Tommy Tuberville

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Reserving the right to object. The media, for some reason, is in full meltdown mode after President Trump declared today ``Liberation Day.'' Only my Democratic colleagues and the media, the globalist media, would find a reason to be mad about that. I am sadly convinced that my colleagues and the woke media would rather President Trump fail than achieve a goal to help the United States of America and the taxpayers. President Trump's views on tariffs, they aren't complicated. He believes, as I do, that America has been ripped off by unfair trade deals for decades and simply wants a level playing field. We have to change directions. What we are doing is not working. U.S. catfish and shrimp producers have faced some of the worst blows, for example. Vietnam is dumping billions--I repeat, billions--of pounds of catfish, and India is dumping billions of pounds of shrimp every year into U.S. markets, flooding the markets and reducing the price for our quality domestic products. It is devastating. We need to put a reciprocal tariff on these countries to protect our American producers. I get calls every day. Whether it is cabinets, whether it is produce, whether it is fish, it makes no difference. Our people are going broke. I recognize that tariff actions may cause reciprocal tariffs from other countries. We need to take that in stride. In this country, we had a party for 249 years. The United States has put that party on. The party needs to continue, but all the other countries that have been built off the American taxpayers, such as the Middle East, such as Europe, such as China, they need to start bringing gifts to the party because the American taxpayer can't afford it any longer. We are $37 trillion in debt, and the only way to pay that down is to force other people to help us. The American taxpayer can't afford it. As a result, American jobs have been sent overseas because of all the domestic problems that we are having for labor, for things that stand out for our manufacturers. We have to get manufacturing back in this country. The days are over. President Trump is 100 percent committed, folks--100 percent. He is going to do whatever it takes to usher in a golden age for the American economy. By the way, just the threat of President Trump's tariffs has already led India, Vietnam, and Israel to proactively drop significantly and lower tariffs against the United States before it has really even started. It doesn't matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat; we should all be united in wanting economic policies that put American farmers, producers, businesses, and manufacturers first. So, Mr. President, for that reason, I object.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, we learn a lot about a person by seeing where they choose to spend their time. For Medical Corpsman Travis Parker, he has chosen to give the last 50 years giving back to Alabama's veterans. After being drafted into the Army, Travis chose to become a medic. He was passionate about combining his medical training with helping soldiers harmed overseas. After completing his training at Fort Sam Houston, Travis was assigned to finish his tour at Fort Rucker. It was there that Travis saw the scars of war firsthand, as he treated soldiers returning home from the Vietnam war. This experience left a lasting impact on Travis that led him to devote his time serving other veterans and raising awareness to the challenges they face. He decided to make Enterprise his permanent home and has contributed to the Wiregrass in so many ways that it is hard to name them all. Travis began the ``Flags for Forgotten Soldiers'' to honor veterans who have lost their lives to suicide. Thanks to his efforts, more than 660 flags have been placed around the area to commemorate the number of veterans that are lost to suicide each month. Travis has also helped make it easier for veterans to go about their daily routines by partnering with the American Legion to build wheelchair ramps in homes and public spaces. And in 2023, Travis helped bring the Traveling Vietnam Wall to Dothan on the 50th anniversary of the ending of the Vietnam war. Travis has helped lead numerous organizations, including AM-VETS Post 7, American Legion Post 82, and his local Vietnam Veterans of America chapter. Travis also founded the Wiregrass Honor Flight Hub and played a key role in launching the Association of Service Agencies (ASA), fostering collaboration among civic, church, and government organizations. Additionally, Travis is helping launch Alabama's first- ever Guitars for Vets chapter. He spearheads numerous other local events to honor our Nation's heroes, including Wreaths Across America, Memorial Day, and 9/11 Patriot Day. Travis has received numerous awards for his inspiring community service and veterans' work. Whether it is combating veterans' suicide or teaching veterans how to play the guitar, Travis has played a critical role in reminding Alabama's veterans they are not alone. He reminds us of what an important impact anyone can make on those around you just by showing up and lending a helping hand. Alabama is blessed to have veterans like Travis who didn't let their service end when they left the military. It is my honor to recognize Travis Parker as the April Veteran of the Month.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about how my delusional Democratic colleagues have tried to poison our country's young people with what I call a woke mind virus. Before I got into politics, I spent 40 years working with young people, from the high school level to the college level--higher education, we call it. I coached, recruited, and mentored young people all over the country--thousands of them. I saw firsthand how hard work and a quality education can change a person's life, no matter where they come from, what they look like, or how much money they have. I used to tell my players that, if they work hard, there is no limit to what they can achieve. It is called the American dream. Our Founders came here because they envisioned a country where the sky is the limit and people aren't bound by the circumstances that they were born in. But, unfortunately, the Biden administration and the Democrats have spent the last 4 years communicating a much darker message to our young people. This country was founded on merit, but instead of focusing on hiring the best and brightest, Biden, Harris, Obama, and the ``woke mind virus'' Democrats have spent the last 4 years dividing our country based on diversity, equity, and inclusion--or, better known to all of us, what is called DEI. This poisonous ideology says that people should be hired based on their skin color or sexual preference, not because of how they might do in a job. And to make matters worse, the Biden administration used 1 trillion American taxpayer dollars to pay for DEI programs in the Federal Government--1 trillion. You heard that right. American taxpayers are footing the bill, and they were paying for things that were racist, divisive, and woke--a woke propaganda. So I don't know about you; I want a refund. I want my money back. We all pay taxes. Why in the world would we do that? Let's call DEI what it really is: a fundamentally racist, prejudice, and anti-American ideology that is designed to divide and oppress people. That is exactly what it is. It is baffling to me how Democrats don't see this. Or do they? They claim to be a very tolerant, inclusive party rooted in equality, but as we have all learned, Democrats are only tolerant as long as you agree with them. I thought we left the stain of discrimination and race-based hiring practices behind in our country a long, long time ago, but apparently not. It is clear that Democrats would rather divide Americans based on their race, gender, creed, or sexual orientation than live in a world where people are hired based on intellect, experience, work ethic, and merit--what a thought. So let's set the record straight. This country owes you nothing except for the opportunity to succeed. That is what is great about this country. And if you don't succeed, you can get back up and go again. We are the only country that allows that. For generations, Americans understood this--all Americans: an opportunity to pursue your dreams, to use your God-given talents to contribute to making this country the greatest place to live in the world. I have always said this: If you were born in the United States of America, you hit the lottery, 100 percent. And I guarantee you, the other 7 billion people in this world would give anything to take the place of any of us, from the poorest to the richest. To my new granddaughter of just 2 weeks, Rosie Grace, if there is any one thing I can teach her as a grandfather, it is the value of hard work and determination. There is nothing that takes the place of that-- nothing. With a strong work ethic and a commitment to excellence, opportunities will open up for her, or anybody, to live a happy, successful life. And that is all a grandfather like me now can ask for--hard work and determination. So what kind of message is it if we are teaching our young people that they are victims of their circumstances and the American dream is only for people who have a certain skin color? That is the opposite of the American dream. But Democrats don't care one bit about that--not one bit. I have listened to it for 4 years. Obama started a horrible trend that Democrats carry on to this day. He used racism to divide the Americans and politically enrich themselves. Look at the money they have made. The woke mind virus has taken hold of them. They have lost their ever- loving mind. They would rather promise racism and promote it--sexism, divisiveness--than support solutions that empower, unify, or uplift our country and our people. Democrats are obsessed with hating this country and tearing it apart. They want a different United States of America. If it is anything that is pro-American or pro-traditional values--it doesn't matter--Democrats will attack it, demonize it, and demonize us for supporting it. These people have zero respect for human life. They have shown their true colors in the past few years, ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned, which sent abortion back to the States, where it could be voted on by the people, instead of politicians. They have raised Cain. Since then, Democrat politicians have said the quiet part out loud, admitting that they think there should be no limits to abortion. How can you believe that? That means that they are OK with aborting a baby at 9 months of pregnancy. Former Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, said that he supports post-birth--after-birth--abortions. Are you kidding me? And other Democrats, like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz--remember him, flash in the pan?--signed a law to allow abortions after birth--signed a law in Minnesota for abortions after birth. What do they do with that? They cut these babies up and sell the body parts. It is never talked about too much, is it? Can you believe that this is who the Democrats picked as their Vice Presidential candidate? I can believe it. That means that, in Minnesota, a doctor can kill a baby after he or she is born, right there on the delivery table. It is evil, and it is absolutely sick. But it isn't just babies Democrats have no respect for. They also have gone out of their way to attack women and girls. Just last week, every single Democrat in this body voted against my bill to protect women and girls in sports. Oh, we have got to give these transitional boys an opportunity to participate. Really? How about giving, in fairness to young girls and women, the opportunity to compete at a level that they are in; give them an opportunity not to play for second or third but to play for first. How about that? The woke mind virus has struck again. Democrats who claim to be pro- women would rather protect a few transgender people than protect the millions of women and girls who make up half of this country. Oh, we have to be nice. We have to be nice to everybody. No. We need a mental health program in this country. That is what we need. Democrats who claim to be pro-women would rather protect a few transgender people than protect the entire country of women and girls. It is backward, it is disgusting, and it is downright wrong. You would have to be dumber than a box of rocks to celebrate this, but that is what they did. They celebrated the handful of transgenders participating against women. Oh, we knocked it down because it was supported by Donald Trump, who wrote out an Executive order protecting women and girls. Thank you, President Trump. By the way, 79 percent of Americans and 67 percent of Democrats support that men do not compete against women--a huge majority. Every single one of my Democratic colleagues went against their constituents and voted against this commonsense bill to protect women and keep men out of women's sports. Democrats basically are hypocrites--big-time. They claim to be pro- woman but allow men to dress up as women and take rights away from actual women. When we saw this firsthand, during the Biden administration, when they had actual drag shows at the White House, it made me sick at my stomach. But the hypocrisy doesn't end there. Democrats celebrate when Hamas protectors violently attack Jewish students, but they demonize and imprison pro-life activists who peacefully protest outside an abortion clinic. Whose side are you on? Democrat colleagues say they are pro-choice but lose their minds if a parent dares to ask a question