it is just the beginning. and finally, mr. president, i would like to say a word about this resolutions broader importance. right now we're focusing on israel as we should given the situation in gaza. in general what this provision does is extremely sensible. it can and accountability as to how u.s. military aid is used and whether the recipients of that aid abide by international law and her own human rights standards. this is true for israel, for saudi arabia, and for any country that receives u.s. military aid. likely, i hope this vote is the first of many as would take a hard look at how our military aid is being used. c-span footage unfiltered view of government. we offended by these television companies and more including buckeye broadband.

♪ ♪ ♪ >> buckeye broadband supports c-span a a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front-row seat to democracy. >> and the senate is about to get in. more work as expected on a temporary spending bill funding the federal government passed friday's midnight deadline to avert a shutdown. take you live to the senate floor here on c-span2. give our lawmakers this day clean hands and pure hearts to serve you for the glory of your name.

equip them with grace, strength, and wisdom to face successfully the challenges that beset our nation and world. infuse them with a creativity that will inspire them to do their work according to your will causing justice to roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. give them peace of soul when their thoughts and plans are right and disturb them when they drift from what is best. lord, lead them in paths of

integrity, courage, and truth. we pray in your mighty name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the 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, january 17, 2024. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable john hickenlooper, a senator from the state of colorado, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray,

president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume csideration of the motion to proceed to h.r. 2872, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 243, h.r. 2872; an act to amend the permanent electronic duck stamp act of 2017, and so forth and for other purposes.

>> host: welcome back to "washington journal. " we'll be taking your calls shortly, but before we do, we're joined by representative can newhouse, on the appropriations committee and also the select committee on u.s.-china competition, a republican from washington state. congressman newhouse, welcome to the to the the program. >> guest: good morning. thanks for having me this morning. >> host: the house and senate leaders have agreed to temporarily extend government funding in two batches through march 1st and march 8th, that's according to sources. are you in favor of that? do you support that? >> guest: yes. thank you for having me this morning to talk about some of these things that are very know, the first deadline we're facing is this friday, and we have to come up with some

alternatives in order to get our work done, particularly the appropriations bills which we just barely recently got the top-line numbers. so we haven't had the adequate time necessary to come up with the final versions of the spending bills, and then conference those between the house and the senate. and so the bottom line is to be pragmatic about this, we have to have extra time allotted in order to get these bills done or else we are faced either with a government shutdown or with a continuing resolution for the rest of the year. both options are not looking forward to. >> host: well, speak of the top-line numbers, we're looking at $886 billion for the u.s. military, about $773 billion for everything else. what's your view on that and as far as priorities■1■c go? >> guest: so we've been working through this whole process as republicans as we address the appropriations packages for the

upcoming -- or for the current fiscal year, actually, 2024. and our main objective through this whole process has been to bend the the spending curve that we have been on for a long time in this country. we have to get control over our spending. a $34 trillion debt, as you know, and we have to get our first a call house in orr fiscal house in order as that kind of out of control spending and debt is not sustainable for the future of our country. so that's the bottom line. the goals of where, of how we've been addressing the spending packages. and so i think that even though this is longer than we would have preferred to get this done, i think it's critically important that we get, that we do it right, that we get our numbers correct. and so having a little extra time, having time to work through our

our conference as well as between the house and the senate, the democrats and republicans, i think that's a good thing. those numbers reflect the necessary if give and take between the two claimers and between the twoes -- chambers. and in order for us to advance forward, that's the reality of where we are. >> host: and the freedom caucus also wants to bring down spending. how, what's your view of their approach, and do you think that it's, that it's been useful and constructive? >> guest: so i have the same goal. i think that our fiscal responsibility needs are critical, and we have to addres. and the american people want us to do that. we have to change the habit fede every single year. if we, just as an example, if we

pass the bills as the are republicans wrote them this year in the house of representatives, we would be for the first time in a long time, if maybe ever, spend more -- excuse me, spend i upcoming fiscal year than we did in the last fiscal year. that's never happened. and that is exactly the kind of fiscal restraint we exercise. now, the freedom caucus, many of those people are friends of mine, and i agree with their goals. by -- but i do think that shutting done the government, using that to achieve the goals that we all need, what my experience has been and i've been nnell: over t, president biden once again refused to describe the southerr as apparently, according to the commanderin chief -- commander in chief, 10,000 legal border

crossings in day in the busiest month and year on record at the border is somehow not a crisis. needless to say, i'm glad that senator lankford and our colleagues working on meaningful border security policy don't share that view. i'm glad that we may soon be able to address an urgent crisis with urgent action. negotiators are making headway toward the most significant border enhancements in almost 30 years. they're getting closer to delivering serious laughing solutions to the unprecedented humanitarian and national security catastrophe that's unfolded on president biden's watch. that's certainly good news. of course our colleagues work also -- also work linchpin

to address the broader national security challenges we face around the world. from russian aggression in europe, to iran-backed terror in israel and the middle east, to competition with china. increasingly aggressive china represents the greatest strategic challenge of the century. recent events in the indo-pacific remind fuss exactly what is at stake. the prc is an expansionist, rev revisionist and repressive power, all at the same time. it wants to impose its will on its neighbors, regardless of their views or values, just like it■# doesme. just consider the free, fair and hotly contested elections that took place in taiwan this past

saturday. the people of taiwan resisted beijing's blatant efforts to interfere in their is clearly the outcome of the election which saw thedpp maintain its hold on the presidency. but it wasn't just the results of taiwan's elections that the prc views as the threat. it's also the basic process it itself, the idea self-determination. of citizens actually getting a choice that leaders in beijing. of course, it's impossible to watch taiwan's defiant self-expression without thinking how fragile autonomy can be. just remember how swiftly the prc has acted to snuff out

forces of democracy in hong kong. right now, my old friend jimmy lie, prolific publisher and proud hong konger is on trial. he's facing the possibity of life in front simply for committing the crime of publish the truth at variance with the party's definition of it. you see, the chinese communist party doe't just fear its own people. it fears the pursuit of truth. on both counts, beijing finds common cause with fellow authoritarians in moscow, tehran, and pyongyang. theseegimes and would-be imperialists who lead them understand that their most

precious currency isn't truth or legitimacy but control fear. the prc subjects its citizens to extensive surveillance, censorship, and repression. and in the case of ethnic minorities like the uighurs, beijing has steril sterilization, and outright genocide. beijing fears difference. it fears dissent. and not just at home. the prc interference in taiwan's democry theic of the shadow of intimidation beijing hopes to cast further across that region. prc is building a military with the capacity to bend beijing's neighbors to its will.

