Cynthia M. Lummis
Senator for Wyoming · Republican · United States
“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: COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation is authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Tuesday, July…”
“Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 119 (Tuesday, July 21, 2026)] [Senate] [Page S4198] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PRIVILEGES OF THE FLOOR Ms. LUMMIS. Mr.”
“Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations. And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over: Pass the SAVE Act, Senator. Pass the SAVE Act. Not once. Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route.”
“Senator Barrasso and I are riding along the parade route, the same parade route Wyoming has watched for generations. And as we came down the street, I could hear it from my constituents over and over: Pass the SAVE Act, Senator. Pass the SAVE Act. Not once. Not from just one corner of the crowd, all along the parade route.”
“It is the plainly stated view of most people in this country, arrived at through a basic, widely shared sense of fairness: That girls who train and compete deserve a level playing field where they can compete safely.”
“It is the plainly stated view of most people in this country, arrived at through a basic, widely shared sense of fairness: That girls who train and compete deserve a level playing field where they can compete safely.”
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“Stating you want an outcome is a long way from implementing a plan and executing a plan to achieve it. And there is no plan. There is absolutely no plan. Let's talk first about DOGE. DOGE is about, supposedly, getting rid of waste, fraud, and abuse. Now, there is not a single Member of this Congress who is in favor of waste, fraud, and abuse, but if you are going to do that, you look at a Department: What is its goal? How is it achieving it? Where is it coming up short? You do an assessment, and you do a plan. What DOGE did was essentially get the personnel list and then send out emails to every fifth or sixth person saying: You are fired because you did a lousy job. So it is not at all on the level. It is not at all on the level. And as a result, the real goal becomes revealed. It is not to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse.”
“When we are elected Members of Congress, we swear an oath to the Constitution, not to any politician or any President. It is time both parties remembered that and lived accordingly. So I am coming to the floor regularly to highlight the President's latest outrage and the GOP's inevitable silence in the face of it. Until they start using the voices they were elected to raise, we are going to continue to have a pending constitutional crisis in this country. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont. Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, I totally support the comments of the minority whip. It is 100 days, and it is time to assess. Whatever you may say about President Trump and the stated goals, there is an obligation to act functionally to achieve those goals.”
“What was the reaction of the Democratic Congress to the Democratic President, Franklin Roosevelt, who wanted to pack the Court? The reaction was fierce and it was bipartisan in opposition to FDR and he had to drop the plan. Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress realized that if a President can control the composition of the Supreme Court and its rulings, that we have lost a valuable part of the protection of our Constitution. My congressional Republicans have the power to join us in a historic stand on so many areas that this President has violated. They have majorities in both Chambers of Congress, and in private moments many of them express outrage and horror at Trump's dangerous abandonment of law, norms, and the will of the American people. But as their constituents suffer, out of fear of retaliation, Republicans remain silent.”
“The President is testing--and violating--the bounds of our Constitution, amassing power for himself as the economy tanks, violating the rights of Americans, and destroying our image abroad. My congressional Republican colleagues have the power to join us in a bipartisan effort to stop it. Has it ever happened in history? It did, very graphically, in history. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was upset with the Supreme Court and its rulings on New Deal programs. He went through a reelection cycle and was reelected by a large margin. He then came here to Washington and said: My first order of business is to increase the number of men-- all men then--serving on the Supreme Court so that I can finally get the rulings that I am looking for on my key elements of the New Deal.”
“When our Nation's Founders began the lofty task of building our democracy, they created a system of checks and balances to ensure a stable government and prevent the abuse of power. In 1788, James Madison wrote in Federalist Paper 51: Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. But it seems the ambition of the Republican-controlled legislative branch is all but absent as Donald Trump's government goes out of control. Never in our Nation's history has a coequal branch of government so willfully rolled over and ceded their power. It is, in fact, the silence of the lambs.”
“The Secretary of Defense violates national security protocol and shares classified war plans in a Signal chat that mistakenly includes a journalist listening to the conversation. You would think that at least one hard-line Republican conservative, some hawk in their ranks, would stand up and say: That is wrong, regardless of who the President may be. But they didn't. The Republicans remain silent. Unelected billionaire Elon Musk and his DOGE brothers gut the Federal Government, leading to cuts to lifesaving medical research, Americans unable to get their Social Security benefits, and threats to Medicaid. What was the response from the Republican side to these outrageous developments under the Trump administration? Silence.”
