only the navy has facilitated naturalization for servicemembers, correct? ms. miller: all services facilitate naturalization on behalf of qualifying servicemembers and officers are trained to expedite that process. rep. jayapal: what i mean is has facilitated naturalization at basic training. is that onlyhe navy? ms. miller: the navy is working to determine if this would be appropate to establish a permanent office within their basitraining location. work with uscis officers rather than having a permanent establishment. rep. jayapal: my time is expired. our understanding is it is only the navy that has been doing this. so i want to make sure that we are working with dod to expand naturalization among servicemembers. madam chair, i yield back. chair lofgren: the lady yields back. mr. tiffany is recognized for five minutes. reppo tiffany -- rep. tiffany: director rogers, we heard in previous testimony that there were significant counterintelligence concerns with the program set in place during the obama administration. can you guarantee we will not allow somebody

every day, great immigrant servicemembers risked their lives in support of our country. we rely on them to keep our nation safe and protect u.s. global interests. in return, we must honor their sacrifices by supporting them and their families. and, by giving them every opportunity to become u.s. citizens if they so desire. unfortunately, the previous administration instituted many policy changes that made it harder for foreign-born servicemembers to actualize. it inhibited our ability to recruit and main -- retain highly qualified immigrants for important positions in the armed services. such policy changes also undermined congress' clear intent to provide an expedited naturalization process for military servants and veterans. the trump administration ended naturalization at basic training at made it more difficult to receive a certification of honorable service, a document that is essential to naturalization based on military service. the changes made by the trump administration were unnecessary and cruel. they serve no purpose but to make it harder for individuals serv

he was serving his country in a civilian role and servicemember. he did a 13 month deployment to afghanistan, at least three of those were placing him within yards of a burn pit burning around the clock. not only was he living, eating, exercising, but for several months within feet of one of these burn pits and all the smoke that came from that. he was an incredible person. he came home from deployment, had plans to try out for special forces, but shortly thereafter found he was unable to recover from training runs. sadly, he diagnosed with an incredibly rare form of cancer. i am not going to try to repeat the name because it is really long and it took doctors a long time to pinpoint because it was rare. and because it was rare, they did not know how to treat it. sadly, he passed away from that lung cancer, leaving behind a wife and now a nine-year-old daughter. if you watch the president's's state of the union, you can see his wife danielle robinson as a guest. if you watched our press conference we did last week on the capitol before the honoring

and their families, reveal grave risks to the health and safety of servicemembers and their families, reveal neglect by balfour beatty, which is responsible for housing tens of thousands of military families, and reveal not just neglect, and in my view, misconduct and abuse, but neglect, misconduct, and abuse that persisted even after balfour beatty pled guilty to a scheme to defraud the united states between 2013 and 2019. today, we're going to hear from servicemembers who have joined us to share their personal family stories of living in balfour beatty housing. we will hear from advocates, military spouses, who will share what they've learned from their personal experiences and advocating for the families who live on post and live on installations across the united states. and then we will ask tough questions of senior executives at balfour beatty, demand answers and accountability. again, i want to emphasize this has been a bipartisan effort from start to finish. ranking member johnson has been a great partner in this effort. i thank my staff and his staffs for their tireless work

our servicemembers risk their lives to keep us safe, and all they ask for is care in return. but our government has failed them repeatedly. first it was agent orange, then it was the blue water navy vets. today it's burn pits. it's why nearly two years ago i started working with jon stewart and a strong coalition of veteran service organizations to craft presumptive benefits for war fighters exposed to burn pits and other toxins act. this bill forms the centerpiece of the honoring our pact act which has now been named the sergeant -- which has now been named in honor of sergeant robinson. the bottom line -- it would remove the unsurmountable and unreasonable burden of proof for veterans to receive care. no longer would these selfless individuals have to jump through hoops to get the care that they've actually already earned. no longer would they have to spend hours upon hours reaching and researching the very diseases that are killing them. no longer would they have to spend their own money on biopsies to prove that their illnesses are exposure related and service related. an

