John Thune

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I recognize Noah Roisum, an intern in my Rapid City, SD, office, for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. Noah is a graduate of Rapid City Christian High School in Rapid City, SD. Currently, he is attending Northwestern College in Orange City, IA, where he is pursuing degrees in international business and political science. He is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of his internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Noah for all of the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, today I recognize Alyssa Thaler, an intern in my Aberdeen, SD, office, for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the State of South Dakota over the past several weeks. Alyssa is a graduate of Groton High School in Groton, SD. Currently, she is attending the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND, where she is pursuing a degree in business economics. She is a hard worker who has been dedicated to getting the most out of her internship experience. I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Alyssa for all of the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso).

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Texas (Mr. Cornyn), the Senator from North Dakota (Mr. Cramer), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy), the Senator from Wyoming (Ms. Lummis), the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Moran), the Senator from Utah (Mr. Romney), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Schmitt), and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso.)

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, currently, the Senate is considering one of the most important pieces of legislation that we consider each year, and that is the National Defense Authorization Act. It is a bill that authorizes funding for our men and women in uniform and our defense needs--from planes, ships, and submarines to weapons, logistics, and communications technology. The United States has long had a reputation for military strength, and part of that reputation has rested on the strength of our equipment, but in recent years, our technological advantage has eroded to the point where there is reason to be concerned whether we would win a war against a major power like China. While we have made some progress to reverse this trend, we have a lot more work to do to ensure our military retains our technological edge, and I am glad that this year's NDAA makes progress toward this goal. Today, I want to talk about one critical aspect of America's defense capabilities in particular, and that is long-range strike, specifically our bombers. Long-range strategic bombers have played a critical role for the United States in a number of conflicts, but today's bomber force is desperately in need of an update. Our bomber inventory is roughly one- third the size that it was in 1989, and it is the oldest in Air Force history. Experts warn that, in a conflict, the current U.S. bomber force would be insufficient against an adversary like China. Fortunately, this is one problem that we have made a concerted effort to address. Congress, the Pentagon, and successive administrations have been at work developing a next-generation strategic bomber for a number of years, and we finally have it. That is the B-21 Raider. It is a sixth- generation, long-range strategic bomber, and it will take its first flight later this year. This is something that, as I said earlier, our Nation has a vital interest in making sure it is completed and that we get that important military asset as part of our defense arsenal as we look at the threats that we face around the globe today. The Air Force calls the Raider the future backbone of its bomber force, and Secretary of Defense Austin says it is ``deterrence the American way.'' The B-21 is an example of what American ingenuity can achieve. It will be able to penetrate hostile air defenses and reach targets anywhere in the world, which 90 percent of our current bomber force can't