“Donald Trump threatens to withhold Federal funds from higher education institutions to coerce them to give up their constitutional rights. It is hard to imagine--we are talking about modern America--that a President of the United States who is unhappy with what is being taught at a college or a university threatens to remove all of their Federal funding. For God's sake, this is a democracy. Freedom of speech is part of what we [[Page S2634]] admire in this country so much and what is part of our future and our past. Yet, when it comes to President Trump, he has decided that if they want to teach something that he doesn't care for, whatever it may be, they are going to lose Federal funding. That is being tested in court.”
“Or take Donald Trump's ill-conceived, mindless tariff tax war, which I mentioned earlier. Global markets plunged when he came out with his proposals in the beginning of April. It wiped out trillions of dollars of wealth from the stock market and will cause Americans to suffer from higher prices and smaller export markets. The advice which many people are giving to those who are worried about their IRAs and 401(k)s is: Don't look at it. Don't look at the balance. You are going to be too depressed when you see it. And it is because of the chaos in the Trump White House when it comes to our trade policy and economics. While their constituents saw their retirement funds drain and grocery bills skyrocket, sadly, my Republican colleagues remained silent. Rinse and repeat the cycle.”
“In order to move forward, you have to start by obedience to the court order. You can criticize it within the realm of ethics, and you can even appeal it, but you can't ignore it. Yet these officials headed for the Trump Department of Justice wanted to equivocate on the answer. Who came to my rescue on my argument? A Republican Senator from Louisiana, John Kennedy, who came in and addressed the three nominees and said: Let me make it clear to you--I paraphrase him I think accurately--your options with a legal court order are to be critical within the bounds of ethics and to appeal the decision if you disagree with it, but you have to obey that order or resign your official position. That was as clear an explanation as I have ever heard. But under the Trump administration, they believe they are above the law. Some do.”
“There were several key appointees by the Trump administration to positions in the Department of Justice. They included a Solicitor General and two other Deputy Attorneys General. During the course of questioning, I asked these individuals a basic question: Do you believe that an executive official can defy a legally held court order? I thought the answer was clear: It is no, and it should be, whatever the President's party may be. Yet they struggled to come up with an answer that suggested maybe, in some cases, it was all right to defy a court order. We have been through this in America. The case of Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 was an effort to integrate schools across America for the first time--an extremely controversial decision, and several other decisions followed from it. But there was a legal court order for that to happen.”
“Now, of course, he says things which he later disavows, but it is outrageous to think a President of the United States would suggest that an American citizen, without due process, would be relegated to a terrorist prison in a foreign country. The American people don't care for that much, and neither do I, because it happens to offend this document: the Constitution of the United States. Can you imagine an immigrant living here under a protected status torn from his home and family for no legally justifiable reason, and then the administration says it was an ``administrative error''? While the Trump administration continues to avoid facilitating the return of Mr. Abrego Garcia as the Supreme Court has ordered him to do, Republicans have remained silent. It was about 6 weeks ago.”
“Now, you remember how many times Donald Trump gave speeches at rallies, and he said that we are being overrun by murderers and rapists and terrorists and mentally ill people who came to this country and shouldn't be here, and as a consequence, they were going to change things when he was elected President. What they changed was to take this Mr. Garcia, living legally in Maryland with his family, and, through an administrative error, threw him into a hopeless prison in El Salvador. Is that what America is all about now? Because he had a surname like ``Garcia,'' we can ignore any reference to due process? The President went so far as to suggest he would do the same thing to an American citizen.”
“When Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally in the State of Maryland with his family, was sent to a terrorist prison in El Salvador because of what was said in court to be an ``administrative error,'' where was the outrage that this man was treated so unfairly, with no evidence except, perhaps, a tattoo that might be connected with a gang? There was no evidence that took this man out of the United States and put him in a prison in El Salvador. Our colleague Senator Chris Van Hollen went down to see him and the conditions he is being held in and never came back with a satisfactory answer of why this man was being charged with a crime.”
