mr. warner, aye. mr. cardin, aye. mr. thune, no. mr. padilla, aye. mrs. britt, no.

vote: the clerk: mr. merkley, aye. the clerk: ms. collins, aye.

mr. schumer, aye. the clerk: mr. cramer, aye.

the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no.

the clerk: mrs. capito, aye. mr. cassidy, aye.

the clerk: mr. rubio, aye. ms. stabenow, aye. the clerk: mr. king, aye.

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye. mr. coons, aye. mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, aye.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no. mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye. mr. kelly, aye. mr. sanders, aye. ms. ernst, aye. mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. moran, aye. the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye.

vote:

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye.

the clerk: mr. menendez, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. barrasso, aye.

the clerk: mr. kennedy, aye.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no. mr. schmitt, no. mr. daines, no.

the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye. mr. sullivan, no. mr. hagerty, no.

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

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, aye.

the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 77, the nays are 20, and the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. 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 514, marjorie a. rollinson, of virginia, to be chief counsel for the internal revenue service and assistant counsel in the department of treasury, 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 marjorie a. rollinson of virginia to be chief counsel for the internal revenue service and assistant counsel in the department of treasury be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rules. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet.

the clerk: 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.

mr. durbin. ms. ernst. the clerk: mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mr. graham. mr. grassley.

the clerk: 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. 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 -- baldwin, bennet, brown, butler, cardin, carper, cortez masto, duckworth, fetterman, hickenlooper, hirono, cain, kelly, king, lujan, menendez, murphy, murray, ossoff, reid, romney, rosen, schatz, sinema, tillis, warner, whitehouse, and wyden. senators voting in the negative -- braun, brit, budd, capito, cornyn, daines, graham, grassley, hagerty, hawley, hyde-smith, johnson, kennedy, lankford, mcconnell, mullin, murkowski, paul, ricketts, risch, rubio, scott of florida,

sullivan, and thune. mr. young, no. mr. cotton, no. the clerk: mr. cassidy, no. mr. barrasso, no.

the clerk: mr. moran, no. mr. rounds, aye. ms. lummis, no. mr. lee, no.

the clerk: ms. warren, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no. the clerk: mr. cassidy, aye. ms. stabenow, aye.

the clerk: mr. crapo, no. the clerk: mr. tester, aye. vot#

test. vote: the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye. mr. markey, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. vance, no.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye.

mr. scott of south carolina, no. the clerk: mr. padilla, aye. ms. hassan, aye. the clerk: mr. cramer, no.

mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mr. boozman, no. ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: ms. collins, aye. mrs. blackburn no mr. van hollen, aye. mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. schmitt, no.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

vote:

cleric clock mr. peters, aye. the clerk: mr. peters, aye.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mrs. fischerprille j.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 52. the nays are 42h the motion is

agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of the treasury. marjorie a. rollinson of virginia to be chief counsel for the internal revenue service and assistant general counsel. mr. merkley: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: madam president, ann bancroft, the first woman to reach both the north and the south poll poles said, it looks like i do these journeys alone but it takes great support from people in the wings pushing you along appeared helping. the same can be said of us here in the u.s. senate. it might look like senators here in this chamber lead and legislate alone, but in fact we're only able to do our work with the support of the people in the wings, our dedicated, our

tireless staff. tonight i'm here to bifarewell to one of the -- to bid farewell to one of the senate's most dedicated staffers and one of the longest-serving members of team merkley, my communications director, martina mclenon. march tina, like ann bancroft, is a daughter of minnesota. march tina, like ann bancroft, then connected with oregon and by attending the university of oregon, and march tina, by serving the people of oregon, for the last 13 years. she joined our communications team in 2011. back then, president obama and i were still in our first terms, social media was still pretty new, our world and our media landscape has in fact changed a lot since then. along the way, martina has done every role in communications,

writing speeches, drafting press releases, creating social media content, crafting op-eds, jotting talking points, compiling newsletters, pitching reporters on both coasts and reading and translating my handwriting, which may have been the most difficult task of all because i can't read it five minutes after the ink dries. all the while, thoughtfully advising and gently guiding me. she has been by my side through some of the biggest and most challenging moments of the time that i've been here in the senate, helping secure more funding for the u.s. forest service to fight wildfires in 2012, supporting janet yellen to be the first woman to chair the federal reserve, ensuring that regulators actually implemented our stronger volker rule in