and finally, i want to thank our dedicated men and women, servicemembers, civilians, and contractors supporting the departments efforts. on individual basis sourcing u.s. equipment to transportation command providing support to over servicemembers on rotation in support of our enhanced presence across u.s. european command to our own policy professionals here at the pentagon, the department has come together in extra ordinary ways to support this historic effort. without our most valuable resource, the never ending to support and dedication, this would not have been possible. with that, i am happy to take questions but i think we are slated to start with ben fox from ap. >> hi. dr. kahl: hey, ben. >> can you talk about how many and how quickly you can get these into the hands of ukrainian forces? obviously, time is of a critical essence right now. dr. kahl: the additional systems -- the initial amount of systems will be 4.we positioned the systems so we can move them expeditiously. these are turnkey. these are systems the ukrainians need to be trained on. we think that will take arou

over the last two decades, an estimated 3.5 million servicemembers were exposed to dangerous chemicals while in the line of duty while risking their lives for us. burn pits were a common method of eliminating all sorts of waste throughout iraq and afghanistan, from everyday trash to hazardous and poisonous materials. after returning home, many veterans developed terrible diseases because of their exposure to these toxic waste dumps. but even so, nearly 80% of all disability claims related to burn pits have been denied by the veterans administration. what an indignity. what an injustice. no veteran should ever have to carry the burden of treating complications from toxic expose sure alone. and we can change that with this bill. there's every reason in the world to get the pact act done quickly. both parties want it. our veterans deserve it. and the time is hong past for us to make -- long past for us to make a change at the v.a. and on shipping. last night finally the house overwhelmingly approved the senate's ocean shipping reform act, the most significant maritime reform law passed by

yet generation after generation, veteran after veteran the servicemembers returned home only to be met with a piecemeal process as they work to cobble together they care that they've earned and the benefits they deserved from the department of veterans affairs. veterans have spent years fighting bureaucracy to get the care they need and sadly there are those that have been fighting up to this point you are no longer living to receive the benefits that this legislation will provide. chairman tester the senator from montana and i made a commitment to get to'm this point today, ad i'm proud of that we are doing so together in a way and most importantly this bill will deliver healthcare benefits to thousands of veterans who are ill due to their exposure to other toxic exposures. there's no doubt the cost of taking care of our veterans isot high, but the truth is freedom is not free. we say that and this is evidence passage of this legislation. there's always a cost of war and it's always high and dramatic. it's always something that costs people their lives. but we make the decision when w

since 2001, as many as 3.5 million servicemembers have been exposed to toxic smoke, including toxic burn pits and agent orange. sadly, many of them are unable to get the care they need because of outdated rules within the veterans administration that determine eligibility for benefits. this is a long overdue for change, it's something i've been advocating for years. and today, i'm thrilled that the senate will vote to begin consideration of the honoring our pact act, which my colleague, senator tester and senator moran, have done a great job putting together. every single one of us in this chamber has heard from a military servicemember who has struggled to afford quality health care, and this is one of the best steps the senate can take to improve the lives of those who've given their all for their country. the honoring our pact act would be one of the largest expansions in health care benefits in va history, and it would make sure that no military servicemember exposed to toxic chemicals has to endure the indignity of carrying the burden of sickness and treatment alone. i expect today'

and i sponsored the pandemic care for burn pits exposure act of 2020, to ensure that servicemembers and veterans with previous exposure to burn pits received the care they needed during the covid-19 pandemic. mr. president, i'm listing these bills and the work and time and the bipartisan nature of them because on the veterans' affairs committee there has been no issue i've been more focused on. we're going to take the lessons from vietnam, agent orange, and not say you're going to wait three, four, five decades while you die of cancer. and i am committed to this issue, and i have been, but i'm also committed to passing legislation that is worthy of all veterans that we are serving. so i have had some reservations about the current bill and the process by which it has come to the senate floor, because the process has thwarted opportunities to make this a better bill, to make it serve our veterans in a better, holistic way. and again, this is an issue i've been focused on since my first days in the u.s. senate. so what are the issues, mr. president? well, as i mention, some of the things

