as i said i have been carrying concealed for 20 years and i go everywhere. e and the places that it don't go are the places where they have signed on the outside the say no weapons. and i am noticing that there is a powder i don't know if anybody else notices, butce it seems tht everys place that these mass shootings happen, it's always been places wheren it says no weapons. you know? and the people who are mentally deranged or criminals are going to, they are going, that's where they're going to gravitate to, you know? so people need to think about that when they are out and about in the world, that they are actually setting themselves and their loved ones that may be with them in danger when they go to these places because all they have is a site out there saying that, and there's no one on the

outside checking everybody who's going on inside of these buildings that's making sure their following that, what that sign says colonel edward in arizona. a few more of your comments from social media in the five minutes we have speeded we believe this to take you live to the floor of the u.s. senate this afternoon. today lawmakers are expected to vote to advance the nomination of a u.s. district court judge for minnesota. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. o god of time and eternity, who laid the cornerstone of the

universe, use our lawmakers tody as instruments of your will. give them the wisdom to turn frm the thoughts, words, and deeds, that weaken instead of strengthn freedom. lord, help them to desire to be people of integrity, who will stand for right and leave the consequences to you. may this be a day when our senators serve you with gladness because your joy is their strength. lord, all nations are yours. help us to trust you to rule our world.

bring peace to our planet. and lord, we praise you for the life and legacy of former first lady rosalynn carter we pray in your great name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge f allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., november 27, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1,

paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tammy duckworth, a senator from the state of illinois to l l perform the duties of the chair. signed patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.

understand the state of the economy. >> a really big thing, a giant recession historically high,

unemployment and i remember a depressing time three years ago but it didn't do anything really and we seen incredible recovery, better than any other in the world, we're back to where we were, wages are rising and we did have inflation mostly due to the reopening, all of a sudden they want to try and the russia framework but we're getting to the other side of that. we are seeing real wages after inflation going up of the last two months so we are on a separate trajectory and it's a look at how other countries are doing, the u.s. economy is doing better than all. >> by economics, what is the and

how much did you have to do with incredible recovery? >> the best way to talk about it, it is an economy from the bottom up and middle out focusing on low income households which the american rescue defended at the time we needed it. it their spending, their recovery that created this economic recovery so that is key part and in long-term that will drive down cost and it will create semiconductors here in america in the reflection inflation reduction act and it

will help inflation so those are starting to take wind so going from momentum from the first year to the longer-term agenda and agenda for his next term where we could build on the. >> the world-class economic recovery from of the headline from the new york times op-ed, why is everyone so grumpy talking about the economy, economic news is good but that's not how the public is it, the sub headline, why is everybody so grumpy? >> it's a great question, it's what everybody is talking about, is a great question. i think a lot of it, we have

surveys and it's not a surprise republicans don't like the state of the economy so that is part of it so when you ask people of their personal economic situation, it's pretty good so that's important intent of the proof that. another part progress when you look at inflation into the cut markets and social media, people follows closely, americans don't follow those the same way so over time as we see inflation all, it will register pretty well. >> an interesting book, narrative economic, understand

major economic events only data and changes of wage or interest rates and run service of the underlying motivation for change in trying to understand the religious awakening looking at religious facts. professor is right and orchids about the importance of narrative driving economic events and i think that's what we are experiencing in the narrative of capitalism, shared prosperity and americans are dying sooner and can't afford a home and global warming looms. >> i think we had 23 years, a lot of the trends have been going on for a while and we are

starting to seek a new paradigm start to shift. it has the working class income but if we have a couple more years of the same progress, it is huge. >> our guests this morning american progress, we are talking by economics and if you join the conversation, democrat 2,027,488,000.

folks are calling in progress and wages, inflation. this is senator john kennedy on the senate floor two weeks ago, his faith on these issues. >> if you take the average wage increases in united states of america and youte look at averae inflation of the united states of america, they lost ground. workers today in november of 2023 are making less and our after inflation than they were february, 2021. don't let anybody tell you wages have made up the ghost. they have not kept up with inflation. don't let anybody tell you that we are winning the war on high

prices. we are getting inflation, no thanks to the biden administration and the united states congress. that's thanks to the federal reserve. they have tightened interest rates but they have gotten inflation down. they have done a with eyes arms tied behind their back and the only way we've successfully gotten done is to have congress do its part in growth and spending but we have not done that. since 2019, the population of the united states of america is up 1.9%. our country has old 2% since 2019. do you know how much our budget has grown?

55%. this inflation is man-made in the man's name is joe biden. >> a very different picture of the economy right now. >> i mean, he's wrong. when you look at before covid, prices have gone up 20% so that is hard for a lot of families but you won't regret wages, click on up 22%, 20% increase in wages so real wages are higher than before the pandemic and from the growth rate, real wages are where you would expect before the pandemic so real wages growing, there's huge progress there and a year ago is

about one 100% chance of recession. the economy is continuing to grow, third-quarter gdp report so this recovery is extremely strong trying to take hold when it comes to real wages so that is where they put it talk about the high chance of recession in the next six months and we have heard that as well. >> the keeping is a lot of people didn't believe the inflation because of supply chain disruption, from russia ukraine and when they started to

unwind, that brought down the wage of inflation so a lot of economists believe is just americans have too much money and weakening it is how we reduce inflation one in reality the unwinding of the transition of russia, ukraine has been the tailwind boosting real wages and economic growth and a huge gain for american workers. >> roger is up first, like the democrats. >> i just wanted to show your spokesperson he must live in a bubble because in washington, things are good. they get the two to 3% increase, agriculture. fuel is the first thing that hits us, the absolute first

thing. i've gone from fuel, it was 200 to $300 to fill up and now it's $800. every time was a hundred dollars on me to do the that was where i believe there was a mistake. it couldn't say where it was at and most people i know are intelligent enough to lock in long rates and i'm okay with that because i had it locked in but there's a lot of people living in an area they don't get an increase, is called a budget.

>> a lot of people are continuing to struggle in the economy is small business owners struggling and president biden is in terms of boosting u.s. oil production in the petroleum reserves and it puts you in your production and the u.s. and the number one increase and a lot of people struggling and hopeful a few more we will see will boost a lot of bottom line in the cost

go down while incomes go up. >> energy statistics, along line during prices going back to 1994 you see this jump in 2022 of to $6 a gallon and it $4 a gallon. you think it will go down again? the mark i won't get into speculation. you lose a lot of money but hopefully that will go down. >> this is darrell republican, good morning. >> i think we are missing the boat not talking about the value

of the dollar here because with the spending done without proper backing and devalue the dollar facility. the only thing that brought back is to serve. the u.s. dollar from other areas and with the spending going on sooner or later we will come up and bite us again. >> in october it was 3% and before that it was 8% so we see it and prices rise at all between cameron october. so we are getting on the other

side of inflation and hopefully we will continue to seek those drops stabilize. when it comes to the deficit, if the spending side of the u.s. would have no budget deficit were it not for this act. when president clinton left office, the office was wondering and now we see it pile up and raise revenue. i think it is a good thing but it could do a lot. >> the other chart to show viewers on inflation through january 2020 through 2023 to show the inflation here in june of 2022, 9%, there are two lines

on here. overall inflation, can you explain the difference? >> inflation is what they spend on and when you take out for food. the reason is gas and food prices -- second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second time. the clerk: s. 3343, a bill to provide united states citizens evacuating israel shall not be required to reimburse the united states government and for other purposes. mr. schumer: in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: now, madam president, let me welcome all my senate creation back -- o washington for the final work period of the year.

