♪♪ >> friday night, watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, a weekly roundup of c-span's campaign coverage providing a one-stop shop to discover where the candidates are travelling across the country and what they're saying to voters. this along with firsthand accounts from political reporters, updated poll numbers, data and campaign acts. watch c-span's 2024 campaign trail, friday night 7 a.m.-- p.m., and wherever you get your podcasts, c-span, unfiltered view of politics. . >> and we take you live to the senate for work on judicial nominations for u.s. district and circuit courts. two votes are scheduled. and senators have yet to come

to an agreement on border security and foreign aid. punch bowl news reports that mitch mcconnell previously an advocate of a deal combining border security and funding for ukraine told a g.o.p. meeting they didn't want to get in the way of presidential candidate donald trump's plan, what that means for the floor is not clear. we'll take you live to the senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. our guest chandler, arizona, will open the senate in prayer.

the guest chaplain: god of heaven, master of the world, graciously exalt the united states senate. give your blessings upon these distinguished individuals, chosen by so many that have entrusted them with the responsibility of legislating for the well-being of their constituents and families. while each of us come from a different background, we stand here united with a shared vision and purpose, with conviction and determination, with love and strength to ensure that each day is better than the day before. as my revered teacher the lubavitcher rebbe said, that though humanity's origin began in a perfect world, human shortcomings led to its failings. yet, it is through human goodness and kindness that we can reveal god in this beautiful world,

his dwelling place on earth with the coming of moshiach. almighty god, may those gathered here be mindful of your presence as they work to enact just laws which are the process is one of the seven noahide laws, aligned with your will, to foster a peaceful and harmonious world. please let us see more peaceful days soon with the safe return of those being held hostage as well as the dedicated men and women of our armed forces battling evil at this time. we bestow upon them wisdom, justice, grace, and empathy. bless our leaders with good health, wisdom, compassion, joy, happiness, enabling them to bring honor to the united states and to your name with the blessings of mankind as they fulfill your divine will. 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 25, 2024. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable raphael g. warnock, a senator from the state of georgia, 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 proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, gretchen s. lund of

indiana to be united states district judge for the northern district judge for the northern

>> and his core mission of the aging committee brings us to today's topic, the topic of assisted living. and that landscape. 20 years since this committee held a hearing on assisted living here but the dramatic growth of the assisted-living industry in recent decades is long past time for congress to re-examine this model and ensure that it is meeting our nation's needs. the best estimates reveal that nearly 1 million americans live in more than 30,000 assisted-living facilities across our nation, that is almost certainly and undercount of that number. assisted-living facility our state regulated residents t support assisted-living offering help with the activities, with activities of daily living like bathing and medication management. they also often provide meaningful engagement and activities for the residents. assisted-living was first

envisioned as a social model for residents who needed lower levels of support. but today people living in assisted-living facilities are older, require more care, and of healthcare needs similar to that of those who reside in a nursing home. and the needs of the assisted-living population changed. as as needs change we need to know that if assisted-living facilities are meeting the needs of those residents or the needs of their families. one major feature here a lot about his cost. assisted-living facilities are widely unaffordable to the average american and their family. recent survey found that 80% of older adults would be unable to afford, unable to afford four years in an assisted-living facility. the average annual cost is $54,000 a year, but the costs

can be substantially higher depending upon the location and the type of care that a resident requires. the more assistance and care resident needs, the more they pay here in some cases residents and their families don't know the total cost until they receive their monthly bill. these substantial costs and often hidden fees make it nearly impossible for older adults and their families to accurately budget for long-term care. now, that's one of the reasons why i'm starting today, i'm asking pennsylvanians and people across the country to share their stories and their bills with us. i want to hear from you about the true cost of assisted living and understand where the families have the information that they need to make difficult

financial and healthcare decisions. i am just going to hold up the website address for those who need it. you can go to aging dot senate.gov/assisted-living bill, all one word, assisted-living bills, to share your stories. i think it's important we we hear from people, hear from people about their own experience as family members comes people who are paying the bill and also expecting the promises that are made when someone becomes a resident of an assisted living facility. it is only hearing a hee stories, only by hearing those experiences can we bring the needed change that i know we all agree has to come. the assisted-living industry is also facing the same workforce crisis that we see across other long-term care settings, even

long-term care. it's also true in the context of childcare and so we of the parts of our health care and care landscape. workers are often struggling to support their own families because workers are paid an average of just $15 an hour nationwide. workers provide a high level of care to support residents growing needs especially residents with dementia. but training requirements and workers report looks great different in each state. as will hear from our witnesses these challenges make it harder for families to find information that they need about assisted-living facilities including how much it will cost, the quality of the services they receive and how safe the family member will be. a recent "washington post" investigation found that since 2015 more than 2000 people have left assisted-living facilities unsupervised, and have been left

unattended outside. tragically, 98, 98 of these 2000 incidents have resulted in the death of the resident. and those are just the cases that have been reported. the findings of the post investigation demonstrates how urgent it is that congress better understand this industry. it's also been significant reporting by the "new york times" and kff in a series written before the end of last year. too well in her understanding i sent letters to three of the largest corporate owners of america's assisted-living facilities. these letters request information about costs, workforce, safety, and availability of information about quality and services in assisted-living facilities. i hope these letters, or i should say the response to the letters, will improve

transparency in the assisted-living industry and help to inform policy solutions to address some of these concerns. as sam's are making difficult decisions about where to age, they deserve to know that the loved ones are safe. i think we can all agree on that. and assisted-living providers making promises they cannot keep is a violation trust. as a continued increase the quality of the continuum of long-term care for older adults, it is time we prioritize efforts to improve the assisted-living care option. if we say we are as a nation, the united states, the greatest country in the world, then we have to have the best, not second, third, the best long-term care in the world. we're not there yet. older adults and people with disabilities who call assisted-living facilities home,

we have to remember this is their home, the residents, where they live, where the families come to see them, if those older adults and people with disabilities are calling those facilities home, they should have quality affordable care. i look for to hearing our witnesses today and i will turn to ranking member braun for his opening statement. >> thank you, chairman casey. in 2050, i think the problem is that now, one in four americans will be 65 years of age or older. with aging population that we know is coming at us, thank goodness we have hearings like this to highlight what you're going to do about it. sometimes the market doesn't do the job. i do want to say that ideally these things are crafted to the

market with probably state leading the way, and i say that for one big reason. i'm on the budget committee. and the biggest thing that challenges this place is how you would add something even further to the list of things you want to do when we are now borrowing $1 trillion every six months instead of annually. and that's just changed over the last five years. we have to be careful. but it still has nothing to do with a problem or issue that is out there. this is about highlighting who can do best and how to get there. chronic workforce shortage, when i travel all 92 counties in indiana, pre-covid, that was that was the number one issue. and it's about double now the number of jobs in my home state, i think it's close to to 130. it was 65,000. and caregivers, large percentage

of them, are, , that assistances given by independent contractor contractors, small business owners. we need to figure out how to enable that, make it easier how you actually have your curriculums in various states and school systems that show the full spectrum of what jobs are out there and where the needs are. so senator kaine and i introduced the jobs act here, which allowed students to use federal pell grants for high-quality, short-term job training programs. that's a good federal program. its increasing the flexibility of how you can use it. senator rosen, collins and i use the train more nurses act which reduce all nursing grant programs to find ways of increasing nursing, pathways happy to hear some things do work well here. that passed i think by unanimous

consent last night in the u.s. senate. so now we've got to get over to the house and do the same thing. federal government should make it easier for people to enter the healthcare workforce for families who take care of their loved ones by making sure that it's energizing people that may be interested in it, and the places they are probably going to be doing the heavy lifting. right now, for instance, the biden administration is doing, saying one thing and actually doing another. it happened to do where i come from the world of small business, independent contractors, retailers, individuals that make their living out of maybe running a small business. the independent contractor rule that is out there which would make that more difficult could eliminate many of the existing caregiver jobs for that reason. so we've got to make sure wanting to do something and then

you're working at a cross purposed through another agency that will make it even more difficult. unlike nursing homes that are regulated by both federal and state agencies, assisted-living facilities are primarily regulated by states. to increase safety and transparency, indiana requires staffing ratios, , dementia training and maintains a website that discloses reports enforcement actions. states and assisted-living facilities are also working to find creative ways to use existing resources to assist seniors. indiana is using a combination of states and federal tools to provide more affordable assisted-living to hoosiers. as a result, indian testing affordability and quality improvement. however, there's always more work to be done here are some of my colleagues may be tempted to call for a shift towards increased federal involvement in regulation. i say be kept. help us get best practices out

there. help us have an environment to get done what it is normally done more effectively, more affordably, at lower levels of government. i believe states are best positioned to meet that growing need. i'm glad we here at the federal level, this is a big microphone, as to highlight the issues. that's what were doing here today. thank you to all the panels for being here, and i'm interested to see what we can come up with. thank you, mr. chairman. >> thank you, ranking member braun. we will next turned her witness introductions. i'm grateful for the time of work that goes into appearance by witnesses. our first witness this morning is ms. patty vessenmeyer from gainesville virginia. our first husband john had dementia and lived and assisted-living facility at the end of his life. he will share some of her and her husband's experiences which, where she support him and assisted-living setting.

patty, where grateful you're here today. thank you. our second when this is dr. jennifer craft morgan, and dr. morgan is from alaska georgia. dr. morgan is a professor and director from the gerontology institute at georgia state university. she stays issues related to long-term care dementia and healthcare workforce. thanks for being with us today, doctor. our third witness is doctor julie simpkins. alternative ranking member braun for that introduction. [inaudible] -- copresident of gardant management solutions. she's been in long-term care arena for nearly 30 years. ms. simpkins focuses on affordable assisted-living and she advocates for both providers and older americans, 80 tutsis was across the country. she leads on several state and

national associations including the indiana healthcare association board of directors and the national center for assisted-living board of directors here thank you for testifying here today. >> thank you, ranking member braun. our fourth and final witness is richard mollot. he is executive director of the long-term care community coalition. this coalition works to provide families with unbiased information about nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other long-term care settings. thanks for being with us today. we'll turn to our first witness, patty vessenmeyer. >> good morning, chairman casey, ranking member braun, and members of the senate special committee on aging. my name is patty vessenmeyer, and thank you for allowing me to share this testimony of my experience with assisted-living for my husband, john whitney, during his journey to the middle

stage of dementia. i will focus on my experiences that i believe are most relevant to your national focus. in 2013 2013 my husband wad with dementia. although this dementia is similar to alzheimer's, it manifests itself a bit differently and it is important that caregivers been formed and trained appropriately to ensure the comfort, safety and security of their patients. some key systems, a a loss of sense of smell, rem sleep behavior disorder which causes individuals to violently act out dreams come often falling out of bed, visual hallucinations, marked fluctuations in attention, alertness, and gas intentional dishes including severe constipation. all of which my husband experienced. loss of memory often occurs much later in this disease process. i took several free courses on caregiving for individual with