“Were they to assume that the tariff tax war had begun, that in order to import key elements and parts to their production, they would have to pay tariffs of 10, 20, 30 percent? 100 percent? What did I know about it? I couldn't answer because I didn't know the answer. I am not sure anyone knew the answer. Somewhere in President Trump's mind is a theory of tariffs that he believes is going to make America stronger. These business leaders said just the opposite. Because of the uncertainty of these tariffs and the uncertainty of our trade relationships, they were going to hold back. They couldn't risk it. And that is the reality of what we face today. When it comes to specific cases in this administration, it is hard to explain how we have reached this point.”
“President Trump has undermined the Constitution and our system of checks and balances and the rule of law. Through it all, I am sad to report that my Republican colleagues have remained silent. I got a call several weeks ago, before the Easter break, from CEOs of major corporations, some in my State and some not. I had not heard from them before. Why they called me puzzled me a little bit. What it boiled down to was they were desperate for information about the policy decisions here in Washington. What did it mean that this President, Donald Trump, started a trade war and then announced he was going to put it on pause for 90 days? What were they supposed to do in terms of the future of their businesses?”
“At the end of 100 days, the major polling firms across the United States went out and asked the American people: So what do you think? What is your impression of this new President? What is your impression of the MAGA agenda? The results that came back don't surprise me, but they might surprise some. Overwhelmingly, on every major issue that this administration has taken a position, the American people have said: We don't like it. We are not happy with what is happening in this country today. After all the promises in the last political campaign about dealing with the cost of living for ordinary Americans, there is little or no progress to be shown for the 100 days of President Trump. For 100 days, President Trump and his administration--mainly billionaire buddies like Elon Musk--have brought us chaos, wreaked havoc, and sowed division.”
“I anticipate the next 100 days will bring equally significant achievements, and I feel deeply privileged to work alongside this administration and this President. I served 14 years in the Wyoming Legislature, all with Democrat Governors. I have served 12 years in the Congress, all with Democrat Presidents. This is the first time in my entire life that I have legislatively served with a President of my own party. It is refreshing, it is delightful, and it is even, on occasion, fun. I feel so privileged to be here with a Republican President who is delivering meaningful results to the people of Wyoming and our great Nation. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic whip. Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the jury is in.”
“We know even today that as countries are renegotiating their trade policies and tariff policies with us, there is a newfound desire to find a level playing field, parity, and reciprocal trade agreements that allow for some of our products to go into their economies in ways that acknowledge that the United States has been globally at a trade disadvantage and to try to repair some of those long practices where the United States was participating in free trade and other countries were not. It is time to make it all fair trade. I applaud President Trump's desires to do that hopefully soon so we can get some of the turmoil associated with these important changes to our economy behind [[Page S2633]] us and restore stability in our economy and our everyday lives.”
“I am seeing a President who really gets the everyday working American and wants to make sure that as they live paycheck to paycheck and try to plan for their families, there is some relief in store for them with regard to his proposals for taxes. These first 100 days of President Trump's return to office represent just the opening chapter of America's golden era. Already, his administration has made remarkable progress in securing our southern border, revitalizing American energy independence, cutting wasteful government spending, supporting innovative digital asset policies, and restoring America's rightful leadership position globally.”
“Following years of punishing inflation under the Biden administration, our communities and working families cannot shoulder any additional financial strain, and keeping our Tax Code as is and making it permanent is yet another way of implementing advantages for local working economies. It also just delights me that President Trump identified just real working Americans who are struggling to make ends meet, who are living paycheck to paycheck, and tried to identify ways to tax-advantage their lives--for example, no tax on tips, no tax on Social Security, no tax on overtime hours. These are things for regular, everyday, working people. Some people allege that President Trump is trying to help his billionaire buddies. I am not seeing that at all.”
“Here in the Senate, we have confirmed 54 of President Trump's Cabinet and sub-Cabinet nominees. It has required some long hours--many in the middle of the night, much to our consternation. But our work is far from complete. The Democrats' agenda threatens to impose crushing tax increases on hard-working Wyoming families and our local small businesses. If the tax cuts that were implemented under President Trump's first administration are allowed to expire, it will create the largest tax increase in history at a time when businesses need the innovation that allows our economy to grow. That can come through a robust, fair tax system. This is something that I look forward to assisting my colleagues in this body to implement in a permanent form and using our current standard practices.”