2013, mourning with the citizens of roseburg, oregon, after the umpqua community college shooting in 2015, ensuring that we led the resistance at rallies and protests following president trump's election in 2016. preparing and staffing me through the night do you remembering my 15 hour and 27 minute marathon speech against brett kavanaugh's nomination in 2017. travelling to the southern border together with me in 23018 to show the -- in 2018 to show the world how the trump administration was ripping innocent children out of their parents' affirms. writing, editing, annotating our office's comprehensive 80-page report on the trump administration's attacks on immig immigration and asylum in 2019. reorienting our entire commun indications operation to a virtual operation when the

pandemic hit. supporting oregon communities after the labor day wildfires in 2020. cleaning up my hideaway after it was ransacked by insurrectionists on january 6, 2021. and through it all, filling in for long stretches when we were down a digital director or speechwriter or deputy press secretary. as one of our team members put it, she's unstoppable. and my staff talked about how, in addition to her communications at that moments, she's always the first to welcome and support a new member of our team, whether that member is in washington, d.c., or in oregon. in 2017, the first year of the trump administration, the turnout of our town halls was with stwoerd including -- extraordinary. martina flew out from d.c. to

support our new oregon team with her years of experience, wisdom and lightning-quick wit. and every year when senate staff dress up their dogs in halloween costumes for senator tillis's annual puppy parade through the atrium of the hart office building, martina goes down to take the pictures and share the joy with our team on both coasts. as one of our former oregon team members put it, i look forward to each halloween because martina would send pictures keeping state side staff informed about the best day of the year in washington, d.c. i'm not sure what it says about our work here when the best day is when there is a puppy parade. she is also a brilliant writer. one of our team conservatively estimates that she has written millions of words for our office

putting dry policy lamping into punchy plain english with stunning speed, navigating thorny political issues with elegance and grace. one of her longtime colleagues said i always liken her to a piano virtuoso, taking their seat in a concert hall and banging out mozart and making it look effortless while i struggled just to keep up. her colleagues will line up to tell you that working every day in the chaos of the senate, martina is refreshingly calm and thoughtful, kind, and an encyclopedic fountain of knowledge rarely seen without a smile or funny remark even in the most stressful times. when she speaks in a meeting, people listen. i listen. she was one of the very first in our office to speak about the need for what has become our

diversity, equity, and inclusion steering committee. and generations of our staff have stories about her quiet gestures of kindness and support that have meant so much to so many over so many years. that's especially true of her communications team past and present, some of whom have been able to join us tonight. even in the toughest moments she's always there to laugh and commiserate while still delivering the most professional and effective communications operation in the senate. whether it's been struggling through late-night shutdown shenanigans while she and another colleague were battling the flu to encouraging new staff members to offer creative ideas even if the office never tried anything like that action before, she's always been there for her team. as one said, i am still in major denial. i have never felt like i was

more part of a team than here and a huge part of that is martina. another said it's hard for me to put into words the difference martina has made in my life. and she has continued to mernlt and guide me, always a text message or e-mail away with invaluable insights. yet another colleague summed it up by saying, i feel constantly lucky to have worked with, for, and alongside martina. i always admired and respected the way she approached her work with humility, grace, and humor, and more than a little bit of sarcasm. and i consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to have not only been able to call her a colleague, but to be able to continue to call her a very dear friend. i couldn't have said that better

myself. next week for the first time in 13 years i'll attend a state of the union address without martina by my side. for more than a decade we have elbowed our way through the television cameras and crowded statuary hall, rushing from interview to interview late into the night. i'm going to miss her next week. and then there is those thousands of floor charts and hundreds of interviews that have occurred over more than two terms in the senate. tonight martina is here staffing me on the senate floor for the last time. at the beginning of my remarks i quoted ann bancroft who went on to say the following -- stay cur curious, keep learning, and keep experiencing. life is wild and wonderful and it's good to challenge yourself

now and then. and ann went on to say, i always say that my best advice is to get lost, because that's when the good life stories are created. and you'll always find your way back. soon martina will be following ann bancroft's advice as she sets off for southern california and the start of the pacific crest trail which she'll follow north all the way to canada, with ann bancroft's words in her ears saying it's good to challenge yourself now and then. and her best advice is to get l lost. that's where good life stories are created. and you will find your way back. i look forward to her stopping on the pacific crest trail in oregon and saying hello. for now, though, i'll simply say

it's with deep gratitude that team merkley and i thank martina mclennan for her many years of service in the united states senate and to the people of oregon. we toast her tonight with an appropriate saying -- happy trails. thank you, madam speaker. madam president. i am no longer in the oregon house.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

test. test. test.

