Senate
Page S2207 · Official textThe Senate met at 10 a.m. and was called to order by the President pro tempore (Mr. Grassley).
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Vol. 172, No. 80 · 119th Congress, 2nd session
Prayer
Page S2207 · Official textThe Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, offered the following prayer: Let us pray. O God, our rock and fortress, we trust the unfolding of Your loving providence. May our lawmakers find refuge in the shadow of Your citadel. Give our Senators eyes that are willing to see their own mistakes, to be patient with the faults of others, and to persevere until Your purposes are accomplished. May our legislators walk with reverence and sensitivity through life's wind, rain, and sunshine. Lord, give them steadfast hearts as they strive to glorify You. Open their minds to think Your thoughts and their hearts to do Your will. We pray in your merciful Name. Amen.
Pledge of Allegiance
Page S2207 · Official textThe President pro tempore led the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (174 characters)
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Reservation of Leader Time
Page S2207 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Armstrong)
Under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.
Conclusion of Morning Business
Page S2207 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Morning business is closed.
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR (Executive Session)
Page S2207 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Under the previous order, the Senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report.
The senior assistant executive clerk read the nomination of Kevin Warsh of Florida, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a period of fourteen years from February 1, 2026.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Iowa.
National Debt (Executive Session)
Page S2207 · Official textMr. President, last week, I held 12 Q&As in 12 different counties during our Senate recess. Not in every county, but in some counties, a question like this comes up: What are you going to do about the national debt?
I usually say to the person asking the question: You could have asked me an easier question.
So I come to the floor to speak to an announcement that was made last week--an announcement that ought to scare all Americans but particularly those of us in the Congress of the United States--and it was not a surprise announcement. The United States recently eclipsed a fiscal milestone. At the end of March, the Nation's publicly held debt surpassed the value of all goods and services produced in our economy. Another way to say that is that our national debt as a percentage of our gross national product was more than 100 percent.
Outside of a momentary blip during the pandemic, the Nation hasn't exceeded this mark since 1946. Passing this threshold should be a wake-up call to Congress to get the Nation's fiscal house in order. In 1946, debt relative to the economy hit its peak and precipitously declined thereafter thanks to the end of World War II. Today, it is just the opposite. Our debt is expected to grow faster than the economy indefinitely, and it ought to be a wake-up call to all of us in the Congress of the United States. In fact, interest on the debt alone is costing American taxpayers $1 trillion annually, and within 10 years, interest costs will top $2 trillion a year.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that does this scoring reminds us with every budget update that this fiscal path is unsustainable.
Economist Herb Stein famously quipped:
Text printed in the Record (48 characters)
If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.
Our debt cannot grow faster than the economy forever. It eventually will stop. The question is, When and how?
We have this choice as Members of Congress representing the people of this country that are very concerned about this situation: We can either work together today to gradually turn the corner or wait until there is a crisis where draconian austerity measures are forced upon us by the national creditors. For the good of the Nation, we must embrace the former option.
I yield the floor.
Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Recognition of the Majority Leader (Executive Session)
Page S2207 · Official textThe majority leader is recognized.
Small Businesses (Executive Session)
Pages S2207–S2208 · Official textMr. President, last week was Small Business Week, and I was glad to be able to host a business roundtable, last Monday, in Aberdeen, SD, and hear directly from small business owners in my State. I was also able to visit the Business and Health Innovation Center on the campus of Northern State University, which houses the Northern Innovation and Startup Center that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs in northeastern South Dakota.
Small Business Week is an important celebration, but the impact that small businesses have is felt literally every day of the year. Nearly half of Americans in the private sector work for a small business. Small businesses are responsible for a majority of the new jobs in this country, and a lot of Americans' first jobs were at a small business, mine included.
There is nothing small about the impact that small businesses have in our country, and Republicans know that any path to economic strength runs through small businesses. That is why they were a key focus of the tax relief we delivered in the Working Families Tax Cuts last year. This landmark bill locked in the lower small business tax rates that Republicans enacted in 2017, giving them certainty to plan for the future. It also made the 199A small business deduction permanent.
I have heard positive feedback on 199A across industries in my State. In South Dakota, an agriculture cooperative estimates the impact of this one policy at over $100 million since 2017, and that money has been able to be passed on to the farmers who are members of that co-op. I am sure that those farmers, like so many small businesses across the country, are relieved that 199A is here to stay.
Mr. President, 199A is just one of the policies in the Working Families Tax Cuts that help free up money so small businesses can invest in their operations and in their employees. Another is the 100-percent bonus depreciation, which is also now a permanent feature of the Tax Code. Bonus depreciation allows business owners to deduct the full cost of a new piece of equipment the year they start using it, rather than spreading that deduction out piecemeal over several years.
Say you are a farmer, and you need to replace your combine, or you are a manufacturer who needs to upgrade your machinery, or you are a plumber who needs a new truck. Those are all big expenses, especially for a small--maybe even, in some cases, a one-person--operation. So bonus depreciation helps small businesses take on that big expense by allowing them to deduct the entire thing in that 1 year.
And the impact will be significant. In fact, a car dealership in my State was able to build an addition and hire 10 more people because of bonus depreciation.
A lot of our small businesses and farms and ranches in South Dakota are family-run operations. Many of them have been in the family for generations, and the plan is to keep them--keep them--in the family for generations to come. Unfortunately, the death tax has too often threatened these plans. When one generation passes the business on to the next, the death tax can take a big bite out of it. It can be devastating, forcing families to sell all or part of their family business, farm, or ranch just to satisfy a big tax bill, not to mention the costly estate planning expenses that many families incur to keep their businesses from being ruined by a death tax bill.
I am very proud that the Working Families Tax Cuts protects a lot more family businesses from this unfair tax. In this bill, Republicans permanently raised the exemption threshold on the death tax, and a lot of small business owners, farmers, and ranchers have breathed a sigh of relief that they won't have to worry about losing their livelihoods when they lose a loved one.
Last week was Small Business Week. It was also Travel and Tourism Week. In South Dakota, tourism is one of our leading industries. Last year, 15 million people visited the Mount Rushmore State. They came to see that iconic monument, to see the South Dakota Badlands and the bison herds at Custer State Park. Some came for conferences in Sioux Falls, others for our legendary pheasant hunting.
All told, last year, tourism brought $5 billion to South Dakota's economy, and I have to think that a lot of that money was spent at our State's small businesses: at our restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries; with tour operators, hunting guides, and outfitters, and many more.
Like the other small businesses in our State, businesses in the tourism industry are benefiting from tax relief in the Working Families Tax Cuts: lower small business tax rates, investment incentives, and the 199A small business deduction.
Some of the most positive feedback I have heard from small business owners about the Working Families Tax Cuts is how much this bill helps their employees. The "no tax on tips" and "no tax on overtime" provisions in this bill are especially--especially--game-changing for folks in hospitality and tourism. That includes waiters and bartenders, of course. It also includes people who work as tour guides, entertainers, and drivers.
Many Americans look forward to the summer for a few days away with their families. For those who work in hospitality and tourism, summer means more customers and more money, and the Working Families Tax Cuts ensures that more of the money they earn stays in their pockets.
Democrats may try to claim the Working Families Tax Cuts was about billionaires, but the American people know the truth. Farmers, ranchers, and small business owners know it is helping them free up money to meet their expenses and invest in their operations and in their employees, and hard-working Americans can see that the Working Families Tax Cuts lets them keep more of their hard-earned money. We call it the Working Families Tax Cuts for a reason, and I am proud to report that working families are benefiting.
Measure Placed on the Calendar--S. 4486
Page S2208 · Official textMr. President, as if in legislative session, I understand that there is a bill at the desk that is due for a second reading.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The leader is correct.
The clerk will read the bill by title for the second time. The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (180 characters)
A bill (S. 4486) to amend title 3, United States Code, to prescribe a process to authorize certain activities at the Executive Residence at the White House, and for other purposes.
Mr. President, in order place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule XIV, I would object to further proceeding.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Recognition of the Minority Leader (Executive Calendar)
Page S2208 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The Democratic leader is recognized.
Inflation (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2208–S2209 · Official textMr. President, first, on inflation and the inflation ballroom, inflation is skyrocketing at the fastest pace in 3 years. The American people are hurting, and Donald Trump is to blame. Inflation rose to 3.8 percent in April because of Donald Trump's costly tariffs, his disastrous war with Iran, and failed economic agenda.
So much for Trump's promise to bring down costs on day one--3.8 percent, the highest in 3 years. And, again, it is all because of Trump's tariffs, his war with Iran, his failed economic agenda.
The American people are furious about how Donald Trump and his MAGA majorities in Congress have turned a blind eye to the No. 1 issue facing the American people: their rising costs.
A CNN poll this morning found that 77 percent of Americans say that Trump's policies have raised costs in their community, and that includes a majority of Republicans. Seventy-seven percent, including a majority of Republicans, blame Trump for their higher costs. Only 30 percent of Americans approve of his handling of the economy. That is a record low.
Among the most common words the poll's respondents used to describe their economic situation right now were: uncertainty, stress, dread.
Donald Trump, are you hearing that? The American people look at your economic policies and describe them as filled with uncertainty, fill them with stress, fill them with dread. That is a pretty strong word.
Instead of listening to the American people, Donald Trump and the GOP put forward a reconciliation bill that will force Americans to pay for Trump's billion-dollar ballroom and tens of billions more for Trump's masked agents, while including zero--zero dollars--to bring down American costs. Ask Americans how many people want to see a billion dollars for a ballroom and no money to help reduce the cost of food, the cost of electricity, the cost of housing, the cost of childcare. When will Republicans take the hint? When will they realize that Americans want lower costs, not a gold-plated ballroom for our billionaire President.
It seems all the President is concerned with these days are vanity projects, not things that make the American people's lives better.
Democrats will fight Republicans' ballroom bill tooth and nail. And Republicans here in the Senate should do the same, if they have any sense.
Can you believe it? You guys are walking off a cliff. Funding a billion-dollar ballroom when people are hurting? It makes no sense. No sense at all.
Iran (Executive Calendar)
Page S2209 · Official textMr. President, now, on Iran and the gas tax, Trump recently signaled to American motorists to buckle up, saying that the cease-fire with Iran is "on life support." The American economy is also on life support because of Trump's mishandling of his illegal war. Americans are paying over $4\1/2\ for a gallon of gas because Donald Trump refuses to end this war--a dollar and a half more than when this war started. Americans need every cent they can get right now, and Senate Democrats will work with whomever it takes to bring down costs. But Republicans need to realize that Donald Trump's proposal to suspend the gas tax is simply not enough. Eighteen cents of gas tax relief a gallon doesn't even come close to the buck-50 gas price increase from this war, and Republicans need to stop pretending that it does. Offering Americans literal pennies on the dollar to cope with skyrocketing gas prices just won't cut it. Mr. President, $0.18 is not $1.50. If Republicans want to get serious about lowering costs, they will support Democrat's War Powers Resolution, coming up once again this week, to withdraw American troops from hostilities with Iran. This week, Republicans will have their seventh opportunity to vote for our War Powers Resolution, get our servicemembers out of harm's way, and rein in these skyrocketing costs. I urge Republicans to join Democrats and the American people by supporting the resolution. Americans can't afford for their economy to be left on life support, which is why we need to end this war and get our economy back on track.
China (Executive Calendar)
Page S2209 · Official textMr. President, on Trump going to China, there is an old saying that only Nixon could go to China, but soon they will say: Only Trump could sell out to China. Xi Jinping has Donald Trump salivating at the prospect of a trillion-dollar Chinese investment deal in America that would threaten America's supply chains, threaten economic independence, threaten national security. Strength in China at the expense of American strength. Donald Trump wants a deal with China so badly, he could sell out our American manufacturing. He could sell out on chips. He could sell out on Taiwan, which produces many of these chips. He could sell out on AI and on any number of grave issues that will determine who dominates the 21st century. Right now, again, to get his photo in the newspapers and try--won't work--to raise his very low poll numbers, he is going to sell out to China. We can't let Trump willingly give China our superior American technology or allow him to serve Taiwan to the Chinese Communist Party on a silver platter, just so he can get the satisfaction of saying he made a deal. For decades, Trump has complained about how China has cheated America. If Donald Trump wants America to outcompete China, he cannot let Xi Jinping take him for a ride.
Hantavirus (Executive Calendar)
Page S2209 · Official textMr. President, on the hantavirus, we continue to pray for all American cruise ship passengers exposed to hantavirus and those who remain in quarantine. I can only imagine how distressing this experience has been. The Trump administration's gutting of America's public health preparedness has made the recent hantavirus outbreak even more alarming. We often say: You don't miss something until it is gone, and that is certainly true of the cruise ship inspectors, disease detectors, port health station staff, and other pandemic experts that Donald Trump purged without a second thought. Cutting the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, as well as a pilot program to study the hantavirus, Trump may as well have invited the virus to our shores. If the Trump administration wants to keep Americans safe, he should follow my plan to rehire the infectious disease experts he fired, to restore the funding for the programs that protect Americans from these illnesses, and to rejoin the World Health Organization and other monitoring organizations to contain these outbreaks before they spread. After COVID-19 struck, we knew it was a question of when--not if--the United States would face another pandemic threat. Instead of investing in public health to meet that threat, the Trump administration has raised the white flag and lowered our defenses. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The majority whip.
Waiving Quorum Call (Executive Calendar)
Page S2209 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to Executive Calendar No. 727 be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Energy (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2209–S2210 · Official textMr. President, I come to the floor today because all around the country, people understand it takes far too long to build something in America. It has to do with permitting.
Americans want to build. We are ready to build. People are ready to finance it. The problem is, to build something in America today, it is costly, it is complex, and there is a cumbersome permitting process. In America, amazingly, you need to get permission from the government to build just about anything.
Now, I represent Wyoming. It is an energy State. It is America's energy breadbasket. We have world-class coal. We have abundant supplies of oil and natural gas. We have the richest uranium deposits in the world. And all of these affordable, available, and reliable forms of American energy are ready to power our country, not just now but for generations to come.
We have world-class energy workers in Wyoming, as you do in your home State of Oklahoma, and we do all across the country. These people are ready to do the job. The Federal permitting process is standing in their way.
The Federal permitting process is fundamentally broken. Permitting has become burdened by bureaucracy and weaponized by litigation, and we have a system that will not let us get to work. American energy, mining, roads, bridges, and buildings--all of them are caught in the crosshairs of a culture of saying no.
Energy projects have been especially delayed by the bureaucrats and the trial lawyers. These are individuals who have never built a thing. Yet they believe they deserve veto power over those who do.
Meanwhile, energy demand in America is rising dramatically. The new energy demand across America is adding up like adding an entire new California to the grid. Those are the needs. Every permitting delay costs our economy and our Nation. Delays mean higher utility bills. Delays mean paychecks are lost, money doesn't get earned. Delays mean fewer investments in our communities. This is all unacceptable.
We need to produce more American energy, and we need to produce more in order to lower costs. The best way to spur the government to issue permits is to impose strict deadlines and to stop these endless lawsuits. It seems that builders need a clear yes or no. And once approved, they need certainty that their permits will endure. That has been a real problem.
There is a law called NEPA. It stands for the National Environmental Policy Act. It is the biggest obstacle. NEPA essentially halts any and all development in its tracks. NEPA was enacted in 1970, and it required costly and sprawling environmental reviews.
America was built by men and women of daring. Now they face delays.
Our forefathers laid steel across mountains, they poured concrete into canyons, and they built towering skyscrapers that still inspire the world. Americans forged our Nation's future with speed and with purpose.
We built the Empire State Building in a little over a year. We built the Hoover Dam in just 5 years. We built the 2000-mile Transcontinental Railroad in just 6 years. That was a long time ago. You could get things done.
Today, a single environmental review with NEPA can take 4 years or longer just to get the review done. That means you can't start construction without spending at least 4 years in the penalty box.
It is embarrassing that it takes so long to approve everyday projects today, much longer than it took to build the wonders of the modern world.
Right now, $1.5 trillion in critical infrastructure is trapped. It is trapped in the desks of unelected, unaccountable, heavyhanded bureaucrats. The money can't move, and Americans pay for every year a project sits on those desks.
To make matters worse, NEPA is also the most litigated of all Federal environmental laws. If you want to do something, you are going to get sued. On average, over 100 lawsuits related to NEPA are filed every year. Malicious lawsuits filed by radical environmental activists lead to higher costs, more delays, no progress. Too many prefer legal molasses to affordable oil and gas.
Just last year, the Supreme Court voted unanimously to limit the scope of NEPA in terms of all these environmental reviews, which have grown dramatically. Justice Kavanaugh wrote in the majority opinion that NEPA has become "a blunt and haphazard tool employed by project opponents . . . to try to stop or at least slow down new infrastructure or construction projects."
The Supreme Court's unanimous opinion is right. NEPA was once called the "environmental Magna Carta." Today, it is a regulatory Berlin Wall.
Since day one, President Trump has prioritized rolling back burdensome regulations. The President has accelerated the permitting process--rightly so. Americans are already seeing the results. We are producing a record amount of energy. But we can do more, and we must do more, and we must do it quickly.
Now is the time for Congress to act. I am soon going to introduce legislation to break the bottlenecks in Federal permitting. This is the No. 1 way to boost American energy and mineral dominance, and to lower prices, lower costs, and lower what has to come out of people's pockets.
My legislation will encourage access to oil and gas resources on Federal lands and offshore. It will also enact commonsense judicial reforms to NEPA.
The Senate has a good start on the permitting process. Senator Manchin and I introduced the Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024. We did that when we were at the Energy Committee together. This was bipartisan legislation designed to fix the Nation's permitting process and the rules. It was carefully negotiated over the course of an entire year, and it earned strong bipartisan support. It passed our Energy and Natural Resources Committee 15 to 4.
Today, Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Senator Mike Lee of Utah are taking the lead to advance commonsense permitting reform using this model as a background. Senator Capito chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Senator Lee chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. They are the key committees for permitting reform. Senator Capito and Senator Lee are doing exemplary work. It is time for all Senators to find common ground on permitting.
Americans still know how to build. We build the best in the world, and we want to build. We are a nation of builders, and we are not a nation of waiters.
That is where we are. We need to get this done, and it is time for America's permitting process to get out of the way.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Immigration (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2210–S2212 · Official textMr. President, we are blessed to live in a nation that has withstood the test of time for 250 years. This country has had its fair share of problems, but we have been able to overcome and get by together, at the end of the day, because we believe in America and what it stands for.
America was founded on a core set of values that have persisted through the years and have given hope to so many who were seeking a better life. American values are rooted in liberty, equality, opportunity, self-governance, and the rule of law.
Liberty means freedom--freedom from tyranny, whether it is political, religious, or economic. Since our founding, individual freedoms have been the foundation of American society. You are free to choose what you believe, how you worship, what work you pursue, and how you build a life for yourself.
Equality means that, in this country, we don't have a caste system. We don't tell people they are stuck where they are born. We believe all men are created equal, and everyone has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background--an opportunity that makes this country very special.
You know, I used to tell my players all the time: This country owes you nothing but an opportunity to achieve what you want to achieve.
Now, you might get knocked to the ground and not make it to that point as soon as you would like, but the country that you love so much--that we all love so much--gives that chance to get back up and go again.
You know, we are the only country that does that, out of 200 in the world we live in.
What you decide to do with that opportunity, after you achieve it, is up to you. That is the American dream. That is what this country is about--the belief that, if you are willing to work hard, you can build a better life. The American dream is unique to this country alone.
For centuries now, people have fled dictatorships, failed governments, and oppression because they knew that dream was real.
Then there is the rule of law--the cornerstone for why our country is so great. No one is above the law--not citizen, not newcomer, not even the government itself. In America, if you live here, you are expected to follow the law, period.
Those are the values that have made this country great. Those are the values that drew generations of immigrants to our shores over 250 years. Sadly--sadly--today, we are not seeing immigrants with the same mentality moving to this country.
For most of our history, people have come here to become Americans. They came here to assimilate. They worked hard, they learned, they followed the law, and they contributed. That is what this country is all about.
Today, we are seeing large numbers--and I mean large numbers--of people coming to this country with no intention of assimilating into our culture or our way of life. People from third-world hellholes are being let into this country who have no desire to adapt to our way of life. They not only refuse to work, but they also choose to take advantage of America's welfare system, forcing hard-working Americans to bankroll their lives.
The question must be asked, why are we letting these people who don't share our values and refuse to assimilate--why are we letting them into our country?
The word "assimilate" is often treated with suspicion because it is often related to racism. But assimilation has absolutely nothing to do with race; it is about values. "Assimilation" doesn't mean you abandon your heritage or your faith or forget where you are from; it is about embracing a new, shared belief system.
People that came here in the past understood this. Examples would be Italian Americans, Greek Americans, German Americans who brought elements of their heritage with them, but they understood that they had new responsibilities. When they embraced this country, they embraced our values: respect the law, be committed to a constitutional government, and participate in the civic duties that enable a society to remain free.
So why are we letting people into this country that don't want to assimilate? Why are we doing that? Immigration is a privilege; it is not an entitlement. This country doesn't owe anyone entry. We don't owe anybody. And somewhere along the way, we lost the ability to discern who we choose to welcome into our great country. We lost it somewhere. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to solve this problem. It really doesn't.
Those who come to this country that want to assimilate, embrace this Nation's core set of values, and contribute to our society should be welcomed with open arms because we are all descendants of immigrants who loved this country. We should accept the best and the brightest, those who are hard workers, intelligent, with skill sets who can provide a quality service to their communities, and people who understand and share the core American values that we all have.
But the problem is that for whatever reason, Western civilization has been guilt-tripped into accepting anyone who wants to come here. That is wrong. That is not what this country was built on.
The Biden and Obama administrations brought in millions of immigrants who have done nothing to make the United States a better place to live--zero. Instead, they have been like leeches, taking advantage of the welfare system and are treating hard-working American taxpayers as their personal ATM machine.
In the last two decades, we have seen a dramatic--I mean, a dramatic--transformation in our society. It has changed and not in a good way. Every time you turn on the news today, you hear about immigrants robbing stores, killing Americans, sexually assaulting and raping women, protesting, and carrying their home country flags instead of the American flag. What is up with this? And where are these immigrants coming from who are committing most of these crimes? Well, you guessed it--from third world countries.
These aren't the kind of people we should be letting into the greatest country on the face of the Earth. It is a privilege, not a right, to live in the United States of America--a privilege--but unfortunately, our immigration system is absolutely broken.
How many more rapes, assaults, murders, stories of these people scamming American taxpayers out of their money do we need to hear before we say enough is enough?
Our immigration system is broken, but no one wants to fix it--nobody in this building or on the other end of this building. Yet, when attempts are made to fix it, Washington resists.
Take temporary protected status for instance. The U.S. House of Representatives a few weeks ago recently voted to extend temporary protected status for roughly 250,000 Haitians. When the Trump administration announced that they were going to terminate the temporary protected status of Haitians, the DC swamp had an absolute meltdown.
You can't do that. These will be voters for us.
As usual, the swamp came out in full force to ensure that these people remained on American soil, putting American taxpayers in harm's way.
According to a House Judiciary Committee report, 91 percent of Haitians with temporary protected status--91 percent--entered the United States illegally and over 50 percent of them are in households that are on at least one welfare program--53 percent. Mind-boggling.
Temporary protected status was never--was never--supposed to be a permanent amnesty program. It was supposed to help people temporarily, give them time to get back on their feet. That is not what is happening. Programs meant to be temporary are becoming permanent right in front of our eyes, and we are not doing anything about it. Policies meant to be limited are being expanded. The American taxpayers are left out in the cold, and the American people are paying every single dime for this huge amnesty bill--billions.
Let me be clear about something: America, this country, is a Christian nation. We are called to love our neighbor and to minister to the poor. That is our job. But we have enough Americans in this country who are in poverty for us to look after and barely enough money to take care of them. We can't take care of all the poor people in the world, folks. That can't happen. For us to remain a society that is free, with values, we have to take care of our own first, and then we take care of other people.
Another problem we are having is immigrants who come here and bring their radical beliefs with them. I have talked to this on the floor many times in the last few months. These people openly chant "Death to America." Yet we allow them to live here among us. You can't make it up.
Middle Easterners who are predominantly Muslim come here, take advantage of our welfare system, which most do, and they refuse to assimilate. Their entire goal is to turn this country into a Muslim country and to be governed by the Islamic cult and Sharia law.
Now, there are good Muslims who come to this country, who embrace the values that we have, contribute to society, don't follow Sharia law, and they are 100 percent welcome to be here. This is not about one group; this is about a group of people that want to change our country and want to kill every American in this country.
The Center for Immigration Studies published a report stating that more than half of the noncitizen households from the Middle East use at least one major welfare program. Think about that. We are having to fund most of these people that are coming here.
Islamists aren't coming here looking for a better life. That is a true fallacy. They are coming here to impose their radical beliefs on us and to mooch off the American taxpayers. "Game, set, match." That is exactly why they are here. They are coming to impose everything they possibly can on the United States of America, get by with it, and tear us down at the same time. They have no interest in adapting to American national identity. They want to change the national identity to mirror their death cult Islamic beliefs. You heard that. They are here to kill us all. They believe that.
Just look at what is happening in Europe. In Europe, they stopped enforcing their own laws. Europe stopped forcing immigrants to adapt to their way of life, and now they are dealing with the consequences.
We are about 10 years behind Europe. Europe is gone. They are being run by a different cult. They have lost all their values. They have lost everything that was built in Europe and in a lot of these other European countries because they closed their eyes, and they thought they were doing the right thing. And politicians got them in trouble.
We should be learning from that, not repeating it.
Americans, open your eyes. Look what is happening. We are losing. We are losing our country as we know it to people that want to destroy us.
But this issue doesn't just affect today; it affects us today and future generations.
Mass migration is destroying our educational system. Listen to me--it is destroying it. Go to any high school, and I can show you examples. More and more American kids are entering the classroom hearing multiple languages being spoken around them every day and having a difficult time making friends because they are now the minority in the schools. We are having enough problems with our education system, and our kids can't understand the language the other people are speaking. That goes with our higher education, which has teachers and professors coming from other countries that can't speak English that are teaching our kids in higher education, and our kids are paying a fortune to go to these 4-year schools.
Enough is enough. This is an English language country, and that is how we speak. That is how we communicate.
Approximately 5 million students in U.S. public schools are classified as English learners. Five million can't speak English in our public schools across our country. It is destroying us.
That is 10 to 11 percent of our K-through-12 population and growing every day, and we have our eyes closed.
Our kids already have enough problems. Many of our kids were set back during COVID. It was disastrous. What the Federal Government did to our kids by closing our schools was a disaster, and it was our fault, the people in this building right here, but we are running and hiding now when the truth is coming out.
So now our kids are being left behind in the classroom because school resources are being reallocated for kids that come from other countries. We need to be spending money on our kids to give them better lives. We are leaving our kids behind, and our country will not survive without teaching and developing the next generation.
The purpose of our immigration system should be to benefit hard-working American taxpayers. Do you think mass immigration is benefiting this country? Absolutely not. There is not one benefit to it. It is the exact opposite of what we should be doing.
You know, mass immigration is a leech that is slowly bleeding this country dry, and politicians and the people across our country better open their eyes. There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about deportation, and I am 100 percent for what President Trump is doing. They have to go home. We can't afford it. The American taxpayers--they need help. We can't help people if we can't help ourselves.
We also need to have a national conversation about who we want in this country in the first place. The American taxpayer deserves that right to say who is here and who is not. Politicians are taking credit for letting all these people in. They need to be taking credit for destroying this country.
We need to be asking ourselves, what is our national identity? Many of our immigration laws were made decades ago.
They were made in a different time. That is why tomorrow I will be introducing the Assimilation Act. My bill is simple.
It says America has a right to set immigration policy in the national interest. It says our systems should favor people who will work hard, contribute, support themselves, and strengthen the United States of America. It says we should move away from chain migration policies and away from visa lottery systems that treat every entry into the United States like a raffle drawing.
What an embarrassment.
It says legal immigration should place higher value on skill, merit, economic contributions, and the ability to succeed without becoming dependent on the American taxpayers. It says temporary work programs should serve the American economy, not undercut the American work. It says we should take visa overstays seriously, address parole abuse, and restore credibility to the rule of law.
And it says that citizens in the United States should, once again, reflect commitment, character, and real civic integration.
Now, none of this means America shuts the door. America has always been a nation that can strengthen immigration--history proves that. But it works only when our borders are enforced, the rule of law is followed, and when those who desire to come here build a better life and are expected to assimilate into American culture, not destroy our culture.
Without those conditions, the logic of immigration begins to change. Obama and Biden were hell-bent on changing the immigration landscape of this country. They were letting them in right and left.
A nation can't survive, folks--a nation can't survive--and won't survive when mass migration occurs and there isn't any expectation of assimilation. It is never talked about.
Come on in. Do whatever you want. Preach whatever you want. Teach whatever you want. Destroy whatever you want. We are not going to watch you.
We better open our eyes. There is no obligation for immigrants to commit to participate in the way Americans live. If we don't do that, we will lose our country. We have to start pushing assimilation.
So in that case, I believe we are seeing this right now in the United States. Immigration is no longer a good thing for our society. It is not doing us one bit of good. It is destroying the American dream. It is destroying our generation and the generations to come.
There is a reason why we stopped all immigration in the 1920s. Did you know that? We stopped it all for the same reasons. We had to get back on our feet. Folks, we are $39 trillion in debt and rising. We can't afford these people that can't help themselves.
Mass migration without assimilation will erase our country's identity. We are turning into Europe and in serious danger of losing the core of who we are.
I want to be clear about this. The United States has zero obligation to roll out the red carpet for third-world countries around the world--zero. We are here to help America first. We have enough of our own problems without taking up everybody else's.
America is a nation built on shared values. People from all walks of life could come here and live peacefully because they understood what being an American meant. Do they know that today? That is what has always made it exceptional because people know what America is about, our core principles. But in a country as diverse as ours, it can only function properly when we accept the duties of citizenship and our Constitution.
Folks, the United States is at a crossroads. We are at a crossroads. We will decide to try sharing a common civic identity, or we will go the way of Europe and let mass migration without assimilation erode the civic duties and responsibilities Americans boldly carried out over the last 2\1/2\ centuries--250 years.
For too long the national conversation around immigration and citizenship has been framed almost entirely in terms of give them rights, protection, benefits, while saying less about loyalty, duty, and shared obligation to make this country better.
A free country cannot survive solely on entitlement. This country was built on hard work. It requires citizens who understand that American life is not just something to receive. It is something to uphold.
If the United States is to remain what it has long claimed to be, it must be clear about the answer to a simple question: What does it mean to be an American?
And we must be willing to insist that the answer still matters because when a nation loses the courage to define itself, it invites others to redefine--redefine it--beyond recognition. We cannot allow people to redefine our country.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sheehy)
The Senator from Alabama.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the previously scheduled roll call vote begin immediately.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Vote on Warsh Nomination (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2212–S2213 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Warsh nomination?
I ask for the yeas and nays.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Is there a sufficient second?
