-to-earnings ratio. We have companies that are worth hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars, and yet what is their profit? Some of them don't make a profit. Is there going to be a day where people wake up and say: ``Oh, my goodness, the stock market. The emperor has no clothes,'' and there is a massive selloff? I don't know. But I do worry that the stock market is grossly inflated. I do worry, when we pass out $1,400 checks, which we did not have, we give them to everybody, and what do the young people do with their checks? Buy GameStop. So GameStop goes through the roof, makes no profit. It is a dying company, and it goes through the roof because everybody gets giddy on it because everybody has got all this free money. There is no free money. Ultimately, the $1,400 we gave to people will be lost as wages don't keep up with inflation. It happens even as we speak. Inflation has been low, but over the last decade, the dollar lost 17 percent of its purchasing power. Do you think everybody in America got a 17-percent gain? See, this is sort of the difference between the seen and the unseen. Frederic Bastiat was a philosopher, parliamentarian in France in the 19th century, and he talked a lot about this. He wrote a book called ``The Law,'' and he talked about the seen and the unseen. It is also the intended and the unintended. People--I call it the big heart, small brain syndrome of Washington. Everybody wants to help somebody. We have the same compassion. We want to help those out of work, but if you give people too much not to work, then they won't work. If people don't work for a long period of time, they won't be hired again. This was illustrated when we extended unemployment to 99 weeks. It was done out of compassion, but as we extended unemployment to 99 weeks, what happened? Anybody who stayed out of work 99 weeks and came in looking for a job, if there was another worker that had been out of work less, guess who got hired. Every study showed this. So if an employer is faced with two employees, one has been out of work 10 weeks, one has been out of work 99 weeks, guess who gets hired. The one who has been out of work 10 weeks. So when you institutionalize unemployment, when you pay people more from the government not to work than to work, you get a permanent class of unemployed, and there comes a point when they are unemployable. What does that do to the people? What does that do to a person? I think our self-esteem is tied up in what we do for a living, and I think there is self-esteem in every job, from cleaning the floors, to designing a carpet, to creating the carpet, to laying bricks, to being a doctor or lawyer. Your self-esteem comes from being proud of your work. It comes from work. You cannot get self-esteem without work, and you can't be given self-esteem. We have some newfangled ideas in school that we just give it. You know, Johnny can't spell, but we are going to pat him on the back and give him a trophy because it will help his self-esteem. No. You have to earn self- esteem. But if we get a whole class of people who don't work, it is a problem--the lack of self-esteem, the worry and concern that come from this. The lack of what it takes to be a robust person is part of the problem with the sinking into despair and addiction that we have as a problem in our country. This is another waste project that comes out of our State Department. We fund the State Department for diplomacy. I am for that. But we end up funding things in the State Department, and you wonder if they are useful for diplomacy or whether they are just pork barrel politics. This is $850,000 that was given to a for-profit Afghan television station to support the development of a national cricket league. Really? So our State Department, which--you know, we have to pay Ambassadors. We have to pay Assistant Ambassadors. We have got to pay all the different personnel, those protecting the Ambassadors and our Embassies. We have to pay for Embassies, the electricity. All that stuff, we have to do. I am for that. Where do we get the money to pay for cricket? Why is this the business of the U.S. Government? But here is the point: Does it ever get better? Does someone say ``My goodness. Someone stuck this little earmark in for the National Cricket League''? Does someone ever say ``Oh my goodness. We did this?'' and we reform the process and never do it again? No. We give them more money. Every year, every Agency in government gets more money. If you think there is a waste problem in government and you want to fix it, it won't get better if you give people more money. You would have to give them less. So what I would do is I would give everybody 99 percent of what they had last year--if it is a terrible Agency like the National Science Foundation, I might give them 50 percent of what they had last year-- and I would say to them: Prove to me that you are not going to do this again. They were studying dating back in 1972, and Proxmire lampooned them. Fifty years later, they are studying selfies. They haven't learned their lesson. If you look at the process, they pick the people they want to approve their projects. You scratch my back; I will scratch yours. You do cocaine studies? Hey, me too. You approve my cocaine study; I will approve yours. That is what goes on at the National Science Foundation. This one is kind of close to home. You may have seen it. We call it ``A Streetcar Named Waste.'' It is about a couple blocks from the Capitol over on H Street. It is a streetcar they spent millions of dollars on. For years, there was nobody on it, and for years, it didn't go anywhere. It was a streetcar to nowhere, basically. But we spent $1.6 million on this, and basically you could see it as basically a trolley car with nobody in it. It was sort of this nostalgia. It is one thing to preserve something, but it is another thing to create some sort of thing that hasn't existed for 50 years and nobody rides. And that cost us $1.6 million, and often you will see it sitting vacant and not in use at all. Now, we have decided that--I don't even know why they even think they need this anymore because I think climate alarmism has really penetrated all of our education. But just in case there is a child in the country who is not afraid that the oceans will rise and cover the land and that we are all going to drown and that the polar bears are going to drown, we need to make sure they know it through a special video game. So we spent half a million dollars on a video app to try to convince our kids that the polar bears are drowning sometime soon and that the end of the world is around the corner. Will the Chair inform me how much time I have remaining?

