Jon Tester

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I would like to thank the body for this bill. This is an omnibus, and I am going to vote for it. There are some things that are disturbing about it--there is no doubt about that--not to mention the fact that Congress took 7 months to take care of this plan for the long term, which created uncertainty out there on the ground. There were 7 months when Congress sat on their hands, which left towns, hospitals, airports, and our citizenry in the lurch. But it does do some good things, and I think it does reflect the values of rural America, which I think is really important. I think it is a responsible budget for rural America in States like Montana. One of the things it does that I think is entirely appropriate is that it pushes the Education Department to reconsider the Upward Bound grant applications that were denied because of ridiculous--and I do mean ridiculous--format requirements, which will allow first-generation college kids to be able to go to college. What the Department of Education did with the Upward Bound Program is the worst of the bureaucracy that government can allow. This bill helps fix that. It gives the Department of Education a pair of glasses so they can apply a little common sense to their rules. It also does some good things for our national parks, it does some good things for our bases, and it does some good things to help our natural resources. But since I am ranking member on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I can tell you that overall, I think it really fits the needs of our homeland security, whether it is border security or cyber security. I think it is a responsible bill to help invest in our economy moving forward while keeping this country secure. With that, I would encourage a ``yes'' vote on this bill. I would just ask that next time around, which is going to start immediately, we let the subcommittees on appropriations do their work and bring these subcommittee bills to the floor. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for 3 minutes, and it will probably be less than that.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I thank the majority leader.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise to remember the life of a journalist, a husband, a father, a community leader, a guy by the name of Don Dunwell. Dunwell was known for his thoughtful interviewing style, creative storytelling, his ability to connect with the thousands of viewers who entrusted him to deliver the news to them. It was common to find Don teaching and mentoring young reporters about the ins and outs of journalism. He believed fiercely in the free press and strong ethics that were required to be a trusted source of information. He never took his platform for granted, and he used it to make Montana and this Nation a better place. Outside the newsroom, he was a proud father to John, working hard each day to ensure that his son had every opportunity possible. Don was immensely proud of his wife Mary Ann who charted her own path as a public servant. Today, we remember the life and the legacy of Don Dunwell and aim to follow in his ever-fervent footsteps. Don was 82 when he passed. He was bitten by a bug that made him look much younger than that, but he was a fine man and a good friend. I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, there is no place on this planet like the Crown of the Continent, Glacier National Park. For over 100 years, families have flocked to Glacier National Park to experience the breathtaking views, unique wildlife, and the pristine landscapes that can't be found anywhere else on earth. In fact, last year, more than 2.3 million people visited Glacier National Park to hike above Lake McDonald, bike across the Continental Divide, and experience the Going to the Sun Road. Today we mark the next chapter of the distinctive history of Glacier National Park. Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park have collectively become the first transcontinental National Parks to secure ``dark sky'' status. To achieve this prestigious status, Glacier National Park has retrofitted nearly 30 percent of its light fixtures and is committing to continue to identify ways to limit artificial light within the park. By achieving this status, Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks have provided the public with even more reasons to explore the outdoors in northwest Montana and southwest Alberta. Not only do dark skies play an important role in outdoor recreation and late-night stargazing, but they are critical to wildlife migrations and habitats within the parks. This wouldn't be possible without Glacier Park superintendent Jeff Mow. Their leadership has ushered Glacier National Park into a new era and provided millions of folks around the world with the opportunity to fall in love again with our great outdoors. Thank you again for your outstanding work.