“I am particularly pleased with President Trump's support of my strategic Bitcoin reserve initiative, which will address our national debt while securing America's position as the global leader in financial innovation. As Bitcoin comes into more usage, its use makes the whole system more secure, more robust, and more capable of serving our needs all over the world. We should be the global leader with this fantastic, new, ledger- based asset that is in a digital format that is going to be transformative of the everyday economy and puts the everyday American-- in fact, the everyday worker all over the world--in control of their own money. What a wonderful blessing for hard-working people all over the world to have this great, new technology and to have America lead the way in implementing this wonderful, wonderful innovation.”
“But it is something that cries for consumer protections, and our incredible ability that we have as Agencies to disclose matters that should be disclosed to investors and to allow innovation where it makes our ability to do business internationally, faster, cheaper, and more responsible. Through the ledgers, the blockchain's incredible ability to send money all over the world fast and inexpensively helps regular, everyday Americans avoid the tremendous friction that is in the banking system that costs taxpayers money and costs taxpayers time and allows us to do business all over the world in a much less expensive and a robust way. What a blessing to have an administration that sees the future in this way, that understands the innovation that is at our fingertips and that we can use to go forward in a true 21st-century digital economy.”
“Elon Musk and his team have found true waste, fraud, and abuse in government and is identifying it so Cabinet Secretaries can deal with it in their respective Agencies. That is exactly the kind of fiscal discipline that we value in Wyoming--that we all should value as Americans. After years of the Biden administration's unbridled hostility toward digital assets and cryptocurrency, President Trump is fulfilling his promise to lead the most pro-digital asset administration in history. I could not be more proud. We know that we are moving into a digital future, a digital economy. It is something we should embrace. It is something we can include in a new, modern 21st century economy. It is not something to fear.”
“And nobody knows better how to do it than the people who have voluntarily participated through their expertise and ability to identify waste, fraud, and abuse, using the Department of Government Efficiency and their remarkable skills with computers to ferret out waste, fraud, and abuse. Elon Musk and the DOGE team have already identified a huge number of wasteful programs and abusive expenditures that don't benefit American families. All of us should be proud, in both parties, that the rhetoric that we have used over the years that we are going to pay for things by ferreting out waste, fraud, and abuse and then after elected, don't even try to find waste, fraud, and abuse, has finally come to an end.”
“We have kept spending at post-COVID highs, even though the moneys spent during the COVID years is no longer necessary in our now more growing and robust post-COVID economy. Most taxpayers don't realize their hard-earned dollars primarily service this massive debt through interest payments rather than funding national defense and essential services. That is why I strongly support President Trump's creation of the Department of Government Efficiency-- DOGE. It was done through a provision in ObamaCare and its subsequent ability to gain efficiencies through efforts that computers can assist us with.”
“The people of Wyoming are grateful to have a President who cares about securing our border and deporting those who are not here legally, especially those from gangs that are causing unsafe communities, horrible crimes perpetuated on the American people--all unnecessarily, if we only followed the laws that were in existence and the statutes that were in existence all along, those laws that President Biden ignored and that President Trump is following and implementing. For decades, America's leaders have failed our country when it comes to fiscal responsibility, and we in this very Chamber are partly responsible for that. Our $36 trillion national debt represents a real and present threat to America's future. We all know it is unsustainable. And yet, after COVID, we never went back to pre-COVID spending levels.”
“I am proud that President Trump recognizes it and that he has taken steps to restore our statutory ability to produce both clean air and abundant hydrocarbon energy simultaneously. Perhaps the most dramatic turnaround has been at the southern border. Where the Biden administration created chaos, President Trump has restored order--through multiple Executive actions, signing the Laken Riley Act, ending catch-and-release, re-implementing ``Remain in Mexico,'' and more. We have seen border encounters plummet from nearly 380,000 in February and March last year to just 22,000, plus a few, during the same period this year.”
