Brian Schatz

Mr. SCHATZ

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

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

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

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 69, S. 610.

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask that the bill, as amended, be read a third time.

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the Murray-Burr amendment at the desk be agreed to; that the committee-reported substitute amendment, as amended, be agreed to.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. SCHATZ. I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for first-degree amendments to the substitute amendment No. 2137 and the underlying bill, H.R. 3684, be at 11:15 a.m. and second- degree amendments at 11:55 a.m. on Saturday, August 7.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I understand that there are two bills at the desk, and I ask for their first reading en bloc.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, last week, the world saw something that it had never seen before: surfing as an Olympic sport. The story of how this happened begins with a native Hawaiian named Duke Kahanamoku. Duke was a natural athlete. He learned to swim at Waikiki Beach, and he went on to win five Olympic swimming medals, including three golds. He was an innovator who pioneered something called the ``Kahanamoku kick,'' or the flutter kick, now used by most freestyle swimmers. He was a visionary who, after winning gold at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics, pressed the International Olympic Committee to make surfing an Olympic sport. He traveled the world to promote surfing, bringing it to the continental United States and Australia and elsewhere, and became known as the father of modern surfing. But, more than anything else, Duke Kahanamoku was an ambassador of aloha and the spirit of Hawaii. A reporter once asked him if it was a bigger thrill to win gold medals or ``ride some of those giant waves,'' and he answered that surfing was a bigger thrill. One century later, Duke's vision of Olympic surfing became reality, and there is nothing more fitting than Hawaii's own Carissa Moore winning the first Olympic Gold Medal. If you want to see what the embodiment of aloha looks like, look no further than Carissa Moore. Like Duke, she shares his native Hawaiian roots and started surfing at Waikiki Beach as a young child. By the time she reached high school, she was already world-class. She attended my alma mater, Punahou, a school that has graduated more than 30 Olympians and President Obama. Carissa also became the youngest person ever to win a world surfing title, at age 18, and went on to win three more. Today, she stands alone as the world's top-ranked surfer, but it is not just talent that sets her apart. There is a saying that the best surfer is the one having the most fun, and that is unquestionably the case with Carissa. She is actually the best surfer, and she is also having the most fun. She has this incredible combination of speed and power in the water and a remarkable humility that she carries with her everywhere that she goes. She is an intense competitor who wants to win every event that she enters but also wants to see her opponents and, more importantly, the sport of surfing itself succeed. She has a passion to be admired and a joy that is infectious. She is, in short, the rare athlete who must be seen to be believed. And I know because I have seen it in Hawaii, and now the whole world knows too. After she won the gold medal last week, Carissa spoke of Duke Kahanamoku. ``It was beautiful to see his dream come true a century later,'' she said. She might as well have been speaking for all of Hawaii. So, today, we honor Duke and the incredible legacy that he left. We honor Carissa Moore for her athleticism and her commitment to inspire the next generation of surfers, especially young girls, and we celebrate the sport of surfing finally getting the recognition that it deserves. Mr. President, I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. SCHATZ

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

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, the Senate has a solemn duty to exercise and fulfill U.S. Federal trust responsibility. This duty is the guiding principle for all our work on behalf of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians. So as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, it is my job to prioritize and push Tribal and Native communities' legislative priorities toward the finish line and ultimately to actually enact legislation. The Indian Affairs Committee has a strong tradition of bipartisanship going back decades. Committee Members on both sides of the aisle routinely work together to achieve their own Native communities' goals. When there are disagreements, we do everything we can to work them out internally and to find common ground so that Members aren't forced to air their disagreements when bills get to the floor. In fact, just last night, the Senate passed eight Indian Affairs bills unanimously. Those bills would, among other things, promote economic development, protect Native children, honor Tribal self- determination--goals that we all agreed take important steps toward fulfilling our shared Federal trust responsibilities. Time and again, we have shown that the Indian Affairs bills can rise above partisan logjams. That compromise can be found. But here we are. H.R. 478, which passed the House on May 12, 2021, under suspension of the rules, would help to rebuild Tribal homelands; and S. 789, which passed the Senate unanimously in late November 2019, would repeal 11 obsolete, racist, unenforced laws that are inconsistent with the current government-to-government relationship enjoyed by the United States and Indian Tribes. Both bills would likely be laws by now if the COVID-19 pandemic had not disrupted our legislative work last year. These bills are good policy. That is why both Republican and Democratic administrations support them. And the Senate should have passed these bills last night, but because there was an objection to their inclusion in the 10-bill package, we find ourselves here again. The Indian Affairs Committee, as is tradition, has negotiated in good faith to clear up any concerns there may be, but those efforts were not successful, which leads me to this moment. When it comes to fulfilling the U.S. trust responsibility, there is no room for partisanship. So I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: Calendar No. 59, H.R. 478, the Blackwater Trading Post Land Transfer Act; and Calendar No. 53, S. 789, the RESPECT Act; further, that the bills be considered read a third time and passed en bloc and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, a couple of points. On taking 55.3 acres into trust, this is not like the Federal Government is going to have new land management responsibilities. This is a matter of principle for the Senator from Utah, and I recognize that; that he thinks, basically, no additional land should be taken into trust, even though this government-to-government relationship--this authority over these government relationships are enshrined in the Constitution of the United States and this government-to-government relationship has already been established by statutory law and the process for putting land into trust is already a well-established pathway. But what the Senator from Utah is saying is no more or we are going to have to do a one-for-one swap or even sometimes a two-for-one swap. You cannot have a net increase in the acreage, even if it is 53 acres, even if there is an established process. And so, I do find that difficult to work with. I know that the Senators from Arizona are in discussions with the Senator from Utah. We will find our way forward. This is 53 acres. It is important, obviously. We are going to enact this legislation. I like the Senator from Utah. We will find a way on this one. But if he would entertain an amendment to the request, then I would be pleased to pass the RESPECT Act by voice vote, if that is something that the Senator from Utah would be amenable to.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. SCHATZ. I yield the floor.

