Jon Tester

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Kathryn Sullivan be given floor privileges for today.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I thank the chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs for his good work. Jim Byrne is the right man for the job. We passed the VA MISSION Act that needs to be implemented. I know Mr. Byrne has ruffled feathers among some here. In the end, I think he will do the right thing and that we can hold him accountable. It is critically important we get these folks confirmed so we can hold them accountable and get them in front of our committee. I would urge a ``yea'' vote on Jim Byrne.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I rise to honor the life of Charles C. Myers, a proud American and a decorated World War II veteran. While Charles is no longer with us, his legacy lives on. On behalf of the U.S. Senate and all Americans, I would like extend our deepest gratitude for his service to this Nation. Charles was born on November 19, 1926, in Bismarck, AR. He grew up on his family's farm in Hot Springs County, where he was raised by his mother and father, alongside two sisters and three brothers. Charles had an unyielding sense of adventure, spending his youth hunting squirrels and riding horses. He quickly earned a reputation as an avid horseback rider, watchful older brother, and dutiful son. Like many young men during the war, the Myers boys felt a strong obligation to defend their country. All four brothers joined the military throughout the course of the war, including Charles, whose determination to enlist knew no bounds. He falsified his age on his enlistment papers, enrolling into the Army as a paramedic. For Charles, this was a critical moment that filled him with a burgeoning sense of loyalty and honor. After Charles completed his training at Fort Bliss, he was sent overseas, where he served as a highly respected combat medic in the 5th Cavalry Regiment 1st Cavalry Division of the Army, operating in the Pacific theater. There, the cross on the back of a combat medic eventually served as a conspicuous target for the enemy. Charles made the ultimate sacrifice while saving others, giving his life for our Nation's freedom. I now have the profound honor of presenting Charles' family with his set of military honors. For his bravery in line of duty, Charles C. Myers received the Purple Heart Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, World War II Victory Medal, and Presidential Unit Citation, formerly Distinguished Unit Citation. These medals serve are a small token of our country's appreciation for Charles's service and his profound sacrifice. He is an American hero who has made our Nation proud.

Mr. TESTER

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

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, as I travel across Montana, I hear from folks who work tirelessly every day to make ends meet. Many work long hours for too low wages, and they face ever-rising costs in housing and healthcare and other basic necessities, but folks in Montana are resilient, they are resourceful, they know how to live within their means, and they know how important it is to make the numbers add up at the end of the month. I rise because, as usual, Washington, DC, could learn a lot from Montana. This week, we will vote on a bill that swipes Washington's credit card to the tune of about $250 billion over the next 2 years-- dollars that will come out of the pockets of our kids and our grandkids. Now, this $250 billion comes on top of the $1 trillion the United States will add to the national deficit this year because our budget is that far out of whack. The previous year to this year was $800 billion that we added to the national debt. So to put that in perspective, that is about $2.2 trillion in just 2 years. If you are sitting at home wondering, $2.2 trillion; how much is that, it is far more than $250 billion. With $250 billion, half the students going to college for 4 years would not have to pay anything to go to school in the United States. We are adding $2.2 trillion, and it is going to continue on until we get our budget in line. Unfortunately, this sort of reckless spending by both parties has shown a disregard for its impact on the national debt, and it is now the norm in Washington, DC. Folks on both sides of the aisle are calling for this agreement, and they are calling it a compromise, but in reality, the only thing it will compromise is our children and our grandchildren's future. Montanans expect me to hold Washington, DC, accountable and fight back against irresponsible spending and poor tax policy. This falls on the irresponsible spending side. The bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget projects that this administration's policies will add $4 trillion to the debt over the next 10 years. I am here to tell you that is too conservative a figure. At this point in time, we are going to be adding about $1.2 trillion to the debt every year if things don't change. Our debt is skyrocketing, and guess what. We are not fixing the healthcare problems that need to be fixed; we are not fixing the high cost of education; we are not investing in our infrastructure, but our debt continues to skyrocket because of irresponsible spending and, quite frankly, a Republican tax giveaway for the wealthy at the expense of our kids and our grandkids. I have listened to colleagues on both sides of the aisle during my tenure here who warned of debt and how our national debt could damage our economy and our national security. Two years ago, my Republican colleagues passed a partisan tax giveaway, drafted behind closed doors, with no--with no--public input from Montanans or anyone else in this country. They promised that this tax giveaway would pay for itself, but it did not. Let me say that one more time. They promised the tax giveaway would pay for itself, but guess what. Just like the previous ones, it didn't. Instead, it tacked about $2 trillion onto our national debt, and it is another example of why we can't get our books in order--because we have a shortsighted fiscal approach that makes us the first generation to inherit from our parents and borrow from our kids. My colleagues made campaign promises to tackle this debt. As a Congressman--as a Congressman--Mick Mulvaney, who happens to be the President's Chief of Staff, pledged to eliminate it, but this White House has done just the opposite. As we stand here today, the debt has exploded to more than $22 trillion, and it continues to climb higher every day, despite the country being in the middle of the longest period of economic expansion in our history. Now, I am going to tell you it is one thing to run a deficit when you are in a recession--it is necessary to bring the economy back--but when you are in the longest period of economic expansion in this country's history, we should be paying down that debt, and we are not. We are adding to it as if we were in a recession. Running trillion-dollar deficits during times of growth like this one, and everybody in this body knows it, puts the economy on a sugar high. It feels good now, but we all know it is not sustainable, and a crash is inevitable. The same folks who voted to pile $2 trillion onto the deficit now argue--some of them--that we cannot find the money to provide our veterans with the healthcare they have earned. They say we need deep cuts--deep cuts--into Medicaid and Social Security and other programs that many folks have paid into for their entire life, but yet we are going to cut them. I have known, and we all know, that budgets and spending are about priorities, and it is clear that Congress's priorities are out of whack. You wouldn't know it from watching C-SPAN, but it is possible to be fiscally conservative without cutting working folks off at the knees. I know this because, as president of the Montana Senate, I negotiated and passed a balanced budget because the State constitution requires it. Since coming to the U.S. Senate, I have led a push to add a constitutional amendment requiring that Congress pass a balanced budget. Now, look, we all know it can't be done overnight, but in a measured approach, with