Pat Roberts

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. I ask unanimous consent that the Senate vote on the nomination with no intervening action or debate; that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be made and laid upon the table; and that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the cloture motion with respect to Calendar No. 836 be withdrawn and the Senate proceed to the consideration of the nomination. PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The cloture motion was withdrawn.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the scheduled vote take place now.

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I appreciate the work of my colleagues for raising the issue of the site of National Museum of the American Latino and for helping to find agreement. I thank Chairman Blunt and Senator Cornyn for their commitment. I also thank many of our colleagues who helped us reach this solution today.

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I rise to engage in a colloquy with the distinguished chairman of the Senate Rules Committee and the senior Senator from Texas with regard to a commitment made between all of us here. This commitment is related to the [consideration] of H.R. 2420, National Museum of the American Latino Act, previously reported out of the Rules Committee on December 3, and championed by Senator Cornyn. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition. and Forestry and having spearheaded the effort to design and build the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, I appreciate the goal of this legislation, but also the challenges getting the effort across the goal line. H.R. 2420 has an honorable cause: to build a museum that focuses on the legacy of the Latino people, one that is embedded in the history of the United States. The purpose of the National Museum of the American Latino is to serve as the premier location for people to learn about Latino contributions to life, art, history, and culture in the United States. I support such an effort. However, I raise one issue with the legislation, that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's historic main headquarters building is specified in the bill as a potential location for the museum. USDA has been headquartered at the location on the National Mall since 1868. The main building was renamed in 1995 in honor of one of the longest serving members of Congress, Jaime L. Whitten of Mississippi. I had the pleasure to serve with Chairman Whitten in the House. USDA provides leadership on issues related to food, agriculture, rural development, and nutrition. The work of the Department benefits residents in our rural communities and supports agriculture production that feeds hundreds of millions of Americans and others throughout theworld. The legacy of the Latino people is intertwined with the communities that USDA serves in rural and urban America. I appreciate the efforts of the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino. Having recently completed the decades-long endeavor to establish Ike's memorial, I am sympathetic to the desire to establish a tribute in our Nation's Capitol. It is not an easy process, and there will undoubtedly be challenges along the way. Attempting to relocate the historic headquarters of one of the largest Federal agencies which serves all Americans is a hurdle that can be avoided. So I encourage the board of trustees of the National Museum of the American Latino and the board of regents of the Smithsonian Institution, who are responsible for choosing the site location of the museum, to work through their processes as they finalize a location. And as they do so, I encourage them to appreciate USDA's mission and constituency when they make hard decisions and consider the expense of relocating USDA. I am pleased that we have come to a compact with regard to the location for this museum, that we agree here to encourage the board of trustees and the board regents to break ground on a fresh location, rather than a historic site of a Department that has served and will continue to serve our Nation's farmers, ranchers, growers, and other rural stakeholders. I now yield to my friend, Mr. Blunt, the senior Senator from Missouri and chairman of the Senate Rules Committee, to offer his perspective.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Madam President, my colleagues, first, I thank the leadership on both sides for this opportunity to give a Pat Roberts ``adios, amigos'' speech. The story of how I got into politics is a pretty straight family path. As a fourth-generation Kansan, my great-grandfathers on both sides of the Roberts-Patrick family were pioneer newspaper editors who came to Kansas as crusading abolitionists. To say I bleed fourth- generation printer's ink would be very close to the truth. However, the main influence that drew me to public service was my dad, Wes Roberts, who was a newspaper man. And soon journalism led to politics. He served as chief of staff and adviser for several Kansas Governors, becoming then the State Republican chairman. In 1952, my dad was asked to head up the Citizens for Ike campaign, which was a genuine army of volunteers made up of legions of veterans, women's groups, and mostly Republicans who wanted a candidate who could win. Plus, they really liked Ike. At 16, in my dad's tow, I was the sergeant at arms at the 1952 convention, back when conventions actually chose the nominee for President. I vividly remember two lasting experiences: The renowned Senator from Illinois, Everett Dirksen, was a key leader in the Bob Taft campaign. Senator Dirksen, known for his long, eloquent speeches, was in the midst of his convention remarks when the entire New York delegation, led by former Governor and Presidential candidate Tom Dewey, marched in, and with considerable noise they took their seats. Dirksen paused and, pointing directly at Dewey and with his booming voice, said this: You, sir, have led this party--this Republican Party--down to defeat in 1944 and again in 1948. Don't do it again. Whereupon, the entire New York delegation stood up and gave Dirksen the raspberry, and I thought: This is what adults do at a convention? (Laughter.) One morning I was in a meeting with my dad with the top Ike campaign brass--Dewey, Lodge, Brownell, and other GOP movers and shakers. He told me to sit and be quiet. He was in the midst of suggesting the ``fair play'' amendment, given that the new Ike delegates from the solid South had surprised the old guard and won delegate seats at the State convention, only to be replaced by the old guard at later surprise conventions. Unlike MacArthur, old guards never die or fade away. My dad said there was no downside if they lost, and he believed they could win a majority of delegates. The ``fair play'' amendment passed, and Ike won on the first ballot. I thought to myself: Wow. My dad actually helped Ike win. I met the general. I shook his hand--and then again at the 1953 inaugural ceremonies when my dad became the Republican national chairman. It was these reflections, told to my great friend and Medal of Honor recipient Senator Danny Inouye, that prompted him to say: Pat, I fought for Ike. You met him. It is up to you to get this memorial done. And after a 21-year effort, we did just that, with help from Bob Dole, Jim Baker, Susan Eisenhower, the Eisenhower family, and Senator Lisa Murkowski, who kept the Ike commission going through these tough years. Finally, we now have an appropriate, if not stunning, memorial to the Kansan who saved Western democracy and World War II and led America onto the world stage. With the final dedication of the Dwight David Eisenhower Memorial at the end of my Senate career, it is a full family-circle accomplishment. If my dad helped elect Ike, then the least I could do was to lead the effort to make the memorial on the Mall to a great general and President a reality. In a homecoming address, Eisenhower famously said: ``The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.'' He was a small-town Kansas boy who saved Western democracy and led the Nation for 8 years with peace and prosperity. Well, I too come from a small town in Kansas. So how did this boy from Holton, KS, become the longest serving Member of Congress in Kansas history? Like father, like son. I graduated from K-State with a degree in journalism. My father joined the Marines in World War II and saw action in both Okinawa and Iwo Jima. I joined in peacetime and served in Okinawa and was part of the first Marine contingent to return to Iwo Jima on the 15th anniversary of that battle. So from Marine captain to newspaper editor and news director of a radio station in Arizona, I dropped everything and drove to Washington when Senator Frank Carlson asked me to come and work for him. Within weeks of leaving Phoenix, I was the chief of staff for Senator Frank Carlson, a venerable and highly respected Senator who made his mark on Kansas history as the only person to serve our State as Congressman, Governor, Senator, UN delegate, and the founder of the National Prayer Breakfast Life changed dramatically at that time. I always thought a bachelor was a man who did not make the same mistake once. (Laughter.) Then into my life came a tall, blonde, blue-eyed magnolia blossom from South Carolina. Franki and I have been married for 51 years and have been blessed with three children and eight grandchildren. I am who I am because Franki is my wife and we are parents to David, Ashleigh, Ann Wesley; Papa Pat to Lorena, Patrick, Sayaka, Lilly, Charlie-- Charlie bear--Miles, Oliver, and Graham. My family is my crowning--my crowning--achievement. Senator Frank was a great mentor. He always said: There are no self- made men or women in public office; it is your friends and family who make you what you are. He taught me a great lesson: Your true friends stand behind you when you are taking the bows and beside you when there are any boos. Following the 2-year stint with the Senator, I was privileged to work 12 years for the newly elected Congressman from the big First District of Kansas as his chief of staff. Keith Sebelius was a wonderful man, a leader on the House Agriculture Committee and the Interior Committee, especially with regard to improvements and restoration of our national parks. Upon Keith's retirement, a group of party stalwarts encouraged me to run. I thought about it, talked to Franki. Franki simply said: Well, this is what you always wanted to do. Let's do it. So for 9 months, with no paycheck or health insurance and limited savings, with three young children, Dodge City became our home. Most sane candidates would not attempt to go door-to-door in a district larger than most States; however, with a lot of help, we won a tough primary and a not-so-tough general election--the first of 24 straight victories. I was ranking to Chairman Kika de la Garza when the 1994 revolution put Republicans in the majority after being in the wilderness for over 40 years. Suddenly I was chairman. In 1996, we achieved a major farm policy reform, changing 40 years of farm bill policy. To this day, farmers still have the freedom to farm what they want. I have had the honor and privilege of representing Kansas for 16 years in the House and now 24 in the Senate. The Pat Roberts of 1980 was fighting for Kansas values and for the issues that affected the daily lives and pocketbooks of all Kansans. As the Pat Roberts of 1996, I promised that if elected to the Senate, when Kansas spoke, Washington would listen. I have held six gavels in the House and Senate, and that in and of itself