do, all while launching from the United States and deploying stealth technologies that you have to see--or should I say--not see to believe. This is a remarkable capability. Its systems will be able to evolve with a changing threat environment and incorporate new technologies within the airframe, and it will be able to work alongside the technologies of tomorrow, such as unmanned aircraft and artificial intelligence. The specter of the B-21 has already caused a stir in China, and I am certain that it will cause our adversaries to think twice about aggression. I am proud that when the B-21 enters service in the next few years, South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base will be Main Operating Base 1-- home to both the formal training unit and the first operational squadron. The men and women of Ellsworth are working hard to prepare for this important new mission, and I am working to ensure they have everything they need to successfully carry it out. Last year, I worked to ensure that Congress provided not only for the development and initial production of the B-21 but for support facilities at Ellsworth that will be needed for the aircraft, including a radio frequency facility and a weapons generation facility. I was also able to secure language in last year's NDAA to create a pilot program to evaluate dynamic airspace concepts. Dynamic airspace will allow airspace boundaries to evolve as military exercises progress, enabling larger volumes of airspace for realistic training for aircraft like the B-21. I am pleased to report that this year's NDAA authorizes full funding for the next steps of the B-21 mission, including continued bomber development and procurement as well as continued investment in the required support facilities at Ellsworth. In looking at Ellsworth today, it is hard to imagine that its future was in jeopardy not that long ago. Shortly after I came to the Senate, the Department of Defense's Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommended Ellsworth for closure. So one of my first priorities as a U.S. Senator was just keeping Ellsworth open, and I will say the odds were not in our favor. But thanks to an all-hands effort by our congressional delegation and State and community leaders, we proved to the BRAC commission that Ellsworth was too valuable of an asset to lose. Then we got right to work in building up the base so that we would never again find ourselves in the same position. Today, Ellsworth is home not only to the B-21 bomber--the current workhorse of long-range strike--but also the Air Force Financial Services Center; the 89th Attack Squadron, which remotely controls MQ-9 Reapers; the Powder River Training Complex, which is the largest training airspace in the continental United States; and, soon, the B-21 bomber. Once slated for closure, Ellsworth is set to be a critical part of our Nation's defense long into the future, and I will continue to do everything I can to support both the base's mission and the men and women who make it happen. As I have noted, the B-21 represents a substantial advance in our Nation's long-range strike capabilities, and it will help ensure that we are more prepared to meet the threats of the 21st century. But as critical as it is, long-range strike is just one aspect of our Nation's defense, and we will have a lot of work to do to strengthen our Nation's readiness across the board. We need more B-21-type efforts to leverage the best of our technological advancements to upgrade other aspects of our Nation's defense, and we need them quickly. The war in Ukraine, as well as war games addressing the defense of Taiwan, have made clear the cost of a major conflict, and if we hope to avoid such conflicts and deter future attacks against our country or our allies, we need to make restoring our readiness a top priority. As we move forward, I will continue to do everything I can to support not only our airmen at Ellsworth and the B-21 mission but the critical work of upgrading our Nation's military capabilities. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso).