i hope everyone had a good thanksgiving, surrounded by family and by friends. speaking personally, thanksgiving is a bittersweet time for my family. it is my birthday. it ecurse once every -- it occurs once every seven years and occurred on thanksgiving this year. but also two years since my dad passed away on thanksgiving eve in 2021. it's still hard to fathom i cannot hop on the phone with him or go to his house on sundays for dinner. we miss him dearly. i've learned since his passing those we love truly never leave our side. they endure through the lessons they imparted us in life. my dad taught me fight for what you believe is right. if you persist and persist, god will reward you in the end. madam president, there is a lot over which the senate must persist in the upcoming month. almost two weeks ago congress came together to avoid a painful government shutdown. the task now is for democrats and republican to reach an agreement on yearlong funding

legislation. the only way that will happen is with bipartisan cooftion. both sides are going to -- bipartisanenges coo. both -- bipartisan cooperation. over the thanksgiving break, both parties in both chambers held talks about the appropriations process and we hope to be well positioned to pass the first trawrch of functioning bills before the january 19 deadline. but, before the year is out, there's a lot of other work to do in the senate. members should be ready to stay here in washington until all our work is completed. we must, for one, finish the task of passing an emergency supplemental bill with aid to ukraine, aid to israel, humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians in gaza and funding for the indo-pacific. time is short for us to act. so it is my intention to bring the president's national security package to the floor as soon as the week of december 4. i want to be clear that aid to

israel, it ukraine, humanitarian aid for civilians in gaza and the indo-pacific are all related, and demand bipartisan cooperation. we don't have the luxury to pick and choose our national security challenges, and on the other side of the world iran has been willing to prop up hamas and is helping russia's campaign in ukraine. the cheaps government somewhere -- the chinese government is closely watching what we do in europe just as much as we do in the middle east and the indo-pacific. russia, china, and iran have grown closer over these past fuse years, working together to counter the u.s. at every turn. they see these conflicts as interconnected. so we must too. i implore my republican colleagues to work with us on aid to uke. for the most part, democrats and republicans largely agree we must help ukraine, including my friend the republican leader. so i hope we can come to an agreement on an aid package

soon. the worst thing we can do right now, the worst thing we can do, is to make something as bipartisan as ukraine aid conditional on partisan issues that have little chance of becoming law. sadly, that's what may well be happening right now, because the biggest holdup to the national security supplement is an insistence by some republicans, just some, on partisan border policy as a condition on ukraine aid. this injected a decades-old, hyperpartisan issue into overwhelmingly bipartisan priorities. democrats stand ready to work on commonsense solutions to address immigration, but purely partisan hard right demands, like those in h.r. 2, jeopardize the entire national security package. i urge my colleagues as they think about that to remember what president zelenskyy told us when he spoke in the old senate cheab, he said, if we don't --

in the old senate chamber. said if we don't get the aid, we will lose the war. that's what is at stake with ukrainian aid, the possibility of victory or defeat for the ukrainian people and ultimately our western way of life. let's be clear -- a victorious putin would be an emboldened putin. if ukraine falls, putin will keep going. russia's -- democracy around the world could enter decan kleine. -- decline. history will look harsh of letting partisan politics get in the way. nothing would make putin happier than to abandon someone in their hour of need. we need to stand together and pass ukrainian aid along with the rest of the supplemental package. if we allow putin to prevail, it

will come back to haunt us. for the information of senators we will hold an all-senators classified briefing on the situation in ukraine so we can get the latest update about the situation on the ground and see the immense importance of passing another aid package. i urge everyone to attend. on senator tuberville's blockade. before the end of the year, the senate must put an end to the grave abuse by the senator by the senator from alabama. the blockade of 350 military nominees to push a hard-right view on americans, something that the majority of americans do not support. let's look at what happened in the referenda results in the last two years. it is something never seen before in the senate. it has cost our military preparedness dearly and thrown

hundreds of lives of families into limbo. both sides of the aisle are reaching a boiling point with senator tuberville. in the coming weeks, i will bring a resolution to the floor approved by the rules committee allowing the senate to quickly confirm the hundreds of military leaders that senator tuberville has obstructed. i thank chairman klobuchar and senator reed and everyone else who has championed this measure, and i hope my republican colleagues who care about military preparedness end up supporting this resolution or at least getting senator tuberville to back down. no matter what, we have an obligation to act because senator tuberville's military holds are an anomaly in the history of the senate. if every senator did what senator tuberville has done and held up military confirmses because of this or -- confirmations because of this or that no matter how deeply they felt, it would grind the senate to a halt.

it would be a catastrophe for the military. to all of my colleagues who don't want to see the military forever ensnared in partisan fights, i urge them to support this resolution or else implore senator tuberville to stand down. on the hostages. last week an agreement was reached for a pause in hostilities in the gaza strip allow for the release of 50 israeli hostages by hamas. it allowed for the delivery of humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in gaza and just a few hours ago it was reported that all sides have agreed to extend this pause for two more days to allow additional hostages to be released. i am so relieved that some of the hostages are coming home after enduring weeks of horror. i met with many of their families. i heard the pain they've been in. we cried together in both israel, new york, and in

washington. and while healing is ahead, i'm relieved that some are home. i'm also glad that the temporary pause has allowed for critical humanitarian aid to reach gaza and innocent civilians who have nothing to do with hamas. so the extension of the pause and the delivery of humanitarian aid are positive developments, but there's lots of work to do. we must keep working until all the hostages are freed. we muss continue to work in the senate to pass humanitarian aid for innocent civilians in gaza, and we must ensure that israel has the aid it needs to defend itself against the threat of the terrorist organization hamas so it can never again pose such a threat to israel. i yield the floor.

mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: before the senate adjourned for thanksgiving, we voted to extend federal government funding into the new year. i'm glad there was no appetite at the capitol with saddling the nation with an -- an unnecessary shutdown. the short-term funding solution by the house was a step toward passing full-year appropriations. and work continues toward we storing the sort of regular order appropriations process

that senators on both sides of the aisle have set as our goal. but the senate convenience today with extremely important -- convenes today with extremely important outstanding business we need to address this year. in a few short weeks we need to deliver on several urgent national security priorities. for starters, a number of our colleagues are hard at work on the conference report on the national defense authorization act. this is congress's primary tiewbt -- opportunity to shape america's national security priorities and set the course of strategic competition with major adversaries. we need to empower our armed forces with a clear directive for the many challenges they face. we need to prepare them to deter and fight future wars, not drag them into political culture wars.