might be a record, but it is what happened during my tenures as chairman that I believe I have had the most lasting effects. It is not just having the gavel; it is what you do with it. Taking part and leading eight farm bills in the House and the Senate, I have touched and improved many lives, and I have always been mindful of what farm families do for our Nation and a troubled and hungry world as we crafted each bill. I was fortunate that my first committee assignments were to serve on the Armed Services Committee as well as Agriculture. Strom Thurmond was the very senior chairman who, as the country song goes, never even called me by my name. I was recognized as ``the Senator who had the good sense to marry a fine, beautiful, South Carolina girl.'' (Laughter.) My role on the Armed Services Committee was simple. It was to collect the small change left by the Air Force to enable the Marine Corps to continue to be our Nation's force in readiness, not to mention the new Warfighting Lab. I also had the privilege of being the Senate Intelligence Committee chairman for 4 years during the Iraq war and led the committee's investigation that exposed a worldwide intelligence failure--and it resulted in a blueprint of the 9/11 Commission and a better intelligence community that did keep our country safe. As chairman of the brandnew Emerging Threat Subcommittee within the Armed Services Committee, I traveled to cities within what remained of the former Soviet Union. In one of the Soviet Union secret cities, we discovered a lab that had developed strains of pathogens that could do irreparable harm to our Nation's food supply. Talk about an evil empire. I caution my colleagues: That threat still exists, even as we endeavor to continue the worldwide fight against COVID-19. It has taken over 20 years to respond to this threat with a biological containment and research lab, and we are still not done. I have put a lifetime of work into NBADF, the National Bio and Agriculture Defense Facility--Paws from Manhattan, KS--home of Kansas State University with the ever optimistic Wildcats, Manhattan, KS. It will soon serve as the first line of defense to protect American agriculture and the world's food supply. I have also been privileged to serve on the HELP Committee. Thank you to Lamar Alexander and to Patty Murray for supporting my amendments, especially with regard to rural healthcare. And, finally, I have chaired the Senate Ethics Committee for 24 years. I have tried to resign twice. I don't know what I have done wrong, but I have been a member of that committee for what I am sure is a record 24 years. I think they just want somebody there to say: Wait a minute. Fifteen years ago, we tried that, and it didn't work. Maybe we ought to start over. As I move out of my office--formerly a veritable museum of pictures, awards, and stuff that we all collect--all that remains are the barren beige walls, full of memories and stories--all of which, of course, are classified. However, I still have my Marine Corps bumper sticker: ``To err is human, to forgive is divine.'' Neither is Marine Corps policy. Marines never give up. We take the hill. The discipline and focus I learned in the Marine Corps never failed me in my toughest battles here in the Senate. Semper fi. Semper fi, Dan. And still in the office, of course, is a framed statement with the advice of LBJ, Lyndon Baines Johnson: ``Sometimes you just have to hunker down like a jackass in a hailstorm and just take it.'' On that note, if you want to avoid a hailstorm, get a good staff. You are only as good as your staff--and I have the best staff in Washington. I know everybody thinks that, but I really do because they always--they always took the hill. My chiefs of staff, Leroy Towns, Jackie Cottrell, and Chad Tennpenny; my DC deputy chief of staff, Amber Kirchhoefer; and my Ag Committee staff directors, Mike Seyfert, Joel Leftwich, and James Glueck--they led the posse. And they always checked to make sure that the herd was still there and we didn't ride into any boxed canyons. To the staff currently in this Chamber with me, and those watching on C- SPAN, thank you. It has been an absolute privilege and an honor to have you call me boss. Always remember you are a family. I couldn't have asked for a more loyal and dedicated or talented staff. To be a Member of this U.S. Senate is a true privilege--a working family. It is the greatest deliberative body in the world. But today as compared to when I first came to the Senate, it is the deliberative part that gives me great concern. I regret the loss of comity--the ability to work together or just to get along. Sadly, gridlock appears to be the new normal. However, it doesn't have to be this way. I am very proud, I have had the privilege of being chairman of a committee that does get along, and we do get things done--the Senate Agriculture Committee. And it is really not that hard. First, we represent the best of our Nation--farmers, ranchers, growers, and the entire food value chain. We know that we have a collective job to do on their behalf--and we do just that. Second, we convene in a small hearing room--in pre-COVID times--right across the table from each other. Third, for the most part, we actually know one another. I used to be the ranking Republican when Senator Stabenow was the chairperson. We worked together on the 2014 farm bill. In 2018, this wasn't our first rodeo. We knew, regardless of what each of us wanted, passing a farm bill was paramount. We had an agreement--no surprises, no press the other one did not know about. And we held hearings together, all over the country. I went to the campus of Michigan State and wore green and white; Deborah came to Kansas State and wore purple. We not only agreed to work together, we gave staff marching orders to do the same. We also became friends. I protected her and she protected me in conference. And we got 87 votes, setting a record for a farm bill--standing right there now where our leader is now sitting. I was trying for 90. He said: What do you want? I said: I want justice. He said: No, you want blood. Now, ordinarily, we do not vote alike--Senator Stabenow and myself-- but we remain friends. And that is the way it should be. Friendship and comity is the norm for the Ag Committee. It could be for the whole Senate. Though, things in this great country are rocky, I have a news flash: These really are not the worst of times. When I first came to Washington in early 1967, our Nation experienced the tragedy of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Within hours, Washington was on fire, marines on the Capitol steps with sandbags, automatic weapons with live ammunition. Advised to leave the beltway, I mistakenly thought I could get to my parents' apartment house. This was BF, before Franki. I wanted to take the Rock Creek Parkway. No traffic was moving, tear gas in the air, random gunshots. I decided to jump the curb and drive on the sidewalks and eventually on the Mall itself. I was in a little Volkswagen. The police told me the parkway was closed. When they focused on the next drivers, I jumped the curb, and I took off on the parkway. As bad as that period of time was, it was not as bad as the military march on thousands of World War I veterans demonstrating on the Mall and setting up camp in the mid-1930s and demanding bonuses. President Hoover ordered them removed by the military--led by none other than Douglas MacArthur, complete with a tank, horse cavalry--with swords-- and armed troops. The ``bonus'' vets were quickly dispersed and rounded up. Fast forward, the 1968 Chicago riots, Kent State and the horrible shooting of students by untrained guardsmen. Senator Bobby Kennedy, running for President, only suffered the same fate as his brother. And then came Watergate. Those days were tough. It was almost impossible not to face the bitter splits over our political parties and even families. Today, we are in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, and even that has fallen into politics. But it doesn't have to be. At home, Kansas has been dealt its fair share of hardships, but in Kansas--as Jerry Moran knows--we don't let disasters define us. We grab our bootstraps and get to work. That is our normal. Jerry will remember multiple prairie fires that have ravaged Kansas farms and ranches: the Anderson Creek fire in 2016, the Starbuck fire in 2017. Folks, these flames were 60 feet high and moving 60 miles an hour. Those folks have learned to adapt and build back with the help of USDA disaster programs. Then we had the tale of Treece, KS--once a boom town, turned toxic waste dump. It was an extremely unsafe and unhealthy place for folks to live. We worked with the Obama administration and its EPA. I mean, really. No less, we relocated them to safer places, literally, and greener pastures because working across party lines is what we do in Kansas. Let's not forget about the EF tornado in 2007 that completely destroyed, wiped out the community of Greensburg, KS. I immediately called President Bush. He was up at Camp David. I called from a McDonald's in the next town and asked for help. When I hung up, there were 25 people gathered around me listening. One old-timer, in his bib overalls, said to me: Pat, was that the President of the United States? I said: You bet. He turned to his wife and said: Mother, I told you. I told you Pat was a talking to the President, and we would get help. And FEMA was there the next day. In a FEMA-issued tent, I talked to the graduating senior class, whose school and homes were but a pile of debris, and told them: You are the class of hope and destiny. The following year, President George W. Bush spoke at graduation in Greensburg. The size of that audience matched the size of hope that Kansans had for their future and the rebuilding of their lives. I am reminded of the optimism of those speeches and the optimism that I have for our country. We endured these hardships. We came out on the other side. We did it by changing the old normal and creating a new normal. Here in the Senate, only we can decide what our new normal is, and we ought to get to know one another. We don't know one another. We don't have to let the apparent gravitational pull of more and more politics and pursuit of power to change what our Founders gave us--the creation of a nation, of liberty and freedom, the envy of the world, and to literally move the U.S. Senate from the moorings of its historic and great past to simply be a rubberstamp for radical change. The beauty is that we can decide what our normal is. We don't have to let circumstances dictate our future. Let us, once again, become a body of respect, humility, cooperation, achievement, and, yes, friendship. That can and should be our new normal. The entire country could use a little bit of what we say in Kansas: ad astra per aspera; to the stars through difficulty. So as my time in the Senate draws to a close, I have done my best to improve the lives of Kansans and all Americans, for decades, to accomplish big and small things so that this generation and future generations might live and achieve the American dream. To Kansas, I say a humble thank you. Thank you for the privilege of representing you in this great body. To my colleagues, thank you for fighting on behalf of our great Nation and alongside me to preserve this Chamber. It has been such a privilege. As I ride off into the sunset to create a new normal for Franki and me, I will be cheering for the Senate to rebuild the bridges of comity that will create a new normal. My colleagues, my time is up. Thank you for yours. I yield the floor. (Applause.)