bipartisan cooperation, we can at least get headed in the right direction. There is no reason why we cannot make smart investments in working families, our kids' education, 21st century infrastructure, and the other needs across this country without bankrupting future generations. Folks in the Treasure State know that, and Washington, DC, needs to know that too. It is time for Congress to follow Montana's lead. I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Mahlon Paul Manson, a Montanan and decorated veteran of the Vietnam war. Montanans and all Americans owe Paul the deepest gratitude for his service to this Nation. Paul was born in San Diego, CA, on September 17, 1948. When he was in first grade, his mother and three sisters moved to Deer Lodge, MT, where he spent his youth. Paul completed high school in 1967 and enlisted in the Army immediately following graduation. During the summer of 1967, Paul worked for the Forest Service shortly before starting military training at Fort Lewis, WA. He also received advanced training to be a combat engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Before leaving for Vietnam, Paul returned home for 2 weeks where he got a glimpse into the strength of shared ideals. When he landed at the airport, his bus was not scheduled to arrive for 6 more hours. Not one to wait idly by, Paul decided to try his luck hitchhiking home. In a moment of serendipity and brotherhood, a military car driving by saw Paul walking along the side of the road in his uniform, offered to give him a ride, and drove him home. This moment left a deep and lasting impact on Paul, who felt an instant bond with his fellow servicemembers. Paul arrived in Vietnam in early 1968 with this sentiment in mind. That year, he fought--and survived--a number of attacks, including one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam war, the Tet Offensive. He also showed incredible courage when his convoy came under attack near Lai Khe. While heavily engaged with the enemy, Paul put his own life on the line by jumping out of his military vehicle to encourage the convoy to keep moving. His heroic act helped the U.S. facilitate a counterattack against the Viet Cong, ultimately clinching an important victory. Paul's heroism did not go without recognition--he received a Bronze Star, with a ``V'' for Valor on August 20, 1968 for his leadership. After retiring from Active Duty in 1970, Paul returned to Montana to work for the Milwaukee Railroad. He also continued his devotion to service by becoming a recruiter for the Montana National Guard. When he retired from the Army, Paul attended the University of Montana. He graduated in 1996 and began working for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Missoula and Sweet Grass and in Washington State as a Port Director. In total, Paul has given the Nation over 20 years of Federal Service and continues to serve the Nation in a different capacity today, as a volunteer for Team Rubicon. Paul and his wife, Fran, have been happily married for 48 years. Together, they have a son, Mahlon Patrick, and a daughter, Michelle, as well as two grandchildren. Although Paul has undeniably led an eventful life, he humbly maintains that he is simply doing his job. ``Life is a buffet'' he says, a perfect idiom for how he is able to make the most of the opportunities that come his way. I have the profound honor of presenting Paul with his military honor. For his bravery in the line of duty, Mahlon Paul Manson is receiving a Bronze Star Medal with a ``V'' for Valor. This medal serves as a small token of our country's appreciation for his service and profound sacrifice. Paul is an American hero and has made Montana proud.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a longtime advocate for sustainable living and conservation who has worked tirelessly to make the world around her a better, healthier place. Kathy Hadley is retiring from her position as the executive director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology in Butte, MT. For over 30 years, Kathy has devoted her life to NCAT's mission: championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources. Kathy has had a hand in some of the most important conservation movements of the past 30 years, and programs at NCAT under her direction have ranged from developing energy-saving strategies for low- income communities to helping out farmers looking to adopt more sustainable farming practices, as well as AmeriCorps program that gives young people an opportunity to serve the public while working towards clean air and clean water. I am particularly fond of the Armed-to-Farm Program, which teaches veterans the ins and outs of farming. Her career has also led her to distinguished service with the National Wildlife Federation, where she fought to ensure wildlife continues to thrive in our rapidly changing world. I am thankful for Kathy's commitment to the environment, to sustainability, and to building a better future for our children and grandchildren. She has left an indelible mark on Montana and on the world, and I wish her and her husband Wayne and their two sons, Erik and Liam, the best. Enjoy your retirement, and job well done.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of Bruce Edward McNabb, a lifelong Montanan and decorated veteran of Vietnam. While Bruce is no longer with us, his legacy lives on. On behalf of myself, my fellow Montanans, and my fellow Americans, I would like extend our deepest gratitude for his service to this Nation. Bruce was born on August 23, 1947, in Butte, MT, to Dallas and Catherine McNabb. His father was a World War II veteran who fought with General George Patton in the Mediterranean theatre. His mother worked for the National Forest Service. In addition to their son, the couple had a daughter, Bruce's younger sister, Kathi. After graduating from Butte Central High School in 1965, Bruce moved to Seattle, WA, where he worked for Boeing. However, his plans quickly changed at the age of 19 when he received a draft letter from the U.S. Army. He started basic training shortly thereafter. Bruce served our country in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. In March of 1968, during a search and clear mission, his unit became heavily engaged with the enemy. In an act of great bravery, Bruce rushed to the aid of his fallen platoon leader, helping him back to safety. Without a moment's pause, he immediately rushed back out and pulled an additional comrade out of harm's way, saving both men's lives. Upon his return home to Montana, Bruce attended Carroll College in Helena. It was during this time he met the love of his life, Linda Skiles, whom he married on June 30, 1973. Together, they raised two wonderful children, their daughter, Kimberly, a certified patient care technician in Billings, MT, and their son, Rick, a teacher in Beaverton, OR. Like many Vietnam veterans who returned home from service, Bruce fell victim to the sinister effects of Agent Orange, but he never let it slow him down. Known by many for his hard work and determination, Bruce led a long career as a store/plans coordinator for Buttrey Food Stores, Super Yalu, and Associated Food Stores. After many years, he started a new career at ExxonMobil, retiring in 2015. Bruce and his wife Linda were married for almost 46 years before he passed away in November 2018. He was a devoted family man and caring grandfather to his two granddaughters, Mariah and Ashlee. He was passionate about a number of sports teams, including the Green Bay Packers, Notre Dame, Portland Trail Blazers, the Cubbies, and took great care of his truck ``Sweetness.'' I now have the profound honor of presenting Bruce with his own set of military honors. For his bravery in the line of duty, Bruce Edward McNabb received the: Bronze Star Medal with bronze oakleaf cluster, Purple Heart Medal, Air Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with 1960 Device, Expert Badge with Machine Gun Bar, and Marksman Badge with Rifle Bar. These medals serve as a small token of our country's appreciation for Bruce's incredible service and profound sacrifice. He is an American hero who has made Montana proud, and we are eternally grateful for his service.