it's putting u.s. allies like the philippines directly in its crosshairs. it'sim improve direct, prohibitive costs on the united states. and it isn't pinching pennies t. for more than two decades, its investments in new military equipment and capabilities have grown by an average of 10% per year. so it's become quite fashionable in washington to we're not taking competition with china seriously enough, but the resource this competition demands most urgently is not a what america and our allies need most in the race to outcompete our top strategic advsaries is

hard power. at its essence, winning the competition means credibly deterring beijing's worst impulses. wh investing in strength, outco the prc will require greater investments in our military capabilities and in our industrial capacity to produce them. the west cannot be caught unprepared for this challenge. we cannot afford to lessons of history. the senate has opportunities ahead to demonstrate that we understand what's at stake. we'll have chances to take hard power investments seriously. we feed to be ready to take them. now, on a related matter, the biden administration is continuing to wage war on the affordable and relative domestic energy -- reliable american

energy that makes america competitive. the administration's climate policy isn't just weakening american workers and businesses. it's actually making china's economy stronger. president biden's epa recently issued new emissions standards that several of my republican colleagues on the commerce committee pointed out last year, quote, are so stringent they effectively mandate automakers to produce electric vehicles even if americans do not want them. the move is shockingly out of step wit consumers, capacity of american industry, and our na nation's strategic interests. the desire for universal electric vehicles caters to the preferences of wealthy coastal liberals, but working families simply aren't buying it. the average e.v. on the market

costs over $16,000 more than the average gas-wed■g car. as one automaker recently put it, the biden administratoo foc well- well-healed, 1% to 2%-ers, forgetting about theeo where a car is not a luxury but a necessity. sure enough, that $16,000 premium is more than most sensible americans are willing to pay. electric vehicles account for less than 8%, 8% of new vehicle sales in the u.s.. less than 8% of americans shopping for a new care.v. that, however, hasn't stopped the biden administration from plowing ahead toward an absurd goal for electric vehicles to make u two-thirds of the car

sales by 2032. american businesses are not buying thiseither. in fact, auto dealers in kentucky and across the nation recently sounded the alarm bells in a letter to the president. here's what they said, this attempt at electric vehicle mandate is unrealistic based on current and photographed consumer -- forecasted consumer demand. already, electric vehicles are taking up our lots. and just earlier this nth, hertz announced plans to sell a third of its electric vehicle rental fleet due to sparse demand and hefty repair costs. meanwhile, state utilities are becoming concerned that a massive uptick in e.v. use could overload power grids that are already on the edge of blackouts. lk about a lose-lose

proposition. but there's one party that stands to benefit from washington democrats' climate scheme, and that's the chinese communist party. as i mentioned before, china controls nearly 70% of the supply chain for the batteries required to manufacture e.v.'s. the chinese■t automaker just became the world's top seller of electric cars. thanks to washington ■democrats act, these cars from clean qualify for a major tax credit. this means hardworking amicans, like the kentuckians i represent, are directly subsidizing california millionaires and the ccp, all at the same time. so biden administration 's outgoing

climate czar to spend this time begging china t voluntarily engage in unenforceable green diplomacy. but it's quite another for washington democrats to forcibly create a pipeline that pumps working american tax dollars into the pockets of our biggest strategic adversary. it's time for president biden to choose between the american people and a left wing dream that communist china can't wait for us to realize. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> guest: if trump doesn't win, i think we're going to have a big problem on our hands in this country, and people better be ready. and hopefully, god willing, whoever wins could bring this country together. and i don't think it's either

one of them if you really want to know the truth. i'm very concerned, and i really hope pplet> use their brain and not their religious beliefs of what needs e to believe what is going on in this country. >> host: th like? that you would support? >> caller: not necessarily at this point in time because i, i'm an independent, and i vote both ways, and i believe in republican things where it's, safety, you know, equal rights. you know, i'm for everybody. expect problem is, is that erote for right now. i honestly feel sorry for this country of what's about to happen in 2024. like you said, i really wish people would use their brains. donald trump is an evil man. he will destroy this country.

joe biden's so old that he can't even walk down the stairs without falling over. and they say■ he's healthy. no, we all know he has dementia. we're not stupid. i mean, we're getting to the point many this country that it's just, it just feels that the country that we love so much as americans don't have a good choice. and i feel bad for the next generation because generation has to step up. at this point in the game, we're all basically on our own,■= and whater happens nex is only thing that can happen next is if ufos come over -- >> host: all right, jonathan. [laughter] getting a little far out there. barbara in philadelphia, democrat. good morning. >> caller: hi. i have two comments. number one, joe biden has done more for the middle class than anyone in my lifetime. and i just don't think he gets enough credit. i think he's in fine shape considering, and i do think that if trump had been convicted, i

think joe biden wouldn't have run agabut that's my -- that's r one. number two, the whole immigration issue, something that's never mentioned is why don't the people who are hiring people illegally? we never talk about americans who are hiring them they get a slap on the risk if they are found out -- wrist if they are found out, and nothing's ever done. why are these people coming here? because someone is telling them that there are jobs here, that someone will hire you illegally. so i think that's an or issue we never talk about. the republicans use immigration as their go-to issue. and they don't really try to solve the, solve the problem. so -- >> host: all right, barbara. let's go to minneapolis next, independent. c.j., good morning. >> caller: good morning to you and happy new year to everyone as a-+ well.