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed from the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following nomination. calendar 516, aprille joy ericsson to be assistant secretary of defense. that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, that the president be immediately notified of the the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the clerk will report. the clerk: department of defense, aprille joy ericsson, of new york, to be an assistant

secretary. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nomination is confirmed. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following nominations en bloc -- calendar numbers 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, with the exception of colonel ralph j. rizzo jr., and all nominations on the secretary's desk in the air force, army, marine corps, and navy. that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that no further motions be in order to any of the nominations, and that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of

morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i have 12 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. schumer: madam president i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 568, which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution, 568 designating the week of february 26 through march 1, 2024, as public schools week. the presiding officer: without objection. the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: and finally, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on thursday, february 29, that

following the prayer and pledge the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. further, that following the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the rollinson nomination, postcloture, that all time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and that if the nomination is confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. further, that following disposition of the rollinson nomination, the senate resume legislative session and execute the order of january 31, 2024, with respect to the veto message on s.j. res. 38, and the senate immediately vote on passage of the joint resolution, the objections of the president to the contrary notwithstanding. further, that following disposition of the veto message, the senate resume executive session to proceed to the consideration of executive

calendar number 518, ronald t. keohane, to be assistant secretary of defense. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. following the remarks of senator raphael g. warnock, a senator from georgia. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the floor. mr. warnock: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mr. warnock: madam president, i rise tonight in anguish and in sorrow over the heinous and horrific attack by hamas on the people of israel on october 7, and also in response to the

catastrophic humanitarian nightmare unfolding on the ground in gaza right now. leaving over 100 israeli hostages and hundreds of thousands of palestinians suffering. tens of thousands, including many women and children already dead, with no end in sight. and while much can be said about the geopolitics, perhaps because i am a pastor i see first and foremost the people. on all sides of this awful and ugly, deadly conflict, i see the children of god. all of us are children of god. and i especially see the children, the haunting and

penetrating witness of that ancient woman of the jewish scriptures speaks to me in this moment. a voice that is heard, the sound of mourning and great weeping, rachel weeping for her children, and she refuses to be comforted. for they are no more. i hear jewish mothers and fathers and palestinian mothers and fathers weeping for their children, and the question is what would we do if we truly believed that all of the children are truly our children. what would each side do if they could look into the eyes of the children on the other side and see in those children's eyes what they see when they look into the eyes of their own? when we come to see that the

safety of other people's children is inextricably connected to the safety of our own, we will do so much more to ensure that all children are safe. when we come to see that the health of other people's children is inexorably related to the health of our own, we will do so much more to ensure that every child can eat. when we come to see that the future of all children is tied to our children's future, we will ensure that every child can learn, play, imagine, and grow. we will hasten toward that path that leads to peace. and in that spirit, i rise tonight to explain why i think we have reached an inflection point in this conflict, one that demands all involved redouble our efforts to get a ceasefire.

and ultimately, a just and sustainable peace. now, i do not mean to suggest that any of this is simple. indeed, if it were simple it would have been resolved a long time ago. the issues in the middle east are complicated, they are age-old and seemingly intractable. we live in a dangerous world, rife with conflict and replete with enemies who do not want to see peace. october 7 was a tragic reminder. ha hamas, a brutal terrorist organization that has the total destruction of israel etched in its charter documents and ensconced in its mission, perpetrated the most devastating attack we've seen on the jewish attack we've seen on the jewish will

literally weigh were young people simply enjoying a concert. rape and sexual assault used as a weapon of war. such depraved and immoral acts are rightly condemned by all who believe in human dignity and freedom. our ally, israel, lives in a dangerous neighborhood, and it has a right to defend itself. that is why i was proud to support the national security supplemental in the senate, and it needs to pass in the house.

it provides $5.2 billion for missile defenses like the iron dome, but it also provides $9 billion in humanitarian aid for the people of gaza and in other places. moreover, it supplies urgently needed aid to ukraine. a sovereign democratic state viciously attacked by putin's russia. we stand with ukraine. their vital national security interests are tied to our own. putin, the old kgb agent with fond memories of the old soviet un union, will not stop his murderous march with ukraine. he will threaten other nato al allies. and because of nato's article 5 protection, which states an attack on one is an attack on all, that could well draw us in.