Mr. ROBERTS

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

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I am rising today, along with others, giving thanks to our military and servicemembers and our veterans. In our family, this comes naturally. I am the son of Wes Roberts, a World War II Marine veteran who fought at Okinawa and Iwo Jima, and as a Marine veteran myself, I say with certainty and pride that there is no greater duty than to stand with those who have put country before self. I might add that my dad was age 41; he lied about his age and said he was 39. There was a niche in the Marine Corps at that time to be an air ground officer. That quickly turned into a combat situation, both in Okinawa and Iwo Jima. I am very thankful that he was spared. I would also like to add that I thank former President Truman for making a decision that allowed him and 800,000 other Americans to come home. It is of the utmost importance, especially today, to pause and to recognize and thank veterans everywhere for their service in defending our Nation from threats, both overseas and here at home. Another point of privilege I would like to point out is that before the pandemic, we were set to dedicate the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial on May 8. That was the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day--an anniversary with worldwide significance. Due to the ongoing pandemic, we dedicated the memorial in September, and now, after decades of work, the memorial dedicated to our President and the Supreme Allied Commander and Kansas's favorite son, Dwight D. Eisenhower, is attracting generations of visitors to the National Mall. I drive by it on Independence Avenue when I am going home. I am always amazed that there are 25 or 30 people taking pictures of Ike, both as President and also the Supreme Allied Commander. I am delighted that we are relearning the contributions of this great President and a man who basically saved Western democracy and gave us 8 years of peace and prosperity as President. The memorial encourages all visitors to learn more about the critical role Ike played in not only shaping our Nation and defining the United States of America on the world stage but leading our country through 8 years of peace and prosperity. He recognized the promise of America and the reciprocal responsibility of his people to serve the Nation that serves them. As he said in his first inaugural address, ``It is the firm duty of each of our free citizens . . . to place the cause of this country before the comfort, the convenience of himself.'' It was Eisenhower's decision to launch the D-day invasion that helped turn the tide of war in Europe and save Western democracy. While the memorial pays tribute to his valiant leadership, it also pays tribute to the ``greatest generation.'' Without their bravery and sacrifice during World War II, the world, no doubt, would be a very different place. Now, we have another favorite son in Kansas. My dear friend and mentor, Senator Bob Dole, is another one of these heroes of the ``greatest generation,'' and he made a tremendous effort in making the World War II Memorial a reality. In talking with Bob about his effort and then his key role in making the Eisenhower Memorial an actuality and being successful, now anybody who is a World War II veteran--and those numbers are decreasing dramatically every year--however, they can get some transportation up here on Independence Avenue and pay homage to their Commander in Chief and salute him as they would have liked to have done years back. I would point out that through my 40 years of service in both the House and Senate, I have said many times that the No. 1 priority of our Federal Government is to provide for the safety and security of our great Nation and to encourage those who protect us and to give them due. It has also been an honor to serve as a marine and to serve the great State of Kansas in Washington. Our Nation is forever indebted to the acts of bravery and sacrifice of the service men and women who repeatedly answer the call of duty and step forward to defend the freedoms we all hold dear. Each and every one of us--more especially in this body--give the thanks of a grateful Nation to our Nation's veterans. I would be remiss if I did not close by stating ``Semper Fi.'' I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, we celebrate the 130th birthday of America's 34th President and Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe during World War II, Dwight David Eisenhower. Without Ike, it is not a stretch to imagine that the trajectory of American history might have been significantly altered. It was General Eisenhower who commanded a successful D-Day invasion, which became a pivotal turning point in the Second World War. It was President Eisenhower who waged peace, regulated atomic power, and protected the world against the growing spread of communism. Through it all, it was not selfish ambition or prestige that guided him, but rather his character and sense of duty. He was born in Denison, TX, on October 14, 1890, as the third of seven sons. At the age of 2, Ike's family moved to Abilene, KS, a lively community with a famous frontier past where he developed his interest in exploring the outdoors. Throughout his lifetime of leadership, Ike never lost touch with his western origins. As Kansas' favorite son, Ike nurtured the values he learned as a young boy, some of which guided his decision-making as a leader. He placed the job and the mission--not himself--at the center. With this heartfelt ethic, he set the example for those around him. From Abilene to West Point and from Normandy to Washington, Eisenhower embodied the humility, honesty, sincerity, optimism, and fortitude that he would call upon the country to emulate in his first inaugural address on January 20, 1953: ``The productivity of our heads, our hands, and our hearts is the source of all the strength we can command, for both the enrichment of our lives and the winning of peace,'' he declared. ``Whatever America hopes to bring to pass in the world must first come to pass in the heart of America.'' As Americans, we owe a great deal to the man who led the U.S. and Allied Forces in the liberation of Europe and expelled the evil of Hitler's Nazism. On the domestic front, we are transformed by the fruit of his legacy as President, including: the Interstate Highway System, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare--now known as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education--and the Federal Aviation Administration. Ike also brought Alaska and Hawaii into the Union; eradicated segregation in our Armed Forces; and deployed the Army's 101st Airborne to Central High School in Little Rock, AR, ensuring that the law of educational integration was followed by all States. As chairman of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission, I am proud to report that construction on the national memorial of President and General Eisenhower, located on Independence Avenue, SW, between 4th and 6th Streets, is complete, and the memorial is open to the public. The commission hosted a dedication ceremony at the site the evening of September 17, 2020. Participants in the ceremony included my fellow commissioners, including vice chairman Representative Mike Thompson of California, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr., of Georgia, Representative Michael K. Simpson of Idaho, Representative William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry of Texas, former Senator Robert J. ``Bob'' Dole of Kansas, Alfred Geduldig, Susan Banes Harris, and Catherine Ann Stevens. Again, with General Eisenhower as they were on the eve of the D-Day invasion, soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division presented the colors. Speakers included me, Bret Bair, Senate Chaplain Barry Black, Representative Mike Thompson, Architect Frank Gehry, Ms. Rachel Mast of Kansas who recited the Pledge of Allegiance, Astronaut Chris Cassidy from the International Space Station, Secretary Condoleezza Rice, Greta Van Susteren who introduced Senator Bob Dole, David Eisenhower, Susan Eisenhower, and Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt. Other Eisenhower family members present at the ceremony included Julie Nixon Eisenhower, their son Alex and his children, Mary Jean Eisenhower's son Merrill Eisenhower Atwater, and several members of the Gill family, relatives of Mamie Doud Eisenhower. Enjoyed by all were musical performances by the ``The President's Own'' U.S. Marine Band, and Voices of Service performers Master Sgt. Caleb Green, Staff Sgt. Ron Henry (Ret.), Sgt. Maj. Christal Rheams, and Sgt. 1st Class Jason Hanna. Guests at the ceremony and others joining via livestream and CSPAN were thrilled to experience a flyover of F-16s piloted by soldiers of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard. The flyover occurred precisely at the end of the National Anthem performed by Voices of Service. Additionally, 26 members of the West Point Alumni Glee Club delighted guests with superb renditions of several songs, including ``Grand Old Flag,'' ``World War II Medley,'' and ``God Bless the USA.'' September's dedication ceremony was a fitting tribute to one of our country's finest leaders. The memorial is now one of the 420 National Memorials and Parks under the stewardship of the National Park Service. I invite all to visit the new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial. I ask my fellow Senators and all citizens to join me in celebrating America's 34th President and Supreme Commander during World War II by wishing Ike a happy 130th birthday.