There appears to be a sufficient second.
The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant bill clerk called the roll.
The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith), and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Ricketts).
I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) is necessarily absent.
The result was announced--yeas 51, nays 45, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (1,024 characters)
Armstrong Banks Barrasso Blackburn Boozman Britt Budd Cassidy Collins Cornyn Cotton Cramer Crapo Cruz Curtis Daines Ernst Fetterman Fischer Graham Grassley Hagerty Hawley Hoeven Husted Johnson Justice Kennedy Lankford Lee Lummis Marshall McConnell McCormick Moody Moran Moreno Murkowski Paul Risch Rounds Schmitt Scott (FL) Scott (SC) Sheehy Sullivan Thune Tillis Tuberville Wicker Young
Alsobrooks Baldwin Blumenthal Blunt Rochester Booker Cantwell Coons Cortez Masto Duckworth Durbin Gallego Gillibrand Hassan Heinrich Hickenlooper
Hirono Kaine Kelly Kim King Klobuchar Lujan Markey Merkley Murphy Murray Ossoff Padilla Peters Reed Rosen Sanders Schatz Schiff Schumer Shaheen Slotkin Smith Van Hollen Warner Warnock Warren Welch Whitehouse Wyden
Bennet
Capito
Hyde-Smith
Ricketts
The nomination was confirmed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Armstrong). Under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
Cloture Motion (Executive Calendar)
Page S2213 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Pursuant to rule XXII, the Chair lays before the Senate the pending cloture motion, which the clerk will state.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (576 characters)
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of Executive Calendar No. 727, Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years.
John Thune, Ted Budd, Mike Crapo, Mike Rounds, Kevin
Cramer, Bill Cassidy, Katie Boyd Britt, Ashley Moody,
John Boozman, Jon Husted, Roger F. Wicker, Tom Cotton,
John Barrasso, James E. Risch, James Lankford, Steve
Daines, Shelley Moore Capito.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Under the previous order, the mandatory quorum call under rule XXII has been waived.
The question is, Is it the sense of the Senate that debate on the nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years, shall be brought to a close?
The yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule.
The clerk will call the roll. The senior assistant legislative clerk called the roll.
The following Senators are necessarily absent: the Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito), the Senator from Mississippi (Mrs. Hyde-Smith), and the Senator from Nebraska (Mr. Ricketts).
I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) is necessarily absent.
The yeas and nays resulted--yeas 51, nays 45, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (910 characters)
Armstrong Banks Barrasso Blackburn Boozman Britt Budd Cassidy Collins Cornyn Cotton Cramer Crapo Cruz Curtis Daines Ernst Fetterman Fischer Graham Grassley Hagerty Hawley Hoeven Husted Johnson Justice Kennedy Lankford Lee Lummis Marshall McConnell McCormick Moody Moran Moreno Murkowski Paul Risch Rounds Schmitt Scott (FL) Scott (SC) Sheehy Sullivan Thune Tillis Tuberville Wicker Young
Alsobrooks Baldwin Blumenthal Blunt Rochester Booker Cantwell Coons Cortez Masto Duckworth Durbin Gallego Gillibrand Hassan Heinrich Hickenlooper Hirono Kaine Kelly Kim King Klobuchar Lujan Markey Merkley Murphy Murray Ossoff Padilla Peters Reed Rosen Sanders Schatz Schiff Schumer Shaheen Slotkin Smith Van Hollen Warner Warnock Warren Welch Whitehouse Wyden
Bennet
Capito
Hyde-Smith
Ricketts
The PRESIDING OFFICER. On this vote, the yeas are 51, the nays are 45. The motion is agreed to.
The motion was agreed to.
Executive Calendar
Page S2213 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will report the nomination.
The legislative clerk read the nomination of Kevin Warsh, of Florida, to be Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of four years.
Recess
Page S2213 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
Under the previous order, the Senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m.
Thereupon, the Senate, at 1:16 p.m., recessed until 2:15 p.m. and reassembled when called to order by the Presiding Officer (Mrs. Britt).
EXECUTIVE CALENDAR--Continued
Page S2213 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Texas.
Nomination of Brian Birdwell (Executive Calendar)
Page S2213 · Official textMadam President, this week, the Senate adopted the resolution allowing for the consideration of another block or package of nominations, and I want to take a moment to highlight two of these exceptional nominees that President Trump has asked to help him lead portions of the Federal Government.
Of course, we wouldn't be in a position of having to introduce nominations en bloc or en masse if our Senate Democrats would allow us to vote on these nominees on a timely basis, but Trump derangement syndrome is real which means they won't cooperate with even the smallest courtesies that we used to extend to one another, recognizing that eventually the majority will get its way.
Former State Senator, Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell who has been nominated by President Trump to be Assistant Secretary of War for Sustainment is one of Texas' finest sons and one of America's true heroes.
On September 11, Brian was working at the Pentagon when American Airlines Flight 77 deliberately crashed by terrorists into the building just yards from his office. Brian was critically injured, as you might imagine, and yet he survived after enduring 39 surgeries and unimaginable pain.
He turned that survival into a lifetime of service. He served in the U.S. Army for 20 years. And for the past 16 years, he has represented the Texas State Senate District 22 with distinction and honor.
We will miss Brian in the State Senate, but the Nation is gaining a proven leader at the Pentagon. I congratulate Brian and his wife Mel. I thank them for continued service, and I look forward to continuing to working with him now in this new capacity at the Department of War.
Nomination of Ryan Raybould (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2213–S2214 · Official textMadam President, another one of the great nominees in this block of nominations is Ryan Raybould. Ryan was my former chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, a former assistant U.S. attorney, law clerk to one of our outstanding judges in the Northern District of Texas, and a professional soccer player for a while, I might add. But Ryan in his capacity as chief counsel for my Judiciary Committee duties helped draft and negotiate numerous pieces of legislation that have become law on key issues like national security, government accountability, and drug diversion control. As I said, before Ryan came to my office, he served as a Federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice for almost 7 years where he investigated and tried cases involving public corruption, tax and securities fraud, cyber crime, national security, money laundering, and other white-collar crimes. Ryan by virtue of his experience has a deep understanding of the law that makes him the perfect choice to be the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. I was pleased to recommend him for this position along with Senator Cruz, and I was honored to support him on the Senate floor. I look forward to confirming both of these nominees and the others, and I hope that all of our colleagues will join me in supporting them. (The remarks of Mr. Cornyn pertaining to the introduction of S. 4501 are printed in today's Record under "Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions.")
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Louisiana.
Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Waiving the Jones Act (Executive Calendar)
Page S2214 · Official textMadam President, the Jones Act is a law that we have had for over a hundred years, enacted by Congress, and it simply says that cargo moving between two points in the United States should move on an American-built, American-owned, and American-crewed ship. It supports American workers, American shipyards, and American national security.
The Presiding Officer represents the State of Alabama. Mobile has some very good shipyards; Louisiana, some tremendous shipyards. But they are scattered around our Nation. It could be in Florida, Mississippi, Washington State--I am sure California--Maine.
And the places that build those things that go into the ships, into the boats, could be maritime manufacturing in Illinois, software in San Diego.
This supports American industry.
In my State, Louisiana ports, shipyards, energy producers, and maritime workers are a large portion of the State's economy. I could list you the towns: Houma, Lockport. Thousands of people in Louisiana depend on this industry for jobs that actually support the families.
Now, companies employ Louisiana's skilled workers, and they build vessels for the oil industry, for NOAA, for the Marines, for portions of ships that go to the Navy. And why do we have this workforce and these companies that can build these boats? Because of the Jones Act.
When we waive the Jones Act, like the administration just did and now is doing for another 90 days, we are saying that foreign-built vessels by foreign workers with foreign components--not from San Diego or Illinois or Mobile or Lockport or Houma but someplace else--can put together a vessel that moves goods between one point of the United States and another.
Now, the rationale for waiving the Jones Act was that we need to lower energy prices for California, and when gasoline and diesel go from the gulf coast to California, we are going to magically decrease the price paid at the pump in Los Angeles.
But although waiving the Jones Act can export our jobs to China and to Korea and to India, when you waive the Jones Act, it does not, by any--any--significant amount, lower the prices at the pump in California. Why? California pays $6 a gallon for gasoline because they have shut down refineries. They will not allow them to be expanded. They require a special mix of gasoline.
You could never get a pipeline built from Louisiana to California. It would never have been permitted under the Obama or Biden administrations.
They have taxes upon taxes, deliberately trying to make gasoline more expensive in California, in order to encourage people to buy electric vehicles.
So that is on top of the fact that, because of the hostility in Iran, the international price of oil is much higher.
Put it all together. The high prices of the oil, regulations, lack of refineries in California, no pipeline--that is the reason they are paying over $6 a gallon for gasoline.
To do something cosmetic like waive the Jones Act, to say that you are doing something, actually is more of an excuse to waive the Jones Act than it is to actually lower the price of gasoline in California.
And while you are doing this kind of philosophical "we don't like the Jones Act," it hurts Louisiana workers. It costs Louisiana jobs, and jobs in Mobile, jobs in Illinois, jobs in San Diego. I could keep going down the list. It hurts the American worker for a kind of "it ain't going to happen" decrease of gasoline prices in California.
I will point out that the administration is making a big push to restore shipbuilding to the United States. Now, there is a difference between a boat and a ship. A boat is something below a certain size, but it can be really big, and a ship is like what the Navy uses. If you want more shipbuilding in the United States, you don't start doing that by hurting boatbuilding in the United States because the same workers who build boats build ships, the same technology that supports building boats supports building ships, and in some cases, components of that bigger Navy ship are built in a boatyard.
So in our policy of trying to support the American worker, we are actually trying to do things that are important to national security; that support our ability to make a Navy--a blue-water Navy--using American workers and not having to buy an aircraft carrier from Korea with all the kind of "Are we sure we are getting what we want to get?"
My concern is that the original rationale for the waiver just doesn't make sense to me; it is just not logical. But now it has been extended. So it tells me that there is something motivating that waiver beyond the imagination that it is going to significantly lower gas prices in California. It is somebody who doesn't like the Jones Act, who doesn't like the support that Congress deliberately gave to the workers in our boatyards, the people who are building the engines in Illinois that go into those boats or in any of the other places that are scattered around the country, in our heartland or on the coastline, that support our workers. Somebody philosophically doesn't like it, and they are using this as an excuse in order to kill the Jones Act.
Well, Louisiana cannot afford for this to happen and neither should the country. Once waivers become routine, companies stop investing, workers leave the industry, and America becomes more dependent on foreign operators, and it becomes less prosperous for our Nation's workers.
I agree with the administration in that we should be doing everything we can to lower gas prices--oh, my gosh; families back home are feeling the price at the pump--but let's focus on solutions that work, that provide real relief and protect an industry that Louisiana, the gulf coast, and many in our country rely on.
With that, I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant executive clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Banks)
Without objection, it is so ordered.
National Police Week (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2214–S2215 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to honor the men and women who risk their lives every day when they leave their homes so that we can return to the safety of ours--these incredible, hard-working men and women in law enforcement.
This National Police Week, I am reminded of those men and women, but I am also reminded of the ones that never returned home. There are several Alabamians who made the ultimate sacrifice this year while protecting our communities, and I would like to take a moment to recognize them: Conservation Enforcement Officer Shawn Nixon, Police Officer Dallas Hinton, Corporal David Hathcock, and Lieutenant Mark Meadows. All recently lost their lives while serving their communities valiantly.
Shawn Nixon was always known as a "man on a mission." This was evident through his incredible performance in the field, which was rightfully recognized, so much so that he was nominated for an unprecedented 14 "Officer of the Year" awards. He was ultimately honored with the Shikar-Safari "Officer of the Year" award just 2 years ago.
Shawn wasn't just an incredible officer, though. He was a loving father and a loyal friend. He was remembered by all who knew him--his two children, countless friends, and the entire Alabama police community--as a man whose mission will continue to live on, and they will carry his memory with them.
I would also like to recognize Dallas Hinton. In the greatest Nation in the world, young people are fortunate to have what seems like endless paths they can take in life. Dallas chose one of the most noble paths possible by enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps.
After his time in the Marines came to an end, Dallas became a police officer with the Thomasville Police Department, just 2 years ago. Dallas served the Thomasville community with the same strength, courage, and valor that he displayed during his time in the Marines.
And at just 25 years old, when he had his whole life ahead of him, his life, unfortunately, was cut short. I am confident it would have been a bright one.
He leaves behind a loving fiancee, a mother, a father, as well as two brothers and two sisters.
It is my hope that we can all lead our lives with the same courage that Dallas did.
He will not be forgotten, and his spirit of service will live on across Alabama with the many lives that he touched.
Only a couple of months ago, the Montgomery community mourned the loss of David Hathcock, a 20-year veteran of the Montgomery Police Department.
Being a part of any community for that long--much less protecting it every single day--you are bound to make a lasting impact. That is exactly what Corporal Hathcock did. He was considered a leader by those around him, even those who were more senior than him in the department. But, especially, young officers looked to him as they rose through the ranks for guidance and as an incredible example. David led with excellence, pride, and courage, which trickled down throughout the entire department.
His memory will live on through his wife and two daughters, as well as countless colleagues and Montgomery residents whose lives he touched.
And, finally, I would like to recognize Lieutenant Mark Meadows. An Army Ranger veteran, Lieutenant Meadows was no stranger to service.
After beginning his career as a police officer in Mountain Brook, in 1992, Mark found his home in Irondale, AL. He became a fixture of that community, serving the Irondale Police Department for over 30 years.
Outside of work, he was a helping hand to all who needed it, helping to coordinate traffic security or the security at his home church. He did that for more than a decade.
Mark was the real deal and will always be remembered as leaning in and helping those who needed it most.
I want to encourage everyone across our Nation this week to thank a police officer. The stories I just told were those of Alabamians who loved their community, their State, and their country. They displayed that every single day. And as we all know, when police officers leave the safety of their home so we can return to ours, we owe them a debt of gratitude.
These men that we just honored didn't have the opportunity to return home. So don't wait until it is too late. Don't wait until after their service. When you see an officer, let them know how much you appreciate it. Let them know how much you appreciate their sacrifice and service. Whether it is here in this building, which we are so grateful for, whether it is back home, whether it is on the street corner, we appreciate the law and order they bring and making sure our communities are safe and sound.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Oregon.
War Powers Resolution (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2215–S2220 · Official textMr. President, this Chamber has before it a very important question: Will Congress embrace and exercise its constitutional responsibility to decide, as Madison put it, the question of war?
That is a heavy responsibility. It is no small matter to decide whether or not the United States should go to war or to decide whether or not to end a war. It is a question of blood and treasure. The lives of thousands can hang in the balance--the lives of soldiers on both sides, the lives of civilians.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of more than 5,000 American servicemembers and the deaths of approximately 250,000 civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq and they resulted in massive use of American treasure, some $8 trillion.
It is tempting for Members of this Chamber to shirk this responsibility. The question weighs too heavily on us. "Let's let the President decide."
But if you took an oath to the Constitution, as every Member here did, then you know that letting the President decide is unconstitutional. The Constitution did not assign this weighty issue of war to the President. It assigned this weighty issue to all of us here in Congress.
As Madison summarized: The Constitution supposes what the history of all governments demonstrates, that the Executive is the branch of power most interested in war and most prone to it. The Constitution has accordingly, with studied care, vested the question of war in the legislative branch.
With studied care, the Founders said: No one person should decide the question of whether we go to war. The weight of the decision in blood and treasure is too great, so there needs to be debate. There needs to be viewpoints exchanged before such a significant action is taken. And that is why it is assigned to us.
Now the modern version of declaring war is to pass an authorization for the use of military force, or an AUMF. That is the system set up in the 1973 War Powers Act following Vietnam where there was no authorization ever granted, and yet a massive calamity for American servicemembers, some 50,000-plus who died and so many injured and so much treasure expended.
So Congress by law with the signature of the President said: Let's set up a system to take that constitutional provision where the question of war is assigned to Congress and create a format through which it can be considered. And that law--that 1973 law--says the power of war can only be exercised under three possibilities.
One, there is a declaration of war. Second, Congress passes a law and a President signs it into law to create an authorization for war.
And that, in fact, is what happened in the case of Afghanistan and Iraq. The President came to Congress and said: Here are the arguments. I want you to authorize war as required in the Constitution.
This Chamber and the House Chamber considered this question, and we passed an AUMF, an authorization for use of military force.
Those wars were entered into under a constitutional path. And whether or not any one individual agreed with the outcome, at least it was constitutional in that it was the result of studied debate here in this Chamber and down the Hall in the House of Representatives.
The War Powers Act creates a third option. Under a special condition--sometimes it is referred to as "the condition of imminent threat," that we are under attack or on the verge of being under attack. The specific language in the War Powers Act says that the power of war can be exercised if there is a national emergency created by an attack upon the United States, its territories, or its Armed Forces.
But it places a 60-day limit on that. Now many experts would say this option was never triggered in this case because there was not a national emergency created by an attack on the United States. But some Members of this body have said: close enough. The threat from Iran was close enough. We consider that a valid third option.
I would disagree, but others had a different opinion and then said: but when that 60 days are up, that is exhausted and the President must withdraw forces as required in the War Powers Act or must come to us with an authorization for the use of military force, which has not happened.
So if the President fails to withdraw forces and the President fails to come to us with an authorization for the use of military force, then it is incumbent on us to pass a War Powers Resolution that says: Mr. President, you are in violation of the Constitution, and you must end this war. If you want to continue it, come and ask for constitutional authorization. The 60 days are up.
Someone said: Well, the war is not as fierce as it was previously. There is kind of a paper version of a cease-fire in place, and maybe that suspends the clock on the 60 days, a clock that expired on May 1.
But, you know, the War Powers Act does not have a provision that says if the war becomes less fierce, it doesn't count against the 60 days. That is not in the law. That is not in the vision under which this was prepared and written for the exercise of our constitutional responsibility.
And everybody in the world knows that the war has continued. The Navy--our Navy--has continued a blockade of Iranian ports. That is an act of war.
Our Navy has fired on Iranian naval vessels. That is an act of war.
Our Navy has fired on Iranian oil tankers. That is an act of war.
And Iran, they also have continued the war. They have fired on United States naval ships, including the use of drones, missiles, and bullets; fired on commercial vessels; and fired on regional outposts, including the United Arab Emirates.
So the war has continued, and the 60 days has expired. And during those 60 days, a lot has happened; none of it benefitting our national security. We strengthened the Iranian hardliners, virtually what always happens when you assassinate religious and political leaders as we did. We weakened the reformers. We failed to secure Iran's stockpile of more highly enriched uranium, and we have no strategy to extract them. We have shredded moral leadership as champions of human rights. We enriched and emboldened Russia by easing oil sanctions; and not only could Russia then sell their oil legally at a higher price, but the war raised the value they could get from $60-ish to $120. We depleted our munitions stockpile. We increased fertilizer costs. We raised prices at the pump for American families. People keep saying: In our State, it is $4 a gallon and diesel is $5 a gallon. Well, in Oregon, it is $5 for gasoline and $6 for diesel. And we fueled inflation. Last month, April, the highest inflation in 3 years, 3.8 percent. Those fuel costs are already affecting businesses. A number of airlines have cut flights and cut services. Spirit Airlines went out of business, forcing them to lay off 17,000 workers. And all across the country, farmers and small businesses and large businesses are seeing these inflationary effects and certainly American families are feeling the higher prices on everything. And we have spent from our national treasure somewhere around a $1 billion-plus a day. During his campaign, our President said: I am going to end wars. I am going to lower prices. But he has started a war, and he has raised prices. And now, if one embraces the War Powers Act, if one argues that there was an imminent threat--which I do not believe that test was met. But if you believe that test was met and you gave the President 60 days of grace--well, those 60 days are up. And since the President has not come to us and said, "I now want an authorization for war" and we are not debating that on the floor, then our responsibility is to exercise a War Powers Resolution that says: Mr. President, end this war. It is the right thing for us to do to defend the Constitution we took an oath to. Failure to do so is to violate the Constitution we took an oath to. So I hope that at this point we will have bipartisan support to embrace the responsibility that the Constitution assigns to us on the question of war. It is a heavy responsibility. It is tempting to shirk that responsibility and let the President decide, but it is neither the moral thing to do nor is it constitutional. Laws are not suggestions. The Constitution is not an option, not for the President and not for us. There is no constitutional path for the continuation of this war unless the President arrives today with a proposal for an authorization to be debated. And that has not happened. The only constitutional path left is to vote aye on the War Powers Resolution. An "aye" vote honors the wisdom of our Founders that assigned us this responsibility and honors our responsibility under the Constitution. A "no" vote dishonors the wisdom of the Founders who assigned this responsibility to us and dishonors our obligation under the Constitution. Let's carry this weight, however heavy it may be, and in a bipartisan fashion restore and honor considerations that place--the Constitution places with us the question of war. An "aye" vote tomorrow is the right vote. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Wisconsin.
Mr. President, I rise today to once again call on my Republican colleagues to listen to their constituents and bring an end to this war of choice.
Let's be clear. Americans do not like this war because they are the ones paying for it. American taxpayers have already been forced to shell out at least $29 billion for a conflict with no end in sight. Hundreds of American servicemembers have been injured, and 13 Americans have lost their lives. And Americans are paying the price for this war at the gas pump every single day as the cost of just about everything seems to be going up.
Today, we learned that inflation tripled in March, showing consumer prices rose by nearly 4 percent. Make no mistake--that jump was almost singlehandedly caused by Donald Trump's war in Iran, which has sent gas prices skyrocketing 50 percent since he chose to start this conflict.
It is not just gas prices and travel costs going up for Wisconsin families; the price of just about everything will increase as transporting goods to markets continues to rise. These cost increases are simply not manageable for many of my constituents and will force them to make impossible decisions.
I am hearing from Wisconsin farmers who are paying through the nose for the fertilizer and diesel they need to plant their crops this spring. As of today, the average price for diesel in Wisconsin is $5.84 per gallon. That is $2.61 higher than 1 year ago. One Wisconsin farmer told the local news that he is paying $2,000 more for diesel fuel this planting season than in previous years. Fertilizer is also getting more expensive because of Donald Trump's war. Fertilizer inputs shot up nearly $700 per ton in late April--nearly $250 more than the day before the war started. According to a recent survey, about 70 percent of farmers nationwide say they were unable to afford all the fertilizer they need for this planting season. For Wisconsin farmers who work on very tight margins, these price increases could be make-or-break for their businesses.
Donald Trump vowed to bring prices down on day one. Instead, he has illegally started a war all on his own that is jacking up the cost of just about everything.
On behalf of our constituents, who are paying the price for this war of choice, I implore my Republican colleagues to do their job and end this conflict. Every day this war drags on is another day that the American people will be forced to pay for it.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. President, I am glad to be on the floor--sixth, seventh, eighth week in a row; I have lost count--this week to support Senator Merkley's resolution to end the war in Iran.
It is simple: This is a war that is making America less safe. It is a war that is costing the people of this country billions of dollars. It has resulted in untold numbers of civilian deaths in the region. The entire world economy is spiraling out of control. Prices for gas are through the roof--$6 a gallon in many parts of the country--and the cost of everything is going to go up very quickly.
But in my short remarks today, I really want to take the administration's war goals at face value and, 74 days into this conflict, assess whether we are closer to meeting those goals or further away.
Secretary Hegseth was before the Appropriations Committee today, and we really got very little information from him as to whether this essential question--the meeting of war goals--is answerable. Let me try to answer it.
The first thing that the administration said they wanted to do was to annihilate Iran's navy. Well, they have essentially destroyed Iran's conventional navy, but they have not destroyed Iran's fleet of speedboats and so-called suicide skiffs that effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, and it goes without saying that that feat is impossible. The administration will never be able to eliminate all of Iran's small speedboats that drop mines in the strait or threaten to drop mines in the strait and these suicide skiffs, which run these suicide missions at tankers and boats in the strait. So as long as that fleet of small boats is able to harass traffic in the strait, effectively close down the strait, you have not annihilated Iran's navy, and you will never annihilate Iran's navy. So you can claim that you sunk some big boats, but it is the small boats that have closed the Strait of Hormuz and created a global catastrophe.
The second goal that the administration states is to destroy Iran's ballistic missiles. Now, Trump recently claimed that Iran only has 18 to 19 percent of their ballistic missiles left, but according to public reporting, a CIA assessment has found that Iran actually retains 70 percent of its missiles. So we have expended tens of billions of dollars, we have dramatically depleted our munitions stores, and Iran still has 70 percent of its missiles. That same public reporting suggests that Iran is already starting to dig out from the damage we did and rebuild some of the launchers and the missiles that we damaged.
Similarly, another war aim was to destroy their drone fleet. The CIA assessment says Iran still has 70 percent of its drones. Realistically, drones are so easy to manufacture, there was never going to be a way through an air campaign alone for us to be able to eliminate their drone capacity. It is another reason the strait is closed.
There is no military mechanism available to the United States to open the strait because we cannot find all of their small speedboats, we cannot find all of their drones.
So 74 days of war and billions of dollars spent, over a dozen Americans killed, and Iran still has their drone fleet.
The last goal--and the President has doubled down on this goal--is to stop Iran from ever being able to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Now, we know for sure you can't actually achieve that goal through military action--not without regime change, not without U.S. boots on the ground. The administration has said we are not going for regime change. They seem very comfortable with the new regime, which is, by all accounts, more radical and more dangerous than the regime that they displaced. While Trump still keeps open the possibility of putting boots on the ground, as of today, it doesn't appear that there are going to be hundreds of thousands of American troops going into Iran to take their enriched uranium and their fissile material.
So the only way that you are going to effectuate this goal--stopping Iran from being able to acquire a nuclear weapon--is by taking the same path that we were pursuing under President Obama--a diplomatic path. So the question then is just: Are you going to get a better diplomatic deal today than you got when President Obama was in office? And all the evidence suggests that you are going to get a much worse deal today than you got when President Obama pursued this same path--for two reasons. First, Iran has much more leverage today. I heard Secretary Hegseth say today in our hearing that America has all the leverage. That is just made up because the facts on the ground are pretty simple. In 2013, when President Obama was negotiating this deal with Iran, their economy was crippled, but Iran didn't control the Strait of Hormuz. Today, Iran's economy is crippled, but they control the Strait of Hormuz. They have more leverage today than they had in 2013. In 2013, we certainly held open the specter of a military attack, but now Iran has the leverage of knowing that it can survive the best punch that America can throw. After 74 days into the war, the regime is still standing. Their missile program still exists. Their drone program still exists. Their nuclear program still exists. They control the Strait of Hormuz. They have more leverage today than they did in 2013. The second reason you are going to get a worse diplomatic deal is that the stakes are lower for Iran because, once Trump pulled out of the Obama agreement, Iran pressed fast-forward on their nuclear research program. Before the Obama nuclear agreement, Iran was enriching to 20 percent. The nuclear agreement brought them down to 3 percent. Since Trump pulled us out of that agreement, Iran has gone from enriching 3 percent all the way up to 60 percent. And we all know that, once you are at 60 percent, it is really just a political decision to get to 90 percent, which is what you need for a bomb. So Iran now has the knowledge, in perpetuity, to be able to very quickly get to enough nuclear material--enriched at a high enough level--to be able to make a bomb. Maybe, in this agreement, they agree to go back to 3 percent or maybe they even agree to pause, for a period of time, enrichment. That is a different calculation for Iran today than it was in 2013 because they can easily make that agreement knowing that the minute they decide to rush to a bomb, they can get there much faster now because of Trump's decision to pull out of the agreement. You are going to get a worse diplomatic deal under these circumstances than you got in 2013. So I just share that with all of you because, even if you take their warnings at face value--and they seem to be changing by the week--they haven't achieved a single one of them, and there is no hope of their achieving those objectives even if they were to restart the war. So why are we doing this? Why are we doing this if we can't achieve any of our objectives and if the price of the war is being paid for by American citizens and by American farmers? I understand that the President is full of hubris and pride. I understand my Republican colleagues, in having backed this war, are having a hard time squaring reality with their stated position of supporting the war. But it is OK to change your mind. It is OK to look at the facts on the ground, come to the conclusion that the war didn't go the way that the President promised you it would go, and join us and vote to end this war. I know that is difficult for any political figure who has made it all the way to the U.S. Senate to admit that they were wrong. But my Republican colleagues were wrong. Nobody can come to the floor and make an argument that there is a path through the continuation of this war to eliminate their ballistic missile program or their drone program. I think it would be hard for folks to suggest that the longer this war goes on, the better a diplomatic agreement we are going to get. So we are going to continue to come to the floor and ask for our colleagues to join us because, out there in the American public, this isn't much of a debate. People want this war to end. They cannot sustain the costs of this war any longer. I appreciate the work of my colleagues in continuing to bring these motions to the floor. This is our one and only opportunity to debate war. Our Republican colleagues--74 days into this war--have still not brought a resolution before the Senate to authorize the war. That is in violation of the Constitution. Every single day, we as a body are in violation of the Constitution. So it is left to the Democrats to force this debate on a weekly basis, which we will continue to do until this war ends. I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Idaho.
Mr. President, today, I come to the floor, once again, after numerous--and I have lost count of how many of these the Democrats have tried--to set the legal record on the war powers straight and in plain terms.
The first thing we need to do is look at what the Democrats are trying to do here. They want to pass this resolution, which states in relevant part:
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Congress hereby directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran.
So what they are asking and telling the President to do is to remove the U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran. Those hostilities do not exist today and have not existed for some time.
So let's look at what has actually happened from a factual basis.
On February 28, the President exercised his constitutional duty to protect American interests--not his right but his duty that he took an oath to do to protect Americans and America's interests. Not only was the military action he took legally permissible under article II of the Constitution, but it was the President's duty to act.
Presidents across both parties, over many, many years--indeed, many of my Democratic colleagues--have consistently maintained that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and with good reason. Iran is a country that is run by radical Shia clerics, whose slogan is, literally, "Death to America." This regime has sponsored terrorism and has kidnapped and killed thousands of American citizens since it commenced this war against the United States 47 years ago.
We all remember when it happened. They took possession of our Embassy in Iran, kidnapped the employees we had there, and held them for 400-plus days. All the action we have taken since then has been defensive. They have continued offensive actions against us and, as I said, over the years, have killed thousands of U.S. citizens.
The actions taken on February 28 comport with longstanding legal precedent, over many decades, from the Presidents of both political parties. The military operations we are talking about were not and are not--nor are they even close to--operations that took place in Vietnam, Afghanistan, or Iraq, nor will they ever be. My friends on the other side of the aisle have tried to put the two together and compare this to those actions. They are not.
Under the War Powers Resolution, the President is supposed to notify Congress within 48 hours after introducing U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities. He did that on March 2, as required, fully consistent with the law.
Now, my colleagues on the other side of the Chamber keep saying that, somehow, the administration is not in compliance with a 60-day clock.
Let me highlight this point: The President's notification to this body on May 1--within that 60-day period--was crystal clear: The operations that began on February 28 had been terminated. The hostilities ended with the April 7 cease-fire. They are over--full stop.