we need to focus on what our military on geo politics, not climate politics. but at this especially dangerous moment we also need to deliver supplemental resources to help both america and our partners defend against linked threats from our biggest adversaries, russia, iran, and china. make no mistake, the prc is not deterred. beijing didn't take a thanksgiving break from its historic military buildup, its threats to the freedom of navigation in internal waters -- international waters or its efforts to meddle in taiwan's domestic politics. russia is not deterred. putin hasn't eased and on his brutal conquest of ukraine.

iran is not deterred. the world's top state sponsor of terrorism has continued to underwrite an alarming surge in attacks on u.s. personnel in iraq and syria since the barbaric attacks of october 7. hamas is not deterred. even during a temporary pause in fighting, terrorists are clearly determined with iran's help to wipe israel off the map. quote, from the river to the sea. america needs to stand with our friends and stand up to our aggressors, and senate republicans have been working for weeks to ensure that supplemental legislation includes robust investments in the hard power and defense industrial capacity we need to confront them headon. on this side of the aisle, we

also recognize that national security begins here at home. last month's total southern border encounters marked the busiest october in decades of cbp records. and the harsh reality of the biden administration's border crisis continues to impact millions of americans in cities across the country. so i'm thankful that senator lankford, graham, and cotton have been working diligently to produce legislation to address this crisis head on. senate republicans have been laser focused on fixing our broken asylum process, not just pouring more money into a system that's simply not working and our democratic colleagues would do well to take these efforts seriously. the bottom line is simple. we don't have the luxury of addressing glaring threats to our national security one at a

time. crises don't solve themselves just because washington can't muster the political will to address them. unfortunately, senate democrats have already suggested they want to condition urgent resources for one of our top security priorities on not addressing another one. apparently our colleagues are considering putting support for israel on the chopping block unless we promise not to fix the border crisis they helped create. so, madam president, this sort of cynical shortsighted politics has denied the american people real border security too many times. the challenges facing america are connected and the time to address them, each of them, is now.

the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the atlanta will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, jeffrey m. bryan, of minnesota, to be united states district judge for the district of minnesota. mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, i'm going to follow the lead of the democratic leader who noted what he did last week. i was fortunate enough to be part of a family reunion of the durbin family, honoring my sister-in-law on her 90th birthday. she's a wonderful person. mother of ten, nine boys and one girl. we all gathered to enjoy

thanksgiving, the inevitable birthdays during that period of time, as well as anniversaries. 63 durbins, somehow america survived. we all came together for a wonderful week, wonderful people, so happy to be part of the family and to give honor to my sister-in-law lorain. i would just say that when it comes to the rewards of life, there's hardly anything that can match a loving family, and i have that. i'm honored to be there. secondly, i would like to say in response to senator mcconnell, yes, we need to come together on a bipartisan basis, to not only deal with bringing order to the border but also the issue of immigration. if we are going to hold up assistance to israel and ukraine until we try to solve intractable problems and challenges that we have faced

for over 30 years, because that's the last time we passed immigration reform, that is an unreasonable burden. we can do things together so long as there are people of goodwill at the table of both political parties, but to say we're going to hold back military assistance from ukraine and israel until something is accomplished, which we have sought to do over 30 years, may not be realistic. let's be honest about it. we want to make sure that the people that we support, our allies, and those we fought beside will have the resources they need to be successful. we want to stop vladimir putin. we want to stop the terrorist who's attacked israel on octobe. let's not create political hurdles of our own making and make that next to impossible. madam president, over the recess, we saw some hopeful steps amid violence in israel and gaza.

after more than six weeks that must have been unimaginable horror, nearly 40 hostages were released by hamas with ten or so being released today. these innocents should never have been taken in the first place and it is long overdue that any still are being held and not released. this includes a young man with ties to our state named hersch goldberg, who was injured during the terrorist attack by hamas and subsequently taken hostage. i have spoken to his family and it is a heartbreak knowing what they're going through. it included a pause in fighting to allow for desperately needed humanitarian supplies to help innocent palestinian civilians. we must remind ourselves that it is the hamas terrorism we want to eradicate.

unfortunately, thousands of palestinian people are being caught in the cross fires. i hope we can build upon this deal to negotiate the release of the remaining hostages, bring an end to violence in a way that removes hamas from power, allows the rebuilding of gaza and provides real progress toward a viable two-state solution. a two-state solution will require political leadership and courage from all parties. i was really pleased to read president biden's clear thinking on this in "the washington post" recently. he wrote, this much is clear. a two-state solution is the only way to ensure the long-term security of both israel and palestinian people but right now it may seem like that future has never been further away. this crisis has made it more imperative than ever. the president gets it. it isn't just a military victory that will bring peace to the middle east. it is a final resolution of a battle which has gone on for

decades. in the meantime, i also want to call on both sides to take another step in protecting innocent civilians. in this case the reopening and operation of key gaza hospitals under the supervision of a credible, neutral third party. some of you may have heard me speak a few weeks ago about what chicago area volunteer doctors, also the presiding officer's friend described as conditions in these besieged hospitals. amputations of the limbs of children without anesthesia. relying only on tylenol for pain relief. and using vinegar instead of disinfectants to clean and heal wounds. those are the desperate situations those hospitals have reached. needs have only grown since i made that speech. with dozens of premature babies recently evacuated to egypt for lifesaving care.

all of this was, of course, complicated by hamas' depraved views of -- use of hospitals to mask its activities. let's be clear. innocent palestinians are also hostage to hamas whose members clearly don't care about those people in gawses. but -- in gaza. but with the securing of these critical medical facilities, it is now time for both sides to agree to do something that seems so obvious i dare not state it but i will. hospitals should be off limit to fighting. that is the only way they can be able to effectively function again. a neutral third party such as the united nations could monitor these hospitals to ensure they are only used to treat patients and that supplies go only and directly toward medical care. the other week several senators had a call with doctors involved in the humanitarian response in gaza. the presiding senator was one of the sponsors. it reminded us not only of the

dire medical needs of those injured in the fighting but also the ongoing and future medical needs, including hundreds of upcoming births that demand functioning hospitals. in the days ahead, i'm going to reach out to the u.n. secretary-general gutierrez about implementing the idea of neutral third parties guaranteeing the integrity of the hospitals that still remain. this leads me to the president's emergency supplemental request. i was glad that congress avoided another manufactured government shutdown crisis just days before thanksgiving. i could not help to think of how history will judge this congress which has distinguished itself with band aid budgets keeping our lurching economy in bay and not helping us move forward on critical issues that american families really care about. why don't we do something about the cost of prescription drugs? why don't we deal with the

banning of assault weapons which an overwhelming majority of americans support? we could do things that would make the streets safer and people safer in their homes and make life more enjoyable and affordable. but instead we lurch from one manufactured political crisis to the next. it is time for us to act like senators instead of political squabbling. but that does not end our responsibility to deal with national security and humanitarian needs from israel and gaza to the ukraine. after all, where did hamas leaders turn up shortly after their despicable attack on israel on october 7? you guessed it. sitting down with vladimir putin in moscow. what nation helped supply weapons and training to hamas? what nation is helping russia with weapons to fight in ukraine? iran. who hopes distractions and divisions over the middle east distract the west from the war in ukraine?

