John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business for debate only until 11 a.m.; finally, that the Senate recess from 12:30 p.m. until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly conference meetings, and that if the motion is agreed to on the motion to proceed to Calendar No. 11, S.J. Res. 3, all time during recess count equally between the proponents and opponents.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, for the information of all Senators, Senators should expect a vote to proceed to Senator Cruz's CRA at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. THUNE

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 President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the Senate will vote later today to confirm Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education. Mrs. McMahon is an accomplished businesswoman and public servant. She is known for her role in building World Wrestling Entertainment, better known as WWE, from a small operation to a large and thriving enterprise. And she has used her success to give back and make a positive impact. Mrs. McMahon led efforts to promote reading and civic engagement through WWE. She spent 16 years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in her home State of Connecticut. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education. In his first term, President Trump tapped Linda McMahon to lead the Small Business Administration, where she was known for listening to small businesses to make the SBA a more effective Agency. She will bring valuable experience, an incredible work ethic, and a passion for education to her new role leading the Department of Education. And she has a big task ahead of her. Let's acknowledge that. In January, the Nation's report card revealed that American students are still struggling to make up ground lost during the pandemic. Reading scores among fourth and eighth graders declined again, after falling in 2022 and 2019. One-third of eighth graders are reading below a basic level--the highest proportion ever recorded. Math scores showed modest improvement, but they still remain below prepandemic levels. And there is a widening gap in student performance. This should concern all of us. As the son of two public school educators and father of two daughters who went to public schools, I know this problem is not going to be fixed by Washington bureaucrats. It is going to be fixed by good teachers, administrators, school boards, and parents--the people who are closest to the students and most invested in their success. The Federal Government provides less than 10 percent of funding for schools in this country. The other 90 percent of funding--money that keeps the lights on, pays teachers, and buys new textbooks--well, that comes from State and local governments and from private sources. But while the Federal Government provides a small percentage of education funding, it is responsible for an outsize amount of bureaucracy and mandates in education. More often than not, it is these policies that are holding back school districts from innovating and ultimately improving the education that they provide. I am glad that Mrs. McMahon recognizes that education is not one- size-fits-all. States have different needs. School districts and individual schools have different needs. And every student has his or her own needs and aspirations. So I am glad that Mrs. McMahon plans to work in a way that empowers those closest to the student, because they are in the best position to do what is right for that student. When I met with Mrs. McMahon, we had a long conversation about South Dakota's unique education needs, including our Tribal schools, and I look forward to working with Linda McMahon to limit bureaucracy, empower State and local governments, and let good teachers do what they are best at and what they love to do, and that is to help students succeed.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 27.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that S. Res. 12 be indefinitely postponed.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, this week, the Senate is focused on unleashing American energy. As I have said before, our country is facing some serious energy challenges. We need more power, or we face the possibility of a future defined by unreliable and unaffordable energy, which is why President Trump declared an energy emergency on his first day in office--to produce more energy, build more infrastructure, and ultimately bring energy prices down. But our Democrat colleagues made it clear, yesterday, they don't believe such an emergency exists. The Senator from Virginia called it a ``sham.'' Our colleague from New Hampshire said it was ``an emergency declaration in search of an emergency.'' Every Senate Democrat voted to deny the emergency that our country faces. I guess they haven't seen the reports of the precarious state of American energy. Last year, a Washington Post headline read: Amid explosive demand, America is running out of power. A recent report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation warns of ``mounting resource adequacy challenges'' in the next decade. Whether Democrats want to acknowledge it or not, the signs of a rapidly approaching energy crisis are clear. There is a threat of blackouts, not enough power to meet demand, heightened prices for gas and utilities. Apparently, Democrats don't think these are cause for alarm. But whether they are willing to acknowledge it or not--and yesterday's vote, I think, made clear that they are not--we have a serious problem, and if we don't do something about it, we face a future with an unreliable and unaffordable energy supply. Republicans are taking action. This week, the Senate is working to prevent two of the Biden administration's anti-energy policies from going into effect. On Tuesday, the Senate passed Senator Kennedy's resolution to stop the Biden administration's marine archeology rule. Offshore oil and gas producers have long been required to submit an archeological report before drilling if their project area was thought to include things like shipwrecks, settlements, or other archeological sites. But last year, the Biden administration decided to require archeological reports for all offshore projects, even when there is nothing to suggest the project will be near an archeological site. It is just another way to slow down production and heap more costs on producers--costs that consumers eventually pay. And it is another part of the Biden administration's efforts to close off America's waters to conventional energy production. Under President Biden, offshore permits dropped to a two-decade low. The administration's offshore leasing plan included only 3 possible leases, down from 47 in an earlier draft from the first Trump administration. And, of course, there was President Biden's last-minute ban on oil and gas production in 625 million acres of America's waters. Why we would so severely limit the use of our natural resources is beyond me. Under Republican leadership, we will be leveraging assets to restore American energy dominance. Later today, the Senate will also vote on a resolution to block the $6 billion natural gas tax that was included in the Democrats' so- called Inflation Reduction Act. This tax would increase costs for energy producers and limit energy production, leading to higher utility bills for many Americans. Under the Biden administration's implementation of this tax, it would hit smaller operations the hardest. On top of that, the tax puts tens of thousands of jobs at risk, including in natural gas-rich States like Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Texas, and North Dakota. The Senate will vote later today to stop implementation of this tax on energy producers. I appreciate Senator Hoeven's leadership on this issue. Thanks in substantial part to his efforts, energy producers will not have to worry about this unnecessary natural gas tax, and the American people won't have to worry about it driving up their utility bills. It would be nice if Democrats would join us in our efforts, if not to avoid our rapidly approaching energy crisis, at least to promote more affordable prices for Americans. I have recently been hearing our Democrat colleagues express newfound interest fighting inflation. If they are serious about that, they should be joining us in blocking these anti-energy policies that are driving prices up. But with Democrats or without, Republicans will keep working to build a more secure and more affordable energy future. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that all postcloture time on the McMahon nomination be expired; further, that the Senate vote on confirmation of the nomination at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3; finally, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I have nine requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate: committee on armed services The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination. committee on banking, housing, and urban affairs The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on nominations. committee on commerce, science, and transportation The committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct an executive session. committee on health, education, labor, and pensions The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet in executive session during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., to consider a nomination. committee on health, education, labor, and pensions The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 10 a.m., to conduct a hearing on a nomination. committee on homeland security and governmental affairs The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 9 a.m., to conduct a business meeting. committee on the judiciary The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 9 a.m., to conduct an executive business meeting. subcommittee on strategic forces The Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 11:45 a.m., to conduct a closed briefing. subcommittee on surface transportation, freight, pipelines, and safety The Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Freight, Pipelines, and Safety of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., to conduct a hearing.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to Calendar No. 2, S. 9.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to; the preamble be agreed to; and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 104, which was submitted earlier today.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 16, S. Res. 94.

Mr. THUNE. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 3 p.m. on Monday, March 3; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the Senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of Executive Calendar No. 24, the McMahon nomination, under the previous order; finally, that following disposition of the McMahon nomination, the Senate proceed to legislative session and resume consideration of Calendar No. 2, S. 9; and that the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of my colleagues.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, let me just restate: I ask unanimous consent that S.J. Res. 12 be indefinitely postponed.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider Calendar No. 24.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator Kennedy be recognized for up to 15 minutes and, upon the use or yielding back of time, then make a motion to proceed to Calendar No. 15, S.J. Res. 11.

Mr. THUNE

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