“These things can happen simultaneously. And it is because of Yankee ingenuity and it is because we know how to do things better all the time, we don't have to accept the status quo when it comes to energy dominance. But there were certain people in the Biden administration that forced something called environmental justice, an absolutely trumped-up, dreamed-up idea that we can't have clean energy [[Page S2632]] and abundant energy at the same time. That is a totally wrong-headed approach to what has always been a great American tradition of ingenuity and entrepreneurs who can take a problem and solve it. There is such a thing as clean air that can be produced from coal and natural gas, in particular, and I am proud that my State is part of that.”
“For energy States like Wyoming, the official lifting of the unconstitutional coal moratorium represents a significant economic opportunity for western States. By removing unnecessary restrictions on energy extraction, the administration has signaled its commitment to blue collar jobs, cheaper energy for American families, and a new era of energy dominance. Joe Biden and his administration didn't care about the impact their regulations have on working-class people. The Trump administration does care, and they are continuing to take action that will help Americans and our amazing energy communities. Wyoming exports 12 times more energy than it consumes; and much of that is in the form of hydrocarbons. And each and every year, for years after the Clean Air Act passed, we were producing more energy and producing cleaner air.”
“I believe this is the women's rights issue of our time, and I am grateful for President Trump's leadership. For some people my age, we spent so many years trying to exercise our rights under title IX and other rights to recognize women's rights, only to have them swept under the rug and disregarded by the left, requiring that women not only compete against men but have them in their locker rooms in what were uncomfortable and, in some times, unsafe circumstances. President Trump recognized this and, thankfully, has put that issue to rest for a while. President Trump is also delivering on his promise to unleash American energy dominance. A few weeks ago, I joined President Trump and some of my colleagues at the White House for his signing of an Executive order that starts to reverse the Biden and Obama administrations' anti-coal agenda.”
“The overwhelming sentiment is enthusiasm for what President Trump is accomplishing for everyday Americans. For example, on day one, President Trump restored the dignity of men and women as biologically distinct sexes. It is hard to believe he had to do that, but, indeed, he did. One of the administration's first major actions was signing an Executive order directing Federal Agencies to recognize biological sex in athletic competition. The left spent the past 4 years gaslighting Americans and making the failed argument that biological males should now be competing in women's sports in the name of fairness. Within a few weeks of taking office, President Trump tackled this issue and made it clear that this administration won't support the left's attack on female athletes.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 71 (Tuesday, April 29, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 29, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2631-S2642] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] Trump Administration First 100 Days Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, today, President Trump completes the first 100 days of his return to the White House, and it has been nothing short of transformational. Under President Trump and Vice President Vance's leadership, we are witnessing the rapid implementation of campaign promises that are already reshaping America's policy landscape. When I go home to Wyoming each weekend, people approach me everywhere, from restaurants to the feed store, eager to discuss the positive changes happening in Washington.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)] [Senate] [Pages S2480-S2481] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 10 A.M. TOMORROW Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. [[Page S2481]] There being no objection, the Senate, at 7:26 p.m., adjourned until Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 10 a.m. ____________________”
“17, H.J. Res. 20; finally, if any nominations are confirmed during Wednesday's session, the motions 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. ____________________”
“on Wednesday, April 9; 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 at 11:30 a.m., the Senate proceed to executive session and execute the order of April 8 with respect to the Atkins and Huckabee nominations and the Senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Atkins nomination, and if cloture is invoked, the Senate vote on confirmation of the Huckabee nomination; further, that at 2 p.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Hoekstra, Johnson, and Cabrera nominations in the order listed; further, that at 7 p.m., the Senate vote on confirmation of the Atkins nomination; and following disposition of the Atkins nomination, Senator Cruz be recognized to make a motion to proceed to Calendar No.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2480] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ORDERS FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025 Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10 a.m.”
“2576 note) is amended-- (1) in subsection (a)(1)-- (A) by striking ``a period'' and inserting ``the period''; and (B) by inserting ``or water'' after ``fire retardant''; (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``sold under subsection (a)'' and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting ``sold under subsection (a) may be used only for the provision of aircraft services for wildfire suppression purposes.''; (3) in subsection (c), by inserting ``or water'' after ``fire retardant''; (4) in subsection (d)(1), in the second sentence, by striking ``subsection (a)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (g)''; and (5) by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following: ``(g) Period for Exercise of Authority.--The period specified in this subsection is the period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025 and ending on October 1, 2035.''.”