vladimir putin. a few months ago ukrainian president zelenskyy in the senate chamber just a few steps away from this chamber historically told the senators of both parties who gathered if the u.s. stops its aid to ukraine, russia will win the war. he said it not once but twice to make it clear. and if russia wins in ukraine, it would be naive to think they'll stop there. the cost to the u.s. will only continue to multiply. the other day i was reflecting on a walk i took in kyiv with the late senator john mccain in 2014 with a visiting congressional delegation. mccain led a bipartisan delegation there just after russia seized crimea. after kyiv we were supposed to go to eastern europe but we had to cancel as russia was already destabilizing the region in preparation for its land grab. john mccain and our -- somberly

in the square in kyiv, to the makeshift shrines to those who lost their lives in defense of democracy. i cannot help but wonder what john mccain would say today or ronald reagan who called the soviet union a naval empire as many in their party in congress hesitate to stand up to putin and advance american security interests. let's not make the mistake that would cost the world in the future not agreeing to the supplemental request before the end of this calendar year. i urge my colleagues to support president biden's national security supplemental request to aid ukraine, israel, the indo-pacific, and humanitarian crisis around the globe, including gaza. madam president, i yield the

floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. a senator: are we not in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. a senator: i confess it was great to be back home last week for thanksgiving in texas and like so many other families, i got together with my family and

enjoyed that time together. mr. cornyn: but now we're back here in the nation's capital with a lot of work to do. the end of the year is always a busy time here in congress, and this year is no exception, even though the usual appropriation process has been kicked over to january 19. because the majority leader has not scheduled earlier votes, either on the israel aid which is passed by the house some weeks ago and had been sitting here in the senate with no action, the majority leader has announced his intention to put $106 billion package benefiting ukraine, israel, and also the indo-pacific. for the record i support the efforts to make sure that the brave ukrainians can continue to fight and defend their country against the invasion of putin's

russia. i certainly support israel's right to defend itself against hamas terrorists, a proxy for the number one international state sponsor of terrorism, iran. and of course i support our efforts to deter president xi from doing what he said he intends to do which is to take taiwan one way or the other at a time of his choosing. well, fortunately we aren't staring down the barrel of a spending deadline so no threats of government shutdown, but we do have these very important issues to attend to. first, the congress needs to do something that we've done for 62 consecutive years, and that is finally passed the national defense authorization act. just before thanksgiving the senate finally voted to begin

that formal conference process to work out the differences between the house and the senate. our colleagues on both sides of the capitol are now hard at work trying to iron out that agreement so we can pass a strong national defense authorization act and send it to the president for his signature. i started off my remarks talking about the challenges that we face and our allies face around the world. nothing would be more disappointing disappointing to us but more emboldening to our adversaries in our failure to deal with this necessary task which, as i've said, we've done for 62 years previous. the second thing we need to do is address the supplemental funding bill that the president has proposed. again, i'm a little mystified why the majority leader decided not to take up the israel funding that was passed several weeks ago. i understand he doesn't like the

pay-for that the house has proposed but i think one logical thing to do would be to propose a different pay-for and to put it on the senate floor so we can talk about it, vote about it, and get it done because obviously that situation, although there seems to be a temporary lull in the conflict between hamas and israel, we know that once this temporary period passes, that israel will have no choice but to destroy hamas' ability to commit future terrorist attacks. as i said, this supplemental funding will include assistance to israel, ukraine, and the indo-pacific, but the part that i think our democratic leadership is in denial about is the price of getting this done will also include major policy changes at the border.

we've been talking about immigration reform for the entire time i've been here in the senate. that's all it's been, all talk and no action. but my state is on the front line of the biden border crisis, and it is getting worse by the day because all of the signals that are being sent by the administration are that if you make it to the border by any means necessary, that you're going to be released into the interior of the united states. so it's like a big flashing green light or a big welcome mat saying come to the united states and obviously we know it's not only been a huge burden on states like mine that has a 1200-mile common border. we've had people like mayor adams, the mayor of new york city saying unless something is done about this, it will destroy new york city. some rather stark and jarring

words, but it's finally become to the attention of even some democratic leadership that this is something that is unsustainable and must be addressed. and we are going to do that in the context of these funding bills. well, these are some of the most consequential security challenges we're facing today that's critical we actually get to work on them and not just talk about them, and hopefully that will happen soon. the one issue i wanted to highlight was that congress needs to reauthorize perhaps one of the most important laws that no one has ever heard of or at least not many people have heard of outside of washington, d.c. and that is we need to reauthorize section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act before it expires at the end of the year. when you think about america's

national security, this probably is not the first thing that comes to mind. we typically talk about our brave servicemembers and our weapons, our air platforms and the deterrence that is so important to keep the peace. and we think of threats all around the world, like the ones i've mentioned, those in the middle east, those in asia, those in europe and elsewhere. but one of the most important tools available to our national security and our national defense is our ability to understand those threats and use section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act. this is a unique tool but it is absolutely essential according to the fbi director and other members of the intelligence community and most importantly

it is what it says it is. it's a foreign intelligence surveillance tool. in other words, it's only used to gain information and intelligence on foreign,not located here in the united states but those located outside of the united states. that's an important distinction because we don't allow those sorts of investigations to take place here in the united states. we have a constitutional protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, a requirement that if you're going to get a search warrant or you're going to get a warrant for somebody's arrest, that you have to go in front of an impartial judge and show probable cause why a crime was committed by this person. that is critical to our authorities to protect ourselves, as laid out in the

bill of rights for american citizens, but not for foreign ers who are spying on the united states. that's something entirely different. so this is not target u.s. citizens, whether on american soil or elsewhere. it's specifically aimed at foreign ers or non-americans overseas who could pose a threat to our national security. congress enacted section 702 in 2008 in response to threats by various terrorist groups in the wake of 9/11. it tore down some of the walls that prevented government agencies from sharing information among themselves, and there's no question that it has been a success. when talking about section 702 several years ago, the fbi director said the fact that we have not suffered another 9/11 attack is not just luck. noted it's a product of intelligence, teamwork,

diligence, and dot connecting. and that's much of what section 702 does. it allows collection of the dots so the dots can then be connected to facilitate investigations into foreign terrorist threats and other actions by foreign adversaries. this authority has been vital to detecting potential terrorist attacks, but the application reaches far beyond counterterrorism missions. earlier this year the deputy attorney general lisa monaco testified that this how allowed the united states to unwhatever she called vitally important intelligence about the war in ukraine. so it's not just a counterterrorism tool. it has much broader application. she told the judiciary committee that section 702 has helped to uncover gruesome atrocities, war crimes in ukraine. that includes the murder of

civilians, the forced relocation of ukrainian children into russia, and the detention of refugees. it's also important at a time when 71,000 americans died of synthetic opioid poisoning last year alone -- fentanyl being the most common variety -- that 702 has helped the united states combat fentanyl trafficking here in the united states. fentanyl poisoning is the number-one cause of death for americans between the age of 18 and 45. this is a terrible scourge and we've got to use all the tools in our toolbox, including section 702, to fight it. information acquired because of this authority has informed our understanding of china's role, for example, in providing the precursor chemicals that are necessary to produce the finished product, and it's also