dementia including a virtual reality dementia experience which helped me to understand the challenges that people with this disorder face. and most important, why they become fearful and combative. i mentioned this to provide a a basis to my ability to recognize problems with care as i saw lead. mr. mcconnell: the constitution of the united states, the consensus of our nation's fou founders, and the weight of exhaustive historical precedent give the president the clear authority to use military force when american lives and interests are under attack. the commander in chief does not lack authority. rather, he is failing to sufficiently exercise the authority that he has. right now, every day enemies of the united states are engaged in a campaign of brazen aggression

that threatens american servicemembers, our interests, and our allies in the middle east. this campaign is hardly new. year after year, the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism trains, equips, finances, and coordinates efforts to drive america, the great satan, from the middle east and to wipe israel, the little satan, off the map. when president biden took office senate republicans warned him not to go soft on iran. we urged him not to abandon maximum pressure, not to obsess over restoring a failed nuclear deal, and not to ignore iran's

rele relentless, relentless campaign of terror. but the president failed to heed this advice. he ignored the 80-some attacks on u.s. troops over his first two years in office. he failed to recognize the killing of an american in an iran-backed drone attack in syria last march as a wake-up call. ins instead -- instead, his administration slept through glaring indications that iran-backed terror was actually reaching a tipping point. so today, america and our allies face an adversary profoundly undeterred. iran's proxies are responsible for more than 150 lethal attacks and counting, against u.s. pers personnel in iraq and syria,

since october 7. and for persistent strikes against u.s. warships and civilian vessels in the red sea. including just yesterday. we have yet to see signs that the administration understands how to compel iran and its proxies to stop. even with the world's strongest military at the ready, the commander in chief has failed to detef -- to deter iran and its proxies. instead, a fear of escalation has only invited more aggression from tehran to moscow to beijing. for nearly two weeks the president has hesitatingly and inter intermittingly interrupted strikes against low-value houthi

terrorist targets. he's played whack a mole against houses and launch sites, but left the terrorist air defenses and command and control facilities intact. the same is true offense in iraq and syria, where the u.s. response to iran-backed terrorist attacks has been to impose limited damage on proxy storage and training facilities. and yet the administration has refused to impose meaningful costs on tehran itself. on the architects of the entire regional conflict. tehran is happy to fight until the last houthi. hamas or hezbollah terrorist.

it's literally why they use proxies -- they're expendable. until iran feels its own interests and its own irgc officers across the region are threatened, attacks on u.s. forces will continue. now, while the president hesitates to use his constitutional authority, some of our colleagues seem to argue that he shouldn't have this authority to begin with. mr. president, they are profoundly mistaken. exercising the right to defend against the imminent threats to our nation and servicemembers is a central responsibility of the commander in chief. his authority is enshrined in the constitution, and its application dates back more than 200 years. president thomas jefferson was

hardly an enthusiastic proponent of a muscular executive, but his recognition of the threats to core national interests popesed by the barbary pirates in the mediterranean forged consensus around the appropriate roles of the article 1 and article 2 branches in the conduct of war. freedom of navigation has been a core national interest of the united states from the very, very beginning. if we aren't prepared to defend the vital sea lanes on which our economy rests, there's really not much point in having a military. if there's something our colleagues ought to be questioning, it's not our history of our constitution. it's our president's judgment and understanding of deterrence as well as their own. if they oppose u.s. and coalition efforts to defend

freedom of navigation against iran-backed terrorists, our colleagues simply should say so. just last month the senate voted on a resolution to compel the mr. to withdraw -- the president to withdraw u.s. forces from syria, that failed 84-13. i suspect even fewer colleagues would support a resolution to withdraw the navy from the coalition we've built in the red sea. this is no time for 535 commanders in chief dictating battlefield tactics from halfway around the world. congress can and should exercise oversight of military operations through our own robust authorities. we can and must keep a firm grip on the power of the purse, but the president does not need additional authorities to deal with this threat, and i will oppose any effort to tie the

hands of our military commanders or to limit the scope of their ability to go after terrorists who threaten our servicemembers as well as our interests. as general mattis counseled a decade ago in the debate over modifying the 2001au -- the 20001 aumf, we must not ensure our adversary in advance about what we will not do, instead it's time for president biden to reassure america and our allies that he intends to lead with strength. yesterday president biden offered an eerily honest assessment of the state of the union. quote, we're fundamentally changing the economy in this country and everyone's getting a little worried about it.

i don't say this very often, but the president is right about that. the historic inflation brought on by washington democrats' reckless spending sent the prices of everyday essentials from groceries to home heating literally through the roof. and as working families grapple, credit card balances and unpaid balances rows last year. households with less of a cushion are the ones most al. affected by the inflation. the further you go down in income levels or the further you go down in wealth levels, the cumulative impact of inflation has really taken a toll. and if the high prices on fuel and groceries weren't enough, cities are also facing

staggering surges in violent crime. here in washington, homicides, carjackings and robberies surged last year. more people were murdered in our nation's capital last year than in any year since 1997. just last thursday, a 23-year-old was shot and killed while he was walking home from an event at a local church. the young man had moved to washington to spend a year volunteering with at-risk youth in the community. his friends described him as a deeply caring guy who always worked hard to understand what people were saying. now in a city that has lost its grip on law and order, this young man joins a growing list of victims. stable prices and safe streets -- these are two of the most basic responsibilities of

government. from the halls to the white house -- from city halls to the white house, elected democrats are literally failing the american people. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

>> we would take memory care as an example of something top of mine for this committee as well as our residents and family. every staff member receive education and training and dimension related diseases as well as training as a certified dimension petitioner. while elopements are rare with a report to the statement even something as technical as a resident walking out the door in some returning with a staff member. we know they didn't leave our committee. staff address the situation ballista report it. the recent report of resident allotments of ultimately fatal are heartbreaking and my thoughts and prayers go out to loved ones of those residents. i serve in leadership position

in numerous national organizations dedicated to long-term care and a know these ion are similar not indicative of assisted-living experience. the over one majority of families and residents have life-affirming base action faith expressed the provider committed upholding our policies and procedures as well as continuing to learn all we can about dementia care to prevent these incidents. it is critical policies and regular shall protect residents are still supporting the freedom of movement and independence. assisted-living is a critical aspect of a long-term care continuum and dedicated to delivering person-centered care to our nation seniors. when a collaborative comprehensive solutions that ensure our ability as assisted-living community to continue doing what we do best. providing safe quality care to our residents. from expending more for long-term care options to workforce programs to addressing the growing caregivers shortages, these efforts could make a real difference.

we must all work together to ensure current and future assisted living resident is seen, safe and can enjoy the highest quality of life possible. i look for to answering your questions today. >> thank you, ms. simpkins for your testimony will turn to our fourth and final witness, mr. mollot. >> good morning chairman casey, ranking member braun and members of the committee. thank you for inviting me to testify today on this important issue. my name is richard mollot unexcited director of the long-term care community coalition. ltc cc national nonprofit nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving care and quality of life for residents in nursing homes and assisted living. we conduct research on long-term care policies and extent to which the essential care is realized and lives of resident who are typically elderly and free open in addition to conducting analysis of efficacy we educate and engage residents femmes of those work with them so they are aware of the rights and quick to overcome the

challenges the summit for seniors face when you need residential care. our interest and assisted-living is long-standing or we appreciate your commitment to ensuring the problems of assisted-living is realized in the lives of a growing senior population. assisted-living emerged in 1980s as an alternative term nursing homes for seniors who want a need to live in a concrete setting where they can get help with tasks like housekeeping, , meal preparation and access activities and transportation. over the last 40 years three developments have drastically change the nature and character of these with both positive and negative implications. they are in need and frailty of assisted-living residents have dramatically increased. number two, sicily operators have adopted sophisticated and large-scale corporate models including ownership on real estate investment trusts, private equity and other sophisticated private investment structures, at three public payment and government interest in assisted-living as increasing difficulty. facilities care for people who

in many ways have the same needs and vulnerabilities as nursing home residents. assisted-living residence our action folder on average than those in nursing homes. approximately 40-30% of residents have alzheimer's disease are some of the cognitive impairment. over half have hypertension. one-third or more have heart disease or depression. about half are need help dressing and walk into thirds and help with baiting. over 10% with dementia received antipsychotic drugs. unfortunately we as a country fail to keep up with these trends. while some assisted-living can be wonderful places to live and work, too many take in, retain residents for whom they're unable to put safety and dignified living conditions. too many residents and family at risk for financial exportation front. too many senior spams get taken in by promises of cortical memory care and aging place when, in fact, these are more often marketing terms that i could representation specialize in care.

the absence of any federal quality or safety standards coupled with a virtual absence of reliable information on the quality, safety, cost of assisted-living have made assisted-living right for investment sophisticate private enterprises who can shuffle the resources and take profits with little regard for the promises made to seniors and families. these problems occur in every economic level from $50,000 a month for more paid to luxury assisted-living to the 20% of seniors who access assisted-living to public funds like medicaid waivers. it doesn't have to be this way. 40 years ago when nursing homes were in crisis, congress took action. from numerous reports to the growing chorus of local national news reports of the court, disaster quote-unquote elopement and financial shenanigans it is clear that we have reached that point now with assisted-living. we recommend three things. one, establish and implement national standards to promote

quality, safety and integrity in assisted-living. number two, established a national assisted-living database with information and metrics the public needs to evaluate both cost and quality. and three, promote resident and family engagement to ensure assisted-living is truly a home community-based service. as i mentioned earlier assisted-living experiences can range from positive to alarming. posing potential risk and exploitation. i think we can all agree the lives of seniors should not be left to chance, ambiguity and insecurity. thank you again for inviting me to testify today. >> thanks very much for your testimony. i will begin the first round of questions but i want to note for the record, we have senators that are in and out because thursday is a pretty busy here in morning and so we let senators, some here, some will be here and then as questions and then folks will be appearing intermittently throughout the hearing. but we so far i know that

senator rick scott was here and senator blumenthal was here and will be awaiting others after my questions and those of the ranking member here but i wanted to start with you, patty vessenmeyer, about your own experience and want to start by saying how much i appreciate, i know the committee appreciate your willingness to share a personal story that happens in hearings like this on a pretty regular base when individual comes forward and talks about the own experience or that of their family. and from a distance of my seem easy but i but i can't imw difficult it is to recount difficult painful moments, and doing it in the interests of course of helping others. so we are grateful for your willingness to do that. and telling your story is a very important part of the work we're trying to do together. i know that your husband was in an assisted living facility and

you were as you indicated paying privately for those services to make sure that he would get the care he needed for dementia and i know i've heard from my own constituents back home, similar stories, for example, angela who is a constituent of mine from johnstown, pennsylvania, out in the southwestern region of our state, she wrote to me and said that her father was in one facility that charged $7200 a month. i know that's not the average, it's very high him that works out to about 90,000 90,0a year. and angela shared and according her here, quote there was always a sense that no one cared for the residents beyond their monthly payments, unquote. that's one experience and that's one persons personal experience.

