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is the place you call home. at sparklight it's our home, too, and we're facing our greatest challenge. that's why sparklight is around the clock keeping you connected. we do our part so you can do yours. >> spark light supports c-span along with other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> senate is about to gavel in for the day. majority leader chuck schumer in opening remarks plans to talk about path to peace and two state solution between the palestinians and israel. and confirmation to the u.s. ambassador to haiti, amid ongoing violence in that country. take you live now to the senate floor here on c-span2.

the presiding officer: nord. the reverend, dr. barry black, the chaplain: let us pray. eterningal god, who sustains those who have been good toous, you have been good toous beyond our deserving. you have surrounded us with the beauties of the earth and the glories of the skies. today, make us alert to your providential movements. if our minds are closed to your truth, open them e if our hearts are hardened, soften them e if

our ears areea cries of the oppressed, unstop them. lord, revive our s give them a desire to establish new thresholds of hope,peace, and freedom in our nation and world. be near to our lawmakers all theirmay they rest in the green tours of your peace and thrive wisdom. we pray in your mighty name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag.

i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, march 14, 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 0 to consider the the clerk will report will the report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, dennis b.hankins of minnesota to be ambassador of the united states of america to the republic of haiti.

mr. merkley: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from oregon. mr. merkley: i ask that the quorum call be lifted. the presidinofre in the in a quorum call. mr. merkley: i ask that floor rifles be granted to m■■y inter lou cuss rigby. ■í■■■

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, i rise to speak today about what i believe can and should be the path forward to secure mutual peace and lasting prosperity for israelis and palestinians. i speak for myself, but i also speak for so many mainstream jewish americans, a silent majority whose nuanced views on the matter have never been represented in this country's discussions with the war in gaza. my last name is schumer, which derives from the hebrew world

shalmer, or guardian. of course, my first responsibility is to america and to new york, but as the first jewish majority leader of the united states senate and the highest-ranking jewish elected official in america ever, i also feel very keenly my as a guardi the people of israel. throughout jewish history, there have been many guardians and plenty who are far greater than the claim to be. buthe position in which i find myself now, at a time of great difficulty for the state of israel, for the jewish people, and for non-jewh friends of israel e israel. so i feel an immense obligation to speak and to aak as a member community of jewish americans that i know very well.

they're my family, my friends, many of them are my constituents, many ofs, and man concerned about the purr seoul of -- pursuit of justice, both in new york and around the globe. the call to, quote, repair the world, around the world to do what is right. we love israel in our bones. what israel has meant to myn liy of the holocaust, is impossible to measure. the flowering of the jewish people in the desert, from the ashes of the holocaust and the fulfillment of the dream of the jewish homeland after nearly 2,000 years of praying and waiting represents one of the most heartfelt causes of my life. and unlike some junker americans, i -- younger men's, i remember how hard it was dream. i remember clutching my

transistor radio to my ear in james madison high school in 1967 during the six-day war, wondering if israel would be pushed into the sea. if the events of the last few months have made anything clear, it is that israel is surrounded by vicious enemies and there are many people around the world who excuse and support their aims to expel and kill jews living in their hard-won land of refuge. i will never underestimate the grave threats israel faces and has faced for the entirety of its existence, nor will i ever underestimate the oppression that the jewish people have endured for millennia. it is precisely out of this long-standing connection to and concern for the state of israel and its pple that i speak today about what i view are the most pressing existential threats to ■7ralong-term peace and prosperity. after five months of suffering

on both sides of this conflict, our thinking must turn urgently to how we can achieve lasting peace and endure -- and ensure process is prosperity and secu for both the jewish people and the palestinian people in the middle east. i believe that to achieve that lasting peace, wch we so long for, israel must make some significant course corrections, which i will outline in this speech. but first, let's not forget how we arrived at this critical moment. whatas was brutal beyond imagination. i have vat with the families -- i have sat with the families of those killed in the assault. i have seen the footage and heard the stories of innocents murdered and raped in heartless cruelty. and as long as i live, i will never forget these images, ts proulx and premeditated evil. many of my family members were

killed by nazis in the holocaust. october 7 and the shameless response to support that terrorist attack by some in america and around the globe have a wakened the deepest fears of the jewish people that hour annihilation remains a possibility. today over captive in gaza. i am anguished by the plight of so many hostages still being hamas' tunnel -- network of tunnels. i pray for them and for their families who have inspired me with their tenacious advocacy to ensure their loved ones are not forgotten. many of them are americans. john than deckel chin and some of my constituents in new york, omer, keith siegel and itay chen, who we learned this week was brutally killed on october 7 was serving near the gaza

