Placed in a separate part of the journal. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cotton 70 years after the creation of nato, the biggest external threats to the alliance are a revisionist adversaries, china and russia. Unfortunately, however, the alliance faces some internal threats, too. Among the allies themselves, who too often fail to take these adversaries seriously, instead striking dangerous deals with the very powers who threaten to destroy all of us. Consider the nord stream 2 pipeline project between germany and russia. Germany touts the pipelines commercial benefits, but russia sees is differently. A strategic tool to divide europe and, thus, strengthen its punitive claim to dominion over Eastern Europe. The nord stream 2 pipeline would effectively double the amount of natural gas russia would export to europe along a route that bypasses the alliances eastern frontier. This would deepen nato members reliance on russian gas while also enhances Vladimir Putins ability to engage in energy blackmail, just as he has done in the past. For example, in 2009 russia shut off the flow of natural gas to europe during a dispute with ukraine, causing Energy Shortage across the continent in the dead of winter. Putins opportunities for such blackmail will only increase if nord stream 2 is completed because he can ship his gas to western europe without it transiting Eastern Europe. Therefore, he can blackmail Eastern Europe while germans sit warm and toasty in their living room, indifferent to the plight of their nato allies to the east. This pipeline is almost complete, so the time line for action is short. And, thankfully, the National Defense authorization act includes our bill to include mandatory sanctions on companies that are construction, insuring, or manufacturing putin pipeline to europe. These sanctions are a demonstration to the strength and security of the whole Nato Alliance. And i urge the German Government and all Companies Involved in this dangerous endeavor to pull back before its too late and to consider the serious consequences that nord stream 2 could have for their security as well as the security of the Nato Alliance as a whole. Mr. President , i ask consent the following remarks be placed in a separate part of the journal. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cotton homeschooling parents sacrifice a lot when they make legitimate and indeed very admirable choice to personally educate their children. In effect, these parents are making the choice to go back to school themselves so their kids can receive a wellrounded and faithful education. Their sacrifice pays off in spades. Homeschooled students consistently prove to be outstanding citizens because theyre taught the importance of patriotism and faith and hard work and sacrifice, a virtue exemplified by their parents and their teachers. Homeschooled students, therefore, ought to be prime candidates for our armed forces for that very reason. But until now it hasnt been clear in some places whether homeschooled students were eligible to join a local Junior Reserve Training Corps program. Butous in thats going to but now thats going to change of the 2020 National Defense authorization act includes my bill sponsored also by senator jones clarifying that homeschooled students may indeed enroll in a local jrotc program. Our bill will ensure that the nations 2. 5 million homeschooled students have the opportunity to sharpen and deploy their skills in service of our country. And it moves us closer to a society that fully accepts and indeed celebrates homeschooled families for the noble path they have chosen. Mr. President , i ask consent that the following remarks be placed in a separate part of the journal. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Cotton the 2020 National Defense authorization act includes many valuable reforms. One such reform is the p. C. S. Act, legislation i introduced with senator shaheen that helps military spouses keep their occupational license, even when theyre on the move across state lines. One in three military spouses work in a field that requires an occupational license, and too many are forced to recertify every time they move between states. That can be very often. Most military families move every two to three years, and each move requires an expensive, timeconsuming recertification process. Many military spouses might as well kiss their jobs goodbye. These occupational licenses are a costly burden for military families who already sacrifice so much for our country. Our p. C. S. Act will empower the department of defense in fields for military spouses often work. These compacts made possible by our bill will ensure that military spouses can pursue their careers uninterrupted even while theyre moving their family from state to state and base to base. Most important, the p. C. S. Act will allow military families to focus on their mission, which is to protect and serve our country with honor. Mr. President , i yield the floor. Mr. Sullivan mr. President . The presiding officer the senator from alaska. Mr. Sullivan mr. President , its that time of week where i get to come down on the floor of the u. S. Senate, a great privilege, and talk about a special person in alaska, somebody who helps make my state the greatest state in the country, in nigh opinion, and we call this person our alaskan of the week. And its one of the best thanks that i get to do all week. I know that the pages really enjoy it as well, because you get to hear about alaska and the things that are happening. So before i recognize our special alaskan, let me tell you a little bit about whats going on in alaska right now. Weve had some Strange Weather in South Central alaska, warm by our standards, wet and windy, gusts of over 100 Miles Per Hour in some places, but in fairbanks, in the interior and i was just up there last week, mr. President im going to talk about that where our special alaskan of the week is from. It feels a lot like winter. Got down to 27 below zero raft week and now its in the single digits. Now, theres some debate when it comes to interior alaska weather what the lowest recordbreaking temperature was in fairbanks. Some say it was 66 below zero in 1934. Others say it was in the negative 70 and 70 below zero territory, and the numbers do matter. Take it