helped to expose smuggling techniques by the drug cartels that smuggles the synthetic opioids across our southern border. so for virtually every national security threat that the united states faces, section 702 is an essential asset. earlier in year attorney general merrick garland and the director of the national intelligence, avril haines, sent a letter to congressional leaders highlighting even more examples that show why this authority is so important. information acquired through section 702 has allowed the united states to identify multiple foreign ransomware attacks on u.s. critical infrastructure, like the colonial pipeline ransomware attack a year or so ago. it's enabled the united states to stop components for weapons of mass destruction from

reaching foreign actors and it's identified threats to u.s. troops and thwarted planned terrorist attacks both at home and abroad. it's helped disrupt our adversaries' efforts to recruit spies on american soil and send their operatives to the united states. section 702 is a critical tool in america's national security toolbox, but it's future is uncertain because, unless congress takes action before the end of this year, that authority will expire. this is as if we would intentionally blind ourselves to these threats that i've described for congress to fail to take action and reauthorize section 702. if that happens, it will deprive america's dedicated intelligence professionals of the laws that they need, the authorities they need in order to keep our country safe.

director wray, i think, said it best when he said that allowing section 702 to expire would be an act of unilateral disarmament in the face of the chinese communist party. an act of unilateral disarmament in the face of the chinese communist party. given the threat that china poses to the united states, especially in the indo-pacific, an unforced error by failing to reauthorize this necessary legislation would be the last thing we need. allowing section 702 to expire would only benefit our most dangerous and capable adversaries. it would embolden china and russia while hamstringing our ability to understand the threats we're facing until it's too late. general paul nakasone, who leads both the national security agency and the u.s. cyber

command, has been very clear about the need to preserve section 702. he said earlier in year, he summed up its importance rather succinctly when we said, 702 saves lives and protects the homeland. that's what we're focused on at the moment when it comes to confronting the vast national security threats we do face -- saving lives and protecting the homeland. that's true, i believe, of the war in ukraine. it is in our nation's national interest, i believe. it's true in the war being fought by israel for its survival in the middle east. it's true for china's saber rattling in the indo-pacific. and it's true for the crisis we face at the border. achieving our definition of success in each of these situations will require far more than just money. it will require reliable and

timely information or intelligence, and we simply will not have access to that if 702 were to expire. it's absolutely imperative that congress reauthorize section 702 before the end of the year, and i know we have the time if we only had the will to get it done. this is a priority for members on both sides of the aisle, both sides of the capitol. this is not a partisan issue. it is the ultimate nonpartisan issue. we've seen a number of proposals to enhance privacy protections. i understand concerns about abusing these various authorities against americans, something that's illegal, something that should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. but just because a few rogue actors have done -- have misbehaved is no reason to relinquish this necessary tool when it comes to foreign actors

who wish us ill. as congress continues working to address the range of national security threats that our country faces, reauthorizing section 702 must be a top priority. madam president, i yield the floor. and i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call:

for the educational choice movement. we see that just this year in 2023, seven states enacted new programs. four of those are universal programs. arkansas, iowa, oklahoma and utah. every student in the state are now eligible for an education savings account. that builds on the momentum that we have seen going back to the last couple of years. arizona and west virginia launch universal programs. my own state of indiana, we also expanded for choice scholarship program.

we have seen these new programs launch this school year and then we have also seen states expanding the eligibility for students in the last couple of years which really has made this a very exciting time to be in this line of work. we expect the momentum to just continue to build as more families are enrolling their children into these programs. being able to, you know, have that kind of flexibility. the school that they have currently or, you know, circumstances dictate, you know, the need for change. i think a lot of parents can relate to that, you know, the need for flexibility. so, this is a really exciting time. >> the president of american

federation of teachers. she was on this program a little over two months ago. one of the questions we ask was a push to expand school choice. this is what she had to say. >> between 85 and 90% of parents send their kids to public school spirit lots of different charters and private schools and things like that. this new voucher movement right now about universal vouchers that you see in florida that has been paying for disney trips and kayaks and things like that which most people would think was inappropriate, this movement to defund public schools is very , very worrisome because what will end up happening is that the public schools don't have the money they need to serve all the kids that are

behind. who are the kids that are at risk. i think it is not just the corporative days asian, it is that the sense of taking money away from kids who really, really need it. in making sure that we have it for all kids. >> on those comments from randy weingarten. >> i come at this as a researcher and also as a parent. i wear couple of different hats. i think that what you see, you know, this kind of flexibility that the parents need right now, and randy weingarten's comments are just with those kinds of needs. i think that that point of view is very system driven and not

necessarily taking into account the disruptions the families around the country and a number of state has started to address the need to give parents more options and flexibility. it is totally fine if those schools are working for those students or to give more flexibility to attend the public charter school or to use an education savings account for multiple purposes like tutoring. like online courses. to send their child to a different type of private school even if that is just for a year. and, so, you know, i think that

those comments in some ways have the tenure to what parents have been saying over the last couple of years through the pandemic and in some ways not addressing what families have been speaking of more and more about over the last couple of years and in large part through the pandemic. we have seen programs launching in the last 10-15 years. not at the same rate that we have the last couple of years. these new programs are going to be serving a wide range of students. we have seen programs launching in theid last 10-15 years, but t

at the same rate we have the last couple of years. these new programs are going to be serving a wide range of students. largely, students in these . you find that disadvantage. parents, they want to have maximum flexibility, more options to provide the best schooling environment, learning environment s district judge for the district of hawaii. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 379, micah w.j. smith of hawaii to be united states district judge for the district of hawaii, signed by 17 senators as follows.

mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 378. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. the presiding officer: all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. jamel semper of new jersey to be district judge. we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 378, jamel semper of new

jersey to be united states district judge for the district of new jersey signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be wavered. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion disagreed. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 377. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion disagreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. xi'an lan a.s. park of hawaii to be united states district judge for the district of hawaii. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report.

the clerk: , we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to close debate on the nomination of executive calendar shanlyn a.s. park to be district judge of hawaii. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. proipt question is on the motion. --. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have t. the ayes do have it. the motion disagreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 223. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. irma ramirez of texas to be united states circuit judging for the fifth circuit.