[inaudible] their -- about a things, which is great. and i just wanted to add to that too. on one of your shows you had interviewed a lady who had went to jail for the insurrection crime, and she spoke eloquently about how she fell for donald trump. and i think that they should do more interviews with people that went to jail with to find out how they feel about him now that they're in jail. because when -- the income bracket that you have and then all of a sudden you go to jail for something, i guarantee you it's a wake-up call. and they should bring more people to the front us consent the quorum be dispensedwith. the presidinn. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, last night the senate took an important step towards passing a temporary extension ofnd avoidi an unnecessary government shutdown. we had a strong bipartisan vote last night with 68 members in favor of moving forward with the c.r., and that number would have been higher were it not for

weather delays. it's a clear signal that majorities in both partiesn the senate want to pass this funding extension as quickly as we can. now, if both sides continue working in good faith, we can have the c.r. passed by tomorrow. if both sides continue working in good faith, we can avoid a shutdown without last-minuter no many americans. there's every reason in the world to make this an easy, uncomplicated, and drama-free process. i urgy colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do just that. work in good faith. we're willing to cooperate as always with the other side to keep this process moving. but republican members need to be realistic and practical about how much time we have left before the shutdownenate cannot now is mimic the chaos in the house where vocal minority of to bully their way into making a

shutdown happen. amazingly, the hard right thinks preventing a shutdown is somehow, quote, a as the house freedom caucus suggested a few days ago. mr. president, only in the bizarre world of the hard right is it a surrender to keep the government open. only in the twisted logic of magna extremism is it a disaster to extend funding so that v.a. offices remain open, food inspectors remain on the job, nutrition funding remains in plall of these programs would b at risk if the government shuts down on friday. but to the hard right, a shutdown is precisely the point. they want to create pain and chaos for the american people in order to bully their way into getting what they want. but even now many republicans, even in the house, are exhausted by the hard right's bully tactics. the republican majority can't get anything done over in the house because the hard right keeps sabotaging things on the

floor. even their own appropriation bills. the hard right and the house republicans leadership all too -- the hard right and the house republican leadership's all too often willingness to go alo with them is perhaps the biggest reason why this republican majority is one of the least impressive, least productive, and least competent in modern history. but for all their bullying and bluster, all their attempts at intimidation, the hard right's efforts ac/re failure. if the majority of senators and representatives continue workingin good faith, democrat and republican, we're going to keep the government open. we're going to continue on the appropriations process. so i urge my colleagues once again, let's work together. let's work togetherc.r. quickly shutdown with time to spare. now, on the supplemental. mr. president, today i with congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle in both houses to meet at the white

house with president biden and discuss the importance of passing a national security pp meeting with president biden will reinforce something i've been saying all along. it's a matter of the highest national urgency that both parties keep working together to pass the supplemental. the vast majority of members on something on ukraine. the eyes of history are upon this chamber. we made a lot of good progress over the past two weeks, a i remain hopeful that things are headed in the right direction. reaching an agreement on the supplemental of course is very complex. republicans have demanded that border provisions be included in exchange for ukraine. everyone knew that was never going to be easy. nevertheless, president biden has made clear that he's willing to work with republicans on border security, but as everyone knows, including republican leadership, this has to be bipartisan.

the hard right, typical of them in the house, have insisted on passing a highly partisan bill, h.r. 2. word for word. that is not bipartisanship. any agreement on■ complex and contentious as the border is going to have to have support from both sides of the aisle. the work is not done on the supplemental, but i remain very hopeful that negotiations continue heading in the right direction. democrats are trying to very hard to keep this process going. and i want to acknowledge the efforts of my senate colleagues who have been at this for weeks. passing the supplemental is one of the hardest things that the senate has done in a very long time. but we must do everything in our power to finish the job. at stake is the security of our country, the survival of our friends in ukraine, the safety of our friends in israel, and nothing less, nothing less than the future of western democracy. we cannot come short at this pivotal moment.

we must stay the course until the job is done.■o on the bipartisan tax agreement, yesterday senate finance chairman wyden and house, and means chair swift announces a bicameral tax agreement with important wins for working families and for main street businesses. i'm proud to support this bipartisan tax agreement, because it will provide much needed relief for low-income families and keep americans' businesses competitive against the chinese communist party. the child tax credit alone will benefit as many as 16 million children in low-income half a million kids out of poverty, half a million kids out of poverty. that's a really significant achievement, and it's a credit to chairman wyden and all the negotiators. now, most democrats, myself certainly included, wanted to restore full refundability of the child tax credit. this framework does go a good part of the way towards

restoring full refundability. and the best part is that the biggest tax credits under this expanded ctc will go to low-income families helping them afford basic necessities like groceries, diapers, baby formula, clothing, toiletries and so much more. and second, i'm really happy that this framework expands the low-income housing tax credit or litc. i made it clear to the negotiators from the beginning upport affordablet must include housing, or i couldn't support it. i want to thank work she did toe sure strong affordable housing provisions were included in the bill. she's a very influential member of the finance committee, and she and i have worked on low-income tax credit issues for a while. right now housing is one of the biggest problems in our country in statesine and yours, mr. president, particularly strule with increasing the supply for affordable homes.

