Floor SpeechUrgent2026-06-24

Text of Senate Amendment 6395

HealthcareTaxesEnvironmentForeign PolicyDefense

Context

On 2026-06-24, Senator Roger F. Wicker (R-MS) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6395" in the Senate.

Full Text

Text of Senate Amendment 6395

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3524-S3525] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6395. Mr. WICKER (for himself and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following: SEC. ___01. VIEQUEST RECOVERY AND REDEVELOPMENT ACT. (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Vieques Recovery and Redevelopment Act''. (b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following: (1) Vieques is an island municipality of Puerto Rico, measuring approximately 21 miles long by 4 miles wide, and located approximately 8 miles east of the main island of Puerto Rico. (2) Prior to Hurricane Maria, residents of Vieques were served by an urgent medical care facility, the Susana Centeno Family Health Center, and residents had to travel off-island to obtain medical services, including most types of emergency care because the facility did not have the basic use of x-ray machines, CT machines, EKG machines, ultrasounds, or PET scans. (3) The predominant means of transporting passengers and goods between Vieques and the main island of Puerto Rico is by ferry boat service, and over the years, the efficiency of this service has frequently been disrupted, unreliable, and difficult for cancer patients to endure to receive treatment. Each trip to Ceiba, Puerto Rico, for the cancer patient is an additional out-of-pocket expense ranging from $120 to $200. (4) The United States Military maintained a presence on the eastern and western portions of Vieques for close to 60 years, and used parts of the island as a training range during those years, dropping over 80 million tons of ordnance and other weaponry available to the United States military since World War II. (5) The unintended, unknown, and unavoidable consequences of these exercises were to expose Americans living on the islands to the residue of that weaponry which includes heavy metals and many other chemicals now known to harm human health. (6) According to Government and independent documentation, the island of Vieques has high levels of heavy metals and has been exposed to chemical weapons and toxic chemicals. Since the military activity in Vieques, island residents have suffered from the health impacts from long-term exposure to environmental contamination as a result of 62 years of military operations, and have experienced higher rates of certain diseases among residents, including cancer, cirrhosis, hypertension, diabetes, heavy metal diseases, along with many unnamed and uncategorized illnesses. These toxic residues have caused the American residents of Vieques to develop illnesses due to ongoing exposure. (7) In 2017, Vieques was hit by Hurricane Maria, an unusually destructive storm that devastated Puerto Rico and intensified the existing humanitarian crisis on the island by destroying existing medical facilities. (8) The medical systems in place prior to Hurricane Maria were unable to properly handle the health crisis that existed due to the toxic residue left on the island by the military's activities. (9) After Maria, the medical facility was closed due to damage and continues to be unable to perform even the few basic services that it did provide. Vieques needs a medical facility that can treat and address the critical and urgent need to get life-saving medical services to its residents. Due to legal restrictions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (in this section referred to as ``FEMA'') is unable to provide a hospital where its capabilities exceed the abilities of the facility that existed prior to Maria; therefore Vieques needs assistance to build a facility to manage the vast health needs of its residents. (10) Every American has benefitted from the sacrifices of those Americans who have lived and are living on Vieques and it is our intent to acknowledge that sacrifice and to treat those Americans with the same respect and appreciation that other Americans enjoy. (11) In 2012, the residents of Vieques were denied the ability to address their needs in Court due to sovereign immunity, Sanchez v. United States, No. 3:09-cv-01260-DRD (D.P.R.). However, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit referred the issue to Congress and urged it to address the humanitarian crisis. This bill attempts to [[Page S3525]] satisfy that request such that Americans living on Vieques have a remedy for the suffering they have endured. (c) Settlement of Claims Against the United States for Certain Residents of the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.-- (1) Appointment of special master.