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 53, S. 789.

Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time.

Mr. SCHATZ. I know of no further debate on the bill.

Mr. SCHATZ

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

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Rules for the 117th Congress be printed in the Record.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Madam President, we are 1 year into the worst pandemic in a century, and it is clear that Native Americans have felt some of the most severe impacts of COVID. Here is what we know: The number of confirmed cases per capita among Native Americans is 3\1/2\ times that of White Americans; they are almost twice as likely to die from COVID than White Americans when they contract it; and over a third of all Native Americans are at high risk of serious COVID-19-related complications--the highest percentage of any group in the United States. Native Americans need help now, and it is our job to deliver. President Biden has proposed a bold plan, one that meets the moment and one that helps our most vulnerable communities. The President's plan includes more than $28 billion for Native people, making it the largest investment in Indian Country in American history. From Hawaiian homelands to villages, pueblos, rancherias, and other Native communities, our fellow Americans who live on or near these lands need immediate relief, not half measures, not delays. As the new chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting for this resolution and delivering critical relief to all Native Americans--Native Hawaiians, Alaska Natives, and American Indians. First, to help slow the spread in Native communities, we have to invest in healthcare, and that is why this resolution includes millions of dollars in critical resources to support the Native Hawaiian Healthcare Systems and more than $6 billion for the Indian Health Service, which is the primary vaccine distributor for more than 330 Tribes and urban Indian organizations across the country. These funds are going to help enhance healthcare services, particularly by improving the IHS's telehealth infrastructure. The IHS and Tribal healthcare facilities are overwhelmingly located in rural and isolated settings, with little access to specialty services, like cardiology. So expanding telehealth so that more people can get the specialty care they need wherever they are is a game changer for Native communities. Finally, these healthcare funds will support the medical workers who are on the frontlines every day, caring for Native families and fighting the virus. We also need to shore up Tribal governments and Federal programs and services that Native people rely on with an infusion of resources. That kind of historic, critical investment is exactly what President Biden proposes to do. Because Tribes are uniquely dependent on their business enterprises to fund essential government services for their citizens, this budget resolution calls for $20 billion to support Tribal governments. To put a fine point on it, the gaming operations are mostly closed, and that is how they fund health and education in many instances. These funds will enable Tribes to continue to provide services like elder care and the deliveries of medicine and food that are particularly critical during the pandemic, and it will help us to keep the lights on at their businesses. There is also $750 million to address overcrowding in homes and homelessness--circumstances that disproportionately affect Native Americans because housing stock tends to be scarce, and this problem compounds with people living in tight quarters and being unable to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Ensuring Native Americans have access to safe and affordable housing is essential to stopping the spread of COVID and crushing this pandemic. The plan also includes $900 million for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to support critical programs that keep people safe, protect kids, and help to deliver water to Native families. Now, especially during this pandemic, the BIA should step up, own its fiduciary responsibility, and help the Tribes fight the negative impacts of COVID in their communities. There is also $850 million for the Bureau of Indian Education's schools, colleges, and universities to address critical education infrastructure and to enhance distance learning capabilities and, hopefully, bring kids back into the physical classroom. Yet you can't do that without money. You can't do that without crushing the pandemic. You can't do that without safety. We must make sure that Native students don't get left behind and that we protect the health and safety of students and teachers. We all need to work together and support Native families and communities across the Nation. I think about the history of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and I think of my two predecessors, Senator Daniel K. Inouye and Senator Daniel Kahikina Akaka, and the legacies that they built of bipartisanship. I understand we are about to have a fight this week around a very silly process called vote-arama, but we need to remember what this is all about. This is not about a goofy 10-hour or 12-hour or 15-hour process where we stack amendments and try to set each other up that will somehow trick someone into taking a bad position that can be turned into a campaign advertisement. That is tomorrow, and it is nonsense, and everybody should ignore it if they can. Do anything to not watch vote-arama. It is boring, and it is the worst part of the U.S. Senate, but it is a very important means to an end. It is a very important means to an end because we were elected to deliver COVID relief. Once we get through this goofy process tomorrow night--or maybe it is Friday morning or whenever it is--we are going to be in a position to deliver COVID relief. Then we are going to be in a position to talk to our Republican colleagues on and off the committee representing Indian Country, representing Alaska Native communities, and representing Native Hawaiian communities and figure out how to make sure that the people who are suffering the worst during this pandemic get the help they need and deserve, and that is something we can come back together on as we move forward on this legislation. With that, I yield to the senior Senator from Nevada, a member of the Indian Affairs Committee, Ms. Cortez Masto.