our nation asks a great deal of our servicemembers and their families. we ask them to be ready to fight and to win against a wide range of security challenges across the globe. our armed forces know and understand the threats they face on the battlefield. unfortunately, servicemembers also face threats that aren't as apparent -- exposure to toxic materials. these exposures can result in rare and sometimes fatal medical conditions, from exposure to agent orange to radiation from nuclear tests, veterans have carried an extra burden because of their service. it is too often a struggle to recognize and address these impacts. now a new generation is dealing with the l long-term effects of toxic exposure. indeed, during their service, up to 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to toxic burn pits. as the name implies, burn pits are pits where all forms of waste, including toxic waste, are disposed of by burning. our servicemembers lived and worked in close proximity to these burn pits, often without knowing the potential consequences to their long-term health

let's not make it difficult on the strength of the us military at this point and support our servicemembers. >> the same in other parts of america but you got frustrated with that priority. fixing the fourth estate would frustrate you but this is such a no-brainer, what would have made it so frustrating, what should be a service initiative to allow to make life easier for families, the fitness gear, the stiff bureaucratic resistance. i found an unwillingness to fix it. it was not ingrained cultural military. i'm going to do what the secretary of defense should have to do, you are allowed to wear fitness care, leisure gear if you will into the commissary's and stuff but it is an important thing for families and i want to signal i kept families in mind as i dealt with all these issues. >> host: we are getting towards the end of our program and civilian control of the military, we talked about that, so fundamental to your moral compass, you adhere to the constitution, maintain civilian control of the military. one of the areas we had is somewhat of a controversy, jim mattis had to get a waiver

today's hearing that will explore the initiative by the current administration to support noncitizen servicemembers, veterans, and family members. immigrants are important to society. they provide key support to u.s. military. currently, immigrants account for apart -- approximately 3% of active duty service members. 13% of veterans are of immigrant origin meaning either they or their parents are immigrants. throughout our history, immigrants has been key to some of our most critical military victories, for example, the revolutionary war would likely not have been one without the essential contributions of two immigrants, the marquita lafayette -- marquis de la fayette. both were prosperous -- properly made honorable citizens of the u.s.. a more recent example is u.s. marine sergeant rafael geraldo. he was born in mexico. in 2004 sergeant peralta was wounded in

he was serving his country in a civilian role and servicemember. he did a 13 month deployment to afghanistan, at least three of those were placing him within yards of a burn pit burning around the clock. not only was he living, eating, exercising, but for several months within feet of one of these burn pits and all the smoke that came from that. he was an incredible person. he came home from deployment, had plans to try out for special forces, but shortly thereafter found he was unable to recover from training runs. sadly, he diagnosed with an incredibly rare form of cancer. i am not going to try to repeat the name because it is really long and it took doctors a long time to pinpoint because it was rare. and because it was rare, they did not know how to treat it. sadly, he passed away from that lung cancer, leaving behind a wife and now a nine-year-old daughter. if you watch the president's's state of the union, you can see his wife danielle robinson as a guest. if you watched our press conference we did last week on the capitol before the honoring

he was serving his country in a civilian role and servicemember. he did a 13 month deployment to afghanistan, at least three of those were placing him within yards of a burn pit burning around the clock. not only was he living, eating, exercising, but for several months within feet of one of these burn pits and all the smoke that came from that. he was an incredible person. he came home from deployment, had plans to try out for special forces, but shortly thereafter found he was unable to recover from training runs. sadly, he diagnosed with an incredibly rare form of cancer. i am not going to try to repeat the name because it is really long and it took doctors a long time to pinpoint because it was rare. and because it was rare, they did not know how to treat it. sadly, he passed away from that lung cancer, leaving behind a wife and now a nine-year-old daughter. if you watch the president's's state of the union, you can see his wife danielle robinson as a guest. if you watched our press conference we did last week on the capitol before the honoring