Mr. TESTER

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

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, last week, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Congress passing the 19th Amendment. This week, coincidentally enough, we celebrate the birthday of the only woman to vote on the 19th Amendment, Montana's own Jeannette Rankin. Jeannette Rankin, who helped women in Montana and Washington, earned the right to vote in 1914, 3 years before she became the first woman elected to Congress and 5 years before she helped pass the 19th Amendment, making her the only woman to vote for nationwide women's suffrage. I say ``nationwide'' because before Congress passed the 19th Amendment, women had already won the right to vote in more than a dozen States, almost all of which were west of the Mississippi. And that was no accident. The demands of frontier life were such that men and women often had to work side by side in order to meet those demands, and they still do that today. So it is no surprise that it was a western woman who led the effort on the House floor to pass a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. As a freshman Member of the minority party, Rankin was denied the chairmanship of the newly established Woman Suffrage Committee, but she was named ranking member. The group went to work drafting a women's suffrage amendment on the morning of January 10, 1918. The Capitol was crowded with people to hopefully secure a seat in the House Gallery for the suffrage debate. Rankin opened the debate with an impassioned speech that helped convince her colleagues in the House to pass the amendment. It was passed by the thinnest possible margin. Unfortunately, the Senate failed to pass that amendment in that Congress, but Rankin's victory in the House marked a major milestone in the suffrage movement and laid the groundwork for the 19th Amendment's passage just 18 months later. Today, in honor of her birthday on Tuesday and the suffrage centennial this past week, I would like to read an excerpt from that impassioned speech that Representative Rankin gave on the House floor more than 100 years ago. Today, as never before, the Nation needs its women--needs the work of their hands and their hearts and their minds. Their energy must be utilized in the most effective service they can give. Are we now going to refuse these women the opportunity to serve in the face of their plea--in the face of the Nation's great need? Deep down in the hearts of the American people is a living faith in democracy. Sometimes it is not expressed in the most effective way. Sometimes it seems almost forgotten. But when the test comes, we find it is still there, groping and aspiring, and helping men and women to understand each other and their common need. It is our national religion, and it prompts in us the desire for that measure of justice, which is based on equal opportunity, equal protection, equal freedom for all. This proposed amendment should be passed as an act of right and justice to the women of America. To my mind, this is one of the most important questions that has been presented to Congress since I have been a member. One that has far more wide-reaching effect upon the people of the country--insofar as what the country stands for and what we stand for--than any other question since the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the adoption of our Constitution. These are the people who are resting their faith in the Congress of the United States because they believe Congress knows what democracy means. Can we afford to allow these men and women to doubt for a single instant the sincerity of our protestations of democracy? How shall we answer their challenge, gentleman? How shall we explain to them the meaning of democracy if the same Congress that voted for war to make the world safe for democracy refuses to give this small measure of democracy to the women of our country? I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, first of all, it is indeed a pleasure to be on the Senate floor with the chairman of the VA Committee, Senator Johnny Isakson. I think we all know we wouldn't be talking about the blue water Navy legislation, the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act, without Johnny Isakson. Johnny has been an incredible leader on the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee since he took it over, and I can't thank him enough for what he has done to make this a reality. It has been a long time coming. If there is anybody that deserves this to happen, it is the folks who served in Vietnam. Quite frankly, the sacrifice that they made during that war was like all other wars, and it was pretty darn incredible. This victory is for the folks who were exposed to Agent Orange, and Agent Orange, by the way, is a herbicide that was not handled properly, and, quite frankly, causes real problems, and it has shown now that it causes real problems among the men and women who handled it, who were sprayed by it, who drank it, and who were exposed to it. So it is long past time that we deal with those folks in a way that meets their needs because of their sacrifice supporting that war. I would just say that I come to the floor a lot, and I am disappointed in the U.S. Senate almost every day because they don't do what they need to do as far as checks and balances in this country. But today I come and I say thank you to the U.S. Senate. Thank you to the folks who didn't put a hold on this bill, who were able to push it through, because, quite frankly, this rights a wrong that has been perpetrated by a government that has ignored them for far too long. Very quickly, since we do have the time, I just want to go through what this bill does. It ensures that veterans who served just off the shores of Vietnam are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, just like those who served on land. The fact is that they were exposed. The fact is that now this bill recognizes that. It restores VA benefits to literally tens of thousands of blue water Navy veterans who had their disability eligibility taken away back in 2002. It requires the VA to contact veterans who filed denied claims and who are now eligible for retroactive benefits. That means that for those folks who had their benefits taken away, the VA now needs to contact them and say: Look, the playing field has changed. It extends presumption of Agent Orange exposure to veterans who served along the Korean DMZ, something we don't talk about much, and it expands benefits to include children born with spina bifida due to a parent's exposure in Thailand. I have said this many, many times. Taking care of our veterans is a cost of war. That is why we need to be very careful when we send our troops into battle, because they are exposed physically and mentally to things that normal people are never exposed to. For years, I have heard from veterans who were counting on us to pass the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act because, quite frankly, they weren't getting the benefits that they were promised when they signed up. When they were put in harm's way, the country turned their back on them. They are veterans like Mike Stone from Kalispell, who served as a blue water sailor in 1974 and has since been diagnosed with a variety of illnesses linked to Agent Orange, like diabetes and heart disease. Now Mike Stone can receive the benefits he has earned. This bill is for Mike and for so many veterans like him who have waited so long for the government to deliver. Once again, under the leadership of Chairman Johnny Isakson, we are able to live up to the commitment to justice for the blue water Navy veterans in Montana and across this country who have sacrificed to keep us safe and free. I would urge the President to quickly sign this bill into law. It is the right thing to do, and I am proud that the Senate has finally done it. I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a ranching community, a community that knows the meaning and value of hard work and that truly embodies the spirit of the great state of Montana. Garfield County is 100 years old this year. After splitting from neighboring Dawson County in 1919, this group of homesteading pioneers voted to make Jordan its county seat and get to work doing what Montanans do best: making a living off the land. Ranching is a way of life out here, one that has sustained families, built communities, and contributed to Montana's rural heritage. While ranching and agriculture remain Garfield's top industries, the county is perhaps most well known for another export: bones. Garfield County sits atop the Hell's Creek Formation. Millions of years before European settlers built their homesteads and long before the Assiniboine and Crow tribes occupied the land, Garfield County was home to some of the most fearsome creatures ever to roam the Earth. Its Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops fossils are some of the best preserved, and most renowned, specimens ever discovered. Rexy, the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex who now roams the halls of the Natural History Museum in New York City, was discovered just north of Jordan, and is just one example of the paleontological contribution Garfield County has made, a reminder of an ancient history long forgotten and discovered anew. The good people of Garfield County have much to be proud of. I rise today to honor them and to congratulate them on 100 great years. I know the next 100 will be even better.