but ms. vesenmeyer, i wanted to ask based upon your experience with your husband, did the facilities he lived didn't deliver on the care that they promised to provide? >> thank you, senator. thank you for appreciating me coming us consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, there are few things more important to a nation's economy than its infrastructure. most americans rely on public transport to get from point a to point b. passenger rail plays an important role in that responsibility. that's why i'm pleased that illinoisans had a voice in one of the largist rail networks in the country -- amtrak. something many people don't realize is that despite being a for-profit company, amtrak is a government entity. because of this, with the advice and consent of the senate, the president has the power to appoint members to amtrak's

board. just this week we took action in the senate. on tuesday, the senate voted to confirm the mayor of normal, illinois, chris koos, to serve on the amtrak board of directors, one of only eight individuals appointed by the president at any one time to serve in such a role. chris will take the post when former mccomb, illinois, mayor tom carper departs. when chris takes the baton from tom, he'll be taking it from a giant in the history of amtrak. tom carper, same name as our colleague from delaware, is the longest-serving board member in amtrak history. that is an amazing accomplishment and shows great personal sacrifice on his part to be part of this public responsibility. first nominee to the board of directors in 2007 under president bush, tom carper joined the board in 2008. was elected at board chairman from 2009 until his term

officially expired in 2013. tom was then reappointed in 2013 under president obama and he served under four different presidents on the board of directors of amtrak. during his tenure on the board, tom championed issues important to amtrak passengers across the nation. he prioritized ensuring service to underserved communities, benefiting local economies and improving safety and cybersecurity. while serving as chairman, top carper took on critical responsibility coordinating the board and ceo, making sure that amtrak was responsibility -- pardon me -- responsive to the needs of its customers, the american public. throughout his life, tom took on many positions to show the kind of leader he really is. he was a small business owner from macomb, illinois serving as the town's mayor for over ten years and then as director of the regional economic development plan. from these positions tom gleaned firsthand knowledge about economic development in the

midwest, knowledge he brought with him to amtrak. prior to that, tom served our nation in the united states army in both thailand and vietnam. tom had an acute understanding of how passenger rails service could improve lives, and he used that knowledge to modernize our transportation system. tom is a great leader and even better person. in his role he faithfully honored his central illinois roots and showed what midwestern work ethic really looks like. i want to thank tom carper for his years of dedicated service to america's rail infrastructure. every american who uses amtrak owes tom carper a debt of gratitude. i wish tom the best of luck in the next well earned chapter of his life. lucky for illinois and our nation, our representation on amtrak's board will continue with the mayor of illinois, chris koos. a committed leader, chris has the longest running term of any

mayor in his city's history. it's only right he will be replacing tom's record breaking tenure on the amtrak board. chris' confirmation has been long-awaited. he was first nominated in 2020, for years later at my recommendation, president biden renominated chris to the amtrak board of directors. after more than three and a half years, finally, finally he was confirmed. through no fault of his own he was caught up in some -- how should i say -- strategic planning in the future of the amtrak board. but he finally got the job. the midwest will be well represented with chris koos on the amtrak board. he's been a powerful voice in illinois transportation sector for years. and he has an eminent understanding of the importance of passengers rail to communities in illinois, the midwest and across the country. similar to tom, chris is a small businessman from a mid-size community. he owns a business where he sells running shoes and

bicycles. from movement on food to rail, chris has a passion for supporting people on the go. that passion will allow him to tackle the challenge of serving on amtrak's board with grace, creativity, and intelligence. chris will be a great asset when it comes to the future of a amtrak. i'm honored to call him a friend and i congratulate him on this sxooiting journey ahead. leaders like chris koos make my feel honored to represent the great state of illinois. mr. president, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

>> and so that's what we were founded for. that's our business model was to say there's an unmet need to have come to. we work with states that have the programs in place along with rate reimbursement that makes sense.

>> so ms. vesenmeyer, he would not have qualified for any low income opportunities then, is that what kept you in that, what seems to be outrageous in terms of the cost promote? >> that's correct because even though we were both retired,, they look at all of your savings. and if you have a decent ihra out there, that counts. >> so it begs the question then, is the low income stratum across the country being served adequately? that almost seem to be surprising to me if that were the case. but what were seeing on the other side, then it's a question that just wouldn't be many families that could afford it. i don't know what the criteria for the cutoff is. can you film in a little bit? sounds like in indiana especially if there are other options to choose from of then your organization, that the load maybe middle income strata are

being served well? is at a fair statement out? >> that's a fair statement, ranking member braun. >> and do you think that is the case across the country as well as you know? because you serve on some boards i think you have that information. >> it's not across the country. so naturally there needs to be programs in each state to provide access to affordable assisted-living that are not all there yet. >> generally, that's at least a little bit surprising is folks at the other end of the spectrum, the low and middle especially low that don't get adequate services. i think that's something you need to get those practices spread out to where we at least can get that in most other states and then you have to tackle something like this. i don't know how well you would have to be to afford that easily for for a long time. somethings got to give there. i will rest with that went up

and we will have another round of questions if we do. >> thank you, ranking member braun. return next to senator kelly. >> thank you, mr. chairman, thanks to all our witnesses for being here today. mr. mollot, the arizona republic, the paper of record in my state, published a series of investigative reports last year about the state of long-term care facilities in arizona. and these journalists spent more than a year on this investigation. they reviewed police reports. they reviewed footage in some facilities. they analyze regulatory reports from the state, and the indigent families and experts. and what they found was i think it's fair to say horrifying. they reported graphic stories of a resident dying after being attacked by a roommate who had not received her medication in time. another report of

assisted-living resident being sexually assaulted by another resident. an incidence of violence among residents that often are not reported because the art required to be reported under state law -- they are not -- a highlighted the failure of state agencies to investigate these cases in a coherent, transparent way that would allow families looking for a safe place for the loved one to know what really goes on in these facilities. and i think a lot of us knew there were issues in the system. we knew that. but but i don't think we kneww bad it was. since these articles were published, arizona's governor has put together a strong legislative package to standardize inspections, promote transparency for residents and their families, and empower our adult protective services to investigate appropriately. and the state legislature is looking at proposals.

so, mr. mollot, are these the type of steps that can help tackle these issues? >> i believe so. of course the details matter. these are very nuanced issues about caring for people with dementia, ensuring that things are reported appropriately, that there's good oversight. as much as possible we would help that estate would be looking to implement policies and practices that present bad thing some happening as well is of course ensuring that when they do happen that they are rectified and reported consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president. if there's anything that keeps my democrat colleagues up at night, i'm pretty sure it's the specter of some aspect of society not being regulated by the federal government. how else to explain democrats'

tendency to propose heavy-handed government solutions to address nonexistent problems? and there's no better example of a heavy-handed government solution to a nonexistent problem than the biden's federal communication commission's recent push to impose burdensome net neutrality regulations. so what is net neutrality, mr. president? at its core it's the idea that internet service providers shouldn't prioritize or block certain internet traffic at the expense of other traffic. understood in that way, it's a concept that has strong bipartisan support. but that's not what we're talking about with the biden fcc's proposal. the biden fcc wants to use the idea of net neutrality as a cover to assert broad new government powers over the internet using rules that were designed for telephone monopolies back during the great depression. mr. president, the net neutrality regime, the biden fcc

is contemplating was actualley put in place once before. during the obama administration. and the results were predictable. the obama fcc's measure opened the door to a whole host of new government regulations, including price regulations. and broadband investment declined as a result. that was a problem for americans generally who benefit when the united states is at the forefront of internet growth and expansion. and it was particularly bad news for americans in rural states like south dakota. getting broadband to rule commune -- rural communities is already more challenging than installing broadband in cities and suburbs and the possibility of heavier regulations act as a further disincentive to expanding that access. fast forward to 2017. the fcc under chairman pai voted

to repeal the heavy-handed net neutrality regulations passed by the obama fcc, a prospect that was greeted with absolute hysteria from democrats. we were told that the internet as we know it would disappear. the providers would slow speeds to a crawl. if you can believe this, that our freedom of speech was threatened, well, mr. president, i don't think i need to tell anyone that none of that came to pass. as anyone who has opinion on the internet lately knows, the internet has not just survived but thrived. innovation has flourished. competition has increased. the internet remains a vehicle for free and open discourse. and internet speeds have not only not slowed down, they've gotten faster and faster,

despite the explosive growth in internet usage during the pandemic american networks had no problem keeping up with demand. delivering the reliable service that americans have come to expect. let's contrast that with europe, where internet regulation is much more heavy-handed. europe struggled to deal with increased internet usage. in fact, european service providers slowed internet speeds to maintain connectivity. united states is now a leader in adopting next-generation telecommunication services like 5g and advanced wi-fi while europe struggles to keep pace. so mr. president, as i said, the biden fcc's net neutrality proposal is a solution, and i would -- a heavy-handed, government solution, in search of a problem.

it's likely to create problems where none currently exist. given the biden administration's demonstrated willingness to use its regulatory power to advance its far-left economic and social agendas, it is not hard to imagine the biden administration using its new net neutrality powers to shape americans' internet experience for its own ends. the fcc's net neutrality proposal could hasten the demise of the free and open internet it's allegedly, allegedly supported to protect. now, on the practical side, as fcc commissioner carr, a republican appointee who owe popeses this proposal, has pointed out, there's also good reason it fear this could drive up americans' internet costs and open the door to new taxes and fees on americans' internet bills.