clear that he ignored the military advisor all the advice that led directly to those of the american servicemembers. could this be a praline to the impeachment quick. >> we have to see. the only thing we know those things you mentioned is people are reporting on it nothing congress has done but that is what we are gearing up to do with the oversight project. and with that they have to demand answers. when i'm sure once you start unpacking this we will learn a lot more those disastrous withdrawal. steve: let's look at the other issues. let's talk about the pandemic the response to the pandemic, but what we have focused on is the origins. did you talk about that and meeting quick. >> i cannot go into details what was discussed but covid and the origins are a top issue across the board for members looking to get answers. this administration has not done a single thing to hold china accountable for spreading the pandemic and lying to the entire world and then continuing down the path with business as usual that will not fight for the new majority in the congress. we need to know exactly what happened a

that affects everybody but particularly servicemembers and some like siblings can't choose where they live and have to do with increasingly competitive housing market. i of what the dot for increasing the basic allowance for housing. the meaning of bishop budde is clearly not enough that tos hoping you could talk about what is being done to ensure that servicemembers can afford rent or purchase a house at the new duty station and whether you are exploring ways to increase on-base housing options as well. >> what we're looking at all sorts of ways to address thi. what happened as you indicated is the cost of housing has gone up dramatically and quickly. secretary austin is concerned about this. we've had numerous conversations about it. we are taking steps to in some places increase base cost for housing out of cycle if you will and we need the support of the committee is a go forward particularly as inflation continues making adjustments at interim periods, notches on an annual basis. something we're tracking very carefully. we are trying to make sure we maintain the quality of our on

it means that in -- in this instance it means if servicemembers are being repeated will i exposed to toxic chemicals across new generations, we have to do something on the front end, on the fronds end to reduce toxic exposures instead of always playing catchup decades later as we are doing now. that's why we should be giving the department of defense the tools they need to track toxic exposures more closely and our servicemembers deserve the ability to report toxic exposures in real time and to be protected from them. i believe these commonsense ideas may actual live provide long-term savings for the taxpayer and lead to healthier outcomes for our veterans. finally, while we are not offsetting the cost of this legislation today, it does -- it does not mean we shouldn't provide vigorous oversight of this new funding. these why i filed another amendment to enhance the requirement that the secretary of the veterans administration provide annual spending plans to congress as well as require both the v.a. inspector general and the government accountability office to report to congress on

it is clear that more work is necessary to ensure this doesn't happen again and that our servicemembers don't pay the price for a shrinking budget. it is critical that we work together to provide adequate resources to fully fund weapon systems, operations, and training. again, thank you again for taking the time to be with us. with that, madam chair, i yield back. >> thank you. ms. granger, as ranking co-member of the chair of the committee, would you like to make an opening statement? >> thank you, chairman mccollum. i want to thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us today. i look forward to hearing from you, and about how the air force and space force are preparing for both current and future conflicts. i want to begin by restating my serious concern about the inadequacy of the administration's request for defense spending. inflation is dramatically decreasing the department's buying power, and this budget proposal fails to provide the funds needed to maintain and modernize our military. looking at this year's request, it is clear that the air force wants to retire older sys