border. hamas still holds his body. his father gave me this pin, which i am wearing in remembrance of him. as well as those of americans judy weinstein and gad hagay. each date their loved ones don't come home carries enough anguish and grief to last a lifetime. i am working in every way i can to support the biden administration's negotiations to free every one of the hostages. i urge everyone at the table to continue doing everything possible to get a a deal already. they should say yes. it is no time to waste. my heart als of so many civilian lives in gaza. i'm anguished that the israeli

war campaign has killed so many. i know that my fellow jewish americans feel the same anguish when they see the images of dead and starving children and destroyed homes. gaza is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe. entire families wiped out, whole neighborhoods reduced to rubble, mass displacement, children suffering. we should not let the complexities of this conflict stop us from plain truth -- palestinian civilians do not deserve to suffer for the sins of hamas, and israel has a moral obligation to do better. the united states has an obligation to do better. i believe the united states mus provide robust humanitarian aid to gaza and pressure the israelis to let more of it get through to the people who need it. jewish people throughout the centuries have empathized with those who are suffering and who

were oppressed because we have known so much of that ourselves. as the torah teaches user, human life is precious. every human life lost is a tragedy. as the crip tour -- scrip -- as the scripture says, quote, destroys an entire world. what horrifies so many jews is a sense that israel is falling short of upholding these distinctly yewish values is. -- jewish values. we must be better than our enemies, lest we become them. israel has a fundamental right to defend itself, but as i have said from thening of this war, how it exercises that right matters. israel must prioritize the protection of civilian casualties when identifying military targets. i have repeatedly called upon the israeli government to do so. but it also must be said that israel is by no means the only one responsible for the i am

evens's men's civil -- the immense sixian toll. to blame all israel is unfair, one-sided and often deliberately manipulativend it ignores hamas' role in this conflict. hamas has knowingly invited an immensel during this war. their goal on october 7 was to provoke a tough response from israel by killing as many jews as possible in as vicious a way as possible, brutalizing whole communities. si heartlessly hidden behind their fellow palestinians by turning hospitals into command centers and refugee camps into sites. it is well-documented that hamas soldiers use innocent gazans as human shields. the leaders of hamas, many them live lives of luxury in places far away from the poverty in and

misfortunegaza, do not care one iota about the palestinians for whom they claim to nobly fight. it bothers deeply that most media outlets covering this war and many protesters opposing it have placed the blame for civilian casualties entirely on israel. all too often in the media and at protests it is never noted that hamas has gone to great lengths to make themselves inseparable from the civilian population of gaza by using palestinians as human shields. o many news -- news agent significance and -- agencies and newspapers give ham a pass by not disclosing the shameful practice central to their fighting strategy. this led to an inaccurate perception of the harsh realities of this war. stories that justifiably mention the loss of innocent palestinian life should also note how hamas uses

ci as human shields. it almost never happens. i believe -- believe that every protest that justifiably dedescribes the -- decries the loss of innocent men, women, and children should denounce hamas for■o their central role in the bloodshed. when protestors decry the loss of palestinian life, but never condemn this perfidy or loss of is israeli lives, it confounds and deeply troubles the vast majority of jewish and non-jewish americans alike, who support the state of israel. given that heal launched their attacks on october 7 to provoke israel, given that hamas sought the ensuing civilian toll in am gaza, given that hamas wanted both israelis and arabs to be at each other's throats, tensions on both sides have dramatically intensified. now, as a result of those

inflamed tensions in both israeli andmmunities, people ons of this war are turning away from a two-state solution. including&+ israel's prime minister, neath neath, who in -- benjamin netanyahu who said what many long suspected, by outright rejecting the idea of palestinian statehood and sovereignty, as the highest ranking jewish elected official in our government, and as a staunch israel, i rise today to say unequivocally this is a grave mistake for israel, for palestinians, for the region, and for the world. the only real and sustainable solution to this decades-old conflict is a negotiated two-state solution, a demilitarized palestinian state, living equal measures of peace, security, prosperity, dignity and mutual recognition. and pal

long historic claims to this land. contrary to the unfonded -- unfounded, absurd and offensive claims by some the jewish people are colonizers in their ancestral homeland, jewish people have lived in the homeland conti for more than three millennia. 3,000 years. for centuries, jews have made ali ah and gone to the land of israel to live and settle. for centuries at passover, jews in every corner of thelot year jerusalem. a jewish homeland in israel is no 20th century contrivance. israel is our historic home. a oppressed for cent centuries. now the palestinians too have generations, and in past centuries they have formed their own distinct culture, identity, quizine, literature, the idea