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, today, I rise to pay tribute to MAJ Catherine ``Catie'' Shutters Sundin and her service as an officer in the U.S. Army. I am especially grateful for her support to my office as an Army congressional fellow from January to December 2017 and, later, as the Army congressional budget liaison, where she supported my responsibilities as the ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs. Major Shutters Sundin will complete her military service in November after more than 12 years of honorable service. A native of Muskegon, MI, Major Shutters Sundin entered the military as a paralegal in the Indiana Army National Guard. After completing her initial military training, she attended Wentworth Military Academy and Junior College in Lexington, MO, where she commissioned as a second lieutenant. She completed her undergraduate degree in sociology at the University of Central Missouri and accessed nto Active-Duty status as an aviation officer. She attended flight school at Fort Rucker, AL, in 2008, graduating as a UH-60 Blackhawk pilot. She also has a master's degree in legislative affairs from the George Washington University. Major Shutters Sundin has served in a number of assignments during her Army career. Her first assignment as an aviation officer was with the 5th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, KY. As a small unit leader in Alpha Company, she deployed her platoon to multiple joint training exercises and ultimately to Khost Province in eastern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 12-13. While in combat, she served as task force intelligence officer, where she was charged with leading an intelligence unit that provided threat analysis, briefings to aircrews and leadership, and assisted military decision making. Upon redeployment, Major Shutters Sundin attended the Maneuver Captains Career Course at Fort Benning, GA, in preparation for her company command at Hunter Army Airfield, GA. There, she commanded Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade from January 2014 to February 2016. Major Shutters Sundin's team of 42 personnel and 10 UH-60M assault helicopters supported a number of training exercises to include a 9-month deployment in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Bravo Company was the first aviation unit to be a persistent presence in Eastern Europe, where they flew across the Baltic States and Poland to strengthen NATO relationships while deterring against the threat of Russian aggression. In 2017, as an Army congressional fellow, I had the privilege of working with Major Shutters Sundin in my office for a year and during her subsequent assignment as the Army congressional budget liaison. She worked tirelessly with Members of Congress and their staff to accurately represent the Army's budget positions to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees. Her professionalism, diligence, and commitment to the mission are unmatched, and her work as a fellow and as a liaison well represented the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense to the U.S. Congress. The foundation of Major Shutter Sundin's military success is her family. Raised in the Midwest as one of five children, her family established particular values early on: service, sacrifice, and compassion. She is a devoted wife to her husband Carl, who also serves as an officer in the U.S. Army. Their commitment to service and care for others infuses every organization to which they belong. Together, they are examples of servant leaders in the U.S. Army and to their communities. Throughout her career, Major Shutters Sundin has positively impacted soldiers, peers, and superiors. Our country has benefited tremendously from her extraordinary leadership, judgment, and passion. I join my colleagues today in honoring her dedication to our Nation and invaluable service to the U.S. Congress as an Army congressional liaison. Mr. President, it has been a pleasure to have worked with a talented officer. On behalf of a grateful nation, I join my colleagues today in recognizing and commending MAJ Catherine ``Catie'' Shutters Sundin for her service to our country and wish her all the best as she explores new ways to continue her service.

Mr. SCHATZ

Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I am going to give some remarks in 4 or 5 minutes. I just wanted to encourage the staffers, especially the stenographers, to feel comfortable to keep their distance from U.S. Senators who are delivering remarks. There is no reason, if we have microphones on, to be anywhere near us. So I would just encourage them to keep their distance, especially since most Members are delivering remarks without masks on. So if there is something the staff could do to just encourage them to keep their distance, we do want them to be safe. I will be giving remarks in a few minutes. I yield the floor.