Now, that doesn't say they won't start again. But that operation is over and ended, and we were so notified. Indeed, President Trump's May 1 letter fully informed Congress as to the status of this matter. The War Powers Resolution does not require such reporting. Nonetheless, the President gave it.
In short, this is much more information than previous Presidents have provided to Congress.
For the reasons that I have just stated, I intend to vote against this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to do likewise.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Oregon.
Mr. President, my colleague from Idaho made a few points in his presentation on why he would oppose exercising the War Powers Resolution, and I think it is worth noting those points and considering whether or not they hold water.
First, he said hostilities have ceased because the President says so, but it is the facts on the ground that matter, and the fact on the ground is that the United States continues a blockade--an act of war--against Iranian forces. We have fired upon Iranian ships, and we have fired upon Iranian tankers. Iran maintains a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is an act of war, and they have fired on U.S. Naval vessels, and they have fired upon U.S. commercial ships, tankers. So it may be at a lower level than the massive bombing that occurred before, but there certainly is nothing close to what we would call a cease-fire and certainly not a withdrawal.
Now, the War Powers Act says that after 60 days, you have to end the hostilities, and you can ask for another 30 days to withdraw forces. Well, we are in that 30-day period now, and the forces are not being withdrawn from the Middle East.
The second factor is my colleague cited article II of the Constitution. What did he mean by that? He referred to the "Commander in Chief." Article II of the Constitution says this in section 2:
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The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service.
When called into service.
And what does the Constitution say about when it is called into service? Well, that is in article I--article I, the powers of Congress, the enumerated powers of Congress, and those enumerated powers laid out in section 8 refer to many of the assignments given, including things like borrowing money on credit or regulating commerce or coining money or providing for the punishment of individuals, establishing a post office. But the key one--this very sizeable responsibility that Madison said "with studied care" the Founders vested this responsibility in the legislative branch, not the executive--that is the power to declare war. That is the responsibility.
Yes, once we go to war, the Commander in Chief is the President of the United States, and much of the strategy of the war is conducted accordingly through the Department of Defense and the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs of the services. But do not confuse the ability to conduct a war with the ability to start a war.
Third, nuclear weapons. My colleague mentioned the threat of nuclear weapons. Well, there is a threat of nuclear weapons maybe, but you have to really kind of understand the framework here, and that is that there was a diplomatic agreement in which Iran enriched to only very low levels, a couple percent, under international intensive supervision with all kinds of monitors in place--not just individuals watching but all kinds of sensors in place. Their enriched uranium that they had previous to that agreement called the JCPOA was stored in Russia. So they didn't have highly enriched uranium. They enriched to very low levels, and they did it under international supervision.
It was only after President Trump in his first administration tore up this agreement and unleashed Iran from its responsibilities under that agreement. That is when Iran later said "Well, we might enrich to higher levels" and then proceeded to--up to 60 percent. But that condition only exists because of what President Trump did to tear up the diplomatic agreement.
Then, in June of last year, the United States participated in a massive bombing campaign, employed our very largest bombs to destroy those places where centrifuges were making the more highly enriched uranium. The President proudly declared that the massive bombs--the largest ones we have, the earth-penetrating bombs, the biggest tonnage--had obliterated Iran's nuclear program.
So Iran didn't have a nuclear program en route to a nuclear weapon until Trump tore up the agreement, and even then, the President claimed there was no nuclear program after June of 2025.
So here we are. What had been achieved diplomatically was destroyed by President Trump. Now he proceeded to say that he had already taken care of this threat that is being cited by my colleague as a justification for this war.
By the way, it was not the justification that President Trump cited at the beginning of this war. No. He said: Israel is going to bomb Iran again, and Iran is going to retaliate against regional sites, and that will involve our interests being hit, so we should join Israel.
So Israel was the dog wagging the American tail. Does America not have the spine, the courage, the authority to simply have told Israel no? Well, apparently not--not under this President.
I yield to my colleague from Virginia who has been so instrumental in bringing many, many insights to this debate and helping coordinate this series of War Powers Resolutions as we strive--strive--to honor the oaths we took to our Constitution.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Virginia.
Mr. President, I appreciate my colleague and strongly support his resolution that will be voted on tomorrow, and I have taken the floor often on this topic and don't need to repeat things I have said before. But today, I guess what I want to say is basically this: The American public does not like being lied to by its government. Of course we don't but particularly on matters of war.
I am old enough to remember two tragic circumstances where the American public was lied to by their civilian leadership about war--many lies were told by successive administrations, beginning with the Eisenhower administration and through Kennedy and Johnson in particular, about the Vietnam war--and how tragic it was when Americans realized that much of what they had been told that led, first, the United States to take over the French colonial project in Southeast Asia and then to engage in war--much of what they had been told was false.
When you are losing your sons and daughters--56,000 U.S. deaths in the Vietnam war--and then you find that the civilian leadership has been lying to you while troops have been serving honorably, it is incredibly embittering in a State like Virginia where there are so many military equities but to every State.
We were lied to about the war in Iraq. We were told that Iraq had something to do with 9/11. That was not true. We were told that Iraq was pursuing nuclear weapons and had weapons of mass destruction they would use against the United States. That was not true. But those were put on the table before a vote in Congress to engage in a war that most now agree 25 years later was a massive, massive mistake.
So I come from a State that lost a lot of people in Iraq and Afghanistan and Vietnam, and I join my colleague today to support his resolution because I believe the United States is not being told the truth about the situation in Iran.
First, the administration worked very, very hard up until essentially a week or so ago to avoid any public hearings about the war in either the House or the Senate, in the committees that have jurisdiction over important matters. I mean, not to have a public hearing about a war?
Right now--and I am going to go into this in an Armed Services Committee hearing later in the week--the administration is not even willing to share the legal rationale, the opinion developed by the Office of Legal Counsel at the State Department. They are not even willing to share that rationale with Members of the U.S. Senate. They won't share it with members of the Intel Committee. They won't share it with members of the Armed Services Committee. They won't share it with members of the Foreign Relations Committee. They won't even share the legal rationale. What are they afraid of? That raises some natural suspicion.
In at least two instances, I believe the administration is not being truthful with the American public about this war. One was the assertion of a whole different series of rationales, but one of the rationales that seems to now be the one that they rely on is, well, of course the war is needed to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. No, it isn't. We had stopped Iran from getting a nuclear weapon by a diplomatic deal that Donald Trump chose to tear up, as my colleague just mentioned. That had stopped Iran's nuclear program.
That deal was a comprehensive deal that took months, even years, to negotiate. It contained some provisions that were time-limited--5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years--but it contained two provisions that were permanent. The first was on page 1 of the deal: that Iran will not seek to purchase or acquire or develop nuclear weapons. That was a permanent pledge by Iran. The second part of the deal that was permanent was Iran agreed to permanent inspections by the IAEA, including inspections according to an additional protocol that had been developed by the nations of the world after North Korea had cheated on a nuclear program earlier.
Those were permanent pledges by Iran to not pursue nuclear weapons and to allow intrusive inspections, and President Trump decided, over the objection of his Secretaries of State and Defense, to tear up the deal. So when President Trump says now: Well, we have to wage war; we have to subject our troops to being killed and being injured and billions of dollars of costs and Americans and people all over the world paying more for gas to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon--that is a lie. Diplomacy had stopped them until President Trump tore it up.
To make matters worse, President Trump, with the United States, following a 12-day war of Israel against Iran to destroy their nuclear capacity, took additional action that the White House said had destroyed Iran's nuclear program.
So if we had controlled it first by diplomacy and then a year ago added on a war waged by Israel against Iran to obliterate the nuclear program, there was not a nuclear program that justified this war. There was no threat of any action anytime soon by Iran to develop nuclear weapons that justified this war.
I don't like to use this phrase. I don't use this phrase a lot: The White House has lied to the American public, and every time they say this war is justified to stop Iran's nuclear program, they are telling the American public a lie.
The second lie they are telling--and I will just say this and then hand it back to my colleague--is a different kind of a lie. If you state a set of facts that are true but you don't state the full set of facts, you are telling a lie. And I have heard President Trump and I have heard Secretary Hegseth say many times: We need to stop Iran because they have been a thorn in our side since 1979. They have been a thorn in our side for the last 47 years.
Our decision makers are acting as if the U.S.-Iran history started in 1979 when the Iranian people toppled their government and then, yes, in the aftermath of that toppling, started to say "Death to America," "Death to Israel." They act like that is the only history. My colleagues will recount Iranian misbehavior--taking over our Embassy, in violation of international law; funding proxies to attack the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut and other locations; funding proxies that attack U.S. troops who are in the region in or near Iran--my colleagues will cite that information, and they will cite it accurately. And Iran has done a series of horrible things to their own people, to American positions, to other nations in the region. But my colleagues always ignore, the President always ignores, and Secretary Hegseth always ignores that history didn't start in 1979.
If you want to understand the history of this relationship between the United States and Iran, you have to go back to World War II when we were allies. There was a pivotal conference in the middle of World War II in Tehran in 1943 where the allies--the United States, the Soviet Union at the time, and Britain--guaranteed to Iran its sovereignty and its independence and its borders, and the Iranian people loved the United States, and we were allies.
Then in 1953, during the Eisenhower administration, the United States made a catastrophic mistake. There is a recent book by Scott Anderson called "King of Kings" that lays this out in clear and unmistakable detail. The United States decided we would topple the democratic Government of Iran. In 1953, the United States, through the CIA, engineered a coup. We toppled the democratic government. We installed the Shah, a dictator. We funded the secret police of the Shah, who tortured, exiled, imprisoned, and killed thousands of Iranians. And the United States basically put this puppet government--a dictator--over the Iranian people from 1953 until they finally tired of it, and they cast that government off in 1979.
Guess what. Twenty-six years of the United States funding a dictatorship killing and torturing Iranians led the new Government of Iran to be--drumroll--anti-United States. We turned Iranians from friends into enemies. We didn't have to do that, but we did it.
Secretary Hegseth and the President never mention that. They don't mention that after Iran overtook our Embassy, we funded Iraq to wage war on Iran. We gave Iraq funds. We gave Iraq intel. And in a 7- or 8-year war, Iraq--we funded Saddam Hussein to wage war against Iran. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians were killed, and they knew the United States was partially responsible for it.
In the late 1980s, a U.S. Navy vessel, the Vincennes, shot down an Iranian commercial aircraft, killing 290 civilians. It took us years to admit that we did it, but we eventually admitted that.
The United States invaded Iran's next-door neighbors to the east and west to topple their governments--Afghanistan and Iraq--and Iran believed: Well, you toppled our government in 1953. You are probably preparing to do it again.
In this recent war on Iran, we have wiped out their leadership, we have killed civilians, and we bombed a school, killing schoolgirls. Now, we all know that the United States does not intentionally decide to target schools. That is not what we do intentionally. But to an Iranian who watched the United States intentionally topple their government in 1953, intentionally participate in an assassination campaign against their leaders, shoot down a civilian aircraft in the late 1980s, intentionally fund Iraq to wage war against Iran--an Iranian will look at U.S. actions and say: Wait a minute. This is part of a pattern. We were friends until you decided to topple our government in 1953.
The point I am making about this is that if you are not willing to be honest about the history and acknowledge not only Iranian misbehavior--which continues to this day. They just executed somebody in Iran--a student--in a gross violation of human rights. So you have to acknowledge that the Iranian regime has conducted all kinds of bad activities. But if you are not willing to acknowledge the role the United States has played in turning this nation that was a nation of allies into enemies, then you are going to get the policy wrong. You will get the policy wrong if you don't acknowledge the truth.
What is that truth? as I finish. The truth is, if more war between the United States and Iran would bring a solution to any of these problems, then we would have found the answer at some point between 1953 and now. We have had a back-and-forth going between the United States and Iran since 1953, and it has not produced peace, it has not produced stability, and it has not produced anything for the good of the Iranian people or the American people, frankly. For us to think now that, you know what, more war, just a little more war would be the right thing to do to bring a better resolution to this painful 75-year chapter--it shows a profound ignorance of our history and a just shocking level of naivety.
So that is why I have joined with my colleagues every week to look this Senate in the eye and say: As a deliberative body with constitutional powers and an oath that we have taken to provide a check against an Executive--particularly on matters of war--we can't let this go under the radar screen, classified hearings only. We have to be as loud and consistent as can be to say that more war between the United States and Iran is not an answer to anything. It hasn't been an answer to anything since 1953, and it is not an answer to anything now. That is why I support this resolution.
We should not be at war without a vote of Congress. Even if there were such a vote--I would vote against it, but if it were to pass this body and be signed by the President, I would then drop my complaint that the war is illegal. I would say it is unwise, but I would be outvoted, as I am often on events, and thus it wouldn't be illegal.
It is an illegal war. It is an unwise war that demonstrates a profound lack of understanding of the deep, tragic history between the United States and Iran.
And for that, to my colleague from Oregon, I strongly support your resolution.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Rhode Island.
Nomination of Kevin Warsh (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2220–S2221 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to oppose the nomination of Kevin Warsh to be the Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system.
I want to put this nomination in some context. Donald Trump's chaos is not working for the average American. Housing is more expensive; healthcare is more expensive; groceries are more expensive; American manufactures' inputs are more expensive; and gas is more expensive due primarily to the President's unwise and unauthorized war with Iran.
That is quite a list of higher prices and economic chaos, and it is no secret President Trump also thinks he should control the actions of the Federal Reserve. He has tried to fire some of its members, threatened others, and even launched a criminal investigation meant to force out Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
The Federal Reserve is tasked with combating inflation and helping maximize employment. This dual mandate helps companies succeed and Americans find work and support their families.
The American people need and deserve a Fed Chair who is committed to this task--whose sole motivation is meeting the Fed's dual mandate and who is dedicated to the Federal Reserve's independence.
But after attempting to oust one Fed Governor, as well as the current Chair, President Trump appears to have found an individual who will operate according to his wishes, not the Fed's dual mandate.
And I am not simply speculating. President Trump explicitly told America he would pick a Fed Chair committed to his preferred monetary policy--"someone who believes in lower interest rates by a lot"--and publicly confirmed Mr. Warsh fit that bill.
The President has made clear he believes the Fed should shed its independence, arguing, "I'm a smart voice and should be listened to." And Mr. Warsh himself testified the Fed should not be fully independent.
Undermining Fed independence is extremely dangerous. The last time a President exerted control over the Fed was President Richard Nixon in the early 1970s. The Fed artificially kept rates low--exactly what President Trump wants today--which helped cause, in the case of Nixon, massive stagflation.
Now, President Trump wants total control of the economy by installing his pick to lead the Fed. And based on the President's track record, we should all be very, very wary. Since President Trump returned to the White House 16 months ago, the United States has added only 420,000 new jobs, and that is a huge drop from the 1.5 million jobs the United States added during President Biden's final 12 months in office.
Similarly, workers' real wages grew at a slower pace last year than in 2024, while GDP growth significantly slowed from 2.8 percent to 2.1 percent. Indeed, a greater share of Americans are unemployed now than when President Biden left office.
Zoom out. How did we get here? It becomes clear. The President's tariffs walloped Americans to the tune of $1,000 in new costs per family last year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
Gas prices are up 50 percent since the President began his war on Iran, with diesel prices $2 higher and home heating oil prices also jumping up significantly.
Researchers at Brown University estimate Americans have spent an extra $38 billion on gas and diesel since the war began--that is $290 per household in a little over 2 months. The President's war with Iran pushed inflation to a 3-year high in April with prices for gas, food, clothing, and housing increasing significantly.
Making matters worse, President Trump cut nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid last year. As a result, insurance prices and costs are increasing so that roughly 15 million Americans will lose their healthcare insurance over the next decade.
About 1.5 million people have already dropped their Affordable Care Act coverage as a result of the President's cuts. In my home State of Rhode Island, 10,000 people lost their health insurance. The President has created huge new costs for families, and households are stretched thin. Unsurprisingly, credit card balances hit a record $1.3 trillion at the end of last year. People are living month to month on their credit cards, and that is not a hopeful sign for working Americans.
But with the President's help, one set of Americans did exceptionally well in 2025: the ultrarich. Investment bank UBS reports that the number of U.S. billionaires jumped 11 percent last year with their combined wealth reaching $6.9 trillion dollars. That is trillion with a T.
Now if you dig a little deeper, you will see President Trump's billionaires are leaving the rest of America further and further behind. Billionaires' wealth grew 18 percent in 2025. In comparison, the average wage for Americans grew by about 4 percent--18 percent for the billionaires; 4 percent for working Americans.
As a result, wealth inequality--the gap between the ultrarich and the rest of us--is at a record high. According to the Federal Reserve, 32 percent of total U.S. wealth is now held by the top 1 percent of households.
That is a new record. It is a very uncomfortable record to observe. Let me say it again: 32 percent of the total wealth is now held by the top 1 percent.
That is not what America was designed to be. Frankly, that was not what generations of men and women in uniform fought to make America be. They weren't worried about making sure that billionaires had 5 yachts, 25 cars, and 7 mansions. They wanted to make sure that children got fed; that there was affordable housing; that families could not only get by but save a little and give their children a good chance in life.
Now there is a direct and likely intentional line between billionaire profits and the President's policies. President Trump's tax and spend plan was written specifically to help the wealthy, giving the top one-tenth of 1 percent--the top one-tenth of 1 percent--of Americans a $250,000 per year tax cut.
The rest of America--most of America--got little to nothing. Seventy percent of households received a tax cut below $1,700. What is the comparison? The ultrarich, $250,000 a year; working families, $1,700 a year. And this $1,700 is mostly wiped out by the President's tariffs and gasoline inflation costs.
And if you look at low-income Americans, the bottom 20 percent of earners, they lost money under the Big Beautiful Bill. And the story is the same for our ongoing oil price shock, which President Trump caused by unilaterally attacking Iran, despite knowing a war would close much of the global oil industry.
While working-class Americans are unsurprisingly paying the price, recent research found that during the last global oil shock following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans received about half of resulting global profits, with the vast majority of profits flowing across the top 10 percent of households. And that situation will likely be replicated now.
In other words, oil shocks seem to actually help the President's rich friends. Inflation predominantly hurts working- and middle-class Americans who have less wiggle room to cover high costs. And now the President is talking about making changes to the gasoline tax.
What he could do more appropriately is impose a limit on the amount of oil that could be exported from the United States and let the market cause gas prices to go down.
Now creating these new financial pains for Americans is economic malpractice, intentional or otherwise. This is not how a President should pursue economic policy. Our tax, healthcare, and broader economic system must be geared towards most Americans, not the privileged few. I am concerned that confirming Mr. Warsh to be Fed Chair will only enable President Trump to further ruin our economy by propping up the wealthy.
Like President Trump, Mr. Warsh has shown a proclivity for focusing on the interests of industry and wealth rather than the average American family. While previously at the Fed, Mr. Warsh pushed for higher interest rates during the great recession, a policy we know now, if followed, would have extended our recession and prevented many struggling Americans from finding work.
Before that, he was in charge of financial regulatory policy at the George W. Bush White House where he oversaw deregulatory policies that contributed to the 2008 financial crisis.
Now Mr. Warsh's new dovish monetary policy outlook is predicated on the belief that AI will turbocharge the economy, despite many economists projecting that AI adoption will eliminate huge swaths of middle-class jobs.
There is nothing inherently wrong with being successful and wealthy as Mr. Warsh certainly is. But when the only people appointed to serve in top economic posts have net worths in the hundreds of millions of dollars or even billions, often with intermingled business dealings, you must wonder if they are attuned to the needs of most Americans.
My focus is affordability, lowering housing costs, healthcare costs, and food and gas costs, and fixing our economic mess to better support hard-working Americans. Reorienting the Fed so the President can help billionaires moves the United States away from these goals.
I urge my colleagues to do what is best for the many Americans struggling with high prices and reject this nomination.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Climate Change (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2221–S2222 · Official textMr. President, I am here now for the 307th time with my trusty and increasingly battered "Time to Wake Up" chart to warn this Chamber about how America's worst polluters have occupied the Trump administration from within.
These polluters are up to no good. They are desperate--desperate--to pollute for free. That is their business model, to pollute for free, even though polluting for free is wrong--wrong under the laws of economics, wrong under the laws of morality, wrong under the laws of nature. But they are desperate to pollute for free because the stakes are huge. And the stakes are really huge. The International Monetary Fund has calculated that the fossil fuel industry's subsidy from being allowed to pollute for free is over $700 billion every year.
Mr. President, $700 billion every year is a lot of money, and it is a lot of motive to fund a lot of mischief.
The polluters deny the science of what their emissions are doing to Earth's natural systems. Indeed, they have mounted a massive fraud operation to propagate their climate denial. As I have said in earlier speeches, that is actually phase 2. Phase 1 was when their own scientists warned them what their emissions would do to Earth's natural systems and they chose to hide that information and cover it up.
But once it became more standard science to know that, then they went into the phase 2 part--a massive fraud operation to propagate their climate denial.
Phase 3 was to spend massive amounts of dark money--massive amounts of dark money--to influence and control American politics, specifically to control the Republican Party. I was here when it was OK to be a Republican on a serious climate bill. That was true until January of 2010, the day that Citizen United was decided. And at that point the amount of money that fossil fuel offered made it irresistible for the Republican Party to become the party of climate denial.
And that fossil fuel industry doesn't operate in its own name. It operates through many, many front groups, front groups which they play like piano keys. It amounts to corruption at epic scale.
Today, I highlight the polluters' latest corrupt trick, which is to use the powers of government, a Federal Government that is theirs now to corruptly command, to block low-cost clean energy from getting to the grid.
What is happening is that the polluting industries' expensive polluting plants are being outcompeted--outcompeted by reliable renewable clean energy like wind and solar. The polluters know that their only chance of survival against less expensive, cleaner power is to interfere using government.
So what did they do? They poured hundreds of millions of dollars into the Trump campaign. We know it is hundreds of millions. It could have been the whole billion that Trump asked for; but given how complicated dark money is, it is hard to tell. We do know they put at least hundreds of millions of dollars into the Trump campaign.
And the result is a Trump administration that is paying them back to the tune of billions of dollars. And here is the rub: They are using your money to pay them.
From the Environmental Protection Agency to the Department of the Interior to the Department of Energy, polluters have infiltrated the government itself and are using its levers to shut down their clean energy competition.
From EPA Administrator Zeldin to Interior Secretary Burgum to Energy Secretary Wright, the Trump administration first started by telling the big lie--the big lie that clean energy is more expensive than dirty, polluting fossil fuel energy. That is, in fact, a lie. But that was the opening premise, and then they went to work killing clean energy.
At EPA, Administrator Zeldin went after congressionally appropriated and obligated funds that supported the rollout of affordable clean energy. He attacked the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, costing consumers potentially $52 billion in lost energy savings, money out of consumers' pockets.
He went after Solar for All funding, costing Americans as much as $350 million per year in lost energy savings--billions lost to consumers over time.
Zeldin canceled grants totaling over $1.7 billion, including congressionally appropriated and obligated funding for clean energy projects. The result of all of that was clean, renewable energy kept off the grid, increasing the costs that American consumers have to pay.
The trick is that the extra cost paid by consumers was more money in the pockets of fossil fuel polluters--Trump's big donors. That is EPA.
Over at Interior, Secretary Burgum went after the companies trying to build and operate affordable clean energy projects. Early in 2025, Burgum halted construction on two offshore wind projects off the coast of Rhode Island and New York. Later, he ordered a second halt to five offshore wind projects--the two he had already stopped that were back operational and three more projects in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York.
That stalled nearly 6 gigawatts of clean electricity. If those gigawatts were off the grid, that would mean polluting oil, gas, and coal plants would be picking up the slack. That extra 6 gigawatts of polluting oil, gas, and coal would, in turn, mean billions of dollars to the polluters.
Thankfully, the courts stepped in again against the illegal Trump orders. And the projects continued, but they were stalled.
Now Interior has a new plan: With taxpayer money, pay off companies to walk away from offshore wind leases and, instead, invest the payoff money on fossil fuel projects--again, clean renewable energy off the grid; increased costs for consumers but more profits for polluters--Trump's big donors. Three different companies have made these dirty deals so far. That is Interior.
Over at the Department of Energy, Secretary Wright made it his mission to "revive"--their own word--beautiful, clean coal, even where no one seems to want it. Trump's Energy Department announced that it would provide 625 million taxpayer dollars for retrofits, recommissioning, and life-extension projects for coal plants, including at least one instance where neither the grid operator nor the local utility wanted this intervention.
DOE then announced $175 million more from taxpayers to extend the life of six coal-fired power plants in Kentucky, North Carolina, and Ohio. The Department of Energy may have illegally repurposed funds Congress had appropriated for carbon capture programs to subsidize those coal plants.
The net result of all of this--increased costs for ratepayers because of the expense of running these polluting plants but more profits in the pockets of fossil fuel polluters--Trump's big donors.
These attacks from polluters, who have infiltrated the government, drive up costs for consumers by billions. The excess costs consumers must pay flows to fossil fuel. You know how the grid works. They run the clean energy first because it is least expensive. If you can back off that low-cost clean energy, the grid has to climb up the generation stack to more and more expensive fossil fuel plants. And all that added money goes straight to fossil fuel industry pockets--from consumers to the fossil fuel industry, a crooked money pump driving up costs for consumers.
You don't even have to kill the plant. Every day that low-cost clean energy is delayed is another day that money is steered from consumers' pockets into the pockets of the owners and fuel dealers of the expensive, polluting fossil fuel units. Those billions are the polluters' rewards from Trump.
In an America deeply concerned about the cost of stuff, this corrupt extraction of money from consumers to pay off Trump's big donors won't go over well. Cost and corruption are what most concern voters, and this scheme is on the wrong side of both, which brings us to the coming election.
Trump is in desperate political trouble. Costs are exploding, and corruption is epidemic. Voters are angry. So the big polluters need to corrupt the election. A corrupt attack on our elections is the last gasp of the big polluters' and creepy billionaires' grasp on power. They would rather rule corruptly in an oligarchy than live lawfully in a democracy.
Their attack on democracy uses the corrupted Federal Government as its agent. It is an attack coming from inside our own house.
Just recently, the captured Supreme Court delivered yet another vote-suppressing service to billionaire-funded Republicans with its destruction of the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais.
The Callais case is the culmination of a yearslong "judicial project to destroy the Voting Rights Act," quoting Justice Kagan.
As we all know, in a normal world, judges are supposed to, as Roberts once said "call balls and strikes," not have projects to destroy legislation crafted by Congress.
So Justice Kagan using those words is powerful. Discarding decades of precedent and ignoring mountains of factual findings made by Congress, the Court supercharged Republican partisan gerrymandering across the south. And, boy, did it work.
In just 2 weeks, we have already seen Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi begin redrawing voting maps to disenfranchise minority voters and benefit Republican candidates.
This all comes on top of the Court's other persistent mischief--defending, for instance, billionaires' dark money flooding our elections and defending Republican red map gerrymandering.
Even here, Republicans desperately tried to pass the vote-suppressing so-called SAVE Act, supposedly based on the bogus claim that undocumented immigrants are committing widespread voter fraud. That, as experienced in States that have looked at similar legislation shows, is unequivocally false.
What would have happened is that the bill's excessive restrictions would have disenfranchised millions of legitimate voters, just not the kind that Republicans wanted voting.
As we close in now on the November election, the Trump Federal Agencies are already seizing voter files. At least 48 States have received requests for their complete voter registration lists. The Department of Justice sued 30 of those States and Washington, DC, for their refusal to turn over the voter information.
The administration even faked a criminal investigation to seize records in Fulton County, GA, after the DOJ had failed to obtain those records through civil proceedings. I won't explain that here because I have given a speech on that subject, laying out all of the mischief and shenanigans behind that search warrant.
Even the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, seized voting machines in Puerto Rico.
The plot here is simple. It is to make sure the corrupt billionaires keep their control of the government so that they can use their control of the government to prop up their pollute-for-free business model and keep gouging you on cost. Well, to keep gouging Americans on cost and to keep polluting for free and to maintain their corrupt influence over the Trump administration, they have got to mess with the election. So be alert.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Curtis)
The clerk will call the roll.
The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Unanimous Consent Request--S. Res. 552 (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2222–S2223 · Official textMr. President, here is a simple truth: Climate change is real.
Earlier this year, I came to the floor and asked my colleagues if they could all agree on this simple scientific fact. This being the Temple of Mammon, run by fossil fuel, to no one's surprise, they could not.
So I hoped that if I broke down the reality of climate change into smaller simple truths, we could then find areas of agreement. But 2 weeks ago, when I asked on the floor if we could all agree to the simple truth that sea levels are rising, I was once again met with an objection.
So let's give it another go. Today's simple truth: The oceans are warming. Can we agree on that?
I have come to the floor several times to talk about the fact that the oceans are heating by the zettajoule. So let's talk for a minute about what a zettajoule is.
A joule is the standard unit of energy--heat energy. A zettajoule has 21 zeroes behind it. It is a spectacularly enormous number.
In the past, I have reported that our oceans are measured absorbing around 14 zettajoules of excess heat every year. If you want a comparison, you can image that that is the equivalent of seven Hiroshima atomic bombs detonating in the ocean every second. That is the size of the heat transfer, and, indeed, that is the number in this resolution.
Sadly, since we introduced this resolution, that measure has increased. Our oceans now are warming by 23 zettajoules a year. We are breaking the ocean heat content record for the ninth consecutive year.
To put that in context, the total energy consumption of all humankind on planet Earth is about one-half of a zettajoule per year--all of it, every turbine, every boiler, every engine. All of our energy is one-half of a zettajoule.
That means that, for the fossil fuel component of that one-half of a zettajoule that human beings create, we add 23 zettajoules of excess heat to the oceans. It is a 50-to-1 magnification, nearly, and it is driving ocean temperatures skyward.
Since 1955, the top 2,000 meters of the global ocean have gained approximately 372 zettajoules of heat. And, as you can see, the trajectory is that things are going to get a lot worse.
By 2100, it is projected that the rate of ocean warming will be somewhere between two and six times greater than the rate of warming at the 14-zettajoule level of annual excess heat. A world in which the ocean is warming at six times 14 zettajoules of excess heat every year rapidly becomes an unlivable world for a great many human beings.
This amount of heat has horrific effects on biodiversity and sea life, happening already--happening already. Fisherman know that fish populations are moving across international boundaries or out into the high seas, causing economic uncertainty and harm for fishermen.
Warming sea surface temperatures shrink populations of the world's most abundant phytoplankton, significantly damaging the ocean food webs on which so many humans ultimately depend. Warming and acidification combined prevents species from being able to create their calcium carbonate shells.
I have often spoken on the Senate floor about the humble pteropod--a species that I think nobody cares very much about here, but they are enormously abundant in the oceans. They have been measured as suffering extreme shell damage in the oceans. And they are not a very long trophic hop from things we do care about, like salmon. When you kick the foundation out from under a food chain, it collapses.
Harmful algal blooms grow in warmer water and become more and more severe, taking a toll on fisheries, on public health, on recreation and tourism. If you want a description of what rotting algae on beaches does to tourism, just look at the stories about what Florida has experienced.