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, everywhere I go in Montana, I hear the same thing from my State's business owners and job creators of the State; that they need more workers. They need more highly skilled welders, bricklayers, heavy machine operators, and laborers. The list goes on and on. I will tell you that I think the biggest limiting factor to moving our economy forward is a well-trained workforce. These businesses give living-wage jobs to the folks who are able to fill them, if they have the skills to fill them. That is why I was so appalled when the Trump administration recklessly and cluelessly moved to close so many successful Job Corps programs across this country. While we have heard there is some sort of reprieve for the Anaconda Job Corps, we have not received word that actually means it is going to stay open or any of the other Job Corps across this country--16 of which were scheduled for privatization and 9 of which were out-and-out closures--will stay open. In Montana's case, we have two successful Civilian Conservation Corps programs: the Anaconda Job Corps and the Trapper Creek Job Corps. The Anaconda Job Corps, of course, is in Anaconda, MT. The Trapper Creek Job Corps is in Darby. These two job training centers play an active role in our State's economy. We have a foundry in Butte, MT. It is called Montana Precision Products. Mike Robbins is a co-owner of that. This company has hired more than 50 Job Corps graduates in recent years alone--more than 50-- most of whom, if not all, were from the Anaconda Job Corps. He has promoted these folks--some of them--from entry level to mid-level managers. So when Mike and his brother Burt need high-skilled employees, the first place they look is the Job Corps. Why? Because these folks come out with a skill set that fits their needs. Now, you may ask: Who is going into the Job Corps? These are at-risk folks. These are folks who are having a hard time with life and a hard time getting a job, and they go in the Job Corps--young people--and they give them a skill, a skill they can use in the private sector, a skill that if the Trump administration has their way, they will no longer be able to receive. They will be at risk. They will not be well trained. They will, in fact, probably end up in some sort of government program instead of contributing to our economy, and this is what the Job Corps allows them to do. (Mr. LANKFORD assumed the Chair.) Needless to say, they also provide incredible work in our forests, fighting fires, helping clean up our forests. It is just amazing to me--it is amazing the shortsightedness of this decision to privatize 16 and close 9 Job Corps across the country. We have heard from one of its graduates--I have heard from many of its graduates, by the way--of the Job Corps in Anaconda and down in Darby at Trapper Creek. One of the graduates is named Zoey Huff. Zoey told me the Job Corps saved her life--changed it. Before her time in the Job Corps, Zoey lived with her parents. She wasn't sure what direction she wanted to take in her life. She went through the Job Corps, and now she has a CDL, which is a commercial driver's license. She has that and certificates that make her an employee who is valued and someone whom businesses across this country--because I don't think Montana is any exception--are competing against each other to hire. The Job Corps gave her the training and the life tools she needs to succeed, but Zoey's story is not unique. My office has been flooded with stories like hers. I encourage folks who have been impacted by the Job Corps to share their story on my website. I recently heard from Carl in Montana. Carl's father enrolled in the Job Corps nearly 50 years ago. That 1-year investment in Carl's father provided him with a career that has lasted him for 45 years, that allowed him to raise 5 children and help support 11 grandchildren. It was a good investment because 4-year colleges are great, but they are not for everybody. There are some folks who would rather work with their hands than sit at a desk. These are the folks who shower after work, not before work, and I can relate to these folks. Without important resources like the Job Corps, we are making it harder and harder for young people in rural areas to access the job training they need to succeed in this 21st century economy. If the President tries again to close the Job Corps, not only will it immediately reduce the amount of well-trained workers in rural America, but it will also kill dozens of good-paying jobs in these small communities that don't support the Job Corps. It is a double punch in the gut that our rural counties have not felt in a long, long time-- decades. Once they are closed, by the way--the one in Anaconda has been open since 1966--once they are closed, it will be hard to get them back. So when I received the news about the Job Corps 10 days ago, I urged Secretary Perdue, the Secretary of Agriculture, and Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to reverse course. Senator Boozman is on board to help reverse this shortsighted and irresponsible decision. I am proud to work with him and Senator Merkley on this issue and appreciate his work to protect Job Corps in rural America, but we can't do this alone. That is why I, along with Senator Boozman, am introducing bipartisan legislation that will reverse the administration's action to close Job Corps not only in Montana but across this country. I am going to continue to fight until we get a firm promise from this administration that these Job Corps centers are going to be around for years to come. We will be introducing legislation to block closures and prevent these critical employment centers from being subject to the whim of a President who doesn't know what is going on in rural America. My bill will prohibit the use of appropriated funds in fiscal year 2019 and 2020 to close any Civilian Conservation Centers. It will also prohibit any Agency Secretaries from changing the interagency agreement that facilitates the operation of Civilian Conservation Centers, thus preventing the privatization of these programs. Look, the administration's decision to close these, whether it is in Montana or Arkansas or any other place, will negatively impact those States in the whole country. So it is my hope--it is my hope that this administration will open their eyes and see what is really going on in this country because, quite frankly, Job Corps has worked for decades and decades and decades. It has produced people who are valuable assets to the business community and who raised families and helped support our economy and are part of the fabric of this great country. Yet this administration, through their goal to making American great again, has forgotten about things that make America great and have made America great. So whether it is businesses like Mike Robbins' and Burt Robbins' business or whether it is students who go through this program, like Zoey, we need everybody in this Chamber--everybody, Democrats and Republicans alike because we are smarter than that--to make sure we have Job Corps around for our next generation and generations after. I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor an American hero who served bravely in the European Campaign of the Second World War. Lawrence E. Henning of Great Falls, MT, served in the Third Army under the command of General George S. Patton. He marched with thousands of Allied troops across the Continent, through France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and finally into Germany, deploying his expertise of the tank destroyer in the final, decisive year of the war. Lawrence's courage and ingenuity were critical to the effort. His resourcefulness allowed the battalion to maintain a maximum number of tank destroyers on the front line. His skills and bravery on the battlefield earned him commendations decades ago; it is my honor to finally deliver them today. I am proud to present you, Lawrence, with the Bronze Star Medal for your Meritorious Service in connection with military operations against an enemy of the United States in France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Germany during the period 15 September 1944 to 30 March 1945. I am also presenting you with: the American Defense Service Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 Bronze Service Stars; the World War II Victory Medal; and the Honorable Service Lapel Button--World War II. These medals are a small token of our nation's appreciation for your service and your sacrifice. Lawrence, you are an American hero, and Montana is proud to call you one of our own.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, today I wish to honor the memory of 18 of Butte, America's finest. Since 1892, 18 brave police officers have lost their lives in the line of duty protecting the people of Butte-Silverbow County, the most of any county in Montana. These men put the lives of others above their own, rushing into danger to keep their community safe, and paying the ultimate sacrifice as a result. I want to honor: William F. Jordan; Dennis W. Daly; Federick Kranbeck; Fred A. Palin; John J. Streb; Joseph A. Freshman; Charles E. Streb; Ivan W. Lincoln; James H. Pace; Bart J. McCarthy; Joseph E. Sage; Batt Arrigoni; Jeremiah J. Murphy; Thomas O'Neill; Nicholas Aleksich; Colin McMillan; Tom Monroe; and David V. Thomas and their families and loved ones who sacrificed so much as well. May their memories never be forgotten. May all current and future peace officers in Butte-Silver Bow, around Montana, and this Nation return home safe at the end of their watches.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I think that might have been a hint to make it quick. Is that right, Senator Udall?