Mr. PAUL. I think at this point, I would reserve the remainder of my time. Mr. President, I would reserve the remainder of my time.

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum. Quorum Call

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, a group of us chose to filibuster this bill because we think it wastes money. We think it gives money to one of the most wasteful Agencies in government, the National Science Foundation. Since the early 1970s and since William Proxmire began giving the Golden Fleece Award, for 50 years, there has been a recurrence of waste from the National Science Foundation, from NIH, and from even the State Department. We discussed earlier some of these, and I have a handful more. I think the American people should know where their money is going to. The NIH spent $2 million in research to see if using a hot tub can lower stress. Really? I think we probably could have just agreed to that, but no, we had to spend $2 million to study, if you are soaking in a hot tub, whether that helps to relieve your stress. The NIH also spent about $1 million to see if they could help people overcome their fear of dentists. Really? NIH spent almost $7 million of cancer research money to create an automatically flushing smart toilet. That is right--$7 million for an automatically flushing toilet. And here is the bonus: The toilet will actually take pictures of your derriere from the inside of the toilet bowl should you wish to have those for posterity. Seven million dollars for a smart toilet. How does this go on and nobody does anything? Do you know what we do? We flush more money down this smart toilet. We give them more money, and nobody bats an eye. This is the problem of government. Nobody denies the waste. Nobody denies the ridiculous projects that are being funded. Yet, year in, year out, it continues. We need to reform the process. We need to have a taxpayer advocate on the committee who votes on the projects. We need to have somebody with a grain of salt who is voting on these projects, somebody who says that studying whether humans will eat ants to curb global warming--whether that is a useful expenditure of $3 million, studying whether or not humans will eat enough ants to keep the globe from warming. This goes on. The people at home are like: How could this happen? How could you spend money on this? But it happens year in, year out, because we never vote for less money. It is always more. So a group of Senators here today are filibustering this bill because somebody has to point out that the waste and abuse of money goes on. The National Science Foundation--the king of wasteful spending--spent $100,000 to teach social scientists how to apply for grants. So it is not bad enough that we are just, you know, handing out money like it grows on trees, but we have to teach people how to get more of the free money. There actually was another cache of money that went to Central American countries trying to teach them how to get more of our money. Really? We are actually teaching foreigners how to apply to get grant money from our government that is $28 trillion in the hole We are annually $1 trillion in the hole, and the last couple of years, we are $3 to $4 trillion because of all these COVID bailouts and all of this crazy government run amok, and at the same time we are $2, $3 trillion in the hole a year, we are sending $100,000 to teach people how to get more grants. The USAID spent $48 million helping disconnected Tunisian youth to not feel like they are a problem to society, to help them cope with modern society. Well, look, coping is not easy for young people anywhere around the world, but I guarantee that $48 million that we don't have, that we have to borrow from China to send to Tunisia, is not a good expenditure of money; probably helps no one; probably enriched some contractors somewhere; somebody steals some off the top. There is always a little skimming operation. It was once estimated that as much as half to 70 percent of foreign aid was skimmed off the top either by corrupt dictators in the countries receiving the money or simply by graft throughout the government that we send the money to. Often, the foreign aid money was going to countries with people who had dictators for 20, 30, 40 years, and we were giving money to dictators. The National Science Foundation spent $4.6 million to study the connection between getting drunk and falling down. Now, you would think that would be obvious. You get drunk, you fall down. But, no, we had to go ahead and study whether getting drunk and falling down was