that, quo quote, there is no such thing as palestinians is inaccurate, offensive, unh unhelpful. the only jest solution is one in -- the only just solution is one in which each people can flourish in their own state, side by side. for a two-state solution toterm include real and meaningful compromises by both too many is who say they want a two-state solution don't acknowledge how the amount and ex tempt of ex expanding settlements renders that a virtual impossibility. too many palestinians who say they want a two-state solution don't acknowledge how their insistence on an unequivocal right of return is a fatal impediment to progress. both ways of thinking are impeding the peace process, and there are others on the left who view a two-state solution with skepticism, as an ideal that

wi never happen. a far-off goal that allows for the continuation of the status quo in gaza and the west bank where palestinians face unique obstacle israeli counterparts. as a result, they reject a two-state solution in favor of one state, where palestinians and israelis will supposedly live in democratic peace, side by side. i can understand the idealism that inspires so many young people in particular to support a one-state solution. why can't we all live side by peace? d house b h i count at least two reasons why this wouldn't work and why it is unacceptable to most jewish people. first, this combined state could take an extreme turn politically, putting jewish israelis in peril. this state would be a majority palestinian. and in the past, some palestinians have voted to empower groups like hamas, which

seeks to eradicate the jewish people. it is long-standing american policy to support dem■ocracy overseas. but in this hypothetical single state, direct could cost israeli jews their safety if extreme ichss take control of -e contro achieve their true aim, the violent expulsion of jews from the holy land. now, this is no abstract fear. thousands of years of jewish history show when things go badly, the people of the country in which jews live, even in a democracy, all too often turn on them as convenient scapegoats. there's no guarantee a single israeli-palestinian state. to have palestinian voters be the protector of israeli jews would be a bridge too far to accept. second, even more important, the jewish people have a right to their own state.

it is so troubling to me that many people, especially on the left, seem to acknowledge and even celebrate this right to statehood for every group but the jews. if a national homeland for all peoples of the world has been the driving goal of the anti-colonial movement of the last century, then why are only jews seemingly penalized for this aspiration? jews have a human rightate, jus people do, palestinians included. as i have re are also some israelis who oppose even a two-state solution with a demilitarized palestinian state, because they fear it might tolerate or be a harbor for further terrorism against the jewish state. i understand these fears, but the bitter reality is that a single state controlled by israel, which they advocate, guarantees certain war forever, and further isolation of the

jewish community in the world to the extent its future would be jeopardized. they say the definition of -- let me elaborate. they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. if israel status quo, and goes beyond that to tighten the control over the gaza and west bank, as some in the current netanyahu administration suggested, creating a de facto single state, what reasonable expectation can we have that hamas and their allies lay down their arms? it would mean constant war. on top of that, israel moving closer to a single state entirely under its control would further rupture its relationship with the rest of the world, including the united states. support for israel has declined worldwide in the lastew months, and this trend will only get worse if the israeli government continues to follow its current path.

i appreciate that so many israelis cannot contemplate the possibility of two states right now, because they remain so traumatized and angry by what hamas did on october 7. the brutality, the visn the sexual assault, the imprisonment and abuse of hundreds of hostages. i'm, of course, simp thet ig to this -- sympathetic to this point of view. i'm upset. i'm angry too. we'll never forget what happened on october 7. even while we carry that anguish in our hearts, we have to thi ahead to the future, the medium, the long-term, how we can ensure something like october 7 never happens again. we cannot let trauma determine our actions or cloud our judgment.on may feel daunting, especially now, but i believe it is the only realistic and sustainable solution on the basis of security, on the basis

of prosperity, on the basis of fundamental human rights and dignity. but in order to achieve a two-state solution, the reality is that things must change. right now, there are four, fou major obstacles standing in the way of two states, and until they are removed from the equ equation, there will never be peace in israel, gaza and the west bank the four major obstacles are hamas and the palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways, radical right wing israelis in government and society, palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. i will explain each in detail. the first major obstacle to peace is hamas and the palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways.

ha hamas' further destruction of israel and in past decades it undermined any hope for peace at every turn. it was hamas who began its vicious campaign of suicide bombings against innocent israelis to derail the nation's peace process in oslo. hamas snide more -- nated more -- assassinated more moderates in gaza in 2007. hamas held gaza under oppressive, undemocratic rule for close to two decades. and hamas targeted those brave gazans who have spoke actions o bridge a divide between israelis and palestinians. jewish americans and israelis alike have been appalledt effor hamas, which is designated by the united states as a terrorist organization. as n resistance or freedom fighters. attempts to execute their horrific actions against israelis and palestinians are morally repugnant.