from hugh bud fate who is our alaskan of the week, dr. Hugh bud fate. We call him bud. Who once during a time when he was working construction on the north slope in the early 1950s had to walk a mile for shelter after a tractor he was operating froze up. When i got to the station, they told me the official temperature was 70 degrees below zero, he said. I was dressed for it. Bud is a tough guy. But my fingers and my toes were getting cold. I dont think i could have made another mile, bud said. But, bud, we know you could have. We know you could have. That was just one of many stories that bud tells about his 70 years of living in the great state of alaska. So let me talk about bud fate, a legend across our state who just turned 90 years old last week. Hes been a rodeo cowboy, a College Football player, a roughneck, a soldier, a gold miner, a carpenter, a hunter, a commercial and subsistence michiganerman, a dog musher, a bush pilot, a dentist, a businessman, a state representative, an author, and you aivity, and allaround roble rouzer, and alaskan renaissance man through and through. But most importantly, he is a dedicated fathers, fatherinlaw, grandfather, husband to his wife maryjane for 65 years, and a man who has lived his life in service to his country, his state, and his community. Very worthy of being our alaskaan of the week. Bud fate was born on december 4, 1929 cialtion 90 years ago last week. Raised in eastern oregon, cow town he called it. He began riding a horse when he was just six years old, eventually riding on the rodeo circuit, getting bucked off horses all across the american west. He went to college at the university of washington, where he initially played football. After he got hurt, he enrolled in a drama class and had dreams, when he made his way to california to hollywood, to work as an actor or as stunt man in cowboy movies and films. But as it turned out, it wasnt california that called him. It was alaska that called him, specifically a good job in the far north of alaska, a place called umiyea, working on oil rigs not too far away from what would become the biggest oil find ever in north america, the mammoth field at prudhoe bay. Bud was 20 years old, working 12 hours a day, seven days a week. And even though it was a barren and cold, cold place this was in the winter he fell in love with it. Alaska grabbed him, as it does to a certain type of adventuresome, intelligent, and fiercely independent individuals. It grabbed bud and it didnt let go. It never let go. He was one of the drillers working on the shift who brought the first oil to the surface that came out of this rig. Bud likes to describe it as an almost beautiful orange color, some of the first oil in alaska in the 1950s, early 1950s. Pretty exciting. He was working on the slope when in 1950 a radio message came in where they were working that the United States was at war in korea. Bud said, quote, i remember thinking it wouldnt affect me way up here on the north slope of alaska. Nobodys going to find me, a 20yearold, but two weeks later i got my first draft notice. Thats what bud said. I guess it goes to show you uncle sam can find you anywhere if he wants to. As a u. S. Army corporal, bud was attached to the 11 Airborne Division when he got deployed not to korea, but actually back to alaska. He combat survey on all the twists and turns of the newly constructed 1,700mile long alcan highway, advising the mission commandersu weather, and alaska. A couple years later he was out of the army, back in alaska, and he was having a drink one night at the famous Rendezvous Club in fairbanks. Tonguetied veteran he was, and in walks a miss alaska contestant. Or should i say from buds perspective, in walks destiny. Who am i talking about . Whos the destiny . Well, its mary jane evans, a young, smart, according to bud, quote, hollywood beautiful athabascan woman from the village of rampart. She took his breath away. As a matter of fact, she took everybodys breath away. Bud, at this event, he was wearing moccasins. Mary gin was wearing mary jane was wearing stilettos and stepped on his toes but it was still love at first sight for both of them. And according to to bud, still is, 65 years later. For 65 years they forged a lifem cheem the theme of which centered around public service. Always working together, they raised three beautiful, kind, and keenly intelligent daughters. Keenly intelligent. And they worked to fundamentally change alaska for the better both through institutions and volunteering at organizations and through individual actions that profoundly impacted so many alaskans over the years. Eventually bud, using the g. I. Bill, went back to college, and then he went to get his degree in dentistry. He was a beloved dentist not only in fairbanks, but all across the region. He was a bush pilot, and he had a plane, so he and mary jane who was a trained dental assistant, traveled all around the small villages in the interior. And trust me, these villages do not, and certainly back then did not have any dental care. So they provided dental care throughout the interior to tiny, little communities for free, for anybody who needed it. As their three daughters were growing up, jeanine, jennifer and julie, it was a big time, a momentous time in alaska. The alaska native claims settlement act was being debated, one of the biggest land settlements in american or all history took place right here on the floor of the United States senate. Bud and mary jane were both highly involved in this monumentally important bill for alaska. And in the overarching efforts to attain rights and lands for the alaskan native people. One of buds best friends was ralph perdue, a strong alaska native leader, who along with mary jane and bud founded the Fairbanks Native Association. Working together, they focused heavily on education for alaska natives, particularly high school education, something that most americans take for granted. But, mr. President , until 1970, rural alaska, a huge swath of america, by and large did not have any high schools. The small communities, small villages did not have any high schools. To get a high school education, young students, and even children, had to leave their homes and their villages to travel to boarding schools in very faraway places in alaska and in the lower 48. That was an