Unanimous Consent Request--S. 535

Floor Speech

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Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, we recently marked the 20th anniversary of September 11, a day that forever changed our Nation. This direct assault on our country sparked the Global War on Terrorism, a war that came at great personal cost to our men and women serving in the Armed Forces.

As a combat veteran, as the mother of a future soldier, even simply as an American, the events in Afghanistan have been extremely disheartening to watch. I have heard from so many veterans and servicemembers who served during this war, many of whom are distraught and disappointed at the haphazard way the war in Afghanistan came to a close. I have also heard from too many Gold Star families who lost so much during this conflict--their spouses, their fathers, their mothers, brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters.

Recent events have left them questioning themselves and whether their family member's sacrifice was worth it.

While we can't put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to what happened in Afghanistan last month, we can properly memorialize the service of the brave men and women who fought and died to protect and defend the United States since the beginning of the Global War on Terror.

I stand before you today to ask that the Senate join with me in honoring our Global War on Terrorism veterans and the sacrifices they made by supporting and passing my bipartisan bill, the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act.

In August of 2017, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law our bill authorizing the creation of a memorial commemorating the sacrifices of all those wonderful Americans who fought in the Global War on Terrorism.

This memorial will be 100 percent privately funded and will not use a single dime of taxpayer money. Most importantly, it will pay tribute to our fallen servicemembers across the country, including the 13 who perished in Afghanistan on August 26. Among the 13 was Iowa native, Cpl Daegan William-Tyeler Page, who bravely gave the greatest sacrifice of all.

This memorial is going to be built. It has already become law. It is ready to go. So let's get it built on the National Mall in Washington, DC, where it belongs. It is the least we in Congress can do for the men and women who have given so much.

We have the opportunity to unite around a common cause, while providing a central location for our many veterans and their families affected by the Global War on Terror to reunite and reflect on their loved ones' sacrifices.

This isn't a partisan idea. Earlier this month, the six surviving Secretaries of Defense, spanning Democratic and Republican administrations--Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, Chuck Hagel, Ash Carter, Jim Mattis, and Mark Esper--they all wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post in support of placing the Global War on Terror Memorial on our National Mall.

While nothing will ever restore the lives that we have lost, this memorial would serve as a tribute to those brave men and women and their loved ones who have sacrificed in defense of our freedom.

For more than 20 years, I had the privilege of serving my State and country in uniform. As a veteran of the Global War on Terror, I know firsthand the sacrifices the millions of brave men and women of our Armed Forces made in this fight against radical extremists.

Like many others, I have risen my right hand and taken that oath voluntarily and without reservation. That is why the effort to build this memorial in its rightful place is a personal one, not just to me but to every servicemember, veteran, surviving family member, and civilian who has been impacted by this fight.

This national memorial will provide all Americans a permanent place of reflection in the heart of our Nation's Capital. It will serve as a permanent commitment to the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, and children who lost their whole world that this country is forever grateful and in their debt. It will serve as a place of healing for the thousands of veterans still carrying the wounds of war, both seen and unseen.

The National Mall is currently home to the memorials honoring World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war. How could we put the memorial for our Nation's longest war anywhere else?

535 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

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Ms. ERNST. Respectfully, I do not.

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Ms. ERNST. Mr. President, I will continue on this path. We, again, passed this bill. It was signed into law in 2017, creating the foundation to establish the Global War on Terrorism Memorial. So that was the first step in a process that has now culminated after 4 years of discussion and work. And I am very hopeful that the committee will go through regular process.

I would encourage the chair to move forward on a markup of the bill and a vote on the bill. If we can receive that markup and vote, then I will stop my live UCs. But until that point, I think it is imperative that we continue pushing for that regular order.

I feel committed, obviously, to those whom I have served with, the others who have served in the Global War on Terror, their families, the affected communities, our Gold Star families, and others.

This is our Nation's longest running war. It is a war that has affected more than just those servicemembers who set foot in the Middle East. My commitment to those families, those communities, and our country is that we will continue to proceed to make sure that this memorial is placed in prominence on our National Mall.

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Ms. ERNST. Thank you.

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