It would be good to have a certain level of mandatory funding but, you know, it would have been good to have that for the Land and Water Conservation Fund in 1962.

I have worked with Mark Warner to put together a bipartisan proposal to find additional funding streams.

I have introduced, with Senator King, Senator Heinrich, and Senator Tillis another bipartisan bill which I hope this Committee will also consider at the same time.

I would say that while we have an Office of Management and Budget that is willing to allow the use of mandatory funding for deferred maintenance on the National Park System.

I think overall, beyond Alaska's national parks which I wholeheartedly agree with you, I think, are the best national parks in our country.

The Centennial Act annual appropriations are good, but alone, not enough.

We passed our National Park Centennial Act at the end of December 2016.

I think we recognize that if we fail to do right by our parks, we will have those that will say, okay, you encouraged me to come and visit my park.

I agree that we want funding to be as stable as we can, but we also want funding.

My hope would be that the Chairman can take both those bills and let the Committee look at them very carefully.

Just very, very briefly.

We need to look at the possibility of saying, okay, these programs are needed.

When you look at all of things, you have to look at the holistic approach to the issues that are impacting tribal nations.

I would challenge you on this.

But if you have nobody that is able to follow through with the prosecution, what happens in my State, because we don't have sufficient law enforcement, because we do not have the protection and public safety that Senator Heitkamp has been…

I think we recognize that the Missile Defense Agency has been tasked with not only an extraordinarily important mission of defense of the Nation.

We must work together to improve the lives of our tribal citizens.

I'm concerned that here in Congress we're so focused on opiates as the drug du jour.

I worry that we forget we have other very serious significant issues as they relate to substance abuse.

I have 11 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the Senate. They have the approval of the Majority and Minority leaders. Pursuant to rule XXVI, paragraph 5(a), of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the following…

I am pleased to be on the floor this morning to thank and to support my colleagues, Senator Portman and Senator Nelson, who have led the effort here before us, an effort that would end sex trafficking over the internet or certainly work to…

While we should always be looking for places to cut the budget, we should also recognize that innovation is critical to our nation's energy future.

I ask unanimous consent that Kennis Brady, a member of my staff, be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the day. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I enjoyed that little bit of history there. I am sure that the Irish everywhere--and those who are, perhaps, not quite as Irish--will find good reason to celebrate on March 17 whether one is in Florida or in the Northeast or in Alaska, as…

Our prescription opioid pain reliever overdose death was more than double the national average.