of course, mr. president, as i said, last time heavy-handed net neutrality regulations were put in place, broadband investment declined in response. there's good reason to believe that the same thing would happen this time. the united states could quickly lose its place as a leader in internet technology, and americans could lose out on the benefits of living in a country that's at the forefront of internet innovation. mr. president, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, i have to emphasize again just how much the biden fcc's proposal is a solution in search of a problem. there is absolutely no reason, no reason for heavy handed government interference in a free, open, and thriving sector of our economy, and there is

every reason to oppose a proposal that would not only threaten to raise prices and decrease innovation, but would give the federal government and the biden administration a dangerous amount of control over americans' internet experience. mr. president, i have a letter with more than 40 colleagues calling for the biden fcc to abandon this just incredibly ill-advised proposal, and i will continue to urge my colleagues of both parties to oppose this alarming measure, because if the biden fcc has its way we may soon find ourselves dealing with the very opposite of net neut neutrality. mr. president, i yield 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. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. cornyn: i'd ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. cornyn: mr. president, earlier this week the american people received the tragic news that two navy seals died during a nighttime raid near somalia. now, somalia is a world away from here but what happens in that region has a direct impact on us here at home because one of these navy seals was from the great state of texas. these men and their brave comrades were seizing a vessel that was carrying iranian-made arms intended for houthi rebels in yemen. now, i know after 9/11 there was a famous country western song, i think where were you when the world stopped turning. one of the reasons was i don't know the difference between iraq and iran. well, the truth is the american people have had to learn a lot about world geography, and unfort

unfortunately, because things that happen far away from our shores have a direct impact on us and on the potential for regional war, or worse, to break out. the houthis, as some may know, are a terrorist group. they occupy yemen which is south of saudi arabia and right next to oman. you may have to get out your map to place it. but this is a terrorist group that's been engaged in a civil war in yemen for many years now and has attacked saudi arabia and has been subject to retaliation by saudi arabia and the emiraties for some time now. unfortunately, they've proven to be enormously resilient. they have a disturbing ideology. they're known for their saying, god is great, death to america,

death to israel, curse on the jews, victory for islam. that's their motto. there's no mystery about their intentions. in the wake of the invasion by hamas on israel on october 7, the houthis have escalated their attacks in the region. again, supplied by iran, with weapons that they've used not only to attack saudi arabia but also to try to attack israel and american forces in the region. they've launched dozen of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships, traveling through the red sea and bound for the sue suez canal. this is an area of the world where international commerce is so important. goods that flow between the red sea and the suze canal -- suez

canal do everything from provide us with the commodities that make our life better to provide the energy necessary for countries around the world. the u.s. central command described these attacks as a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security. the houthis only have the resources to carry out these attacks because of the support they've received from iran. like hamas, another iran proxy, the houthis and other terrorist groups in the region are armed, trained, and funded by iran. on the evening of january 11, a heroic group of navy seals seized a vessel carrying ballistic missiles and cruise missile components destined for houthi forces. they prevented the houthis from receiving even more weapons that can be used to target u.s. forces or commercial ships in the region.

now, you can imagine that boarding an enemy vessel is a dangerous and difficult mission, but doing so in the dead of night, in rough seas while loaded with heavy commitment, is even more perilous. while boarding the ship, special warfare operator second class nathan gage inram, a texan -- na nathan gage ingram felled into the sea. special warfare operator second class first class christopher chambers tried to save him. fel unfortunately, we're in a special operations, covering 27,000 square miles over 10 days. sadly, their bodies were never reco recovered. these men represent the very best of our country. they exemplify the courage and

selflessness that generations of american servicemembers have embodied. our hearts go out to the families of these brave that i have seals who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. this is a reminder of the immense risks our servicemembers face every single day. they sacrifice time away from their loved ones and place that i have lives on the line to keep our country safe. given the chaos unfolding around the world, which seems to be getting worse and worse, the threats they face continue to grow. as we all know, in recent months the tensions in the middle east have escalated dramatically. as i mentioned, hamas carried out an attack on israel on october 7. in israel they call this their 9/11, like the attack on september 11, 2001, that killed

3,000 americans. the houthis are disrupting global commerce and freedom of navigation. iran-supported proxies in iraq and syria are attacking u.s. forces. and hezbollah in lebanon is launching constant attacks on northern israel. terrorist threats are intensifying throughout the middle east, and the common thread uniting all of these attacks is iran. iran is the head of the octopus and its tentacles of terror extend throughout the region. there's hamas in gaza, the houthis in yemen, hezbollah in lebanon, the palestinian islamic jihad in gaza and west bank, and shiite militias in syria and iraq. iran provides its terrorist proxies with funding, weapons, and training to enable the times of attacks we've seen in recent weeks. this chaos threatens to

destabilize the middle east even further, and possibly start a much wider conflict. given the growing tensions in the middle east, one of america's top priorities must be to reestablish deterrence. iran needs to pay a price for using its proxies to attack the united states and united states interests. it's absolutely vital to the future of israel. iran is a country driven by a dangerous ideology that calls for the destruction of israel, and it will bleed the iranian people dry in order to sustain that fight. but as we know, iran's ambitions do not end with israel. the supreme leader, once labeled the united states as iran's number one enemy. until recently, iran felt intense pressure from the united

states. is the trump administration withdrew from the iran nuclear deal and placed sanctions on hundreds of businesses and individuals who helped finance iran's illicit activities. it also brokered the historic abraham accords, which served as a mainly blow -- as a major blow to iran, as like minded nations in the region normalized their relationship in order to counter their common adversary, iran. the maximum pressure strategy dissolved as soon as president biden took office. seems to be the guiding philosophy of president biden -- if president trump did it, president biden will undo it. that's what happened here. less than a month into his presidency, president biden made the foolish decision to remove the government designation of the houthis as a terrorist g group. given the brazen attacks that i've mentioned, president biden

has now reversed that decision last week, but only partially. the president has only redesignated the houthis as a, quote, specially designated global terrorist. he also failed to reclassify them as a foreign terrorist organization, as they were before president biden took office. the truth is, mr. president, i doubt this will have any impact on the houthis. unfortunately, it's one of many examples where president biden's weakness toward iran has not provided greater peace and stab stability, but more dangerous circumstances. it actually has emboldened our adversaries. president biden has made no secret of his intent to revive the deal. while iran continues to own rich uranium. if iran gets a nuclear weapon, saudi arabia won't be far behind, and other countries in

the region will try to figure out how they can defend themselves against the number-one state sponsor of terrorism that now instead of just missiles and drones has a nuclear weapon. you can imagine what might come from that set of circumstances, and it's frightening. then the administration has loosened sanctions on iran's oil sales. iran's economy, not surprisingly, has rebounded. china, that imports about 70% of their energy needs, is now -- has now entered into a strategic partnership with iran because they need the oil that iran produces, along with the oil and gas produced by the russian federation. of course, we all know president biden carried out the disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan without even consulting our friends and allies, which

created a power vacuum in the region that's now being filled by, you guessed it, iran. the administration unfroze billions of dollars in iranian assets, giving tehran even more money to pour into its terrorist proxies. it failed to take quick and decisive action to respond to iran's attacks on u.s. forces in syria. in other words, it's not enough for us or israel to attack proxies; we need to go after the head of the octopus, not the tentacles. and president biden has consistently projected weakness when it comes to iran. they don't -- they understand weakness, but they also understand strength. this administration is steadily -- has steadily loosened the pressure valve and now we're seeing the consequences with an emboldened iran.

appeasement, mr. president, is not a viable strategy. never has been, never will be. particularly when these countries understand nothing but strength. if they experience mush, it is in fact an incentive or provocation for them to keep doing what they're doing. president biden should have known from the beginning. he served in the senate as the chairman of the foreign relations committee for many, many years. he's worldly wise, but he seems incredibly naive when it comes to what it takes to deter terrorist -- state sponsors of terrorism like iran. the only way to counter the growing threat is by reestablishing deterrence, and that can only be achieved by strong and decisive leadership and reciprocal counter-strikes, not on the proxies alone, but on

the head of the octopus. sadly, president biden has spent the last three years projecting this image of weakness and uncertainty. given the chaos that iran has unleashed in the middle east, it is time for a swift change in strategy. president biden needs to work with republicans and democrats in congress to confront threats from iran and reestablish the credible deterrence in the middle east. iran needs to understand that attacks against the united states and our allies will not be met with kid gloves. until that happens, iran and its proxies will continue to escalate their attacks and threaten the possibility of even a wider war. mr. president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. barrasso. -- mr. bennet. the clerk: ms. baldwin.

these are serious problems going on but we hear so much less about what's going on in facilities that we do and other facilities like nursing homes so why do you think assisted living facilities receive less attention then a nursing home? >> if i may, in the 70s and 80s we have tremendous and it leads us to take action and we hear more and more of these

stories 1999 and what you mentioned, washington post times records senator casey mentioned local news reporting from around the country over and over these issues are coming up and it's time. >> buddy and standards from a oversight but assisted living facilities are governed by patchwork of state laws about info federal oversight and that means no national standard assisted living facilities are expected to make. that is particularly worrisome because real estate investment firms have gone on a buying. we know how their model works, private equity comes in the asset cut off and send quality of care down the tube so your

organization has looked carefully at the data you've heard from the residents of these facilities. when equity comes to the facility and slashes jobs, what impact does that have on residents? >> the most important component of care especially nursing homes and assisted living so that could be devastating but unfortunately we don't have a lot of data. we have some on senior care in general and nursing homes and other care settings, we know one private equity comes in they often tell. >> more people were suffer when private equity. the biden administration should require additional reporting and that is the priority from the

2018 report. making progress on implementing this recommendation finalizing it quickly. congress must look at ways to improve accountability, transparency and quality of care and assisted living facility so i want to say thank you for holding the steering and thank you for wanting to do this. >> thank you senator fetterman. >> thank you, mr. chairman. the upstanding question.

your website states your company's operating margins are consistently among the top in the country. i understand your company manages $700 million loan from housing tax credit programs. a majority of your residence through medicaid. so is it fair to say your company is liable because of government subsidies? >> it is viable for a few reasons. one is because we do have investors and we are grateful to invest in affordable assisted living. would not be providing total 6000 seniors today.

you look at affordable housing because of investors and practitioner training and reimbursements and a look into the different workforce opportunities. it is focus on quality outcome focused on my actions and what you will see on our website, we are redoing our website because we are ready start posting quality outcomes and results that should probably be in march. >> of course we would be grateful. also, i am glad there are

investors but i think it's safe to say that the government is also important, to. >> we need both. >> is not a criticism, we just need to establish that. given the government's undeniable role in your operations, why do you believe a company should not be able to use all dollars to make a profie of course earning a profit but as the second profit medially at the same time federal care standard. >> thank you for the question. . the presiding officer: the senator from california. mr. padilla: i ask that i be able to complete my remarks before the beginning of the vote. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. padilla: mr. president, today -- today, colleagues, we will have the opportunity to advance the nomination of kirk sheriff, president biden's nominee to serve on the united states district court for the eastern district of california and in doing so we'll have the chaens to confirm a well-qualified nominee and public servant to fill a vacancy on one of the busiest and most understaffed district courts in the federal judiciary. now, i rise to share a little bit more about what makes him so qualified to serve. mr. sherriff grew up in the sacramento region within the district. he was raised for several periods of time by a single mother who worked hard to support her family, an experience that profoundly shaped his appreciation for the opportunities made available in the united states of america. mr. sherriff went on to earn his

undergraduate degree from columbia and his law degree from harvard. he began his legal career working on an associate of white and case focus on arbitration and civil litigation. he also clerked on the new jersey supreme court for chief justice deborah ports. before long, he returned to california. he came home to work in the district that would come to define his career. mr. sherriff joined the civil division of the united states attorney's office for the eastern district of california. he spent five years litigating forest fires, civil fraud, and tort cases before moving on to the criminal division. he worked his way up to serve as chief of the fresno and bakersfield offices of the u.s. attorney's office for the

eastern district where he oversaw four fresno unit chiefs, 20 attorneys and the prosecution of crimes throughout the southern half of the district. now in the course of his career, mr. sherriff has developed a reputation in the fresno legal community for being fair, for being sharp and incredibly hard working, all characteristics in high demand at a court with an extraordinarily heavy caseload. but in addition to that, mr. sherriff possesses a deep personal understanding of the needs of the many racially diverse and historically disadvantaged communities throughout the central valley because for the last two decades he's been there serving the eastern district and engaging in community outreach. colleagues, by confirming mr. sherriff's nomination, we'll be

confirming a nominee with a wealth of legal experience, with a fundamental understanding and respect for human dignity and with deep roots in the community he serves and will continue to serve. and we'll be filling a vacancy in one of the busiest courts in the country. i urge all my colleagues to join me in advancing and supporting mr. sherriff's confirmation. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. the senator from california. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. 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.