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of Gov. Sonny Perdue for Secretary of the Department of Agriculture. As the only active farmer in the U.S. Senate, I have high expectations of the next Ag Secretary. Over the past 2 weeks, like millions of other farmers across this country, I have been on my farm and out in the fields, planting peas and wheat and safflower. When you are on the tractor day in and day out, from sunrise to sunset, you have a lot of time to think, and over these past 2 weeks, I have been thinking a lot about the important role Mr. Perdue will play in strengthening rural America. A lot has changed in the 100 years since my grandparents homesteaded our farm. New technology and improved equipment has made us more efficient producers, but a consolidation in the marketplace has taken its toll on rural communities. The shrinking number of family farms has depopulated rural communities like the one I grew up in. Today, a combination of consolidation and low commodity prices is taking its toll on family farmers and ranchers. Commodity prices are low across the board. In fact, in some cases, markets are below the cost of production. At the same time, we have seen rising input costs. The price of fertilizer and seed is increasing at the same time that we have seen prices decrease. To make matters worse, the big guys use tough times like this to sweep up the family farms and ranches and add to their bottom lines at the expense of hardworking folks who are trying to keep their operations in the family. The next Ag Secretary needs to work with Senators from rural States like Montana to identify ways to reverse this trend of consolidation because when a family farm goes under, the ripple is felt across the community as schools lose funding, and the local grocery stores and hardware stores lose customers. Yet this is not the first time rural America has stood nose to nose with adversity. We had adversity in the dirty thirties, and we fought through the high interest rates of the 1970s. I know folks in rural America will overcome adversity once again, but in order to do so, we need an Ag Secretary who will ensure that we are supporting rural communities, not pulling the rug out from underneath them. This means pushing back against the draconian budget cuts that have been put forward by this administration. The proposed budget slashes 21 percent from the USDA. That is nearly $5 billion. These budget cuts undermine important resources in rural America across this country and in Montana. The proposed budget also guts the Farm Service Agency--a one-stop shop where farmers and ranchers sign up for critical ag initiatives. If cuts are made to the Farm Service Agency, farmers and ranchers will likely be forced to travel greater distances to get the assistance they rely on to create jobs in communities like Havre and that they rely on to put food on the tables of this country. The proposed budget also eliminates the rural Water & Wastewater Loan & Grant Program. When communities cannot access the resources they need to update critical water and watershed infrastructure, rural families suffer. Quite frankly, the White House's budget will be a nail in the coffin for rural America. The USDA budget needs to reflect the needs of rural communities. That means increasing resources for farmers and ranchers and improving access to high-speed broadband for schools, businesses, and families. It also means boosting overhead support and loans for mom-and-pop businesses. The next Ag Secretary needs to fight for a USDA budget that works for rural families. Once Mr. Perdue is confirmed, I urge him to take the initiative and fight against these damaging cuts that will hurt rural America. In addition to the USDA budget, we are a year away from the expiration of the farm bill. Over the past 6 months, I have traveled across Montana and have met with folks to discuss their priorities for the next farm bill. With wheat prices at a decade low and with ranchers experiencing an incredible plunge in cattle prices, it is critical that we construct a farm bill that works for family farms and ranches. I do not believe the next farm bill will solve all of the challenges we are facing today, but it should give certainty to farmers and ranchers who could be a bad storm or a cold winter away from losing their livelihoods. Once Mr. Perdue is confirmed, I will be asking him to take an active role in this debate to ensure that the next farm bill meets the needs of family farmers and ranchers. I urge Mr. Perdue to help me educate folks in this body and in the White House that the safety net is more than a talking point. Preserving the safety net in the next farm bill will ensure that a bad year does not wipe out family farms and ranches across this country. Families in rural America want a fair opportunity to succeed, and the farm bill should be a tool that works for small-scale producers, not just for the big guys. Finally, I urge Mr. Perdue to work hand in hand with us westerners to make sure we are responsibly managing our forests. Breaking through the management gridlock in our national forests will reduce fire risks and will put folks back to work. I have been a long supporter of collaborative efforts to increase active forest management, improve recreation opportunities on our public lands, and preserve these special places for future generations. Republicans and Democrats have worked together to propose important reforms that end fire-borrowing and fund our response to forest fires like we fund other natural disasters. These are the kinds of solutions we need to increase active forest management and put folks back to work in the woods, and I look forward to the next Ag Secretary joining our efforts. The USDA has a lot on its plate, and rightfully so. There are major issues facing our farmers and ranchers in rural communities and national forests, and it is time to tackle these issues head-on. I think Governor Perdue is a standup man. I appreciate our open and honest conversations about the need to work together to strengthen rural America, and I am more than willing to give him a fair shake, but I will be honest. These problems are too great to ignore through the honeymoon period. I expect Governor Perdue to hit the ground running so we can invest in rural families, improve opportunities for farmers and ranchers, and break through the gridlock that plagues our national forests. I look forward to tackling these issues with Mr. Perdue, and I encourage my colleagues to give Mr. Perdue the same fair shake. I yield the floor.