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President; I was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1980 and then the Senate in 1996. I have enjoyed the privilege of becoming the longest serving member of Congress in the history of the Sunflower State and representing Kansans in Washington, DC, for 40 years. It has been an amazing ride, a great partnership in government and many people have been a tremendous help to Franki and me. We want to say a heartfelt thank you to all the friends we have made along the way. My first boss in public service was a true gentleman from Concordia named Frank Carlson. Senator Carlson was the first person to hit the political trifecta and serve our State as Senator, Congressman, and Governor. The always modest Senator Carlson routinely said, ``There are no self-made men or women in public service; it is your friends, family and staff who make you what you are.'' Through the years I have repeated Senator Carlson's words on many occasions, and I truly believe that Members of Congress are only as good as their staff. Well, I have been blessed because, for four decades, I believe that I have had the best staff both in Kansas and on Capitol Hill. While I could offer a long list of current and former aides who have truly made a difference for Kansas and America, there are three unique, humble, and accomplished individuals who deserve special recognition. Mel Thompson, Gilda Lintz, and Kay Sharp have all served quietly and effectively behind the scenes on my Kansas staff for nearly a quarter century. First, there is Mel Thompson who serves as my State agriculture representative. Actually, Mel and I first worked together on the Washington staff of First District Congressman Keith Sebelius in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Mel has taught me a lot about agriculture and even more about people. Nobody is better at listening to frustrated farmers and ranchers and few know more about the complex and often burdensome regulations offered by USDA and EPA. This incredible knowledge and Mel's neighborly presence led to well-deserved recognition by the Kansas Farm Bureau who honored Mel with a Distinguished Service to Agriculture award. Mel has been a strong advocate for me and, in fact, a brother. Next, there is Gilda Lintz who serves as the district director in my Topeka office. Gilda is what we call a casework specialist, serving as the court of last resort when communication has broken down between a Kansan and a government agency. Gilda has invested her heart and soul into assisting veterans to obtain service awards or unrealized benefits. Additionally, Gilda has led my service academy nomination board that meets each October to identify the best and brightest Kansans capable of graduating from our Nation's military academies and defending our Nation. I call her ``golden.'' Thank you, Gilda, for nurturing America's heroes. You are a true ``Kansas treasure. I also want to recognize Kay Sharp who serves as my State casework and outreach director. Kay joined my staff after a stint with Senator Nancy Kassebaum and has been a steady and dependable rock in the Overland Park office since 1997. Like Mel and Gilda, Kay is the foundation of Team Roberts. Kay leads my state casework effort and has helped countless Kansans obtain last minute passports, crucial IRS refund checks, and meaningful social security disability payments. More recently, like she did after 9-11, Kay worked after hours and late into the morning on weekends to ensure Americans were able to re-enter the country during COVID-related travel interruptions. Most of all, Kay is someone who I could count on for frank advice and counsel. She always gives you the unvarnished truth, and for that, I am grateful. Finally, I want to say a word about my longtime State director and now chief of staff, Chad Tenpenny. Chad has been out there riding shotgun, covering all 105 counties, with me since my early days in the Senate. We have covered almost every inch of the State, from the Cimarron National Grasslands in Morton County to the eastern border in Wyandotte County. The people of Kansas know and respect Chad and depend on him as a direct link to the Federal Government. His steady dependable leadership in the State has been a gift to me and to all Kansans over the years. As a proud U.S. Marine, where I learned that I could achieve more than I ever thought I really could, I am constantly urging my staff to ``sprint to the finish line'' and ``take the Hill.'' Mel, Gilda, and Kay have done a lot of sprinting and climbing through the years. Together, we have made Kansas a better place, and for that, I am proud. Semper Fi.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, if we had not done this, it would have resulted in delays in the 2018 farm bill programs--the one that we passed here with 87 votes--and the ability farmers would have with the risk management tools. I would just simply point out that no matter what they grow or where they live, farmers, ranchers, and growers have done their part to ensure that our Nation's food, fiber, and fuel supplies continue without disruption during these unprecedented times. They are counting on the Department of Agriculture--and, for that matter, the Congress-- to deliver a range of agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry programs. More than 50 of these programs--here is the list--were in danger because of the uncertainty in replenishing the CCC funding and then due to some of the add-ons with regard to policy being difficult to understand. Well, they are easy to understand, but it is bad policy, bad precedent. We have put the Secretary of Agriculture in a very bad position in that he has announced the specifics of this program. I would urge all of my colleagues--more especially my colleagues across the aisle who have expressed great concern as to what is in this latest program and what isn't--to get on the phone, and I will get on the phone with the Secretary. I know that Senator Boozman and Senator Hoeven will do the same. We all have concerns as to how this is going to work, and that has been true with all of the programs prior to this one. That is the way to express our concern with regard to getting something done. I do want to point out that my colleagues across the aisle, under the banner of nutrition programs--the SNAP program in particular, school lunches, et cetera--did point out that we had some real deficiencies with regard to keeping our commitment to these programs, more especially with COVID-19. I understand that, so that was included. That is really what we are all about here--working in a bipartisan fashion on behalf of farmers, ranchers, and growers in agriculture. That is what we have always done on the committee. I thank my distinguished ranking member, and I thank everybody who brought this thing together. As the chairman of this committee, we were successful. As I indicated, in a bipartisan manner, we--87 Members of this Chamber-- voted in favor of this legislation. These were some of the programs that were threatened: price loss coverage, agriculture risk coverage, and marketing assistance loans. If you just go down the list of everything farmers were depending on, all of a sudden, it was up in the air. Why that was true I am not quite sure, but this shows the extent of the damage that could have been done with the original request in the CR without the CCC funding. I ask unanimous consent to have printed at this point in the Record a list of these programs that were in danger.