so last week i participated in the munich security conference, and while we rightly urged our allies to put more skin in the game, as they should, to increase their own commitment to their own security and to be sure some of them are stepping up, the truth is there is no replacement for american leadership in the world. we alongside our allies must stand with ukraine in a broken and dangerous world like ours, evil has to be constrained. tyranny rejected. sometimes by force. i'd rather send military support to ukrainian soldiers in their valiant defense of their homeland and of europe today than send american soldiers to that fight tomorrow. it is not only the right thing to do. it is the smart thing to do for

our own national security interests. but ultimately, if we're speaking of ukraine or israel, ultimately the aim must always be peace, a sustainable peace, a just peace, the kind of peace that must be rigorously pursued with both a tough mind and a tender heart. i pray for peace for the people of ukraine, for the suffering people of sudan, for israeli children and palestinian children. they are all children of god. i think of the story of

13-year-old ariel zohar, an israeli teenager who lost both parents and two older sisters when hamas attacked kibbutz nahal oz, two months before his bar mitzvah. he happened to be out for a run, he sought shelter with a kibbutz security guard, and that's the only reason, the only reason young ariel survived. may god bless the memory of ariel's family and the security guard who also died at the hands of hamas. he survived, but a 13-year-old child must now live with this trauma. it is a trauma that i know jewish people in georgia and around the world are living every day, and the tragic irony is that in the wake of october 7

anti-semitism has actually gone up in this country. anti-semitism has gone up. and all of this is now witnessed through the prism of a people who have never truly felt safe in the world, people who carry the burden of history, centuries of it, in their bones. i got a sense of it in recent weeks as i sat with the families of hostages being held by hamas. i sat with those families who were stunned by the nightmare of their reality, people who have no idea when or how their family members might return. i recall meeting with one father who was lamenting what had happened on october 7 to his

daughter and his son-in-law when they were attacked by hamas. beyond his grief, here's what he wanted to know, he wanted to know does anybody other than us understand? do they get it? can they see what we see, hear what we hear? feel what we feel? and as he said that with such pain and pathos in his voice, he was speaking about his own fa family, but he just as well could have been speaking for the family of 13-year-old donya abumosen, a palestinian girl who lost her parents and two brothers in an israeli

missile strike in south gaza and had to have her leg amputated. and while she was recovering in the hospital, she was tragically killed by another israeli air strike, while in the hospital. may god bless the memory of donya and her family. donya is one of more than 12,000 children and tens of thousands of defenseless palestinians who reportedly have been killed since israel has been prosecuting its war against hamas. there's an acronym used in go-ahead -- wcnsf --

wounded child with no surviving fa family. used in gaza. according to media reports, an estimated 17,000 palestinian children fall under that category. wounded child. with no surviving family. and another two million palestinians have been displaced by the effort to rid the world of hamas. when i meet with my palestinian and muslim constituents in georgia, madam president, members of our human family, i also hear them wondering does anybody other than us

understand? do they see what we see? do they hear what we hear? can they feel what we feel? does anybody care? the staggering loss of palestinian lives should deeply trouble all of us. but equally concerning is the serious humanitarian catastrophe that's unfolding in gaza before our very eyes. earlier this week, the u.n. office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs said during a briefing that about one-quarter of the population in gaza, 576,000 people, are, quote, one step away from famine. and facing a, it quote -- and

facing a, quote, grave situation. diseases like hepatitis a and digestive illnesses are spreading rapidly in overcrowded, makeshift camps, and this is made worse by a lack of access to clean water or sanitation systems. families right now are huddled in makeshift tents and other shelters, ex poofsed to the winter -- exposed to the winter elements, with everything they can carry on their backs. the medical system in gaza has collapsed, with only a handful of hospitals still partially funct functioning. on average, reportedly more than ten children have lost one or both of their legs every day since october 7, with many of those amputations performed

without anesthesia. pregnant women in gaza have experienced a 300% increase in miscarriages, and most recently the netanyahu administration has once again ordered displaced palestinians -- women, children, seniors, regular civilians already pushed out of their homes by war -- to evacuate territory they were told would be safe after fleeing previous offenses -- offensives by the idf in northern gaza. if mr. netanyahu advances military operations in rafah, the question is, where are these people supposed to go? what will be the human consequences?

world-class epidemiologists tell us that with an escalation of the war into rafah, as many as 85,000 palestinians could die from injuries and disease over the next six months. 85,000 on top of the already mounting death toll. i submit that such a move would be unconscionable and morally indefensible. but what do we do about hamas? a terrorist organization. -- a terrorist organization bent on israel's destruction. let me be clear, israel would be better off, the palestinian people would be better off, the world would be better off without hamas.

but hamas is more than a terrorist organization. it is an ideology. it is a mindset. it is a way of thinking that sits in a place deeper than the tunnels beneath gaza. and if the legacy of hamas' violence on october 7 becomes continuing and escalating indiscriminate violence in turn, then the destructive ideology of hamas will have won the day. we must not let them win. we must be careful not to create through indiscriminate killing that which we seek to destroy. we must find a more excellent way, with a tough mind and a tender heart. we must find that way that leads to peace.