the housing shortage affects everyone everywhere, urban, suburban, rural. thankfully, this tax package will support the construction of up to 200,000 new affordable homes by bolstering lihtc allocations and providing greater financing flexibility for affordable housing construction. in an area of divided government, when you have a house republican majority constantly trying to put housing funding on the chopping block, the lihtc is the best tool available to increase the supply of affordable housing. so i'm proud of the expansion we secured in the agreement. of course, like everything nowadays moving forward with this agreement will take continued cooperation from both sides in both chambers. i hope my republican colleagues will work with us in good faith because this could improve the lives of millions of working families and main street businesses grow in today's economy.i yield the floor and n absence of a quorum. the priding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin. ■n mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, last week weeceived markabl mileston health care. a record 20 million americans are now covered by health insurance under the affordable care act. this is a sign of progress as we improve the quality of life and health care protections under having quality, affordable health care coverage means having peace of mind if you get a diagnosis or an accident or if you needed access care and you're facing medical debt.

i know this story. i've been there. i was at georgetown when my wife and i were blessed with the birth of our first child. a baby girl born with a serious medical condition. as a young father without insurance, i can tell you there's no greater feeling of helplessness. that is why democrats have been committed to of more americans and ensuring it contains protections for patients with preexisting conditions. but even with these successes, there are serious gaps in america's health care system, gaps which are until you learn specifically what i mean. i want to focus on one of them. access to dental care. ipe august recess last year visiting small towns in southern illinois. i met with the new mayor ever carbondale illinois, carolyn harvey. she told me -- i asked her. you have the united states senator in your office, mayor.

what is your ask? what do you want? her answer? pediatric dentistry. of all things. i couldn't imagine that. i thought it would be a sewer line or street or something from -- for the law enforcement. pediatric dentistry. she said, senator, we just don't have enough dentists for kids in southern illinois. in fact, there are ten rural counties in the state that have only one■% dentist to serve the community. in lawrence county, there's one dentist for 15,000 that ratio, local ratio, is 11 times worst -- worse than the national average. what's the result of a shortage of dentists particularly for ■a they face delays to even get an examination. my office was recently contacted about a child in southern illinois who was found to have tooth decay in her 18-month

checkup. the patient is covered by medicaid and her parents had a hard time finding a dentist who would even see her. imagine this for a m this story. that you are the father or mother of a child that's 18 months old and has tooth decay and pain. after nearly a year, the patient was finally treated for severe tooth decay. upper incriesor -- incisor teeth and large tooth abscess. but her condition did not improve after multiple rounds of antibiotics so her dentist calledro see her. they were told by the specialist, and i quote, over 2 patients on our waiting list so we really can't help her. this child is going to have to develop a much worse condition known as facial sell lights --

cel cellutis. then she can be sent to an emergency room and we can see her. treated by a dentist, r and a hy complications, trying to find her way back to the dentist and being told, sorry, there's a waiting list here of 200 people. get to the end of the line and wait. perhaps there's a way out. if this child's condition worsens, is complicated, then maybe we can qualify under a new code under medicaid --oto develop a deep -- infection putting her at risk of life-threaning illnesses to get decayed tooth pulled. think about that for a minute. her dentist callea a neighborin thankfully they were able to perform emergency surgery to remove the decayed teeth, but

not before risking life-threatening illnesses. that is the reality for people in america in the state of illinois today. that is unacceptable. in fact, it's embarrassing. what are we going to do about it in washington with all of our money and all of our power. thankfully tlgs a -- there's a federal program that can help, the national help service corps, it provides repayment to dental and medical health care providers who work in areas of need. pr ogram to provide the health care providers and address shortages. there are 20,000 professionals serving in the national health service corps, treating 21 million pati but $310 million in mandatory funding for this program will expire at the end of this month. we cannot allow this to happen. senator marco rubio, republican,

florida, and i have a bipartisan measure to extend this program and nearly triple its funding. it's supported by nearly 65 leading mic reality on the ground for poor people in america, particularly in rural areas and urban areas of need. the senate help committee passed a major bipartisan package last fall that included significant funding for this program. i urge my repub to join to support it. but there's a lot more we need to do. for example, in illinois, only one-quarter off practicing dentists accept medicaid. think of that. one-quarter of practices dentists accept medicaid. it means that kids in illinois with private insurance are six times more likely to get a dental appointment than those with medicaid. if you're a poor child with a toothache, you are just going to have to take it, that is

reality. low-reimbursement rates by companies ctribute to this. i sent a letter to three major dentist providers, dent-a quest and others to understand their tactics and corporate strategy and making sure they are not putting up unnecessary barriers for dental treatment and i -- there will be funding for mobile clinics that drive into rural areas. i might say as an aside, mr. president, i often asked the question, why in the world do we treat dentistry as anything other than a medical specialty? it certainly is. you've got a sore tooth or decayed tooth or problem in your mouth you want help and you want it now and a professional to provide it.

they go through years of training, and instead of being treated like a medical specialty like orthopedic or cardio, they're in a different categ se i'm announcing a new bill that i'm introducing with senator marshall of kansas, our bipartisan legislation will offer funding to the centers for disease control to improve dental care across america. itupport education, data collection, seal ant treatments medication efforts -- floordation and the distribution of tooth brushes to new parents and children. illinois has not received important furnissing for this -- funding for thi work, and i want to change that. we must prevent in -- preventing

cavities. i appreciate the partnership of my colleague senator marshall, and i will be working to pass ts mayor carolyn harvey in carbondale, illinois, you shocked me when you suggested pediatric dentistry but told me about your heart, and now we know the reality of kids waiting for months and even years for basic dental treatment, let's do something about it, not just in illinois, but across the country. this is fundamental and basic good health and we need to make sure it is included in all health care coverage. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of az/ quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the clerk: ms. baldwin. y mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: is the senate in a