a permanent ceasefire effectivively would only/ allow hamas to regroup and launch fufrt attacks on israeli civilians. there can never be a two-state solution if hamas has any significant power. however, a temporary ceasefire, such as president biden has proposed, which would allow for the returntages and humanitarian relief for suffering palestinians, is quite different, and is something i support. but any proposal that leaves hamas with meaningful power is unacceptable to me and most israelis. so it goes without saying that hamas can not have any role in a future gaza if we are to achieve peace. the same goes for the minority of palestinians who support hamas and those w forms of ex - on 12r5i9 other forms of extremism. the gazans who ventured into israeliñj territory october 7, e

people in the west bank who flooded the streets and cheered from afar the cold-blooded killing of mothers and children, this is appalling behavior. what it may fall short of terrorism, it has no place in a peaceful future for israel and palestinians. it ought to be denounced by the palestinian public and their leaders who believe in a more sustainable future beyond the cycle of revenge. the second major obstacle to peace is radical right wing israelis in government and society. the worst example of this radicalism are finance minister smotric and -- the ministers, minister smotric openly called for the subjugation and forced displace of all palestinian he used inflammatory rhetoric and called for punitive restrictions on palestinian farmers in the west bank during the olive harvest. he prevented the transfer of

funds to the palestinian authority. he has opposed the provision of any humanitarian assis g gaza, going so far as to stop agreed upon shipments of now flour. ministergavir is no better. as a young man, he was barred from military service for extremist views. stview intended to antagonize the population, he visited the temple mount as a brazen show of force towards palestinians. during this current■ conflict, e facilitated the mass distribution of guns to far right settlers exacerbating instability, fueling violence. there's a nastiness to what the ministers believe, and how they use their positions of authority and influence and eager in hes to inflame and provokes that is profoundly irresponsible and self-destructive. in my conversations with israeli

leaders, i urged them to do more, to clamp down on the unacceptable vigilance -- vigilante settler violence in the west bank. i have supported the biden administration's efforts impose consequences for extremist settler violence. but the unfortunate reality is this is openly the ministers. as long as they hold their positions of power, no true progress will be made. while not equivalent, extremist palestinians and extremist israelis seek the same goal. from the jordan river to the mediterranean sea, they aim to push the other from the land. they may not want

pales outright, but they wants to replace them with israeli settlers. this is also abhorrent. as long as these two hold their positions of power, peace will be difficult if not impossible to achieve. the third major obstacle peace is the president of the palestinian authority, ma mood abbas. he is beholden to the interests to the detriment of both the west bank and gaza. over the years, president abbas evaded the democratic process, declining to hold future elendings for over a deck -- elections for over a decade. despite his long tenure leading the palestinian authority, he achieved few of his the pale authority remains corrupt and incites stabilities through the martyr payment systems. palestinians are no prosperous, freer or safer than

when abbas first took power. as a result, president abbas lost the trust o he's a terrible role model and spiritual leader. he in the pas took part in justifying nazi actions. this extended to his refusal for weeks to condemn the losses of israeli civilian life on october 7. should abbas remain, the palestinian people can have no assurance the state can be -- nor can they have any belief that the government will be free of corruption. to be a■w hope of peace in the future, abbas must step down and be replaced by a new generation work towards attaining peace with the jewish state. otherwise, the left bank■x■ wil suffer.

hamas will continue to main thane a foothold in gaza. the palestinian authority, under new leadership, must undertake a reform process and emerge as a revitalized p.a. to serve as a basis for palestinian state with the trust of the people the fourth major obstacle to peace is israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, who has all too frequently bowed to the demands of extremists like minister ck and ben gavir. i have known the prime minister a very long time. while we have vehemtly disagreed on many occasions, i will always respect his extraordinary bravery for israel on the battlefield as a younger man. i believe in his heart he has his highest priority is the security of israel. however, i also believe prime

minister netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take the precedence over the best interests of israel. he put himself in coalition w e minister smote rick and ben-gvir. israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah. prime minister netanyahu has also weakened israel's political and moral fabric through attempts to co-op the judiciary. he has shown zero interest in doing the courageous and visionary work required to pave the way for peace, even before this present conflict. as a lifelong supporter of israel, it has become clear to me the netanyahu coalition no n

after october 7. the world has changed radically people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past. nobody expects prime minister netanyahu to do the things that must be done to break the cycle of violence,o preserve serm's credibility on the -- israel's credibility on the world stage. if he were to disavow of his government -- as governing coalition, that would be a real meaningful step forward. bu regrettably, there's no reason to believe the brian minister -- the prime minister netanyahu will do that. he won't disallow them in the calls for palestinians out of gaza and the west bank. he won't commit to a military operation in rafah that prioritizes protecting civilian life. he won't engage responsibly in

discussions about a day-after plan for gaza and a long-term -- longer term pathway to peace. hamas and the palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways, radical right wing israelis in government and society, president habbas, prime minister netanyahu. these are the four obstacles to peace. if we fail to overcome them, then israel and the west bank and gaza will be trapped in the same violent state of affairs they've experienced for the las. these obstacles are not the same in their culpability for the present state of affairs, but argues over which is the worst stymies our ability to achieve peace. given the complexity and gravity of this undertaking, many different groups, many different groups have a responsibility to see it through.