we are at an inflection point, a place where two ways meet and time is running out. i call upon israel and hamas to come to a negotiated cease-fire with the immediate release of hostages and opening of humanitarian corridors so that food, medicine, water, and other supplies can be delivered to the people of gaza with the fierce urgency that the situation demands. i am heartened by the quiet but steady work of the biden administration and our regional partners in this effort, and i urge that it continue in earnest. furthermore, we must reaffirm our unwavers commitment to a two-state solution. the people of israel deserve to live in peace and security alongside their neighbors. i agree with dr. martin luther

king jr. who said that israel's right to exist as a state in security is incontestable. the whole world, he said, must see that israel must exist and has the right to exist. the dignity of self-determination is among the values he was seeking to uphold. -- israelis deserve it. so do palestinians. two peoples, two states living alongside one another in freedom and in peace. that must remain our north star. and if we would be true to our values, we must call to task any politician who would reject that right to self-determination, especially if that rejection comes while at the same time one

is engaged in massive and indiscriminate bombing of the very same people. on the ugly and dangerous specter of it all, the world cannot and must not turn away. the muslim holy day of ramadan is around the corner and the jewish passover shortly is thereafter. we're at an inflection point, a place where two traumatized peoples meet. as a black man who stands in dr. king's pulpit, i know a little something about trauma. i know that while our traumaness of us, it must never define us. we are more than what has happened to us. we have within our capacity the

strength to write a new story. we must pursue peace, seek justice, embrace mercy you and struggle for human dignity with all of our might. the children on each side and all of our children are countering on us to do no less. i wonder what we would actually do if we truly believed that all of the children are our children. as a parent with small children, i wonder what each side would do if they could look into the eyes of the children on the other side and see in those children's eyes what they see when they look into the eyes of their own. perhaps this is what the prophet isiah was getting at when he put forth his extraordinary vision, and i lift it it up.

the wolf shall live with the lamb. the leopard shall lie down with the kid. the calf and the lion and the fateling together. and the little child shall lead them. honestly, i never quite understood what isiah meant. it seems too eye dillic -- idylliy, even for the preacher. perhaps the pro net is saying something much more practical than we think. to be sure, peace make something not easy work at all by any stretch of the imagination. sxrrpgs but perhaps when we allow our children and our love for our children, our concern for their future and our children's inextricable connection to all other children to lead us, when we allow the

children to lead us, we will find ourselves on the path that leads to peace. so tonight i pray for a world where israeli mothers and fathers and palestinian mothers and fathers can put their children to bed in peace. say their bedtime prayers and awaken to a world where they are finally safe. madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until stands adjourned until today the u.s. senate considered a judicial nomination along with president biden's nomination for chief counsel of internal

revenue service. also today minority leader mitch mcconnell announced he will step down as republican leader in november. he's aeady the longest-serving party leader in u.s. history. off the floor deal is bn reached among congressional leaders to fundar of the government and agree to extend the current deadline to march 8 and march 22. good deal for days the six bills that fund several federal agencies and clean departmentf agriculture, commerc energy, interior, justice, transportation veterans affairs also still n day and time set for in house members will deliver impeachment articles to the senategainst him on security secretary mayorkas. as always it live cerage of the senate here on cspan2. ♪ c-span is your unfiltered view of government. offended by these television companies and more including cox. >> is extremely rare.

but friends don't have to be. when you are connected, you are not alone. cox support c-spans a public service along with these other television providers. giving it a front receipt to democracy. >> c-span's "washington journal" live form involvement you to discuss the latest issues of government, politics and public policy washington d.c. and across the country. coming up thursday morning i asked theo's a political reporter discusses mitch mcconnell's plan to step down as senate republican leader. and denise a gilman clinical professor at the university of texas at austin codirector of its immigration clinic talks about the use of executive action with president biden reportedly considering to address the migrant surgeon at the u.s./mexico border. also we will discuss the latest on the upcoming government funding deadlines, border

security u.s. aid to israel and ukraine what tennessee republican congressman and connecticut democratic congressman john larson. see spans "washington journal" joint in the conversation live at seven eastern thursday morning on c-span, see spend our free mobile app or online at c-span.org. massachusetts governor gave her first state of the commonwealth address before a joint session of the legislature in boston she touched on several issues including economic development, reproductive rights, affordable housing and climate change governor haley served eight years as massachusetts attorney general prior to being elected governor in 2022. this is about an hour. [applause]