quorum call? i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: thank you, mr. president. over the weekend a reporter asked mr. biden if the situation at our southern border is crisis. no, the president said. i woul express surprise but unfortunately failing to recognize crises is pretty much par for the course for president biden. you can see also his inflation crisis or his withdrawal from afghanistan, but the president's answer is still notable for the complete disconnection it shows from the reality at our southern border. and it demonstrates why it has become absolutely necessary for congress to step in. because the situation in our southern border is, in fact, a crisis, a logistical crisis, a humanitarian crisis, an the pre

editfication, i will run through the numbers. we have had three record-breaking years of legal immigration at our southern border on president biden's watch. fiscal year record breaking, one million 774,000786 migrant encounters at our border. and fiscal year 2022, broke that record, and then fiscal year 2023, broke the 2022 record. and if fiscal year 2024 continues on its current ectory breaking the record once again. the record reportedly saw 302,000 migrant encounters at our southern border. the highest monthly number ever recorded. and i cannot emphasize just

enough how large of a number that is. as my colleague from pennsylvania saidrder number, i the city of pittsburgh show up at the border in just one month. mr. president, american blue cities now as well as border cities are staggering under the influx of migrants. new york are running up big bills that have beg -- and have begged for more federal money. and that's just t number of migrants we saw cross the border in december alone. but more than a logistical crisis humanitarian crisis since miers are exposed to significant dangers on their journey to the border, this is a national security crisis. our coury cannot be secure while we have hundreds of thousands of individuals legally flooding across o southern border every single month.

the volume alone smoothes the way for terrorists, criminals and other dangerous individuals to enter our country. and there, mr. president, dangerous individuals trying to enter our country. in the fist twoirst two months of fiscal year 2024, 30 individuals on the terrorist watch list were apprehended attempting to cross our southern border. in other words, roughly one every fiscal year 2023 saw # 169 -- saw 169 individuals on the at the southern border, an increase over fiscal year 2022, which itself was a sharp increase over fiscal year 2021. that's a dangerous trajectory, mr. president. of course those numbers only■i refer to those who border patrol actually apprehended. there have been 83,000 known gotaways and those are

individuals border patrol saw but unable to apprehend. there is no telling how many unknown gotaways there have been over that same period. how many of those individuals were terrorists, criminals, or other dangerous individuals? well, the fact of the matter is, mr. pr way of knowing. what we do know is that dangerous people are trying to make their way into our country across our southern border. and there is no question that the chaos at our southern border is smoothing the way for them. mr. president, president biden bears a lot of responsibility for the three years of chaos we've seen at our southern border. from the day that he took office when he rescinded the declaration of a national emergency at our southern border, president biden made it clear that border security was at the bottom of his priority list. and over the three years since, he has turned our southern border into a magnet for legal

migration from repealing border policies of his predecessor to misusing our asylum a which are emporary amnesty to hundreds of legally. and as his answer to the reporter over the weekend once again made clear,e does not understand the magnitude of the resulting crisis. in fact, he doesn't understand that it's a crisis at all. and so it's time for congress to step in. after months of delay democrats have finally come to the table and i'm encouraged■' by the ongoing talks, and i'm hopeful that in the coming days we will see final agreement on real border security legislation, not cosmetic fixes or superficial tweaks, but real reforms that will allow us to stem the flow

at our southern border. senator lankford deserves a ton of credit for staying at t negotiating table to hammer home the reality of the situation to democrats and to craft long-term changes to our border policies that will decre#óee the flow to the border and remove individuals already in the country. i have to say, mr. president, i am grateful for his har work. three years of chaos is long enough. we owe it -- we owe it to the american people to get ts■x crisis under control today. mr. president, i yield to the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call: >> over the weekend president biden once again refused to describe situation at the southern border as a crisis. apparently, according to the commander in 10,000 illegal border crossings in a day and the buzziest month and-r on record at the border is somehow not a crisis. needless to say, i'm glad that senator lankford and our colleagues working on meaningful border security policy don't share that view. ■t

th's certainly good news. of course our colleagues work is also the linchpin of our broader address the national security challenges we face around the world. from russian aggression in europe to iran backed terror in israel and the middle east, the competition with china. and increasingly aggressive china representshe greates strategic challenge of the

century. recent events in indo-pacific remind us exactly what's at stake. the prc is an expansionist, revisionist, and repressive power all at the same time. and once to its will on or valut does at home. just consider the free, fair, and hotly contested elections that took place this past saturday. people resisted beijing's blatant efforts to interfere in their politics, and the prc of the election which saw the dpp maintain its hold on the presidency. but it wasn't just the result of

taiwan's elections that the prc views as a threat. it's also the basic itself, the idea of self-determination, of citizens actually having the choice terrifies a leaders in beijing. of course it's impossible to watch taiwan's the find self-expression without thinking how fragile this autonomy can be here just remember how swiftly the prc acted to snuff out portions of democracy in hong kong.t now, our old friend jimm, prolific publisher, is on trial. is facing the possibility of life in prison simply for committing the crime of

journalism, of seeking to publish the truth at variance with the parties definition of it. the chinese comes 40 doesn't just -- though people, it fears the pursuit of truth. and on both counts beijing find common cause with fellow authoritarians moscow, tehran and pyongyang. these regimes and would be a periusho lead them understand that the most precious currency isn't truth or legitimacy. but control and fear. prc subjects its citizens to extensive surveillance, citizenship, and repression. and in case of ethnic minorities like the uyghurs, beijing has employed in transit

sterilization, and outright genocide. beijing fears difference. it fears dissent. and not just■? at home. prc interferes in tehran stock is a is emblematic of the shadow of intimidation it evokes to cast further across that region. prc is building a military with the capacity to bd beijing's neighbors to its will come putting u.s. allies like the philippines directly in its crosshairs. it's aiming to improve direct prohibitive costs on the united states, and it isn't pinching pennies. for more than two decades, these investments in new military