Mr. TESTER. All right, I will. Look, this is an issue that is critically important to this country. I think when people hear about it, they are astounded because this is a crisis we don't hear much about. According to the National Institute of Justice--listen to these statistics--more than 80 percent of Native women have experienced violence, almost half within the last year. On many reservations, Native American women face murder rates up to 10 times the national average. The majority of this violence is either sexual or domestic in nature, and too much of it goes unreported and unprosecuted. That is why I have taken a three-pronged approach to address this crisis. No. 1, we need to raise awareness; No. 2, we need to empower the Tribes around this country; and No. 3, this body needs to implement some solutions that will help those Tribes address this issue. But first we must acknowledge that there is an epidemic, an epidemic that-- if we acknowledge it--we can fix. We have made some progress on this front in the last few years. Since 2016, we have introduced resolutions declaring May 5 the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. We introduced this resolution in honor of Hanna Harris, a Northern Cheyenne Tribal member who was murdered in July of 2013, and thousands of other voices that have been silenced. We introduced this resolution to underscore the urgency of addressing domestic violence and sexual assault in Indian Country. We introduced this resolution to amplify the voice of the people who are on the vanguard, fighting for change--folks like Briana Lamb, a Missoula-based activist, who was my guest at this year's State of the Union Address, or Kim Loring, who testified in front of the Indian Affairs Committee back in December about the disappearance of her sister, Ashley Loring Heavy Runner, from Browning, MT. Increasing awareness isn't where we end. We need to act, and we need to find and implement solutions. That is why, after leading a Senate hearing on the MMIW crisis in December, I drafted and introduced the Studying the Missing and Murdered Indian Crisis Act. This bill directs the GAO to conduct a full review of how Federal Agencies respond to reports of missing and murdered Native Americans and recommend solutions based on their findings. The House has already passed this bill, along with the rest of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, more than a month ago. The Senate has yet to take up this package. So instead of waiting around for Senator McConnell to do his job and bring this bill up for a vote, I reached out to the GAO directly yesterday. A group of 10 Democrats and 7 Republicans wrote to the GAO, asking them to conduct this study, and the GAO agreed. But we can't keep waiting around for the Senate to actually do its job and legislate. We need to act, and we need to pass the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act so that we can start finding and implementing solutions--solutions to problems like Tribal jurisdiction. Before 2013, the jurisdictional maze surrounding these crimes made it nearly impossible for Native authorities to prosecute non-Native criminals, despite the fact that almost 90 percent of the Native survivors had experienced violence at the hands of non-Native offenders. When we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act back in 2013, we gave Tribal governments the ability to arrest and prosecute non-Native offenders for sexual and domestic crimes. Since March of 2015, 18 Tribes have used this authority to arrest approximately 150 offenders. As of today, more than half of those arrested resulted in convictions, and many are still pending trial. Fort Peck is one of the Tribes on the vanguard, arresting 18 offenders over the last 3 years-- offenders who had gotten away with their abuse for far, far too long. This year's violence reauthorization act will build upon that 2013 bill and extend Tribal jurisdiction even further, empowering Tribes to combat this crisis head-on. That is why the Senate needs to pass this critical legislation and start taking up dozens of other bills that we have introduced to combat this crisis--bills like Savanna's Act, which will improve information sharing between the Federal, State, and Tribal law enforcement agencies and establish better response protocols for cases of missing people or the Not Invisible Act, a bipartisan bill we recently introduced that would create an advisory committee to improve on how Federal law enforcement responds to cases of missing, murdered, and trafficked persons. Sure, it is nice to hold hearings and to write letters, but nothing can really happen unless we do our job. Take funding, for example. We worked hard to secure a 5-percent set- aside for Indian Country in the Crime Victims Fund this year. That is $168 million that Tribes can now use to prevent violence and support survivors across Indian Country. But this set-aside disappears next year if we don't pass the SURVIVE Act to make this funding permanent. I hope that everybody in the Senate, including the majority, will finally get behind the Violence Against Women Act and help move these other bills forward also. Together, we can find solutions to this crisis and we can support survivors and we can bring their assailants to justice, but we can't do it if Congress doesn't act. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize one of Montana's smallest but greatest counties. Treasure County in southcentral Montana celebrates its 100th anniversary this year. ``Montana's Hidden Treasure,'' Treasure County is bordered by the Yellowstone River and contains rolling hills, pastures, and sugar beet farms. It is also home to some of Montana's most unique buildings, including the Yucca Theatre in Hysham, a 1931 Spanish Mission-style beauty that David and Jim Manning built to give residents hope during the Great Depression. The folks in Treasure County are used to fighting for recognition. At the time of its inception, neighboring counties thought the citizens were trying to syphon tax revenue from larger counties surrounding it. But the residents of Treasure County were adamant their county be recognized, and in 1919, Hysham was named the county seat. Since, Treasure County has been home to thousands of farmers, ranchers, Montana's longest serving legislator, and even NASA astronaut Frank Borman, as well as the deer, antelope, pheasants, geese, turkeys, grouse, sage hens, and ducks that have called this area home for millennia and that add to the natural splendor of this beautiful place. I wish to honor Treasure County and all its people, to congratulate them on 100 great years. I know the next 100 will be even better.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, the decision earlier this week to undo the Affordable Care Act--the decision made by a bunch of unelected bureaucrats at the Department of Justice--is nothing short of a slap in the face to our democracy. The Affordable Care Act was passed by majorities in the House and the Senate; it was upheld by the Supreme Court; and it continues to be supported by folks on both sides of the aisle. Nonetheless, the Department of Justice, through the direction of the President of the United States, has decided to undo the ACA and all the things that are in the ACA. This isn't the first time. For the last nearly decade, I have heard a seemingly endless number of speeches on the floor of this body, and we have seen vote after vote after vote after vote, under both Republican and Democratic leadership, to repeal the ACA. It hasn't succeeded. So what the Department of Justice decided to do is take the law into their own hands and circumvent the legislative process. I guess they felt they had no other choice. It didn't just happen this week. Last summer, they refused to defend a provision of the ACA that protects people with preexisting conditions. That is pretty interesting. My best friend in life, other than my wife, has diabetes, and he is somebody who has fought diabetes since we were in junior high. His folks didn't have diabetes, but he did. He still does. He was not able to have health insurance that was affordable until the ACA came along. He wasn't even allowed to change jobs for fear that when he did get health insurance when he changed jobs, he would lose it and then have to go uninsured until--until--the ACA came along. So when the DOJ decided to not defend the provision for preexisting conditions, it left many of us scratching our heads. Then, earlier this week, the administration took it even further by lending its full-throated support for overturning the ACA in its entirety, which would result in ripping healthcare away from tens of millions of Americans. This administration's actions would put millions of Americans at risk by getting rid of every last protection that was enshrined in the law, including Medicaid expansion and coverage for preexisting conditions that are, without debate, providing lifesaving and affordable healthcare to folks across this country. If they, the administration, succeed in dismantling our healthcare system, I guarantee you the cost of healthcare will rise through the roof. Oh, yes--no, no--they will point to junk plans. There are junk plans out there. They are cheap, but they are called junk for a reason. Just hope, if you have a junk plan, you never get sick because they are junk. Dismantling this healthcare system not only will cause healthcare to go through the roof--because we are going back to the old system--there is no replace here. They will replace it with the old system. It will imperil the sustainability of our hospitals across this country but particularly in rural and frontier communities. Don't