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso).

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott), and the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator from Wyoming, (Mr. Barrasso).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin) and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin) and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, the farm bills that we take up every few years are essential pieces of legislation. They help provide the tools and resources that farmers and ranchers need to carry out their task of feeding our Nation. And with parts of the 2018 farm bill expiring in the next few months, passing our next farm bill needs to be one of Congress's top priorities during the remainder of the year. The Senate Agriculture Committee has been working on this year's legislation, but there is more work to be done. And we need to make sure that we don't delay in getting this bill over the finish line. Farmers and ranchers already face a lot of uncertainty in their profession--few jobs are as subject to market fluctuations or the whims of the weather--and the least that we can do here in Congress is make sure they know that the critical programs won't be expiring and they will continue to have access to essential resources that help make farming and ranching possible. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee and a Senator from a State where agriculture is not just ``a'' way of life but ``the'' way of life, the farm bill is always one of my top priorities. I have had the privilege of helping to craft four farm bills during my time in Congress; and, for me, the process always begins and ends with farmers and ranchers. I have been gearing up for the 2023 farm bill pretty much since work finished on the last one. And, last year, I kicked off a series of roundtables with agriculture producers to hear firsthand from farmers and ranchers what they need from this year's farm bill. These formal discussions, along with the many informal conversations I regularly have with farmers and ranchers, have provided me with invaluable feedback, and I am working on a number of measures for this year's farm bill that reflect the input I have received from South Dakota producers. One thing that farmers have made clear is the critical role of the farm safety net. Crop insurance is the cornerstone of the farm safety net, and it needs to be maintained and, to the extent possible, strengthened in the next farm bill. Currently, the Agriculture Risk Coverage and Price Loss Coverage programs, which help offset losses when prices for agricultural commodities drop, are not always proving sufficient. And one of my top priorities for this year's bill is improving commodity and livestock programs to ensure that farmers and ranchers have sufficient backup. I am also working to make the Conservation Reserve Program a more effective option for producers and landowners. Currently, the program doesn't sufficiently support grazing infrastructure, which limits the benefit of participating for some producers. And the annual payment limit for this program hasn't changed since it was first created in 1985. To address these issues, I introduced the Conservation Reserve Program Improvement Act, which will provide more flexibility for producers and increase the payment cap to account for increased land values. And I will work to ensure that the CRP Improvement Act is included in the final farm bill. In addition to farmed crops, livestock production is an integral part of South Dakota's agricultural economy. And one of my top priorities for this year's farm bill is addressing some of the challenges facing South Dakota livestock producers in getting their products to Americans' tables. The last few years have revealed some vulnerabilities in our food supply chain that had an outsized impact on agricultural and livestock producers. Early pandemic closures, for example, of some meat processing plants led to bottlenecks in processing livestock and delays for a lot of ranchers, and this led to supply shortages and empty cases at the grocery store. Shortages caused by lack of processing capacity, not a lack of livestock. It has become clear that livestock producers need more processing options, and one way we can reduce dependence on the big packers is by expanding smaller meatpackers' capacity. I have introduced the Strengthening Local Processing Act to help smaller processors invest in the infrastructure they need to expand. My bill would also allow more State-inspected meat products to be sold across State lines, which would open up new markets for small meat processors and the farmers and ranchers who supply them. I have also introduced legislation--the bipartisan American Beef Labeling Act--to require the U.S. Trade representative to develop a World Trade Organization-compliant means of reinstating mandatory country of origin labeling for beef. Under our current system, beef that is neither born nor raised in the United States but is simply finished here can be labeled ``product of the United States,'' even if the only American thing about the beef is the plastic that it is wrapped in, if that. That is unfair to American cattle producers and misleading to consumers, and I am pleased that USDA is working on a proposed rule to close the ``product of the U.S.A.'' labeling loophole. And I will continue to work to get my American Beef Labeling Act included in the 2023 farm bill so that consumers can be confident that any beef labeled ``product of the U.S.A.'' really came from American cattle producers. New practices and technologies can be game-changers for farmers, and without reliable data, it can be unclear whether these practices and technologies will have positive impact. And that is why, earlier this year, I introduced the Agriculture Innovation Act, which would make it easier for producers and trusted researchers to use USDA data to assess the impact of various production practices, so that producers can gauge whether these practices are right for their farm or ranch operation. And, of course, while the macrolevel data USDA collects can provide valuable information, farmers are already beginning to look to the next frontier, collecting realtime, microlevel data from their own fields. And I have introduced the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act to help advance precision agriculture technology and to allow more farmers to take advantage of this data revolution. And because without a reliable internet connection, precision agriculture technology doesn't get very far, I am also working to ensure that my bill to streamline USDA's broadband authorities and ensure that funding goes to areas where at least 90 percent of households lack broadband access is included in this year's farm bill. Producing the food that fills Americans' dinner tables is no easy task, and we owe the men and women who do this important work the certainty that the programs they depend on will be there for them. I hope that leaders in both houses of Congress will put passing the 2023 farm bill at the very top of our to-do list. And I will do everything I can to advance this important legislation. And today and every day, I will continue to make farmers and ranchers my priority. I yield the floor.

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance) would have voted ``nay'' and the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley), the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Scott), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance) would have voted ``nay,'' and the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn), the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley), and the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance). Further, if present and voting: the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Vance) would have voted ``nay,'' and the Senator from Missouri (Mr. Hawley) would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. THUNE