equipment and capabilities have grown by an average of 10% per year. so it's become quite fashionable in washington to talk about how we are not taking competition with china seriously enough, but the resource competition demands most urgently is not a stern lecture from a climate diplomat. what america and our allies need most in the talks with our adversaries and systemic rival is hard power. at its essence winning the competition means credibly deter beijing's worst impulse which for us means investing in american strength. not competing the prc will require greater investment -- outcom -- in our military capabilities and in our

industrial capacity to produce them. the west cannot be caught unprepared for this challenge. we cannot afford to neglect the lessons of history. the scent has opportunity had to demonstrate that we understand what's at stake. we will have chances to take investments seriously. we need to be ready to them. now, on a related matter the biden administration is contind on the affordable and relative domestic energy, reliable american energy and made in america competitive. the administration quality is just waking american workers and businesses. it's actually making china's economy stronger. president biden's epa recently issued new mission standards that -- my republican colleagues on the committee pointed out last year quote, are so

stringent they effectively mandate automakers to produce electric vehicles, even if americans do not want them. the move is shocking with american consumers, capacitive american industry, and our nation's strategic interests. the desire for universal electric vehicles caters to the preferences of woelfel coastal liberals but working families simply are not buying it. the average tv on the market cost over $16,000 more than the average gas powered car. as one automaker recently put it, the biden administration has been far too focused on the -- one to to 2% are forgetting t luxury.ple who -- a car is not

it's a necessity. sure enough, $16,000 premium is more than most sensible americans are willing to pay for electric vehicles, 8%, a% of new vehicle sales in the u.s. less than a% of americans shopping for new car are buying an ev. that hasn't stopped the biden administration compiling it toward an absurd goal for electric vehicles to make up two-thirds of the car sales for the 2032. american businesses are not buying this nonsense either. in fact, auto dealers in kentucky and recently sounded the alarm bell in a letter to the president. here's what they said. this attempted electrical vehicle mandate is unreasonable based on current and forecasted consumer demand already electric

vehicles are taking up our lots. and just earlier this month, purchasing plants to sell a third of its e rental fleet due to sparse demand and hefty repair costs. meanwhile, state utilities are becoming concerned and a massive uptick in ev use could overload power grids that are already on the edge of blackouts. talk about a lose, lose proposition. but there's one party that stands to benefit from washington democrats climate scheme, and that's the chinese communist party. mentioned before china controls nearly 70% of the supply chain of the batteries required to manuct cds. the chinese automaker just

became the world's top seller of electric cars. thanks to washington democrats inflation reduction act, leased cars china -- major tax credit. this means hard-working americans like the kentuckians i represent are directly subsidizing california millionaires and the ccp all at the same time. it's one thing for the biden administration -- climate czar to spend its time making china voluntarily engage in unenforceable green diplomacy. but it's quite another for washington democrats to forcibly great a hard-line that pumps working american tax dollars into the pockets of our biggest competitive adversary. it's time for present bind to

choose between the american people and the communist china. can't wait for us to realize. >> now, mr. president, last night the senate took an important step towards passing a temporary extension of government funding and avoiding an unnecessary government shutdown. we had a strong bipartisan vote last night with 68 members in favor of moving forward with the cr and that number would even higher not for weather delays. it's a clear signal that majorities in both p pass this funding extension as quickly as we can. now if both sides continue working in good faith we can have the cr passed■j by tomorro. if both sides continue working in good faith we can avoid a shutdown without last-minute drama or needless anxiety for so many americans. there's every reason in the world to make this an easy,

uncomplicated process prior to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do just that, work in good faith. we are willing to cooperate as always with the other side to republican members need to be realistic and practical about how much time we have left before the shutdown deadline. what the senate cannot do right now is mimicked the chaos in the house where a where a vf hard right rabble-rousers want to bully their way into making a shutdown happen. amazingly, the hard right thinks preventing a shutdown is a quote a surrender, as a house freedom caucus suggested a few days ago. mr. president, only in the bizarre world of the hard right is it a surrender to keep the government open. only in the twisted logic of maggot extremist is it a disaster extend funding so that the offices remain open, food inspectors were meant on the

job, nutrition funding remains in place. all of tse the government shuts down on friday. but to the hard right, a shutdown is precisely the point. they want to create pain and chaos for the american people in order to bully their way into getting what they want. i've even now many republicans even in the house are exhausted by the hard rights only tactic. the republican majority can't get anything done over in thes e d senator brown, the senator from ohio, be allowed to finish our remarks before the planned recess. the presiding officer: without objection. the third time, third time since late september, congress is rushing to avert a government shut

shutdown. we have an annual appropriation which ends at the end of september each year, but for some reason we find ourselves in a position where, frankly, we reflect embarrassingly the dysfunction here in washington, d.c. because of the way we deal with keeping the lights on and keeping the government up and running. the senate and the house both failed to send a single, regular appropriation bill to the president's desk. just before t we passed a stopgp bill to fund the government through mid-november. when tha deadline rolled around, we punted again and set two separate deadlines. the first is this friday, and after that. today congress is on track to kick the can down the road once

again. the senate is preparing to vote on a continuing resolution that will push these deadlines even further. the first will arrive on march 1.ond will come on march 8. we can only happen between march 1 and march 8 that will prevent us from another can kicked down the road. none of this is inevitable. this is a result of planned dysfunction. it's embarrassing to find ourselves in this situation once again. this is not complicated. it's not we're talking about the most basic duty of funding the government if a full year. this is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of congress, but obviously it's not a priority for the majority leader whose job it is to

schedule votes in senate. in other words, none of us, not the presiding officer, not me, none of the 99 senators other than the majority leader can actually schedule something for a vote on the floor. i know i must sound broken reco important for everybody to remember that this roller coaster or last-minute stopgap funding bills is not inevitable. congress has all year to plan and prepare for the end of the fiscal year. it's not a deadline that comes out of nowhere. it arrives like clockwork on seember 30 despite the long runway, the senate has nailed to pass a single funding bill -- failed to pass a single funding that wasn't because the individual bills were not available and it wasn't because there were divisive or