-- (A) In general.--The Attorney General shall appoint a Special Master not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act to consider claims by the Municipality of Vieques. (B) Qualifications.--The Attorney General shall consider the following in choosing the Special Master: (i) The individual's experience in the processing of victims' claims in relation to foreign or domestic governments. (ii) The individual's balance of experience in representing the interests of the United States. (iii) The individual's experience in matters of national security. (iv) The individual's demonstrated abilities in investigation and fact findings in complex factual matters. (v) Any experience the individual has had advising the United States Government. (2) Award amounts related to claims by the municipality of vieques.-- (A) Award.--The Special Master, in exchange for its administrative claims, shall provide the following as compensation to the Municipality of Vieques: (i) Staff.--The Special Master shall oversee the construction of a level three trauma center (in this section, referred to as ``medical facility'') with a cancer center and renal dialysis unit and its equipment. The medical facility shall be able to treat life-threatening, chronic, heavy metal, and physical and mental diseases. The medical facility shall be able to provide basic x-ray, EKG, internal medicine expertise, medical coordination personnel and case managers, ultrasound, and resources necessary to screen residents of Vieques for diseases, illnesses, cancers, or any other prevailing health problems on Vieques. (ii) Operations.--The Special Master shall provide medical care for pediatric and adult patients who reside on the island of Vieques, and have been determined by the by the Special Master to meet the requirements of paragraph (1) allowing the patients to be referred for tertiary and quaternary health care facilities when necessary, and providing the transportation and medical costs when traveling off the island of Vieques. (iii) Interim services.--Before the medical facility on the island of Vieques is operational, the Special Master shall provide to claimants described in paragraph (1) who are receiving treatment for the diseases or illnesses described in subparagraph (C) of that paragraph-- (I) urgent health care air transport to hospitals on the mainland of Puerto Rico from the island of Vieques; (II) medical coordination personnel and case managers; (III) telemedicine communication abilities; and (IV) any other services that are necessary to alleviate the health crisis on the island of Vieques. (iv) Screening.--The Special Master shall make available, at no cost to the patient, medical screening for cancer, cirrhosis, diabetes, and heavy metal contamination on the island of Vieques. (v) Academic partner.--The Special Master shall appoint an academic partner, with appropriate experience and an established relationship with the Municipality of Vieques, that shall-- (I) lead a research and outreach endeavor on behalf of the Municipality of Vieques; (II) select the appropriate scientific expertise and administer defined studies, conducting testing and evaluation of the soils, seas, plant and animal food sources, and the health of residents; and (III) determine and implement the most efficient and effective way to reduce the environmental toxins to a level sufficient to return the soils, seas, food sources, and health circumstances to a level that reduces the diseases on the island of Vieques to the average in the United States. (vi) Duties.--The Special Master shall provide amounts necessary for the academic partner and medical coordinator to carry out the duties described in clauses (i) through (iv). (vii) Procurement.--The Special Master shall provide amounts necessary to compensate the Municipality of Vieques for-- (I) contractual procurement obligations and additional expenses incurred by the Municipality of Vieques as a result of the enactment of this section and settlement of its claim; and (II) any other damages and costs to be incurred by the Municipality of Vieques, if the Special Master determines that it is necessary to carry out the purpose of this section. (viii) Power source.--The Special Master shall determine the best source of producing independent power on the island of Vieques that is hurricane resilient and can effectively sustain the needs of the island and shall oversee the construction of the power source through funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the government of Puerto Rico. (B) Source.-- (i) In general.--Except as provided in clause (ii), amounts awarded under this section shall be made from amounts appropriated under section 1304 of title 31, United States Code, commonly known as the ``Judgment Fund'', as if claims were adjudicated by a United States District Court under sec