Warmer oceans increase evaporation rates, which increases atmospheric humidity, which fuels extreme precipitation and stronger hurricanes. Those stronger, wetter storms and other climate change-induced threats crashing into insurance markets pose a roughly $25 trillion risk to the global housing market over the next 25 years. When the climate risk gets so severe that it crashes insurance markets, that cascades into mortgage markets, and that cascades into property values. That is where the $25 trillion estimate comes from. If you want to look more locally, Florida now leads the country in property value loss as the first and worst exposed to this climate risk.
The threats don't end there. The risks that stronger, wetter storms pose to agriculture and food production, insurance, tourism, infrastructure, the energy sector, and more are very, very real. Mature and responsible warnings abound.
As we noted in my last resolution, 30 percent of Americans live in coastal areas. Ten trillion dollars of goods and services are produced in coastal counties across the United States each year. There is a lot in jeopardy due to our warming oceans.
It is the simple truth: Climate change is real. Sea level rise is real. Ocean warming by the zettajoule is real. And all of it is already disrupting American lives, pocketbooks, and families, and it is getting steadily worse.
Mr. President, as if in legislative session and notwithstanding rule XXII, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from further consideration and the Senate now proceed to S. Res. 552; further, that the resolution be agreed to, that the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Is there objection?
The Senator from Wisconsin.
I am here to object. I will keep it short.
I was down here a couple weeks ago when the Senator from Rhode Island had a similar type of what he called a simple-truth resolution, but it is not that simple.
The purpose of his putting forth this resolution is he wants to do something about it. I am not a climate change denier. I am just not a climate change alarmist. I am not subscribing to Chicken Little scare tactics here.
The problem with trying to do something about climate change is there is nothing we can really do to impact it. We have spent, according to testimony in the Budget Committee when the Senator from Rhode Island was chair, $5 to $6 trillion globally. I saw a recent speech given by Secretary of Energy Wright saying that we had spent about $10 trillion trying to hold back the tides, trying to address this climate change emergency--which, by the way, two Nobel laureate physicists, Dr. Ivar Giaever and Dr. John Clauser, signed on to a "World Climate Declaration: There is no Climate Emergency." There isn't.
What we have done, though, is we have taken a $6 to $10 trillion cost--the largest malinvestment in human history--and we obviously haven't even dented climate change because we still have the Chicken Littles here claiming a climate change emergency.
So, again, this isn't a simple truth. The simple truth is, yes, climate has always changed. It always will. And I would argue the simple truth is there is not much we can do about it. There is no consensus in terms of the extent that man may impact the climate. We certainly can impact the environment, and we all are--from my standpoint, we are all environmentalists. We want a clean environment. But just think what we could have done with that $6 to $10 trillion rather than spending it--wasting it--trying to hold back the tide.
So for those reasons, I object.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The objection is heard.
Mr. President, I would just note for the record that the University of Wisconsin in the good Senator's home State teaches the science of climate change, teaches courses with names like "Climate and Climate Change," "Climate Change, Human and Planetary Health," "Climate Change Ecology," "Ice and Climate Dynamics," "Climate Change and Health Disparities," "Soils and Climate Change," "Climate Change Medicine," "Climatic Environments of the Past," "Agricultural Weather and Climate," "Climate Action Planning: Sustainable Transportation," "Case Studies Exploring Infrastructure, Sustainability and Climate Change," "Climate Change Governance," "Climate Change, Sustainability, and Education," and as a lawyer, I would add "Climate Change, Human Rights, and the Environment."
I would strongly recommend that all of my colleagues who are unfamiliar with what is happening in the real world with climate change go to their home State universities that teach the stuff and listen to what their home State universities have to say.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The Senator from Wyoming.
Order of Business (Executive Calendar)
Pages S2223–S2224 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule XXII, the postcloture time with respect to the Warsh nomination be expired and the Senate vote on confirmation of the Warsh nomination at 2 p.m. tomorrow; further, if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Legislative Session
Page S2224 · Official textMr. President, I move to proceed to legislative session.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
EXECUTIVE RESOLUTION (Executive Session)
Page S2224 · Official textMr. President, I move to proceed to executive session to consider the en bloc nominations listed in S. Res. 690.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The question is on agreeing to the motion.
The motion was agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Pursuant to the provisions of S. Res. 690, the nominations listed therein are pending en bloc.
Cloture Motion (Executive Session)
Page S2224 · Official textMr. President, I send a cloture motion to the desk.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The cloture motion, having been presented under rule XXII, the Chair directs the clerk to read the motion.
The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (723 characters)
We, the undersigned Senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate and the provisions of S. Res. 690 (119th Congress), do hereby move to bring to a close debate on Executive Calendar Nos.: 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 648, 649, 650, 652, 653, 654, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 694, 695, 698, 699, 700, 701, 711, 712, 714, 715, 716 en bloc.
John Thune, Tim Sheehy, John Barrasso, Mike Crapo, Ted
Budd, James Lankford, Joni Ernst, David McCormick,
Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Pete Ricketts, John Cornyn,
Ashley Moody, Jon Husted, Roger Marshall, John Hoeven,
Bill Hagerty.
Mr. President, I ask consent that the reading of the nominations be waived.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Executive Calendar
Pages S2224–S2225 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc: Calendar No. 719 through Calendar No. 724, with the exception of Rear Adm. Douglas L. Williams, Calendar No. 725 through Calendar No. 726, and all nominations on the Secretary's desk in the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy, with the exception of PN681-4, PN835-2, PN919, and PN925; that the nominations be confirmed en bloc; the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations; that the President be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The nominations considered and confirmed are as follows:
Text printed in the Record (462 characters)
The following named officers for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section:
Col. Stephanie A. Bagley Col. Joseph D. Becker Col. John D. Bishop Col. Robert K. Bryant Col. Jesse T. Curry Col. Ethan J. Diven Col. Brian M. Ducote Col. Donald A. Fagnan Col. Timothy D. Gatlin Col. Jarrod J. Gillam Col. Reginald R. Harper Col. Raphael S. Heflin Col. Daniel J. Herlihy Col. Ryan A. Howell Col. Ronald Iammartino, Jr.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S2224, May 12, 2026, second column, the following appears: Col. Ronald Iammartino, Jar.
The online Record has been corrected to read: Col. Ronald Iammartino, Jr.
========================= END NOTE =========================
Text printed in the Record (6,822 characters)
Col. Joseph A. Katz Col. Jim D. Keirsey Col. Alexander C. Lovasz Col. Edwin D. Matthaidess, III Col. Robert S. McChrystal Col. Stephen J. Miko Col. Andrew R. Morgan Col. Jennifer A. Mykins Col. Peter A. Patterson Col. Marc E. Pelini Col. Kelly K. Steele Col. Lucas S. VanAntwerp Col. Patrick E. Workman Col. Guy Yelverton, III
The following named officer for appointment in the Reserve of the Army to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 12203:
Col. Brian M. Gatti
The following named officer for appointment in the United States Marine Corps to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 1044f:
Col. Peter D. Houtz
The following named officers for appointment in the United States Marine Corps to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601:
Lt. Gen. Roger B. Turner, Jr. Maj. Gen. James B. Wellons Maj. Gen. George B. Rowell, IV Maj. Gen. Thomas B. Savage Maj. Gen. Keith D. Reventlow
The following named officer for appointment in the United States Army to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601:
Maj. Gen. Monte L. Rone
The following named officers for appointment in the United States Navy to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601:
Vice Adm. John F. Wade
The following named officer for appointment in the United States Air Force to the grade indicated while assigned to a position of importance and responsibility under title 10, U.S.C., section 601:
Maj. Gen. Christopher J. Niemi
The following named officers for appointment in the United States Air Force to the grade indicated under title 10, U.S.C., section 624:
Brig. Gen. Robert K. Bogart Brig. Gen. Leigh A. Swanson
PN877 AIR FORCE nomination of Michael P. McFadden, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN878 AIR FORCE nomination of Benjamin T. Canipe, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN879 AIR FORCE nomination of Sarah L. Pergande, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN880 AIR FORCE nomination of Ilda Y. Isaza, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN910 AIR FORCE nomination of Joseph M. Vanoni, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN911 AIR FORCE nomination of Jonathan E. Menashi, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN881 ARMY nomination of Aziz Atakuzi, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN882 ARMY nomination of Jin H. Yoo, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN884 ARMY nomination of Harrison C. Kennedy, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN912 ARMY nominations (3) beginning JAMES L. BOND, II, and ending MICHAEL A. SWEETLAND, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN913 ARMY nominations (5) beginning MICHAEL A. BLEW, and ending ORRIN W. VINER, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN914 ARMY nominations (9) beginning RYAN C. BOILEAU, and ending DENNIS R. WILLIAMS, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN915 ARMY nominations (14) beginning SARAH A. ARMSTRONG, and ending JEREMIAH D. ULRICH, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN916 ARMY nominations (2) beginning BRUCE L. MAYEAUX, and ending HANS P. ZELLER, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN917 ARMY nomination of Michelle L. Elliott, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN918 ARMY nomination of Sang S. Row, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN920 ARMY nomination of Whitney A. Green, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN921 ARMY nomination of Terry W. Hill, Jr., which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN922 ARMY nomination of Alex T. Kitchin, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN923 ARMY nomination of William B. Lewandowski, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN935 ARMY nominations (2) beginning NATHANIEL D. BASTIAN, and ending DAMIAN R. TONG, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 21, 2026.
PN801 MARINE CORPS nomination of Thomas R. Rice, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of February 4, 2026.
PN924 MARINE CORPS nomination of Nicholas D. Downey, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN885 NAVY nomination of Charles R. Bowen, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN886 NAVY nomination of Joshua K. Udy, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN887 NAVY nomination of Michael P. Arulin, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN888 NAVY nomination of Amber B. Brandt, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN889 NAVY nomination of Bartholomew W. Connolly, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN890 NAVY nomination of Craig J. Vantassel, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN891 NAVY nomination of Benjamin J. Eaton, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of March 19, 2026.
PN926 NAVY nomination of Jesse G. Van Heukelom, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN927 NAVY nominations (2) beginning ROGER A. HENNIGH, and ending ALISHA R. THOMAS, which nominations were received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
PN928 NAVY nomination of Zachary R. Ingold, which was received by the Senate and appeared in the Congressional Record of April 13, 2026.
Legislative Session
Page S2225 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Arms Sales Notification
Page S2225 · Official textMr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (3,997 characters)
Please find enclosed the following notification from the Department of State.
Department Notification Number: RSAT 26-44.
Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended, we are forwarding Transmittal No. 26-44 concerning the Air Force's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government of Canada for defense articles and services estimated to cost $540 million. We will issue a news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon delivery of this letter to your office.
Recipients:
Speaker of the House of Representatives
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Sincerely,
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Canada.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $0 million.
Other $540 million.
Total $540 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
None.
Non-MDE:
The following non-MDE items will be included: major and minor modifications; aircraft maintenance support equipment; ground handling equipment; spare parts, consumables, and accessories, and repair and return support; classified and unclassified software and delivery support; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Air Force (CN-D-GCW; CN-D-QDJ).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: CN-D-QCV.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: None.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 5, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
The Government of Canada has requested to buy major and minor modifications; aircraft maintenance support equipment; ground handling equipment; spare parts, consumables, and accessories, and repair and return support; classified and unclassified software and delivery support; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $540 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the military capability of a NATO Ally that is an important force for ensuring political stability and economic progress and is a contributor to military, peacekeeping, and humanitarian operations around the world.
The proposed sale will improve Canada's capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring the operational readiness of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Its C-17 aircraft fleet provides strategic airlift capabilities that directly support U.S. and coalition operations around the world. Canada already operates C-17 aircraft and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be The Boeing Company, located in Arlington, VA. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Canada.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Arms Sales Notification
Pages S2225–S2226 · Official textMr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (6,019 characters)
Please find enclosed the following notification from the Department of State.
Department Notification Number: RSAT 26-36.
Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended. we are forwarding Transmittal No. 26-36 concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government of the Philippines for defense articles and services estimated to cost $150 million. We will issue a news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon delivery of this letter to your office.
Recipients:
Speaker of the House of Representatives
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Sincerely,
Senior Bureau Official,
Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Transmittal No. 26-36 Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of the Philippines.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $0.
Other $150 million.
Total $150 million.
Funding Source: Foreign Military Financing.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE): None.
Non-MDE: The following non-MDE items will be included: Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopters; spare parts including main rotor blades; tail rotor blades; full length trainer shoes; training for twenty-two (22) pilots including ground and flight training, left seat orientation, and Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) and Helicopter Upset Recovery; maintenance training for six (6) students including Bell 505 Maintenance Officer Course; field maintenance, integrated avionics, component maintenance, and Safran engine maintenance training for twenty-two (22) students; Bell 505 Veris flight simulators including Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package for five (5) years, and operator and maintenance training for six (6) students; Field Support Representative and Logistics Support Representative for one (1) year; ILS, tools, and ground support equipment for two (2) operating bases supporting twenty-two (22) aircraft operating two hundred (200) hours per year for a duration of five (5) years; subscriptions including electronic online; technical publications for twenty (20) years; Garmin subscription for five (5) years; Program Management Reviews for three (3) years hosted once annually; delivery and reassembly of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopters; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (PI-B-CAE).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: None.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 5, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
(U) The Philippines--Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopter
(U) The Government of the Philippines has requested to buy Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopters; spare parts including main rotor blades; tail rotor blades; full length trainer shoes; pilot training for twenty-two (22) pilots including ground and flight training, left seat orientation, and Instrument Meteorological Conditions and Helicopter Upset Recovery; maintenance training for six (6) students including Bell 505 Maintenance Officer Course; field maintenance, integrated avionics, component maintenance, and Safran engine maintenance training for twenty-two (22) students. This proposed acquisition also includes Bell 505 Veris flight simulators; an Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) package for five (5) years, and operator and maintenance training for six (6) students; Field Support Representative and Logistics Support Representative for one (1) year; ILS, tools, and ground support equipment for two (2) operating bases supporting twenty-two (22) aircraft operating two hundred (200) hours per year for a duration of five (5) years; subscriptions including electronic online; technical publications for twenty (20) years; Garmin subscription for five (5) years; Program Management Reviews for three (3) years hosted once annually; delivery and reassembly of the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopters; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $150 million.
(U) This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic partner that continues to be an important force for political stability, peace, and economic progress in the Southeast Asia.
(U) The proposed sale will improve the Philippines' capability to meet current and future threats by providing aircraft competency gaps in operating rotary wing aircraft as part of an upgraded Bell 505 Jet Ranger X Helicopter modern aircraft equipped with advanced system and thereby enhancing comprehensive training. This enhanced capability will facilitate the smooth transition for pilots to more complex rotary aircraft within the Armed Forces Philippines, and it is a cost-effective solution for developing rotary wing pilots.
(U) The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
(U) The principal contractor will be Bell Textron Inc., located in Fort Worth, TX. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
(U) Implementation of this proposed sale will require the assignment of an additional three U.S. Government and three contractor representatives to Philippines for a duration of three years to support program requirements and technical oversight.
(U) There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Arms Sales Notification
Pages S2226–S2232 · Official textMr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Text printed in the Record (792 characters)
Please find enclosed a Determination and accompanying documentation from the Department of State.
Title of DETERMINATION: Determination under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act.
Background: Consistent with section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, the Department of State wishes to inform you that the Secretary has exercised his delegated authority, as described in the enclosed Memorandum of Justification, to authorize the immediate transfer of U.S.-origin defense articles to the Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.
Recipients:
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Chairman, SFRC and Ranking Minority Member
Chairman, HFAC and Ranking Minority Member
Sincerely,
Senior Bureau Official,
Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Enclosure.
____
DETERMINATION UNDER SECTION 36(b)(1) OF THE ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT
Text printed in the Record (11,844 characters)
Pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. 2776, I hereby determine an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale through the following foreign military sales cases, including any further amendments specific to the cost, quantity, or requirements of these cases, in the national security interest of the United States:
For Bahrain:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
For Israel:
APKWS-II
For Kuwait:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS)
For Qatar:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
APKWS-II
For the UAE:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
APKWS-II
This determination shall be published in the Federal Register and, along with the accompanying Memorandum of Justification, shall be transmitted to Congress with the applicable notifications.
Marco Rubid,
Secretary of State.
____ memorandum of justification for emergency arms transfers to bahrain,
kuwait, qatar, the united arab emirates, and israel, under section
36(b)(1) of the arms export control act.
On February 28, 2016, the United States and Israel launched a broad and joint operation against the Iranian regime to remove the existential threat it poses to the United States, Israel, the Middle East. and the world. This historic operation is a defining point in the region's military operations and the region's cooperation with the United States in a fight against a destabilizing regime.
Despite the combined successes of Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Rising Lion to cripple Iran's ability to project power and terror in 2025, the Iranian regime has not abandoned its plans. In the eight months since the Twelve-Day War, the regime restored damaged nuclear infrastructure, accelerated missile production, and continued to finance, train, and arm its proxies throughout the Middle East, while at the same time combating its internal civil crisis and large-scale protests with excessive and deadly force. The combination of accelerated reconstruction of nuclear infrastructure, its ba]listic missile stockpile, and its continued circumvention of sanctions created a new reality in the Iranian arena. These trends led to the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, with the aim of halting the regime's attempts to reconstitute its instruments of power.
Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE all have sustained hundreds of direct and ongoing ballistic missile and drone strikes since the start of Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, and they have suffered civilian or military fatalities. In Bahrain, Iran has conducted hundreds of strikes against Isa Air Base, the Bahrain International Airport, and one of Bahrain's major oil refinery complexes. In Kuwait, Iran has launched attacks against Embassy Kuwait, Camp Buehring, airport fuel tanks, and government buildings, killing at least seven U.S. service members. Qatar has suffered significant impacts to its liquified natural gas facilities due to Iranian strikes, which have resulted in an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue on top of strikes against Al Udeid Air Base. In the UAE, Iran has targeted Al Dahfra Air Base, U.S. diplomatic facilities, Emirati airports, ports, and oil infrastructure. Israel has weathered the most waves of Iranian and proxy attacks on military, industrial, and residential infrastructure.
These countries have demonstrated strong collaboration with CENTCOM to not only protect each country's sovereignty and citizens, but also to protect U.S. citizens, servicemen and women, and assets in country. Bahrain. Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE have all successfully intercepted many attacks using the U.S.-provided Patriot system. All five countries have experienced countless attacks by one-way attack drones and are utilizing U.S. provided interceptors and munitions to counter these attacks.
These countries are essential defense and security partners, and the United States is committed to ensuring our partners have the means to defend themselves. The Departments of State and War are coordinating with Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE to meet their military requirements and ensure their needs are met to defend their territory and citizens, as well as Americans living, working, and traveling in the region.
Given the scale and scope of the regional conflict, it is in the U.S. national security interest to swiftly provide Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE with the systems they require to defend themselves and to reinforce deterrence against other regional threats. The immediacy of the challenge at hand requires overcoming the statutory 30-day Congressional notification timeline to expedite transfers to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.
For the reasons cited above, an emergency exists requiring immediate provision of these defense articles to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE in the national security interest of the United States. These transfers, through foreign military sales, will provide needed defense capabilities to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE as soon as possible. The Secretary of State, therefore, has certified an emergency exists under sections 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. 2776, thereby waving the Congressional review requirement of these provisions.
Report of Enhancement or Upgrade of Sensitivity of Technology
or Capability (Sec. 36(b)(5)(C), AECA)
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Bahrain.
(ii) Sec. 36(b)(1), AECA Transmittal No.: 19-06; Date: May 3, 2019; Implementing Agency: Army.
Funding Source: National Funds.
(iii) Description: On May 3, 2019, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 19-06 of the possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, of sixty (60) Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) missiles; thirty-six (36) Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T) with canisters; nine (9) M903 Launching Stations; five (5) Antenna Mast Groups; three (3) Electrical Power Plants III; two (2) AN/MPQ-65 radar sets; and two (2) AN/MSQ-132 Engagement Control Stations. The following non-major defense equipment (MDE) items were also included: communications equipment; tools and test equipment; range and test programs; support equipment; prime movers; generators; publications and technical documentation; training equipment; spare and repair parts; personnel training; Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT); U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; Systems Integration and Checkout (SICO); field office support; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total value was $2.478 billion. MDE constituted $1.445 billion of this total.
This transmittal notifies the inclusion of the following MDE items: one hundred fifty (150) Patriot MIM-104E GEM-T with canisters; and fifty (50) PAC-3 MSE missiles. The following non-MDE items will also be included: communications equipment; tools and test equipment; range and test programs; support equipment; prime movers; generators; publications and technical documentation; training equipment; spare and repair parts; personnel training; TAFT; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; SICO; field office support; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total value of the new items is $1.625 billion. The estimated MDE value will increase by $1.125 billion to a revised $2.57 billion. The estimated non-MDE value will increase by $500 million to a revised $1.533 billion. The estimated total case value will increase by $1.625 billion to a revised $4.103 billion. MDE constitutes $2.57 billion of this total.
(iv) Significance: The inclusion of this MDE represents an increase in capability over what was previously notified. The proposed sale will enhance Bahrain's interoperability with the United States. Bahrain will use Patriot missiles to improve its missile defense capability, defend its territorial integrity, and deter regional threats.
(v) Justification: This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
(vi) Sensitivity of Technology:
The Sensitivity of Technology Statement contained in the original notification applies to items reported here.
The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
(vii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Israel.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $675.2 million.
Other $317.2 million.
Total $992.4 million.
Funding Source: Foreign Military Financing.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Ten thousand (10,000) Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II All Up Round
Non-MDE:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: test support equipment; other support equipment; technical data; spare and repair parts; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; transportation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Navy (IS-P-AVW).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
Israel--Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II All-Up-Round
The Government of Israel has requested to buy ten thousand (10,000) Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II All Up Round. The following non-major defense equipment items will also be included: test support equipment; other support equipment; technical data; spare and repair parts; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; transportation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $992.4 million.
This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic regional partner that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
The proposed sale will improve Israel's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats. Israel will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be BAE Systems, located in Nashua, NH. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Israel.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S.
Text printed in the Record (11,951 characters)
defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II (APKWS-II) All Up Round is a low cost air-to-air and air-to-ground system that consists of an APKWS-II guidance section developed by BAE Systems, legacy 2.75-inch MK66 Mod 4 rocket motor, and legacy MK152 and MK435/436 warhead/fuse. The APKWS-II is a tactical rocket system that can be launched from several platforms, offering multi-mission, multi-target capability and precision-strike lethality. These guided rockets are steered to the target by following reflected laser beam energy directed onto the target either by the launching aircraft, a second aircraft, or ground based troops operating a laser designator.
2. The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
4. A determination has been made that Israel can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of Israel.
Report of Enhancement or Upgrade of Sensitivity of Technology
or Capability (Sec. 36(b)(5)(C), AECA)
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Kuwait.
(ii) Sec. 36(b)(1), AECA Transmittal No.: 20-16; Date: May 28, 2020; Implementing Agency: Army.
Funding Source: National Funds.
(iii) Description: On May 28, 2020, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 20-16 of the possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, of eighty-four (84) Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancements (MSEs) with canisters; two (2) Patriot MSE test missiles 2-pack per unit of issue; thirty-five (35) remanufactured (upgrades): Patriot modification kit, missile launchers A902+ Series to A903 Series; twenty-six (26) PAC-3 Missile Round Trainer; and twenty-six (26) Empty Round Trainer. The following non-major defense equipment (MDE) items were also included: Flight Test Target--Zombie; PAC-3 missile spares held in Continental United States for repair and return; PAC-3 telemetry kits; training devices; simulators; transportation; organizational equipment; spare and repair parts; support equipment; tools and test equipment; technical data and publications; personnel training and training equipment; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated total value was $800 million. MDE constituted $700 million of this total.
This transmittal notifies the inclusion of the following MDE items: five hundred (500) PAC-3 MSEs; and five hundred (500) PAC-2 Guidance Enhanced Tactical Missiles (GEM-T) with canisters. The following non-MDE items will also be included: tools and test equipment; support equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; spare and repair parts; facility design; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics, sustainment, and program support. The estimated total value of the new items is $9.3 billion. The estimated MDE value will increase by $8.2 billion to a revised $8.9 billion. The estimated non-MDE value will increase by $1.1 billion to a revised $1.2 billion. The estimated total case value will increase by $9.3 billion to a revised $ 10.1 billion. MDE constitutes $8.9 billion of this total.
(iv) Significance: This notification accounts for requested additional MDE and non-MDE items not included in the original notification. The inclusion of this MDE represents an increase in capability over what was previously notified. This proposed sale will improve Kuwait's capability to strengthen its homeland air defense by better meeting current and future air threats.
(v) Justification: This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
(vi) Sensitivity of Technology:
The PAC-2 GEM-T missiles with canisters is a specialized variant of the Patriot Missile Defense System designed to intercept high-speed tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and enemy aircraft. The GEM-T uses a blast-fragmentation warhead. It detonates in the immediate vicinity of a target to destroy it with shrapnel and explosive force. It uses track-via missile guidance, where the missile relays target data back to the ground radar for processing, and the ground station sends steering commands back to the missile.
The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
(ix) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Kuwait.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $1.5 billion.
Other $1.0 billion.
Total $2.5 billion.
Funding Source: National Funds.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Six (6) dismounted Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) engagement operations centers (EOCs)
Two (2) hosted IBCS EOCs
Six (6) dismounted IBCS integrated collaborative environments (ICEs)
Two (2) hosted IBCS ICEs
Fourteen (14) mounted IBCS integrated fire control network relays
Eight (8) engagement control station to radar interface unit modification kits
Thirty-five (35) launcher integrated network kit on enhanced launcher electronic system (ELES) kits
Twenty-four (24) KIV 77 or 79 identification, friend or foe encryptors
Non-MDE:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: communications equipment; tools and test equipment; support equipment; generators; vehicles; transportation; construction; publications and technical documentation; training equipment including the air defense reconfigurable trainer; spare and repair parts; personnel training; technical assistance field team; U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and services, IBCS Phase 2 planning, engineering, and logistics support services; systems integration and checkout; field office support; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (KU-B-UZJ).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
Kuwait--Integrated Battle Command System Enabled Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target
The Government of Kuwait has requested to purchase six (6) dismounted Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) engagement operations centers (EOC); two (2) hosted IBCS EOCs; six (6) dismounted IBCS integrated collaborative environments (ICE); two (2) hosted IBCS ICEs; fourteen (14) mounted IBCS integrated fire unit modification kits; thirty-five (35) launcher integrated network kits on enhanced launcher electronic system kits; and twenty-four (24) KIV 77 or 79 identification, friend or foe encryptors. The following non-major defense equipment items will also be included: communications equipment; tools and test equipment; support equipment; generators; vehicles; transportation; publications and technical documentation; training equipment including the air defense reconfigurable trainer; spare and repair parts; personnel training; technical assistance field team; U.S. Government and contractor technical assistance and services, IBCS Phase 2 planning, engineering, and logistics support services; systems integration and checkout; transportation; field office support; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $2.5 billion.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major non-NATO ally that has been an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
The proposed sale will improve Kuwait's capability to meet current and future threats by providing advanced air defense detection as part of the procurement of the
Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense sensor radar system combined with the integration of the IBCS as the command and control and thereby providing a layered defense capability. This enhanced capability will protect Kuwait and local allied land forces and will significantly improve Kuwait's contribution to Integrated Air Missile Defense. Kuwait will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors will be Northrop Grumman, located in Falls Church, VA; RTX Corporation, located in Arlington, VA; and Lockheed-Martin, located in Dallas, TX. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s).
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require permanent assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Kuwait.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The Configuration 3+ Increment 3 Radar Interface Unit (RIU) provides operational control of the Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept on Target (PATRIOT) MPQ-65 radar set (RS). The RIU is an adapted PATRIOT AN/MSQ-132 Configuration 3+ Increment 3 engagement control station with a PATRIOT A-kit modification added. The RIU exchanges componentized PATRIOT sensor messages with the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) B-side component, either the engagement operations center (EOC) or the integrated fire control network (IFCN) relay, via the AB interface control document (ICD) directed messages. These messages include tracking measurement data, feature data, engagement support, uplink and downlink support, state and mode transition, radar status, initialization data, etc. The RIU converts AB ICD messages into internal current force PATRIOT RS radar action messages and radar response messages, allowing the radar resident portion of the PATRIOT componentized sensor to remain unchanged.
2. The Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense (AIAMD) IBCS adapts existing and forthcoming air and missile defense (AMD) sensors, weaponry, and mission command technologies into a unified defense system. This integration facilitates a comprehensive air picture, enhances defended areas, and provides flexible deployment options.
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The IBCS serves as the command-and-control solution (C4ISR) for AIAMD, providing net centric, plug & fight (P&F), and system-of-systems command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance. and reconnaissance. IBCS comprises two primary components: the EOC and the IBCS IFCN relays. The EOC delivers C4ISR functions at battalion, battery, and platoon levels within the AMD task force. Both the EOC and IFCN relays are equipped with a P&F B-Kit, enabling AIAMD weapon and sensor components to operate within the networked system. These components connect via an A-Kit to interface with the IBCS B-Kit.
3. The Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) enhances defense effectiveness by using composite tracks from multiple sensors to provide accurate target tracking and weapon firing solutions. It offers a common engagement center and data sharing across all Army AMD echelons, improving response to threats with near real-time coordination. The AIAMD architecture ensures resilient defense with automatic fail-over and rapid reconfiguration, minimizing single point failures. IBCS supports dynamic defense design, extended range, and non-line-of-sight engagements, reducing coverage gaps, manpower, and costs while improving training capabilities.
4. Identification, friend or foe KIV-77 or KIV-79 encryptors is a combat identification system designed for command and control. It uses a transponder that listens to an interrogation signal and then sends a response that identifies the broadcaster.
5. Six (6) AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loader--Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense sensor is an advanced secure cryptographic device, enabling safe distribution and storage of communication security keys.
6. The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
7. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
8. A determination has been made that Kuwait can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
9. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of Kuwait.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Qatar
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $3.95 billion.
Other $0.06 billion.
Total $4.01 billion.
Funding Source: National Funds.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment {MDE):
Two hundred (200) Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missiles-Tactical.
Three hundred (300) PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement.
Non-MDE:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: PAC-2 and PAC-3 missile and ground support equipment spare parts; classified and unclassified repair and return; PAC-2 and PAC-3 missile canister consumables; PAC-3 field surveillance program; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics technical assistance; quality assurance; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army QA-B-UAH.