Mr. ROBERTS. I thank the distinguished Senator for his comments. I appreciate the shout-out for the U.S. Marine Corps and to all of us who are marines. The Marine Corps taught me one thing, and that was that I could always do more than I thought I could. This is a good example of what happens when we work together as a team--when we work with our colleagues across the aisle--when we see a real problem that has come up. This was a situation for which I wanted to express my gratitude to all of the Members who joined together to provide certainty and predictability. This is what we sold the farm bill on--certainty and predictability. We had a situation that we faced, and it was really difficult to understand how this came about, but that is not the news today. The news today is good news in that we reached a compromise and found agreement to replenish the CCC, the Commodity Credit Corporation, in the continuing resolution, absent some of the barbed wire that was in there. I especially want to thank more than 40 agriculture organizations, and I have the letter right here. I know both Senators who are in attendance here, as well as Senator Thune and everybody concerned, are aware of it. It is to Majority Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Leader McCarthy. It is from 47 different farm organizations and commodity groups that speak for, I think, virtually every farmer, rancher, and grower in the country. So I give thanks to the 47. I ask unanimous consent to have printed at this point in the Record this letter, dated September 15, 2020, from 47 farm organizations and commodity groups

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, finding a bipartisan solution to replenish the CCC and to provide much needed certainty and predictability for all reasons, all crops, all farmers, and all ranchers, I, again, appreciate the efforts of my colleagues and those who represent them--the Nation's farmers, ranchers, growers, rural stakeholders, everybody in rural and small-town America, and their lenders, who could not believe what we were about to face with pulling out the CCC funds with regards to the CR, or the continuing resolution, to keep our government running and avoid a government shutdown. So this agreement, the continuing resolution, represents a good step, a good bipartisan step. I really appreciate that, although I must say we didn't have to go down this road. There is a saying we have in Kansas that there are a lot cactus in the world. We don't have to sit on every doggone one of them. And, boy, we sat on this one, and we sat on it too long. I want thank the staff, especially the Agriculture Committee staff, representing all of our Members on the Ag Committee. They did tremendous work, making sure the right policy was there, making sure that at least the CCC was operating with the funds that they need to operate during the middle of COVID-19, and, again, on behalf of all of agriculture. So I want to again thank Senator Hoeven for holding this discussion. I yield the floor.