the palestinian people must reject hamas and the extremism in their midst. they know better than anybody how hamas used them as pawns and tortured and punished palestinians who seek peace. quite frkly, ieard enough palestinian leaders express anguish about hamas and other extreme elements. that is the only true way to honor the of all those lost. working together for a better future. once hamas is deprived of power, the palestinians will be freer to choose a government they want and deserve. with the prospect of a real two-state solution on the table, for the first time genuine s statehood for the palestinian people, i believe they will be far more likely to support more

mainstream leaders committed to peace." if present with a two-state solution solution, then most mainstream israelis will support it. part of that must mean rejecting right wing zealots. these people do not represent a majority of the israeli public, yet under prime minister netanyahu's watch they've had far too much influence. all sides must reject from river to the sea thinking. i believe they will, if the prospects for peace and a two-state solution are real. there are others who bear a serious responsibility to work towards a two-state solution. without them, it cannot succeed.

middle eastern powers, like saudi arabia, the■v united arab emirates, egypt, jordan, can have immense power and influence with the palestinians. working with the united states, they must responsibly deploy their clout, money and diplomacy to support a new demilitarized pale state that reject terror and violence. i believe they have the leverage to do this, with the support of the majority of the palestinian people. who want what any other peopl -- peace, security, prosperity. i believe there is enough strength in the it will take outside involvement of arab countries to help rebuild somethg and more sustainable. it may take some time to identify such leaders, but with

the considerable resources of the arab world backing them, i believe these will emerge knowing that they have support. the outlines reported before october 7 still make a great deal of sense and can be the catalyst for the creation of a . saudi arabia and other nations should continue t normalization with israel and this should be the foundation of a grand bargain in the middle east that will finally make meaningful palestinian statehood a reality. for our part, the united states, the world's superpower must work together with our allies to bring our immense diplomatic and financial power to bear on this situation. we can be a partner to a grand bargain in the middle east by deepening our relationship with other arab nations to induce them to make a

deal, but only if they actively guide palestinian to a more peaceful future. on the israel side, the u.s. government should demand that israel conduct itself with a at mind. we should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an israeli government that include bigots that reject the idea of a palestinian state. israel is a democracy. five months into this conflict, it is clear that israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course? at this critical juncture, i believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision-making process about the future of israel. hat a time when -- at a time when so many israelis have lost their confidence in the vision

and direction of their government. i a a majority of the israeli public will recognize the need for change, and i believe that holding a new election, once the war starts to wind down, would give israelis an opportunity to express their vision for the po the united st cannot dictate the outcome of an election, nor should we try. that to decide. a public that i believe understands better than anybody that israel cannot hope to pariah opposed by the rest of the world. as a democracy, israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. but the important thing is that israelis are given a choice. there needs to be a fresh debate about the future of israel after

october 7. in my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election. now, if prime minister netanyahu's current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing u.s. standards for assistance, then the united states will have no choice but to play a more in shaping israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course. theni israel is unbreakable, but if extremists continue to unduly influence israeli power, then the administration should use the tools at its disposal to make sure support for israel is aligned with our broader goal of achieving peace and stability in the region.

i believe this would make a lasting two-state solution mor■ sides who question how we can discuss peace at a moment like this. so many gazaans are displaced from their homes and struggling to meet their most basic needs. many are still burying and mourning their dead. entire families have been wiped out.israel, everyone knows someone who was killed on october 7. so many israelis feel that people around the world have no respect for the grief and rage unleashed by hamas' vicious attack. so, is there real hope for peace in a two-state solution? in the face of this atrocity, who could blame even the most hopeful among us forde their hearts, for giving up on the possibility of peace, for giving in to the hate? i seek my inspiration in the example of leaders who have come before us and work for peace in the face of extreme

circumstances. some of israel's warriors and security experts have been staunch advocates for peace because they understand better than anybody it is essential to israel's security. david been -- been gurian sought peace. on the palestinian side we don't have to look very far back to see responsible leadership, the former prime minister of the palestinian authority, clear in his condemnation of violence against the israelis. and for the arab leaders of today, may they find inspiration in anwar al sadat and king hussein of jordan who had courage to seek peace with israel. before october 7, things were moving in the right direction. the united arab emirates and saudi arabia were on the path to normalization with israel and