something that happens. We spent $4 million on, if you get drunk, will you fall down? This is insane. Not one person--a few of us but not a majority will stand up and say: Enough is enough. The NSF needs less money, not more. The NIH spent $36 million to research why stress makes hair turn gray. I am at the age I need to know that one. I mean, why does stress make your hair turn gray? Really? Nobody would pay for this. If we got 100 assembled Americans and said ``Vote on whether or not you should spend $36 million studying why your hair turns gray,'' not one rational, commonsense American would vote for this. Yet this Congress is going to increase the budget of the National Science Foundation by 68 percent. The National Science Foundation spent $2.5 million to research the effects of daydreaming. I am not kidding. You can't make this stuff up. So what are we going do? Increase their budget $29 billion in more money for the National Science Foundation. They ought to be ashamed. One side of the aisle doesn't give a fig how much we are spending, but the other side of the aisle--the aisle that I reside on on the right--pretends to care about the debt, but the majority of them will vote for this monstrous bill. The National Science Foundation used $1.5 million to study how to make tomatoes taste better. They spent a lot of money. They spent a lot of time. They wrote up their report. And this is shocking. This is groundbreaking research. They found that if you add sugar to tomatoes, they taste better. You can't make this stuff up. But it goes on and on and on. I am glad to be joined on the floor by the Senator from Utah. I will reserve the remainder of my time and pass the baton.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I will recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize a family-owned small business and beloved staple, Lisa's Fifth Street Diner of Bowling Green, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. Located in the heart of Bowling Green, KY, Lisa's Fifth Street Diner opened its doors in 2010. After operating a successful catering business, founder and owner Lisa Parker decided to open a restaurant with her husband, Cliff Parker. Together, they created a homestyle diner with delicious food, friendly service, and a welcoming atmosphere. Over a decade later, Lisa's Fifth Street Diner has become a local favorite. They continue welcoming customers from all over Kentucky, from local Western Kentucky University students to baseball fans traveling to cheer on the Bowling Green Hot Rods. But no matter how far customers travel, they can always depend on Lisa and her team to serve them a hot, country-style meal with a friendly smile. Their outstanding service was covered by WNKY TV's SoKY Sunrise, which recognizes local small businesses using their signature hashtag, ``Because Local Matters.'' Additionally, Lisa's Fifth Street Diner has consistently received outstanding reviews from local and industry outlets alike. Like many small business owners, Lisa and Cliff are active in their community, supporting various charitable organizations. For several years, the Parkers have teamed up with local volunteers to provide free Thanksgiving meals to folks in need. In 2018, Lisa's Fifth Street Diner partnered with Meijer, a local grocery store, to provide 300 Thanksgiving meals to families in need. This support is not one-way, however, with Bowling Green stepping up to support the Parkers through thick and thin. When the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, Bowling Green continued supporting Lisa's Fifth Street Diner, ordering carryout meals and ensuring this small business stayed open throughout the year. In early 2021, Lisa, a three-time cancer survivor, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The community rallied around her, raising funds and organizing a benefit to support her during this time. Despite the challenges, Lisa has continued to be an uplifting example. In April 2021, Lisa was honored as a Hughes & Coleman Hometown Hero by local news station WBKO. In addition to her community leadership, this award recognized Lisa's hard work, compassion, and commitment to her staff and customers. Lisa's Fifth Street Diner is a remarkable example of the critical role small businesses play in every aspect of building community. Small businesses like Lisa's Fifth Street Diner form the heart of towns across Kentucky, regularly stepping up to support their communities. Congratulations to Lisa, Cliff, and the entire team at Lisa's Fifth Street Diner. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky.