ap certainly wasn't for lack of time. the senate appropriations committee passed all 12 regular appropriat b and july. last june and last july. each bill passed the committee with strong bipartisan support, and more than half of them passed unanimously. i think that would shock a lot of people who think that congress is polarized and irretrievably broken, that actually the appropriations of them unanimously.bipartisan so what's the deal? well, the deal is the majority leader could have put the bills on the floor immediately. we could have been voting on funding bills last june. instead days, weeks, and months crept by without even an inch of progress. it was mid-september before

nator schumer even attempted to put the first appropriation bill on the floor. we're now three and a half months into the fiscal year, and none of the 12■> appropriations bills have been signed into law. not one. not one. has developed a dangerous, a dangerous habit of circumventing the normal processes for funding the government. and it's not without cons conventions. -- consequences. it's been common to blow through the deadlines and rely on short-term funding bills to keep the lights on. i know of no business, large and small, in the united states that could operate like this. because you can't plan all -- can't plan. all of your time and energy is absorbed in these efforts to keep the government fromdown, a avoidable. now, there's no doubt that stopgap bills are better than b

not a good solution, especially for critical missions like national defense. and here is the price that the nation pays for the failure to do our business on time. short-term funding bills do most immediate consequences of a shutdown. they ensure our troops are paid on time and short-term operatiosns can continue. but they have a negative, a decided live negative impact on a full range of long-term projects, from recruitment to nuclear modernization. and during a continuing resolution, the department of defense can't even start some of the programs that we authorized in the national defense authorization bill which we passed in december. our military leaders have repeatedly emphasized the importance of

full-year government funding bills. they told us over and over again that reliable funding is the key to planning and preparing for the future. i remember maybe about a year ago now having lunch, a bipartisan group of senators in the senate dining room with secretary bob gates. secretary gates, former secretary of defense, served i presidents, and he is wise in the ways of washington, d.c., although he hadn't been back to capitol hill for some time before we had lunch. but i asked him for his suggestions, recommendations on how we can ensure the safety and security of the united states by making sure that our military was second to none. and make sure that we maintain

maximum d out because people sensed a lack of will or preparation. he said the single most important piece of advice he could give us is no mortining resolutions. no mor single most important th. what have we been doing time and time and time again is continuing resolutions. exactly the wrong thin when it comes to our national security and our standing in the world and our ability to deter aggressors in a very, very dangerous environment. short, timely appropriations support our long-term goals. you can't plan for a few weeks at a time. long full-year appropriations bills support our troops. it boosts our military restorese

and maintains our ability to compete with our mos formidable adversaries. by continuing to move from one stopgap bill to another, we are shooting ourselves in the foot. we're weakening our own defense as china's military strength continues toe see more and more aggression on the part of iran in the middle east through various proxies like we see kim jong-un in north korea saying he wants nothing to do with south korea and basically has declared a state of war against south korea. and then in the middle east -- excuse me, in asia proper, china continues to threaten to attack taiwan creating a potentially catastrophic set of

circumstances. we need credible deterrence and that credible deterrence comes with a first class military second to none and an understanding that america is absolutely committed first and foremost to our national security. given the threats we face in the world today from the middle east to europe and the indough pacific, it's indo-pacific, it's absolutely critical that congress take defense funding seriously. it cannot be the last item on our to-do list. it should be priority number one. there's a lot of things congress does that are not priorities. but national defense is our number one priority, should be. reliable funding for our defense is vital our security. it should come before votes on nominees and virtually every

other task on agenda. well, watching this play out once again is like wat another bad movie. the characters miss the obvious warning signs, make b repeatedle into danger. throughout this movie, you can't help think no one is foolish enghtion or certainly to do so voluntarily. but sadly that's how i feel decision-making when it comes to funding the government. particularly national security. at the end of september cess kicked the can to november. in november we punted to january and february. and now congress is on track to push the deadline once again teei■sng us up for another fisc cliff, actually not just one, two of them in march. with each s message that we're

really not serious about our national security because we're weakening our defense. we're crippling our readiness and hurting our long-term security. here in the senate the stakes are much higher than this bad mo movie. we don't have the freedom to make poor decisions just to put on a show. so the bottom line is this, mr. president. congress has a duty to pass bills. this is the absolutely bare minimum when it comes to governing. . it'sim debating and passing the regular appropriations bills. i don't know what it's going to take to convince theh is the re coming to the floor and talking about it. hopefully somebody somewhere will be paying attention. congress failed to get the job

deadline. we failed to get it done before the second deadline. we failed to get it done before the third deadline. and we simply cannot in good conscience delay this process any further. there is far too much at stake, mr. president. i yield the floor and i'd note the absence of a quorum.esidingk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin. ÷r ■ 5

mr. brown: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: i thank i, mr. president. -- i thank you, mr. president. this is not the most -- i ask unanimous consent -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a mr. brown: i ask that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. brown: this is not the speech i ever wanted to give. i think appreciate being recognized to give it. i ask my colleagues to me in honoring pam risotto, a longtime member of my staf last. i've known pam for her work for social services and especially to people individually and then she joined our office years ago. i will get to that. she spent her life fight others. she understood and supported

dignity of work. she bettered our state, she bettered our country. she touched so many lives along the way. she joined our staff in the beginning of 2019, almost five years ago, as a constituent advocate on our casework team. mr. president, there are -- we don't think about it enough around here, but the foundation of our work in this -- in these jobs, the foundation of our individual people. we look at, you know, taxes and medicare and social security and foreign policy andkr all those things obviously are important. that's what we're elected to do. but fundamentally these jobs are about helping individual people when they have an issue, whethe it's medicare -- whether it's medicare, whether it's a passport, whether it's somebody -- a tragedy in somebody's life and wh red tape. nobody -- nobody represented that service -- and i have a lot of people in my office who represent that service and a lo they understand the importance

of individual service. we just interviewed someone who joined our staff this week. i viewed her several weeks ago. she said, what made me want to hire her, she said is helping people one a at and individually. we forget that in this job far too pam joined our office five years ago. not long afterward we were taking on a record number of constituents. pam was a rock for ohio. she was a probleming for other staff -- she was a rock for other staff persons. she already had a life of service and especially was a mentor to young people in the office, and she was a source of hope. she made things happen. she on -- we calculated this. she worked on 1,331 cases in those five years, a relen responses.