the clerk: 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. the clerk: mrs. gillibrand.

mr. grassley. mr. hassan. mr. hawley. 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. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds.

the clerk: 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.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- butler, capito, cardin, crapo, durbin, fetterman, gillibrand, hickenlooper, king, markey, mullin, murphy, padilla, reed, rounds, sinema, stabenow, whitehouse. no senator voted in the ne negneg negative einsatzgruppeneinsatzgruppen. . plan vote:

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye.

the clerk: mr. welch, aye. mr. boozman, aye.

the clerk: mr. budd, aye. the clerk: mr. paul, aye.

the clerk: mr. young, aye. the clerk: mr. tuberville, no. mr. schatz, aye. mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye. mr. tester, aye. mr. thune, aye. mrs. murray, aye. mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: mr. johnson, aye. mrs. blackburn, aye. m ms. warren, aye. mr. hagerty, aye.

the clerk: mr. warner, aye. mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: ms. collins, aye.

the clerk: mr. tillis, aye. mrs. shaheen, aye. ms. rosen, aye.

vote: the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye. mr. wicker, aye. mr. peters, aye. mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. ernst, aye. mr. bennet, aye. the clerk: mr. risch, aye. mr. lee, aye. mrs. britt, no.

mr. cramer, aye. mr. coons, aye. the clerk: mr. daines, aye.

the clerk: mr. m{l1}c{l0}connell, aye. the clerk: mr. mcconnell, aye. the clerk: mr. braun, aye. mr. graham, aye. ■k

the clerk: mr. wyden, aye. the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. mr. merkley, aye.

mr. ricketts, aye. mr. grassley, aye.

the clerk: mr. moran, aye. mr. scott of florida, no. mr. scott of south carolina, aye. mr. cotton, aye.

the clerk: mr. sanders, aye. mrs. hyde-smith, aye.

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye. mr. schumer, aye. the clerk: mr. vance, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, aye. the clerk: mr. carper, aye.

the clerk: ms. lummis, aye.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, aye. mr. warnock, aye.

. vote:

the clerk: mr. hawley, no. mr. ossoff, aye. ms. cortez-masto, aye. ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, aye.

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. romney, aye. mr. rubio, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, aye.

the clerk: mr. menendez, aye.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

the clerk: on this vote, the yeas are 87 it the nays are 6, and this nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to consider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. 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 move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 471, kirk edward sherriff, of california, to be united states district judge for the eastern district of california, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that the debate on the nomination of kirk edward sherriff, of california, to be the united states district judge for the eastern district of california, 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. 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.

the clerk: 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.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- bennet, cantwell, coons, graham, heinrich, kaine, manchin, dez, ossoff -- mr. menendez: ossoff, peters, sinema, warner, and wyden. senators voting in the negative -- cornyn, cramer, grassley, hoeven, lankford, lee, moran, sullivan, and thune. the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye. the clerk: mr. hagerty, no.

mr. wicker, no. the clerk: mrs. fischer, no.

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

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no. mr. romney, no. mr. crapo, no.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye. ms. stabenow, aye.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no. mr. reed, aye. mr. tester, aye.test.

vote: the clerk: mr. daines, no.

the clerk: mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. paul, no. ms. collins, aye. mr. tillis, no. the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. boozman, no.

the clerk: ms. butler, aye. ms. hassan, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: mrs. murray, aye.

ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.o the clerk: mr. kelly, aye. ■

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

mr. cotton, no. mr. padilla, aye. ms. warren, aye. mr. johnson, no.

the clerk: ms. cortez masto, aye. mr. king, aye. mr. cardin, aye.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, no. .

. the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, no.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

the clerk: mr. braun, no. mr. welch, aye. ms. ernst, no. no.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no.■ the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

mr. scott of south carolina, no. mrs. capito, no.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no. mrs. gillibr a ms. rosen, aye. mr. schatz, aye. mr. rounds, no.

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

the clerk: mr. young, no.#4

the clerk: mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye. mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. casey, aye. vote:

the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: mr. vance, no.

the clerk: mr.hawley, no. the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye.b

christ. vote:

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 51, the nays are 2, and the -- 42, and the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, kirk edward sherriff, to be district judge for the eastern judge for california. the presiding officer: the senate will resume consideration of the kolar nomination. the clerk: joshua paul kolar, of indiana, to be united states district judge for the ninth

circuit the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to lvpg session. the presiding officer: the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 311. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, karoline mehalchick, of pennsylvania, to be district judge. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, 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 calendar number 311, mooch mooch, of pennsylvania, to be district judge for the district of pennsylvania.

mr. schumer: i ask that 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 in favor say aye. opposed, no. e it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 142. the presiding officer: those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, environmental protection agency, joseph goffman, of pennsylvania, to be assistant administrator. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. e 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 142, joseph goffman, of pennsylvania, to be assistant administrator of the environmental protection agency.

mr. schumer: i ask that the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, january 5 -- january 25, be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina.

a senator: mr. president, it has been 111 days since hamas abducted innocent men and women from their homes and took them into gaza. the hostages are deprived of food, water, and medical care. they're subjected to unbearable violence, sexual abuse and terr we know that six of the remaining hostages are americans. mr. budd: one is a native of my home state,na, keith siegal, two of the americans, are critically injured. each and every one of them must be released and all levels of our government remain united in working to get them home. what hamas has done is nothing but evil. in the battle of the forces of good and evil, the united states must not only lead the forces of

good, but we need to know who stands with us and who does not. qatar hosts hamas leaders in that capital of doha. they say it is necessary, so they say, so their country can be the conduit to negotiate a successful resolution to the crisis. in fact, subsequent u.s. administrations have endorsed this arrangement, but after 111 days, the american people are asking, what is taking to long? qatar is hosting a brutal terrorist organization with american blood on their hostage captivity. one has to consider the potential reality that qatar might not have the leverage they're so quick to boast about. if they are not able to effectuate the release of the hostages, there is no further

reason for these e terrorists to -- these terrorists to remain in their country. this is personal. i met with the families of the hostages and keith siegal's wife eva, i look at their photos every day on my desk, every day that these families have to live with the pain and uncertainty is unacceptable. to the qataris, i say this, time is up. either press the hamas lears to release the hostages now or expel them from your land. it's that simple. the united states of america will be watching. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. budd: mr. president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call: the er

the presiding officer: the senator from new york. we're in a quorum call. mrs. gillibrand: i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. gillibrand: thank you. mr. president it has now been more than 100 days since scores of innocent people were kidnapped by hamas. more than 2500 hours of fear, starvation, and torture. of parents, grandparents, teenagers, children, suffering some of the most unimaginable horrors and wondering if they will ever see their loved ones again. this is my ninth time coming to the senate floor to tell their stories, to express their pain. but for every day that i have come here, for every hour, for every minute, the hostages and their families have lived

eternities. last week, i met the mother of a woman, a 19-year-old daughter, named daniela. she was kidnapped. she showed me the before and after pictures of her daughter. on the morning of october 7, daniela's more -- mother woke up to the texted her daughter to a her what was happening. her daughter responded, pray th of shooting and bombs. the last anyone heard from her was 7:45 a.m. she says that her daughter was injured in the leg and taken into gaza after she saw 16 of her friends slaughtered.

she was wearing a pale pink mickey mouse pajama bottoms and is seen in a video with other girls, she - they have sheer terror in their eyes. the same hamas shows another teenaged hostage whose parents i met in israel. like daniela, he was be a be ducted -- abducted. she is among the youngest hostages remaining in gaza. the last her family heard from her was:30 in the morning on october 7. her mother thought that she ended up in one of the hospitals but learned she was among those kidnapped. she says but for the families of these hostages, the uncertainty and fear is killing them. her mother ss she cannot breathe because she does not

know if her daughter is breathing. 19-year-old karina ariev, 19-year-old agam berger and 19-year-old naama levy were seen by abductees who were since released. some of the girls were badly injured but weren't receiving proper medical care. when the girls were sad or crying, their captors would sexually abuse them. she relayed the accounts of sexual abuse atigun point on a regular basis. she said the girls told her they would cope with their disabilities but not with the way they were constantly violated. one of the earliest images that we saw during the octoberattack dragged by her hair, her hands tied behind her back, thrown into a truck, bloodstreaming

down her face, streaming down her arms, streaming down her back. her sweat participants -- sweatpants covered in blood. no one deserves this kind of torture. no one should have to endure such unimaginae for one day, no hundred days, not ever. according to her loved ones, daniela is a girl who spreads light wherever she goes. she's a talented musician who writes songs, play, the piano, and dreams of becoming a famous singer. her mom says she pictures daniela walking in the door and coming home. sh parents worldwide to imagine their own children in such peril. liri is an optimist who puts others before herself. she has lots of friends and loves to travel, take pictures of her trips and sing. her family says she's such a strong girl who enjoys exploring

life but that every minute is like an hour without her. 19-year-old karina ariev is a gentle and humble girl. her loved ones say she often has a wide smile and is always ready to help and support those around her. 19-year-old agam -- the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. there is an order for a cloture vote at this time. perhaps the senator can resume her remarks at a later time. mrs. gillibrand: i ask unanimous consent for 60 more seconds to finish my remarks. the presiding officer: any objection? hearing none, without objection, so ordered mrs. gillibrand: 19-year-old karina ariev is a gentle and hum balance girl. her loved ones say she's often with a wide smile and always ready to help those around her. 19-year-old agam berger is a gifted violinist who volunteers

to help disadvantaged populationings. she also enjoys helping others as an optimist and is always smiling. naama levy is soft spoken, athletic girl. is xas nat, understanding and has a passion for helping those in need. as a mom i cannot fathom the anguish that these parents are facing. i know every other senator here cannot fathom the anguish that they are facing. all of us must do everything we can to bring them home. i yield t i ask unanimous consent to put us in a quorum call. the presiding officer: withdraw your motion, please, senator, for a quorum call mrs. gillibrand: i withdraw my motion for a quorum call. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke clo 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 move to

bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 471, kirk edward sherriff of california to be united states district judge for the eastern district of california signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of kolar of indiana to be united states circuit judge for the seventh circuit 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.

the clerk: 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. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson.

mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king.

the clerk: 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. 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.

the clerk: 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.

the clerk: mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

vote: ■

the presiding officer: senators vote -- the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative, blumenthal, booker, braun, brown, butler, casey, cassidy, collins, coons, can cornyn, cortez-masto,

cramer, duckworth, durbin, ernst, gillibrand, graham, hassan, heinrich, hickenlooper, hirono, kaine, kennedy, king, manchin, markey, menendez, merkley, moran, mullin, murkowski, murphy, murray, ossoff, peters, romney, rosen, sanders, schatz, schumer, sinema, tester, thune, tillis, warnock, welch, whitehouse, wyden and young. ms. warren, aye. mr. padilla, aye. senators voting in the blackburn, boozman, britt, budd, cotton, daines, fischer,

hagerty, hyde-smith, johnson, lummis, risch, rubio, schmitt, scott of florida, sullivan, tuberville, vance, and wicker. mrs. shaheen, aye. ms. cantwell, aye. mr. cardin, aye. mr. van hollen, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no. mr. reed, aye. mr. ricketts, no.

mr the clerk: mr. warner, aye.

mr. grassley, aye. mrs. capito, aye.