Mr. PAUL

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

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I will recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Uncle Lee's of Greenville, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. In 1975, founder Lee Fauntleroy established Uncle Lee's gun shop. The store provided a wide range of supplies for sportsmen and hunters in Greenville and the Muhlenberg County area. Uncle Lee's grew from 32,000 square feet, expanding twice over the next few decades. By 2015, this small business had 76,000 square feet of retail space and featured the largest gun inventory available in the State of Kentucky. After 40 years of owning and operating his small business, Lee was ready to retire and spend more time with his family. In 2015, he sold Uncle Lee's to Lexington-based entrepreneurs Rex McClanahan and Joe Murphy. Today, Uncle Lee's continues to supply generations of Kentucky hunters and sportsmen, drawing customers from all over the United States and abroad. Together, Rex and Joe have applied their years of experience running and managing several businesses to continue growing Uncle Lee's. Notably, Uncle Lee's features an indoor archery range and is the largest retail store in Greenville. Uncle Lee's is an active member of the Greater Muhlenberg Chamber of Commerce, advocating for small businesses throughout Greenville. They are also involved with local advocacy and development organizations, including the Muhlenberg County Tourism Commission. Under Rex and Joe, Uncle Lee's has continued its proud tradition of supporting Second Amendment rights. Through classes and workshops, Uncle Lee's supports responsible firearms training for gun enthusiasts of all ages. They regularly host competitions and events, building a sense of community among sportsmen and hunters from all walks of life. Additionally, Uncle Lee's supports wildlife conservation, encouraging hunters and sportsmen to learn about and preserve Kentucky's ecosystems through wildlife education programs, outdoor skills workshops, and keeping their community informed about Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife initiatives. Uncle Lee's is a remarkable example of the critical role small businesses play in building a community and preserving local ecosystems. Small businesses like Uncle Lee's form the backbone of local economies across Kentucky and regularly step up to support their communities for generations. Congratulations to the entire team at Uncle Lee's. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Madam President, when a popular sheriff's deputy from Daviess County, KY began what seemed to be a routine call in 1989, he had no reason to anticipate that his life would soon be hanging by a thread. He served a restraining order without incident and returned to his vehicle. But then, in the blink of an eye, he was shot multiple times, beaten severely, and was nearly run over by the assailant as he fled the scene. Deputy David ``Oz'' Osborne was left to die on a driveway along a country road, but Clarence and Mary Hulsey had made an unplanned--and for them, unusual--decision to go to town to get ice cream on that May evening. First spotting Osborne's hat, they quickly found him, summoned help, and remained with him until first responders could take over. This assault nearly ended Osborne's life 30 years ago, but although he was badly wounded and temporarily paralyzed, he recovered completely, returned to duty, raised his family, and was later elected Daviess County clerk. More impressive than this narrative is the fact that the convicted assailant later contacted Osborne from prison, seeking his forgiveness, and Osborne agreed. Citing his Christian faith as his motivation, he said that forgiveness ``did not happen overnight, but it did happen.'' It is clear why the citizens of Daviess County have so much respect for Oz Osborne to this very day. His story reminds us of the risks that our law enforcement officers and first responders face in the line of duty, but it teaches all of us an indelible and rare lesson about forgiveness and mercy.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until August, 13, 2021: Daniel Rankin, Chip Wyatt, Jacob Patterson, Nick Lolli, Phil Steinkrauss, Brett Abbott, Esther McGuire, and Justin Witt.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, we may never know whether the pandemic arose from the lab in Wuhan, but we do know that so far no intermediate animal host has been discovered. Thousands of animals at the wet market have been looked at. None of them have carried COVID-19. We have tried to infect COVID-19 into bats. It doesn't grow well in bats. It seems most adapted and suitable for humans. We may not know whether this ever arose out of a Wuhan lab, but I think gain-of-function research, where we take a deadly virus, sometimes much more deadly than COVID, and then we increase its transmissibility to mammals is wrong. In 2014, NIH stopped all of this research. I am using the same definition to say any gain-of-function research should not be funded in China with U.S. taxpayer dollars. I recommend a ``yes'' vote. Vote on Amendment No. 2003

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be able to conclude my remarks before the vote begins.