Mr. ROBERTS. I am not sure this is the final word. In the Senate of the United States there is no final word, I would assume. But this points out something that is just absolutely understandable--common sense. When people ask me how on Earth we got 87 votes together for a farm bill, with the tremendous help of the ranking member, Senator Stabenow, it was pretty easy. We were holding hearings, as both of the Senators know. And people asked me: How do you get something like this done? It is just a huge undertaking. You have to listen to farmers. You have to sit on the wagon tongue and listen. Well, this time we didn't have to sit on the wagon tongue and listen. United, they said: What on Earth is going on? How did this proposal get loose? In other words, keeping us out of the continuing resolution, given the problems that we are having, what on Earth is going on? And so it wasn't much of a surprise to any of us when farmers--every one of them represented by the groups that the distinguished Senator has just listed--said: Whoa. Wait a minute. We are getting left out. I think the leader in a conference said something about, well, other than the fact that we are treating agriculture and farmers like bums--I mean, it was pretty clear what was going on, and it was terribly counterproductive. I don't know how people come up with these things. It is what it is. But we listened to farmers. We got the job done. We cooperated. It was bipartisan. Some of the nutrition programs were addressed. It was a good news story. We couldn't have done it, however, without the 47 groups that sounded the alarm. And so we have been able to do it over a period of about 3 or 4 or 5 days. I thank everybody concerned. I think it is a good news story in the end result.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Madam President, I want to thank Senator Thune for his very pertinent and cogent remarks. This is an important time to make a decision that affects all farmers and ranchers and growers all across our country during a time in which we are going through some very difficult times--weather and everything else that you can imagine. I see Senator Ernst over there, who will be following me, I am assuming. I want to thank Senator Hoeven for reserving this time, as other members of the Agricultural Committee come and speak on an issue that we shouldn't really be having an issue. As I said, I rise to engage in a colloquy on the importance of providing certainty and predictability. Those were the watch words we used when we passed the farm bill. To our Nation's farmers, ranchers, and growers, by replenishing the Commodity Credit Corporation, there should not be an issue. First, I would like to thank Senator Hoeven, who has just arrived on the floor, for his leadership and speaking to this issue, and other Senators for their commitment to agriculture in their respective States and across the country. No matter what they grow or where they live, farmers, ranchers, and growers have done their part to ensure the U.S. food, fiber, and fuel supply continues without disruption during these unprecedented times. I think everybody is familiar with the situation. Every 5 years, Congress passes legislation that sets the national agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and forestry policy--commonly referred to as the farm bill. That is our commitment, and we did that. These are for the folks on the frontlines, in the fields, caring for livestock, managing the lands day in and day out, despite all the weather problems we are having today. As chairman of this committee--the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee--we were successful in passing the 2018 farm bill in a bipartisan manner. Everybody says: Oh, we have to work together to get back to where we were bipartisan. We were. Eighty-seven Members in this Chamber voted in favor of this legislation. That vote demonstrated that the 2018 farm bill did provide much certainty and predictability to all farmers and ranchers across all regions and all crops. However, it is no secret that times continue to remain tough in farm country. Farmers and ranchers continue to experience low commodity prices, a global pandemic, natural disasters, and the effects of retaliatory tariffs. That is a terrible combination. The 2018 farm bill does provide essential programs to producers that allow them to mitigate some of the risks--some of the risks--that are outside their control. Many of these programs are implemented through the authority and the annual funding Congress provides to Commodity Credit Corporation, or the CCC I want to stress to my colleagues that now is not the time for partisan gamesmanship. If Congress does not replenish the CCC, it could significantly harm or even halt these important programs. I can't imagine doing that. Farmers, ranchers, and others in farm country are counting on us to do our job. In fact, we have heard loud and clear from over 40 different organizations representing farmers, ranchers, and other rural stakeholders across the country that the CCC must be reimbursed before the end of the fiscal year. I want to say this and make this emphatically clear: Failure to do so would result in delays of the 2018 farm bill programs. We are talking about other programs because of COVID-19 and the pandemic and all of that. But even during a global pandemic, U.S. farmers and ranchers continue to hold up their end of the bargain by producing their crops for the world's safest, most affordable food supply. The least we can do is to ensure that the 2018 farm bill--the piece of legislation that received 87 votes in this body right here in the Senate--continues to be fully implemented, on time, and without delay. I hope that we can reach a bipartisan agreement. This business of at least holding up the CCC funds--I understand what people have with regard to their own top things that they want to get accomplished, but holding up the CCC is not an answer. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues in a bipartisan way to ensure that we provide farmers and ranchers with certainty and predictability from the 2018 farm bill. I thank the distinguished Senator, Mr. Hoeven, for asking for this time. I yield the floor.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I rise today to join my many colleagues familiar with agriculture--the farmers, ranchers, growers, everybody in the food chain--and my thanks to Senator Ernst for really starting this, making a great speech last week. We are all trying to follow up with the same message to shine a spotlight on our Nation's COVID-19 heroes. We have heard the term ``hero'' a lot during this pandemic. I believe the title is warranted to describe the many Kansans and, for that matter, all Americans who are doing extraordinary work and making great sacrifices to make this country safer and healthier. Today, I want to talk about the heroes--the special heroes in agriculture: our farmers, our ranchers, our growers. The Sun comes out every day. A lot of us are in safe places. We have decided that is the best alternative for us, and so we have a lot of shutdowns. Not farm country. The farmers, ranchers, and growers, they don't have that option. They have to do what they have to do in terms of planting their crops, harvesting their crops, taking care of their crops. They work long hours, day in and day out, to produce the food on our dinner tables and make sure our supermarket shelves are stocked. These producers are facing low prices, regulatory overreach, a challenging trade environment, and drastic and sudden changes in demand for their crops and animals. To top it off, net farm income is estimated to drop by nearly $20 billion as of this year. Despite all these challenges, they have continued to produce even more with less. American farmers and ranchers are so efficient at their jobs that we are able to enjoy the most affordable food of any country in the world--and the most safe. We also have the safest and most ample food supply. That is why I consider--as well as all of my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee and others who are privileged to represent farmers, ranchers, and growers--that they are true heroes. Producing food for a troubled and hungry world is what farmers do day in and day out, but especially at times like this, it is nothing short of heroic. We have taken steps to address the needs of our Nation's farmers and ranchers, and in recent months--in March--unanimously, we passed the CARES Act. I would say that would be a goal we might want to achieve with the Heroes Act scaled down to whatever we want to call it--and also the HEALS Act. At any rate, it was unanimous back then, and that funded the Department of Agriculture to address the needs related to the pandemic, among a lot of other things. We included $9.5 billion for Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to deliver emergency support for those in agriculture and the food industry who suffered losses due to the pandemic, and we included $14 billion partial replenishment for the Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation to provide additional assistance to affected producers. This legislation ensured the continued implementation of our 2018 farm bill programs, which do provide certainty and predictability at a time when both are scarce. We also provided additional resources for telemedicine, broadband connectivity, as well as business and industry loans. The CARES Act also supplied the Department with the resources to continue mandatory inspection services to ensure our food safety and minimize potential interruption in the food supply chain. COVID-19 created a ripple effect that has been felt from the farm to the supermarket. The agriculture and food sector, along with the administration, the CDC, and OSHA have all implemented practices and policies that address worker health and safety in our processing plants. Keeping America's meat and poultry processing system functional was imperative--it was difficult, but we are making progress--as was boosting worker safety and protection in these plants. Now we must take what lessons we have learned in the past few months and build upon this progress. I am privileged to be the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. I have worked on the role of addressing rural America's priorities as part of a fourth COVID-19 relief package, as have all members of the committee, both Democrat and Republican. This week, we are considering legislation with the hopes of a bipartisan solution. We all know and we anticipate this process will go through several twists and turns before a final agreement is reached, but we must provide solutions. The entire country is truly counting on us. In closing, I want to again thank our farmers, our ranchers, and our growers all across the country who have continued to do their job during these very difficult times, and I want them to know that we are continuing to work to make sure they have the tools needed to continue to feed not only our country but a very troubled and hungry world.