injustice, one among others that the Fairbanks Native Association decided to tackle. They produced studies. They gave lectures. They will talked to state officials. They talked to federal officials. They and so many others across the state helped lay the groundwork for the seminal lawsuit brought by a group of alaskans that resulted in a statesigned Consent Decree to provide high schools and communities throughout the state, communities with at least 15 students, rather than sending their children all across alaska hundreds of of miles away or to the lower 48 thousands of miles away. At the time this education settlement was the largest education settlement in american history. But buds commitment to education didnt stop there, not even close. He was on the board of regents for the university of alaska, eventually serving as president of the university. And it should be noted that later mary jane, his wife, also served on this very important board, with a combined 24 years of service together, bud and mary jane on the university of alaska board of regents. Bud helped run the university when the president abruptly resigned. He and mary jane also opened their home to villagers all across the state who came to fairbanks and just needed a place to stay. They knew that bud and mary jane would take them in. Our house was always full. Their lovely daughter julie said, quote, there were always People Living with us who were empowering themselves through education. To this day, julie said, i still have alaskans stop to tell me how they were helped and given a Second Chance by my parents. As julie also noted, there was always a huge mountain of smoked salmon strips on the table for all to share, the best smoked salmon in alaska, i might add. Mr. President , theres so much more to bud fates life. For instance, at the young tender age of 70, he decided he was going to run for office, and he ran for the state legislature. And he won in a landslide. He served two terms. He was immediately elected chairman of their Natural Resources committee, which is the huge Important Committee in alaska, and was highly respected on both sides of the aisle. The list of boards and commissions that he sat on is way too long to go into here. As is the list of Service Organizations that hes volunteered for and led. Mr. President , he has known president s of countries and dignitaries from all over the globe. Hes as comfortable at his fish camp on the yukon river as he is in the board room. As i mentioned, hes a rabblerouser with very strong opinions. Ive heard them for many years. But at heart, all of his opinions are focused on a commitment to treat everybody with respect and kindness and provide every alaskan, every american an opportunity to better themselves. He is a good man. Bud fate, one of the best. Mr. President , the measure of bud and the impact of his life is probably best reflected in his family and his friends, so many of whom gathered in fairbanks on december 4 for his 90th birthday, where people from all walks of life all across the state came together, well over 100, talked about his generosity, how it impacted them, how it impacted families, how it impacted people all around him. People gave speeches about how he and mary jane took in people from all walks of life. Veterans coming back from vietnam who needed comfort and respect, people who needed a helping hand, food, warmth, just love. He lifted people up. So did mary jane. And they saved lives. Mr. President , i was actually one of those people giving a speech at fairbanks at buds 90d about the profound impact bud has had on my own life. After all, bud fate is my fatherinlaw, and i cant imagine a better one. Hes taught me so much. Bud and mary jane, along with my own mom and dad, have provided me a model, actually for me and julie, my wife, of what a True Partnership looks like. Hes a model for how fulfilling a life of service can be, especially a life in the great state of alaska. As i mentioned, mr. President , hes not just a model for me, but for the whole state of a life well lived and a life lived in full. For bud, thanks for all youve done for alaska, for america, for fairbanks, for our family, for our great state, and all you continue to do. Thanks for being a great fatherinlaw and a friend. And, bud, congratulations on being our alaskaan of alaskan of the week. I yield the floor. Mr. Mcconnell mr. President ,. The presiding officer majority leader. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak for up to ten minutes each. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to consideration of s. Res. 455 submitted earlier today. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk Senate Resolution 455, to authorize representation by the Senate Legal Counsel in the case of richard r. John cole versus senator schumer et. Al. The presiding officer without objection the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of calendar number 326. S. Con res. 23. The presiding officer the clerk will report. The clerk calendar number 326, Senate Concurrent Resolution 23, honoring the 75th anniversary of the battle of the bulge fought during world war ii, and so forth. The presiding officer without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. Mr. Mcconnell i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the committeereported amendment to the preamble be agreed to, the cramer amendment at the desk to the preamble be agreed to and the preamble as amended and agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell now, mr. President , i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its Business Today it adjourn to then convene for pro forma session only with no business being conducted on friday, december 13. At 11 45 a. M. I further ask that when the Senate Adjourns on friday, december 13, it next convene at 3 00 p. M. , monday, december 16, and that following the prayer and pledge the morning hour deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, morning business be closed, and the senate resume consideration of the conference report to accompany s. 1790. Finally, notwithstanding the provisions of rule 22, the cloture motion filed during todays session ripen at 5 30 p. M. Monday. The presiding officer without objection. Mr. Mcconnell if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order