View original source →

Text of Senate Amendment 6395 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3524-S3525] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6395. Mr. WICKER (for himself and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the end of subtitle G of title X, add the following: SEC. ___01. VIEQUEST RECOVERY AND REDEVELOPMENT ACT. (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Vieques Recovery and Redevelopment Act''. (b) Findings.--The Congress finds the following: (1) Vieques is an island municipality of Puerto Rico, measuring approximately 21 miles long by 4 miles wide, and located approximately 8 miles east of the main island of Puerto Rico. (2) Prior to Hurricane Maria, residents of Vieques were served by an urgent medical care facility, the Susana Centeno Family Health Center, and residents had to travel off-island to obtain medical services, including most types of emergency care because the facility did not have the basic use of x-ray machines, CT machines, EKG machines, ultrasounds, or PET scans. (3) The predominant means of transporting passengers and goods between Vieques and the main island of Puerto Rico is by ferry boat service, and over the years, the efficiency of this service has frequently been disrupted, unreliable, and difficult for cancer patients to endure to receive treatment. Each trip to Ceiba, Puerto Rico, for the cancer patient is an additional out-of-pocket expense ranging from $120 to $200. (4) The United States Military maintained a presence on the eastern and western portions of Vieques for close to 60 years, and used parts of the island as a training range during those years, dropping over 80 million tons of ordnance and other weaponry available to the United States military since World War II. (5) The unintended, unknown, and unavoidable consequences of these exercises were to expose Americans living on the islands to the residue of that weaponry which includes heavy metals and many other chemicals now known to harm human health. (6) According to Government and independent documentation, the island of Vieques has high levels of heavy metals and has been exposed to chemical weapons and toxic chemicals. Since the military activity in Vieques, island residents have suffered from the health impacts from long-term exposure to environmental contamination as a result of 62 years of military operations, and have experienced higher rates of certain diseases among residents, including cancer, cirrhosis, hypertension, diabetes, heavy metal diseases, along with many unnamed and uncategorized illnesses. These toxic residues have caused the American residents of Vieques to develop illnesses due to ongoing exposure. (7) In 2017, Vieques was hit by Hurricane Maria, an unusually destructive storm that devastated Puerto Rico and intensified the existing humanitarian crisis on the island by destroying existing medical facilities. (8) The medical systems in place prior to Hurricane Maria were unable to properly handle the health crisis that existed due to the toxic residue left on the island by the military's activities. (9) After Maria, the medical facility was closed due to damage and continues to be unable to perform even the few basic services that it did provide. Vieques needs a medical facility that can treat and address the critical and urgent need to get life-saving medical services to its residents. Due to legal restrictions, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (in this section referred to as ``FEMA'') is unable to provide a hospital where its capabilities exceed the abilities of the facility that existed prior to Maria; therefore Vieques needs assistance to build a facility to manage the vast health needs of its residents. (10) Every American has benefitted from the sacrifices of those Americans who have lived and are living on Vieques and it is our intent to acknowledge that sacrifice and to treat those Americans with the same respect and appreciation that other Americans enjoy. (11) In 2012, the residents of Vieques were denied the ability to address their needs in Court due to sovereign immunity, Sanchez v. United States, No. 3:09-cv-01260-DRD (D.P.R.). However, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit referred the issue to Congress and urged it to address the humanitarian crisis. This bill attempts to [[Page S3525]] satisfy that request such that Americans living on Vieques have a remedy for the suffering they have endured. (c) Settlement of Claims Against the United States for Certain Residents of the Island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.-- (1) Appointment of special master.-- (A) In general.--The Attorney General shall appoint a Special Master not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act to consider claims by the Municipality of Vieques. (B) Qualifications.--The Attorney General shall consider the following in choosing the Special Master: (i) The individual's experience in the processing of victims' claims in relation to foreign or domestic governments. (ii) The individual's balance of experience in representing the interests of the United States. (iii) The individual's experience in matters of national security. (iv) The individual's demonstrated abilities in investigation and fact findings in complex factual matters. (v) Any experience the individual has had advising the United States Government. (2) Award amounts related to claims by the municipality of vieques.-- (A) Award.--The Special Master, in exchange for its administrative claims, shall provide the following as compensation to the Municipality of Vieques: (i) Staff.--The Special Master shall oversee the construction of a level three trauma center (in this section, referred to as ``medical facility'') with a cancer center and renal dialysis unit and its equipment. The medical facility shall be able to treat life-threatening, chronic, heavy metal, and physical and mental diseases. The medical facility shall be able to provide basic x-ray, EKG, internal medicine expertise, medical coordination personnel and case managers, ultrasound, and resources necessary to screen residents of Vieques for diseases, illnesses, cancers, or any other prevailing health problems on Vieques. (ii) Operations.--The Special Master shall provide medical care for pediatric and adult patients who reside on the island of Vieques, and have been determined by the by the Special Master to meet the requirements of paragraph (1) allowing the patients to be referred for tertiary and quaternary health care facilities when necessary, and providing the transportation and medical costs when traveling off the island of Vieques. (iii) Interim services.--Before the medical facility on the island of Vieques is operational, the Special Master shall provide to claimants described in paragraph (1) who are receiving treatment for the diseases or illnesses described in subparagraph (C) of that paragraph-- (I) urgent health care air transport to hospitals on the mainland of Puerto Rico from the island of Vieques; (II) medical coordination personnel and case managers; (III) telemedicine communication abilities; and (IV) any other services that are necessary to alleviate the health crisis on the island of Vieques. (iv) Screening.--The Special Master shall make available, at no cost to the patient, medical screening for cancer, cirrhosis, diabetes, and heavy metal contamination on the island of Vieques. (v) Academic partner.--The Special Master shall appoint an academic partner, with appropriate experience and an established relationship with the Municipality of Vieques, that shall-- (I) lead a research and outreach endeavor on behalf of the Municipality of Vieques; (II) select the appropriate scientific expertise and administer defined studies, conducting testing and evaluation of the soils, seas, plant and animal food sources, and the health of residents; and (III) determine and implement the most efficient and effective way to reduce the environmental toxins to a level sufficient to return the soils, seas, food sources, and health circumstances to a level that reduces the diseases on the island of Vieques to the average in the United States. (vi) Duties.--The Special Master shall provide amounts necessary for the academic partner and medical coordinator to carry out the duties described in clauses (i) through (iv). (vii) Procurement.--The Special Master shall provide amounts necessary to compensate the Municipality of Vieques for-- (I) contractual procurement obligations and additional expenses incurred by the Municipality of Vieques as a result of the enactment of this section and settlement of its claim; and (II) any other damages and costs to be incurred by the Municipality of Vieques, if the Special Master determines that it is necessary to carry out the purpose of this section. (viii) Power source.--The Special Master shall determine the best source of producing independent power on the island of Vieques that is hurricane resilient and can effectively sustain the needs of the island and shall oversee the construction of the power source through funds provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the government of Puerto Rico. (B) Source.-- (i) In general.--Except as provided in clause (ii), amounts awarded under this section shall be made from amounts appropriated under section 1304 of title 31, United States Code, commonly known as the ``Judgment Fund'', as if claims were adjudicated by a United States District Court under sec