ask me about this; ask hospital administrators. They will tell you that if the healthcare bill is repealed, they will either have to change the entire way they provide healthcare or close entirely. Once again, it will mean American families are just one devastating diagnosis away from bankruptcy, particularly if you live in rural America. This administration's heartless decision is going to have devastating consequences on Montana's families. Let me give some statistics from a Montana perspective: Fifty thousand Montanans who buy their healthcare coverage on the ACA market would lose that. Now, 50,000 is not many people, right? In a State of just over 1 million, that is a lot of people. Ninety thousand Montanans who receive coverage as a result of Medicaid expansion would lose their coverage. I have told the story many times about a gentleman in Butte, MT, who was fighting diabetes and, by his own admission, mental health problems. This guy was about 45 years old, by the way. When the legislature expanded Medicaid 2 years ago, he was able to get healthcare to finally get his diabetes under control, and he was able to see a psychologist to get the tools he needed to take care of his own mental health. It resulted in his ability--for the first time in his life, he said--to be able to get a full-time job and support his family. He was incredibly proud of that. That is one story of many across Montana and across this country, where Medicaid expansion has done an incredible job getting people back into the economy and helping build our economy. Know, once the ACA is repealed, Medicaid expansion is gone. In Montana, we have 152,000 Montanans with preexisting conditions that before the ACA would disqualify them from coverage for healthcare. If the ACA is repealed, they could once again face lifetime caps; so, when you get sick and need that health insurance the most, it will not be there because you would be up against a cap. They already have Medicare, where more than 110,000 Montana seniors rely on Medicare prescription drug plans for coverage of prescription drugs. That is going to be gone. It would reopen the doughnut hole and make hundreds of thousands responsible for increased costs. I can tell you, in Montana, where poverty is the highest is in Indian Country. They would lose their assistance to purchase coverage or cost- sharing reductions to eliminate out-of-pocket expenses--these are our Native Americans--or those who were able to get on expanded Medicaid would lose that. These aren't nameless, faceless folks. These are folks like Donna from Big Timber, who, after battling cancer, wouldn't be able to access quality, affordable healthcare without the ACA. They are people like Jeffrey from Great Falls, who has a daughter with special needs and owns a business. He told me his family and business would both fall apart without the ACA. It means the many folks in Libby who rely on quality insurance to access their community health center to address the unique healthcare challenges their government promised to protect would be gone. Look, I have sat in this body, and I have heard speech after speech after speech about the ACA, what it does good and what it does not so good, but I am telling you, if you want to cause a train wreck in healthcare, this is a great way to do it--repeal it and let everybody be on their own--and it is not going to be pretty. If you start losing rural hospitals in rural America, they will not come back. You will see further depopulation in rural America--because, by the way, that golden hour is called golden for a reason when you get hurt. If that hospital isn't there, you are more likely to go live in a more urban population center where healthcare is more expensive. Nobody in this body has ever said the ACA was perfect, but I firmly believe it was a lot better than what we had. We always have the opportunity to step forth and improve it. Repealing it is not improving it. What repealing is, is a campaign promise. We have heard them before: We are going to repeal the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare. We are going to build a wall on the southern border, no matter if it separates farmers from their land, no matter if it creates a different border on the southern border. It was a campaign promise, just like repealing the ACA was. The reason we are in single-digit popularity in this body is that we don't listen to the people. We listen to a select few who have certain people's ears in this body, and we don't make decisions based on what is best for this country and the people who live here. This is just another example of that. It is time the Members of the greatest deliberative body wake up, take the ACA and improve the things that are wrong with it, and do our level best to make sure people can afford to get sick. It is pretty basic. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise to talk a little bit about the emergency declaration by the President. It is a bad idea. I think everybody in this body knows it is a bad idea, and we will see how many people will vote to override that bad idea. It is a bad idea for a number of reasons. The President says it is for this country's safety, but he is robbing from our military to build a wall on the southern border. Yet, I might add, most of the money that we allocated in the last fiscal year is still there--$1.3 billion--plus the $1.375 billion that was authorized by the conference committee, made up of a group of Democrats and Republicans from the House and the Senate, which means it was passed by both bodies. It was money that he received but to which he said ``I don't like it'' and declared an emergency declaration. Look, Montana is no stranger to military service. We are home to the second-most veterans per capita of any State in the country. Every time our Nation is in need, Montanans step up to the plate and answer the call to serve. That is why, today, I rise to fight back against the President's declaration, for it will be shortchanging our troops in favor of a campaign promise to build a wall that he said Mexico would pay for. The President's plan to raid our military resources would directly hurt Montana's military community and its men and women in uniform. The heart of the Air Force's Global Strike Command is located in Great Falls, MT, at Malmstrom Air Force Base. The 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom is a critical component of our Nation's nuclear triad. It is our great deterrent against adversaries who would do us harm. As President Kennedy said, it is our ace in the hole. Over the past few years, I have been fighting to secure the military construction dollars on the Appropriations Committee to meet the needs of the Malmstrom Air Force Base. I led a bipartisan effort to deliver more than $19 million to construct a new Tactical Response Force Alert Facility. That facility was a top priority for Malmstrom because the current facility is old, laden with asbestos and lead-based paint, and this has complicated efforts to secure the base's missile sites. I also helped to secure some $14.6 million for the construction of a missile maintenance dispatch facility. This facility will allow the base to more properly and efficiently store critical components and equipment for the missile field and to retrofit its hangar so we can ultimately house the replacement fleet for its Vietnam-era Hueys, which should be replaced in the next couple of years. Unfortunately, the construction of these facilities and of many others around the country is at risk because of the President's decision. More alarmingly, Malmstrom is in critical need of a weapons generation facility, and I have been fighting for years to ensure that this project is included among the Air Force's top military construction priorities. Just yesterday, the Secretary of the Air Force confirmed that the funding for the facility has been included in the fiscal year 2020 Air Force budget request. This investment represents a significant step forward for Malmstrom Air Force Base, for the Air Force, and for our national security. It is important because this is where ICBM warheads are maintained and stored. As a result of the deterioration of this facility, airmen and missileers must confront numerous safety and security challenges while carrying out their missions every day. Yet now we have to tell them that this critical project, which the Air Force has said it desperately needs and which it does desperately need, could very well get kicked down the road and down the list of priorities because the President would rather spend billions of the military construction money on the construction of his wall. The same is true for other critical infrastructure investments at Malmstrom, including a new security forces compound, but the President doesn't care. He is more interested in robbing taxpayer funds to build an unnecessary wall on the southern border, but Congress has rejected the President's request on a bipartisan basis. His defiance of that rejection comes at the expense of my State's defense installations. Great Falls is also home to the Montana Air National Guard. My older brother was in the Air Guard for 35 years, and I have seen their work up close. Since we entered the Middle East conflict 17 years ago, this country has used the Guard like never before. They have asked a lot of our citizen soldiers and airmen, and they have always delivered whether that be when they were deploying to war, fighting against wildfires, or saving families from natural disasters. In Montana, they have asked for little in return. They have asked for the construction of a new aircraft apron to park and store the Guard's C-130 fleet. Once again, we