with conditions that would benefit the lives of the palestinian people that iran mod hamas to disrupt this process and indeed there have been setbacks since october 7. but recent talks between arab and american leaders suggest the desire is stronger than ever now to find a path forward. arab leaders cannot lose their stomachs for peace now at this critical inflection point. they must continue to pursue the path to normalization with israel and the u.s. should use all of its power to influence and bring them to the table and make them cooperate constructively. if my speaking out today has any effect, it will probably have greater influence on the israeli and jewish side of things, but if this conflict is to be resolved, we need comparable palestinian and arab leaders to also speak responsibly to their people about the path forward to peace. now is the time for courageous

leadership. after israelis and palestinians have experienced so much horror and loss of life, to not have something meaningful come out of this war could be douill look bk on what we do here. are we prepared to make an all-out push for peace once and for all. to bring to this conflict what dr. martin luther king jr. called the fierce urgency of now, to end the cycles of tragedy and of pain? i've always said that when horrific things happen, some turn inwards and let their grief consume them while others light a candle and turn their grief into power. they're able to see hope in the darkness. in scripture, we read about how god created the world from an infinite void, that out. greatest darkness can come the greatest light.

i hope and pray that from the brutal slayif israelis by hamas and the hair owing -- harrowing toll, that israelis and palestinians can live in peace. i know there are palestinians who are defyingam calling for a pathway to peace. there are other r. are right now some families of the victims of october 7 in israeli who have been calling for peace asking their government to transcend the cycle of bloodshed and revenge e revenge. if they can find in their hearts a path to peace, then surely we can also. from thewe light the candles that lead to a better future for all.

i yield the floor.

>> they have less rules to govern their workplace but typically many typical schedules and manufacture are 12 our schedules and their seven days a of his place of under around-the-clock. when when you're standing on concrete floors 12 hours a day seven days a week,ear after year after year, there's a lot of wear and tear on a person's body. as a sick people when they age they end up in their older

working years ended up needing knee replacements, , hip replacements, shoulder just find an iron in some of this. mentally the stress of working seven days a week 12 hours a day. when you don't get to see her kids, you don't get to go home and have dinner with the kids, you don't get to make sure they're getting their homework done. you don't get■ to spend quality time with family, or just even if you don't have a family, if you have quality time for yourself. working 12 hours a day, either asleep or time is sacrificed. we'll have so much time in a day. i find iron and some other comments that were made by mr. king as far as shortage of workers here i don't live a shortage of workers in this country. i think covid make people wake up and realize what's important in life, and is not working for

12 hours, $12 a day. the shortage of workers we see out of leaked it's a shortage probably is a fact people woke up and they decided on a going to leave my home for $12 $1r when i can't even afford to pay the bills. and also going back to let the markets determine this and it's an h.r. standard talking point about to the consumer. i would disinflation the last four years. that wasn't by workers. wasn't caused by company was caused by two words. corporate greed. consumer price gouging. and so that to me we've got to get focused on the reality here. >> thank you. we are the wealthiest country in history of the world, and yet we have people who are stressed out, we have a crisisalth, a lor

that. and yet we are working longer hours as i understand than any of the people of other wealthy nations. how does that happen? >> well, i think a lot of, the reason for the long hours in this country have to■s do with e kinds of things that we've been talking here today and the fact that the american wker has not had enough power in the market to reduce hours. but there are other aspects as well. one of the things we know from economic studies is that when inequality increases, so to working hours. so the rise in inequality in the united states, which you referred to earlier is one of pr working hours in the united states. >> okay here from your

perspective this discussion is not just theoretical. you have implemented it. lk a ltle bit about the impact it has had to transition to a four-day workweek in your company, the impact that it's had on the workers there. >> yeah, , it's been transformative for our workers. i have been that this is one of the most impactful things they've experienced in device because a lot of these workers are able to spend time with h he how to use ai as the day off and is more efficient learning new skills are not related to work come just participate in communities, volunteering. >> we talk about increased productivity? our workers more focus? >> yes. workers are much more focused, they are better rested, they are dedicated to the task at hand in

a different way and teens stay together longer. the cohesiveness of the organization is more robust because you are not burning people out, you are not churning through them. you're not having to do with turnover cost. >> talk about turnover. what one of theving to train wo. what do you think the impact of 32 hour work week would be on that? >> it was shocking honq■tly how much it changed turnover and what impact it had on her productivity. honestly we really lost an employee in the last two y that means people of longer tenure, we don't have to do with highly effective hiring, the cost and time of hiring someone else. articles don't get disrupted by the sudden departure of the key employee. people want to work. the notion that i don't know americans are lazy as some people seem to have is a thing enacted. people want to work but who want to work in a way that is balanced with the rest of their lives. they will stay in thoses balancd