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, about 50 years ago, William Proxmire rose in this esteemed body and told us about government waste. He called it the Golden Fleece Award. They were studying things like dating and love and what makes love, and we had these great scientific studies about love. These are William Proxmire's words from the early 1970s. He was a conservative Democrat. He says: I object to this [study on love] because no one--not even the National Science Foundation--can argue that falling in love is a science; not only because I'm sure that even if they spend $84 million or $84 billion they wouldn't get an answer that anyone would believe. I'm also against [this study on love] because I don't want the answer. I believe that 200 million other Americans want to leave some things in life a mystery, and right at the top of things we don't [need] to know is why a man falls in love with a woman and vice versa. Stirring words. The Golden Fleece Award--I remember as a kid everybody talked about it. It was in the newspapers. So what have we done to curb the wasteful appetite, the abuse of government that has happened at the National Science Foundation since 1972? Not a damn thing. Here is one of my other favorites from William Proxmire's days. The FAA was named for spending $57,000 on a study of the physical measurements of 432 airline stewardesses. These included the distance from knee to knee while sitting and the length of the buttocks. Fifty- eight thousand dollars--this was your government money being put to good use. So fast forward, and we spend about $8 billion a year with the National Science Foundation. Is it getting any better? Are they doing a better job at overseeing their money? Well, I don't know. This bill is going to increase their funding by 68 percent. There is $29 billion in this bill for the National Science Foundation. So don't you think the American people deserve to know where their money is being spent? This was from their sister Agency, the NIH, but you know we can't get started without talking about it. This is over $800,000 to study whether or not Japanese quail are more sexually promiscuous on cocaine. I am not making this up--$800,000 of taxpayer money to study whether Japanese quail are more sexually promiscuous on cocaine. Do you think we could have just polled the audience? Do you think we could have just said: What do you think? Because that is sort of the answer. The answer is yes. And yet your government spent 800 grand on that. And then when we pointed it out 5 years ago, did they do anything to reform it? No. They are here today to give the Agencies that are doing this research more money. Another one that I think is quite revealing is this study that is about Panamanian male frog calls. You have about half a million dollars, and they wanted to know whether or not the male mating call is different in the country than it is in the city. Now, coming from a rural State like Kentucky, I can tell you the male mating call is different in the country than it is in the city. But nobody in Kentucky wants a half a million dollars spent on a Panamanian frog's male mating call. This is not a good use of money. So if someone told you your government was spending this money, would you give them more? Would you give the Agency more if they were doing this or less? I think less. In looking at the National Science Foundation's spending, we also found that they spent $30,000 studying Ugandan gambling habits. Really? We are studying why people gamble in Uganda, why there is a black market in Uganda. Well, do you know what? I think we know the reason. When government oppresses business and regulates business to death, they go to the black market. If you make something illegal, you often get more of it. But we spent $30,000 traveling over to Uganda to study their gambling habits--utter waste of money. We should not reward these people with more money. We spent about half a million on a video game. This is an app for your phone. I know we all need things to do when we should be working or at school. This is an app for schoolchildren to teach them alarmism over climate change. So you can click on the app, and it will scare you to death that California is going to be underwater in 100 years--none of which is true, all of which is alarmism, and a half a million dollars spent by the government to alarm our schoolchildren is not a good idea. This next study points out a problem with funding, in general, in our government. You give funds for something that ostensibly might be a good cause. So a couple of years ago, they gave money for autism-- $700,000 for autism. And you think, well, autism, you know, even myself, as conservative as I am, I can probably say, well, that is something we ought to study, autism. Well, they subcontracted 700 grand of it to a bunch of egghead researchers to watch Neil Armstrong's statement on the Moon. Do you remember the black-and-white photo? He is on the Moon, and he says, ``[O]ne small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,'' or did he really say: One small step for a man? So these researchers took $700,000 to listen to that crackly old cassette recording and find out, did he say ``man'' or did he say ``a man''? So we studied the preposition ``a,'' and we spent 700 grand listening to the tape over and over and over again. And do you know what they determined? They just can't decide. They are unsure, but they did recommend more money to study the problem further. This is insulting to the American taxpayer. We should not be giving these people more money; we should be giving them dramatically less money. But it also points out one of the reforms that I have proposed for this Agency. One of the problems with the National Science Foundation is, if I want to do research on Japanese quail snorting cocaine, guess what, I can ask for the same people who are studying snorting cocaine in animals--I can ask them to be on my peer committee. I can choose the people on my peer committee. So if I want to study animals snorting cocaine, I pick other researchers who are studying animals snorting cocaine. Guess what. They tend to say yes. If they say yes, the scientist gets on the next peer Commission, and he says or she says yes for their snorting cocaine research. This is crazy. We should not let these so-called scientists pick who is on their committee. Not only that, I think we ought to have a taxpayer advocate. Could we not have just someone with a good dose of common sense who says we shouldn't take autism money, steal it, and spend it on a bunch of idiots listening to what Neil Armstrong said when he landed on the Moon? So that is part of the reform we should have. One of my other alltime favorites from the National Science Foundation--this kind of goes back to William Proxmire and love and happiness--they wanted to know if you take a selfie of yourself while smiling and you look at it later in the day, will that make you happy? Really? That is a half a million dollars. I don't think we need a scientist to say that that is BS and that government has got no business doing this kind of