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye. the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye. the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no. the clerk: mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. carper, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, aye.■ the clerk: mr. paul, no.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no.o

vote: 57■u

the clerk: mr. cruz, no. mr. lankford, no.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 66, the nays are 29, and the motion is agreed to. mr. cardin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: i have three requests fduring today's sessio senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. cardin: thank you, madam president. as the chair of the senate foreign relations committee, i come to the floor to advise our colleagues about the urgency for us to take up and pass the supplemental appropriations bill that contains many important provisions, but i'm going to start with the most urgent, and that is providing assistance to ukraine to defend itself from the brutal attack by the russian

federation. vladimir putin could change the equation in ukraine in a matter of weeks. his tanks could be rolling through ukraine. his forces could be arresting zelenskyy and his cabinet. the russian flag could be flying over ukraine's capital. this could happen in a matter of weeks if the united states does not act. a few days ago i was in the white house for a meeting about this. president biden could not have been clearer. we are out of money to support ukraine in this fight. think about how that sound to the ukrainians fighting on the front lines. one ukranian soldier said the guys are tired, very tired. they're still motivated. many people understand that they have no other choice, but you can't win a war only on

motivation. ukranian soldiers have had to ration artillery shells. one unit had to go from firing as many as 90 shells a day to just 10 to 20 shells a day. mr. putin has made it clear he is investing in a long war. as "the new york times" reported, nearly a third of the country's spending next year, roughly $109 billion will be devoted to national defense, according to a budget he signed into law. russian tv commentators are celebrating our gridlock. as one european ambassador reportedly said, he can hear those champagne bottle corks popping in moscow. president putin knows if congress does not act, he will be able to break ukraine. if he succeeds, he'll be signaling to the world that he can invade his neighbor whenever he wants to, erase the nation of ukraine, and our allies in

europe and the middle east and africa and asia, and we ourselves in the united states will be in greater danger. a group of nato parliamentarians was in washington last week concerned about congress' inability to pass the supplemental funding. as one of my counterparts, the chair of the lithuanian foreign affairs committee, asked who is next? balkans? taiwan? korea? the baltics? it takes years to wake up washington, so, please, guys, wake up. madam president, he's right. we need to wake up. if putin wins in ukraine, he will not stop there. that's why this isn't a choice between sending funding to ukraine or not sending funding to ukraine. the choices between sending american dollars to fight putin now or sending american soldiers to fight him later. if we want to preserve america's

credibility with our allies, it's up to us. if we want to show our partners we'll be there to help when times are tough, it's up to us. if we want to make sure the united states stands on the right side of history, it's up to us. russia is one of our most dangerous adversaries and an enemy of democracy everywhere. this is money that will strengthen united states security. ukraine needs money for air defenses, money for drones, money for arming the praf ukrainians on the -- the brave ukrainians on the front line and of course direct budgetary support and humanitarian assistance. people around the world are depending on the united states for the humanitarian assistance in the supplemental funding request. without money for food, children and mothers from africa to the middle east to eastern europe will go hungry. mr. president, it's up to us. madam president, it's up to us. finally i want to underline that there is strong bipartisan

agreement on the need to support ukraine. madam president, we must not let this be the end of ukraine. we must not give in to russian aggression. we must not stand idly by as this dictator does what he likes to his neighbors. we must vote for the supplemental funding that supports ukranian struggle for freedom. time is running out. we need to act now. with that, madam president, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: clerk ms. -- the clerk: ms. baldwin.

precedence. gives the present clear authority to use military force when american lives and interests are under attack. commander-in-chief does not lack authority. rather, he is failing to sufficiently exercise the authority that he has. right now, every day enemies of

the united states are engaged in a campaign of brazen aggression, threatens american service members, our interests, and our allies in the middle east. this campaign is hardly new. year after year the world's most active state sponsor of terrorism trains, equips, and coordinates efforts to drive america, the great satan, from the middle east, and wipe israel, the little satan, off the map. president biden took office, said republicans warned him not to go soft on iran. we urged him not to abandon maximum pressure, not to obsess over restoring a failed nuclear

deal, and not to ignore iran's relentless, relentless campaign on terror. but the president failed to heed this advice. he ignored the 80 some attacks on u.s. troops over his first two years in office. he failed to recognize the killing of an american in and i ran back ground attack in syria last march as a wake-up call. instead, instead, his administration slept through glittering indications that i ran back to tear was actually reaching the tipping point. so today america and our allies face an adversary profoundly undeterred iran's proxies are responsible for more than 150 illegal attacks, and counting,

against u.s. personnel in iraq and syria since october 7. and persistent strikes against u.s. warships and civilian vessels in the red sea. including just yesterday. we have yet to see signs that the administration understands how to compel iran and its proxies to stop. even with the world's strokes military at the ready, the commander in failed to deter iran and its proxies. instead, escalation has only invited more aggression from tehran to moscow to beijing. for nearly two weeks the president has hesitatingly and

evidently directed strikes against low value houthi terrorist targets. you play whack-a-mole, he's played whack-a-mole against warehouses and launch sites but left the terrorist air defenses and command-and-control facilities intact. the same is true over in iraq and syria where the u.s. response to iran backed terrorist attacks has been to impose limited damage on proxies storage and training facilities. and yet the administration has refused to week because i get to come down to the senate floor and talk about our alaskan of the week. and this is somebody who is doing something great for our local communities, our state, maybe the country, maybe the world. i've been doing this for several

years now, madam president, and it really helps highlight what makes alaska, in my view, the greatest state and the greatest country in the world. i'd like to talk about at the beginning of this speech a little bit about what's going on in alaska. we've seen all the snowstorms across the country this week. trust me, that's just another day in our state. i think by christmas eve this year in anchorage, my hometown, with we had close to 100 inches already of snow. so worry about back home. it's actually a beautiful time of the year. great to get outdoors. i've done some skiing already. people are out snow machining, if you're in the gallery, come out to alaska any time of the year. winter, you can see the northern lights, summer, you will have a great time fishing, hunting. it's an incredible state. we want our fellow americans to

come out. you'll have a fantastic time. now, it's not always the easiest mace to live. it's far from the lower 48 here. the weather can be extreme, can be pretty harsh. as a result, the people in the communities bond, a lot. they have to. they work together, particularly in some of our most remote communities. now, every community, madam president, in alaska, in america needs to be able to share reliable, credible information. local journalism across this great nation of ours is vital. more right issal probably -- more vital in alaska probably than any other state, i would say. it's not talked about enough how vital that local journalism is. we all benefit from all of the local reporters who are working on local stories day in and day out and that certainly is the case in alaska. i believe we should be saluting

these front-line journalists, local journalists for doing this important work a lot more here and what we're trying to do, madam president, is do that today for one of the all-time best, our local reporters in alaska are so important and so what i would like to do today is introduce to the u.s. senate and the american people a great alaskan of the week, maria downy. long-time anchorage journalist, news anchor who now for more than 40 years, madam president, has brought alaska's news directly to our homes and kept us informed about our state, our communities, our country with professionalism, sincerity, kindness, and grace. so let's talk about maria downey, alaskan of the week.

she moved to alaska from florida with her husband ron in 1981. now, madam president, in 1981, a lot was going on in alaska, the transatlantic pipeline, which this body approved, was flowing, we just had the air boil embaembargo -- great for alaska, great for america. we need energy. maria said, boy, 1981, it was a great time to be a reporter because of the boom period is she said that cbs or whatever affiliate would not spare money to send you there. journalism in alaska looks different than the lower 48.

a reporter, for example, may have to take a charter plane hundreds of miles, several hundreds of miles just to reach some of our state's most rural communities. of course they're always faced -- not always, but usually faced with weather challenges. they're getting into the nitty-gritty of small-town politics, you might encounter some hungry wildlife even. but because of these challenges that some of the best reporters arise from alaska. an example, some of the most famous national public reporters have gotten a start in our great state, peter kenyan, elizabeth arden and the great late howard weaver, these were big names in reporting. but, madam president, i digress because the biggest name in my view in journalism is our

alaskan of the week, maria downey. even bigger than some of the names i mentioned. it is this kind of intrepid reporter that makes alaska so special in terms of news broadcast and makes our alaskan of the week so special. maria started, as i mentioned, her journalistic ka rein 19 -- career in 1981 on channel 13 until she moved to channel 2 and then she quickly climbed the reporter ranks, going from coanchoring to full anchor in just six weeks, that is a shooting star as far as journalism. she realized how vital the role local news reporting played in reporting statewide news. quote, when we go to a village in rural alaska, she said, there's people meeting us at the air strip when we get off the plane. so when you're there, you feel

that connection with your fellow alaskans throughout the whole state. while the national media,am president, can get a lot of negative attention, some earned, maybe some not earned, local media, especially in alaska, is often the crucial link to rural communities who need that reporting. for information, who need that information throughout the state, who need that reporting to bring us all together, especially in a state as big as alaska. maa said, quote, it's our community, the whole state, we're invested in it. it would be a disservice to do anything that's not honest and fair to our communities. what a great principle, by the way, madam president. for a journalist. people see that -- i'm continuing quoting maria, that we're out and about, working with them and that this too is our need evidence for how

invested maria truly has been and was in her job, you won't believe this story, in 1986, while on the air live on channel 2, she went into labor. she stayed on the air the whole time. yes, that's a true story. her long-time co-worker, news director john tracy said, quote, she was as cool as would never happening, that she was in labor. i timed her contractions betwee it's amazing. maria closed out her segment in labor by telling her husband on the air, ron, meet me at the hospital. there you go. if that's not dedication to alaska journalism, i don't know what is. so along with her own two

children, alaskans across the state have seen maria as our, quote, tv mom. again, that's the kind of personality that she brings to her josh, the pro -- job, the professionalism and the reason people love her. as the facebook congratulatory posts have come in after she announced hertirement, one post in particular stood out, a child from rural alaska who every night would pray for all of his family members, and then say, god bless maria downey. children across alaska -- think of her -- channel 2 is the biggest station, reaches pretty much the whole state.