about vaccines for infants. I mean, they go off the deep end when we talk about vaccines. They claim they are the party of decency--really? Tolerance--are you kidding me? But turn a blind eye to multiple Democratic mayors being arrested for being pedophiles. Yes, that is what I said--pedophiles. The former Democrat mayor of University Park, MD, was arrested and charged in 2024 with 28 counts of possessing and soliciting child pornography: in jail, 24, mayor, right down the street. The year before, 2023, a different Democrat mayor from College Park, MD, pleaded guilty to 140 counts of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse images: mayor, leader, Democrat, believes in the way of life for the Democratic Party, a pedophile. So two Democratic mayors in Maryland have been arrested in the past 2 years for pedophilia. You can't make it up. The woke mind virus strikes again. I have yet to hear a single floor speech from my Maryland Democrat colleagues about this catastrophe, a leader caught doing this. They don't care. It doesn't bother them. They seem to find plenty of time to criticize President Trump every time he breathes, but they don't worry about pedophilia. How about we all speak out about it? I have yet to see them take the time to condemn multiple elected officials from their State who have been arrested and contributed to all this child pornography. It is sad, but we shouldn't be surprised. Democrats only pretend to care about the oppressed or the most vulnerable among us when it benefits their agenda. After all, it was Democrats in the States like California and Washington who introduced bills to change the term--the name of it--``sex offenders'' to ``minor- attracted persons.'' You are not a sex offender anymore if you beat up a little child, molest a child. You are not a sex offender. You are a minor-attracted person. We don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, OK? What a joke. It makes me sick to my stomach. If it wasn't for the reelection of President Trump on November 5, I really don't know whether we would have made it. Our country was headed straight to the gutter--straight to the gutter. I mean, just listen to all of this. It makes no sense. Now we have common sense. We are trying to get common sense back in our country. We have to push for it. Thanks to President Trump and the ideas he has brought back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, this administration is working around the clock to get this woke crap out of our government, our military, out of classrooms--out--get back to teaching our kids. President Trump is committed to abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, a Federal Agency that has failed our students for the past 40 years that I have been in education and especially under Joe Biden and Barack Obama. President Trump believes and is correct that our young people are the country's most important, precious commodity that we have. They are the future. He understands that under President Biden, the Department of Education allowed radical leftwing teachers to push radical, hateful ideologies onto our kids. We don't need opinion teaching. We need to teach reading, writing, math, science, and history. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with giving them a chance because they have ruined the lives of thousands of young people because they have been indoctrinated. You had drag shows that were being performed recently in elementary schools. I mean, in my day, you would have been arrested for that. Woke anti-American curriculum taught kids to hate each other--actually in the classroom teaching them: Hey, you hate them because of who they are or where they are from, what skin color they are--absolutely a crime. Schools help children secretly transition genders behind the parent's back. Oh, you want to transition. You are 8 years old. Don't tell your parents. We will get it all set up for you--mind-boggling. The woke mind virus has struck again. All of this, by the way, on the taxpayers' dime. You are paying for it. Meanwhile, we are 26 in the world in math, and we are 6 in reading. That is simply not good enough for the most powerful country in the world. When I coached and recruited, I was shocked if anybody was over a ninth grade reading level. That is everybody. I don't care what color, where they are from; urban, rural. If you can't read, you can't learn. If you can't learn, you are going to end up working for somebody or just scraping to try to make a living. But instead of teaching our kids to read and write, the Department of Education under Joe Biden became ground zero for woke indoctrination. All they were concerned about was bowing to the teachers unions--you heard that--teachers unions teaching our kids to hate this country, its government, our Constitution, and each other. What are we doing? I am thankful President Trump is sending education back to the States where it belongs. I have advocated this for the last 20 years. Just this week, the Department of Education announced it was firing more than 1,000 people right down the street. Thank goodness. They hadn't been doing anything. They had been working from home, and what they do, we can do it back in the States a lot better, and we can use that money to educate kids--what an idea. Good. The Federal Department of Education needs to be completely shut down. It is not done yet, but we just got started. I have been saying it for a long time: We can't have a one-sized-fits-all, top-down approach to education. You know, I am from Alabama. We teach kids a little bit different because we are in a different environment; rural areas, 60 percent farmers, agriculture, all those things. We don't teach the same things that you would teach in Chicago or New York. Send it back to the States. Let them control it. Let them teach our kids to have a chance in the future. Each child is totally different. You know, the Federal Government can't do that. I haven't figured out in my 4 years yet what we can do, but at least we are figuring out: Hey, it is not working here. Close it down; quit spending money; and send it back to the States, which is why President Trump's plan to empower the States makes all the sense in the world. But, of course, Democrats don't believe in common sense. They are only concerned about we have to control this because they know that if they don't control education--education is the No. 1 thing we have in this country going for us--if you take that away, everything else goes. If they can't control education, they won't be able to infect the minds of all these young kids across the country. They want them to think that the Constitution is bad, that government is really bad, that your parents are bad, that you ought to listen to us. You know, a spoonful of common sense goes a long way. So let me sum this up for you: Merit-based hiring is the only way to make a business successful--merit-based. When I coached, I had to win games or I was gone. I didn't care who they were when they played for me. I didn't care whether rich, poor, rural, urban, Black, White, it didn't make me a dime of difference. I put the best ones on the field. They were going to earn it. That is how this country should be run. That is the difference between my Republican side and my colleagues on the left. They want everything given. It ain't going to work, folks. We are not going to have the country we had the opportunity to grow up in if we continue down that path. Merit-based; men are men, women are women. Men cannot get pregnant, by the way, but I learned that very, very young in life. Evidently my Democrat colleagues didn't learn that. Protecting women and girls in sports is the right thing to do. Allowing elementary schoolers with undeveloped brains to get irreversible sex change procedures make absolutely no sense. It is evil and sadistic. Teaching kids to hate each other based on what they look like, that is racist. That is exactly the direction that the Biden administration was going. Children shouldn't be forced to watch drag shows. It you are an adult, you can do what you want in this country, but forcing this woke agenda on kids is downright wrong. Making taxpayers pay for abortions in the military--wrong, against the law, but they did it anyway. I fought it for a year. I lost out in the end, but you know what, it was worth the fight. Pedophilia is straight from the pit of hell. And, no, these aren't minor-attracted persons. These creeps, they are criminals, and they are sick in the head. I thank God every day for President Trump and the return of common sense in this country. I hope some of my Democrat colleagues will wake up to how the past 4 years of this woke ideology has poisoned our country, especially our young people. Folks, we have got a long way to go--long way to go. Our future is in the hands of our kids. Let's give that future back to our kids. Let's educate them, put them on the right track, teach them the Constitution, teach them that we have a higher being in God-- put that back in our schools. What a thought that would be. Let's stay away--stay away--from our young kids, and let them have a chance to develop. I yield the floor.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, well, it is that time again. I think I have given this speech three or four times in the last few years. This weekend, all of America and my constituents back in Alabama will spring forward to daylight saving time. I am working very hard to make this, hopefully, possibly, the last time that we move our clocks. I recently joined my colleague Senator Rick Scott to reintroduce for the third time the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent at the Federal level. Out of all the legislative efforts I have been part of in my 4 years here in Congress, the thing I hear about the most from my people in Alabama is their desire to lock the clock. Daylight saving time should be a thing of the past because it literally is a thing of the past. First introduced as a temporary measure during World War I, daylight saving time was originally called wartime, and it was a way to help conserve fuel during a very different time in this country. Following the end of World War I, in 1918, the Standard Time Act was enacted to continue daylight saving time nationally, but individual States continued to spring forward and fall back. Then, during World War II, there was a renewed Federal push for full-time daylight saving time, which then was repealed in 1945. Finally, in 1966, Congress passed legislation to establish national standards for daylight saving time. All of this is to say that changes to our clock might have made sense when it first began many, many years ago. For one, the American work culture and lifestyle are vastly different than they were 100 years ago. Plus, a disruptive time change can have serious consequences on human health. Studies have suggested that the disruption of sleep patterns due to the time changes increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and physical injuries. Northwestern Medicine found that the fall back and the spring forward are connected to a 6-percent spike in fatal car accidents and a 24-percent higher risk of heart attacks as most people change their sleeping habits. Additionally, the long-term health effects linked to daylight saving time include weight gain, cluster headaches, and depression. The time switch in the fall increases seasonal affective disorder every single year. A study published in 2017 found that the transition from daylight saving time to standard time increased a number of hospital visits for depression by 11 percent. By making daylight saving time permanent, Americans would enjoy more sunshine in the evenings. This is so important for many Americans who may not get a chance to get outside during the day. It would allow hard-working Americans to go on a run after work or enable dads to play with their kids outdoors or neighbors to grill and do things together outside--what a thought. Many studies have proven that extra sunlight in the evening can lead to improvements in mental health, physical fitness, economic growth, and well-being. As a founding member of the Senate MAHA Caucus, I am very passionate about helping to make Americans healthy again. An important part of this is making sure people get enough sleep and more sunlight. Did you know that vitamin D from the sun is linked to preventing many diseases, including cancer? It is true. And many Americans don't get nearly enough of vitamin D, especially those who work at desk jobs and are inside for most of the day. And that has increased since the invention of what we call the computer. Locking the clock is an important first step to helping Americans live healthier lives. It is a simple way we could positively impact the day-to-day life of all Americans. Our farmers are also greatly affected by daylight saving time, as additional sunshine during working hours means more time to work in the fields, which could translate into a more profitable bottom line for anybody who raises crops. As you know, I am all about helping our great farmers. More daylight in the evening could also decrease expensive energy consumption on farms by reducing the need for artificial lighting and heating. Back in the 1970s, we had an energy crisis. We kept daylight saving time because it saved millions and millions of gallons of fuel. Experts believe that the time changed twice a year costs the U.S. economy more than $434 million in lost productivity annually. It is clear the evidence points to one conclusion: Make daylight saving time permanent. Nineteen States, including my State of Alabama, have already voted and passed legislation to make daylight saving time permanent. They just need Congress--which means us--to vote for it. If we vote for it, it changes, and we would never have to move the clock again. President Trump has also expressed support for locking the clock. Congress should listen to the people and pass the Sunshine Protection Act to make daylight saving time permanent. The change would improve our health, strengthen our economy, and benefit our farmers. This is a no-brainer. It is time for America to move forward and stop falling back. I am looking forward to working with my Senate colleagues to get it completely across the finish line to lock the clock once and for all. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, today, we have a very important day for women and girls across this country. The third time is the charm. This is the third time that I have had a vote on this bill. The other two times it has failed because we have had almost zero Democrats help to support women and girls in sports. Over the past 4 years, women's sports at all levels have been under attack. Since the beginning of time, people have agreed that sex is assigned at birth and determined by God. But under the Biden administration, you had people claiming that men can get pregnant-- pure, absolute insanity. But it didn't stop there. They weren't content just to erase gender norms that have been accepted for thousands of years. No, they wanted to allow transgender men to participate in women's and girls' sports. This has been happening at schools all across our country. We have women's teams in some States that are all boys. Let me say that again. We have women's teams in some States participating on the high school level that are all transgender boys--no opportunities for girls or women to participate on the team. Young women have been forced to compete against men and even share locker rooms and shower time. And on top of that, your taxpayer dollars are paying for it. Thankfully, President Trump just signed an Executive order that said no more--no more Federal money to any State that allows this to happen. But you have to understand, this only lasts as long as President Trump is in office. So we need this vote, which is going to happen in around an hour, to pass so we can make this into law. This Executive order that he signed can be reversed. So we are going to continue to fight some States that are even not going by the Executive order--like Maine, some in Michigan, some in New Jersey. Some are saying, ``We are not going to go by that law,'' even though the President of the United States says that men and women can't participate on the same team. That will end up going to court. So we will see how that happens and what the answer will be. But a big part of the problem is that we have created an unfair playing field where different States have had different laws impacting women and girls everywhere. This is not only confusing, but it is very, very dangerous. Congress needs to act on this to protect women in sports and to ensure title IX protections are preserved. My bill that we are voting on today, in about an hour, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, would make sure women's rights to equal competition, equal scholarships, and safe locker rooms are all protected. This legislation has already passed the House, just about a month ago, with two Democrats actually supporting it. I appreciate the support of all of my Republican colleagues on this. You have all joined me in championing this very important cause for the past 3 years. I especially want to thank Leader Thune for bringing this bill to the floor here in the U.S. Senate. This will be the third time. It is hard to get a bill on this floor, but it is so important, and he understands that. I also want to thank my friend and former colleague Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is the only Democrat in the last few years to support this, when he was in the Senate. Unfortunately, my other Democratic colleagues have been radio silent on this very issue, despite the fact that a recent poll shows 67 percent of Democrats do not want men in women's sports--67 percent. So I would like to make the case to each and every one of my colleagues today on this important issue. As most of you know, I spent 40 years as a coach. What you may not know is that my first job wasn't in college, but it was coaching high school girls' basketball. I don't want to date myself, but that is about the time title IX started, and it was implemented--most of it-- during my tenure as a girls' coach. I saw firsthand how the immediate difference was made through title IX. Before title IX, in a lot of schools, college women athletes really didn't exist. You had very few sports. You might have had basketball. You might have had track. But you didn't have volleyball. You didn't have softball. You didn't have anything else. When title IX came about, we started more women's sports. After title IX was enacted, things started to change. For the first time, young women I coached had equal access to facilities, resources, scholarships, and all kinds of competition. I saw these hard-working young women go to start successful careers and become leaders in their communities, and a lot of it was because of their opportunity to play sports at every level. I still keep in touch with many of these young girls. They are not young anymore, but I am proud of them for the success they had. Looking back on it now, I wonder if they would have had the same opportunities had we not had title IX. Would they have had the same success if they had to compete against male athletes? One of the most frequent talking points from the other side on this issue is: It is not a big deal. It isn't impacting that many women. That is not true. At least 900 medals that belonged to women have gone to men just over the last few years of men competing against women. In Pennsylvania alone, 66 female athletes have lost placements to male participants since 2020. Now, how sad is that? For each woman, the medals that went to men--there are potentially hundreds of other women who lost out on that same opportunity, not to mention the hundreds of girls who perhaps did not make a team at all because they did not have a spot. You only can have so many on a team. How many young women missed out on a scholarship because that man or biological boy took that scholarship? It is not fair. So no, this is a minor issue impacting a few Americans; that is what my Democrat colleagues are saying--only a few. You know, I took the liberty of looking up how many women and girls participate in women's sports in some of my Democrat colleagues' own States. More than 77,000 girls participate in high school athletics in the State of Georgia. In Michigan, 114,000; in Virginia, 164,000; New Hampshire, 17,000; Pennsylvania, almost 150,000; New Mexico, almost 20,000; Minnesota, 98,000; Arizona, 120,633. Don't tell me it is not going to affect these States when today my Democrat colleagues come on this floor--that represent these States--and vote against this bill. It will affect it, and it will affect it for years. So, as you can see, men competing in women's sports has had a negative impact on a lot of different girls across this country, but, you know, it is not just trophies. It is about playing time. It is about learning and being on a team, learning how to win, learning how to lose. Again, going back to what I said earlier, there are entire high school teams that are women's teams that are nothing but transitioned biological boys. Because of that, you have the young girls sitting in the classroom or going home or in a PE class that don't have that same opportunity. It is the principle of the thing. Title IV has always been about protecting women. Last week, my wife Suzanne and I were proud to welcome our first granddaughter Rosie Grace. She is about 5 or 6 days old. We want her to have the same opportunities that all the other girls have had over the years. She deserves that right--fair competition, scholarships, trophies. I have already bought her her first set of golf clubs at age 5 days old. But if Democrats have their way today, she may one day be forced to compete against a man. Let me tell you something. If she has to dress in a locker room with a boy, you are looking at a grandfather that will raise hell. If they shower in the same showers, we are going to have problems. So what we are creating here are more and more problems across the country that we don't need. I heard a story the other day about a sixth grade girl in Minnesota who was changing in a locker room after swim practice when a biological man who identified as a female walked in and came within 4 or 5 feet of the young girl to grab something. Let me tell you, her dad came unglued. You would have, too. Anybody would have. So this is not about politics; this is about right or wrong. Seventy- nine percent of Americans agree on this issue: Allowing men to compete against women is just plain wrong. Seventy-nine percent of the entire country. Like I said earlier, 67 percent of my Democrat colleagues--their constituents say: No way, Jose. This is not going to happen. So to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, you may want to check with your constituents before you make this vote today in about an hour because if polling is even close to correct, 8 out of 10 of your voters do not want men participating against women. If that doesn't strike a chord with you, let me ask you this: Do you have a daughter? Do you have granddaughters? Do you have nieces? How would you feel if they trained for years, waking up early every morning, staying after school late practicing, putting in those long hours where nobody else is watching, missing spring break, family vacations, birthday parties, and holidays, making a tremendous physical and financial sacrifice, all so they can one day have an opportunity to either win a trophy or win a scholarship, but then only to have the opportunity ripped away by a bigger, faster, stronger male athlete because they want to participate against women? Well, you know what, that happened to somebody, and most of you probably know who it is--Riley Gaines. Riley worked her entire life to earn a scholarship to the University of Kentucky in swimming. She was winning races left and right until a man named Will Thomas changed his name to Lia Thomas and signed up for the Kentucky women's swim team. Riley and Will Thomas ended up tying in one race for fifth place in the 2022 NCAA Women's championship tournament. Riley wasn't even allowed to have a trophy. The NCAA came and said: We only have one trophy. We are going to give it to Lia because we think that is important. Imagine if Riley was your daughter and all that time and effort was put into her career, her life, to win a trophy, but she had a biological boy decide he wanted to be a woman? Beyond that trophy, how would you feel knowing your daughter is sharing a locker room with that same man--which she refused to do and dressed in a janitors locker room. You know, I have heard from countless girls across the country who have described to me how men have joined their teams and proceeded to undress in front of them, much to their horror. One particular young woman Paula Scanlan, who swam at the University of Pennsylvania, shared how being forced to be in a locker room with a male was particularly traumatizing for her as she had already survived a sexual assault months earlier. It is just plain awful what we are doing to these young women. Plain awful. No common sense. Thanks to President Trump's Executive order, the NCAA recently announced men will no longer be allowed to compete against women on the college level. While this is a step in the right direction, the NCAA's rules still allow to this day--NCAA changed their rules, but they still allow biological boys or men to enjoy all the other benefits of being on a women's team--practicing, dressing in the locker rooms, showering--but they just can't compete in a game. That makes no sense. The NCAA needs to stand up for young women across this country and say: No way. It just makes no sense when we have made that rule. To fully protect women, Congress needs to pass legislation on this, as I said earlier. We have to pass it. It is the only way it is going to stop because the people out there that have lost their minds are going to continue to force this to happen. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would prevent a school from receiving Federal funding if it lets boys compete against women. That is the only way we can stop it. It also defines gender as male and female--what an idea, right? I have seen some of my colleagues on the left voice concerns about this type of language being hate speech: This is hateful to do this. I don't see it that way. What is hateful is allowing women's scholarships and opportunities to be stripped away from their hard work and given to biological boys. I thought we left discrimination against women behind in this country decades ago, but I guess not because here we are in 2025 hanging women and girls out to dry. Think about it. Are we going to sacrifice the rights of 50 percent of this country for the rights of a small few? I was deeply disturbed this summer to see the videos of men boxing against women in the Olympics. You know, when I was growing up, I was taught that, hey, you should never hit a girl, but I guess that is OK nowadays. One study found that males can punch 162 percent harder than females. Perhaps that is why you rarely hear about a woman competing in men's sports. It is not politically correct to say, but it is true. Someday, somebody is going to get seriously injured if we don't do something about this. It is unsafe, it is unfair, and it is downright wrong. I have heard from countless parents, students, teachers, and coaches all over the country about this issue. It is a huge topic. I bet my Democrat colleagues in blue States have heard the same questions even if they won't admit it. The American people are on the same page on this, and their verdict is in: They want men out of women's sports and women's locker rooms. Let's do the right thing. This doesn't have to be a Republican or Democrat issue. This is about standing up for girls and women, which I know my Democrat colleagues also care about. This is long overdue. I hope we can put politics aside, and in about an hour, in 45 minutes, do the right thing and protect women and girls in sports. I yield the floor.