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: QA-B-UAP.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
(Vlll) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
Government of Qatar--PATRIOT Missile Replenishment of National
Stockpile
The Government of Qatar has requested to buy two hundred (200) Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical; and three hundred (300) PATRIOT Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement. The following non-major defense equipment items will also be included: PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles and ground support equipment spare parts; classified and unclassified repair and return; PAC-2 and PAC-3 missile canister consumables; PAC-3 field surveillance program; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics technical assistance; quality assurance; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $4.01 billion.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a friendly country that continues to be an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
The proposed sale will improve Qatar's capability to meet current and future threats by enabling Qatar to operate in bilateral and multilateral coalition environments and providing enhanced interoperability with U.S. military units for training and defense. Qatar will use the PATRIOT missile system to replenish its missile defense capability, defend its territorial integrity, and deter threats for regional stability.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin, located in Dallas, TX; and RTX Corporation, located in Arlington, VA. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractors.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Qatar.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target (PATRIOT) Advanced Capability (PAC-2) Guidance Enhanced Missiles-Tactical (GEM-T) missile is a specialized variant of the PATRIOT Missile Defense System designed to intercept high-speed tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and enemy aircraft. The GEM-T uses a blast-fragmentation warhead. It detonates in the immediate vicinity of a target to destroy it with shrapnel and explosive force. Using track-via-missile guidance, the missile relays target data back to the ground radar for processing and the ground station sends steering commands back to the missile.
2. The PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) missile is a small, highly agile, kinetic kill interceptor for defense against tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and air-breathing threats. The MSE variant of the
PAC-3 missile represents the next generation in hit-to-kill interceptors and provides expanded battlespace against evolving threats. The PAC-3 MSE improves upon the original PAC-3 capability with a higher performance solid rocket motor, modified lethality enhancer, more responsible control surfaces, upgraded guidance software, and insensitive munitions improvements.
The PAC-3 MSE missile has sensitive and critical technology primarily in the area of design and production know-how and data inherent to certain components.
3. The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
4. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
5. A determination has been made that Qatar can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
6. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of Qatar.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Qatar.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $675.2 million.
Other $317.2 million.
Total $992.4 million.
Funding Source: National Funds
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Ten thousand (10,000) Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II all-up-rounds Advanced (Single Variant)
Non-MDE:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: LAU-131 A/A launchers; Mk-152 high explosive warheads; MK66 rocket motors; proximity fuzes; WTU-1/B practice warheads; inert MK66 rocket motors; support equipment; other support equipment; publications and technical documentation; transportation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Navy (QA-P-AAI), Air Force (QA-D-QAS).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: QA-B-WYX.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
Qatar--Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II All-Up-Round
The Government of Qatar has requested to buy ten thousand (10,000) Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II all-up-rounds advanced (single variant). The following non-major defense equipment items will also be included: LAU-131 A/A launchers; Mk-152 high explosive warheads; MK66 rocket motors; proximity fuzes; WTU-1/B practice warheads; inert MK66 rocket motors; support equipment; other support equipment; publications and technical documentation; transportation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $992.4 million.
This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a strategic regional partner that has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
The proposed sale will improve Qatar's capability to meet current and future threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and serve as a deterrent to regional threats. Qatar will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be BAE Systems, located in Nashua, NH. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S.
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Government or contractor representatives to Qatar.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(l) of the Arms Export Control Act
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II (APKWS-II) all-up-round is a low cost air-to-air and air-to-ground system that consists of an APKWS-II guidance section developed by BAE Systems, legacy 2.75-inch MK66 Mod 4 rocket motor, and legacy MK152 and MK435/436 warhead/fuse. The APKWS-II is a tactical rocket system that can be launched from several platforms, offering multi-mission, multi-target capability and precision-strike lethality. These guided rockets are steered to the target by following reflected laser beam energy directed onto the target either by the launching aircraft, a second aircraft, or ground-based troops operating a laser designator.
2. The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
4. A determination has been made that Qatar can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of Qatar.
Report of Enhancement or Upgrade of Sensitivity of Technology
or Capability (Sec. 36(B)(5)(C), AECA)
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of the United Arab Emirates.
(ii) Sec. 36(b)(1), AECA Transmittal No.: 19-37; Date: May 3, 2019; Implementing Agency: Army.
Funding Source: National Funds
(iii) Description: On May 3, 2019, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 19-37 of the possible sale, under Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, of up to four hundred fifty-two (452) Patriot Advanced Capability 3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE). Also included were tools and test equipment; support equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; spare and repair parts; facility design; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total value was $2.728 billion Major Defense Equipment (MDE) constituted $82.70 billion of this total.
On September 28, 2021, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 21-OC of the inclusion of an additional five hundred ten (510) PAC-3 MSE (included 10 fly-to-buy missiles). The following non-MDE items were also included: tools and test equipment; support equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; spare and repair parts; facility design; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics, sustainment, and program support. The estimated MDE value was increased by $2.728 billion to a revised $5.428. The estimated total case value was increased by $3.172 billion to a revised $5.90 billion. MDE constituted $5.428 billion of this total.
On March 19, 2026, Congress was notified by congressional certification transmittal number 25-01 of the increase in value due to cost increases. There were no additional MDE or non-MDE items reported with this notification, The estimated total value of MDE increased by $5.532 billion for a revised estimated value of $10.96 billion. The estimated total case value increased by $5.56 billion to a revised total estimated case value of $11.46 billion. MDE constituted $10.96 billion of this total.
This transmittal notifies the inclusion of the following MDE items: six hundred (600) PAC-3 MSE; one hundred fifty (150) Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missiles (GEM-T) with canisters; and twenty-five (25) M903 launching stations. The following non-MDE items will also be included: tools and test equipment; support equipment; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; spare and repair parts; facility design; U.S. Government and contractor technical, engineering, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total value of the new items is $6.25 billion. The estimated MDE value will increase by $6 billion to a revised $16.96 billion. The estimated non-MDE value will increase by $0.25 billion to a revised $0.75 billion. The estimated total case value will increase by $6.25 billion to a revised $17.71 billion. MDE constitutes $16.96 billion of this total.
(iv) Significance: This notification accounts for requested additional MDE and non-MDE items not included in the original notification. The inclusion of this MDE represents an increase in capability over what
was previously notified. The proposed sale will support the United Arab Emirates' ability to maintain reserve stock of PAC-3 MSE and GEM-T to ensure adequate defense capabilities.
(v) Justification: This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by helping to improve the security of an important regional partner. The United Arab Emirates continues to be a vital U.S. partner for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
(vi) Sensitivity of Technology: The Sensitivity of Technology Statement contained in the original notification applies to the additional items reported here.
The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of the United Arab Emirates.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $98.8 million.
Other $48.8 million.
Total $147.6 million.
Funding Source: National Funds.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE): One thousand five hundred (1,500) Guidance Sections, Single Variant (Air-to-Air), Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II.
Non-WDE:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: LAU-131 A/A launchers; Mk-152 high explosive warheads; MK66 rocket motors; proximity fuzes; WTU-1/B practice warheads; inert MK66 rocket motors; support equipment; publications and technical documentation; transportation; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, training, and logistical support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Navy (AE-P-ABV).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 1, 2026.
* as defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
United Arab Emirates--Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System-II
The Government of the United Arab Emirates has requested to buy one thousand five hundred (1,500) guidance sections. single variant (air-to-air), Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II. The following non-major defense equipment items will also be included: LAU-131 A/A launchers; Mk-152 high explosive warheads; MK66 rocket motors; proximity fuzes; WTU-1/B practice warheads; inert MK66 rocket motors; support equipment; publications and technical documentation; transportation; US Government and contractor engineering, technical, training, and logistical support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $147.6 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a major defense partner. The United Arab Emirates is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East.
The proposed sale will improve the United Arab Emirates' capability to meet current and future threats by developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability and improving interoperability with U.S. forces. The United Arab Emirates will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be BAE Systems, Inc., located in Nashua, NH. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to the United Arab Emirates.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II (APKWS-II) is a design conversion of an unguided Hydra 2.75-inch rocket with a laser guidance kit to give it precision-kill capability. As a relatively low-cost weapon, it is intended as an inexpensive means to destroy targets while limiting collateral damage in close combat. The APKWS consists of an APKWS-II guidance section developed by BAE Systems, a legacy 2.75-inch MK66 Mod 4 rocket motor, a legacy M151 or Mk-152 high explosive warhead, and a Mk435/436-point detonating fuze or M728 proximity fuze. The guided rockets are steered to the target by following reflected laser beam energy directed onto the target either by the launching aircraft, a second aircraft, or ground-based troops operating a laser designator. The APKWS is a tactical rocket system that can be launched from several platforms, including rotary wing, fixed wing, and ground-based vehicles, offering multi-mission, multi-target capability, and precision-strike lethality.
2. The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
4. A determination has been made that the United Arab Emirates can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of the United Arab Emirates.
DETERMINATION UNDER SECTION 36(b)(1) OF THE ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT
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Pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. 2776, 1 hereby determine an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale through the following foreign military sales cases, including any further amendments specific to the cost, quantity, or requirements of these cases, in the national security interest of the United States:
For Bahrain:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
For Israel:
APKWS-II
For Kuwait:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS)
For Qatar:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
APKWS-II
For the UAE:
PAC-3 MSE and PAC-2 GEM-T
APKWS-II
This determination shall be published in the Federal Register and, along with the accompanying Memorandum of Justification, shall be transmitted to Congress with the applicable notifications.
Marco Rubio, Secretary of State.
____
MEMORANDUM OF JUSTIFICATION FOR EMERGENCY ARMS TRANSFERS TO BAHRAIN, KUWAIT, QATAR, THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, AND ISRAEL, UNDER SECTION 36(b)(1) OF THE ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT
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On February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched a broad and joint operation against the Iranian regime to remove the existential threat it poses to the United States, Israel, the Middle East, and the world. This historic operation is a defining point in the region's military operations and the region's cooperation with the United States in a fight against a destabilizing regime.
Despite the combined successes of Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Rising Lion to cripple Iran's ability to project power and terror in 2025, the Iranian regime has not abandoned its plans. In the eight months since the Twelve-Day War, the regime restored damaged nuclear infrastructure. accelerated missile production, and continued to finance, train, and arm its proxies throughout the Middle East, while at the same time combating its internal civil crisis and large-scale protests with excessive and deadly force. The combination of accelerated reconstruction of nuclear infrastructure. its ballistic missile stockpile, and its continued circumvention of sanctions created a new reality in the Iranian arena. These trends led to the decision to launch Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, with the aim of halting the regime's attempts to reconstitute its instruments of power.
Bahrain. Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE all have sustained hundreds of direct and ongoing ballistic missile and drone strikes since the start of Operation Epic Fury and Roaring Lion, and they have suffered civilian or military fatalities. In Bahrain, Iran has conducted hundreds of strikes against Isa Air Base, the Bahrain International Airport, and one of Bahrain's major oil refinery complexes. In Kuwait, Iran has launched attacks against Embassy Kuwait, Camp Buehring, airport fuel tanks, and government buildings, killing at least seven U.S. service members. Qatar has suffered significant impacts to its liquified natural gas facilities due to Iranian strikes, which have resulted in an estimated $20 billion in lost annual revenue on top of strikes against Al Udeid Air Base. In the UAE, Iran has targeted Al Dahfra Air Base, U.S. diplomatic facilities, Emirati airports, ports, and oil infrastructure. Israel has weathered the most waves of Iranian and proxy attacks on military, industrial, and residential infrastructure.
These countries have demonstrated strong collaboration with CENTCOM to not only protect each country's sovereignty and citizens, but also to protect U.S. citizens, servicemen and women, and assets in county. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE have all successfully intercepted many attacks using the U.S.-provided Patriot system. All five countries have experienced countless attacks by one-way attack drones and are utilizing U.S. provided interceptors and munitions to counter these attacks.
These countries are essential defense and security partners, and the United States is committed to ensuring our partners have the means to defend themselves. The Departments of State and War are coordinating with Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE to meet their military requirements and ensure their needs are met to defend their territory and citizens, as well as Americans living, working, and traveling in the region.
Given the scale and scope of the regional conflict, it is in the U.S. national security interest to swiftly provide Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE with the systems they require to defend themselves and to reinforce deterrence against other regional threats. The immediacy of the challenge at hand requires overcoming the statutory 30-day Congressional notifIcation timeline to expedite transfers to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.
For the reasons cited above, an emergency exists requiring immediate provision of these defense articles to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE in the national security interest of the United States. These transfers, through foreign military sales, will provide needed defense capabilities to Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE as soon as possible. The Secretary of State, therefore, has certified an emergency exists under sections 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. 2776, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirement of these provisions.
Arms Sales Notification
Pages S2232–S2233 · Official textMr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification, the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant information is still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such an annex is available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations Committee, room SD-423.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
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Please find enclosed the following notification from the Department of State.
Department Notification Number: RSAT 26-30.
Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended, we are forwarding Transmittal No. 26-30 concerning the Air Force's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government of Ukraine for defense articles and services estimated to cost $373.6 million. We will issue a news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon delivery of this letter to your office.
Recipients:
Speaker of the House of Representatives
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Sincerely,
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) (U) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Ukraine.
(ii) (U) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $93.6 million.
Other $280.0 million.
Total $373.6 million.
Funding Source: Jumpstart Funding from the Netherlands and Denmark.
(iii) (U) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
One thousand two hundred (1,200) KMU-572 joint direct attack munition (JDAM) tail kits.
Three hundred thirty-two (332) KMU-556 JDAM tail kits.
Non-MDE:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: FMU-139 fuze systems; JDAM support equipment; spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; weapons software and support equipment; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; transportation support; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) (U) Military Department: Air Force (JU-D-YAB).
(v) (U) Prior Related Cases, if any: KA-D-YAE; NW-D-YAA.
(vi) (U) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time.
(vii) (U) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex.
(viii) (U) Date Report Delivered to Congress: May 5, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.
(U) Ukraine--Joint Direct Attack Munitions--Extended Range
(U) The Government of Ukraine has requested to buy one thousand two hundred (1,200) KMU-572 joint direct attack munition (JDAM) tail kits; and three hundred thirty-two (332) KMU-556 JDAM tail kits. The following non-MDE items will also be included: FMU-139 fuze systems; JDAM support equipment; spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return support; weapons software and support equipment; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; transportation support; studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $373.6 million.
(U) This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a partner country that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.
(U) The proposed sale will improve Ukraine's capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust air defense capability. Ukraine will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
(U) The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
(U) The principal contractor will be Boeing Company, located in St. Louis, MO. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
(U) Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Ukraine.
(U) There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale.
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. (U) The joint direct attack munition--extended range (JDAM-ER) consists of a bomb body paired with a warhead-specific tail kit containing an inertial navigation system/ global positioning system guidance capability that converts unguided freefall bombs into accurate, adverse weather "smart" munitions. The ER wing kit can be readily installed on existing JDAM MK-82 500-lb weapons and JDAM MK-84 2000-lb weapons in the field and can also be used with a MK-82 laser JDAM weapon. The JDAM weapon can be used against a variety of land and surface targets during the day or night. The JDAM can receive target coordinates via preplanned mission data from the delivery aircraft, by onboard aircraft sensors (i.e., Forward-Looking Infrared radar, etc.) during captive carry, or from a third-party source via manual or automated aircrew cockpit entry.
2. (U) The FMU-139 joint programmable fuze (JPF) is a multi-delay, multi-arm, and proximity sensor compatible with general purpose blast, frag, and hardened-target penetrator weapons. The JPF settings are cockpit selectable in flight when used with numerous precision-guided weapons.
3. (U) The highest level of classification of defense articles, components, and services included in this potential sale is SECRET.
4. (U) If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the information could be used to develop countermeasures that might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
5. (U) A determination has been made that Ukraine can provide substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive technology being released as the U.S. Government. This proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined in the Policy Justification.
(U) All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal have been authorized for release and export to the Government of Ukraine.
Tribute to Major General Arthur Holmes
Page S2233 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a true patriot, a dedicated public servant, and a lifelong defender of the United States: Major General Arthur Holmes.
Major General Holmes celebrates his 95th birthday this month. As such, I would like to honor his distinguished career of service to the United States. Major General Holmes was a founding member of my U.S. Service Academy Advisory Board and served over 20 years as its leader. In that capacity, he played a key role in advising me on the nominations of the young men and women who will enter the service academies and become the future military leaders of our Armed Forces. Major General Holmes carried out his duties with thoughtfulness, integrity, and a deep understanding of the qualities that are required to serve our country in this significant way. I am grateful to him for his two decades of service on my advisory board.
Our country owes Major General Holmes immense thanks for his devoted service to our community and Nation in a myriad of ways.
Arthur Holmes, Jr., was born on May 12, 1931, in Decatur, AL. He earned his bachelor's degree in chemistry from Hampton University and his master's degree in business administration from Kent State University in Ohio. Major General Holmes is also a graduate of the Naval War College.
Major General Holmes began his military career through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Program and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1952. He served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, holding various positions, including maintenance battalion commander, member of the Logistics Directorate for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and chief of ordnance branch at the U.S. Army Personnel Center. Major General Holmes made history as the first combat service support officer to serve as executive officer to the Secretary to the Army. Holmes later commanded the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Command. He retired as a commanding general, earning the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and the Distinguished Service Medal.
Major General Holmes also contributed 12 years of tremendous service to Maryland's Montgomery County. He served as the director of Go Montgomery!--an agency dedicated to implementing the county's master transportation plan--before assuming the role as director for the department of transportation. Notably, he worked to significantly improve transportation infrastructure surrounding Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after the Base Realignment and Closure Act of 2005.
In all his endeavors, Major General Holmes has been continually strengthened by the faithful partnership of his wife Wilma Holmes, with whom he has enjoyed 47 years of marriage. He is also supported by his daughters Deborah Cook and Sharon Key; his stepdaughters Sharon and Ricki Fairley; and six loving grandchildren--all of whom are his pride and joy.
In short, Major General Arthur Holmes is an American hero. I am honored to call him not only my constituent but also my friend, and I am truly grateful for all that he has done to make a difference in our community and in our Nation. I had the privilege of his leadership on my academy advisory board, and I know that his contributions will continue to guide the board in the years to come. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking this outstanding American for all that he has done for our country.
Recognizing Green Real Estate & Auction Co.
Page S2233 · Official textMr. President, as chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to honor Green Real Estate & Auction Co. of Sac County, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
In 1872, Col. Festus J. Green emigrated from Somersetshire, England. At just 14 years old, he started building a career in farming, masonry, and auctioneering. In 1894, Col. F.J. Green & Son was officially founded and laid the groundwork for what would eventually become known as Green Real Estate & Auction Co. This five-generation family business is rooted in hard work, entrepreneurship, and a commitment to serving rural Iowa communities.
Over the past 132 years, Green Real Estate & Auction Co. has grown alongside Iowa's agricultural economy while maintaining its family-centered values and exceptional customer service. Today, under the leadership of Jim Green, a fifth-generation auctioneer and real estate broker, the business continues to provide auctioneering, both farmland and residential real estate services, and farm consignment to clients across western Iowa. The company has become a trusted resource for families, farmers, and businesses navigating property sales, estate transitions, and agricultural transactions. With a team of under a dozen employees, the business supports local jobs while contributing to the vibrancy of Sac City and the broader Sac County community.
In addition to its longstanding success, Green Real Estate & Auction Co. reflects the strong, civic-minded spirit that defines Iowa small businesses. The Green family supports local initiatives, including participation in county fair activities that remain central to the region's agricultural traditions. Beyond Sac County, Green Real Estate has active membership in the National Auctioneers Association, Iowa Auctioneers Association, and the United Counties Board of Realtors, demonstrating their continued involvement in the industry. This commitment to local and national engagement demonstrates Green Real Estate's dedication to entrepreneurship and economic growth in Sac County.
The Greens' business also remains active with local charitable efforts. The business supports Pheasants Forever, local schools, and health-related community benefits. Green Real Estate has also held auctions benefiting the local 4-H program and other charitable causes throughout Sac County. Even as the business has expanded across generations, the Green family remains committed to preserving the personal service, trust, and community relationships that have defined the company for more than a century.
I am pleased to recognize Jim Green, along with the entire team at Green Real Estate & Auction Co., for their dedication to Sac City and Sac County. I look forward to their continued success and wish them the very best in the years ahead.
Recognizing Interpower Corporation
Pages S2233–S2234 · Official textMr. President, as chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each week I recognize an outstanding Iowa small business that exemplifies the American entrepreneurial spirit. This week, it is my privilege to honor Interpower Corporation of Mahaska County, IA, as the Senate Small Business of the Week.
In 1975, Bob Wersen founded Panel Components Corporation in Berkley, CA, that specialized in supplying power systems. During a recession in the electronics industry, Bob strategically shifted the business to a mid-size customer base and relocated to Oskaloosa, IA, in 1993. Over the next 10 years, the business steadily grew and opened additional offices in Ames, Lamoni, and the United Kingdom. In 2004, Bob renamed Panel Components Corporation to Interpower Corporation. Today, more than 50 years later, Interpower Corporation remains dedicated to simplifying how customers design, build, and maintain products across global markets. The company strives to meet all power sourcing needs, supplying country specific plugs to hospital-grade products. Their mission is to be the premier supplier of power system components for worldwide markets.
Bob Wersen continues to serve as president, overseeing 50 employees who have gained a reputation of consistently meeting customer needs, regardless of how complicated a request may be. They take extra care in testing each product, seeing it as part of their responsibility to prioritize safety. As a businessowner, Bob has been involved with several professional organizations. He previously served as chair for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, ABI. The business is also a member of the Mahaska Chamber and Development Group. Bob takes immense pride in manufacturing in America because of the dedication to his staff and his community. He has been recognized for his commitment to fostering Iowa's business environment and has been presented with the ABI Advocacy in Action Award and Legends in Iowa Manufacturing Award.
Outside of serving their clients, Interpower Corporation lends a helping hand in the Oskaloosa community. They host blood drives and provide students with internships through partnerships with Oskaloosa High School and William Penn University. They also participate in charities throughout the county showing their dedication to their community.
It is my honor to recognize Bob Wersen and the entire Interpower Corporation team for their outstanding contributions and presence in their community. I look forward to their continued success and wish them the very best in the years to come.
Recognizing the International Hearing Society
Page S2234 · Official textMr. President, today I acknowledge and congratulate the International Hearing Society, IHS, on their 75th anniversary. IHS is headquartered in Farmington Hills, MI, and is responsible for representing the Nation's 10,000 hearing aid specialists. IHS and its members have been serving the millions of Americans with hearing loss since 1951.
IHS's work has supported countless patients and providers, in Michigan and across the country, by empowering hearing healthcare professionals with education, specialized training, and professional development.
IHS's commitment to the hearing aid community is unmatched and their passionate work is appreciated in Michigan and beyond. Congratulations on 75 years of advocating for education, growth, and innovation in hearing healthcare.
Tribute to Michael Gordon
Page S2234 · Official textMr. President, I rise today to recognize and congratulate Michael A. "Mike" Gordon on his induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the highest honors in the State of North Carolina.
Mike Gordon has spent his life in service to his community and our State. He served for 24 years in the North Carolina Army National Guard, retiring as a senior noncommissioned officer, where he demonstrated strong leadership, discipline, and a deep commitment to duty. Those same qualities carried into his civilian life, where he became a pillar of the Archer Lodge community.
In Johnston County, Mike has led in many capacities. He dedicated nearly two decades to the Archer Lodge Volunteer Fire Department, including 10 years as president, and also served as president of the Johnston County Firemen's Association. He went on to serve as mayor of Archer Lodge from 2009 to 2018, helping guide the town through a period of growth while preserving its strong sense of community. As the town's first administrator, he helped establish the structure and operations that continue to serve residents today.
Mike's commitment extends well beyond public office. He has spent more than 30 years volunteering with the Archer Lodge Community Center and played a key role in the creation of the Archer Lodge Water District, supporting critical infrastructure and public health in the community. He has also remained active in honoring veterans and supporting local families and is a longtime member of White Oak Baptist Church.
The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is reserved for individuals who have made a lasting and meaningful impact on North Carolina. Mike Gordon's lifetime of service reflects that standard in every respect. I congratulate Mike on this well-deserved recognition and thank him for his continued service to Johnston County and the State of North Carolina.
<bullet> TRIBUTE TO BRITTANY CLARK Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, in January, Mississippi endured a historically catastrophic ice storm. At the height of the bad weather, nearly 90 percent of north...
Page S2234 · Official textTRIBUTE TO BRITTANY CLARK
Mr. President, in January, Mississippi endured a historically catastrophic ice storm. At the height of the bad weather, nearly 90 percent of north Mississippi had lost power. The situation demanded swift thinking and a massive response. As always, State and local authorities responded--but so did everyday Mississippians, who stepped up to assist with recovery.
One Mississippian responded with particular fervor. Brittany Clark, a family nurse Practitioner and mother, has long dedicated herself to serving her community. Through volunteerism and other acts of service, she has built a reputation for compassion, leadership, and reliability in times of crisis. During Winter Storm Fern, she built on that legacy.
With remarkable courage and resourcefulness, Brittany mobilized critical relief efforts. She ensured that vulnerable communities had access to essential supplies, beginning first with those most at risk. By prioritizing the elderly and families without adequate resources, she ensured that none slipped through the cracks. Because of her efforts, many Mississippians found safety, warmth, and support during a time of dire need.
Brittany grew up in Pontotoc, MS, and later acquired her bachelor's and master's degrees in nursing from the Mississippi University for Women. She and her husband Trent Clark reside in New Albany with their two children.
Brittany's action during Winter Storm Fern inspired others to step forward and serve, strengthening community bonds and contributing to a more resilient Mississippi. She helped reflect the very best of our State. I join my fellow Mississippians in expressing deep gratitude for Brittany's outstanding work.
Messages from the President
Page S2234 · Official textMessages from the President of the United States were communicated to the Senate by Mr. Hanley, one of his secretaries.
Executive Messages Referred
Page S2234 · Official textIn executive session the Presiding Officer laid before the Senate messages from the President of the United States submitting sundry nominations which were referred to the appropriate committees. (The messages received today are printed at the end of the Senate proceedings.)
Presidential Message
Pages S2234–S2235 · Official textThe PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying report; which was referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: To the Congress of the United States: Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency with respect to securing the information and communications technology and services (ICTS) supply chain declared in Executive Order 13873 of May 15, 2019, is to continue in effect beyond May 15, 2026. Certain ICTS transactions and classes of transactions involving a foreign country or foreign national can allow for exploitation of vulnerabilities in the information and communications technology or services supply chain, resulting in potentially catastrophic effects. This threat continues to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States. Therefore, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13873 with respect to securing the information and communications technology and services supply chain. Donald J. Trump. The White House, May 11, 2026.
Measures Discharged
Page S2235 · Official textThe following joint resolution was discharged from the Committee on Environment and Public Works, by petition, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 802(c), and placed on the calendar:
Text printed in the Record (327 characters)
S.J. Res. 188. Joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to "National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Coal- and Oil-Fired Electric Utility Steam Generating Units: Final Repeal".
Measures Placed on the Calendar
Page S2235 · Official textThe following bill was read the second time, and placed on the calendar:
Text printed in the Record (179 characters)
S. 4486. A bill to amend title 3, United States Code, to prescribe a process to authorize certain activities at the Executive Residence at the White House, and for other purposes.
Executive and Other Communications
Pages S2235–S2236 · Official textThe following communications were laid before the Senate, together with accompanying papers, reports, and documents, and were referred as indicated:
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EC-3357. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Exchange of Flatfish in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area" (RTID 0648-XF144) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3358. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer From North Carolina to Massachusetts" (RTID 0648-XF218) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3359. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Herring Fishery; 2025 Management Area 1A Possession Limit Adjustment" (RTID 0648-XF104) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3360. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pacific Cod in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area" (RTID 0648-XF149) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3361. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Atlantic Highly Migratory Species; Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Fisheries; Closure of the Angling Category Fishery for 2025" (RTID 0648-XF071) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3362. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries Off West Coast States; Coastal Pelagic Species Fisheries; Annual Specifications; 2025-2026 Annual Specifications and Management Measures for Pacific Sardine" (RTID 0648-XE809) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3363. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Gulf of America; 2025 Commercial Closure for Gulf Greater Amberjack" (RTID 0648-XF136) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3364. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Catcher Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska" (RTID 0648-XF142) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3365. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Bluefish Fishery; Quota Transfer From New Jersey to North Carolina" (RTID 0648-XF222) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3366. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Scup Fishery; Adjustment to the 2025 Winter II Quota" (RTID 0648-XF089) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3367. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Caribbean, Gulf of America, and South Atlantic; 2025 Commercial Closure for Gag in the South Atlantic" (RTID 0648-XF241) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3368. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Big Skates in the Central Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska" (RTID 0648-XE689) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3369. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Demersal Shelf Rockfish in the Western, Central, and West Yakutat Regulatory Areas of the Gulf of Alaska" (RTID 0648-XF307) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3370. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Reef Fish Fishery of the Gulf of America; Reopening of the Red Snapper Recreational For-Hire Fishing Season in the Gulf of America" (RTID 0648-XF379) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3371. A communication from the Branch Chief, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, Department of Commerce, transmitting, pursuant to law, the report of a rule entitled "Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reapportionment of Halibut Prohibited Species Catch Limits in the
Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management" (RTID 0648-XF360) received during adjournment of the Senate in the Office of the President of the Senate on April 8, 2026; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
EC-3372. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of firearms, parts, and components controlled under Category I of the U.S. Munitions List to Kuwait in the amount of $1,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 26-002); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3373. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, the Army's proposed letter(s) of offer and acceptance to the Government of the Philippines for defense articles and services estimated to cost $150 million (RSAT Case 26-36); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3374. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, the Air Force's proposed letter(s) of offer and acceptance to the Government of Canada for defense articles and services estimated to cost $540 million (RSAT Case 26-44); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3375. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Kosovo in the amount of $14,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 26-017); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3376. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, the Air Force's proposed letter(s) of offer and acceptance to the government of Ukraine for defense articles and services estimated to cost $373.6 million (RSAT Case 26-30); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3377. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license amendment for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Australia, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom in the amount of $50,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-110); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3378. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license amendment for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Italy, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic in the amount of $50,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-119); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3379. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) and 36(d) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to the Republic of Korea in the amount of $50,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-122); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3380. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Germany and Sweden in the amount of $100",000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-133); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3381. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom in the amount of $100,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-134); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3382.
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A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) and 36(d) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed amendment for the manufacture of significant military equipment abroad and the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, and Singapore in the amount of $50,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-145); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3383. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license amendment for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Canada, Germany, and India in the amount of $50,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 25-150); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3384. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of defense articles, including technical data, and defense services to Netherlands and Norway in the amount of $25 ,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 26-009); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3385. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to section 36(c) of the Arms Export Control Act, the certification of a proposed license for the export of firearms, parts, and components controlled under Category I of the U.S. Munitions List to Canada in the amount of $1,000,000 or more (Transmittal No. DDTC 26-012); to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
EC-3386. A communication from the Assistant Secretary for Legislation, Department of Health and Human Services, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report entitled "National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease: 2025 Update"; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
EC-3387. A communication from the Senior Bureau Official, Legislative Affairs, Department of State, transmitting, pursuant to law, a report entitled "Observer Status for Taiwan at the World Health Assembly" received in the Office of the President pro tempore; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Introduction of Bills and Joint Resolutions
Pages S2236–S2237 · Official textThe following bills and joint resolutions were introduced, read the first and second times by unanimous consent, and referred as indicated:
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By Ms. CORTEZ MASTO (for herself and Mr. Young):
S. 4488. A bill to amend title 23, United States Code, to include school bus route safety in the safe routes to school program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
By Mr. DAINES (for himself and Mr. Sheehy):
S. 4489. A bill to authorize the Dry-Redwater Regional Water Authority System in the State of Montana, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Van Hollen,
Mr. Booker, and Ms. Alsobrooks):
S. 4490. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide a tax on the assets of trusts, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. SHEEHY (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen):
S. 4491. A bill to enhance diplomatic engagement on international biotechnology and biosecurity matters; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
By Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. Moran, Ms.