the marine corps said that they take pride in recognizing and honoring the contribution of th lgbt to servicemembers. this one brought mockery online to not leave anybody out with the colorful mockup of the transgender flake and asexual like in a non-binary flag among many others. the canadian province of britis columbia, cocaine and go. so snaking them legal for three years. lawmakers say in order to mitigate overdose sirs, reuters reports that the drugs will technically be illegal but people found that small amounts will not be charged or jail and their drugs will be confiscated either. the goal is to make it easier for drug addicts to seek help with the legal trouble. the company that owns the right to elvis presley merchandise sent a letter to several chapel ordering that to stop unauthorized uses of his name like this voice image and weddings. according to the journal, the letters come was before an elvi by optic is set to hit movie theaters. ukraine being out scotland in the semi finals in the first competitive game since russia invaded their country. if you crazy with their match o sunday, th

as the pitchers servicemembers running not under american flag but the lgbtqa+ flag. with critics arguing the military has its priorities a bit confused. >> tmz sports reporting that mike tyson appeared to return t the air on a commercial plane after his admitted flight fight with a van antagonizing him in april. >> he says he is not concerned about flying commercial again despite the of the rotation. it ended in april. still to come a stunning site after a church in texas forms t the ground. and that one the fishermen is that something that he did not expect. today's a vast videos and this goal want to see next >> first up into knights at viral videos that, amazing images out of texas or a fire a baptist church at burned it dow nearly everything except a cross . the fire department and whites county called a sight to behold. the cause remains under investigation. a local fishermen in cambodia caught the world's largest ever freshwater fish. a giant stingray measuring a whopping 13 feet snout to tail weighing in at 660 pens. fishermen reported a record-setting catch t

since november 11, 2001, up to 3.5 million deployed servicemembers have potentially encountered toxic exposures from burn pits. during a deployment to a war zone, military personnel are often exposed to toxic hazards, many of which have been associated with chronic health issues. not really as an aside, but unrelated to this piece of legislation, a cause i now undertake, have been pursuing since this topic arose, is to make sure that in the future there are no burn pits that our service men and women encounter in their service to our nation. while we are preparing to take care of those who have experienced burn pits in the past, let there be no more burn pit experiences. until almost 2010, the united states military kept burn pits on bases for the disposal of chemicals, plastic, medical waste and other substances that are just burned with jet fuel, creating toxic substances, toxic smoke. currently the v.a. can provide service-connected disability claims related to burn pit exposureses, however due to lack of evidence, scientific data and information from the department of defense, at

our 2023 budget request support surfers to address mission requirements ensure servicemembers have a safe place to live and work in address their resilience challenges. we requested 29.2 billion for military construction and sustainment modernization funding for facilities to address critical mission requirements and help save the concerns within the current environment for this will be used to rip place for storing modernized the capabilities to enhance their resilience to climate events and promote elimination of excess facilities for the department is addressing a range of technical operational and cost initiative to enhance the use of energy in warfighting one warfighting $1.9 billion request for insulation energy resilience and conservation initiatives will ensure our energy supply and a sustainable and affordable. but that one of these efforts for the energy resilience and conservation investment program provides the full support in the full range of projects and technologies but will increase focus on building cybersecurity, microgrids that incorporate energy generation and po

unfortunately, servicemembers are left with scars. rates of serious mental illness by those in the armed forces and so, too, are the number of soldiers who take their lives. the most recent report suicide in the military community is thy highest rate since 1938. 7,000 members have died in combat or training exercises since 9/11. during that same time, 30,000 active duty personnel and veterans died by suicide. those numbers should bring pause to every member in this chamber. it should spur us into action. i introduced the military suicide prevention in the 21st century act. this bill would direct the d.o.d. to modernize technology to prevent suicides. in addition to requiring the national suicide hotline and veteran crisis hotline to be preprogrammed such as tones, tablets and they will need to download this. this app can be and soundbites and videos of special moments, relaxation, games and reminders of reasons for living. nothing we do here in washington will repay the sacrifices, but bypassing this legislation we can. we we owe a de