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, challenges are a part of life that show us what we are really made of. Corporal Wayne Everett of Fultondale reminds us that while we can't control what challenges life throws our way, we can control how we respond. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1965, leaving his small town of East Lake for the jungles of Vietnam. After discharging from the military, Wayne took his young family back home to the Birmingham area to work with his father as a painter for the next decade. His years in Active Duty taught him lessons he carried with him in raising his family and in his career. Wayne took on the role of caregiver when his wife was diagnosed with cancer, and they were raising young children. Even in the face of tragedy, Wayne's loyalty never wavered. And despite his wife's passing, Wayne continued to devote himself to his church and his family. Some years after, he remarried to an old friend where they joined their lives as a blended family. While Wayne is a man of few words, his character and actions speak volumes. He is admired by all who know him, including his stepdaughter Reata, who nominated him for this recognition. Reata said, ``There has never been a stronger man alive.'' Wayne's impact is also evident in his sons who are carrying on his legacy of military service. Wayne remains active at Gardendale Baptist Church, where he continues to faithfully serve his family and church family. His compassion and loyalty are an inspiration to us all. It is my honor to nominate Wayne Everett as the March Veteran of the Month.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk to you about President Trump's tariffs. The media is in full meltdown. They are in a full meltdown mode after President Trump imposed duties and retaliatory tariffs this week on countries that have basically been ripping the United States of America off, and they have been doing it for decades. Apparently, globalists and Democrats are just fine with other countries imposing tariffs on the United States, but when it comes to President Trump trying to equalize it up, establish a level playing field for domestic producers, well, that is a bridge too far. No one has been paying attention to President Trump. If they have been paying attention to President Trump, they should not remotely be surprised. He campaigned on this platform three times and has been crystal clear on his intentions. Now he is following through on his campaign promises. But in the corporate media--it seems to still be confused about all these tariffs. So let me spell it out. President Trump's view on tariffs is as both a negotiating tool to get other countries to do a few things that we asked them to do and a way to boost American manufacturing and put American workers and businesses first, not last. President Trump has his work cut out for him after a disastrous 4 years for our small businesses and our corporations under the Biden administration. The Biden administration made it clear to our friends and foes alike that globalists--the globalist agenda would take precedence over the safety and well-being of the American people. It is mind-boggling. Thankfully, those days are over. The American people gave President Donald J. Trump a clear mandate to restore our country's superpower status and put all Americans first, all businesses first, everybody that does something in this country, and that starts, No. 1, with securing our borders. Like I said many times, if you don't have a border, you don't have a country. And we have really struggled in the last four years. That is changing. That is why the master negotiator in chief, President Donald Trump, threatened to impose 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada in just the last couple of weeks. Over the last 4 years, the Mexican Government basically turned a blind eye while caravans of illegal aliens overran our borders, coming from Mexico, coming from Central America, all over the world, just overrunning our country. Thousands of women and children were trafficked, raped along the way. Drug cartels made an absolute fortune--absolute fortune--not just with drugs, by the way, but from payments of these illegals coming all the way through either Central America or South America to the United States--with a big basically tariff of their own, charging these people to come to the United States. Lawlessness had become the status quo under President Biden. Nobody cared. The Democrats in this room--they didn't care. They didn't care what was going on. Let's just let them all come in. Let's let the drugs come in. We lose 300 people pretty much every few days to illegal drugs in this country with overdoses, but let's not worry about that. Let's just worry about controlling our country the way they wanted to. Well, it has been a disaster. Mexico showed zero signs of willingness to negotiate when President Trump took office. When he did take office, on January 20, they woke up real quick. President Trump correctly understands that Mexico's economy is heavily dependent on the United States of America and the citizens of this country. In fact, more than 80 percent of Mexico's exports come to the United States--80 percent come here--and American citizens buy those products that are made in Mexico. Mexico's economy would almost instantly--instantly--feel the effects of a 25-percent tariff, leaving Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, no choice--no choice--but to come to the negotiating table under the master negotiator, Donald Trump. So that is why he uses his tariffs--to get his point across-- because people across the world take us for granted. As a result, within hours--hours--of President Trump's announcement of the tariffs, Mexico caved. They saw real quick. Obviously, they are not stupid. They agreed to help the United States secure the border and crack down on the cartels and the illegal drugs coming in almost immediately. We could have done the same thing with the past administration, but it just shows you they couldn't have cared less what happened at our border. Our neighbor to the north also caved to President Trump after a 25- percent tariff was threatened on Canada. Not only are illicit drugs, like fentanyl, coming into our country from Mexico, but there was also about a 2,000-percent increase in drugs that came across the border in 2023 and 2024 from Canada--a 2,000-percent increase. In the last fiscal year alone, enough fentanyl was seized at the northern border to kill 9.8 million Americans. To me, that would be a very serious problem, but do you think the Democrats cared? No. There was no action at all by the Biden administration on Canada and no action on Mexico. But thanks to President Trump's leadership, our North American neighbors to the north and south are making changes now daily that will protect American citizens from deadly drugs, criminals, and human traffickers. The No. 1 job of the President of the United States is to protect the people in this country first, and that is what President Trump is doing. In addition to using tariffs as a negotiating tool, President Trump also views tariffs as a way to right the wrongs of past ineffective trade deals. That is why, this week, he is imposing a 25-percent tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, including those of Canada and Mexico. Contrary to what the media is telling you, this isn't unprecedented. It is not unusual. In fact, President Trump has helped shine a light on the fact that U.S. exporters face higher tariffs more than two-thirds of the time. We pay more tariffs than anybody. For example, among our major trading partners, China applies higher tariffs on 85 percent of U.S. products, and 90 percent on U.S. products from India. Just think about that. We are paying tariffs on things coming into this country, but when we send things out, we get the heck tariffed out of us from other countries. It is not fair trade. These export imbalances don't just impact bottom lines; they also discourage domestic production. We have got to produce more in this country, and we have got to build more things in this country. That is what President Trump is trying to do. If we don't cut back on spending and start producing more in this country, this will not be the United States of America much longer because we will be bankrupt, and we will be reporting to somebody like China, which is buying our Treasury bills right and left--or they were. One report conducted by the Department of Commerce in the first Trump administration found that excess production and capacity, particularly in China, have been major factors in the decline of domestic aluminum production. Basically, we are getting overwhelmed by aluminum from China that is not near as good as what we make in this country. President Trump built one of the strongest economies in modern history in his first term--in modern history--but the Democrats failed to know that. They wanted to change it, and did they ever. They almost destroyed our economy. Jobs and wages were up when President Trump was in, and inflation was down. Americans had more money in their pockets. Thanks to President Trump's strategic tariffs, along with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, companies were reshoring businesses back in the United States, right and left. They were coming back because they could make a profit. That is what it is all about when you have a corporation--you have got to make a profit. President Trump was able to, because of tariffs, make more money for manufacturing in this country than going out of this country. You had companies like Ford canceling plans to build in Mexico--back in President Trump's first term--and, instead, opening one in Michigan. This turned out to be extremely important when COVID hit, and we were forced to rely on goods that were manufactured right here in the United States. We also found out pretty quick, just in drugs alone, that we make very few drugs in the United States. Where are they made? They are made in India and China. They have got to come back here. We have to be self-sustaining. Whether it is our healthcare technologies, agricultural products, or steel and aluminum, there is no reason for us to depend on other countries. We are the No. 1 country in this world--we have been and will be in the future--in manufacturing and production. America has some of the best and brightest manufacturers and the best and brightest producers, farmers, and businesses. We take second to none. And from a national security perspective, it is dangerous to be reliant on other countries, which may not have the best interests of the United States' in mind. You can't blame them. They are looking out for themselves first. Well, we need to do the same thing. That is not to mention the fact that the United States produces the cleanest steel in the world. You would think the Democrats and the climate cult would at least be happy about that. Think about that. You know, President Trump just put tariffs on steel and aluminum. A lot of the steel and aluminum come in, and because of how they make it, it is some of the dirtiest steel in the world. We make the cleanest. Why in the world would we want to import something that is going to be detrimental to our country alone with this environment? The tariffs being imposed this week are an important step in President Trump's plan to restore fairness to trade, to boost domestic manufacturing, and to put consumers and producers first. It is about time. Three weeks into his Presidency, President Trump is keeping his promises. President Trump's strategic tariffs will strengthen and revitalize our Nation's economy, stop the flow of illicit drugs and illegal immigration, and make sure our trade deals are fair to both taxpayers and American manufacturers--America first. President Trump is utilizing every tool at his disposal, as we speak, including tariffs, to usher in the golden age of the American economy. We have to make that change. If we don't, we will not survive as the No. 1 country in the world. We will not regain that status, and we will be losing our national security. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. I will yield.

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I would like to say I look forward to Texas and South Carolina running for No. 2 to be the best barbecue in the country, with Alabama being a clear No. 1.

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Your neighbor to the southwest has been recognized as the No. 1 barbecue in the United States by many, many authorities, so I think we probably could leave it at that.

Mr. TUBERVILLE. I will.

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Will the Senator yield?