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

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, today I wish to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell, MT, and to honor the many contributions that FVCC has made in northwest Montana. In 1967, Dr. Larry Blake was hired as the first president of FVCC, and months later, he opened the doors to 611 students who made up the very first class. Fifty years later, over 3,500 students are enrolled in FVCC and studying more than 100 degree and certificate programs. The campus today is unrecognizable to those who studied at its original downtown location, and in recent years, I have seen the new campus boom with the construction of additional education facilities, laboratories, and campus housing. In 2001, Jane Karas was hired as the 11th president of FVCC, and she has been instrumental in the growth of the region's largest higher education institution. Under Jane Karas's leadership, FVCC has expanded the nursing school and developed a renowned culinary school that has helped meet the growing demand for jobs in the communities that lay in the shadow of Glacier National Park. In addition to serving thousands of students in Kalispell, FVCC operates a satellite campus an hour away in Libby, MT. Over the past 50 years, FVCC has made a profound impact in Montana, and I join all of the Montanans who can't wait to see what they have in store for the next 50 years.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to be allowed to speak for up to 3 minutes.

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

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today with a warning about S.J. Res. 34. This measure undermines the privacy of all Montanans and all Americans. It is a measure I strongly oppose because it takes the refs off the field, leaving consumers at the whim of internet service providers. It allows these companies to sell our data--to sell my data--and to snoop through your search history and to track the sites we visit. In other words, it allows internet companies to make a profit by invading your privacy. It gives them the ability to collect and sell your physical location, information about your children, your health, finances, Social Security number, and web browsing history. In fact, this legislation even extends to apps and your social media accounts. Following the vote that we had here on this floor, a Republican State senator from Buffalo, MT, proposed an amendment to our State budget to push back against this irresponsible resolution. In my home State of Montana, folks on both sides of the aisle are deeply concerned about their right to privacy. Now folks you don't even know can have access to the websites you visit, and they can have this access without your consent. This is another troubling step that folks in Congress have taken this year to violate the rights of privacy of law-abiding citizens. We already have a CIA Director who has advocated for the most intrusive acts of the PATRIOT Act. We have a Supreme Court nominee before us who supports the government's ability to reach into the private lives of law-abiding Americans. Now Congress is rolling out the red carpet for major corporations to collect and sell our personal online information. Enough is enough. I am here today to provide a voice for all Montanans and all Americans who value their right to privacy, who expect their elected officials to defend civil liberties, to stand up for constitutional rights, and who do not want private information collected and shopped around like a used book on Amazon. When the President decided to sign this resolution last night, he ushered in the latest significant threat to our right to privacy. Now it is the responsibility of service providers to protect our personal information online. I think folks in Montana and across this country have the right to question the priorities of those who supported this resolution. Everyone has a fundamental right to privacy, and the government shouldn't be in the business of violating those individual rights, especially when doing the bidding of big companies looking to make more profits at the expense of people's privacy. I want it to be known in this body that Montanans don't want anyone snooping around in their private lives, neither the government nor corporations. It is fundamental to our Montana values. Protecting online privacy is critical to the integrity of basic, fundamental freedom, of fundamental civil liberty. I urge all my colleagues to make their voices heard on this critical issue. I yield the floor.

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, I know of no further debate on the bill. The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading and was read the third time.

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I want to thank Senator Moran and members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee for all their good work, Senator McCain for his good work, and Chairman John Isakson for his good work on this bill. This Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act is an important piece of legislation that is going to really ensure that veterans can access care in their communities. It is a critically important piece of legislation that we should get done and get done now. I think this body could learn from the work that was done on the Veterans' Affairs Committee under the leadership of Chairman Isakson for the veterans of this country. I don't think my home State of Montana is any exception. Veterans have been waiting far too long for an appointment at the VA and oftentimes had to drive 100 miles for an appointment. That is why we set up the Choice Program. It was supposed to allow these veterans to get their healthcare closer to home. Unfortunately, it did not work the way it should have. And we were inundated with redtape and a government contractor that struggled to schedule appointments with providers on time. This Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act is not the end all. It is not what is going to fix the Choice Program in its entirety, but it certainly is a step in the right direction, a step that needed to be taken, and I commend the body for allowing this step to be taken. I yield the floor.