been pinpointed aired already the ukrainian prosecutor general has brought a case against one russian servicemember who is in captivity in ukraine because they have found compelling evidence that he committed war crimes. i have no doubt that there will be many more such cases that are brought through a combination of social media evidence and other forms of sophisticated use of tech allergies, information technologies to locate and also follow those leads. >> related to that, you know, how the u.s. can facilitate evidence gathering activities on the ground in ukraine in cooperation with social media companies, you know, areas of interest, settlements with the federal trade commission that are in agree to permanently delete any content on their site content that may violate the terms of service as harmful disinformation evidence of war crimes. how can we when we are looking at balancing concerns of user privacy also balance out with the pressing concerns that we want to ensure we are stopping the spread of disinformation but that we are also preserving evidence of war crimes? are you concerned about

over the last two decades, an estimated 3.5 million servicemembers were exposed to dangerous chemicals while in the line of duty while risking their lives for us. burn pits were a common method of eliminating all sorts of waste throughout iraq and afghanistan, from everyday trash to hazardous and poisonous materials. after returning home, many veterans developed terrible diseases because of their exposure to these toxic waste dumps. but even so, nearly 80% of all disability claims related to burn pits have been denied by the veterans administration. what an indignity. what an injustice. no veteran should ever have to carry the burden of treating complications from toxic expose sure alone. and we can change that with this bill. there's every reason in the world to get the pact act done quickly. both parties want it. our veterans deserve it. and the time is hong past for us to make -- long past for us to make a change at the v.a. and on shipping. last night finally the house overwhelmingly approved the senate's ocean shipping reform act, the most significant maritime reform law passed by

and the state of the unions, and the efforts to change travel habits and the leverage it as servicemembers. something is going to have to give. 0nly travelling by trade if necessary on the straight days and it's a special timetable and here is more from our transport correspondent. tt and here is more from our transport corresoondent-_ correspondent. it will be pretty extensive. _ correspondent. it will be pretty extensive, mainly _ correspondent. it will be pretty extensive, mainly because - correspondent. it will be pretty extensive, mainly because the| extensive, mainly because the network rail signals are among those taking part in only about half of the network will be opened in some places love absolutely no trains at all. 0verall, there will be about 20% of those running across england and scotland and wales in about 4000 out of the normal services and on the saturday and the strict is that there would be this will have a knock on impact and for the next day i would and friday and sunday, there are will be as many trains is normal for the structure will not be quite as severe will h

. >> i just want to confirm my understanding with repeal of the 2002 un math negatively impact our servicemembers whatsoever in syria under operation inherent resolve? >> the repeal of the 2002 au enough mip to constrain the foreseeable operations in syria and iraq and to impact our ability as a domestic legal basis is that accurate does the dod have the to counter islamic states and with the counterterrorism operations. and we rely on the 2001 au enough to have the use of force of syria against al qaeda and isis. >> let me on record i still think it is a good idea since we are allies with the iraqi government and people and then targeted at the saddam hussein regime. assistant secretary despite the concern the ministration is signaling and normalization from the broker deal to deliver gas to lebanon and a pipeline in syria. the assad regime will have gas for recompense for regulating the flow. and how doesct that not violate us sanctions barring transactions with the syrian government? and then what we were hoping to do from this perspective arrangement. because no contracts have been finalized

that affects everybody but particularly servicemembers since, unlike civilians, they cannot choose where they live and have to deal with increasingly competitive housing market. i applaud the d. o. d. for increasing the basic allowance for housing. it is clearly not enough. i was hoping you would talk about what is being done to ensure that service members can afford rent or purchase house at their new duty station. and, whether you are exploring any ways to increase on base housing as well? >> we are looking at all sorts of ways to address this, what has happened, as you indicated is that cost of housing has gone up dramatically and quickly. secretary austin is personally very concerned about this. we have had a number of conversations about it. we are taking steps to, in some places, increased basic help for housing out of cycle. we need this for the community as we go forward. particularly as inflation continues making adjustments in interim periods. not just on an annual basis. it is something we are tracking very carefully. we are trying to maintain the quality of our on base housin

