MR. PRESIDENT, I RISE TODAY TO JOIN MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE, SENATOR WHITEHOUSE, ON THE DAY OF HIS 200th WEEKLY CLIMATE CHANGE FLOOR SPEECH. FOR YEARS, WE CAME IN THE SAME CLASS, SO I HAVE BEEN A WITNESS TO THIS, FOR YEARS, HE HAS COME TO THE FLOOR EVERY WEEK THE SENATE IS IN SESSION, OFTEN TO AN EMPTY CHAMBER, TO SPEAK ON THIS CRITICAL ISSUE. HE HAS BEEN A LEADER AND AN UNWAVERING VOICE ON CLIMATE CHANGE, CALLING FOR ACTION WEEK AFTER WEEK. I THINK THAT'S WHY SO MANY OF US ARE HERE TONIGHT. 200 SPEECHES IS TRULY A MILESTONE, AND YOU CAN JUST LOOK AT THE WEAR AND TEAR OF HIS TIME TO WAKE UP FLOOR SIGN TO KNOW THAT THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. BUT NOT ONLY DOES HE COME TO THE FLOOR TO TALK ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND TO SHARE NEW DATA AND INFORMATION WITH ALL OF US THE NEED TO ACT NOW, I HAVE ALSO SEEN HIM TAKE ON CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS AS A MEMBER OF BOTH WHEN I WAS ON THE ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE AND ALSO ON THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE. AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED HIS DEDICATION TO MOVING THE NEEDLE ON THIS ISSUE AS A MEMBER OF THE SENATE ACTION TASK FORCE THAT HE HAS LED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. I HAVE BEEN PART OF THE MEETINGS WHERE HE HAS PULLED TOGETHER SENATORS AND ADVOCACY GROUP LEADERS TO STRATEGIZE ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD ON LEGISLATION AND MEETINGS WHERE HE HAS BROUGHT TOGETHER SENATORS AND PRIVATE SECTOR LEADERS LIKE GREG PAIGE, THE FORMER C.E.O. OF CARGILL, TO TALK ABOUT HOW WE CHANGE THE PUBLIC DIALOGUE ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY IN SUPPLY CHAINS. HE IS TRULY COMMITTED TO FINDING SOLUTIONS, AND I'M PLEASED TO JOIN HIM TONIGHT FOR HIS 200th SPEECH. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT CLIMATE IN MANY PLACES IN MY STATE. FROM HUNTERS AND SNOWMOBILERS IN NORTHERN MINNESOTA TO BUSINESS LEADERS IN THE TWIN CITIES TO STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCED THAT THE UNITED STATES WOULD WITHDRAW FROM THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT THIS SUMMER, THE WORLDWIDE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT, I HEARD AN OUTPOURING OF CONCERN. 195 COUNTRIES MADE A PLEDGE TO COME TOGETHER TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, AND IN WITHDRAWING, THE U.S. WAS FIRST ONE OF ONLY THREE COUNTRIES THAT WOULDN'T BE IN THE AGREEMENT. THE OTHER TWO WERE SYRIA AND NICARAGUA. THEN, GUESS WHAT? SYRIA AND NICARAGUA SIGNED THE ACCORD. NOW THE UNITED STATES IS THE ONLY COUNTRY NOT TO SIGN THE ACCORD. IT IS A BIG STEP BACKWARDS. IT'S THE WRONG DECISION FOR OUR ECONOMY, AND IT'S THE WRONG DECISION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. AS MILITARY AND SECURITY EXPERTS HAVE REMINDED US, CLIMATE CHANGE IS A THREAT TO OUR NATIONAL SECURITY, INCREASING RISKS OF CONFLICT, HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AS WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN BECAUSE OF DROUGHTS WITH SUBSTANCE FARMERS IN AFRICA COMING UP THEN AS REFUGEES AND DAMAGE TO CRUCIAL AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE. I'M A FORMER PROSECUTOR, AND I BELIEVE IN EVIDENCE. EVERY WEEK SEEMS TO BRING FRESH EVIDENCE OF THE DAMAGE CLIMATE CHANGE IS ALREADY CAUSING. MINNESOTA MAY BE MILES AWAY FROM RISING OCEANS, BUT THE IMPACTS ARE NOT LESS OF A REAL THREAT IN THE MIDWEST. MORE SEVERE WEATHER, HEAT WAVES THAT COULD REDUCE OUR WATER SUPPLY, EXTREME RAINFALL THAT COULD DAMAGE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, A DECREASE IN AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY. IT GOES ON AND ON. IMPACT ON THE GREAT LAKES AND PEOPLE RESPOND. WE ARE GOING TO KEEP TALKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING A GLOBAL COMMITMENT AND A UNITED STATES AMERICAN COMMITMENT TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE. WE SHOULD NOT BE THE LAST ONE IN. WE SHOULD BE THE FIRST ONE. THIS IS A GREAT NATION WITH A HISTORY OF DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS COMING TOGETHER TO CONSERVE OUR LAND, TO CARE ABOUT OUR ENVIRONMENT. WE ARE GOING TO KEEP PUSHING CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS ON THEIR FACTS, AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP WORKING ON POLICIES THAT ENCOURAGE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, RENEWABLE ENERGY, AND A DECREASE IN GREENHOUSE GASES. MANY OF MY BUSINESSES IN MINNESOTA, WITH CARGILL THAT I HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED IN THE LEAD HAVE TAKEN ON THIS CAUSE. THEY KNOW THAT WHEN THEY HAVE BUSINESS ALL OVER THE WORLD, IT MATTERS. THEY KNOW THAT IT MATTERS TO THEIR SHAREHOLDERS, IT MATTERS TO THEIR EMPLOYEES, AND IT MATTERS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. THEY ALSO KNOW THAT WE DEAL WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD, AND WHEN BUSINESSES GO TO MEETINGS IN OTHER COUNTRIES, THEY DON'T WANT TO HEAR WELL, I GUESS YOUR COUNTRY IS NOT IN THE CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT BUT CHINA IS, SO MAYBE WE'LL ALL BUY OUR STUFF FROM CHINA. THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE ARE HEARING AT BUSINESS MEETINGS. WE NEED TO BE PART OF THAT PARIS CLIMATE CHANGE AGREEMENT, AND WE NEED TO LEAD THE WAY IN THE U.S. IN THE LAST ADMINISTRATION, WE HAD SOME COMMONSENSE POLICIES PUT FORTH TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GASES, BUT THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS PULLED BACK ON THEM. I DISAGREE. I THINK WE COULD HAVE MADE THAT WORK. AND EVEN THOUGH WE ARE NOT SEEING THE ACTION WE WOULD LIKE OUT OF THIS ADMINISTRATION, WE ARE SEEING IT IN CITIES, IN STATES, IN BUSINESSES, AND UNIVERSITIES. THEY HAVE SAID IF THIS ADMINISTRATION DOESN'T DO IT, WE WILL. SO I WANT TO THANK SENATOR WHITEHOUSE FOR HIS LEADERSHIP AND LET ALL OF THOSE LISTENING TO THIS SERIES OF SPEECHES IN TRIBUTE TO DOING SOMETHING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND HIS 200th SPEECH TONIGHT THAT THERE ARE THOSE IN THIS CHAMBER THAT STAND WITH YOU AND THAT BELIEVE IN SCIENCE AND BELIEVE THAT WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE. THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I YIELD THE FLOOR.