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 544 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I would like to thank the good Senator from Kansas for his comments and his leadership not only on the VA Committee on which we both serve but also as chairman of the Appropriations MILCON-VA Subcommittee, the subcommittee that really sees how the money is going to be utilized within the VA. I think Senator Moran has covered just about all of it. I just want to go back and say one thing. We are going to have a unanimous consent. I am told there will be an objection to it. That is truly unfortunate because this has been a bipartisan effort. It has cleared everyone in the Senate except one person, to my knowledge, and I think that is unfortunate. One of the complaints I hear is that the primary payer provision of this bill is the problem. The primary payer provision of this bill requires the VA to be exactly that--the primary payer of the bills. My question would be, Why is this a bad thing? Right now veterans are being hamstrung and delayed, and the folks who provide the benefits, the providers, are not getting the dollars in a timely manner. I would just ask, if the VA is not going to be the primary payer, who is? These folks have put it on the line for this country, and they come back in different shape than when they left, after they bore the battles of war. Some of the injuries are seen; some of the injuries are unseen. And we are not going to say ``You know what. Don't worry about it. We are going to make sure you get the care, and we are going to make sure it is paid for''? It is part of the cost of war. So when we send our young men and women off to war, we ought to be thinking about this stuff. And we have a solution. We have a solution to part of the problems with the Choice Program. If we get this bill passed, it will give us the opportunity to work together to get a long-term bill passed before the first of the year to really address the needs of our veterans so that there are wraparound services at the VA that veterans can count on. I would just say that this is supposed to be a very deliberative body, and for the most part, it is pretty deliberative. But when you have a situation of a program that we put into effect--that Congress passed and the Senate had a big part of writing--and it is not working, we ought to fix it, and this bill fixes it in good part. We have some more to do, as I said, but this bill is a step in the right direction in cutting redtape and making it easier for veterans to find care and get care, whether it is in the VA or outside the VA. It is also something that the Veterans Administration sorely needs to move it forward. I just want to say that we come in here and we have good arguments and good discussions, and sometimes politics comes into the discussion. In this particular case, folks have come to the table--whether it is Senator Isakson or Senator McCain or Senator Moran or me or any of the others on the Veterans' Affairs Committee--and we have come up with a solution that 99 percent of the people in this body agree with, but we can't get it across the finish line. And we wonder why our popularity is in the single digits in this country. I am just going to close by saying I want to thank everybody from both sides of the aisle who worked together to get this bill crafted and get this bill to this point. I hope that at some point in time, people will take a look at this bill for what it does and realize that there aren't bogeymen in this bill, that our veterans deserve us to work together to find solutions to move the ball forward so they can get the healthcare they were promised when they signed on the dotted line to protect this country.

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the bipartisan Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act. I will start my remarks by saying that Chairman Isakson was here earlier, and he had a meeting he had to get to. Johnny has been through a tough surgery, and it is good to have Johnny back. But the fact of the matter is he supports this bill. He is an original cosponsor of this bill. The same could be said of Senator Blumenthal, who also had a meeting and wanted to be here, once again. We heard from Senator Schatz earlier. This bill truly has bipartisan support, not only in the VA Committee but also in this body. The reason people support this piece of legislation is because it brings much needed reforms to the Choice Program while ensuring that veterans can access care in their communities. It is a good bill. A few years back, the Choice Program was established with the very best of intentions. In my home State of Montana, it is a fact that veterans were waiting far too long for an appointment at the VA and oftentimes had to drive over 100 miles for the appointment. The Choice Program was supposed to allow these veterans to access care closer to home. Unfortunately, it has not been working out the way it should, and veterans have been inundated with redtape and a government contractor that struggles to schedule appointments and pay providers on time. That is why we all worked together--Democrats and Republicans and even Independents--on this bill to put forth these much needed reforms. The Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act cuts redtape so veterans can access care more quickly. In fact, I made it clear from the get-go that I would not vote to extend the Choice Program until Congress and the VA have addressed some of the biggest concerns I have been hearing from Montana veterans and community providers. Once we get the bill passed, this program reimburses community providers more quickly for the care they provide to our veterans. It reduces out-of-pocket costs for veterans receiving care through the Choice Program. It improves the sharing of medical records between the VA and the community providers to better ensure seamless care for veterans, whether they are seeing a VA doctor or a doctor in their community. It allows the VA to access all the funding initially appropriated for this program to ensure that veterans' access to care is not disrupted. This bill is not going to fix everything, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. With this legislation, combined with assurances that I have received from VA Montana, VA folks within the State will be allowed to schedule appointments for Montana's veterans directly instead of going through an inept government contract. It is my hope that we can make the Choice Program work the way it was intended when we first set it up, with the goal of serving those who have served our country. I again express my appreciation for taking this bill up on the floor, this Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act, and I think it is a prime example of how this body needs to work together to solve problems--in this case, for our veterans community. We should push this bill out as soon as possible. I yield the floor to Senator Moran.