mr. schumer: i ask -- i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 223, irma carrillo rarms of texas to be united states circuit judging as follows. p. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the mandatory quorum calls for the -- be waivmentd. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i note the absence of a -- i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. over the past 52 52 days, we watched a horrifying propaganda campaign take over, anti-israel sentiment has gone mainstream and even biden administration officials, like jake sullivan,

admit that hamas is using popular online platforms to push propaganda. of course tiktok is the enabler in chief in this regard. here's some stats for you. between october 23 and 30, this stand with palestinian hashtag received 235 million views, while stand with israel hashtags received just 640000 interviews, this surrounds the deadliest massacre of jews since the holocaust three weeks after it happened. everyone had seen the pictures and the videos of what hamas had done. we knew that they were holding innocent people and families and

children hostage. it's terrible enough on its own, but we know that it's also a symptom of a very serious disease. we are have seen more than enough evidence to suggest that tiktok's executives are manipulating user sentiment with israel. why would they do this? because leveraging the anti-israel cause is in the best interest of their handlers in the chinese communist party. by silencing americans and those that are pro-israel and other westerners who counter anti-semitic anti-smet, they can undermine the u.s. as the global superpower and chief mediator in

the middle east. they know that by doing this, they are normalizing terrorism and genocide, but it puts the ccp and their partners and the new axis of evil even one step closer to global domination. and that is their goal, russia, china, iran, north korea, that axis of evil, they intend to push themselves to global domination. so going after israel, going after pro-israel, allowing anti-semitic conversations to be carried out, they're okay with that. they look at it and say small price to pay for us to be able to get our way. well, i looked through the past few weeks of coverage on the roll of tiktok and how they have

played into this and i came across story after story defending the platform and firehose of pro terrorist content. of course you will have story after story defending tiktok, of course, because it's okay with them to promote terrorism and to promote genocide. lately those same mainstream media outlets have been obsessed with context, and i think we could all benefit from understanding the context around what is happening with this content that is online. here's the context. the context is the chinese communist party has complete control over what does and does

not go viral on tiktok. as forbes investigation into tiktok and bytedance -- and bytedance is the beijing company that owns tiktok. the ccp board member of bytedance. so the forbes' investigation into tiktok and bytedance revealed that a bytedance tool, which is run by tiktok staff in china, is tracking what it considers to be sensitive words. they do this across the company's products. now, some of these sensitive words may be things that are anticcp, anti-positions of the

ccp, anti-xi jinping or anti-mao. those are considered sensitive. they draw the attention, and they get labeled by the staff as sensitive words that are forbidden or that must be killed or that are prohibited. in other words, tiktok is censoring the speech and they are, in part, blocking some posts from ever being seen. this is why you have the hundreds of millions that are seeing a pro-hamas post and the tens of millions that are seeing a pro-israel post. here's something else that we should all be aware of, and

parents listen up on this. the tool also tracks every time one of these words comes up. so if you're repeatedly posting something that is pro-israel, that gets tracked every time. also, it is recording who said it so your identity is revealed and where you're located. think about that. who you are, where you're located, what you're saying. that is surveillance and tracking. now, as this chamber is aware, senator blumenthal and i and others at commerce -- on the commerce and judiciary committee have had hearings on this platform and at one of the

hearings we had the tiktok ceo come before lawmakers and he told lawmakers under oath that his platform does not promote or remove content at the request of the chinese government. what we now know. that's false. they are doing this. but word lists and bytedance sensitive word tool deals directly with content that beijing wants to silence, including language critical of china's government, their military, their history. simply tracking speech isn't enough for communist china. they're using these tools to control dissent. in april of this year, joe biden's own department of justice announced that they were investigating the ccp's use of

social media platforms to hunt people down and silence them. they charged 40 officers of china's national police with orchestrating transnational repression schemes against chinese dissidents living, get this -- living in the united states. there again, they're coming after our citizens. they're trying to censor, trying to control, trying to manipulate. if tiktok's bias pushed their algorithm in the other direction, congress would have banded in the u.s. instead, the vast majority of the left and their friends in the media are treating the pervasiveness of this pro-hamas, pro-terrorist, pro-murder sentiment like the latest viral

phenomenon. the best, most recent example of this is the appalling popularity of osama bin laden's letter to america. this didn't happen on its own. you had tiktok pushing along on this. the tiktokers thought that the architect of the 9/11 attacks made some good points. their obsessions spread to other platforms as well. at one point the letter clocked for more than 70,019,000,000 impressions, that's just on x. tiktok eventually took down mentions of the letter, but by then the anti-semites had revealed themselves and exposed other young people to the insanity in their videos.

it is disgusting. absolutely disgusting. that you would have the applauding of a letter from osama bin laden. we've seen this hatred rear its head in the form of stalking, harassment, vandalism, physical violence. a high school in new york descended into chaos last week when a group of teenagers formed a lynch mob to hunt down a jewish teacher who attended a pro-israel rally. earlier this month there was a poll that found that anti-semitism on campus has become so out of control that more than a third of jewish college students feel they have to hide their religion. this is it -- this is appalling. it also shows the ig norns of --

ignorance of many of these young people. and it's evidence that the ccp's influence operation has taken hold. so it is time for the u.s. senate to take this seriously. as i said symptoms of a disease. it is neither reasonable nor rational to suggest that china would create a tool capable of manipulating public opinion on a global scale and then that they would choose not to use that tool to their advantage. madam president, you know, we've talked a lot about tiktok and what they are doing in this country. we talked a lot about how tiktok in china is very different. it's an educational tool. it's very different from what you see here with funny videos

or cat videos or some of the very disturbing content that is being pushed on our nation's youth. there is bipartisan agreement that the very existence of this tool, this surveillance, this propaganda tool that the chinese communist party has created which we call tiktok, there's evidence that the very existence of this poses a threat to our national security and to that of our allies, which means the senate should have absolutely no trouble throwing its support behind a ban on tiktok in the united states. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the clerk: ms. baldwin.

explain first what you do, what your mission is and how you go about accomplishing it. >> thank you so much for having me. we are a national nonpartisan 5 o 1 c 3 nonprofit organization. our mission to advance freedom

opportunities and choice for all in k-12 education as pathways to successful lives in a stronger society. building awareness of the ecosystem that empowers everybody to choose the best schooling and learning environment for their child's needs. >> go ahead. >> we inform policymakers, peer groups, education leaders in a number of areas. legal affairs and litigation. we do parent trainings and workshops and then we also offer research program. >> on that, how do k-12 systems access education. what are in public school versus charter school, home school, how does that break up? >> that is a great question. we have seen some movement in recent years. especially through the pandemic and after in the post pandemic world that we live in.

approximately 10-11% are private schools. about five-6% are in public charter schools. right now, we estimate that homeschooling is probably around five-6% which is double what it was compared to before the pandemic. the rest are in public district schools and traditional schools. >> you survey parents about what they want if they had the choice of any of those options. what do you find in those surveys, how different is that from that ecosystem that you just described? >> we have been conducting surveys for 12 years. we see this disconnect, really, between what parents tell us in their surveys, what they prefer in terms of the school they would like to enroll their child

in. their real-world enrollment patterns that we see. in contrast to those numbers that i shared a moment ago, we see roughly what they would choose for private school if they had the opportunity. about 35-40% which choose to send their child to a public district school and roughly 10% would like to homeschooling 10% would like to enroll their child in a public charter school. >> when it comes to accomplishing that school choice , your mission, what are the ways to go about it? what is the best way to go about it? a school voucher versus a education account. >> we support funding should follow the child. to obtain the best educational learning environment for that child specific needs.

that mechanism in public policy has taken the form of education savings accounts esa which have been around for more than a decade. first launching in arizona and now expanding to more than one dozen states. school vouchers which provide tuition. and then public charter schools allow families for a public school that is chartered and has a different set of rules and regulations that compared to low mile freedom. we fully support funding following the child. that is, you know, the key

driver to give the most flexibility to parents and their children. a sixth-grader and an eighth grader. it was a keyword. now more than 80 programs around the country. affording that kind of flexibility to families and 32 states plus washington, d.c. and puerto rico. >> are you looking for national legislation on this front or the way to do this through the individual states and local level. >> we believe that local is best our focus has been at the state and local levels. .... ....