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

Mr. THUNE

Mr. THUNE. Madam President, summer has arrived, which means Congress is turning its attention to appropriations bills for the coming year, and my hope is that this year Congress will consider all 12 appropriations bills under regular order. Now, what do I mean by regular order? Regular order refers to allowing bills to go through the committee process--including hearings and a markup, where members of the committee have a chance to amend and improve the bill--and then a referral by the committee to the Senate as a whole. Bills are then considered on the Senate floor. Some bills pass the Senate by unanimous consent, while others undergo a full debate, including amendment votes, before being voted on by the Senate as a whole. Then, if necessary, the bill goes to a conference committee or is passed back and forth between the House and the Senate to reconcile any differences between the House and Senate bills before the amended versions are then put to the full House and Senate. That is what is considered the ``regular order'' process, and it is generally the best way to make laws. Regular order allows for a truly deliberative process. It provides the time to fully consider all aspects of legislation and to hear input from a broad array of Members. It promotes collaboration, compromise, and a sense of ownership of the final legislation, which makes bills more likely to pass. And, it is a transparent process, one that ensures that both Senators and the American people can see how the legislation in question is made and have ample time to digest it--not to mention the key fact that, by ensuring the input of more Senators, regular order helps ensure that a broader swath of the American people is represented in any final legislation. Regular order is something that I think most Members generally aspire to. But the actual use of regular order has all too frequently been in short supply around here in recent years. Too often, major legislation has been written behind closed doors and dropped on Members at the last minute--bypassing the chairmen, ranking members, and Senators who sit on the committees of jurisdiction and would otherwise have the opportunity to consider and amend the legislation in committee, before being brought up for a floor vote with little or no opportunity to offer amendments. Fifty years ago, most bills were going through regular order. In fact, 83 percent of the legislation considered on the Senate floor during the 1970s was a product of the committee process. But by the 2010s, those numbers had dropped sharply, along with the number of Senate floor votes on amendments. But, of course, even while the use of regular order has decreased, some legislation does still go through the regular order process. And I can personally attest to the fact that the use of regular order can bring major bipartisan successes. During my time as chairman of the Commerce Committee, I focused on promoting collaboration and ensuring that bills in our committee's jurisdiction went through the regular order process, and we accomplished a lot: the first reauthorization of the Federal Communications Commission in more than a quarter century, the first reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board in its 20-year history, multiple bills to advance the development and adoption of 5G, the longest surface transportation reauthorization since 1998, the longest reauthorization of the FAA since 1982, the first law to hold websites accountable for facilitating sex trafficking, and lots more. The vast majority of the bills that I just named ended up passing the Senate by strong bipartisan margins. And, of course, those are just examples of what was then our committee's jurisdiction. There are plenty of others. For example, Democrats are more often associated with imposing burdensome government regulations than with lifting them. But Senator Crapo's 2018 bill easing the regulatory burden for community banks and credit unions went through the regular order process, and, ultimately, 17 Senate Democrats joined Republicans to support the bill. In 2015, the HELP Committee passed one of the largest rewrites of our Nation's K-12 laws, the Every Student Succeeds Act, which returned more power to States when it comes to how kids are educated, by holding numerous hearings and multiple days of markups and considering dozens of amendments. In the end, that law passed with 85 votes in the U.S. Senate. The 2018 farm bill, which reauthorized important safety net programs for farmers and ranchers, passed the Senate with 87 votes, following robust consideration by the Agriculture Committee, amendment votes on the Senate floor, and a conference committee. And the list goes on. Regular order promotes collaborative, bipartisan, and successful results. As I indicated, regular order has been in somewhat short supply in the Senate in recent years. But I am encouraged by the fact that there seems to be a growing desire to return to regular order and that the Democrat chair and Republican vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee have expressed a shared commitment to considering all 12 appropriations bills this year through the regular order process. But there are concerning signs too. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee recently held its first partisan markup since the Affordable Care Act in 2009. That defeats the whole idea of a committee process that can yield a bipartisan result on the Senate floor, and it suggests the Democrats are still too entrenched in the partisan far-left mindset that saw them force legislation like the so- called American Rescue Plan Act through Congress. That was the bill that helped plunge our Nation into its current inflation crisis. And perhaps even more concerning, recently, the majority leader, when referring to his plans on artificial intelligence, actually claimed that Congress will need ``to invent a new process to develop the right policies to implement our framework'' because the committee process ``won't suffice.'' I wonder how his committee chairs feel about that, and I would venture to suggest that the committee process has worked pretty well to develop all sorts of important legislation and to get buy-in from Senators. As we continue with the appropriations process, I hope that the determination expressed by the Democrat chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee to pass all 12 appropriations bills through regular order will prevail, and I hope that this same attitude will be applied to other legislation that the Senate must consider this year-- like the National Defense Authorization Act, the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, the farm bill, and more. If we want to get anything done in divided government, we are going to have to compromise, and the regular order process promotes the kind of bipartisan, collaborative action that will allow us to accomplish real things for the American people. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. THUNE

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