Mr. TUBERVILLE. That sounds like a challenge.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, November 5, 2024, that is the day that the American people sent shock waves to the swamp in DC when they overwhelmingly reelected Donald John Trump as President of these United States of America. And 77 million Americans didn't just deliver a mandate for President Trump, they also wanted his ``America First'' agenda. I come to the floor today to remind my Senate Republican colleagues that a critical part of the ``America First'' agenda includes prioritizing the safety of our women and girls in sports and protecting their privacy in bathrooms and locker rooms. I am here to call for a vote on my legislation, S. 9, the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, that would save title IX and save women's sports. Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day. That is today. To celebrate, President Trump will sign an Executive order this afternoon in the White House ending Democrats' intentional destruction of title IX and saving women's sports. I am very thankful for his leadership on this. President Trump's Executive order will make sure women's sports are protected for at least the next 4 years. But, unfortunately, Executive orders can be reversed. Congress needs to act on this to make sure the next Democrat administration, whenever it is, can't take the same steps to destroy title IX that the Biden administration took. For the past 4 years, the Biden administration waged an all-out assault on gender. Since the beginning of time, people have agreed that sex is assigned at birth and determined by God. But under the Biden administration, you had people claiming that men can get pregnant. Here on this floor, I heard that. Pure insanity. But it didn't stop there. They weren't content to just erase gender norms that have been accepted for thousands and thousands of years. No, they wanted to allow transgender men to participate against women and girls in sports. This has been happening in schools all across the country. Young women have been forced to compete against men and even share locker rooms and showers. On top of that, your taxpayer dollars are paying for this nonsense. Over the past several years under the Joe Biden administration, 900 women's medals have gone to men--900. That is absolutely wrong. This one is personal for me. My first coaching job was in women's basketball years ago. Title IX was just starting to be implemented when I took that first job. I saw firsthand the immediate difference it made. Before title IX, at a lot of schools, college women's athletics didn't really exist. Back then, there were more than 10 times as many male athletes in college as female athletes. After title IX, that quickly changed. For the first time, the young women I coached had equal access to facilities, resources, and competition. I saw these hard-working young women go on to earn college scholarships, start careers, and become leaders of our country. I still keep in touch with many of these young women today, and I am deeply proud of them. Looking back on it now, I wonder if they would have had the same opportunities without title IX. Would they have had the same success if they had to compete against males 40 years ago? This really shouldn't be controversial. It is just common sense. A recent poll from the New York Times, of all publications, showed 79 percent of all Americans believe men should not compete in women's sports--79 percent. President Trump campaigned largely on this issue. If you remember his campaign, he spent nearly $20 million on TV ads about the importance of keeping men out of women's sports. So on November 5, 2024, the American people didn't just elect President Trump; they also decisively rejected this ridiculous notion that men can get pregnant and boys should compete against women's sports--ridiculous. And they definitely didn't want their tax dollars funding schools that allow boys to share locker rooms with girls. My bill would prevent a school from receiving any Federal funding if they let boys compete in women's sports. It also defines gender as male and female for this purpose. I was glad to see President Trump sign an Executive order defining gender during his first few days in office. The President also made it clear under that Executive order that he wants Congress to take action on this as well because he understands it can go away with the signing of an ink pen. That is why today, I am also reintroducing a bill to prohibit men from competing in women's Olympic sports because men competing against women at any level is dangerous. We are all deeply disturbed--all of us were deeply disturbed this past summer to see videos of boys and men boxing against women. You know, when I was growing up, we were taught to never hit a girl. But I guess that is over now because of the Democrats. One study found out that males can punch up to 162 percent harder than females. Somebody is going to get killed or seriously injured if we don't stop this absolute nonsense. It is unsafe, it is unfair, and it is just plain wrong. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act will make sure men aren't allowed to compete against women in any sport but especially not in a violent sport like boxing. This bill will restore fairness for the American women who train their whole lives to represent our country on the world stage. Their entire lives, they train. I know we are all looking forward to the United States hosting the Summer Olympics in 2028 in Los Angeles. I hope our bill has been passed and signed into law long before that so we can all enjoy some healthy, safe women-against-women or men-against-men competition during those Olympics. But this issue goes way beyond politics. I have heard from parents, students, teachers, and coaches all over the country about this. These are people who have personally seen the benefits of title IX and are very concerned about Democrats' attempts to take these opportunities away from women and girls. There are countless stories of girls who have benefited from title IX in my State of Alabama. This includes athletes like Rachel Argent of Thorsby High School in Chilton County, AL. Rachel's athletic ability and good grades drew the attention of college coaches across Alabama. Rachel's athletic ability and her good grades drew the attention of people from everywhere. Because of her talent and work ethic, she received a basketball scholarship to Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette, AL. After competing for 2 years and getting her degree, she got a softball scholarship at Samford University. That scholarship put her on the right direction to be able to buy her own uniform or her own equipment like she did in high school. It was all done because of title IX, and it was all paid for, which, years ago, would not have happened. She didn't have to worry about landing a full-time job while she went to school and participated in sports to pay her bills. After college, Rachel returned to Thorsby High School as a teacher and a coach. She wanted to give back to the school what she had gotten from title IX. She taught health and physical education for grades K- 12. She coached girls softball, basketball, track, and volleyball. She made an impact on hundreds of girls across the State of Alabama. It was all made possible, again, by title IX. Rachel's daughter Addie played softball, tennis, golf, and basketball at Chilton County High School. She got a gold scholarship to the University of Mobile, where she graduated with a degree in nursing. Her athletic scholarship was a key part of her getting a degree and becoming a nurse. There are countless other young women like Addie and Rachel across Alabama and every other State across the country. More than 50,000 young women in Alabama alone competed in high school sports this past year--50,000. Every single one of them deserves the full benefit of fair competition. I am grateful that every Member of the Senate Republican leadership is a cosponsor of my Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act. They have been very supportive. Leader Thune is a proud cosponsor of my bill, and I am glad to have his support. Leader Thune is committed to scheduling a vote on this bill and putting every Democrat on the record on whether or not they support men competing in women's sports. We brought this bill to the floor for a vote during the last Congress--really, we brought it twice--and every single Democrat always voted against it. What does that tell you? Leader Thune has not rescheduled it for a vote this Congress. Right now, we obviously have a lot of things to do with President Trump's Cabinet. Then we can get started on the reconciliation process and get the American economy jump-started again. We have a lot to accomplish in the first 100 days of the Trump administration, and I hope this bill is part of that 100 days. President Trump will sign an Executive order again today banning men from competing in women's sports. Let's lock that commitment in. Let's lock it in for young girls and women all across this country. Let's bring this bill to the floor for a vote very soon so the Senate can send it to the President's desk and make this permanent. To my Senate colleagues who are on the fence about this, I would ask: Do you have daughters? Do you have granddaughters? Do you have nieces? Would you want them competing against men in sports? Would you feel comfortable with them sharing a locker room with a biological male? I am excited to welcome my first granddaughter in a couple of weeks, Rosie Grace. I would raise hell if she was forced to compete, dress, or use the same showers as men. American taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for any schools that are allowing this to happen. The days of woke, swamp politicians running our government are over. Common sense has been restored to the White House, and Congress needs to get back to work and let President Trump work on this bill. This isn't about politics; this is about right and wrong. The American people have delivered a verdict. They want men out of women's sports and women's locker rooms. President Trump is 100 percent with us on this. The time to act is now. It is time to restore title IX protections and save women's sports. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, America's military is the greatest in the world because of men and women who take pride in their role to keep us safe. No one demonstrates this better than Second Class Officer Stephen Woodfin of Harvest, AL. After being drafted into the Navy in 1968, Stephen found himself far from his smalltown Alabama farm at basic training in Nashville and San Diego. He describes this journey from the farm to the Navy as ``a country boy in hog heaven.'' After basic training, he was shipped out to the South Pacific to serve his country for the next 4 years in the Vietnam war. Like many Vietnam veterans, Stephen saw firsthand the horrors of war. Yet Stephen is still proud to say he served in the military and says his time in combat led him to meet some of the finest people he ever met. Shortly before returning home in 1972, Stephen met his wife, whom he describes as the best thing that ever happened to him. After their return back to the States, Stephen took on several different roles, including husband, father, postal serviceman, teacher, and many more. For more than two decades, he worked at the local post office. Whether delivering or shipping mail, people in the local area could always count on him to help them with a smile and see the job through no matter how long it took. One Christmas Eve, he even worked late hours delivering hundreds of packages because of a delivery back-up, to make sure all the kids in his area could open their new toys on Christmas morning. This is just one example of the many, of Stephen continuously putting other's well-being before his own. He received several awards for his outstanding service, including Clerk of the Month and Carrier of the Month. There is no denying that Stephen's pride in helping others has been evident in everything he has done. In 1997, Stephen, his wife, and their two sons moved back home to Harvest to the same farm he grew up on. There, he was able to pass on those same values like grit and hard work to his sons, including James, who nominated him for this recognition. Stephen's story reminds us that we don't have to have a fancy title to make an impact, but you can make a difference with the roles you have. Whether in No. 1, the military; No. 2, the farm; No. 3, his family; or No. 4, his community, Stephen has given 110 percent to everything he does. It is my honor to recognize him as the February Veteran of the Month.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

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

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I would like to start by thanking Leader Thune for pushing to confirm all of President Trump's Cabinet nominees so far. President Trump is on the verge of having his full team. We have confirmed Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Scott Bessent, and many others who are doing an outstanding job implementing President Trump's America-first agenda. But there are more critical nominees that President Trump still needs confirmed. This includes Robert Kennedy, Kash Patel, and Tulsi Gabbard, along with a few others. I have gotten a chance to meet with each of these nominees and have been very impressed. They are all outstanding choices and should be confirmed to President Trump's Cabinet as soon as possible. First, I would like to express my complete and total support for Robert F. Kennedy's nomination to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services. Last November, we saw millions of Americans--especially young Americans--flock to the MAGA movement after Bobby Kennedy endorsed President Trump. Both my sons, 28 and 30, Tucker and Troy, were huge fans of RFK, and I know there are just millions of young people who RFK has brought to the table and into the fold, opening their eyes towards something they had never really been involved in, and that is the health of their generation and all generations across the country. As we know, Bobby started the Make America Healthy Again movement, known MAHA, which eventually joined forces with President Trump. MAHA is not just a political slogan; it is a movement that has swept our Nation. For the first time, important issues like the effectiveness of vaccines, the dangers of prescription medicines, and the chemicals in our food and household products are part of our national political disclosure, as they should be. And it is all because of the work of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. You know, before entering the arena, Bobby spent four decades in environmental law and in healthcare policy, specializing in issues like water pollution, vaccines, and food safety--four decades. He is an accomplished attorney who attended Harvard, the London School of Economics, and the University of Virginia. And he has authored multiple best-selling books that I would suggest anybody that is concerned about the health of our country should read. Throughout his career, he has committed to discovering the truth about what is causing the chronic disease epidemic in America today, and his Presidential campaign exposed the fact that we have a serious-- a very serious--public health crisis facing our country today and in the future. For example, in his hearing yesterday, Bobby Kennedy laid out that over 70 percent of adults and one-third of our children are overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes is 10 times more prominent today than it was in 1960. Cancer among our young people is rising by 1 or 2 percent every year. Autoimmune diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders, and addiction cases are hugely on the rise. Depression and anxiety rates are absolutely through the roof. Meanwhile, more Americans are relying on pharmaceutical drugs than ever before. I saw that in my former life of being a coach of players. Years ago, very few of them were on any kind of drug, such as Adderall or Ritalin, for attention deficit. But in the last few years, there was a huge uptick in prescription drugs for many, many young people across the country. These findings are alarming, and they should and they had better shock all of us. Thank God, Bobby has dedicated his life to getting to the bottom of what is causing these trends. As he did in his hearing yesterday, Bobby is an expert on the health issues facing our country and has the facts, the data, and the evidence to prove it, and he will bring his commitment to evidence-based science transparency to our national health Agencies. And it is simple. Americans want access to all the facts so they can decide what is best for themselves and for their families. Bobby has committed to giving Americans the information that they need to be informed and make informed decisions. Recently, I have seen the mainstream media and some politicians attempt to smear Bobby Kennedy as anti-vax, anti-industry, or an enemy of food producers. All of this couldn't be further from the truth. It is just a political attack. We have even heard from prominent Republicans, like former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running ads on TV criticizing Bobby Kennedy for not being sufficiently pro-life. Bobby addressed this himself yesterday. He believes every abortion is a tragedy, and he will work with President Trump to implement his pro-life policies. These attacks are nothing more than dishonest attempts by the DC establishment to tank his nomination. We have seen that in the last couple of weeks on all nominees. Sure, Bobby Kennedy may not be the typical pick for the job, but the American people don't want a typical pick. The one we picked 4 years ago for President Biden was a lawyer living in California and very seldom came to Washington, DC. He worked from home. We got nothing done in Health and Human Services. They gave us a mandate in November--77 million people--to deliver President Trump's agenda, and that includes making America healthy again. As far as I am concerned, Bobby is not part of being the healthcare establishment class. That is a really good thing. We don't need that. Look at where it has gotten us. The pharmaceutical industry and the industrial food complex won't be running the show anymore when Bobby Kennedy is confirmed. Instead, he will restore our health Agencies to the gold standard of specific research and explore historic healthcare alternatives as part of our efforts to end chronic disease epidemics across this country. Ultimately, this will lower costs for Americans and ease the burden on our entire healthcare system, which is being overrun by all of the conditions that we have popping up today. With the many public health crises we are facing as a country, we have no time to waste. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting Bobby for HHS Secretary and help President Trump make America healthy again. For our next nominee, I would like to turn to Kash Patel. He is on the Hill today going through his confirmation hearing. Kash is President Trump's pick to be the FBI Director, who testified in front of the Senate all morning long. Kash is an excellent choice, and he has my full support. It is clear to the American people that the culture at the top of our top police Agency in this country, the FBI, is rotten. It is rotten to the core. We have some good people, but the people in charge have made devastating decisions against a lot of people across this country. It is far past time to clean house at the FBI. Over the last 4 years, we have seen the Bureau become politicized and weaponized. The Biden administration turned the FBI into the ``Fake Bureau of Investigations.'' The scales of justice were never fair and balanced under the last administration. Christopher Wray, the Director, went after parents and school boards, pro-lifers. He went after Catholics. He went after grandmas who peacefully protested right outside this building on January 6. He went to their homes and arrested them--not to mention the unprecedented raid on President Trump's home in Mar-a-Lago, FL. What we have seen unfold at our Nation's premiere law enforcement Agency over the last 4 years is a complete and absolute disgrace to the American people and our Constitution. Not only has the public's trust in the FBI been completely eroded, but it has been a disservice to all the great men and women in the FBI who commit every day to defending the Constitution and protecting us as American citizens. It is going to take a lot of hard work to right this ship. Trust has to be put back into the FBI. Kash Patel is the right man to do the job. He is qualified and has an impressive resume. He served in several national security and intelligence roles as a Federal prosecutor and as a public defender. Not only is Kash qualified, but he also has the courage and the resolve needed to restore our faith in the FBI. Despite the media's lies, Kash won't have his enemies list when he takes the job--unlike the Biden administration. If crimes are committed, he will open investigations, follow facts wherever they lead--no bias, no partiality. Kash will bring back truth and transparency, uphold the rule of law and the Constitution, and protect Americans against its enemies, foreign and domestic. He will ensure that the government works for the American people, and not the other way around. Let's confirm Kash quickly and give President Trump an important component of his national security team. I look forward to supporting Kash Patel and hope my Republican colleagues will do the same. Finally, we need to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to be our next Director of National Intelligence. Like Kash, Tulsi will play a critical role on President Trump's national security team. She just had her hearing in front of the Senate Intel Committee this morning. Her hearing only further confirmed to me that Tulsi is the perfect candidate for the DNI role. She is a decorated lieutenant colonel, with over 20 years of service in the military. Tulsi served in combat in the Iraq War and is currently active in service. She has a top security clearance, having passed five background checks to receive it. Tulsi served in Congress for 8 years, where she sat on the Homeland Security, Armed Services, and Foreign Relations Committees. And as a Member of Congress, she consistently participated in high-level intelligence briefings. As she has displayed throughout her entire career in the military and as an elected official, Tulsi will bring a fearless spirit to the DNI role. I have to tell you, my meeting with Tulsi was one of the most impressive meetings I have had since I have been in this office, going on 5 years. Her depth of knowledge and expertise is unmatched. I have no doubt that she will keep our country secure while protecting the Constitution and the constitutional rights of all Americans. She will help us return to ``peace through strength'' and put an end to America's costly foreign wars. The attacks on her, questioning her loyalty to the United States, are absolutely disgusting. It is insulting. Tulsi has devoted her entire life to serving this country, the military, and in public service. To the Senators criticizing Tulsi for not fitting the typical mold of a DNI director, might that be a good thing? Have the last several years shown us that the status quo is working? I don't think so, and I don't think the American people think so either, and they are the ones that count. Tulsi brings a fresh perspective to the job and the America that we all want and deserve. We do not need another James Clapper. Like the FBI, we have seen our intelligence community weaponized to target opponents of the regime. The IC conspired to take down President Trump in 2016 and 2020 and, maybe, most recently, in the election a couple months ago. For that reason, I think Tulsi is exactly the change agent we need leading our intelligence community. Like Bobby Kennedy, Tulsi switched her party affiliation because she saw the status quo as a threat to the American people and our constitutional rights. As Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi will check her politics at the door, just like she has done the last 20 years serving in our military. She will come to DNI without any bias. She will fix our broken intelligence community--and, folks, it is broken. I look forward to confirming Tulsi to DNI. I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for Tulsi. She will play a major role in President Trump's team and restoring faith in our intelligence community. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, I want to reiterate what my colleague from Tennessee just talked about, the importance of the vote that we just took just a few minutes ago--our nominee for new Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth. Now, the procedure is--as we just voted--to close the vote, and now we wait 30 hours from just a few minutes ago and have the final vote on his nomination, which it looks like that he has the votes of the majority to be appointed or sent to the White House to be confirmed as the next Secretary of Defense. I am on the Armed Services Committee, and I have watched 4 years of the destruction of the best military in our world--the United States of America. It is a shame what has happened. The DEI, the woke agenda that is being pushed on the troops in our country, to me, is embarrassing. I am a military brat. My dad died on active duty in the military. Awarded five Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart at age 17, driving a tank across Europe after landing the first day of Normandy. We have to change course in our military. And we can talk about inflation and pumping gas and the crime and all the things that we are having a lot of problems with, but if you don't have a strong military to protect our borders and protect the citizens in our country from adversaries all over the world, we have problems. And it has to start there. Pete Hegseth is the choice, the right choice. I like his age; I like his demeanor; I like the things he brings to our military. He is exciting, and he will energize this military into the next decade. And I am excited about that. So, hopefully, in about 30 hours, we will vote tomorrow night around 9:00, and we will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as our new Secretary of Defense.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, the last 4 years have been nothing short of a national nightmare. The runup to the nightmare began in 2020. After fending off a ridiculous impeachment attempt in the early months of 2020, President Trump was riding high, and the economy was booming. Under President Trump, we saw record levels of low unemployment for all Americans, especially among Black and Hispanic Americans. Inflation, which is ultimately a tax on the paychecks of hard-working Americans, was also at record lows. We had the most secure border in history. Dangerous terrorists, cartel members, and human traffickers weren't flooding into our country. Americans' jobs were more secure because they didn't have to compete with millions of foreigners who have entered the country the last 4 years trying to steal their jobs. The cost of buying a home was also cheaper as a result. Under President Trump, we were energy independent. This made the cost of living more affordable for all Americans. We were able to power American homes, cars, and factories with reliable and abundant energy. Those are just a few of the domestic successes that Americans were benefiting from under President Trump. On the global stage, we finally had stability after decades of foreign wars. Under President Trump, there were no new wars. We were respected around the world and feared by our adversaries. Russia didn't dare invade Ukraine when President Trump was in office. NATO countries were told to pay up: Pay your bills. China wasn't imposing its will in the South China Sea or across the world. China was contained, and its influence was diminishing. Under President Trump, the Abraham Accords were signed, bringing peace to the Middle East. As we have seen the last few years, achieving peace in the Middle East was no easy feat. But President Trump achieved it, and he did it quickly. The United States and the world were in harmony. The left couldn't stand these many successes that President Trump's administration was achieving at home and abroad, so they pulled out all stops to take him down. That is when the deep state bureaucrats and globalist organizations worked together to intensify the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time, the George Floyd riots erupted and destroyed cities across our country. Liberal DAs and politicians didn't do anything to stop it. It was absolute anarchy--total chaos orchestrated by leftwing politicians, the media, and antifa thugs. Meanwhile, the media tried to manufacture a scandal because President Trump held up a Bible in front of a historic church, while the rioters burning the city of DC were ignored. It was all a ploy to take down President Trump and tarnish his legacy. Before the plot to take out the President was in full swing, we saw America achieving heights we had never ever seen before. For a moment, the left thought they had bested Trump with the COVID sham and the Floyd riots and ultimately by rigging the election. But after controlling Biden by hiding him in the basement and then installing him as President, the Democrats were like a dog who finally caught the car. Once the Democrats took the White House, they quickly realized they didn't know how to run the country. It is not quite like running a struggle session in a Berkeley classroom or leading an HR call for a woke corporation. The Democrats had 4 years to show the country they could govern more effectively than President Trump, but what have they done? What is one thing they have done to make our country better? I can't think of one policy, one law or directive that actually benefited the American people. From day one, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris invited foreigners to illegally enter our country. They weren't shy. Joe Biden told foreigners to ``surge the border'' and ``You should [all] come.'' While the administration opened the border, they shut down the Keystone Pipeline, making Americans pay more for groceries and gas. The Biden administration engaged in a culture war domestically, embracing far-left ideas about sexuality, gender, and race. We have been told repeatedly over the past 4 years that men can get pregnant. And the Democrats didn't just push woke ideology on adults; they forced it on children in their classrooms and on social media. They have supported biological men competing in women's sports. They are perfectly OK with men sharing locker rooms and showering with girls. The Biden administration published a rule that would destroy title IX which was created to protect women and girls, all in the name of gender equity. You know, not only did Democrats wage war on American culture, they weaponized our justice system, going after President