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I was going to ask for unanimous consent that S. 544, the bill we have been talking about, be discharged for immediate consideration, and then someone would have to object to that unanimous consent request--otherwise it would move forward. I am going to do this on Monday. I hope the Senator who is truly going to object to this will have the opportunity to talk to Secretary Shulkin and Chairman Isakson, and he will find out that both those people are in support of this bill. Hopefully we can come in and do a unanimous consent and get this bill passed on Monday. This is a bill that is good for America's veterans. I think it is good for our community providers, and I think it is very good for the VA. We will hold off today and take care of this after the weekend. I would like to once again thank all the folks who worked on this bill. A special thank-you to Senator Moran for his statements today. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

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

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I wish to initially speak about the bipartisan Veterans Choice Program Improvement Act, but first I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TESTER

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

Mr. TESTER

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

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I am very pleased to see the majority of the Senate move forward and vote on the nomination of a fellow westerner, Montana's Congressman, and the next Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke. I appreciate Ryan's willingness to serve in this very important post. The Department of the Interior is vital to Montana's economy, and I am glad to see someone from the West selected to lead it. The job of the Interior Secretary is critically important, especially today as America's public lands come under attack by way too many folks who want to see them transferred to the States or outright sold off. Selling them off to the States is the first step in selling our public lands to the highest bidder, and we can't let that happen. Congressman Zinke has publicly said that he will not sell off our public lands nor transfer them to the States, and in Montana, your word is your bond. For that, I am pleased to support his nomination. Congressman Zinke's to-do list is no doubt long, and I look forward to working with him to check that list off for the people of Montana. Montana is home to some of the world's most prized public lands, including Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The fact is, our public lands are huge economic drivers, creating and sustaining more than 64,000 jobs in Montana alone through our outdoor recreation economy and thereby pumping billions of dollars back into our local economies. That is why, when a foreign mining company threatened the gateway to Yellowstone National Park, I was pleased that Congressman Zinke expressed interest in joining me and local businesses and community leaders to protect it. I look forward to working with him to permanently safeguard the doorstep of Yellowstone National Park because Montanans know there are some places more valuable than gold, and Yellowstone is one of those places. I feel confident that Congressman Zinke will handle the issues before him with Montana common sense--issues like our national parks, and coming up with a responsible solution to the deferred maintenance backlog that is wreaking havoc on our national park system; the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and how to work with Congress and work in this administration to ensure full and devoted funding to initiatives like LWCF, the visionary Land and Water Conservation Fund; in Indian country, living up to our trust responsibilities that we owe to America's sovereign Indian nations; and in resource development, how to responsibly manage our public lands for energy and resource development, and how to balance that with respect to clean water and clean air and wildlife. Of course, there are always some issues where Congressman Zinke and I don't see eye-to-eye, but he has publicly committed to working with Congress to try and address some of the most important issues of this Nation's economy as it applies to our public lands. Montana's economy is no exception, and I will take him at his word. As a Montanan, I know how important the Department of the Interior is to our way of life, and I am optimistic that Congressman Zinke will do right by Montana and the country in his new role. Montana will be watching. For that matter, the country will be watching, and I know Congressman Zinke will make us proud. I yield the floor. I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. TESTER