research. I don't even know how you could even call this research with a straight face. But it goes on year on, year on. We have been complaining about this since 1972, so you would think maybe we would have less of it. We are giving them more money. So we are now increasing their budget by 68 percent despite this kind of research. The last one I have is this. We spent $1.3 million on insect ranching. This is money that was sent to study whether or not we could put insects into animal feed. We spent another $3 million, though, wanting to know if humans would eat ants to prevent climate change. What will you do, America, to combat climate change? Will you eat ants to combat climate change? That was a study. This is not science. This is ridiculous in nature. Actually, I lied. I have got one more example. We spent $1.5 million studying lizards on a treadmill. So I know you have all been curious, when lizards walk and they kind of waddle and they have a funny walk, why do they walk that way? What is going on in their knee joints? What do their hip joints look like when they waddle across the lawn? Everybody wants to know that, but are you willing to spend $1.5 million of your taxpayer dollars to take x rays--live, real-time x rays--of a lizard walking on a treadmill? I tend to think, you know, maybe Alzheimer's research, maybe cancer research, maybe heart research. But spending good, hard cash on x rays of a lizard on a treadmill does not strike me as the most pressing concerns of government. I would argue that instead of increasing their money, we should be decreasing their money. We also need to have oversight on where our money is being spent. There is a great deal of circumstantial evidence now that NIH money went to the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There is a great deal of evidence at least suggesting that the pandemic may have started there. We don't know for certain. I am not saying that it did, but there is evidence now that suggests that it might have. No. 1, there is no animal host for COVID-19. We have not found--of the thousands of animals we tested in the wet market, none of them had COVID-19. When you take COVID-19 and you try to infect bats, which is where most coronaviruses come from, what do you discover You discover that COVID-19 is actually not very well infected in bats. The bats don't catch it very easily. It seems as if COVID-19 is most adaptive for humans. But if it came from animals, shouldn't there be an animal host that is readily infected by this? The other evidence we have in the last couple of days is confirmation that three individuals at the Wuhan Institute got sick in November of last year, sick enough to be in the hospital from a virus that was previously undisclosed. They worked in the Wuhan Institute. We are told this came from the wet market lab from exotic animals, but not one animal tested positive for the virus. We have an amendment we are hoping will be adopted by this body that says gain-of-function research, as defined by the NIH in 2014, will not be permitted in China. We will not fund it with American dollars. But it is like so much waste in government, I think there is no reason to be sending any money to China for research. They are a rich country. For goodness' sake, we are worried about them outcompeting us, stealing our intellectual property, and then we send them millions of dollars to do research. Why don't they spend their own money? Do we trust them enough? Are they open enough to tell us what is going on in the lab that we want to give them money? I think, without question, they have not shown this, and now we are finding out that people were sick in the lab in November. No more money should go to China for research on gain of function, which means increasing the virulence or pathogenicity or the transmissibility of COVID virus to humans. I urge this body to adopt my amendment, which says, from here on out, China doesn't get any money to create superviruses in a lab, and we should continue to investigate this because 3 million people have died worldwide. We have disrupted the entire world's economy over a virus. If it came from a lab, we need to know it, and it needs to be fully investigated.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, Navy Fireman 2nd Class Martin Daymond Young, born on May 11, 1920, was one of nine children who grew up in a busy household in the tiny Dukes community in Hancock County, KY. His family said their goodbyes when he enlisted in the Navy in the summer of 1940 and he headed to the South Pacific--to Pearl Harbor. Sadly, Daymond Young was one of the 429 crew members who perished aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. He was 21 years old. The tragedy of his death was even more unbearable for his family because he was buried in a mass grave among scores of unidentified shipmates. His siblings and particularly his twin sister, Daisy, did all they could to keep his memory alive for their children, who remember a photo of Daymond in his Navy uniform that was always proudly displayed in her home. All of his nieces and nephews looked up to him even though most had never met him. Beginning in 2015, new dental, anthropologic and mitochondrial DNA analyses were employed to identify those who had fallen at Pearl Harbor, eventually certifying Daymond's remains in 2019. His family members wanted to bury him on what would have been his 100th birthday, May 11, 2020, but the coronavirus pandemic made travel and a public ceremony impossible. So, finally, on May 15, 2021, the remains of Daymond Young returned to beautiful Hancock County, KY, where he was buried alongside his ever-devoted sister Daisy. Among those welcoming him were his nephew, Layman Hawkins, of Lewisport, KY, and the many relatives and residents who knew him only by his legacy of sacrifice for his country. The tragedy of war, the unanswered questions of forensic science, and even the restrictions of a pandemic were ultimately unable to separate the remains of this honorable sailor from his loving family and the community that refused to forget him. Likewise, we are honored to remember him, and to this returning sailor, we say, ``Welcome home. Fair winds and following seas.''