really big years for the educational choice. we see this year in 2023 new programs and four of those are universal programs so in arkansas, iowa, oklahoma and utah, every student in those states are now eligible and it builds on momentum which seemed even going back to the last couple of years where we have seen arizona and west virginia launch universal programs. my home state of indiana we've expanded eligibility so is near universal or choice scholarship program. we seen new programs watch this

school year end we've seen states expanding eligibility for students the last couple of years which means this is an exciting time in this line of work and we expect to continue to build as more families and children from the programs being able to have to flexibility whether the school they have currently or circumstances dictate a need for change and a lot of parents can relate to that need more flexibility so it is an exciting time. >> randi weingarten, the president of the american federation, she was on this program little over two months ago and one question was school

choice and this is what she had to say. >> still today over the course of decades between 85 and 90% of parents send their kids to public goals and that's with lots of different charters in schools and things like that. this new doctor movement you see in florida paying for disney trips and kayaks and things like that which most people would think is inappropriate. this movement to defund schools is gruesome because what will end up happening is if the public schools don't get the money they need to serve all kids, where the kids at risk? it's not just corporatization or

privatization, it's taking money away from kids who really need it and making sure we have that for all kids so that the fight we have to have. >> comments from randi weingarten. >> i come at this as a researcher and also is apparent. what you see as this flexibility parents need right now and her comment addressing those needs, that view she shared his system driven and not taking into account the destructions over

the last few years lawmakers and policymakers around the country in a number of states have started to dress and need to get students more options and flexibility whether it's the public system and district schools which is totally fine, schools are working through or to give more flexibility to attend public charter schools or use a savings account for multiple purposes like online courses to center child to a different private school even for just a year or more so i think those comments and some way, there is a ten year end

what parents have been saying the last couple of years through the pandemic and not addressing what families have been speaking more and more about the last couple of years and we have seen programs launching in the last ten or 15 years but not the same rate in the last couple of years and these new programs will be serving a wide range of students and largely students and disadvantaged situations, however you define that so parents want to have maximum flexibility, more options to provide the best learning

environment. >> school choice with paul and choice. you can do it here. the phone line is little different. this is jeremy and st. louis, thank you for calling. >> thanks for having me on your show today, first time caller, longtime listener. one of your last segment asked of the rest any institutionalized racism going on and what could it be. it is the public education department. the moment we decide to fund schools based on property taxes, benefits are only for those doing well off and the worst off

people will stay worse off. we'll get a better education and what's wrong with the american school system. school choice i think is a joke. the evidence comes up that has not helped to get that much. what needs to be done is a paradigm shift overall education systems in the way we look at from the federal level which of the committee as much resources as possible and they cut it and cut it in the system set up looking at the best teachers with the best methods the only way to get rid of all the problems, take the time and figure out how our children actually learn but the schools and teachers hand and more teachers and across across the board. stop with the private schools, charter schools.

>> we got your points. >> i appreciate the comments, i understand the frustration communicated there. the way these programs and school choice programs, i would disagree school choice programs are a completely different way of providing an education for children where the funding does follow the student and given a the public systems so we see is a change in a number of states where mobility of families is greatly increased. they are much more in control

over their child's learning and schooling environment and it is different than it was 15, 20 years ago for short and a lot of cases before the pandemic around the country i think those changes are going to make a big difference and young people's lives. >> grand rapids, michigan. teachers and educators, this is michael, good morning. are you with us? >> hello? >> what grade do you teach? >> can you hear me? we met yesterday, what grade do you teach? i am a retired teacher so i taught everything from elementary school, middle school and high school, all of it. i am retired about five years now.

this charter school idea will, schools where only the rich can go to school of the plantation owners families go to school, the community. now bring it further when public education became more real at the height of immigration in 1890, so and and so forth. including immigrants who need this language. today is the plantation, education for all, no. charter schools and etc., segregated education for the rich and when schools try to

segregate, some schools : virginia i be leave, go to school so i don't trust the charter schools. >> i appreciate michael's view of the retired educator but going back to a more segregated situation because of charter schools or twice, that couldn't be further from the truth and the highest quality research, extra mental research has shown schools tend to be less segregated when they are dissipating a school choice program. outcomes have been modestly positive or more positive for

those students who are testing charter schools or enrolled in participating. we have an organization annual publication called 123 school choice, you can find on our website and every year we review different outcomes with the school choice programs and the positives are positive, the outcomes are positive and their some show negative but by far the research is all on school choice programs and especially those serving disadvantaged students and coming from those households.

cities like milwaukee and in other parts of the country and they are served from low income households and being more integrative me and it is described. >> i'm concerned about the value of the voucher is not high enough to present schools are able to charge more than it will be mandatory because poor kids

still won't be able to afford to go to the private school where. the kids that have the resources to go to kids cannot so a subsidy for the middle class grandson for everybody. >> how do you figure out the value of the vouchers and what is it right now? >> it varies across programs in different states so oftentimes some states, the value between elementary, and high school, nine to 12 education, somewhat of a higher value for high schools so it can range anywhere

from the education program and fellowship programs and they are five to $8000 range and high school it can be as much as 11, 12 or more and in arizona they take a percentage of the state funding for the school district and it's around 90% and put that into the savings account. they are concerned about value falling short. one thing we've seen and conducted surveys of target schools around the country is that private schools often flow include financial aid as well specifically to students from

low income households to help them cover the cost for that school. there is public funding through the savings account or scholarship program and oftentimes private schools will have their own mechanism specifically to serve low-income students. >> the parent in oregon, you're up next. >> good morning. i am reminded when the divorce was meeting her position on the trump administration and she was emotional, public and whoever she was speaking to, not let go of the charter schools and private accounts and all that you are talking about.

i was sickened and sickened by this. public schools created, served country well when funded. the main thing happening over the years is taking funding away and privatizing it just like gop wants to privatize medicare, social security, all of it and banning and lgbt -- the rigid christian philosophy that is so consuming in the republican party and i believe all you will end up doing is creating a workforce so don't down and so servient to corporations further

the paycheck which we have now but not as bad and greed and the fact that they can't find workers. he will end up with pretty stupid people coming up. >> got your points. >> a couple of things, public schools serving children well, i think history is a stark contrast so schools have done for a lot of students served well. our happy with public schools but for a lot of students, a significant segment of the population over the course of time have not been served well and they have been locked into the schools because they don't have the funding mechanism to

help them exit and find a better option that could be another public school across time but historically families have been zoned to a specific school in a school district and a great constraint to mobility and flexibility and address their child's needs so i would disagree the way we approach k-12 education for a century is serving everyone well. that is not the case and we have seen now a lot about loss all educational progress and they have told a much greater ithout