so, madam president, as you're probably gathering here, maria is about as close to a local celebrity as you can get and her popularity sf really, really well earned. ■zv her co-workers, some of whom have worked with maria for more than 20 years never fail to describe her as kind, intrepid and good humored. tracy sinclair, but the way, another intrepid journalist and producer herself, who i know well at channel 2, remembers maria bringing her meals when tracy was fighting breast cancer. she'll tell you, and this is a quote from tracy, maria is absolutely the person you see on tv, the best. she could have done more than any other thing -- she could have done many other things for more money, news director john tracy said, but she just loved

what she did. she earned every accolade. and, madam president, the accolades are now pouring in. and maria is eager to pass her rrting expertise -- reporting expertise on to the next generation to alaska's journalists, by the way a true sign of a leader, developing the next generation to take over after you are completing your professional career. so, of course, maria's channel 2's internship koort made iter, she -- coordinator, where she mentored journalists, many of whom continue to work alongside their mentor outside of the news devoted herself to serve the community she reports on. no surprise there. for more than 25 years, maria has led channel 2's muscular

dystrophy labor day telethon raising hundreds of,000s of -- of thousands ofollars every year. she was part of the committee that we call in alaska, click, pick, and give, it's an initiative that allows alaskans easily donate to the charities of their choice when they are applying for their permanent fund dividend. this is a great initiative and maria has been critical to that success. for her journalistic career, maria, as i mentioned, has been rightfully honored with awards throughout the years, throughout the decades, celebrating her exceptional reporting for alaska. she is a silver circle inductee, with the northwest chapter of the national academy of

television and sciences, honoring individuals with 25 years or more in the industry with exceptional contributions to broadcast and the media in the pacific northwest. she has been recognized by alaska's athena's society, by the w -- ywca achievement a awards. when asked how she wants to be remembered from her 40-plus years in journalism, maa said, working to -- maria said, working to make sure her community is a better place is what she focuseddda.l0 on. quote, looking at ways to help, donating time, talent, treasure, the old stewardship motto. hopefully what we've done and what i've done throughout the years has helped to push people towards doing what's right for their community. what a great legacy. what a great legacy.

she's not done. now, she's retiring, but fortunately maria is going to stay in anchorage, that is great news for all of us in alaska. she will spend more time with her husband and two children. even though we won't be seeing her in our homes every night and letting us know what's happening in our community, in our st in our country, we all hopefully will be seeing her around town. i'm sure we will. so on january 26, after 38 years at channel 2, maria will anchor the channel 2 news for the last time. . all alaska cans make sure you tune in. you want to watch one of the greatest newscasters, the whole country should tune in. maria, thank you for your exceptional service to alaska. for being that woman behind the news all these many years. thank you for keeping our

communities connected, people informed about what's going on in alaska, in america, in our communities, and congratulations on maybe one of the biggest awards you have ever received up until this moment, being our alaskan of the week. great job, maria. have a great retirement. i yield the floor. so

writing assistance to ukraine to

defend itself from the brutal attack of russian federation. in a matter of weeks, they could be rolling through ukraine. the russian fly could be flying over ukraine's capital. this could happen in a matter of weeks if the united states does not act. two days ago i was in the white house for meeting about this. president biden could not have been clearer. we are out of money to support ukraine in this fight. think about that sounds to ukraine, fighting on the front lines. ukrainian soldiers said guys are tired, very tired but still motivated. many understand they have no

other choice but you can't win a war only on motivation. ukrainian soldiers had to ration artillery shells from firing as many as 90 a day to ten to 20 a day. mr. putin has made it clear he's investing a long war. nearly a third of the countries $109 million be devoted to national defense. according to budget he signed into law. commentators are celebrating is one european investor said could hear champagne bottles, quirks popping in]j3 moscow. president putin knows congress does not act, he will be able to break ukraine. he succeeds, will segmental the world he conveyed whatever he

wants to and allies in europe and africa and asia we ourselves united states will be in greater danger. a group of nato parliamentarians was in russia last week concerned about ability past. as one of my counterparts, who is next? korea, the baltics? it takes years what is right. we need to wake up wins in ukraine, will not stop between ukraine on uan dollars to fightn now fight him later.

if we want to preserve allies, it's up to us. we want to show partners will be there when times are tough, tough. our most democracy everywhere i think the most attorney. ukraine, army line and assistance around the world are depending on the united states since. without money for food, they will go hungry so it's up to us.

i want to underline strong bipartisan agreement to support ukraine. we must not let this be the end of ukraine, we must not give in to russian aggression, who must not is running out what we need now. i would suggest the absence of a quorum.

a board member on the bulletin and you. the bulletin what is and what is your role. >> it's a group of people, a founded in 1947 not long after world war ii a bunch of nuclear scientists at the time were concerned about what was going to be happening so

they began writing and talking to the control of nuclear weapons. they created the clock impress people so stuck around since 1947 and to enter directly, it's a security board. scientists and many disciplines who come together in the date of the world and make an assessment about what the dangers are. >> what is your role specifically? >> i am a member of the security board like any organization but science and security is charged

with the development. >> let me show the headline from your organization. a moment of historic danger how do you decide 90, 15 minutes? at what time do you get to armageddon ask. >> those are two separate questions and how we decide, the clock has moved back and forth however many times and what we do is collect data and talk with other people and use our own expertise and try to determine whether or not there is cause

for movement, any kind of movement. things have gotten better and thgs gotten worse, needs to move forward. it's not an arbitrary number but we decide whether they are small or large inquiries. 2020 it was 100 seconds. last year was like 90 seconds. your second question about if we exchange nuclear weapons, if the world comes to an end, obviously. that's closer to midnight so is

not a firm answer but clearly we are talking about a serious situation. >> if you would like to join our conversation and asked russians, make comments, you do so. some of the things you look at. a climate change outlook with biological threats and dangers of a.i. the nuclear weapons.

that is what we want to avoid but it has to do with numbers, it has to do with proliferation of technologies. it has to do with countries threatening to use them, vladimir putin and russia and potentially north korea. tens of thousands of nuclear weapons and an awful situation. >> your statement says hannah, russia and the united states are running huge sums to stand or

modernize their nuclear assets. why is the u.s. doing that? >> obviously russia expanding threatening use, china as we know very rapidly has increased the numbers and our building silos all over china. the united states is modernizing the grand base, a lot of news about that. there's obviously a debate and different parties about creation of new weapons and some in the united states want to create a new one.

keeping up with the threat from russia. >> last year putin withdrew from the ratification of the bank nuclear, why is that significant? >> for years now the first time but have had none and to begin testing again implies there is a desire to potentially use them. what they have they are working properly. it's just another indication to move toward nuclear weapons the mega portion of the statement on

leadership and how you, donna. 2024 candidate ability to shoulder the authority should be central concern of the u.s. election and this is especially true given concerns of the end of the previous administration which prompted then determine joint chief of staff mark kelly to take that to ensure that he would be consultant in the event of the nuclear weapon. why did you include that? >> there was real concern as you may remember at the time and a lot of nuclear threats.

the president have talked openly about the weapon.to thank you, president. this week is the anniversary of the roe v. wade decision. because of the currents right wing supreme court's decision almostago, to dismantle reproductive freedom, women in many parts of the united states today have less control over their bodies than they dids ago. 50 years ago. the dobbs decision was the crowning achievement of the hard right's decades-long war on a woman's right to choose. but it wasn't the end. they want to go even further. these very same people are now going state by state, trying to pass extreme laws to all but ban abortion access. and it is working. over half of the women of reproductive age live in states that are hostile to abortion rights. and more than 64,000 women and girls have become pregnant

because of rape in states that have implemented abortion bans after roe was overturned. 64,000 women and girls pregnant in states where abortion access is limited or not available at all. the that they share, about the pain and trauma inflicted by this extremist cru cruelty, break your heart. a ohio, who had one day, one single day, to decide whether or not to keep her child because she was right on the verge of the state's ban at six weeks. or a florida woman who was forced to carry her baby to term, even though doctors found fatal be a normalities in an ultrasound at 23 weeks. and they knew had, at most, a few hours to+k■] live after bir. another woman whose baby would have been born without a skull. without a skull. traveled 1400 miles from baton ruining -- baton rouge to

new york city to get an abortion, because local doctors were afraid they'd lose their license or be thrown in prison for providing abortion services. horrific as these stories are, they haven'ts stopped -- they haven't stopped republicans from trying to destroy every last bit of bodily autonomy and freedom. republicans here in congress are explicit. they're pushing for a national abortion ban. and so, some of the things that you say about what's happening sound like they are partisan talking points, but that's what's happening. they actually do want an abo abortion ban statutory law. the right wing supreme court may well deliver another hammer blow to abortion rights in the coming months if it reverses federal rules governing access to medication abortion. rules that were shaped in part by a federal lawsuit where a hawaii doctor argued, correctly,

that women should be able to access abortion pills, which are safe and effective, when and where they need them. for hawaii and so many other places around the country that rely on telehealth and medication by mail for access to care, this is vital. but they may not last much longer. if there is a glimmer of hope in all of this, it is that a majority of americans reject this extremism on abortion. they see it for what it is, plainly unjust and needlessly cruel. needlessly cruel. they believe in a woman's right to choose, and they support enshrining reproductsive rights -- reproductive rights nationally. we live in a senate democrats will continue to fight until a woman's right to control their own bodies is the lawf the land again. mr. president, i ask consent that these remarks appear in a separate part of the reco. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. schatz: thank you, mr. president. the war in gaza, the war in ukraine, looming threats in the indo-pacific, finding bipartisan consensus about what to do on any one of these issues is very, very hard. to do them all together is extraordinarily difficult. but time is running out, around it is essential that we act. one, because we have a very real security interest in each of these areas. two, our allies and partners are counting on our help as they counter the alarming march of fascism around the globe. it's been almost a month since the last u.s. arms shipment left for ukraine. funding for assistance has run out completely. let me repeat that. this is not something we're arguing about in terms of the facts on the ground. it is a fact that ukraine is slowly but surely running out of

ammu ammunition. ukraine will have to fight for its survival with the weapons supply that is dwindling by the day. putin, on the other hand, is intensifying his ataught with the help of missiles and artillery rounds provided by north korea and iran. that's who ukraine is up against, russia, north korea, and iran. a band of autocrats that have no respect for democracy or even a passing interest in peace. beyond its own survival, ukraine's fight is for the fate of the free world and nothing less. we don't have time to play partisan politics here as putin continues to pummel ukraine day by day. time is running out, and they desperately need help. i understand, people say what is useful to them as an argument to get their legislation through. and so i don't want you to think that this is some sort of overstatement. they're literally running out of ammu