Klobuchar, and Mr. Tillis):
S. 4492. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide matching payments for ABLE account contributions by certain individuals, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. Moran, Ms.
Klobuchar, and Mr. Tillis):
S. 4493. A bill to clarify the use of direct deposit for contributions to ABLE programs; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms.
Duckworth, and Mr. Van Hollen):
S. 4494. A bill to prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment in biomedical research; to the Committee on Appropriations.
By Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Mr. Merkley):
S. 4495. A bill to require reports on the dangers posed by nuclear reactors in areas that might experience armed conflict; to the Committee on Armed Services.
By Ms. ALSOBROOKS (for herself and Mr. Justice):
S. 4496. A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and Mr. Cruz):
S. 4497. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax relief relating to public safety officers' death benefits, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. MORAN (for himself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Tillis,
and Ms. Klobuchar):
S. 4498. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make expiring ABLE provisions permanent, improve accessibility and education for families, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mr. TILLIS (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper):
S. 4499. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of
Health and Human Services to expand and enhance the National Healthcare Safety Network to establish real time infectious disease and public health surveillance capabilities across nursing homes in the United States, and for other purposes.
By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself and Mr. Booker):
S. 4500. A bill to direct the Attorney General to establish a grant program to establish, implement, and administer violent incident clearance and technology investigative methods, and for other purposes; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
By Mr. CORNYN:
S. 4501. A bill to bar aliens from admission to the United States to give birth on United States soil or remaining in the United States to undermine the sovereignty of the United States through birth tourism; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
By Mr. OSSOFF:
S. 4502. A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude crop insurance indemnity payments from gross income; to the Committee on Finance.
By Mrs. MURRAY (for herself, Ms. Murkowski, Ms.
Alsobrooks, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Blunt Rochester, Mr.
Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms.
Duckworth, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Hassan, Mr.
Hickenlooper, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen,
Mrs. Shaheen, and Ms. Smith):
S. 4503. A bill to improve menopause care and mid-life women's health, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself, Mr. Lujan, Mrs.
Gillibrand, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Durbin, Mr.
Heinrich, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Fetterman,
Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Ms. Alsobrooks, and Mr.
Padilla):
S. 4504. A bill to improve the full-service community school program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
By Ms. ERNST (for herself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Barrasso,
and Mr. Bennet):
S. 4505. A bill to require the United States Postal Service to designate ZIP Codes for certain communities; to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Submission of Concurrent and Senate Resolutions
Page S2237 · Official textThe following concurrent resolutions and Senate resolutions were read, and referred (or acted upon), as indicated:
Text printed in the Record (811 characters)
By Mr. LANKFORD (for himself and Mr. Armstrong):
S. Res. 725. A resolution congratulating the University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team for winning the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship, the eighth national title in program history; considered and agreed to.
By Mr. DAINES (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Ms.
Murkowski, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lujan, Mr.
Cramer, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Sheehy, Ms. Cortez Masto,
Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs.
Murray, Mr. Rounds, Ms. Smith, Mr. Gallego, Ms.
Baldwin, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Rosen, Ms.
Klobuchar, and Ms. Hirono):
S. Res. 726. A resolution expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2026, as "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls"; considered and agreed to.
Additional Cosponsors
Pages S2237–S2239 · Official textAt the request of Mr. Moran, the name of the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Husted) was added as a cosponsor of S. 275, a bill to improve the provision of care and services under the Veterans Community Care Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Whitehouse, the name of the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders) was added as a cosponsor of S. 567, a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Rhode Island Regiment, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War. At the request of Mr. Hickenlooper, the name of the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Slotkin) was added as a cosponsor of S. 636, a bill to provide collective bargaining rights for public safety officers employed by States or their political subdivisions, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Grassley, the names of the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) were added as cosponsors of S. 736, a bill to increase the penalty for prohibited provision of a phone in a correctional facility, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Grassley, the names of the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand) and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) were added as cosponsors of S. 825, a bill to require the Attorney General to propose a program for making treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress disorder available to public safety officers, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Marshall, the name of the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Smith) was added as a cosponsor of S. 864, a bill to amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to apply financial assistance towards the cost-sharing requirements of health insurance plans, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. Rosen, the name of the Senator from Illinois (Ms. Duckworth) was added as a cosponsor of S. 942, a bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for interest-free deferment on student loans for borrowers serving in a medical or dental internship or residency program. At the request of Ms. Cortez Masto, the name of the Senator from Utah (Mr. Lee) was added as a cosponsor of S. 989, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide that income received by a regulated investment company from precious metals shall be treated as qualifying income. At the request of Mr. Lankford, the names of the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick) and the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) were added as cosponsors of S. 1012, a bill to increase oversight of foreign direct investment in agricultural land in the United States, and for other purposes. At the request of Mrs. Gillibrand, the names of the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick), the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) and the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy) were added as cosponsors of S. 1289, a bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States and to support programs at the National September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center. At the request of Mr. Blumenthal, the names of the Senator from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester) and the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego) were added as cosponsors of S. 1330, a bill to advance research to achieve medical breakthroughs in brain tumor treatment and improve awareness and adequacy of specialized cancer and brain tumor care. At the request of Mr. Kelly, the name of the Senator from Alabama (Mrs. Britt) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1541, a bill to support the national defense and economic security of the United States by supporting vessels, ports, and shipyards of the United States and the U.S. maritime workforce. At the request of Mr. Daines, the names of the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch), the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff), the Senator from Idaho (Mr. Crapo) and the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) were added as cosponsors of S. 1547, a bill to amend title 54, United States Code, to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, and for other purposes. At the request of Mrs. Britt, the name of the Senator from Alabama (Mr. Tuberville) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1630, a bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide more opportunities for mothers to succeed, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Padilla, the name of the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. Shaheen) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1664, a bill to require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research agencies to address financial instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Marshall, the name of the Senator from Delaware (Ms. Blunt Rochester) was added as a cosponsor of S. 1816, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish requirements with respect to the use of prior authorization under Medicare Advantage plans. At the request of Mr. Sullivan, the name of the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick) was added as a cosponsor of S. 2142, a bill to improve the missile defense capabilities of the United States, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Padilla, the names of the Senator from Nebraska (Mrs. Fischer), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) and the Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin) were added as cosponsors of S. 2265, a bill to require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, California, and the 2034 Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. At the request of Mr. Cruz, the name of the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick) was added as a cosponsor of S. 2506, a bill to require the Secretary of Defense to establish and carry out a program to enable the rapid development, testing, and scalable manufacture of small unmanned aircraft systems, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Scott of Florida, the names of the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) and the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) were added as cosponsors of S. 2744, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to codify and extend the rules for personal casualty losses arising from major disasters and the rules for the exclusion from gross income of compensation for losses or damages resulting from certain wildfires. At the request of Mr. Risch, the names of the Senator from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman) and the Senator from New Hampshire (Ms. Hassan) were added as cosponsors of S. 2904, a bill to impose sanctions with respect to the shadow fleet of the Russian Federation, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Cotton, the name of the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. McCormick) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3034, a bill to amend the Federal Power Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review regulations that may affect the reliable operation of the bulk-power system, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. Cortez Masto, the names of the Senator from Alabama (Mrs. Britt), the Senator from New Mexico (Mr. Heinrich) and the Senator from South Carolina (Mr. Graham) were added as cosponsors of S. 3041, a bill to allow the U.S. Marshals Service to assist in certain Tribal criminal matters, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Daines, the name of the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3064, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to ensure appropriate access to non-opioid pain management drugs for chronic pain conditions under part D of the Medicare program. At the request of Mrs. Shaheen, the name of the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3249, a bill to enhance United States Government strategic coordination of the security, installation, maintenance, and repair of international subsea fiber-optic cables. At the request of Mr. Cassidy, the name of the Senator from Montana (Mr. Sheehy) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3265, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve and enhance the work opportunity tax credit, to encourage longer-service employment, and to modernize the credit to make it more effective as a hiring incentive for targeted workers, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. Collins, the name of the Senator from Oklahoma (Mr. Armstrong) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3267, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare coverage of blood-based dementia screening tests. At the request of Mr. Cornyn, the name of the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3332, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to increase the exclusion of gain from the sale of a principal residence, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Murphy, the names of the Senator from Maryland (Ms. Alsobrooks) and the Senator from Maine (Ms. Collins) were added as cosponsors of S. 3442, a bill to amend title II of the Social Security Act to eliminate the waiting periods for disability insurance benefits and Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Sheehy, the name of the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3456, a bill to amend the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to provide for a free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass for law enforcement officers and firefighters. At the request of Mr. Blumenthal, the names of the Senator from California (Mr. Padilla) and the Senator from Louisiana (Mr. Kennedy) were added as cosponsors of S. 3492, a bill to amend titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act to require skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities for the intellectually disabled, and inpatient rehabilitation facilities to permit essential caregivers access during any period in which regular visitation is restricted. At the request of Mr. Blumenthal, the name of the Senator from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3533, a bill to improve the administration of justice by requiring written explanations by the Supreme Court of its decisions and the disclosure of votes by justices in cases within the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court that involve preliminary injunctive relief, and other purposes. At the request of Mr. Barrasso, the name of the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar) was added as a cosponsor of S. 3607, a bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for expanded coverage of services furnished by genetic counselors under part B of the Medicare program, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Lujan, the name of the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) was withdrawn as a cosponsor of S. 3892, a bill to prohibit retail food stores from price gouging and engaging in surveillance-based price setting practices, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Lujan, the name of the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4101, a bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grocery, farm, and food worker stabilization grant program. At the request of Mr. Whitehouse, the name of the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Welch) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4111, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to impose a windfall profits excise tax on crude oil and to rebate the tax collected back to individual taxpayers, and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Sullivan, the names of the Senator from Kansas (Mr. Marshall) and the Senator from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fetterman) were added as cosponsors of S.
4250, a bill to amend the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act with respect to sport fish restoration and recreational boating safety, and for other purposes. At the request of Ms. Murkowski, the name of the Senator from Arizona (Mr. Gallego) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4276, a bill to reauthorize the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996. At the request of Mr. Heinrich, the name of the Senator from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) was added as a cosponsor of S. 4425, a bill to prohibit the use of Federal funds to implement the Executive order entitled "Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides", and for other purposes. At the request of Mr. Merkley, the names of the Senator from Delaware (Mr. Coons), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) and the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff) were added as cosponsors of S.J. Res. 163, a joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. At the request of Mr. Kim, the name of the Senator from California (Mr. Schiff) was added as a cosponsor of S.J. Res. 171, a joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. At the request of Mr. Kennedy, the name of the Senator from Maine (Ms. Collins) was added as a cosponsor of S. Res. 526, a resolution withholding the pay of Senators if a Government shutdown occurs. At the request of Ms. Duckworth, the name of the Senator from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) was added as a cosponsor of S. Res. 657, a resolution commending Taiwan on the 30th anniversary of its first direct presidential election in 1996, and expressing support for Taiwan in the preservation of its democratic institutions.
Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions
Pages S2239–S2240 · Official textIn the United States, we grant citizenship to virtually everyone born on U.S. soil except for children born to diplomats and a few other categories. And indeed, there is a case now pending in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine what the breadth and depth of what that birthright citizenship should look like under the Constitution. But America is one of the few countries to allow individuals to obtain citizenship at birth regardless of parentage or immigration status, and our generosity was never meant to be exploited by our adversaries. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that some of these individuals may even use this cover of citizenship in order to engage in espionage against the United States, indeed, especially the People's Republic of China. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, more than 30,000 births in the United States each year are to women on tourist visas, while many more are born to women who are here illegally or people who simply overstay their temporary visa. Worse, entire cottage industries have sprung up over the past several decades designed to actually help facilitate foreign nationals to visit the United States on a temporary basis solely to obtain the coveted privilege of U.S. citizenship for their children. In 2020, a report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found that several companies--these are businesses--several companies existed to assist individuals trying to exploit America's generosity in this regard. One such company, Ada International, worked largely with Chinese individuals while another was known as Miami Mama, which specialized in helping Russian nationals secure U.S. citizenship for their children. When we start to see foreign nationals securing U.S. citizenship for their children but with no intention of staying here or actually assimilating into our society and pledging allegiance to our Constitution and laws, it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong. Citizenship in this country, the greatest country in the world, is a great privilege. And the practice of birth tourism undermines what it means to be an American. This is why I am introducing the BACK OFF Act which will make aliens involved in birth tourism inadmissible and deportable from the United States. This bill would also require the Department of Homeland Security to detain aliens who commit crimes related to birth tourism. It would require anyone engaged in this practice who entered the United States from Mexico or Canada to return to those countries for legal proceedings while they are pending, which would prevent them from actually giving birth here in the United States while they await the decision of their case. And it would also prevent people from using the Biden-era Visa Waiver Program to give birth in U.S. territories. This legislation would create new criminal penalties and enforcement actions against those running birth tourism rings, including new criminal penalties under the Immigration and Nationality Act for those who facilitate this practice. Finally, it would create a task force to investigate and refer cases to the Department of Justice for prosecution involving individuals and organizations that are involved in birth tourism schemes. There is no greater privilege in the world than to be a citizen of this great country, and we must treat U.S. citizenship as such. But the practice of birth tourism trivializes this great privilege, and I hope the Senate will adopt my legislation to crack down on this atrocity.
Introductory Statement on S. 4501
Pages S2239–S2240 · Official textIn the United States, we grant citizenship to virtually everyone born on U.S. soil except for children born to diplomats and a few other categories. And indeed, there is a case now pending in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine what the breadth and depth of what that birthright citizenship should look like under the Constitution. But America is one of the few countries to allow individuals to obtain citizenship at birth regardless of parentage or immigration status, and our generosity was never meant to be exploited by our adversaries. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe that some of these individuals may even use this cover of citizenship in order to engage in espionage against the United States, indeed, especially the People's Republic of China. According to the Center for Immigration Studies, more than 30,000 births in the United States each year are to women on tourist visas, while many more are born to women who are here illegally or people who simply overstay their temporary visa. Worse, entire cottage industries have sprung up over the past several decades designed to actually help facilitate foreign nationals to visit the United States on a temporary basis solely to obtain the coveted privilege of U.S. citizenship for their children. In 2020, a report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee found that several companies--these are businesses--several companies existed to assist individuals trying to exploit America's generosity in this regard. One such company, Ada International, worked largely with Chinese individuals while another was known as Miami Mama, which specialized in helping Russian nationals secure U.S. citizenship for their children. When we start to see foreign nationals securing U.S. citizenship for their children but with no intention of staying here or actually assimilating into our society and pledging allegiance to our Constitution and laws, it becomes clear that something is terribly wrong. Citizenship in this country, the greatest country in the world, is a great privilege. And the practice of birth tourism undermines what it means to be an American. This is why I am introducing the BACK OFF Act which will make aliens involved in birth tourism inadmissible and deportable from the United States. This bill would also require the Department of Homeland Security to detain aliens who commit crimes related to birth tourism. It would require anyone engaged in this practice who entered the United States from Mexico or Canada to return to those countries for legal proceedings while they are pending, which would prevent them from actually giving birth here in the United States while they await the decision of their case. And it would also prevent people from using the Biden-era Visa Waiver Program to give birth in U.S. territories. This legislation would create new criminal penalties and enforcement actions against those running birth tourism rings, including new criminal penalties under the Immigration and Nationality Act for those who facilitate this practice. Finally, it would create a task force to investigate and refer cases to the Department of Justice for prosecution involving individuals and organizations that are involved in birth tourism schemes. There is no greater privilege in the world than to be a citizen of this great country, and we must treat U.S. citizenship as such. But the practice of birth tourism trivializes this great privilege, and I hope the Senate will adopt my legislation to crack down on this atrocity.
Senate Resolution 725--Congratulating the University of Oklahoma Women's Gymnastics Team for Winning the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship, the Eighth National Title In...
Page S2240 · Official textSENATE RESOLUTION 725--CONGRATULATING THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA WOMEN'S GYMNASTICS TEAM FOR WINNING THE 2026 NATIONAL COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION CHAMPIONSHIP, THE EIGHTH NATIONAL TITLE IN PROGRAM HISTORY Mr. LANKFORD (for himself and Mr. Armstrong) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
Text printed in the Record (1,783 characters)
Congratulating the University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics
team for winning the 2026 National Collegiate Athletic
Association Championship, the eighth national title in
program history.
Whereas the 2026 University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team (referred to in this preamble as the "Sooners"), under the direction of head coach K.J. Kindler, won the program's eighth National Collegiate Athletic Association (referred to in this preamble as the "NCAA") championship title with a final score of 198.1625, defeating Louisiana State University, the University of Florida, and the University of Minnesota.
Whereas the Sooners scored a 49.600 on vault, a 49.4875 on bars, a 49.4375 on beam, and a 49.6375 on floor;
Whereas the Sooners have competed for the NCAA championship in the team finals 12 out of the last 13 years;
Whereas the Sooners rank third in the number of team national titles in NCAA women's gymnastics history;
Whereas the Sooners posted a 35-1-1 record, secured the Southeastern Conference regular season title for the second year in a row, and won an NCAA Regional Championship for the 16th straight year;
Whereas 8 Sooner student athletes combined for 15 All-America honors; and
Whereas Faith Torrez won the individual all-around national championship and Keira Wells won the vault national championship, giving the Sooners 24 all-time individual national titles: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the 2026 University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team for their hard work and dedication to the sport and for the excitement they bring to the University of Oklahoma, the State of Oklahoma, and to Sooners everywhere; and
(2) congratulates the 2026 University of Oklahoma women's gymnastics team on a wonderful season.
Senate Resolution 726--Expressing Support for the Designation of May 5, 2026, as "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls"
Pages S2240–S2241 · Official textMr. DAINES (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Sheehy, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Rounds, Ms. Smith, Mr. Gallego, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Rosen, Ms. Klobuchar, and Ms. Hirono) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
Text printed in the Record (3,875 characters)
Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2026, as the
"National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Women and Girls".
Whereas, according to a 2016 study commissioned by the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice, more than 4 in 5 (84.3 percent) American Indian and Alaska Native women experienced violence in their lifetime, with 56.1 percent being a result of sexual violence and 55 percent being from intimate partner violence;
Whereas, according to 2017 data, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found homicide was the sixth-leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls under 44 years of age, with murder rates more than 10 times the national average;
Whereas approximately 1,500 American Indian and Alaska Native missing persons have been entered into the National Crime Information Center index throughout the United States, and approximately 2,700 cases of murder and nonnegligent homicide offenses involving American Indian and Alaska Native victims have been reported to the Federal Government's Uniform Crime Reporting Program;
Whereas, according to a 2020 joint study completed by the State of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, 64 percent of human trafficking victims in Hawaii identified as at least part Native Hawaiian;
Whereas, in 2019, Operation Lady Justice was launched through Executive Order 13898 (84 Fed. Reg. 7521), which established the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives aimed at mitigating the missing and murdered Indigenous women (referred to in this preamble as "MMIW") crisis by improving the investigatory and prosecutorial capabilities of Federal justice agencies and generating new guidelines for data sharing and law enforcement responses;
Whereas, in 2020, Savanna's Act (Public Law 116-165), which directed the Attorney General to develop new law enforcement protocols when investigating MMIW, and the Not Invisible Act (Public Law 116-166), which initiated a joint commission between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice to combat violent crime within Tribal communities, were signed into law;
Whereas, in 2021, the Department of the Interior created a Missing and Murdered Unit within the Office of Justice Services of the Bureau of Indian Affairs to expand cross-departmental and interagency collaboration for the purposes of investigating cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people at the request of Tribal leadership; and
Whereas, in previous years, May 5th has been designated as a day of remembrance for "Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls" in honor of the birth date of Hanna Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, who was murdered after being reported missing by her family in Lame Deer, Montana: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses support for the designation of May 5, 2026, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls";
(2) calls on the people of the United States and interested groups to--
(A) commemorate the lives of missing and murdered American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women whose cases are documented and undocumented in public records and the media; and
(B) demonstrate solidarity with the families of victims in light of those tragedies;
(3) recommends that the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice commission a new study on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls to ensure up-to-date statistics are made public regarding the current state of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls crisis given 10 years have passed since their 2016 study was published; and
(4) recognizes that, despite the positive efforts made, there is more work to be done to address this nationwide crisis.
Authority for Committees to Meet
Page S2241 · Official textMr. President, I have six requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority Leaders.
Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following committees are authorized to meet during today's session of the Senate:
The Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 3 p.m., to conduct a business meeting
The Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet in closed and open session during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 9:30 a.m.
The Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 2:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.
The Select Committee on Intelligence is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 3 p.m., to conduct a closed hearing.
The Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 4:30 p.m., to conduct a hearing.
The Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services is authorized to meet in open and closed session during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.
Privileges of the Floor
Page S2241 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent for the following interns in my office to be granted floor privileges until August 7, 2026: Olivia Amason, Lewis Carter IV, Braden Baker, Anna Dickey, Betsy Howard, Jamison Duncan, Carl Evans, Mary Jane Bussian, Georgia Hairston, Ella Grace Tippins, Henry Lapeyrouse, Sadie Leland, Carter McCullough, Phillip McPhail, Jane Reindhart, and Emma Jane Stricklin.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Authorizing the Use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition
Page S2241 · Official textAUTHORIZING THE USE OF THE CAPITOL GROUNDS FOR THE NATIONAL PEACE OFFICERS' MEMORIAL SERVICE AND THE NATIONAL HONOR GUARD AND PIPE BAND EXHIBITION
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H. Con. Res. 73, which was received from the House.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
The clerk will report the concurrent resolution by title.
The senior assistant executive clerk read as follows:
Text printed in the Record (189 characters)
A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 73) authorizing the use of the Capitol Grounds for the National Peace Officers' Memorial Service and the National Honor Guard and Pipe Band Exhibition.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to the concurrent resolution.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the concurrent resolution be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 73) was agreed to.
Resolutions Submitted Today
Page S2241 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following resolutions, which are at the desk: S. Res. 725 and S. Res. 726.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the resolutions en bloc.
I ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolutions were agreed to.
The preambles were agreed to.
(The resolutions, with their preambles, are printed in today's Record under "Submitted Resolutions.")
Orders for Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Page S2241 · Official textMr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13; that following the prayer and pledge, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate be in a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each; further, that if Senator Merkley or his designee makes a motion to discharge S.J. Res. 163, the Senate vote on the motion to discharge at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow; that following disposition of S.J. Res. 163, notwithstanding rule XXII, the Senate vote on the cloture motion with respect to the motion to proceed to S. Res. 526; that if cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed to S. Res. 526, all postcloture time be expired, and the Senate vote on adoption of the motion to proceed at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the Democratic leader, no earlier than Thursday, May 14; further, that at 2 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session to execute the order with respect to the Warsh nomination, and that following disposition of the Warsh nomination, the Senate resume legislative session.
The PRESIDING OFFICER
Without objection, it is so ordered.
Adjournment Until 10 A.m. Tomorrow
Page S2241 · Official textMr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 6:28 p.m., adjourned until Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at 10 a.m.