Trump, conservatives, and anyone who dared to oppose their agenda. Just look at how they went after the January 6 protesters, pro-lifers with the FACE Act, parents at the school boards, and the dozens of illegal actions they took against President Trump. The Biden administration, with the help of congressional Democrats, passed a bunch of bills with names that sound good, but actually they harm many Americans. Take the Inflation Reduction Act, for example, one of their prize bills that they have passed in the last few years. It was a legal way to launder money to blue States to bail them out, while red States were hung out to dry. It pumped money we don't have into the economy, causing the runaway inflation we are dealing with today. The administration was also weak on the world stage appeasing every interest but the interests of the American people. This administration was committed to cozying up to Iran by reinstating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as if the world wasn't already a dangerous place. Why would President Biden's administration agree to help Iran improve their nuclear facilities? It makes no sense. This administration bent over backward for NATO, handing over billions of hard-earned American taxpayer dollars with no plan on ending the war in Ukraine. It executed a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan that left 13 servicemembers dead, with many others severely wounded. This administration was basically asleep at the wheel. Who was running the country? Well, it wasn't Joe Biden. It was clear from the 2020 campaign that he didn't have the mental capacity to be President. To make matters worse, he spent 570 days, 40 percent of his Presidency, on vacation. Instead, the White House was run by a committee of leftwing staffers and special interests who ultimately ran the country into the ground, and the media and the Democrats were complicit. It is truly shameful what they have done to this country in the last 4 years. But now we are finally turning the page. We are entering a new golden age in America with President Trump's return to the White House, and this is our last chance at righting the ship the left has steered so far off course. President Trump will return our country to the values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We will return to the Judeo- Christian beliefs and principles of the West that made our Nation so great. And how should the Senate help return our country to these principles? We need to confirm every single one of President Trump's nominees as quickly as possible. We don't have time to drag our feet on any of these nominees. The Democrats never once attempted to block President Biden's Cabinet nominees. Zero Senate Democrats voted against any one of his picks--zero. President Trump needs to be able to exercise the full power and authority of his office as soon as he is sworn in, and that requires confirming his Cabinet picks. It will also require the issuing of Executive orders to undo anything that President Biden has done in taking congressional action to put these policies in place. Expect a flurry of Executive orders, a new offensive idea to rebuild our broken country. Expect Executive orders on the border, on unleashing American energy, and getting DEI out of our government and out of the lives of American people. We also need to get behind President Trump on passing one reconciliation bill that will secure our border, reignite our energy independence, and cut taxes so the American economy can boom again. On the global stage, the Senate needs to get behind President Trump pressuring NATO, all the NATO countries, to pay their fair share. No more military handouts for European countries and no more lighting taxpayer dollars on fire on behalf of Ukraine. It is time to get this war over with. The Senate needs to support President Trump and exert maximum pressure on Iran and other terrorist organizations wreaking havoc on the Middle East and the West. We also need to join President Trump's commitment on shrinking the Federal Government through strong congressional action. We will do this by working closely with the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE. We need to shrink the government, cutting the ridiculous regulations that are crushing American small businesses. And, finally, we need to focus on accountability. We need to hold people accountable for the damage that has been done to our country. We need to support the pardon of January 6 protesters who were wrongly prosecuted and horribly treated by our justice system. We need to step up and fight for pro-life, pro-life protesters who were persecuted by the administration under the FACE Act. We need to open investigations into DOJ Civil Rights and National Security Divisions, and that starts by confirming Kash Patel and Pam Bondi to the posts where President Trump needs them and needs them in a hurry. We need to be aggressive in these pursuits. Senate Republicans need to demonstrate courage and will and resolve like President Trump showed on the campaign trail. Are we willing to take a bullet for this country like President Trump did? Are we willing to take on the fake news media who will try to undermine his everyday agenda? The job ahead of us won't be easy. The economy is in bad shape, job numbers are down, inflation is sky high. Our enemies are on the move abroad and in the interior of our country, but the American people chose President Trump and the Republicans for such a time like this. They gave us a mandate to deliver them from the past 4 years of hell that this administration has caused. But now, it is a new day in America. The nightmare is almost over. And in a few more days, the Sun will rise in America. Greatness awaits us if we answer the call of the American people. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, our time is one of the most valuable things that we can give. For MAJ Heath Drake of Leeds, he invests countless hours in his local community. Heath was inspired to join the Army National Guard from his dad--an Air Force veteran--and his brother, who is currently a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. Heath decided to open two small businesses that employ Alabamians in his community. He developed an interest in vegetation management while doing summer jobs as a teenager, but credits the skills learned in the military for helping him build a successful company. Despite his busy schedule, Heath never turns down an opportunity to give back to his community. His impact is perhaps best evidenced in his role as a coach. For the last 20 years, Heath has been a volunteer coach in the Leeds Youth Baseball League. He most recently began volunteering with the baseball team at Lawson State Community College. Heath has helped hundreds of young people learn life lessons through participating in sports. Despite the huge time commitment that comes with being a coach, Heath finds all the long hours worthwhile. His devotion has clearly made an impact on the many young men he has coached throughout the year, including Dax who nominated him for this recognition. Dax says that to him, Heath is not only a coach but ``a mentor and someone he can look up to.'' Heath's story is a reminder that our time is best spent helping those around us. He is a true role model for his players, employees, family, and friends. It is my honor to recognize Heath Drake as the January Veteran of the Month.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, I would like to thank Senator Hagerty for coordinating this event and Senator Kaine and Senator Britt for standing up and supporting Vulcan Materials. You know, supporting American businesses abroad should be a unifying position across political parties, and I thank our Democratic colleagues who have joined me in this effort for the past several months. Unfortunately, we have seen just how little this administration cares about protecting American investments overseas. We could have corrected this problem. Specifically, I am talking about the unlawful actions taken by the Government of Mexico against Vulcan Materials Company, which is headquartered in Birmingham, AL. Vulcan is the Nation's largest producer of construction inputs, including crushed stone, sand, and gravel. Vulcan is also a major producer of materials like asphalt and ready-mix concrete. The materials produced by Vulcan are used in nearly all forms of construction. This includes infrastructure repairs to a bridge or a road or when a new office building is built or a church that needs to be built. While headquartered in Alabama, Vulcan has 720 facilities and more than 12,000 employees in the United States of America. Its reach is international. Vulcan has operated a quarry in Mexico since the eighties. This quarry supplies materials to Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas. Vulcan has quarried limestone legally in Mexico, on land that it owns and has paid for, for over 30 years. It has full ownership of the property in Mexico and owns the limestone reserves on the property--all paid for by Vulcan. Vulcan also operates a deepwater port in Mexico paid for by Vulcan. Vulcan operates that port because Vulcan built the port. Over the course of 30 years, Vulcan Materials has paid billions in taxes to the Mexican Government. It has employed thousands of people over the years, providing them with healthcare and pensions, which is why I was shocked when, 2 years ago, the Mexican Government swooped in and announced it would pursue legal action against Vulcan overnight. After all that Vulcan has done for the country of Mexico, the Mexican Government swooped in to stop all their operations in just a few days. The Mexican Government's baseless claim was that the company is operating illegally in Mexico--after 30 years. That statement is categorically false. Unfortunately, the Government of Mexico followed through with its threat and legal action. Mexican Government officials presented local Vulcan employees with orders to immediately cease operations on Vulcan's own land in Mexico. I believe this shutdown ordered by the Mexican Government represents a baseless attack on U.S. companies and demonstrates a disregard for rule of law. It is why I joined Senator Hagerty in introducing the Defending American Property Abroad Act to impose retaliatory prohibitions that deter and punish any Western Hemisphere nation that unlawfully seizes American assets. Clearly, Mexico's new President, Claudia Sheinbaum, didn't get the message that this is unacceptable. Under her leadership, the Mexican Government continues to pursue legal action against Vulcan. Vulcan has been and continues to be subject to public harassment, intimidation tactics, and all kinds of harassment from the Mexican Government. The Mexican Navy sent troops to the entrance of the Vulcan facility for several days. The Mexican Navy flew Black Hawk helicopters and drones over Vulcan's property. The Mexican Navy sent patrol boats to Vulcan's harbor. The Mexican Government withheld the issuance of a routine customs permit for several months. These actions by the Mexican Government are contrary to the most basic principles of international law and the free-trade agreements that bind our two countries together. Most notably, it goes against the USMCA--United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement--that was signed into law by President Trump. However, the Mexican Government's attack on Vulcan is bigger than just one company. First of all, it undermines the rule of law in Mexico. It ignores international law and free-trade agreements. It weakens our bilateral relationship. It will discourage future U.S. investment in Mexico. Over the last several years, we have all heard about the actions the Mexican Government has attempted to take against U.S. energy companies in Mexico. This action against Vulcan is just an example of how far Mexico is willing to go. This will have a direct impact on the supply chain for major infrastructure projects in the United States and the entire world. We cannot allow this to stand, and I know President Trump is not going to allow this to stand. He will not tolerate countries abusing the good work of American companies. As chief architect of the USMCA, President Trump won't allow any country in the Western Hemisphere to bully American businesses. It is a fight any country should think twice about starting. In the meantime, I urge the Biden administration to take appropriate action at the Office of the United States Trade Representative and through diplomatic channels to ensure that Vulcan--a great, great, great American company--can maintain critical operations in Mexico. I yield the floor.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, today's farmers across the country are facing significant financial losses for most commodities planted during the 2024 crop-year. It is a dire situation. Basically, they are in trouble. I have been saying this for a while now: For the sake of American food security, national security, and rural prosperity, Congress must pass economic assistance for our farmers before the end of this year. That is why I am asking Congress to pass a stand-alone economic assistance package for our farmers, no strings attached. This isn't for the lobbyists, special interests, or liberal pet projects; it would go directly to the people who feed, clothe, and fuel the United States of America and the world. It is for the American farmers who are desperate. They are in desperate need of help to survive. This economic assistance certainly won't help farmers make a profit. They have no chance. It won't even help them break even. Right now, many farmers won't be able to secure financing and renew their operating loans to keep their farms running for another year. Again, they are in trouble. This funding would only help farmers cover part of the 2023 and 2024 losses for American producers. For crops grown in my State of Alabama specifically, the expected losses this year are over $200 per acre. Cotton producers are in worse shape, with losses of approximately $373 per acre. Peanut farmers' losses are next, at almost $198 per acre. Other crops, such as corn, soybean, and rice are also facing devastating financial losses. These losses are occurring after farmers have produced bumper crops, which have yielded some of the best crops producers have seen in many, many years. This indicates that a major economic disaster is looming for our producers and our country. If this dire situation continues, the American agricultural industry will face permanent--permanent--damage. American farming as we know it could cease--I repeat, cease--to exist. Regardless of the region, State, crop, or weather pattern, there is one thing every farmer is subject to; that is, the law of economics. And right now, it is economic disaster for our farmers across this country and all States. The math is simple. With production costs and interest rates at an alltime high, farmers' expenses are exceeding their profits. Under President Biden's leadership, cost for feed is up 22 percent; fertilizer, up 34 percent; fuel, up 30 percent. On top of that, labor is up 40 percent, and interest is up 54 percent on crop loans--54 percent. You can't make these numbers up. Input costs are skyrocketing while commodity prices have plummeted-- absolutely plummeted--and are expected to continue falling. According to the 2022 USDA agriculture census, our Nation has lost over 25,000 producers in just the last few years. According to the USDA net farm income, this year is projected to decline 4.1 percent from 2023. This follows a shocking--listen to this--a shocking 