got to work, and we secured the money--$9 million--to make sure that our C-130s would stay in good shape for years to come. Max Baucus and I fought hard to bring those C-130s to Montana, which is why I am so outraged that the President's emergency declaration puts this funding at risk. I know that nobody in this body takes the decision of sending young men and women to war lightly, but when those difficult decisions are made, we had better deploy them with the best and the safest equipment. The debate today is clear: A vote against the President's disaster declaration is a vote to protect our coequal branches of government, our system of checks and balances, and our Constitution. A vote for the President's power grab is a vote for Federal overreach and is a violation of our oath of office. I hope my colleagues who vote for this plan are on the first plane back home to explain to their constituents why they are shirking their basic duties. I hope they explain to their communities--and there are many like Great Falls, MT--why they are ripping those investments out of their towns and out of our military. I hope they explain to our future leaders why it is OK to follow the Constitution only when it is expedient. This disaster declaration undermines the bipartisan work that the Republicans and Democrats have done to rebuild our military. It sets a dangerous precedent that, no doubt, will be abused by future Presidents, and everybody in this body knows that. We have an option here. We have the ability to stand with our troops and to stand with the Constitution and reject this declaration. It is critically important if we are going to have a strong military. I think we decided in the last Congress to make investments into our military that were much needed, and now the President is pulling those dollars out. It is nothing short of ridiculous. I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the service and career of veteran and dedicated advocate Matthew Shuman. The American Legion is a cornerstone in countless American communities, helping our veterans get the care, benefits, and recognition they earned while giving back through youth programs, scholarship assistance, and grassroots efforts. The American Legion's membership is robust and active, and they have been well-served by Matthew. Matthew has been a tireless legislative advocate for American Legion members and the veteran community as a whole. In his role overseeing the American Legion's legislative efforts, Matthew has been instrumental in improving VA healthcare and benefits for our more than 22 million veterans, including 2 million Legionnaires around the world. Matthew served in the U.S. Army from 2008 to 2012. He served as a military police officer and concluded his military career as a member of the Arizona Army National Guard Honor Guard, memorializing our fallen soldiers by providing military funeral honors. Following his military service, Matthew attended Grand Canyon University and participated in the Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC, at Arizona State University. He graduated from Marymount University in Arlington, VA, with a B.S. in criminal justice. He established his passion for public service by working for two different Members of Congress, as well as working on the 2012 election cycle. Matthew's career with the American Legion began in 2015, when he started as an assistant legislative director focused on veterans' employment and education in their Washington, DC, headquarters. In January 2017, Matthew began his tenure as the director of the American Legion's national legislative division. In that role, Matthew has been the American Legion's chief advocate before Congress, the White House, and the Department of Veterans' Affairs. Matthew has helped lead an organization that has always been at the forefront of advocating for veterans and securing the resources, healthcare, and benefits veterans have earned. As ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, it has been a joy to work with Matthew and the American Legion on important legislation like the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act, the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act--also known as the Forever G.I. Bill--several reforms and subsequent overhaul of the VA's healthcare system, and the current implementation of the VA MISSION Act. All the while, I have been impressed with Matthew's charisma, kindness, and humor. These bipartisan bills, all of which were signed into law, serve as a testament to Matthew's dedication and leadership on behalf of veterans. Future generations of veterans will be able to look at these bipartisan reforms as examples of Matthew's advocacy on behalf of all veterans. It is my honor to recognize Matthew's outstanding military service and continued service to our servicemembers, veterans, and their families. As Matthew begins a new chapter, I have no doubt that he will continue to be a voice for those in need. To Matthew, on behalf of myself and a grateful nation, I extend my greatest appreciation to you for your enduring bravery, service, sacrifice, and advocacy.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. I thank Senator Whitehouse. I could not in my wildest dreams be able to replace Senator Baucus in what he did. But what he did back in 1986, along with a number of other Senators Senator Whitehouse just talked about, was visionary. He signed a letter asking Federal researchers to study solutions for limiting the causes of climate change. This was in 1986, some 33 years ago. That same year, as I am today, my wife and I were farming in North Central Montana, a farm that then had been in the family for about 70 years. During the time before 1986, and since 1986, we have seen a lot of changes on the farm. That is why it is interesting--because those changes have increased more than ever, I believe, in the last 20 years. When this letter was sent off to study solutions in 1986, it was incredibly visionary because it was before climate change was even talked about much. Yet this group of Senators was able to see the negative impacts of this coming down the pike. By the way, when we talk about negative impacts of climate change-- you probably have this, Senator Whitehouse, but somebody ought to put together how many hundreds of billions of dollars we have spent on natural disasters in the last 10 or 12 years compared to how much we spent in years previous. I can tell you, it was a few years ago that every State in the Union except one or maybe two had a natural disaster. That is because our climate is changing. It is because our climate is getting more erratic. I have seen it on our farm. I have seen August turn from the driest month to one of the wettest months. Over the last 20 years, I have seen a reservoir--a reservoir is a manmade area to hold water for livestock. I have seen a reservoir that never went dry from the time my father built it in the early 1950s to going dry for consecutive years. I have seen dangerous floods. I have seen water where we have never had it before. I have seen drought like we have never had it before. I would just say, in regard to that, we just had a vote on a guy by the name of Wheeler, whom the President nominated to lead the EPA, who actually is one of these guys who doesn't believe in climate change at all. I don't know where the President finds these people, and I don't know how this body can support somebody who is this big of a denier, who wants to slow enforcement on polluters. There is one thing we need to keep in mind in this country when we try to put people like Wheeler up for head of EPA. If you take a look at the third-world nations in this world, those are the nations that have destroyed their resource base. If you want to pollute our water and if you want to pollute our air, that is destroying our resource base. I guarantee you, that is not a way to make America great. It is not even a way to keep America great. This nominee is rolling back the clean water rule. He has allowed more uses for asbestos in commerce when, in our State of Montana, Libby can tell you all about asbestos. People are still dying from its effects. That aside--the Wheeler nomination, which is a catastrophe in itself--I could tell you that the Senators who stood on this very floor 33 years ago understood--understood--that we have a challenge in front of us greater than any other challenge we have faced before, and that is climate. As we talk about what they did in 1986--we are in 2019 now--now is the time to come up with some workable solutions--workable for our climate and workable for our economy--to get our arms around this very serious problem. I am going to tell you what is at risk here. I love Nevada, but I don't want Montana turning into an ecosystem like Nevada has. We raise some of the best wheat and the best cattle and the best post-crops in the world, but it takes a predictable environment to do that. In some places in our State, we are on the edge of desertification, turning into desert. The issue that revolves around climate change impacts each and every one of us in this body. Whether we are in denial or not, that is a fact, and it is incumbent upon us, as Senators who represent great States all around this Nation, to come up with solutions that our kids and our grandkids will be proud of. I yield the floor back to Senator Whitehouse.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, before I start with my comments, I want to associate my thoughts and views on Mr. Miller with Ranking Member Udall's points on Native American sovereignty and Mr. Miller's current job and what he has done in that.