with the rest of the. >> thanks very much. >> senator cassidy. >> i yld to thank you. so before i got here, 37 years spent running an enterprise that would incompas that scrappy navigation of how hard it is when you're signing the front sight of a paycheck to get a little business, never get beyond that. as we grew into a regional event national company, things change as you evolve. we that discussion before. i am a proponent of high wages and good benefits. been out there to where you ought to be able to negotiate and bargain, but there's such a big difference in terms of that dynamic, and then wrapping it with mandates never

enable the most of what comprises our eno which is small businesses, main street once, to be in a position where they would have to live with some type of homogenous approach to maybe even what we are talking about. i think even for most business owners, if they can they are going to weave that into what they are able to offer their employees. and we've had the conversation,, big corporations that are in places where they cornered■u the market, i think there's a legitimate discussion how you spread between employees and public companies, and a lot of times the professional management that wo in levels of pay that i'd have thought were possible. want to get back to go how i do disagree with tryino anything from this place that

would impose upon the preponderance of businesses out there to what i just don't think they could survive. .. there is more, you wouldn't be in business if you want open, any retail business i'm aware of including my wives now nearly 45 years. keep that in mind. i want to do with this particular question and i want to focus on how this small

businesses, i'm not worried about big corporations. they generally laid on their feet anyway. role of things to improve work are there. what about mainstream or small business? >> i should learn, it's been to note they have shown incredible things, these companies are choosing to be a part so they are to go, whatever it is amic never heard of anything you just legend.

i do have question, would you weigh in on this? >> this doesn't wor business. if you can't measure productivity and have the productivity cap satisfied. proposal today require overtime and over 32 and doubletime so it needs flexibility. employees have family obligation and the employer needs them sometimes more, sometimes less. the bill we are talking about is

flexibility, it just is not. >> would you agree your business and certain characteristics that probably made a particular, do you honestly think that would be transferable especially on main street characteristics that are not but lend themselves toward transition and it shows this is possible.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. thprer. mr. mcconnell: jewish state of israel deserves an ally that acts like one. the people of israe, at home, and in captivity deserve america's and israel's unity government and security cabinet deserve the deference befitting a sovereign, democratic country. the primary obstacles to peace in israel's region are genocidal terrorists, like hamas and palestinian islamic jihad,ho slaughter innocent people and

corrupt leaders of the palestinian authority who repeatedly, repeatedly rejected peace deals from multiple israeli governments. and foreign observers who cannot keep these clear distinctions ought to'x refrain from weighin in. it is grotesque and hypocritical for americans who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of a democratically elected leader of israel. this is unprecedented. we should not treatellow democracies this way at all. things that upset left wing a p minister's policies. they are israel's policies.

make no mistake -- the democratic party doesn't have an anti-bibi problem. it has an anti-israel problem. israel is not a colony of america, whose leaders serve at the pleasures of the party in power in washington. citizens s have a say in who runs their government. this is the very definition of democracy and sovereignty. either we respect their decisions or we disrespectir democracy. now, on another and entirely different matter, this week vladimir putin himself responded to reports of weakening western resolve to stand with ukraine and of ammunition shortages on

the front lines. here's what putin had to say --o start negotiating with ukraine just because its running out of ammu ammunition. mr. president, the chilling reality here is abundantly clear. withholding critical weapons has not helped manage putin's esca escalation. it has only him. the administration that hesitated and wrung its hands through the early days of russian escalation actually emboldened putin. it ought to be a lesson to those who insist without firm footing withholding lethal assistance would somehow hasten an acceptable negotiated settlement to the conflict.

i've said too many times to count that america's adversaries only speak the language of power, but our colleagues don't have to take my word for it. just take it straight from the dictator's mouth. vladimir putin is not playing for a tie. 's not headed to the negotiating table. he will not stop at ukraine. he's told us, and he's shown us many times. whether or not you're willing to take the architect of the n neo-soviet empire at his word, the facts remain the same. equipping ukraine for battlefield success is the surest way to help our friends resolve this war from a position

of strength. backing ukraine as it degrades our common adversary's military also strengthens america's inte interests. and investing in our own military and our own defense industrial capacity at the same time just makes common sense. it's time for the house to take up the senate-passed national security supplemental and finish the job. now, mr. president, on another matter, last week in his state of the union address, president biden bragged that he's taking, quote, the most significant action on climate ever in the history of the world. what he faid mention is that his radical climate policy almost always comes at the expense of american workers and job creators. just recently, the biden

administration rolled out yet another job-killing mandate that would impose more unilateral economic pain here at home. this one goes well beyond the regulatory standards of most of our european allies, let alone our top strategic competitor, china.o tighten limits on fine particulates in the air, known aspm2.5. despite its own data showing concentrations have actually gone down, over 40% in the last two decades. the vastaj these emissions come from sources like wildfires and dust from agriculture and roads that are not easily contained, and in some cases impossible to control.