22.6-percent decline from 2022 levels. These figures represent over $40 billion in lost revenue for America's hard-working producers. No business--not one business--in this country can survive like this. Our farmers and our farms are no different. This is the largest 2-year decline in farm income in the history of this country--the history of the country. In Alabama alone, we have lost nearly 2,000 producers and over 3,200 farms in just the last few years. This will cause farms to get bigger, not smaller. The economies of scale will continue to push out small- and medium- sized growers, resulting in further consolidation of the agriculture industry. The little guys, in other words, they can't compete. We cannot allow these terrible trends to continue. American farmers are rapidly approaching a steep financial cliff. Many will go off the ledge, never to recover unless Congress throws them a lifeline and pulls them back to safety. This supplemental funding needs to happen in addition to a long extension of the farm bill. It has to be extended. I continue to stand with Senate Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Boozman in emphasizing the need to pass a strong farm bill with an adequate farm safety net in the upcoming Congress. However, the truth is that even if we did pass a new farm bill--which would be improved, hopefully--containing increased reference prices for title I commodities, assistance would not reach farmers until October 2026. It will be a little too late for the farmers this year, for thousands of them. Most farmers who wish to plant crops in 2025 need renewed access to credit before the end of this month. With many balancing checkbooks in the red--some for the second, third, and fourth year in a row--farmers will have a difficult time securing financing without improved certainty within the agriculture sector. So while a 1-year farm bill extension is important, it does not provide the needed certainty for bankers and creditors to extend farm loans for this coming planting season. By failing to extend the adequate financial lifeline to farmers, now our farmers will--and I repeat--will not survive until the fall of 2026. It will be over. It is a sad reality. At the end of the day, it is not their fault. They work 365 days a year, 7 days a week, and put their hard-earned money as well as borrowed money into their farms. The supplemental assistance I am advocating for today will only serve as a bandaid to slow the bleeding until they get a farm loan and plant next season's crop. I am hearing from producers all over Alabama and across the country about the dire state of the farm economy. Producers can't pay employees or their bills for seed, chemicals, and fertilizers. They can't pay it. I have never seen it this bad, never. Lawsuits have already started--suing farmers for something that they don't have. Farmers have bumper crops of cotton, peanuts, corn, and beans. Yet they are still on the brink of bankruptcy. Something is wrong. This isn't about commodity versus commodity or region versus region; it is about the survival of the American farmer and the communities that rely on them. It is about saving the hard-working men and women who play a critical role in feeding and clothing and fueling not only the United States but, folks, the entire world. Congress cannot defy the laws of economics, but it can pass a stand- alone economic assistance package for our farmers to help them survive another year. This is perfectly within our power. There will be no funny business for this economic assistance, just a straight up-and- down vote to see who stands with our farmers, the food for this country, and the world. Democrats always try to hold emergency funding for farmers hostage, like we have this year, and they want projects to go along with the funding, basically holding us hostage, holding these farmers who have worked hard and put their own sweat and blood into this crop that they have had. Farmers from every corner of the country need us now, more than ever. There is not going to be another chance for a high percentage of this farming group that are farming this year--it is not going to happen-- which is why I am calling on the House and the Senate to put politics aside. I am begging: Put politics aside. I wish I could have farmers standing up here today. They would be telling you the same thing. They don't like handouts. They like to work for the money that they make; they always have. That is why they are special. But they need a no-strings-attached economic plan. I know President Trump will do everything he can in his power to assist American farmers when he is sworn into office. Our next Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins, will deliver for our farmers as soon as she is sworn in. But until then, I ask the Senate to stand up and stand with an economic assistance package to throw our farmers a lifeline. They deserve it. They need it. And it is not just for them; it is for the entire country. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Madam President, a little while ago, my colleagues were successful in passing the Stop International Child Abuse Act by unanimous consent. I want to thank Paris Hilton for her great work on this legislation. You know, I applaud her for using her position of influence as a force for good. She has worked hard to make sure no child has to go through what she went through in her earlier life. America's kids and young adults will decide the future of this country. I dedicated my life to mentoring young people because they are the most precious commodity that we have. If we get everything else right but neglect our young people, our country has no future. You know, I have seen some of these residential treatment facilities with my own eyes, and I know they need reform. Right now, there is not enough oversight in some of these schools. Some States are trying to regulate them, but we need to do more on a national level. We don't know where the Federal money is going or who is making money off looking after our kids. We don't understand the regulations and whether they benefit our children or not. This bill authorizes a study of these facilities and looks at them nationwide. It can cost about what it takes to go to Harvard for a kid to be in one of these institutions. It is very expensive, but a lot of them look like something out of a Charles Dickens movie. There is an old saying that sunlight is the best disinfectant. We need some more sunlight on these facilities so we can put a stop to the waste and the fraud and the abuse in this system. I am proud to support this bill, and I stand with our kids. Social Security Madam President, now I would like to remind you of a vote that President Joe Biden took in 1983, as a Senator, to tax your Social Security. That is right. Joe Biden is responsible for your Social Security money today being taxed. It is a scam. One of the big reasons the American people elected President Trump to be the next President of the United States is because they are tired of being scammed by the Federal Government. They are tired of seeing their hard-earned money evaporate into thin air because of inflation, which is caused by Joe Biden and Democrats spending money that we don't have. They are tired of having their tax dollars sent to fund foreign wars where America's interests are really not at stake. They are tired of the Federal Government using taxpayer dollars to put illegal immigrants up in fancy hotels instead of building a wall to secure our Nation's sovereignty. But what the American people have been tired of for years--decades even--is how they have been getting scammed out of their retirement money, the money that they pay into this government. Here is the sad truth: The American people don't have any confidence that they will see all the money they paid into Social Security over the years. Since being signed into law in the 1930s by President Roosevelt, Americans' money has been going in the front door of the Federal Government and then out the back door. It is a big Ponzi scheme, and everyone is forced to participate in it. You have no choice. It doesn't matter if you are 16 or 76, a little over 6 percent of your paycheck is taken out to pay for this retirement. Americans have been paying into Social Security for years, only to see a fraction of what they were promised to be returned to them. And that is not all. After decades of having Social Security taken out of their paychecks, millions of Americans have to pay taxes on what they do get at the end of the day. That is right. The money that is owed to them--the taxpayers' own money that has been held for years by the Federal Government--is taxed again as if it is new income. Withdrawing money from your paycheck every week or month for Social Security is already a tax to begin with. The money taken out of your pocket and your paychecks isn't put into an account that gains interest like a mutual fund. It doesn't even gain interest like a savings account. It actually has a lower rate of interest than the rate of inflation. And that is not the worst of it. The pot your Social Security money sits in isn't left alone by the Federal Government. No, your money that you pay into Social Security is being used like a debit card by the Federal Government. So the money you are paying into, it is effectively a tax. Then what little money you do get back is taxed again. We have got people who are getting ready to retire in this country who are going to try to live off $2,000 a month after paying Social Security all their life. In this day and age, $2,000 is impossible to live off of, totally impossible. We better start figuring this problem out because one of these days, millions of people are going to come to DC and say: Where is my money? And I don't blame them. I don't blame them one bit. We are $36 trillion in debt, and there is no sign of that slowing down. Let me repeat that: $36 trillion in debt. We seem to be spending all we can on everything but retired American workers. We have sent over $200 billion to Ukraine. Just yesterday, the Biden administration announced they are giving $20 billion more to Ukraine in the form of a loan. Well, that is interesting. We are never getting that money back. It is another scam. Over $400 billion in COVID relief money was wasted, misspent, or stolen. And I just saw on TV before I just came down here on a news report that President Biden just gave Iran 10 billion more dollars. The Biden administration set aside billions of dollars to build EV stations across this country, plug-ins. Up here, we toss money around like it is nothing, and then we turn around and tax Americans' Social Security checks. It is unfair for the millions of Americans who paid into Social Security to have to suffer for their government's incompetence. My two sons ask me all the time if they are ever going to see the money they have paid into Social Security. At this rate, they have got a better chance of seeing world war III than ever seeing that 6 percent that was taken out of their paychecks since they started working. How bleak is that? That is why when President Trump says he wants to fight for Social Security to protect it and preserve the retirement age, it resonates with people. People listen because it sounds like somebody is going to help somebody. The American people aren't dumb. They know there has been funny business going on at the Social Security Administration for many, many years and that they may never see a dime of the money that they are owed. Americans aren't dumb. Every election year, you hear our Democratic colleagues saying Republicans want to cut Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age. Yet it was Joe Biden who voted to tax your Social Security check. As usual, our Democratic colleagues just keep throwing money at other programs, projects, and wars, neglecting one of the biggest problems facing our country. With President Trump coming to town, we are finally going to make sure the government is serving the people, not bleeding them dry. President Trump is going to make sure the government is accountable to all American taxpayers. At the very least, he is going to give it to you straight, not just tell you what you want to hear. The Department of Government Efficiency--or what we are calling now DOGE--will play a big role in solving this problem. Elon and Vivek will make sure the American people know exactly what is going on in Washington. There will be no secrets. The bottom line is this: We need to get bureaucrats' and politicians' hands out of the mess that they made with their Social Security money. We need to make sure Americans get what they were promised. President Trump's pick to be the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration is a great choice to get Social Security cleaned up. If he doesn't, we will change him. Frank has an excellent track record as an executive in business and finance. He is not a politician. As President Trump said, Commissioner Frank will deliver on the Agency's commitment to the American people for generations to come. It is about time Washington, DC, starts working for the people we are supposed to represent--what a thought--not to special interests, not for career politicians and entrenched bureaucrats or the liberal pet projects or foreign wars that don't deserve our interest. Instead of spending money we don't have on things we don't need, let's put it back in the pockets of the Americans who have worked and paid for this. Not only is it in America's best interest to do this, it is the right thing to do. I yield the floor. (Ms. ROSEN assumed the Chair.)

Mr. TUBERVILLE

Mr. TUBERVILLE. Mr. President, we often think of the holiday season as a time for giving. For LTC Claudia Wigglesworth of Daleville, she exhibits this spirit of generosity all year long. The daughter of an Army sergeant, Claudia had originally planned to become a music teacher. But after participating in ROTC in college, she decided she wanted to continue her dad's military legacy. Claudia used her leadership skills in several different roles within the military, including as a company commander in the Gulf War, at the Pentagon, at the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, and as inspector general for Fort Jackson in South Carolina. She says that one of her most rewarding roles was serving as a recruiting battalion commander following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Her parting legacy was helping ensure that America was equipped with the manpower to defend itself following that day. Claudia retired from the military in 2005 after 23 years of service. She and her husband Charlie--also an Army veteran--decided to move back home to Daleville. Claudia began giving of her time and talents to make her community a better place by organizing a food drive and environmental projects that still take place every year. She decided to run for city council, before running and being elected as the mayor of Daleville. Claudia's leadership during her tenure as mayor proved instrumental in expanding Daleville's Flight School Training Support Services, solidifying Daleville as the home of the largest helicopter simulation training center in the world. She also volunteers countless hours with numerous regional organizations that help those in need in the Wiregrass and across the State. Claudia is the district chair for the Lions Club International Foundation and is a trustee for VFW Post 6020. Alabama is grateful for Claudia's generosity that is making our State a better place to call home every day. It is my honor to recognize her as the December Veteran of the Month.