“160), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed as follows: S. 160 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. MODIFICATION AND REAUTHORIZATION OF AUTHORITY FOR SALE BY DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE OF AIRCRAFT AND PARTS FOR WILDFIRE SUPPRESSION PURPOSES. Section 2 of the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-307; 10 U.S.C.”
“There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to consider the bill. Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Sheehy amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment (No. 2223) was agreed to, as follows: (Purpose: To modify the period for exercise of authority for the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes) On page 3, line 3, strike ``October 1, 2025,'' and insert ``the date of the enactment of the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025''. The bill (S.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2480] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] AERIAL FIREFIGHTING ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2025 Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Armed Services Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 160, and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 160) to amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes.”
“President, I ask unanimous consent that the Moran substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment (No. 2222), in the nature of a substitute, was agreed to. (The amendment is printed in today's Record under ``Text of Amendments.'') The bill (S. 423), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read the third time, and passed. ____________________”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2480] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] PROTECTING REGULAR ORDER FOR VETERANS ACT OF 2025 Ms. LUMMIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of S. 423 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 423) to protect regular order for budgeting for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes. There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to consider the bill. Ms. LUMMIS. Mr.”
“Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 8, 2025)] [Senate] [Page S2479] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 2223. Ms. LUMMIS (for Mr. Sheehy) proposed an amendment to the bill S. 160, to amend the Wildfire Suppression Aircraft Transfer Act of 1996 to reauthorize the sale by the Department of Defense of aircraft and parts for wildfire suppression purposes, and for other purposes; as follows: On page 3, line 3, strike ``October 1, 2025,'' and insert ``the date of the enactment of the Aerial Firefighting Enhancement Act of 2025''. ____________________”
“(c) Comptroller General of the United States Review of Veterans Experience Office and Customer Service Improvement Efforts.--Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall-- (1) complete an analysis of the methodology, effectiveness, and implementation of findings and feedback of veterans and beneficiaries used by the Department of Veterans Affairs, including the Veterans Experience Office, to improve veteran and beneficiary customer experience and satisfaction, including through the use of what are known as ``trust- scores'', Veteran Signals also known as ``VSignals'', and related survey and data collection activities, processes, and initiatives; and (2) submit to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of the House of Representatives a report setting forth the findings of the Comptroller General with respect to the analysis completed pursuant to paragraph (1).”
“``(g) Sunset.--The requirements and authorities of this section shall terminate on September 30, 2028.''. (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 3 of such title is amended by adding at the end the following new item: ``325. Veterans Experience Office.''.”
“``(2) Funds available for basic pay and other administrative expenses of other Department organizations and offices may be available to reimburse the Office for all services provided at rates which will recover actual costs for services provided to such organizations if the Secretary determines that contributing to such costs will not undermine the ability of any such organization or office to provide services required by such office. ``(3) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize an increase in the number of full-time employees otherwise authorized for the Department. ``(f) Privacy.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the Chief Veterans Experience Officer to disclose any record in contravention of section 552a of title 5 (commonly referred to as the `Privacy Act of 1974').”
“``(e) Staff and Resources.--(1) The Secretary shall ensure that-- ``(A) the Office has such staff, resources, and access to customer service and experience information as may be necessary to carry out the functions of the Office; and ``(B) any information provided to the Office does not include personally identifiable information of an individual veteran, survivor, dependent, or other beneficiary unless such individual provides appropriate consent to allow such information to be shared with the Office.”
“``(B) Data regarding veteran and beneficiary satisfaction with and usage of benefits or services, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback, including-- ``(i) potential reasons for not using the benefits or services, such as-- ``(I) eligibility; ``(II) lack of knowledge or awareness of existence of benefit or service; ``(III) barriers of technology, information, or time; and ``(IV) other related reasons; and ``(ii) an analysis of how such reasons may be addressed.”
“``(3) Each annual summary submitted pursuant to paragraph (2) shall include the following: ``(A) Data regarding customer service and experience feedback, disaggregated by benefit or service furnished under laws administered by the Secretary, and relevant demographic data of the veterans and beneficiaries providing the feedback.”