Nominations
Pages S2241–S2248 · Official textExecutive nominations received by the Senate:
Text printed in the Record (11,997 characters)
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
RUBEN ADORNO RICHARD C. AGBEYIBOR JOSE J. ARZATE TIMOTHY P. BALLENSKI WILLIAM A. BEAL ANDREW S. BECKMAN SHANE P. BELLINGHAM KARL C. BENTJEN JASON E. BESECKY JOSEPH M. BLANTON STEPHANIE A. BLOSE JARED M. BRATSBERG JOHN S. BREWER LOREN A. BRYANT NATHAN M. BURGLEWSKI GRETA L. CAMERON ADRIAN M. CATARIUS MARCUS A. CATCHPOLE ALISON M. CERANSKI ANDRES CHARRY PAUL A. CLEMENT ZACHARY T. CONDON WILLIAM M. COWAN TRAVIS L. DECKERT AARIK J. DEVENGER HEDISON DOE SERGIO DOMINGUEZ GRANT C. ELLIS ELLIOT R. ERSTEIN RODERICK D. ERVIN CASANDRA LORRAINE S. ESTRADA JAMES D. EVANS LANDON H. EWERS CHRISTOPHER P. FASSIO JASON W. FISCHBACH WILLIAM S. FOLEY ANDREW W. FOWLER BRIAN G. FRANDSEN ALYSON N. GOOLSBY CHASE C. GUARNACCIO DAVID GUERRERO FERNANDEZ LAUREN E. GUTIERREZ MICHAEL J. HALL TIMOTHY J. HARMON DUSTIN L. HAYHURST MATTHEW L. HEROLD MARK J. HOLMSTROM CARLOS J. HORNER TONY HUANG JULIE K. JAIME DANIEL T. JOHNSON JAMES C. JOHNSON MATTHEW G. JOHNSON JEREMY J. KACZMAREK DANIEL K. KOCH PAYJE L. KUHLEMEIER JASON M. LANCASTER CALEB W. LEESTMA MATTHEW T. LESAINT ANTHONY S. LUBY MICHAEL A. MACCHIA RACHEL S. MAMROTH THEODORE C. MARSH KEROLLOS Y. MARZOUK SCOTT S. MATHIS JOSHUA A. MAXWELL SCOTT M. MCCLOUD BLAKE T. MCCOLLUM CYRUS B. MEDRANO JUSTIN D. MERRICK MITCHELL R. METZLER RACHEL M. MILLIRON DAVID A. NEW RICHARD A. NEWBERRY ADAM D. NIEDERHISER JORDAN R. PACKER LOGAN W. PALS HELEN H. PARK ANDREW K. PETRY NICHOLAS S. PONGALLO MARVIN G. POQUIZ ZACHARY J. RASMUSSEN GILBERT E. RAYHILL AMANDA M. REBHI JOSHUA D. REDING AYLA R. REED NORMA K. ROLLOR ANTHONY J. ROSE BRADY P. ROSS RYAN RUSSOMANNO KATHERINE R. SALINAS CHRISTOPHER T. SANTOS ADAM L. SATTERFIELD DONALD E. SCHNEIDER KARAH L. SCHNEIDER MATTHEW D. SCHOEMAKER CAITLIN E. SMART NATHAN J. SNOW JUSTIN T. SOEDER MARTIN T. SPAN CHELSIE R. STOUT WILLIAM J. STRATEMEYER IAN P. SULLIVAN CHRISTOPHER M. TALBOT JAMES G. TEWAHEFTEWA WESLEY A. THOMAS SAMANTHA A. THORN ALISTAIR D. TOLOSA CHRISTOPHER D. TOMMILA KALYN A. TUNG CHRISTOPHER M. URAHAN AISHA A. VALERIO JEREMI C. VILORIA ROBERT S. VOIGT RHETT T. WALKER AUSTIN J. WALLERSTEIN PAUL A. WEISGARBER DESIREE A. WHITAKER ANTHONY S. WILLIAMS KODY A. WILSON RONALD L. WINDHAM, JR. KEITH A. WYMAN JENNIFER S. YEOM SHANNON R. YOUNG TAYLOR A. YOUTSLER THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
MICHAEL R. ABBOTT MICHELAR E. ABONGAN DAVID C. ADAMS THEODORE R. ADAMS NICHOLAS M. ALBERT MICHAEL R. ALFRED PADEN R. ALLEN STEVEN R. ALSEN DANIEL J. ANDERSON DAVID J. ANDERSON MATTHEW T. ANDERSON KARLA M. ARANGO KYLE J. ARRUDA BRYAN T. ASHTON CHELSEA A. BAILEY ANDREW S. BANKS JONATHAN D. BARNETT NICHOLAS B. BARRETT JEREMY L. BARTLETT JOSHUA A. BAUDER ROBERT A. BAYER ADAM R. BECKER JAY T. BELANUS GREGORY A. BELL KIMBERLY A. BENNETT ZACHARY L. BENNETT DEVIN W. BERGMAN ANDREW B. BERIGAN NATHAN R. BETCHER MORGAN A. BIELECKI ALAN L. BLAIR KEVIN W. BLAIR MATTHEW C. BLESSING LOUIS S. BLOOM KARSTEN G. BLOOMSTROM CHRISTOPHER T. BLUMENTRITT JOSHUA T. BOLINGER JOSEPH A. BONITA GARRISON K. BOONE CASEY R. BOSWORTH CHARLES G. BOWYER MARK W. BOYER MICHAEL P. BRANSON JEFFORY A. BRENNER KURT D. BRILL MICHAEL A. BROCH MICHAEL C. BRODE DANIEL J. BROM CONNOR D. BROOKS SCOTT A. BROOKS, JR. ANTHONY J. BROTHERSEN KYLE J. BROWN MATHEW T. BROX GARRET L. BRYANT SPENCER H. BUCK MATTHEW R. BUFORD JOHN A. BURNS JOSHUA T. BURRIS BRIAN A. BURT MARK O. BUSBY JERRY E. BUTLER CHRISTOPHER M. CADIEUX ANTHONY M. CALIVA JOSHUA A. CAMPBELL NICHOLAS C. CARABALLO MARIE P. CARILLO DANIEL M. CARLSON JENNIFER D. CARLSON PAUL M. CARPENTER DONOVAN L. CARROLL RICHARD C. CASSLEMAN MICHAEL V. CECI ALAN K. CHAN STEPHEN P. CHAUVIN JUSTIN A. CHERRY CHRISTOPHER R. CHORNEY CHRISTOPHER K. CHUA DREW W. CLASEN DAVID A. CLEVELANDHADLEY BRANDEN J. CLIFTON MATTHEW R. COKER CHRISTOPHER H. COLE SEAN A. COLE ERIC COOK STEVEN E. COOPER JONATHAN C. CORBETT ADAM L. COREY MATTHEW K. COREY WILLIAM H. COX MASON A. CRADIT JOHNATHAN W. CRAWLEY NATHANIEL S. CROMER SALVADOR A. CRUZ MICHAEL P. CUMMINGS BRYANT A. CURDY CHRISTOPHER DANIEL ETHAN E. DAVENPORT STEVEN Z. DAVIES PATRICK J. DAY JOSHUA J. DEAMUSATEGUI MICHAEL A. DECK, JR. DREW P. DELA CRUZ JOHN M. DIAZ JUSTIN S. DICKINSON JASON B. DIXON BYRON K. DOAN JENNA L. DOLATA MICHAEL C. DREHER RACHEL M. DRUE ROBERT J. DRYE BLAZE W. DUNN CHRISTOPHER M. DUNN BRACK W. DUVALL MICHAEL E. DZYNDRA DEREK J. ECKLEBE LAUREN B. EDWARDS CALEB J. EGLI CHRISTOPHER L. ELA SHAWN T. EMERY DANIEL A. ENOS RYAN P. ERICKSON KALEB R. ERTMER ANDREW C. ESLINGER ERIC R. ESTVANKO OKEZIE O. EZEKANNAGHA RYAN C. FANTASIA MATTHEW D. FELTMANN ROBERT J. FERGUSON MANUEL C. FERNANDEZ PAUL F. FERRIS DAVID R. FISHEL JESSE A. FITZPATRICK MARK B. FLANIGAN JORDAN V. FLAUGHER FLOOD ROSS W. FLEMING JOCELYN B. FLORES ALEXANDER G. FOGASSY BENJAMIN J. FOWLER DAVID W. FOX JOSHUA H. FREEMAN SYDNEY C. FREEMAN JAMES A. FRENCH RYAN M. FRENCH MATTHEW H. FRITZ CLAY L. FRONTZ MATTHEW V. FRYER CHRISTOPHER P. FULTON CHRISTOPHER D. GANCZEWSKI JOHN L. GARRISON HARRISON C. GEBS JASON M. GIGER CAMERON C. GILL ERIC M. GILPATRICK JUSTIN L. GOAR STEPHANIE M. GODBY KARRISSA A. GOEKEN JOSHUA M. GOLIBER JENNIFER S. GRAMLICH HARRISON M. GREEN MICHAEL J. GRENNAN JONATHAN R. GRIFFIN MARK A. GRIFFIN SEAN K. GRINDLAY RAYMOND V. GUTIERREZ ANDREW T. GUTOWSKI CASEY P. HABLUETZEL CRAIG D. HAGGETT THOMAS D. HAINLINE JESSE HALASOWSKI CHRISTOPHER M. HALE WILLIAM D. HAMILTON III BENJAMIN M. HAMMETT CAROLINE M. HARMON DANIEL T. HARRISON JACOB J. HARSTAD TIMOTHY M. HARTFORD STEVEN J. HARTIG MARISSA E. HARTOIN ALBERT K. HATCHETT DANIEL P. HAYES DREW T. HEGARTY ZACHARY T. HELTON ANDREW W. HENDERSON JOSHUA M. HENRY MATTHEW T. HERBSTREITH PATRICK L. HERTENSTEIN KENNETH P. HERTZLER LUIS D. HIDALGO JOSE A. HINOJOSA JESSICA M. HINSON SEAN R. HOEFER DUSTIN R. HOFEGARTNER BLAIR A. HOFFMAN CASEY V. HORGAN JACOB D. HOUDER EVAN E. HUBBARD ALEXANDER W. HUTCHESON GREG T. IHLENBURG DAVID G. INCE DAVID J. JACOBS CHAD R. JAMES JESSIE P. JAMES NICHOLAS JAYJOCK JAMES R. JENSEN MATHEW J. JERRELL ERIC R. JOHNSON WILLIAM B. JOHNSON WILLIAM C. JOHNSON CALEB W. JONES BRENT T. JORDAN JOSHUA S. JUDY SHAWN N. KARR
STEPHEN D. KECK MICHAEL T. KEELING MATTHEW C. KEITH JOSHUA D. KELSEY MATTHEW D. KEOUGH PATRICK J. KILBANE, JR. JOSHUA J. KIM ANDREW A. KIMBALL MATTHEW S. KINAHAN GEORGE G. KING III JUSTIN T. KNOTT SEAN KNOWLES BRADY A. KNUTSON ERIC R. KORDUS THOMAS L. KOZIAR MARK S. KREUL AARON T. KRONICK PABLO M. KRUGER JOHN W. KRZYMINSKI JEREMY R. KURZ DANIEL J. LACROIX STEVEN J. LAMBE BENJAMIN R. LAMBERT GORDON LANG LEE W. LANGDON ADAM B. LANGLEY CHONG Y. LAO EMERSYN G. LARA DARRYL J. LAWLOR WILLIAM J. LAWRENCE VINHROMEO Q. LE JUSTIN S. LEACHMAN JONATHAN C. LEE MATTHEW J. LEE JEFFREY L. LEICY JEFFREY T. LEONARD MICHAEL L. LEUBA BLAKE J. LIDDLE PETER S. LIND CHRISTOPHER C. LITTLE FRANCIS X. LOIACONO ANDREW T. LOTT JEREMY M. LUTES MICHAEL T. LUTTKUS MAXWELL W. LUTTON JOSEPH H. LYONS MICHAEL J. MACDONALD ANDREW P. MACKENZIE JOSEPH W. MADEL MARTIN S. MADSEN BRENT A. MAGGARD DANIEL R. MAHON IAN W. MAIER MAX T. MALLORY NICHOLAS A. MANNING ROBBY JUSTIN H. MARASIGAN MATTHEW B. MARGGRAF MALLORY E. MARLIN TIMOTHY R. MARTI DENNIS K. MAYES PATRICK A. MAYFIELD KAMERON X. MCADAMS JAMES J. MCCARTHY JACOB M. MCCAULEY CHADWICK H. MCCLURE MITCHELL H. MCCROAN MARGARET A. MCGLONE ROBERT W. MCINTURFF JONATHAN G. MCKENZIE MICHAEL J. MCKINLEY RYAN B. MCKINLEY BRETT J. MCKINNON REBEKAH R. MCLANE TRENT D. MCMULLEN ELLIOTT M. MCNELIS MICHAEL R. MEEK CRAIG T. MEREE PETER J. MERSINO JESSICA L. MESSMER KRISTI J. MINER J. C. MINTZMYER JAMES M. MIRACLE NEAL E. MOLZON HAROLD K. MONTROSS IV JEREMY M. MOONEY JOSHUA M. MOORE WAYNE S. MOWERY HANNA B. MUNGER RYAN M. MURPHY DAVID N. MUTOLO KENNETH A. NATELLI JACOB M. NAUMANN JOSEPH A. NEAL ROBERT D. NEAL VANN W. NEAL BRYCE D. NEIL KARIM NEKVASIL DANIEL A. NELSON ERIC T. NELSON ROBERT E. NESKO JOHN G. NEWMAN TIMOTHY M. NEWTON ROBERT J. NIELSEN JOEL W. NOBLE BENJAMIN D. NOEL TIMOTHY P. NOFFSINGER MICHAEL E. ODONNELL MICHAEL G. OKELLEY RACHAEL E. OLIVER LAUREN M. OLME MARK G. OLME ASHLEY D. OLSON AUBREY L. OLSON DOUGLAS J. OLSON RYAN K. OWEIDA CHRISTIAN R. OWEN TRYSTON P. PARKER JOHN P. PAVLICEK MATTHEW W. PELTIER JEFFREY M. PENDLEY KEVIN A. PETERSEN CLIFFORD A. PETERSON MICHAEL R. PHARR DANIEL J. PIERSON MARK W. PIERSON CARL A. PLONK ROBERT J. POISSON ERIC G. POLAND NICHOLAS Q. PONCE JEFFREY J. PULLIAM JOSHUA W. PURSER ZACHARY N. PURSER RACHEL L. QUIRARTE ERYN M. RABORN GRANT M. RABORN JAMESDARRELL V. RACCA SARAH J. RADAKOVICH PRESTON I. RADFORD REX W. RAFFERTY NATALIE M. RAMBISH NICOLE A. REALE JAMES P. REASNER KYLE J. REDFERN THEODORE H. REICKS CHRISTOPHER A. REITH THOMAS S. REPSHA ADAM J. RESCH DAVID Z. RICHARDSON JAMES L. RICHARDSON ROBERT W. RITCHIE JOSEPH G. RITT JEREMY S. ROBBEN SEAN R. ROBERE JUSTIN D. ROBINS TRENTEN D. RODRIGUEZ THOMAS W. ROLLER DEREK A. ROMANYK JORDAN T. ROMBERG AMPARO E. ROMERO ORTIZ JASPER W. ROOSENDAAL DEREK M. ROSE RYAN M. ROULETTE JORDAN D. ROZSA ERIC B. RUBENSTEIN DANIEL K. RULE LAITH K. SAMARAH MATTHEW B. SANDERS DALE R. SANDY MICHAEL A. SARE JEFFREY M. SASAKI MICHAEL A. SATTES TIMOTHY F. SATTLER ROBIN S. SCHECHTER CARL J. SCHLEICH LAUREN S. SCHLICHTING ZACHARY M. SCHNEIDER BRANDON C. SCHOENFELDT MICHAEL D. SCHROEDER DANIEL J. SCULLY MOLLY C. SEXTON DAVID P. SHADOIN ALEXANDER K. SHIVERS COLBY D. SHUFELDT PETER S. SHUFELDT ALEXANDER A. SHULER TIMOTHY J. SICK ETHAN L. SIMANTEL NATHAN J. SIMPSON JORDAN W. SKILLMAN ALLISON M. SMITH MICHAEL J. SMITH SETH A. SMITH DANIEL A. SNOOK JOHNATHAN R. SNYDER AURIELE N. SOLTISZ GORDON M. SPAHR HANNA K. SPARROW DAVID R. SPIEKER JOSEPH W. SPRINGFIELD KAITLIN S. STARK GAXIOLA DAVID L. STARNES LINWOOD L. STEINER JOSHUA D. STEPHENS JESSICA N. STEWART BRYAN G. STIGALL ANDREW G. STOKES ANTHONY R. STRAHM MATTHEW S. STRICK MALCOLM L. STRONG JUSTINA Y. STURGIS LOGAN W. SUHR SEAN M. SULLIVAN JONATHAN M. SWIFT DAVID S. TAKAHASHI DAVID J. TART JAN T. TEOPE CHRISTOPHER A. TESAR NATHAN S. TESCH DAVID W. TEUBL PETER B. THEMELIS MATTHEW C. THOMPSON BRIAN D. TIGNOR NATHAN S. TIMSUREN KAITLYN J. TINKHAM JAMES E. TITTINGER WILLIAM J. TOBERGTE LEE M. TODD DAVID Z. TOLBERT MARIANI B. TORRENTEZ MARCUS G. TRAUTSCHOLD JAMES E. TREAKLE LINHDAN H. TRINH BRIAN A. TURNER WILLIAM B. TURNER III IAN A. TWOMEY JOSEPH R. UNDERWOOD DANIEL P. VAN STONE JOHN M. VIDONI NICHOLAS J. VOLZ JAKE A. WAGNER STEPHEN D. WAKEFIELD BRANDON L. WAMPLER KEVIN D. WARMINGTON DIONTE R. WATSON JEREMY C. WEBB KIRBY F. WEDAN DOUGLAS J. WEIDMAN BENJAMIN R. WEIGOLD TYLER D. WEISSINGER CHRISTOPHER S. WESTON GARRETT J. WHEELER SETH N. WHITE CALEB W. WHITLOCK JOSEPH R. WIGINTON RACHEL W. WILLIAMS SHANNON M. WILLIAMS ROBERT C. WILLIX JAKE WILLSTATTER JORDAN R. WINGATE DEREK J. WINKLER MICHAEL D. WINKLER AARON J. WISE JACOB L. WISEMAN JORDAN R. WITTMAN DUSTIN C. WOODSIDE BRIANNA N. WURTH NIKKI L. YOGI PAIGE H. YOUNG RYAN D. YOUNG NICHOLAS C. ZAHN JOSHUA E. ZAMBRANO ANTHONY A. ZARTMAN JAY R. ZEIGLER THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
KATHRYN L. ABBOTT JARED T. ABRAMOWICZ PAUL I. ADEJI-PAUL MICHAEL A. ALVAREZ BLAIZE E. ANGELET JASON D. ARGYLE AARON T. ASHLEY AMANDA B. BARRETT WESLEY S. BATOT JARNO BAUR MATHEWS CRISTINA A. BEHRENS TIMOTHY J. BENIFIELD QUINTIN C. BENJAMIN EDWARD J. BENNINGFIELD SHAUN P. BERGER BETHANY P. BLACKBURN MICHAEL J. BLAESS ANDREW R. BLAZIER WILLIAM J. BOROWSKI DEREK C. BOYD BENJAMIN C. BRABEC COURTNEY P. BRADBURRY KEVIN L. BRADY AMY D. BRAGG CHELSEA N. BRINCKA PATRICK D. BRITTON JAMES P. BROCK III MICHAEL J. BROWN WADE M. BURKETT KEITH R. BURTON KYLE A. BUSS JEREMY E. BUYER JOSEPH C. BUYER MATTHEW E. CAIN MARK D. CALLAN ROBERT C. CAMPBELL DANIEL A. CARRILLO JAMES O. CASHWELL BRANDON J. CASSO STEFAN J. CHOQUETTE CHEYENNE D. CLEMENT MONICA R. CLEMENTS LINDSEY M. COLBURN SHANE M. CONNOLLY CAMERON K.
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COOPER ANTHONY R. COSENTINO SETH A. CROSS JIM H. DANIELS SAMANTHA F. DAVIES JONATHAN A. DAVIS RANDALL E. DAVIS, JR. EMILY E. DE ANDA NAKESHIA G. DEAN KEITH A. DEERING KATHLEEN B. DEITERS GINA DICKINSON EVAN P. DICKS JENNA K. DONALDSON JULIE E. DONNAN ADAM B. DUNNE DARRICK J. DWYER STEPHANIE A. EDSON MATTHEW G. ELDRIDGE MARTIN J. ESCARZAGA, JR. BRENT L. ESCAY ESTEBAN V. ESCOBEDO JONATHAN C. ESTEP BETHANY A. EVANS GARRETT R. EVANS TYLER A. FERRY LIZA M. FLINT KORI L. FONTAINE
JOHN-ANTHONY E. FORD BENJAMIN T. FORNEA RYAN P. FOUNTAIN MICHAEL L. FRAIOLI GARY A. FRANK WILLIAM J. FREEMAN IV ADAM M. GADSON ALLANA L. GALLANT TAWNY R. GARDNER RANDALL A. GARNER AUTUM A. GASPARETTO ANNA M. GAULT ALEXANDRA P. GEGEN TYLER D. GIBSON ROBERT G. GILBERT JERRAD M. GILLHAM MARY N. GITTINGS DUSTIN L. GOODEN LYDIA D. GOODLOE JUSTIN D. GRAHAM DAYNA A. GRANT SHAINA C. GRANT ARIANA M. GREEN ALAN M. GRIES JOSEPH C. GRIFFIN VICTOR L. GUINN ROBERT W. GULLA KENDA L. GUSME ALLISON K. GUSTAFSON KRIS O. HANIFF AGUSTUS A. HARILALL PAUL R. HARLOFF, JR. JESSICA M. HASKINS GRANT M. HATFIELD BRIELLE R. HAWKINS TAYLOR Q. HECKMAN ALYSSA F. HEIMERMAN SHAWN J. HEMPSEY JASON A. HERNANDEZ MICHAEL J. HESTER CHRISTOPHER L. HICKMAN JAZMINE N. HOOD TRAVIS S. HOUGH HENRY N. HOWARD AARON J. HOWERTON KRISTEN R. HOYLMAN ROBERT A. HUDSPETH AARON B. HUGHES JULIAN L. IRELAND JOYCE L. JACKSON SHANDON L. JAMES ZACHARY M. JARVIS SHARAYE D. JEFFRIES LUKE S. JOHNSON SHAWN G. JOHNSON AARON M. JONES ANDREA C. JONES JENNIFER L. JONES JOSEPH K. JONES ZACHARY J. KAUTH MICHAEL J. KAZAKOFF BLAIR W. KESSLER DELANEY R. KIERNAN DAVID L. KIM TIMOTHY T. KIM SARAH C. KIRBY WILLIAM R. KNOX KYLE R. KODALEN VANESSA S. KOODRAY JONATHAN W. KRAVITZ JENNIFER A. KRUTKA ANITA L. LABENSKI THOMAS W. LAMB DANIEL J. LAMBERT CHANCE C. LANDRETH NICOLE L. LANE WILLIAM L. LIAW CHRISTOPHER L. LOGUE DAVID A. LOSKA JUSTIN A. LUKSO BRENDAN J. MAESTAS GODFREY A. MANERA SARAH A. MARIANETTI ANTON H. MARTYN MICHAEL P. MASON LANCE A. MAZZELLA ANDREW H. MCKENNA SALVADOR A. MEDRANO JEFFREY A. MELLGREN AMANDA R. MILLER STEVEN P. MILLIGAN RYAN C. MISARE JEFFREY E. MONTEVERDE ANGELE R. MONTFORT KELLY A. MOORE MOLLY A. MORRISSEY LUKAS J. MORSE MICHAEL W. MORTELLARO DANIELLE L. MRLA CONOR R. MULLIGAN KENNETH A. NEAL MICHAEL S. NORDIN ROBERT J. NORRIS KRISTIN A. OBER CHRISTOPHER L. ODELL RICHARD K. ODOM ABIGAYIL J. OILAR CYRUS H. OLSEN ERIK M. OLSON AMBER M. OWEIDA WILLIAM L. PAGE ADAM A. PALMER MATTHEW K. PARDINI WOODROW J. PEATT JACOB L. PETTER ERIK T. PEYTON JACOB M. PFANNENSTIEL JAMES T. PHILLIPS JEFFERY A. POWELL COLIN J. QUINN PHILIP A. RAMSEY DEREK A. RASKA HERMAN B. REINHOLD BRADEN B. REYNOLDS JESSICA B. RICHMOND DONOVAN J. RICKS JOSE L. RIVERA KARLO F. RIVERA LINDSAY O. ROBINSON FRANK A. RODELA JEDIDIAH J. RODGERS FRANCISCO J. RODRIGUEZ LORRAINE C. RODRIGUEZ IAN P. ROHDE VERONICA A. ROMO CHRISTOPHER T. RUMBLEY JOHN W. RUSSELL CHRISTINA M. SALINAS CRYSTAL E. SAMPAYO JAMELA D. SATTERFIELD ANDREW T. SCHNELL TYLER J. SCHOCHENMAIER ZACHARY D. SCHUMANN DAVIDZACHARIE R. SELLONA COLTON D. SERILLI JEREMY D. SHANNON CLAYTON E. SHARUM GREGORY N. SOUDER JOSEPH J. SPADA ADAM STARICHA PAUL STEPHENS JASON D. STORY BRANDON S. STOUT NATHAN R. STROUPE BENNETT D. STUPPY BRENNAN K. SUMPTER DAVID S. SUPOWIT LAWRENCE P. THOMAS NICOLE M. TORRES ANTHONY J. TRUCCO SAMMY M. TRUJILLO KEEGAN D. VAIRA PETER M. VAN REMMEN BIANCA E. VEITENHEIMER ARIEL L. WAITERS AMANDA K. WEATHERS STEPHEN D. WEIGEL WILLIE A. WHITLEY KEVIN T. WHITT DEREK T. WIBBEN CAITLIN M. WILLIAMS PETER J. WILLIAMS JUSTIN D. WILSON KATHERINE E. WITT MICHAEL D. WOOLFOLK ALEXANDER J. WRIGHT JONATHAN G. YAP THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
CORBIN A. ALDRIDGE MARK A. ALPERT AMANDA L. AVENOSO SEAN C. BAKER DIEGO A. CALLIRGOS EDWARD D. CAMACHO ADAM M. CERNIGLIA MARY R. CONLEY SEAN W. GENT RUBEN D. GOMEZ DANIEL M. HAN AARON W. HIERONYMUS CHRISTINE M. MARTINEZ CHRISTIAN E. OCASIO JESSICA S. PADOEMTHONTAWEEKIJ ANA C. RUIZ BILL S. SONG YUNIOR G. SOTO TRAVIS W. THORNTON BRANDEN J. TURNBOUGH KELLY M. WALKER JOSHUA M. WESTON JOE A. WILLIAMS, JR. TIMOTHY G. WISER TASHA L. WORCESTER LANCE F. WU SUNG B. YI THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
DONALD J. ADKINS VINCE E. AGUDELO JOHNMARK T. ALECCI KORTNIE S. ALLEN KATHERINE M. AMERSON JOSHUA D. ANDERSON MELODIE J. ANDERSON NATHANIEL P. ANDERSON RICHARD D. ANDERSON JUSTINE P. AQUINO JUSTIN P. ARBOGAST JAMES K. ARITA MASON T. ARMSTRONG AARON K. AVANCE CARA M. AVERNA DANIEL J. BARCUS MICHAEL K. BEAVIN DAVID O. BERRY, JR. JAMAL H. BEY JUSTIN M. BIGGS JACOB H. BLASBALG STEPHEN M. BOEHNLEIN ANDREW M. BOLDEN MARKUS M. BORNEMAN CHRISTINE J. BOYCE EVERETTE E. BOYCE III AARON J. BRADLEY STEVEN C. BREDESEN LAURA H. BROCH ROBERT J. BROOKS ADAM K. BROWN JORDAN M. BRYANT KATHERYN E. BRYANT STEVEN M. BUTCHER ANTHONY J. CARILLO PATRICK T. CASEY CHRISTOPHER D. CASSIDY MICHELLE H. CASTLE LUCAS T. CEPIL DAVID M. CHAMPAGNE KATRINA J. CHEESMAN PHILIP Y. CHO NATHAN C. CHRISTIAN SHELDON C. CLARY ALEX R. CLAWSON MATTHEW E. CLINARD TIMOTHY J. COMISKY CALEB B. COOK SEAN T. COOMBS CHELSEA M. COOPER CARLY A. COSTELLO NATHAN T. CURL WILLIAM H. CURL ROBERT T. CURRY AARON T. DAGGIT HOANG H. DANG DESIREE M. DARLINGTON RENEE M. DAVID AUSTIN T. DAVIS ERIC A. DAVIS MARK G. DAVIS CHRISTOPHER O. DELANO RYAN J. DEMELLO JOSEPH G. EGGLESTON KOLBY H. ELLIOTT PHILIPPA J. ELLIOTT RACHAEL M. ELLIOTT LEE B. EMBRY MORGAN E. ENGLAND CHELSEA D. ESENWEIN AMANDA M. FARR CRISTA M. FARR BLAKE T. FISCHER COY C. FISCHER NATHANIEL W. FLACK JASON W. FONTENOT PHAELEN A. FRENCH COURTNEY P. GALLAGHER ERIC S. GAZOLA BRIAN P. GENDREAU JONATHAN S. GHAHARY AUSTIN P. GIBBONS WILLIAM F. GLOVER KIRA A. GONZALEZ MICHAEL T. GREER JOSE A. GUTIERREZDELARROYO LINDSEY M. HALE ESTRELLA C. HAM JONATHAN M. HAN KAYLA M. HAVEN CHRISTINA D. HAYHURST KILEY E. HEFTY PAUL E. HEINS DAVID T. HEITSTUMAN MATTHEW M. HERMON GREG W. HOLMAN SHAYNE P. HULCE JAMES M. INKROTT KURT D. IVERSEN KATHERINE E. JACOBS YAGIE JANISCH PHILLIP R. JENKINS ALEXANDER T. JOHNSON MATTHEW L. JOHNSON STEPHANIE D. JONES SCOTT A. JUHL MICHELLE K. KANIPE JORDAN S. KEEFER AMELIA L. KEITHSCHWARTZ JOHN G. KOELLING DAVID P. KOGER NICOLE L. KOHLMIER NICOLE E. KONELICK NICHOLAS A. KONISHI NICHOLAS S. KORNITZER JACOB J. KURKA RYAN J. LA RANCE KATHERINE B. LAWALL JENNIFER E. LEE BROOKE T. LEIGH MICHAEL C. LESTER JOYCE W. LEWIS JUSTIN W. LEWIS ROCCO F. LIBRANDI ERIC G. LITTLE MANDELA E. LITTLETON TONY LIU SARAH E. LUONG MICHAEL V. MACANDREW JOSE A. MACHUCA TIMOTHY F. MADDEN, JR. IAN MADISON ALEX J. MALM ROSS T. MALUGANI ROBERT C. MANN
BRADLEY T. MARTIN JOHN P. MARTIN THOMAS E. MARTIN TINA M. MCAFEE NICHOLAS K. MCCRABB KYLE B. MEFFORD PAUL D. MELLON JUBRIEL E. MENESES RYAN D. MENGE MICHELLE J. MESINA TIMOTHY R. MEYER SAMUEL G. MITCHEL MORGAN R. MITCHELL JAMES O. MOELLER ANDRES O. MOLINA AARON P. MORPHY JILLANN D. MORSE SEAN W. MURPHY NICHOLAS K. NACAMULI ANDREW J. NAVIA JESSIE M. NAVIA RYAN T. NEITH AARON A. NELSON ALEXANDER J. NELSON REMOSHAY R. NELSON SARAH A. NOLDER GAVIN A. NUGENT JAMIE L. NUNEZ ALEXA A. ODONNELL BRADLY D. OLSON KEVIN M. PAPP RHIANNA P. PATRINELY MARIA C. PATTERSON CHRISTOPHER J. PERRY MICAH R. PERRYMAN ASHLEY M. PETERSON SHAYLER C. PIERSON LAUREN PLIES SCOTT M. POLCYN SHAHARAZAD N. PURVIS MICHAEL R. QUEZADA BENJAMIN R. RABACKSCHINK STEELE A. RACKLEY CHELSEA J. RAGLAND CHRISTOPHER R. REMSING ANTHONY M. ROBINSON ERIC S. ROE NATHANIEL W. ROESLER JONATHAN A. ROMAN CAZZI L. ROSE CARLOS S. RUSS MICHAEL RUSSELL CHRISTINA E. SALLEY DAWN L. SANDERSON ANDREW M. SASAI ANDREW T. SCHAFTER FREDERICK R. SCHMIDT KATLYN A. SCHULTE MICHAEL K. SEERY ANNE M. SHAW KIMBERLEY N. SHORE VICTORIA R. SIECK CHRISTOPHER G. SKORENKI, JR. ADAM L. SMITH CHANCE A. SMITH JUSTIN C. SMITH WALTER T. SMITH ALEJANDRO F. SOSA SEAN A. STATES ALEXANDRA M. STORMER MICHAEL P. STUBER CHRISTOPHER T. SWAIN VINCENT E. TAYLOR JASON A. TEN HAKEN HANNA J. TERINO JOHN R. TERINO WILLIAM A. THOMPSON PAUL M. THRASHER JONATHAN S. TURNER JESSICA C. TURPIANO DANIEL O. UNZUETA ARTURO L. URQUIETA HECTOR J. VALLADARES COREY J. VAN CLIEF ANDREW W. VANGENDEREN ROBERT A. VASQUEZ STEPHANIE L. VAUGHAN KASEY C. VAUGHN BARBARA D. VAYDA KATHERINE L. WADDEL THOMAS W. WALKER KEVIN D. WALTERS MICHAEL K. WARD JAYSON M. WARREN KYLE L. WEATHERSPOON MICHAEL A. WEAVER CLARE M. WELSH JORDAN A. WHYLIE BENJAMIN J. WIEMERS ANDREW D. WIGHT RANDI D. WILLIAMS MITCHELL M. YOUNG CHRISTA E. ZAISER MICHAEL T. ZELINSKY ZHENG ZHONG THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
KAILA W. ACRES MAXWELL J. BASSMAN BRITTANY M. BAVER AARON J. BONOVITCH SCOTT A. BROBERG REBECCA A. BUCKMILLER JACOB B. BYORTH LAURA S. CARROLL ADAM T. CARSWELL BEVERLY S. CORRIGAN JEFFREY G. CUMBER JARED W. FAIRCHILD LYNAE S. FISHER VICTORIA A. FORT BLAKE A. FRIEND MATTHEW G. GAUNT BRIAN A. HARRIS CAROLYN M. HOCKADAY KELLY R. HODGES PHILLIP J. IMHOFF MICHAEL W. KRAFT JACOB J. MALMGREN TREVOR R. MARTIN JEFFREY M. MATTHEIS BENJAMIN C. MAY KIRSTEN M. MCKENZIE HAYDEN M. MCVEIGH AMBER D. MOORE JESSICA T. PHAM DAVID P. PHILLIPS JASON M. PONCE DAWNIE R. RAMIE PATRICK M. ROMANOFSKI KELLY L. SCHWEITZER CORY N. SEATON GEORGE W. STATZELL ERIN C. TATE JOSEPH P. WHELAN II JONATHAN P. WOLFE JAIMIE M. WYCKOFF
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE RESERVE OF THE ARMY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 12203:
JOHN M. BRANNING CHRISTOPHER J. BRYAN LESLIE M. CHANDLER SETH E. CURTIS BRIAN J. DAUM NADINE B. DAVIS KERSTIN L. HEDLUND KENNY R. HONKEN SEAN P. MCMACKIN TRHEA L. NIXON MICHAEL G. PAULS, SR. GARY R. RHODES, JR. DAVID A. SPEARS OTIS B. THOMAS CHARLES W. WHITE IV THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
KYLE R. ABRUZZESE ANTHONY J. ALLEN THOMAS D. ANGSTADT RICHARD J. BAILEY ANDREW J. BAILIFF JONATHAN S. BAKER ANDREW R. BALLOW DANIEL R. BELL BENJAMIN T. BLANE DANIEL B. BLANKENHORN RYAN L. BOEKA DANIEL K. BOURKE CHESTER D. BOYLES JORDAN G. BRADFORD JOSEPH R. BRANCH KEVIN L. BRASWELL JAMES V. BRAUDIS SHELDON E. BROEDEL ANDREW A. BROWN RYAN J. BUCKINGHAM ERICK D. BUCKNER BRETT M. BUTLER JOSEPH K. BYRNES MATTHEW J. CAHILL DAVID CARATTINI TIMOTHY W. CHESS JOSHUA W. CLEMMONS JARED D. COIL MARK E. CONKLIN DANIEL G. CORBETT BRIAN L. CORBIN JOSEPH R. CORSENTINO DAVID B. COX JUSTIN M. CUFF NICHOLAS C. CURRIE ESTAN N. DAVIS KARL A. DAVIS, JR. THEODORE C. DEMARIA BRIAN J. DERMODY JOHN P. DOLAN THOMAS G. DULL ANDREW S. EAGEN STEVEN A. EATON JOSHUA E. EGGAR BRIAN D. EVANS JENNIFER L. FAUTH DARRELL E. FAWLEY DANIEL M. FERGUSON ELISE V. FFITCH-FREEBURG RANDOLPH J. FLEMING CORY S. FLORENCE BRIAN G. FORESTER NATHANIEL I. FOUST RYAN J. GAINEY TERRY E. GAMBREL THOMAS R. GEISINGER ERIC M. GLASSMAN ALBERT J. GOMEZ DANIEL E. GONZALEZ DANIEL D. GOODWIN WALTER C. GRAY ROBERT W. GREEN DAVID W. GRIFFITH EDWARD A. GUELFI CLINTON J. GUTIERREZ BRIAN L. HAAS DENNIS W. HALL RORY P. HANLIN HENRY V. HANSEN TODD J. HARALSON EDWARD N. HARRISON MICHAEL L. HEFTI JACOB J. HUBER DANIEL R. HUFF LEE C. HUMPHREY AUDREY D. HURDLE NICHOLAS R. INGRAO NICHOLAS M. JAMES MICHAEL A. JOHNSON ROLLAND H. JOHNSON SHAWN R. JOKINEN MICHAEL J. KAISER ADAM M. KARR ADAM C. KELLER CHARLES W. KING BRENT B. KINNEY KENTON C. KOMIVES BRADLEY J. KRAUSS WILLIAM K. KREBS KEVIN F. KRUPSKI JOSHUA A. LARSON MICHAEL A. LENGEL ISAAC E. LEWELLEN MELISSA L. LEWIS NATHAN P. LONGWORTH REED T. MARKHAM KEITH A. MARSHALL ANDREW P. MARTIN PHILLIP E. MASON JOEL D. MAXWELL ADAM F. MCCOMBS IAN M. MCCONNELL CHARLES T. MCCORMICK DANIEL W. MCMANUS MATTHEW D. MCNEAL JEFFREY B. MEINDERS RALPH C. MERRILL PATRICK D. MERRISS SEAN A. MERRITT ANTHONY A. MESSENGER JOHN A. MEYER JOSHUA A. MEYER RYAN R. MIDDLEMISS KENT B. MONAS MICHAEL B. MOORE TODD A. MORI DOUGLAS L. MORTON MATHEW B.