ammunition. if you ask anybody, in a classified session, in a nonclassified session, if you ask any expert, left, right, and center, the determining factor for ukraine's future, and therefore the future of europe and the furp of the free -- future of the free world, is what do we do about the supplemental appropriations bill? they are running out of ammunition, and putin is banking on a war of attrition that ukraine will not be able to win. meanwhile, the war between israel and hamas since hamas' barbaric atacts -- attacks on october 7 continues to devastate millions in the region. hamas still holds 130 hostages captive, including americans, and even a year-old infant. as the u.s. made clear in the immediate aftermath of the hamas attacks, israel has an entirely legitimate right and obligation to defend itself and to rescue

the hostages. it should not be lost on anyone that israel continues to lose scores of young men and women in battle trying to protect their nation in the wake of this unprecedented terror attack. but just as the u.s. has a responsibility to israel as its closest ally, to help defend itself, we also have a responsibility as the leader of the free world to call on israel to wage this war smartly and j justly. to prosecute hamas, not the palestinian people. more than 25,000 palestinians have been killed in the last three months, most of them women and children. this is in no one's interest, strategically or morally. we also have a responsibility to make sure that the humanitarian assistance is allowed to flow to the millions of innocent civilians suffering the horrific conditions under the constant barrage of crossfire. even in the face of heightened passions and justifiable anger,

we have to make a distinction between people and their governments. these are two people suffering agonizing losses, two people who want to live their lives, just like the rest of us, outside of the constant shadow of violence and bloodshed. she want to go to school or teach pat a school or be a garbage collector or bake bread, eat bread, drink coffee, make coffee, fix roads, drive on a road -- everybody has basic human needs. everybody has basic human needs. the idea that we can't see beyond our geopolitical disagreements to understand this is causing immense suffering for everyone is one of our fundamental challenges,nd i talk a lot with the presiding officer, from new jersey, about this. you know, it is at least partly the internet. it is at least partly the fact

that if you say something about the suffering of palestinians, the first thing out of everyone's mouth in your replies is what about october 7? if you say hamas is terrible, people say what about -- the truth is, there really is suffering on both sides. i am not trying to make equivalent a terrorist attack r terrorist attack. i am not. but you know what -- that's all written in the wind. everyone is suffering. everyone is suffering. so whenever and however this war ends, there has to be a path to a just and las the long-standin policy of the understanding government, on a bipartisan basis, to support a two-state solution. because a two-state solution is the only one to guarantee distinct, inalienable, and mutually recognized homes for both peoples, and empower each to chart their own future.

as we consider a major aid package for the region, it's not insignificant to, at the same time, reaffirm our commitment to that vision. the amendment i plan to file, along with 48 of my other colleagues, should a supplemental aid package come to the floor, is about making the american position clear. inherent to achieving a two-state future is leadership on both sides that is actually interested in peace, and both sides feeling secure enough to pursue it. israel must feel that hamas and militant groups have been degraded, so they no longer pose a threat to the people of israel or the country of israel. and palestinians must feel that they have a real seat at the table. there can't be extremists in israel government who jump at every chance to inflame and insight i did vipgss and there can't be a palestinian -- incite divisions. there can't be a palestinian

that -- palestinians want ant need a representative and effective government, and the p.a. in its current form is falling short. as we press for diplomacy, we also need to be clear it will take a reformed p.a. that can deliver on the aspirations of the palestinian people. in addition to a cooperative, forward-looking israeli government, in order for these negotiations to%&■y work. changing a long-standing and deeply broken status quo is hard. but it's incouple bins to do -- but it's a incumbent to $everything we can to foster the conditions for an enduring peace. mr. president, i yield the floor.■j

mr. booker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: i appreciate the presiding officer, my dear friend, and i think he and i are very aware of this. if you knows about their federa government how many people are in the united states senate, their answer is going to be a hundred, and they would be wrong. there are a hundred senators, but as the presiding officer and

i both know, there are thousands of people that work in the uned states capitol for the united states senate. this is a larger body of people that are critical to keep this institution running. and there are amazing folks that work here in the united states senate. if you take the time to talk to them, you will hear stories that make you feel proud to be an american, from literally the people that are keeping the 350i7s under this place -- keeping the pipes under this place functional, who keep this place and its history and its heritage preserved. there are people on staffs that make sure the floor runs smoothly so senators can■n prest bills and ideas. this is an extraordinary collection of americans that take part in what is a hallowed and sacred civic institution. but perhaps when people look at the there's two senators here, but there's probably 30 or so people on the

floor right now, not to mention working in the cloakrooms. but also people who happen to watch it on c-span -- huh, mom, who happens to watch it a lot -- there are people that i think bring an energy, an excitement, an enthusiasm to this place, and that is the pages. now, i can't even get my mind around when i meet these young people about taking a year -- excuse me, a semester off of your normal track, all your extracurricular activities, all of your friends, travelling from all over the country and coming here not just to work a full-time job amidst these hallowed halls but also to hold a full-time schedule of classes. i look at these teenagers, and i feel this utter sense of just sympathy for them because they are grinding in ways that a lot of senators don't do.

think about this -- they work on the floor of the senate, which is a demanding job, doing critical work, and then they go home and study, then they wake up sometimes at 5:00 in the morning to take classes in things i'm not sure every senator could still pass -- calculus, for crying out loud. they do their academic work and then they do their service for their country. so it takes a special breed to do something so irrational with their teenage years. and i get a chance every time, all of us senators get a chance to engage with them and meet them. and i just want to take this moment, mr. president, on the last day that they're here to just say some things particularly about this class. mr. president, this class is the most awful group of joke tellers i have ever met. i mean, their jokes are so particularly bad, i've never

described a class of pages -- they are not just bad. they are painfully pathetic. their jokes are pugilistic and pugnacious. their jokesrepuke-worthy. yes, the first time in american history that word has ever been used on the senate floor -- puke-worthy. the truth of the matter is, they have a gene in their body that prevents them from having good senses of humor. and i make that clear. they need to work on this or they may not make it in life. but i will say it something about this class that i think that the presiding officer may have noticed and definitely lot of the staff that serves on the floor. i was literally struck when i came in on theirst day and started engaging with them and in theed that there was something -- and i noticed that there was something special about them. i found them immediately to have

this important superpower for coping in life. and that is that this page class is kind. they really are good people. i have to say, that's how i cla. i will try desperately to forget their bad jokes. i will always, though, remember their kindness. i want to tell this page class that you brought something special to this floor, that you all contributed more than you probably realize, that you in your humility probably underestimate the impact that you bring to this place. and i know you're going to have special memories here. in fact, it is amazing, as i feel sometimes just as a senator, that we all had a chance in our service to witness some of the greatest debates of humanity right now. you heard one from the presiding officer who just spoke, spoke to issues that go to the heart of what this country is about, what this country stands for, what this country will do. that was a privilege that you

were a part of. but, to me, what i think is important about the role that you have played in the short period of time you've been here is the fact that ail think you remind a lot of us who are two and three and four times your age that when you still come in here, despite how tired you are and still have that look of wonder about this place, you help us to remember what a privilege it is to be here. and so i just want this class to know that it has been my privilege, as one senator, who i believe probably speaks for most, that it was a privilege to serve with you in the united states of america. i hope you remember that the highest calling of citizenship is service, that this is not your last time that you answer that call, whether it is your communities, your neighborhoods, whether it's to your states or to this nation. i hope that you always aspire to show your patriot imnot by what

you say -- your patriotism not you do. and, dear god, don't let a harsh world, a world that can be mean, ever stop you from being as kind as you were on the day that i first met you. i love that story about the man that goes up to a young person and says, what do you want to be when you grow up? and the confident young person looked at them and simply said, i want to be kind. i think you guys already have achieved one of the greatest callings for people is to be good to one another. and, in fact, i look at our political climate in america, and it's often not a good demonstration of that high human virtue. and so i want to thank you for your kindness. i forgive you for your bad jokes. but, most of all, i hope that you will not change that spirit that resides in your heartsment

thank you for your service to the united states senate. what an honor it mr. president, i yield the floor. [applause] ■e

it is unclear whether or not it's a hypersonic weapon on top so hypersonic weapons are very

destabilizing and also destabilizing enough it's been said that they can't defend themselves because these weapons maneuver in their final stage so this like to? the taliban if they have nuclear weapons, would they invade those countries for all those years? what is israel escape with nuclear weapons in the middle

east for decades yet all of our focus does not have your weapons the palestinians and cause are far more? you for taking michael. >> it is certainly hard for me to comment on american foreign policy. it is fair to say we don't base our foreign policy -- our policies tried to prevent proliferation. we are going to have them in our countries so i would say our policy is more trying to stop

proliferation of the west. in terms of israel and iran, i can't comment on israel. they have nuclear weapons will they probably do■. >> mike sent this to us he said israel, india, pakistan and soon iran, it raises the prospect. >> any proliferation of nuclear arms race is the prospect of doomsday. the fact that their religious faith, i probably stay away from that and more focus on the stability of the leadership in those states. it's the unstable leadership that concerns us.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed can. the presiding officer: we are not in a quorum call. mr. schumer: thank you. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: thank you. now, for months i've said that the only way we're going to pass

a natiourity supplemental is if both sides are serious about an agreement. democrats are resolute on getting something done. we're committed to keeping our promise to helping our friends in ukraine in their fight against putin. we know that if putin prevails in ukraine, the consequences for western democracy and for the american people will be severe and haunt us for years. democrats are also resolute on reaching an agreement on securing the southern border. we know how important this is. we are negotiating in good faith ws done in a bipartisan way.securing. and democrats are resolute to send more aid to israel and provide more humanitarian aid for palestinians in gaza and hold the line against the communist party in the indo-pacific. getting a bipartisan agreement

on the supplemental is very difficult, but i am glad that now negotiations are continuing to move forward. of course there are still issues that must be settled, but negotiators will work all weekend in an effort to get this done. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the names of our current pages be printed in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. thank you, pages, for your good work and have a good life. and let me just say to the pages, today's in your class. it's been a very busy session, but you pages have done a great job of bringing the senate to life. the pages are always here when we need them, early in the mornings and late into the evenings, they have served this institute -- institution with

grace and dignity. on behalf of a grateful senate, we say thank you and wish you all the best as you return home and to your next adventures and have a good life. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak thin for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. shaurm schumer i ask unanimous consent that the -- mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to s. res. 533. the presiding officer: the clerk will report, the clerk: expressing support for the designation of january 1 through january 27 as national board certified teacher's week. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without

objection. and, finally, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned to convene for a pro foma session only with no business conducted at 9:00 a.m. on friday, january 26, further, that when the senate adjourns on friday, it stand until 3:00 p.m. on tuesday, jalen 30 -- jan 30, following the prayer and pledge, 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 kolar nomination and all time be considered expired at 9:30 p.m. that the motions filed today ripen on wednesday, january 31. if any nominees are confirmed during tuesday's session, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection.

so ordered. if there is no further business to come -- yeah, right. if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 9:00

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