Mr. ROBERTS

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

Mr. ROBERTS. I rise to respond to this unanimous consent request to call up and pass a bill to make modifications to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP. Over the past few months, through the enactment of both the Families First Act and the CARES Act, Congress has provided both funding and flexibilities for nutrition assistance during this pandemic emergency. The funding from the Families First and CARES Acts has included the following: $15 billion for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; $8.8 billion for the School and Child Nutrition Programs; $1 billion in food distribution programs, like The Emergency Food Assistance Program, TEFAP, and the Food Distribution Program for Indian Reservations; $500 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or the WIC Program. In addition, Congress provided emergency SNAP benefits, allotments, and pandemic EBT benefits for children while schools are closed. The Department of Agriculture has been steadily distributing both food and benefits, and the Department has granted and extended many flexibilities to State and sponsoring organizations to get food to those in need. The distinguished Senator from Michigan, for whom I have a great deal of respect and friendship--we have a history of working together on the Agriculture Committee to help those in need. In fact, just last week, we wrote the Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, about some of the WIC flexibilities, and the Department of Agriculture has already acted to extend those flexibilities. This is just a recent example of the good work we can accomplish together, but I respectfully object to this unanimous consent.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I thank Senator Young and Senator Collins, who have just preceded me and set the tone, as only they can do, with regard to honoring Memorial Day. It is truly an honor to stand on the floor of the Senate and speak about so many who have served and defended our Nation. As the son of a World War II veteran--a marine veteran, I might add--and a veteran myself, also a marine, it is a privilege to represent our men and women in uniform in the U.S. Senate and to be able to ensure they have all the tools they need to fulfill their missions, to ensure their families are supported here at home, and to ensure our veterans receive the care and services they deserve. Just a word about my dad. He was 41 when the war started. He joined the Marines--he was in a non-combat role--at a recruiting station in Kansas City. They looked and looked and looked for a combat billet and finally found one that said that the top age was 39. They really needed people. He was 41. He lied about his age, and then went into that billet to see action in Guam, Okinawa, and, yes, Iwo Jima. I went to Iwo Jima on the 15th anniversary--that was about 60 years ago. We now have the 75th. When standing on top of Mount Suribachi, you really stop and realize exactly the sacrifice my dad and others made. He survived those attacks, and thank you to President Truman for allowing my dad to get back. Throughout our Nation's history, our service men and women have repeatedly answered the call of duty and stepped forward to defend the freedoms we hold dear. From the earliest days of struggle for our Republic to the current unprecedented threats from terrorism, to cyber attacks, to unpredictable regimes with missile capability to attack our shores, and, yes, to global pandemics, the principles set forth by our Founding Fathers have been defended by our brave men and women in uniform. I stand here once again to commemorate those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. Hopefully they will continue to be remembered by those of us who enjoy the freedoms for which they fought and died. Memorial Day is the day when a grateful nation recognizes those who have given so much out of love for their country, their family, and their fellow citizens. Remembering service and sacrifice does not happen just on Memorial Day. One of the greatest honors to me is meeting the veterans who visit Washington, DC, through the incredible efforts of the Honor Flight Network. Having the opportunity to visit with members of the ``greatest generation'' who make the journey to Washington--often with high school students who are learning firsthand about their service and that history--so they can see their memorial is a humbling and uplifting experience for me and for all of us. To watch these men and women share their stories, many for the first time, is incredibly moving. When meeting these members of the ``greatest generation,'' you understand how befitting that label is for these humble men and women who stood in the face of tyranny and triumph. We see this same courage and resolve demonstrated daily by the good men and women currently serving in our Armed Forces throughout the world. We see acts of uncommon valor and great sacrifice for a cause and a deep belief in something bigger that just one person. We honor all the American men and women who have given their lives for their country since our Nation's founding. Susan Collins just referred to that in her very fine speech. We honor the more than 300,000 living veterans, from those folks to the ``greatest generation,'' and we honor the families of those who are here and are serving. Speaking of the ``greatest generation,'' I have the honor of being the chairman of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, the memorial which pays tribute to Kansas's favorite son Ike's leadership both as Supreme Allied Commander, where he saved Western democracy, and the 34th President of the United States, where he gave us 8 years of peace and prosperity. This memorial will serve as a symbol for all generations of the promise of America and what our values make possible here and around the world. We were supposed to dedicate this memorial this month, but, like everything else, the pandemic put those plans on hold. When we dedicate the memorial in September, we hope to have many World War II veterans attending, including Kansas's other favorite son, Senator Bob Dole. While our debt to these heroes can never be repaid, I know that my fellow Kansans agree that these liberators and defenders of democracy deserve our utmost respect and gratitude. I am going to quote from General Eisenhower when he was President and following that. ``There is nothing wrong with America that the faith, love of freedom, intelligence, and energy of her citizens cannot cure.'' I hope those words by Ike at that particular time can ring true in this body and more especially, those of us who are privileged to serve in this body. There is another quote I will repeat from Winston Churchill, who said: ``Kites rise highest against the wind, not with it.'' We have seen a lot of talk about the pandemic, and those winds have been a bit partisan, to say the least. I would hope that we would stop for a moment and honor Memorial Day in the true way we should do that. I would close by saying, in the words of Ronald Reagan: Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance. It must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and then lost it have never known it again. I think President Reagan gives us a great deal of insight I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ROBERTS