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, Ernest Edison West not only served his country in the U.S. Army during the Korean war but embarked on a lifetime of service, consistently demonstrating courage, selflessness, and, above all, brotherhood. Orphaned at an early age, Mr. West was raised in a children's home that stressed this important concept--a value that was repeatedly put to the test in the Korean war. Once, despite losing an eye under intense enemy gunfire, he retreated and saved two wounded fellow soldiers and carried his injured patrol leader to safety while killing three enemy combatants. In the immediate aftermath, he said he had no idea that he was even wounded and that his fellow soldiers would have done the same for him. President Dwight Eisenhower was set to award Ernest the Medal of Honor. His sense of brotherhood on full display, West initially declined, asserting that everyone was doing his duty and that all were equal to him. He reluctantly accepted the Medal of Honor and was later awarded a Purple Heart. Fortunately, Mr. West's selfless service did not end with his enlistment. In 1954, he married Gwendolyn Stafford in a nationally televised ceremony on an episode of the CBS show ``Bride and Groom.'' He and Gwen moved back to Wurtland, KY, along the Ohio River in beautiful Greenup County. There, Ernest would later serve as mayor and play a huge part in creating a State veterans cemetery, where he is now buried. Mayor West was admired for his willingness to get his hands dirty-- quite literally--like digging water lines along county roads. He coached youth basketball and football and used sports to pass along his strong sense of brotherhood. How can we even measure the impact he made on all of those young lives? Ernest Edison West, who was born in Russell, KY, on September 2, 1931, died this year on May 1, at the age of 89. While his daughter, Amy Hogsett, his many grandchildren, his community, and the Commonwealth are saddened to say goodbye to this extraordinary man, we are not left emptyhanded. We are left with a powerful example of brotherhood lived out.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, during Memorial Day weekend in my home community, a fleet of cars will depart a local funeral home and make the 25-mile trip to Merry Oaks United Methodist Church Cemetery in neighboring Smiths Grove, KY. This will be the final leg of a journey that began over 6,000 miles and nearly 80 years ago. U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Howard Scott Magers was one of the 429 crew members who perished aboard the USS Oklahoma on December 7, 1941. Scott was 18 years old. The tragedy of his death was made ore unbearable because he was buried in a mass grave alongside those of his shipmates who were also unable to be identified. Thankfully, beginning in 2015, new dental, anthropological, and mitochondrial DNA analyses were employed to identify those who had fallen at Pearl Harbor. As a result, the remains of Scott Magers will soon return to beautiful Barren County, KY where he grew up. Among those welcoming him home will be Betty Magers, who was only 11 when Scott said his goodbyes to family and friends and headed to basic training. As on every Memorial Day, we want to honor those men and women who have lost their lives in the service of their country in our Armed Forces. But today, we remember one very specific young man, Howard Scott Magers, and, on behalf of all the other fallen, say to him, ``Welcome home. Fair winds and following seas.''

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize Space Tango of Lexington, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. Growing up on a family farm outside Bardstown, Twyman Clements loved building and launching model rockets with his three brothers. His passion for innovation and engineering led him to the University of Kentucky, UK, where he earned a BS and MS in mechanical engineering. As a graduate student at UK, Twyman worked with Kentucky Space, a nonprofit consortium of universities and public and private groups supporting space entrepreneurship. At the time, Kentucky Space was using miniature satellites called cubesats to conduct experiments on the International Space Station. Realizing the need to simplify and reduce the cost of spacebased research and development, R&D, Twyman founded Space Tango in 2015. Today, Space Tango is a thriving small business enabling R&D and manufacturing in zero gravity. Since 2017, thanks to a National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Space Act Agreement, Space Tango provides facilities on the International Space Station U.S. National Laboratory. Their CubeLabs generate scalable and efficient research and manufacturing in microgravity. Space Tango has worked with several commercial partners, including Anheuser-Busch and LambaVision. They regularly partner with educational institutions such as the University of Florida, University of Pennsylvania, and Boston University. Over the years, local and national organizations have recognized Space Tango's groundbreaking work. Twyman was inducted into the Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2017, and ranked No. 25 on Fast Company's list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2018. Jim Bridenstine, former NASA Administrator, visited Space Tango in 2020, commending their biomedical research and manufacturing capabilities. In addition to working on projects for various Federal agencies, Space Tango won three NASA Utilization Awards for Low Earth Orbit of Biomedical Applications. Looking forward, Space Tango is developing ST- 42, an autonomous manufacturing facility for advanced materials and biomedical devices located in Earth's orbit. Notably, Space Tango is committed to investing in the next generation of innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs. Twyman and his colleagues regularly host and present at educational events at Kentucky schools, universities, and scientific institutions. Space Tango's robust internship program includes students from Kentucky's universities and colleges across the country, with several former interns joining their team. Space Tango is a testament to Kentucky innovation, ingenuity, and industry. Small businesses like Space Tango form a critical part of American's domestic manufacturing base and play a unique role educating the next generation of Kentucky engineers and entrepreneurs. Congratulations to Twyman and the entire team at Space Tango. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky and beyond.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Madam President, Kentucky has a rich cultural history and is the birthplace of musical artists from every genre and era. Proudly showcasing this heritage is the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum in Mount Vernon, KY. John Lee Lair, who served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army during WWII, returned to the States and joined WLS radio in Chicago, where he turned his lifelong love of music into a career. He founded the Renfro Valley Barn Dance, which was broadcast by several powerful AM stations and eventually moved to its final home in Renfro Valley, KY. Today we honor one of John Lair's three daughters, Ann Lair Henderson, who developed the plan to house the hall of fame and museum in the family's vintage horse stable. Following an act of the Kentucky General Assembly in 2002, this special tribute to Kentucky's storied musicians was born. The iconic building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is filled with memorabilia and tributes to over 60 artists as diverse as Rosemary Clooney, Ricky Skaggs, Lionel Hampton, Boots Randolph, and Mary Travers. Nearly 20 years since its founding, Ann Lair Henderson, who recently celebrated her 98th birthday, is still a vital part of the organization that helps recognize the enormous contribution of Kentucky's incredible musical talents. We are grateful for Ann's passion for preserving history and for promoting some of the Commonwealth's finest treasures. She is a treasure in her own right to her local community and a great reminder for us all to keep pursuing those things about which we are truly passionate through every season of life.

Mr. PAUL

Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, as ranking member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I will recognize an outstanding Kentucky small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to recognize a family-owned small business and southern Kentucky staple, Hunter's Bar-B-Q of Albany, KY, as the Senate Small Business of the Week. On Hunter Shearer's 13th birthday, when other boys wanted skateboards or baseball gloves, Shearer asked for a new Weber gas grill. From that point on, he was cooking for family and friends every chance he could. As a welder, Shearer built his own mobile grill and smoker, which he used to cook at family and church events. He first sold barbeque to the public in 2009, at the 127 Yard Sale. Seeing a business opportunity, Shearer decided to pursue his boyhood dream of owning a restaurant. In 2012, Hunter began working with his father-in-law Mike Duvall to convert an old service station into a restaurant. Sixteen months later, Hunter's Bar-B-Q welcomed its first customers in 2014. In 2021, Hunter's Bar-B-Q continues to serve up some of the best BBQ in southern Kentucky, and folks drive from all over the State to enjoy their signature hickory smoked meat and family-friendly hospitality. Hunter's care and attention to detail are evident in every aspect of his restaurant and catering business. At the restaurant, everything is made from scratch, from handmade picnic tables and cooking equipment to the smoke shack, pits, and charcoal makers. Even the charcoal is made on site, using hickory wood from local sawmills. Locally, Hunter's Bar-B-Q is known as ``the place with the big flag.'' It boasts a 25 by 40-foot American flag atop a 100-foot flagpole almost as big as the store. Thanks to the smokers and pits, Hunter's Bar-B-Q can feed around 3,000 people a day. The pulled pork and sliced shoulder are favorites, attracting customers from all over the country. Catering is also a large part of the business, with Hunter's Bar-B-Q catering events as far away as Louisville. Together with his wife, Shannon, Hunter seeks to give back to their community in any way possible. Locally, Hunter's Bar-B-Q sponsors Little League and high school sports teams. They regularly support community organizations, including sponsoring Project Graduation, the All for Benny Fundraiser, and the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Additionally, Hunter's Bar-B-Q has supported numerous fundraisers that have covered emergency and medical expenses for local members of the community. Hunter's Bar-B-Q is a proud member of the Albany/Clinton County Chamber of Commerce. Notably, Hunter's Bar-B-Q is one of two caterers designated by the Lake Cumberland District Health Department to provide food for events in Clinton County, Kentucky. Hunter's Bar-B-Q is a remarkable example of how hard work, ingenuity, and discipline can turn a childhood dream into reality. Small businesses like Hunter's Bar-B-Q form the heart of communities across Kentucky, regularly stepping up to support their communities. Congratulations to Hunter, Shannon, and the entire team at Hunter's Bar-B-Q. I wish them the best of luck and look forward to watching their continued growth and success in Kentucky.