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to remember the life of a Montanan who dedicated his career to working on behalf of Native Americans across the Nation. John Bushman was born in Montana and grew up in Wolf Point on the Fort Peck Reservation, before moving to San Francisco and eventually Washington, DC, where he entered into public service, first working for the Department of the Interior before serving as chief counsel for the Committee on Indian Affairs. I'm honored to serve on that Committee, which works hard every day to ensure our government upholds its treaty and trust responsibilities to Indian Country. A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, John worked for Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota on issues relevant to Native Americans across the country. He eventually served as the Tribal Director for the Department of Health and Human Services. His service didn't end in retirement; John continued to make a difference for others by volunteering often, including with the Salute Military Golf Association, which teaches wounded veterans how to play golf. I stand to honor John's memory, and in the hope that others may be inspired by his legacy of service.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Today is a special day. Today is a culmination of years of work. I mean that. We were literally on the floor 7 or 8 years ago with a bill similar to this one that did not get across the finish line. We were here 2 years after that and 2 years after that, and now we are here today. Before she leaves the floor, I want to thank Senator Murkowski for her leadership. Senator Cantwell is not here, but I want to thank her for the work she has done on this bill because it was big. I want to thank Senator Manchin for continuing the legacy of these two, and, hopefully, it can continue over the next year. Quite frankly, bills like this don't get done every day, and they don't get done by accident. They get done by leadership and folks working hard. I thank both of you. If Senator Cantwell is listening, thank you very much for the work that has been done. I am very proud to stand here on behalf of countless Montana small businesses and community members who had a crazy idea a few years ago about not wanting an out-of-State mining company--actually, not even wanting an out-of-country mining company, a foreign mining company--to expand the mine on the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park. I am standing here today to tell them that I heard them. I listened to them, and I was not going to stop until this bill was signed into law. I want to take you back about 4 years. A group of small business owners who cared about the future of their community got together after they caught wind of two mining companies that were planning to expand their operations on nearby public land, which threatened the area's rapidly growing outdoor economy--one of the fastest growing economies in the State of Montana. This mine expansion was set to take place in a place we call Paradise Valley. That place is called Paradise Valley for an obvious reason. It truly is a piece of paradise. It is the headwaters of the Yellowstone River, which is one of the longest undammed rivers in the world. Paradise Valley is flanked on both sides by legendary mountain ranges: the Gallatins and Absarokas. It is the gateway to our Nation's first national park, Yellowstone. These business owners--who ran fly shops, breweries, guide and outfitter businesses, and dozens of other local hangouts--were relying on literally hundreds of thousands of visitors to flock to this region to experience something they can experience nowhere else on Earth. They were rightly concerned that multiple large-scale mining operations would put their local economy at risk and, in fact, put them out of business. I went in October of 2015 and met with these folks. I listened to their concerns that these mines would devastate their businesses and the breathtaking landscape in which they have chosen to live. In that moment, it was clear to me that the community needed permanent protection. So I announced my intent to introduce a bill--one of the bills that is in this lands package that we are taking up here today-- to do exactly that: Provide permanent protection for Paradise Valley. After months of working together, this bill became known as the Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act. This bill is a result of collaboration; it is the result of hard work, and it does exactly what is in the title. It will protect the gateway to Yellowstone by permanently eliminating the ability of proposed mines to expand onto public land near the doorstep of our Nation's first national park, Yellowstone. Responsible, natural resource development plays an important role in Montana's economy, but there are simply some places where you should not drill or dig, and one of those is at the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park. By permanently protecting the gateway, we can protect thousands of jobs and billions of dollars that flow into Montana's economy every year. Senator Manchin talked about the impact of the outdoor economy on West Virginia. We are very much a part of that outdoor economy. Fly fishermen spend more than $70 million annually at these local businesses while trying to earn the respect of Yellowstone River's brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout. In total, the communities in Park County see nearly $200 million pumped into their local economy every year, a trend that continues to rise and rise rapidly. Quite frankly, if you haven't been there, I will just explain it this way to you: God doesn't make places like this everywhere. It is a special place. It is a place so special that the people who live there understand that it could go away with one bad decision. So we need to protect it and protect those small businesses and protect that way of life. That is why this week, as we pass this lands package that the Yellowstone Gateway Protection bill is a part of, these business owners now can sleep at night, knowing that the businesses they have built over the past many decades will continue and they will be able to continue to look for the opportunity that God has created into Paradise Valley. But this Yellowstone Gateway Protection Act isn't the only provision that Montanans are fighting for. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is the best conservation tool this country has. It does a lot of really good things, including access to public lands, including making sure we have more of our hunting, fishing, and hiking spots available to folks who don't have to be millionaires. Since this Land and Water Conservation Fund was founded some 5 decades ago, LWCF has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to increase outdoor activities on our public lands. We have used it to preserve tens of thousands of acres of the world-class elk habitat in central Montana. We invested LWCF dollars to increase fishing access sites along the rivers that Norman McLean made so famous in ``A River Runs Through It''--the Blackfoot and the Missouri. LWCF is a driver of Montana's ever-growing, increasing $7 billion-a-year outdoor economy. Best of all, it is paid for by offshore drilling fees, so it doesn't cost the taxpayer a dime. Despite all of this success, the majority has allowed LWCF to expire twice in the last 4 years. I will tell you that this uncertainty has taken a toll on Montana's hunters, hikers, anglers, and businesses, which rely on our Nation's best conservation tool. This lands package will again guarantee that LWCF will never expire again. It permanently reauthorizes this very successful initiative, and it guarantees that Montanans and all Americans have the long-term ability to expand and protect public access for future generations-- ecosystems that, by the way, may not be around in another 10 or 20 years. Passing this legislation is a big win for our public lands and for the outdoor economy, but our work is not done yet. We have more work to do. Permanently reauthorizing LWCF is very, very important, but where the rubber really meets the road is LWCF funding. LWCF was authorized to receive $900 million some 50 years ago. In the President's budget last year, he proposed $8 million for LWCF. Remember what I just said. Over 50 years ago, it was meant to have $900 million. Last year, the President's budget proposed $8 million--a cut of nearly a half billion dollars from the previous year. After Congress rejected that proposal and it appropriated a little over $400 million for LWCF, nearly every Member of the majority, except one, right after we put those dollars in, voted to rescind a chunk of those dollars. So the fact of the matter is that without mandatory funding, our public lands will remain a victim to this political seesaw. Save for the sake of our public lands, for the sake of our kids, and for the sake of clean air and clean water, I think this bipartisan lands package serves as a launching point toward mandatory funding for LWCF. I know there is already a bipartisan bill out there that does exactly that. So I would just say that we have part of the job done. We ought not to be taking victory laps for doing part of the job. We have more work to do, and that is to fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and, hopefully, we will get a bipartisan effort to do exactly that because these are important investments. They are investments that will maintain a quality of life not only today but tomorrow, for future generations and for them the opportunity to reap the kind of economic rewards that we do because of the foresight and vision of generations that came before us. I yield the floor.