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

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, 75 years ago, the scene across America and Europe was quite different than what we see today--thousands of people waving flags, dancing, hugging, kissing in the streets, all covered in confetti. In the early morning hours of May 7, 1945, in the small town of Reims, France, the Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight David Eisenhower, signed Nazi Germany's surrender and sent a cable to Washington and to London stating that the mission of the Allied forces was fulfilled, thus ending the Nazi pandemic of tyranny and genocide. The surrender took effect on May 8, and for the first time since 1941, the U.S. Capitol was bathed again in light. Most military historians now agree that it was Eisenhower's unique skill and persuasion that enabled the Allied effort to be successful. As Winston Churchill said, ``There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies and that is fighting without them.'' Simply put, Ike led the effort to preserve Western democracy and freedom, and later, as President in 1953, America experienced 8 years of peace and prosperity. Tomorrow, on the 75th anniversary of the victory of Europe--what we call Victory in Europe Day, VE Day--the Eisenhower Memorial Commission was set to dedicate the long-awaited Presidential memorial to Dwight David Eisenhower right on the Mall in our Nation's Capital, just two blocks away. Eisenhower once said: ``Plans may end up as worthless, but planning is everything.'' How right he was. The Commission has set aside our plans for the dedication and is now planning a worthy ceremony in the fall. There is precedent for this delay. Just as America is pulling together to fight to defeat the COVID-19 virus, the Eisenhower administration was working with the public and the private sector until a vaccine was developed by Dr. Jonas Salk and disseminated all throughout our country. Shortly thereafter, an oral and more effective vaccine was developed by Dr. Albert Sabin. Today, polio is virtually eradicated. Today we face the same challenge. The Eisenhower Memorial, which pays tribute to Ike's leadership as both the Supreme Allied Commander and the 34th President of the United States, is located on the National Mall and will not only honor an extraordinary man but will also be a symbol for all generations of the promise of America and what our values make possible within our Nation and all over the world. I can personally attest to the impact Eisenhower had on my life. My dad, Wes Roberts, was the Citizens for Ike chairman during the 1952 campaign and instrumental in the first ballot victory over Senator Robert A. Taft from Ohio. He later--my dad--became national chairman of the Republican Party. So at 16 years old, I was a wide-eyed sergeant at arms during the Chicago Convention and later attended Ike's inaugural ceremonies in Washington, complete with white tie and tails. I met him both times. When Ike came into a room, even if you had your back to him, you knew he was there. He had a ruddy complexion and a great and wonderful smile. Everyone he met liked Ike. As my lapel button indicates, we still like Ike. I have now come full circle, serving as the chairman of the Eisenhower Memorial Commission. I know there will be dancing in the streets again, and we will be able to live our lives freely and safely, as Ike and the ``greatest generation'' fought to secure. We will dedicate the memorial to Kansas's favorite son and one of our greatest Presidents. After all, Ike never gave up, and neither will we. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. ROBERTS

Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator for yielding to me. As has been aptly pointed out by Senator Hoeven, who, by the way, does an outstanding job as our protector on the all-powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, we are in a tough place. We really are-- rural, smalltown America--given the rural healthcare delivery system with regard to this virus. I thank Senator Fischer, who is in the business and always does a good job of telling the story of the beef producer and of always trying to tell me that Nebraska's beef is more tender or delicious than the beef in Kansas, but that is her right. As Senator Hyde-Smith has just pointed out and what we have been trying to point out--and Senator Stabenow, who just recently spoke on the floor--we on the Ag Committee like to say we are the least partisan committee in the Congress. I think that was evident by the time we passed the farm bill. It took us a year to do it--a little over that-- but we got 87 votes. It was truly bipartisan. I deeply regret that we have reached a point here in the Senate where that is not the case with regard to the whole Senate. If you talk to any agriculture commodity group, any farm organization, or just up and down Main Street throughout Kansas--as a matter of fact, I talked to the chamber of commerce, Senator Moran, who just gave some very pertinent comments to our situation out in Kansas, about the second question in: Chairman Pat, what about our rural areas? Well, at that time, we were having trouble with regard to the testing, and some rural hospitals were having to drive a great deal of miles to Topeka. That was the only source. That stopped. In other words, it hasn't stopped, it has gotten a heck of a lot better, with Quest and LabCorp and other folks who are now making these tests available. But I want to get back to agriculture, and the Senator from North Dakota is exactly right--we have been hit pretty hard. Two thousand thirteen was the last time we had our prices above the cost of production, and that involves everybody involved in agriculture, along with Senator Thune. I am going to try to wind this down here pretty quick so we can get to you, Coop, and I thank you for your help, and I thank you for your overview of what is in this bill, what isn't in this bill, and why on Earth we can't get to it. So I think probably the best thing to do for our beef industry is to continue to work with our Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue. If there is anybody who is more knowledgeable about what we are facing, I don't know who it is. And I think possibly there could be a CCC payment that would help us out in the beef industry in particular because that is where we are really in trouble. But you could go down every commodity, and you would see the same thing. People from all of their organizations are coming forward to all of us on the Ag Committee and saying: Why can't you help? I am going to leave that subject. I think we can work on that. I think we can get some more help from CCC, and that would be a direct payment that would be immediate and that could be of help to people who are really in trouble. I want to say something else with regard to Senator Manchin, who is sitting over here by his lonesome on the other side of the aisle. I really like this guy. We are good friends. We hit it off right from the first. Both of us want the same thing. In particular, his comments this morning were about the rural healthcare delivery system in West Virginia going through the same tribulation that we are going through nationwide with regard to our rural areas. I want to point out that there is $75 billion in this bill for our rural hospitals to pay doctors and nurses who are dealing with the virus. Well, we all are doing that. It lifts the 2-percent sequester that happens all the time. You have to go back to 2013, and under the Budget Control Act that was passed at that particular time--not in force but at least was--what is the word for it? Referring to President Obama, he would always be under the Budget Control Act, finding the necessity that--no matter what we got from the CMS, the Centers for Medicare Services, which is lovingly called in our rural areas ``It's a Mess''--not under Seema Verma, though. I think she is doing a good job. But every time we would convince CMS to raise the Medicare reimbursement to critical access hospitals, of which we have over 80 in Kansas, there was, again, that 2-percent cut. So we waived that cut for the first time since 2013. In addition, let me say that there is special funding called for by all of the community healthcare centers and rural health centers--of which I know there are a lot in West Virginia, as there well are in Kansas--for telemedicine. That was something back in the day that we couldn't even have thought would be feasible, but it is now. There is a 15-percent reimbursement increase for these folks who are using telemedicine. So it is not like we haven't put together something we think will be approved. We could do more. We could do more, and the Senator from West Virginia has certainly indicated a strong interest in doing that. My point is, we could do that if we would just vote to get on the bill, and we would have 30 hours. I know that Senator Manchin and Senator Roberts, working together, could accomplish darn near everything. I see the Senator rising. I am not quite through.

Mr. ROBERTS. Yes, if you have to. You are my distinguished friend.