Mr. TESTER. Madam President, folks are coming to Montana from all over this country because of our clean air and clean water and the habitat it provides. Not only Montanans, but this entire country respects clean air and clean water. In fact, in Montana, it is Montana's Constitution that says we value clean air and clean water. The reason we place such a high importance on clean air and clean water is because we see what happens when it is put at risk. On numerous occasions, Montanans have been victims to corporations who treated Montana like a Third World country. They reaped the value of our natural resources, and then they left the American taxpayer to clean up the mess. Folks like the Anaconda Company, W.R. Grace, Glencore, just to name a few. They left a mess. It wasn't the EPA that left that mess. It was these corporations, and it is the EPA's job to make sure they clean up this mess, not out of the pocketbook of the American taxpayer. These folks, these corporations, have put our clean air and clean water at risk. Not only did they contaminate the land, they contaminated our local economies. One of the largest Superfund sites in this country is in Butte, MT. It took 16 years, nearly $150 million to clean up just a portion--just a small portion of what the Anaconda Company left behind after mining copper in Southwest Montana. In Libby, hundreds of people have died, and over 1,000 people are ill because of asbestosis due to asbestos exposure. Even though a local vermiculite mine closed in 1990, folks are still getting sick due to asbestos-related diseases. And for years, I have been fighting alongside the folks at Columbia Falls, MT, to hold Glencore accountable to that community for the cyanide and arsenic they left abandoned on the banks of the Flathead River near the gateway of Glacier National Park. Companies that put our clean water at risk cannot be trusted because they never stick around to clean up the mess they have made. We have seen it firsthand. And that is why we need an EPA Administrator who is going to side with the American taxpayer, with local economies, with local families, and hold the polluters and contaminators accountable for their shortsighted actions. It is for these reasons that I cannot support Scott Pruitt's nomination for Administrator of the EPA. Throughout his career, he has consistently sided with the big polluters over the local businesses and the local families. I am not convinced that Mr. Pruitt understands the critical role that clean air and clean water plays in agriculture and our outdoor economies. In my conversations with Mr. Pruitt, I received no assurances that he will be a champion for Montana's family farmers, ranchers, those who love to hunt, fish, and hike in Big Sky Country. Mr. Pruitt has endorsed policies that will put Montana jobs at risk and put our outdoor heritage on the ropes. Don't just take my word for it. Thousands of Montanans have contacted my office regarding Mr. Pruitt's nomination. Caitlin from Libby wrote me: No community understands the grave impact lack of regulation or failure to enforce environmental regulations can have on a community like Libby does. Four hundred people died in Libby because W.R. Grace mined vermiculite that was contaminated with asbestos. . . . These people died . . . when they were just doing their job. Libby doesn't want or need another person that looks the other way while big corporations prey on hard-working people. Stephen from Corvallis wrote: I am a farmer in Montana, and I regularly use pesticides, where I hope the EPA has my back to make sure these things are safe for me and the environment. . . . Farming continues to be less predictable, due to a change in climate. I want someone in that position that has my back as a farmer, not someone that questions broad scientific consensus. Rich is a retired public lands manager from Stevensville who wrote me saying this about Pruitt: Is not fit to be leading an agency responsible for protecting wildlife, clean water, clean air, and leading the charge of addressing a changing climate. Pruitt is anti- science, routinely disregarding well-established studies involving climate change. I recently retired . . . the thought of the possible damage and undoing of what I've lived and worked for over my [entire] life by this man is disheartening to say the least. Look, folks, the Earth's climate is changing. There is no ifs, ands, or buts about that. If we want to be able to continue to take our fly rod and go fishing down those rivers, you have to have somebody in the EPA who will ensure that we have clean water and clean air. I will tell you something that happened in Montana for the first time this year. The Yellowstone River closed. The bottom reason for it was the water warmed that much. If you are going to have good habitat for fisheries, if you are going to have good habitat for elk and big game hunting, if you are going to be able to go up in the mountains and hike, fish, bike, and do the things we do in Montana, you have to have somebody in the EPA that makes a difference. What we do today will not be felt today. It will be felt tomorrow. That is why today we need a man in the position of EPA who will fight for clean water and clean air. It is critical to our survival, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Stephen, Caitlyn and Rich are right. We need folks in the administration who will stand up and understand the value of clean air and clean water. Unfortunately, the President has nominated someone who can't deliver. Therefore, I will oppose Mr. Pruitt's nomination and urge my colleagues to do the same. I yield the floor.