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NEYLAND JONATHAN C. NIELSEN MICHAEL S. OMODT TRAVIS H. OWEN JOSEPH E. OWENS MITCHELL A. PAYNE MICHAEL A. PEARCE FRENCH D. POPE MATTHEW L. PRATT LAURA A. PROFFIT TERRY F. REDD MARK A. REID TERRY L. RIESEL, JR. RACHEL S. RYSAAC RAISSA O. SANCHEZ CESARE A. SANTAROSA PHILLIP R. SAULS HAYDEN D. SCARDINA MATTHEW B. SCHARDT LAWRENCE A. SCHMIDLE JAMES L. SELF KATHRYN L. SHAW WOO C. SHIN JASON T. SHUFF ROBERT J. SHUMAKER STEPHEN M. SIEGNER JOSHUA I. SILVER MICHAEL K. SMITH WADE H. SMITH ANTHONY J. SNIPES JOHN D. STAEHELI JONATHAN C. STAFFORD DANIEL R. STANLEY, JR. NEIL B. STARK TRAVIS J. STELLFOX TODD J. STEVENSON NICHOLAS J. STOUT DONALD J. SULPIZIO MICHAEL P. SWANGER DEMARIUS L. THOMAS PETER A. THOMAS MASON W. THORNAL TRAVIS N. TOOLE KYLE T. TROTTIER CHRISTOPHER A. TURNER LANGSTON J. TURNER JAMES R. VANCE PETER C. VANGJEL MATTHEW B. VANPUTTE MICHAEL L. VENAFRO JARED H. WAGNER BRIAN C. WALKER LIAM P. WALSH LINCOLN R. WARD
JAMES L. WATSON GEORGE S. WEBB ANTHONY M. WERTZ NATHAN B. WILLIAMS LINUS D. WILSON LLOYD B. WOHLSCHLEGEL AMOREENA L. YORK RONALD J. YUHASZ, JR. PATRICK H. YUN ANDREW F. ZIKOWITZ 1008951876 1253917012 THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
STEPHEN R. ABRAMS MARK C. ASKEW JANE W. BAER NICOLAS K. BECK DAVID W. BELL MICHAEL G. BENNER CHRISTOPHER A. BOLZ DEVIN R. BRIGHT DOLORES R. BRYANT DEVON M. CALLAHAN JOHNATHAN N. CARTER CHRISTOPHER J. CHRISTIANA GARRETT A. CLOSE MICHAEL P. COOKE CHAD D. CORBIN DAVID L. CORNELIUS MATTHEW D. DAVIS BRIAN A. DEVLIN SHAWN W. DILLINGHAM ANDREW J. DORNSTADTER DUSTIN W. DURST THOMAS A. DYRENFORTH SAMUEL O. FADARE SLOAN C. FISK THOMAS C. FLOUNDERS MATTHEW J. FONTAINE STEVEN L. FOSTER JEREMY J. FOX ANDREW E. FULTON BRANDON M. FULTON ANDREW D. GARDNER BENJAMIN W. GONG EDWARD W. GREEN, JR. KYLE A. GREENBERG BRENDAN W. GRISWOLD DAVID P. HALPERN SAMUEL A. HEIDER WILLIAM J. HENNESSY MATTHEW S. HICKS ANDREW J. HIGHTOWER PAUL C. HORTON THOMAS J. HUDAK DANIEL R. HUDALLA TIMOTHY M. JONES JOSEPH C. KACHMAR II RYAN V. KELLY MICHAEL W. KUMMERER JOHN E. LANDRY BRIAN S. LANEY COLIN L. LAYNE JOSHUA B. LIMBERG ADAM S. LOUTZENHISER IZABELLA LUNDY WILLIAM N. MARMION QUENTIN D. MCCART HEATHER L. MCCLELLAN BRIAN C. MCDOWELL JOSHUA S. MEADOR ANDREW J. MERCHANT NICOLE R. MINER ROBERT C. MISKE CHRISTIAN M. MITCHELL MATTHEW D. MOGENSEN DANIEL MONROY, JR. MARCUS A. MORGAN PETER C. MUELLER RUSSELL J. NELSON JOSHUA N. NUNNALLY RAYMOND W. ODONNELL MATTHEW J. PACHECO RALPH S. PARLIN WILLIAM B. PARSONS, JR. STEVEN P. PATTERSON JOSEPH W. PAYTON CHRISTINA L. PERERA JOSEPH D. PERRY MATTHEW J. PICKLE LUKE RICHARDS JAY R. RICHARDSON AARON S. RITZEMA DAVID G. RODRIGUEZ CHARLES P. ROWAN BENJAMIN J. RYDER ANDREW R. SANDSTRUM ADAM A. SCHER VICTOR M. SHEPHERD ERIC J. SIDIO AARON K. SMITH BENJIMAN A. SMITH PHILIP J. SMITH ROBERT E. SNOW CHRISTOPHER M. STACY JONATHAN D. STJOHN DENNIS P. SUGRUE ERIC A. SWETT JONATHAN C. TAYLOR AUDREY T. TIUMALU JASON A. TURNER LORIN D. VEIGAS JOSEPH W. WALKER BRYANT A. WELLMAN MATTHEW C. WESMILLER SARAH M. WHITTEN ROBERT H. WIDMYER ANTHONY WILLIAMS BENJAMIN C. WISNIOSKI BASIM M. YOUNIS 1058753960 1072876390 1241224534 1258347311 THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
FRANK L. ADAMS JAMES I. ALFARO MARRIO A. ALMADA AUBREY R. ASHFORD TIMOTHY J. BALLAS AUSTIN J. BANFORD APRIL L. BAPTISTEROBERTSON JEFFREY C. BESS BRYAN K. BLOCKLINGER, JR. DAVID J. BOWERS JAMES D. BROOKS KEIRN C. BROWN MINDY A. BROWN JOHN W. BURNETT DAVID E. CERRATO JILLIAN C. CHANG JAMES R. COOK IV CAROLINA CRUZ JENNIFER M. DEMBECK MATTHEW J. DERFLER SHANE D. DERING DAMIAN L. DIXON SEAN W. DONAHOE ROBIN A. ESKELSON DANIEL S. EUSEBIO KYLE D. FAILS PEDRO E. FERNANDEZ PAUL R. FLANIGEN JONATHAN G. GARDNER MATTHEW J. GARVIN NICHOLAS R. GAUVIN MICHAEL S. HARRELL DIRK C. HASBACH JASON A. HAYNES JAMES B. HICKEY EARL D. HILDEBRAND CRYSTAL E. HINES LARRY W. HIRT PATRICK T. HORVAT RYAN T. HULSE RODNEY D. JACKSON JOSEPH H. JOHNSON III CRYSTAL R. JONES JACOB V. JONES REUBEN T. JOSEPH HASSAN M. KAMARA ADAM D. KATZ MICHAEL Z. KEATHLEY GAVIN R. LASKOWSKI ROYDREGO V. LAVANT WILLIAM D. LINCOLN JASMIN A. LIRIO ERIC M. MAIA BRIANNA M. MAIER STEPHEN M. MALLORY RYAN P. MARTIN RICHARD MARTINEZ LEV L. MAZERES LATECIA S. MCGRADY NATALIE L. MENG LILIU P. MOODY CARLOS G. MORALES KEITH M. MUEHLING CHRISTOPHER M. NASH JACOB P. OLSZEWSKI TIMOTHY J. OWENS TRAVIS G. PECK CLINTON E. PIERCE JAMIE E. PITTMAN JOHN A. PLITSCH MANUEL PRADO MICHAEL T. QUIGLEY RUBEN A. RANGEL BRANDON K. ROBINSON DARSHAREE J. SAIK ELIZABETH A. SCHWEMMER LESLIE A. SHIPP ERIC P. SHOCKLEY MISHENDA S. SIGGAL STEVEN T. SMITH ANTHONY J. STRUZIK JOSHUA E. THOMPSON JEFFREY L. TIMMONS DANIEL E. TORRES JUAN M. VIRUETCOLLAZO HAROLD K. WATSON IAN A. WELCH RYAN P. WELCH MATHIS F. WRIGHT THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
SCOTT A. BEAL MICAH J. BUSHOUSE SARAH E. CRANE MATTHEW C. DIVICO FELIX FIGUEROA KIRKLIN J. KUDRNA BRIAN G. LEBIEDNIK KARL M. OLSON RICHMOND P. THORNTON TIMOTHY J. WILLIAMS THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY NURSE CORPS UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTIONS 624 AND 7064:
MICHELE L. BURATTI
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
KEVIN M. BACON WILLIAM R. BLACKMAN TODD M. GEORGE THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
JAMES B. GALLAGHER JOSEPH D. GODWIN ANTHONY W. OXENDINE, JR. SHAYNE J. SCHUMACHER THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
DAVID L. BADMAN, JR. JITINDRA W. SIRJOO THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
WILLIAM E. SNIDER III HAYWOOD WILLIAMS, JR. THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
ROBERT G. BEAUCHAMP SCOTT T. DEARDEN NICHOLAS A. DENISON JAMES P. KOBYRA BLAKE A. LYON KATHLEEN E. PAULS ADAM R. PAWLAK BRANDON D. SMITH ERIK T. SMITH GRETCHEN M. WENDT RICHARD S. WESTERFIELD KRISTEN S. WHITESELL THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
MICHAEL J. BAHR BRIAN J. BANAZWSKI STEPHAN C. BROCK GREGORY A. CASKEY JAMES J. COLGARY, JR. TIMOTHY J. EMGE II JASON A. FLANAGAN MATTHEW C. FRYE PATRICK M. GILLEN BENJAMIN L. HALL JOHN M. HALLWORTH MARISSA C. HOBBS ARTURO JACINTO II ETHAN J. JAWORSKI TIMOTHY D. KUBISAK REBECCA I. MACUS ANDREW J. METZCUS ERIC D. SHUEY WILLIAM T. TAFT ERIC J. THURKINS, JR. KATHERINE G. VASQUEZ TODD A. WILLIAMSON MARCELA C. ZELAYA THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
JOSHUA I. CAMPBELL COURTNEY A. JOHNSON THOMAS D. MIYANO CLEMENT L. SMITH JUAN C. VARELA DARRIN L. WILLIAMS THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
JORDAN M. ADLER FRANK P. AGCAOILI RHETT Z. BEGLEY QUINZELL T. BROWN
BRYAN K. HARRIS JIMMY J. PAVELKA JOHN R. VANASSCHE RYAN T. WADINGTON THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
ROBERT J. BEBBER WILLIAM D. BRINKMEYER PATRICK J. CONDREN DONALD K. MOARATTY, JR. TYRONE D. PHAM JOSEPH A. TOWNS SAMUEL T. TRASSARE JASON M. WITTROCK THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
MATE W. AERANDIR MAXWELL E. BJERKE JUSTINE A. CACCAMO KENNY L. CASWELL RHIANNON L. CROTHERS JAMES C. GEORGE NICHOLAS J. HEDBERG DANE E. JOHNSON REBEKAH D. LAFFERTY KURTIS A. LOBAUGH TOLULOPE E. OBRIEN JACOB E. PIKE DAVID J. RIVERA SARA J. RUBIN JAMES R. SANBORN CAROLINE M. SEIDER ANDREW P. THOMPSON PETER C. WENGEL MICHAEL B. ZIMET THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
JAMESON R. ADLER RAYMOND J. AHAUS KURT W. ALBAUGH NICHOLAS E. ALFANO VERONICA A. ANDERSON MATTHEW APPLETON ANTHONY S. ARDITO ALYSSA B. Y. ARMSTRONG MATTHEW D. ARNDT GLENN A. ATHERTON RYAN L. BALDWIN ROBERT C. BALLARD, JR. THEALOS C. BALLAS VICTOR M. BARBA JAMES R. BARBER III KYLE M. BEILKE ROBERT M. BELFLOWER II JONATHAN A. BERGSTRAND JEFFREY R. BERNHARDT GARY J. BICKEL ERIC J. BLOMBERG MARTIN J. BLOMBERG TIMOTHY J. BOSTON TYRCHRA A. J. BOWMAN THOMAS K. BREWER BURNES C. W. BROWN NATHAN J. BROWNE JORDAN A. BRYE OMARI D. BUCKLEY NICHOLAS K. BULLARD BETHANY R. BURDICK CAMERON J. BURNETTE SCOTT B. BURRILL JOSHUA A. CALANDRA SHAWN R. CALLIHAN JOSEPH A. CAMPBELL DANA S. CANBY CHRISTOPHER D. CARAWAY TODD W. S. CARLSON GUY K. CARLSWARD CHRISTOPHER A. CASE SEAN T. CAVANAGH JEREMIAH M. CHASE JASON CHUMA TIMOTHY B. CLARK DANIEL P. CLAYTOR ANDREW M. COLE BRIAN T. CONNER JOHN M. COOMBS DONALD E. COOMES LIDA P. COOPER GREGORY M. COY FREDERICK D. CRAYTON BRIAN R. CROSBY ROBERT J. DALTON JOHN D. DAMON CHRISTOPHER M. DANLEY BENJAMIN S. DAVIDSON MICHAEL E. DEBOER ERIK J. DIPPOLD MATTHEW E. DRYDEN PATRICK L. DUNN PATRICK J. EARLS DAVID P. ECKARDT MICHAEL J. ECKERT GABRIEL V. EDWARDS DOUGLAS S. ELKINS CLINTON D. EMRICH JUSTIN J. ESTRADA MATTHEW B. FANNIN MICHAEL R. FARLEY MATTHEW G. FARRELL MICHAEL FEAGANS ELIJAH C. FORD CHRISTIAN R. FOSCHI BRADFORD S. FOSTER SHANNYN W. FOWLER MASON B. FOX JOSHUA J. FREEZE MATTHEW R. FURTADO PHILIP GALINDO DAVID T. GARDNER DAVID A. GARRETT MORGAN D. GEORGE MATTHEW L. GERMAN RYAN T. GIELEGHEM ALEXANDER D. GLASS WILLIAM J. GOLDEN VINCENT C. GOMES MICHAEL J. GOSSETT MEGHAN C. GRAY WILLIAM S. GREEN MICHAEL B. GREENSTREET JONATHAN B. GREENWALD STEVEN E. GREY, JR. JUSTIN L. GUERNSEY SOPHIA M. HABERMAN CHARLES R. HALL MATTHEW A. HARRIS MICHAEL S. HARTZELL BRIAN J. HASSE ALEX W. HAUPT MICHAEL HENDERSON BENJAMIN B. HENDRICKS EVAN E. HENTSCHEL MATTHEW A. HEPFINGER TAYLOR A. HESSE JONATHAN W. HIGHTOWER WILLIAM C. HINSON JASON P. HOCH NICHOLAS A. HOFFMANN DANIEL K. HOLLINGSHEAD BRENT J. HOLLOWAY MARCUS A. HOOGEWIND DAVID A. HOOPENGARDNER, JR. ALEXANDER F. HORN MATTHEW M. HOWELL WILLIAM T. HUEBNER, JR. MICHAEL C. HUGHES CLAYTON E. HUNT ANDREW N. JAEGER CHRISTOPHER T. JAMES JEREMY R. JANNEY AARON JEFFERSON III RONALD JENKINS BRYAN V. JENNINGS DAMIEAN M. JOHNSON ROBERT A. JOHNSON WESLEY A. JOHNSON DANIEL T. JONES JAMES C. JORDAN KACEE L. JOSSIS JESSE A. JOYCE ERICK M. KEARNS MAGDALENA M. KEEL RYAN P. KELLY IAN A. KEMP TOWNEY G. KENNARD III HENRY J. KENNEDY JOHN P. KENNEDY PATRICK L. KIEFER DERMOT N. KILLIAN II JAE Y. KIM JASON C. KIM SEAN M. KINNEY JUDDSON M. KIRK KENNETH M. KIRKWOOD MARK S. KLEIN WILLIAM E. KNIPS ROBERT W. KNOERZER MATTHEW T. KNUTH JOHN E. KOHUT KEITH R. KROUCHICK JAYSON C. LARSEN BRIAN C. LAWS BRETT H. LEARNER ROBERT G. LECLERC DAVID J. LEISENRING LUIS A. LEVINE CHRISTOPHER J. LEWIS ANDREW G. LICHTENSTEIN CAMERON M. LINDSAY MICHAEL L. LINN WILLIS M. LONG STEPHEN J. LOONEY MATTHEW R. LOVICK JONATHAN J. LUSHENKO JOHNNY R. LYKINS, JR. SARAH K. LYNCH JARED M. MALLIS DAVID MANGES JOHN E. MARTIN JOEL P. MARTINEZ NICHOLAS A. MARUCA KYLE C. MASON CAMERON H. MASSEY MICHAEL Q. MATT MICHELLE A. MATTHEWS EDWARD J. MAY, JR. STEVEN G. MAY RICHARD A. MAYER SCOTT D. MAYNES BENJAMIN I. MCCARTY MATTHEW E. MCCAY JOSHUA Q. MCCRIGHT THOMAS R. MCCURDY CHRISTOPHER G. MCCURRY THOMAS J. MCDONALD RYAN D. MCGINN ANDREW S. MCGOVERN JOSEPH A. MCGRAW II MICHAEL J. MCINERNEY JAMES R. MCMILLAN III DONALD M. MCNEIL TYLER C. MCQUIGGAN JAMES T. MCRANDLE JOSHUA D. MENKS SCOTT R. MILLER JEFFERY A. MILOTA JOHNNY L. MINCEY PETER P. MITCHELL ROBERT W. MIZE ADAM L.
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MOFFIT WILLIAM H. MOHR ROBERT J. MOLINARO PATRICK J. MOORE MICHAEL S. MOORSE MARCUS V. MORELAND JAIME A. MORENO ROBERT J. MORENO SCOTTY L. MURPHY JEREMY T. NAUTA JASON A. NELSON JONATHAN T. NODA JOEL C. NOGLE JASON T. NOWELL JOSHUA D. OAKES PRESTON J. OCHOA ADAM J. OCHS CHRISTIAN L. OLSEN MATTHEW J. ORNER CARLOS A. OROZA CHRISTOPHER S. OSIPOWER JASON R. PATTON THOMAS F. PAVLIK CHRISTOPHER A. PETERSEN BRENT M. PETERSON KENNETH J. PETKUNAS JAMES D. PIERCE III KEVIN A. PILCHER RYAN Z. PINEDA GREGORY J. PIORUN, JR. MATTHEW E. PLANT CHARLES C. POGUE CHRISTOPHER N. PRATT PHILIP D. PRETZINGER KENNETH J. PRINDLE ANDREW R. RA PRESTON M. RACKAUSKAS TERRELL W. RADFORD ALEX S. RAFAL ALEXANDER E. RATCLIFFE ANDREW J. RECAME JUSTIN L. REDDICK SEAN REED PATRICK J. REILLY CATHERINE A. B. REPPERT PAUL R. REYES SEAN P. RICE PAUL F. RICHARDSON III BRETT M. RINGO CHRISTIAN A. RIVERA COLE C. ROBERTS MARY H. ROBINSON CHRISTOPHER W. ROBISON MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ ERIC K. ROLFS MARTIN E. ROSCHMANN BRIAN C. SANCHEZ KEVIN R. SARTAIN MATTHEW H. SASS CODY M. SCARBOROUGH CRYSTAL L. SCHAEFER MICHAEL A. SCHENK JARED A. SCHMITT JOHN C. SCHNEPPER NICHOLAS J. SCHNETTLER PETER C. SCHUNK MICHAEL P. SHAUGHNESSY DAVID K. SHULTZ KAI B. SIEGELE VINCENT F. SIMMON, JR. JOSHUA B. SINK DANIEL A. SLEDZ BRANDON D. SMITH CHRISTOPHER R. SMITH DAVID J. SMITH DUSTIN T. SMITH KEVIN P. SMITH ERIC D. SMITLEY DANIEL A. SOLFELT KARL D. STAEHLE NATHAN L. STAPLES DAVID T. STAUBIN BRADLEY D. STEIDLE NATHAN A. STEIN RYAN A. STEWART BYRON STOCKS CHRISTOPHER M. STOLLE GREGORY B. STORER KEVIN A. SWIFT STEPHEN D. SZACHTA, JR. ROBERT SZELIGOWSKI KYLE L. TERWILLIGER CHRISTOPHER O. THOMAS CURTIS L. THOMAS HEATHER O. THOMAS JAMES G. THOMAS DILLON J. TOLMIE ROBERT J. TOOHIG, JR. KEITH P. TURNBULL CHRISTOPHER S. TURNER JAC O. ULLMAN III
NICHOLAS J. VANDYKE JAMES S. VANNEST JOHN N. VANWAGONER ANNA E. VILLALPANDO KEVIN W. WALTER NELLIE WANG GRANT A. WANIER ROBERT M. WAYLAND NICHOLAS C. WEIDEMAN CURTIS W. WHITE ROOSEVELT B. WHITE, JR. TIMOTHY M. WHITE JONATHAN C. WILLIAMS THOMAS A. WILLIAMS FRANK D. WILLIS, JR. JASON M. WINDOM MICHAEL A. WINSLOW REBECCA E. WOLF MICHAEL F. WOLFE ALEXANDER C. YURANK MICHAEL A. ZDUNKIEWICZ KEITH S. ZEUNER DAVID E. ZIEROTH THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
CLINTON T. CERALDE RYAN T. DAILEY TESSA M. DEMULDER MICHAEL R. DICKENSON ANDREW C. GERLA JAMES D. GOLLIDAY RICHARD A. JARCHOW, JR. EVITA M. SALLES JEROD A. TABER KAREN J. TEAGUE THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
AARON C. GEARY KENNETH J. MAROON RYAN E. MEWETT DANIEL R. POST ANGEL F. RODRIGUEZ JONATHAN J. SLAGER THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
SEAN P. CAULFIELD STEPHANIE A. JOHNSON CASSANDRA M. SISTI ROBERT D. WENDT THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
FRANCIS B. CARNABY WILLIAM F. CUNNINGHAM VANESSAMAY R. DEJESUS LYNDSEY D. FATZ WINDSOR S. H. FRINELL MATTHEW C. HAMM JACQUELINEMARIE W. KASATKIN CHRISTOPHER J. R. MCCOOK DAVID L. STANFORD, JR. JIMMY J. SUH PATRICK T. SULLIVAN THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
RICHARD S. CHERNITZER MEGAN E. GREENE BETH A. TEACH THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
BRIAN F. BRESHEARS PHILIP R. SAULNIER BRADLEY J. WILLIFORD THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
LANCE A. ALT NICHOLAS P. WALKER TYRONE WALLER II THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER FOR APPOINTMENT TO THE GRADE INDICATED IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
NATHAN J. RICHARDSON
ANGELA VERONICA COLMENERO, OF TEXAS, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, VICE LEE H. ROSENTHAL, RETIRED.
DANIEL DESMOND DOMENICO, OF COLORADO, TO BE UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT, VICE TIMOTHY M. TYMKOVICH, RETIRING.
MICHAEL C. MARTIN, OF MICHIGAN, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN, VICE SEAN F. COX, RETIRED.
KASDIN MILLER MITCHELL, OF TEXAS, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, VICE BARBARA M. LYNN, RETIRED.
ANTONIO M. POZOS, OF PENNSYLVANIA, TO BE UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA, VICE MITCHELL S. GOLDBERG, RETIRED.
DANIEL MACK TRAYNOR, OF NORTH DAKOTA, TO BE UNITED STATES CIRCUIT JUDGE FOR THE EIGHTH CIRCUIT, VICE RALPH R. ERICKSON, RETIRING.
Confirmations
Page S2248 · Official textExecutive nominations confirmed by the Senate May 12, 2026:
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THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY TO THE GRADE INDICATED UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
COL. STEPHANIE A. BAGLEY COL. JOSEPH D. BECKER COL. JOHN D. BISHOP COL. ROBERT K. BRYANT COL. JESSE T. CURRY COL. ETHAN J. DIVEN COL. BRIAN M. DUCOTE COL. DONALD A. FAGNAN COL. TIMOTHY D. GATLIN COL. JARROD J. GILLAM COL. REGINALD R. HARPER COL. RAPHAEL S. HEFLIN COL. DANIEL J. HERLIHY COL. RYAN A. HOWELL COL. RONALD IAMMARTINO, JR. COL. JOSEPH A. KATZ COL. JIM D. KEIRSEY COL. ALEXANDER C. LOVASZ COL. EDWIN D. MATTHAIDESS III COL. ROBERT S. MCCHRYSTAL COL. STEPHEN J. MIKO COL. ANDREW R. MORGAN COL. JENNIFER A. MYKINS COL. PETER A. PATTERSON COL. MARC E. PELINI COL. KELLY K. STEELE COL. LUCAS S. VANANTWERP COL. PATRICK E. WORKMAN COL. GUY YELVERTON III THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE RESERVE OF THE ARMY TO THE GRADE INDICATED UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 12203:
COL. BRIAN M. GATTI
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS TO THE GRADE INDICATED UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 1044F:
COL. PETER D. HOUTZ THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS TO THE GRADE INDICATED WHILE ASSIGNED TO A POSITION OF IMPORTANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 601:
LT. GEN. ROGER B. TURNER, JR. MAJ. GEN. JAMES B. WELLONS MAJ. GEN. GEORGE B. ROWELL IV MAJ. GEN. THOMAS B. SAVAGE MAJ. GEN. KEITH D. REVENTLOW
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY TO THE GRADE INDICATED WHILE ASSIGNED TO A POSITION OF IMPORTANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 601:
MAJ. GEN. MONTE L. RONE
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES NAVY TO THE GRADE INDICATED WHILE ASSIGNED TO A POSITION OF IMPORTANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 601:
VICE ADM. JOHN F. WADE
THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE TO THE GRADE INDICATED WHILE ASSIGNED TO A POSITION OF IMPORTANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 601:
MAJ. GEN. CHRISTOPHER J. NIEMI THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE TO THE GRADE INDICATED UNDER TITLE 10, U.S.C., SECTION 624:
BRIG. GEN. ROBERT K. BOGART BRIG. GEN. LEIGH A. SWANSON
KEVIN WARSH, OF FLORIDA, TO BE A MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM FOR A TERM OF FOURTEEN YEARS FROM FEBRUARY 1, 2026.
AIR FORCE NOMINATION OF MICHAEL P. MCFADDEN, TO BE LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
AIR FORCE NOMINATION OF BENJAMIN T. CANIPE, TO BE MAJOR.
AIR FORCE NOMINATION OF SARAH L. PERGANDE, TO BE MAJOR.
AIR FORCE NOMINATION OF ILDA Y. ISAZA, TO BE COLONEL.
AIR FORCE NOMINATION OF JOSEPH M. VANONI, TO BE COLONEL.
AIR FORCE NOMINATION OF JONATHAN E. MENASHI, TO BE COLONEL.
ARMY NOMINATION OF AZIZ ATAKUZI, TO BE LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
ARMY NOMINATION OF JIN H. YOO, TO BE MAJOR.
ARMY NOMINATION OF HARRISON C. KENNEDY, TO BE COLONEL.
ARMY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH JAMES L. BOND II AND ENDING WITH MICHAEL A. SWEETLAND, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 13, 2026.
ARMY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH MICHAEL A. BLEW AND ENDING WITH ORRIN W. VINER, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 13, 2026.
ARMY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH RYAN C. BOILEAU AND ENDING WITH DENNIS R. WILLIAMS, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 13, 2026.
ARMY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH SARAH A. ARMSTRONG AND ENDING WITH JEREMIAH D. ULRICH, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 13, 2026.
ARMY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH BRUCE L. MAYEAUX AND ENDING WITH HANS P. ZELLER, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 13, 2026.
ARMY NOMINATION OF MICHELLE L. ELLIOTT, TO BE COLONEL.
ARMY NOMINATION OF SANG S. ROW, TO BE LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
ARMY NOMINATION OF WHITNEY A. GREEN, TO BE MAJOR.
ARMY NOMINATION OF TERRY W. HILL, JR., TO BE MAJOR.
ARMY NOMINATION OF ALEX T. KITCHIN, TO BE MAJOR.
ARMY NOMINATION OF WILLIAM B. LEWANDOWSKI, TO BE MAJOR.
ARMY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH NATHANIEL D. BASTIAN AND ENDING WITH DAMIAN R. TONG, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 21, 2026.
MARINE CORPS NOMINATION OF THOMAS R. RICE, TO BE LIEUTENANT COLONEL.
MARINE CORPS NOMINATION OF NICHOLAS D. DOWNEY, TO BE MAJOR.
NAVY NOMINATION OF CHARLES R. BOWEN, TO BE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.
NAVY NOMINATION OF JOSHUA K. UDY, TO BE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.
NAVY NOMINATION OF MICHAEL P. ARULIN, TO BE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.
NAVY NOMINATION OF AMBER B. BRANDT, TO BE CAPTAIN.
NAVY NOMINATION OF BARTHOLOMEW W. CONNOLLY, TO BE CAPTAIN.
NAVY NOMINATION OF CRAIG J. VANTASSEL, TO BE COMMANDER.
NAVY NOMINATION OF BENJAMIN J. EATON, TO BE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.
NAVY NOMINATION OF JESSE G. VAN HEUKELOM, TO BE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.
NAVY NOMINATIONS BEGINNING WITH ROGER A. HENNIGH AND ENDING WITH ALISHA R. THOMAS, WHICH NOMINATIONS WERE RECEIVED BY THE SENATE AND APPEARED IN THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD ON APRIL 13, 2026.
NAVY NOMINATION OF ZACHARY R. INGOLD, TO BE LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.