objection. ms. klobuchar: madam president, i rise in support of president biden's nominee to be the next u.s. district court judge for the district of minnesota, and that is jeff bryan. i want to thank my colleague tina smith. the two of us convened a judicial selection committee in our own state with very outstanding people who helped recommend some names to the white house. i'd also like to thank senator durbin and graham for helping to move judge bryan's nomination through the judiciary committee on which you serve, madam president, on a bipartisan basis, and to thank leader schumer for making time for the senate to consider his nomination. judge bryan is a dedicated public servant with a distinguished career spanning

over 16 years serving the people of minnesota, including as a state court judge and as a former federal prosecutor. through his devotion to justice and the rule of law, he has earned the respect and support of judges, attorneys, and law enforcement officials across the political spectrum. this is yes received a strong vote -- this is why he received a strong vote in the judiciary committee and why i hope colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support his confirmation. judge bryan was born in an army hospital in fort bragg. his mom was an english teacher and his dad a captain with the 82nd airborne who instilled in judge bryan an appreciation for public service. his father's service in the army brought their family to fort bliss near el paso, texas, where judge bryan grew up. after graduating summa cum laude

from the university of texas, judge bryan went back home to el paso and worked as a substitute teacher. he then headed to yale for law school. as a law student he served as student supervisor and was president of the law school christian fellowship. he also met the love of his life, a minnesotan -- we knew we'd get to minnesota at some point in this story. ep met the love of his life, a minnesotan at law school. ultimately he traded the texas heat for the minnesota winters and he and liz settled down in st. paul. if confirmed, judge bryan will be the first latino federal judge in minnesota. he's active in the minnesota hispanic bar association tutoring students and had a -- served on the board of twin cities has been habitat for

humanity. for 20 years he taught sunday school at his church. he clerked for judge paul magnuson, a judge appointed by president reagan, and sent several years in private practice. he spent six years as an assistant u.s. attorney where he prosecuted violent gangs and large-scale drug organizations. he prosecuted over 350 criminals and directed what was at the time the largest meth investigation, cocaine investigation ever conducted in the district of minnesota. he played a key role in dismantling a cocaine trafficking network that spanned from mcallen texas to st. cloud, minnesota. he won the department of justice case of the year award for his work on that case. additionally, he led a meth investigation that resulted in the recovery of more than 9,600

grams of meth as well as convictions of more than 60 defendants. so i don't think it is a surprise that we have heard from former law enforcement officials at the local, state, and federal levels who praised him, of course for his work and devotion to justice, but also particularly for his work ethic and his dedication as a prosecutor. he was hired as a prosecutor by erica mcdonald who was appointed by president trump to serve as a u.s. attorney for minnesota. she said that judge bryan was a no-nonsense federal prosecutor and is an outstanding nominee for judicial appointment. judge bryan left the u.s. attorney's office in 2013 and was appointed to serve on the ramsey county district court in st. paul. there he presided over more than

8,000 cases, including violent felony criminal cases and was only reversed in four cases. in 2019, he was appointed to serve as a judge on the minnesota court of appeals. he has sat on over 500 cases as an appellate judge and authored nearly 200 opinions and has only been reversed in two cases. judge bryan has understandably earned endorsements of some of the most esteemed jurists in our state, including four senior u.s. district court judges who are appointed by presses -- presidents of both parties. among them is judge paul magnuson who described judge bryan as a person of exceptional character and offered his highest recommendation. in addition, nearly 40 state judges appointed by governors of both parties enthusiastically support this nomination. they praise judge bryan as a

prepared, fair-minded, and hardworking judge, and has said that he has a determined focus on explaining and applying the law in an unbiased manner. for those same reasons, the aba standing committee on the federal judiciary rated judge bryan as well qualified to serve as a district court judge, the highest rating that the committee awards. i know that jeff bryan will make an outstanding federal district court judge for the district of minnesota. i urge my colleagues to support his confirmation. thank you, and i yield the floor, and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the presiding officer: without objection. without objection. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 354, jeffrey m. bryan, of minnesota, to be united states district judge for the district of minnesota, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of jeffrey m. bryan of minnesota to be united states district judge for the district of mrn, shall be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll.

vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell.

mrs. capito.

mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton.

mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine.

mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray.

the clerk: mr. ossoff.

mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

cloich senators voting in the affirmative -- blumenthal, butler, cardin, duckworth, hirono, manchin, menendez, murphy, peters, reed, tester. senators voting in the negative -- hawley, kennedy, lankford, tuberville, wicker.

the clerk: mrs. murray, aye. mr. ricketts, no. mr. cotton, no. mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: mr. crapo, no. mr. schatz, aye.

mr. wyden, aye. the clerk: mr. carper, aye. vote:

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye. mrs. fischer, no. ms. ernst, no. mr. thune, no. mrs. capito, no.

mrs. hyde-smith, no. the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye. mr. daines, no.

the clerk: mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye.

ms. klobuchar, aye. the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. budd, no. the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no. mr. johnson, no. mr. cornyn, no. mrs. shaheen, aye. mr. king, aye.

the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. lee, no. the clerk: mr. tillis, no. mr. romney, no.

the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye. mr. young, no. mr. warner, aye.

mr. coons, aye. the clerk: mr. schmitt, no.

the clerk: ms. cortez masto, aye. ms. baldwin, aye. mr. durbin, aye. mr. sanders, aye. mr. booker, aye.

ms. stabenow, aye. vote:

the clerk: mr. moran, no. ms. -- ms. smith, aye. , mr. hagerty, no. mr. van hollen, aye. the clerk: mr. scott of florida, no. the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the clerk: ms. collins, aye. ms. rosen, aye. mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. vance, no. the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. cassidy, no. the clerk: mr. cramer, no.

the clerk: mr. welch, aye. mr. boozman, no.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. brown aye. the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: mr. kaine, aye. mr. whitehouse, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. merkley, aye.

vote:

the presiding officer: is the yeas are 47, the nays are 42. the motion is agreed to. the senator from minnesota. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of the following senate resolutions -- senate resolution 473, senate

resolution 474, and senate resolution 475. the presiding officer: is there objection? -- to proceeding to the measures en bloc? without objection, the senate will proceed en bloc. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, november 28. and that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. that upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the bryan nomination, postcloture.

further, that all time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and the senate recess million ting the cloture vote on the garnet nomination until 2:15 p.m. further, that if cloture has been invoked on the garnet nomination elitism be considered expired at 2:15 p.m. finally, that if any nominations are confirmed during tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? hearing none, so ordered. ms. smith: if also to further business to come before senate, i ask that the senate stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned under the previous order until the previous order until today the senate advance the nomination of jeffrey bryant u.s. district court judge for minnesota. if converted to the states first

latino judge on the federal bench. watch live coverage with the senate returns tomorrow here on cspan2. ♪ since 1979 a partnership of the cable industry c-span has provided complete coverage of the halls of congress in the house and senate floors to congressional hearings, parted briefings and committee meetings. c-span gives you a front row seat to how issues are debated and decided with no commentary, no interruptions and completely unfiltered. c-span, your unfiltered view of government. ♪ ♪ ♪ live sunday on in depth author uc barkley law professor was a book tv to talk and take calls about the u.s. supreme court,

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