turning to another subject, madam president, over decades of conflict, millions of americans -- american servicemembers have been exposed to burn pits and other toxic materials. these men and women risk their lives in service to our country and we have a duty to ensure they get care for conditions caused by these toxic exposures. for months my colleagues and i and the veterans affairs committee have worked to craft a bill that meets our responsibility, our duty to our veterans. and now we have the responsibility to pass this legislation here in the senate and deliver for our veterans. and this legislation is a bill named for sergeant first class heath robinson from ohio who served tours of duty in kosovo and iraq where he was exposed to toxic burn pits. a decade after returning home, sergeant robinson developed a rare form of lung cancer caused by his toxic exposure. tragically he passed away in 2020. the sergeant first class heath robinson honoring our pact act of 2022 is historic, comprehensive legislation that provides the care toxic exposed veterans like sergeant robinson deserves. this bipartisan

enforcement and in the military probably only strengthen the likelihood that innocent officers andem servicemembers willly unfairly become targets for violent attacks in 2018 members of aunt eva in philadelphia assaulted two marines believing them to be white supremacists. they were not. they were hispanic. it's important those of us in avpositions to lead be clear tht all violence will never be tolerated.an i look forward to working together toti do that and i will yield back. >> let me be clear i agree with you. violence is unacceptable in this constitutional democracy. today we welcome five witnesses. i will introduce the majority and then turned to the ranking member to introduce the minority witnesses. mr. coronel junior is the former fire commissioner in buffalo and tragically lost his mother, ruth in the buffalo attack last month. i know it's not easy for you to be here today with your loss and grief but we appreciate you coming forward to speak for many of the families and friends in such a terrible time in dealing with this loss. we are also joined by the professor of the university of chi

it's a heck of a lot better way to provide housing to our servicemembers and families than what we were capable of doing when i was in uniform. light years difference. >> so what would you do, in hindsight, what should either you or the government have done differently to make sure there is less risk that you have rogue employees that do their own thing? >> in our case, had better internal controls. >> is there anything the government should have done differently? >>, there was certainly engagement from our military partners along the way. fy 2020 nda helped stoke the fire. we're working more closely with our partners than we ever have. i think that is what the program ultimately needed. >> you don't think that structure of the entity cause the problem? it was the lack of oversight? >> yes, i think it is fair. >> thank you, senator scott. >> mr. taylor, i want to return to the question of whether indeed the company has improved its practices since 2019. again, the period of 2013 to 2019 is the period during which the company was, as you have bulged, gauged an scheme to defraud the unite

they are teachers, doctors and nurses, small business owners and servicemembers and so much more and they work hard and contribute to our great economy. they make america a better place and they face unspeakable hardships and face anti-immigrant sentiments. but their resilience has shined through all of that. let me be clear, today is an incredible milestone but without permanent protection and pathway to citizenship is unjust. i will continue to fight to make every single dreamer that can continue to live in our country and give them permanency. when given that shot at the american dream, anything is possible. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. thompson: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered mr. thompson: june is alzheimer's and brain awareness month. there are 47 million people living with alzheimer's and without a change, these numbers are expected to grow to 76 millio

when you hear the intent, a first glance at it, you say, oh, this is exactly what we need to help our servicemembers. and indeed, we all are just so grateful for the men and women that have served in this country, that have worn that uniform. but there is a lot to be said for bringing measures to the floor for passage when they're ready. when there has been agreement on critical importance. as the majority leader said, the biggest expansion of benefits that we've seen in decades. now, many of us have worked for quite a period of time on the issue of toxic exposure and have worked on how best to make certain that when we address this, that, mr. president, you're going to get care to the veteran in a timely manner. they're not going to have to wait. they're going to receive the care that they need. so it is frustrating to me, as it is to many of my colleagues, to think about what could have been accomplished had the majority leader just done what he had promised to do and had allowed a thorough amendment process. we should all share the goal of making certain that legislation we pass that deals with o