and care and handling in every case. showed un-wavering kindness, in letters people sent us and descriptions people gave of pam. the word kindness comes back over and over and over again. and humility is the foundation of virtue. i'd say kindness is, too. pam understood that. she didn't bring that to her offi. she had lived her life that way. we were lucky to have her on our team. for some ohioans, she resolved disputes with the u.s. veterans service. for others, she helped ensure a federal compliant driver's license. because of pam, one constituent was able to return to a driver an effective union, something pam understood, those jobs -- those jobs are good-paying, good

benefits, good retirement, again because of an effective union at the table. pam understood all of that. but this was a gentleman who needed a little bit of help to return to that job. in the numerous notes she received, they thankededicationn in seeing their cases through. while thee wrote in for different reasons, every letter showed heartfelt gratitude and warm wishes. in reading the wishes, it is clear the impact pam had. after receiving help from pam, one ohioan wrote this -- people, after they get help, most of them don't think about writing in because we're the governme,e people and the government and the caseworkers are doing what they do. but people don't think to write in. but an unusuallily, an inordinate number of people wrote in to thank pam rosado. there's tremendous value to be able to speak with a kind and understanding person after hours on the internet.

he wrote, you are exceptional, ms. rosado. she staff and i more. she cared deeply for the people in her lives, strangers that she met through our life, or never met, only online or in, but she cared deeply for the people in her life. she was closest to her family, friends, colleagues, and of course every ohioan reached out. and action always accompanied that care. she wanted everyone to have a better day, a better life. that makes a difference for so many of our constituents and colleagues. to the person, i believe, pam was more than a coworker. shelleagues, she liveded them up. she knew our job was to help people individually, including coworkers. her joy and spirit were infectious. she lit up every room she walked into. this past november, in a meet ing, she greeted everyone with

excitement. we had staff fromll state and they don't see each other all the time. when a letter went out announcing a new hire, we've had people on our staff -- it seems to be happening a good bit -- that are called up to serve in the military, they're guardspeople, when they retire, whatever it is, she was the first to respond with heartfelt congratulations, words of encouragement and several people told me a smiley face gee. she made every member of this office feel appreciated and welcome. that warmth touched each of us. in the cve office where she worked, her laugh filled the halls. when you heard her, you couldn't help but smile and laugh. she made a difference for every member of our staffed and for so many ohioans, our office is a better place for pam a ohio is better because of her. it office. throughout her entire life, she served others and fought for

others. she he shall issed the community in -- she served the community in a number of ways. she was a mentor to aspiring advocates and policymakers. before joining our office and this was the first time i believe yrsime i met pam -- she was working, she was the political service of the a -- of a union that typically represents people that are not the she make a living wage and have the kind ever benefits that unions bring. she was their political director, advocated for the united labor agency. she taught classes about the history of the labor movement, something -- my god, i know that some people in this body don't and many don't even think of the history of the labor movement. she understood -- you know the history of the labor movement. you know the

history of the middle class and dignity of work. she fought for jobs and what the union card means. she dedicated her career to efforts for in ohio, and reached as many ohioans as possible. her colleagues at policy matters recognized pam's integral role in making the think tank and labor movement what they are today. they recall pam's ability in making things happening whether planning last minute event or helping ohioans receive deserved benefits. it made her anf our team, an indispensable member of any team. her legacy will be upheld by her friend, her family, every member honor her memory. we grieve for her mother and her family. we will honor it by continuing her public her activism, and the work she

believed in as we fight for ohioans with her tenacity and dedication. today our thoughts are with her family, her friends, those who knew and love pam, my staff, all who had the privilege of working alongside, all who had the privilege of benefiting from her work and that was a huge number of people. ice will be forever grateful for our time with pam. i'm grateful for my years of time with pam on and off in her different roles. we were thrilled to have her as a member of our staff. mr. president, may she rest in peace. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stand >> and the senate recessing forr the weekly party caucus meetings returning at 2:15 p.m. eastern. ected can you work on government funding legislation with a first shutdown deadline coming this

friday. watch live coverage of the senate when lawmakers return here on . >> this week watch c-span's campaign 2024 coverage as we are on the ground in new hampshire with the presidential campaigns. watch voters meet the candidates and experience what it's like on the campaign trail. watch on the out our free mobilp or online at c-span.org/campaign2024. c-span, your unfte. >> it has been three years since the january 6th events at the u.s. capitol occurred. since that time close to 300 individuals have been charged with the crime but u.s. justice department pick because of the

sixth amendment to the u.s. constitution and subsequent supremç court decisions, defendants have right to an attorney, and when necessary, paid for by the taxpayers. one of those defense attorneys involved in the january 6th trials in the united states district court of the district of columbia. she is a graduate of drake law school in des moines, iowa,. >> defense attorneyest on this epise of booknotes+. booknotes+ is available on the c-span now free mobile app or where you get your podcasts.■l >> c-span as your unfiltered view of government. we are offended by this television companies and >> at media, we believe whether you live here or right here, or way out in the middle of anywhere, you sulhy we're leadiy to take you to 10g