last year defense secretary lloyd austan ordered all active military reserve servicemembers to be vaccinated. this is one of the most outrageous stories that we're reporting. >>> check this out with, a punk rock hairstyle and a tongue always sticking out of his mouth, mr. happy face took home the top prize on world's ugliest dog competition. take a look. >> here is our champion. meet mr. happy face, the incredible, ugliest dog on the entire planet. rachel: that award looks about right. owner saying she adopted the champion pooch during the pandemic. when she first saw him, she knew he deserved a second chance, to be loved. i agree with that. those are your headlines. turn to rick reichmuth for fox weather forecast. a dog lover. what do you think of that dog? rick: that was amazing. that is mexican dog. you should know that. google that. >> i love chihuahuas. i didn't know about this one. rick: 45 seconds to google it while i do the weather. talk a bit about the weather. we have big changes really welcome across the central part of the country. look at that. 52 tee grease in fargo. 67 in kans

our nation asks a great deal of our servicemembers and their families. we ask them to be ready to fight and to win against a wide range of security challenges across the globe. our armed forces know and understand the threats they face on the battlefield. unfortunately, servicemembers also face threats that aren't as apparent -- exposure to toxic materials. these exposures can result in rare and sometimes fatal medical conditions, from exposure to agent orange to radiation from nuclear tests, veterans have carried an extra burden because of their service. it is too often a struggle to recognize and address these impacts. now a new generation is dealing with the l long-term effects of toxic exposure. indeed, during their service, up to 3.5 million veterans have been exposed to toxic burn pits. as the name implies, burn pits are pits where all forms of waste, including toxic waste, are disposed of by burning. our servicemembers lived and worked in close proximity to these burn pits, often without knowing the potential consequences to their long-term health

every one of us in this chamber has heard from a military servicemember who has struggled to afford quality health care. and this is one of the best steps the senate can take to improve the lives of those who have given their all for our country. veterans service organizations across the country are urging the senate to act. so let's get this bill passed with the same bipartisan goodwill that has characterized the negotiations to date. i yield the floor. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 3967 which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to h.r. 3967, an act to improve health care and benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and for other purposes. the presiding officer: under the previous order, all postcloture time has expired. the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: calendar number 388, h.r. 3967, an act to improve health

yet, generation after generation , veteran after veteran, these servicemembers returned home only to be met with a piecemeal process as they worked to coble together the care that they earned and the benefits they deserved from the department of veterans affairs. veterans have spent years fighting bureaucracy to get the care they need, and sadly there are those who have been fighting up to this point, who are no longer living to receive the benefits that this legislation will provide. chairman tester, the senator from montana, and i made a commitment to get to this point today, and i'm proud that we are doing so together, in a way and most importantly this bill will deliver health care and benefits to thousands of veterans who are ill due to their exposure to burn pits and other toxic exposure. there's no doubt that the cost of taking care of our veterans is high, but the truth is freedom is not free. we say that. this is evidence that we believe that on the passage of this legislation. there's always, always a cost to war. is always high. it's always dramatic. it's always something

senator moran for his leadership and his continued, his continued desire to do the right thing for the servicemembers who have served this you country in the military. mr. president, the senate has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity today to make history in passing the sergeant first class heath robinson act. let me be clear, this bill isn't about democrats versus republicans, it's not about political posturing. it's about americans standing up for those who have served and sacrificed on behalf of this country and the freedoms that we have today. in fact, it's even more than that. it's about righting a wrong that has been ignored for too damned long. it's about will thompson who served our country for 23 years in the army on active duty as a west virginia national guardsman. after his second tour in iraq in 2009, will developed pulmonary fibrosis from the effects of exposure fo burn pits and he endured two double lung transplants. he testified in front of our committee less than a year ago. he lost his battle with his illnesses this last december. it's about sergeant first class heath robinson who went