we're talking about a climate bogeyman conjured out of smoke and dust. the epa's new standard is so it effect, 30% of u.s. counties, including many in my home state, would immediately find themselves out of compliance, grounding manufacturing growth to a halt. meanwhile, the job of actually implementing the epa's new mandate will fall to those states who are forced to inherit all the costs of this bad policy. sfrom offshore manufacturing -- from offshoring manufacturing jobs to greater reliance on china to higher americans can least afford it. in order to keep up with president biden's new mandate,

american manufacturers would be forced to import raw materials like concrete and steel for virtually any construction project. the kind of projects that grow ou and support good-paying jobs. in other words, the biden administration is saying, in willing to make our economy more, more dependent on foreign supply chains just to appease the green activists in this country. so, it's no surprise state leaders are pushing back on this ruling. kentucky attorney general russell coleman is leading a lawsuit with west virginia to challenge the epa'smen date, and so far -- the epa's mandate, and so far nearly half of our states have signed on. unlike the local -- unlike the biden administration,

local and state leaders understand how damaging this new rule would be for workers and for job creators back home. so, today, i'm happy to announce that senate republicans stand ready to do our part. today i'm introducing a resolution under the congressional review act that would prevent the epa from plowing healed with -- plowing ahead with this senseless regulatory overkill. i'm thankful to more thanned my resolutions so far as cosponsors. senate republicans will continue to stand with american workers and job when the biden administration tries to make their work so much harder. on another matter, i'd like to speak briefly on a practice in our nation's courts that hasicb frequency over the past decade.

it's the issuance of nationwide injunctions. time after time, district judges will respond to a case, challenging a federal law by preventing its application, not just to the parties before them or within their jurisdictions, but nationwide. during the last administration, attorney general sessions and barr issued policy and litigation guidance on the i an. senator cotton introduced a bill to eliminate the practice by statute. and chairman graham was eager to move the cotton bill. but senate democrats were not. support of nationwide injuxes -- injunctions is now a federal judge in the district of columbia. rather than working with republicans to eliminate a

practice that gores the oxen of both parties, it turns out our colleagues prefer to preserve it just for themselves. now thatinjunctions are being used against the biden administration, liberal allies in the academy and in the media single-judge divisions where they think conservative plaintiffs are likely to get sympathetic ratings. democratic judges wrote to the judicial conference demanding action against the scourge of judges who don't rule in favor of the biden administration. in other words, he urged the injunctions and just restrict the access to conservative judges. well, it seems the judicial conference took the bait. on tuesday, they instructed district courts to assign all cases seeking to invalidate

state or randomly across the district in which they were brought. this will have no practical effect in the venues favored by liberal activists, but democrats are still salivating at the possibility of shutting down access to justice in the venues favored by conservatives. what will this do in practice? it means a young woman challenging texas abortion laws in austin can now be forced for no good reason to have her case. a veteran defending his second can be sent to toledo to have his day in court. in kentucky, a coal miner challenging regulations in london could find his case

handled, handed to a in covington, all to prevent so-called judge shopping. but, mr. president, didn't chief justice roberts say, quote, there are not obama judges or trump judges. what exactly is the problem that demands such a drastic solution? here's what this policy won't d by nationwide injunctions. if democrats are right about the remaining incentive this they have to work with republicans on this issue will vanish. nationwide injunctions for me but not for thee. and neyedless to say republicans see a federal judiciary using its independence to weigh into political disputes. any incentive we may have to

defend the procedural independence will vanish as well. this was an unforced error by the judicial conference. i hope they will co courts throughout the country will instead weigh in, weigh what is best for their jurisdictions, nothalf-baked guidance that just does washington democrats' bidding. mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the

majority whip. mr. durbin: in just weeks an important but controversial surveillance authority known as section 702 of the foreign intelligence surveillance act will expire. this extraordinary authority was initially presented to congress as a temrary emergency counterterrorism tool more than 15 years ago. as is often the case with temporary emergency authorities, section 702 is now used for a wide range of foreign intelligence purposes, from countering russia to stopping the flow of fentanyl into the united states. just last month the bureau of investigation revealed that data collected using section 702 allowed the agency ■ to foil several attacks in recent years, including attacks that would have crippled u.s.

critical infrastructure and even threaten the lives of our u.s. servicemen. and authority has helped the u.s. uncover atrocities committed by russia during its ongoing assault in ukraine. i have had demonstrations of this section 702 authority, and there is no doubt in my mind that it is a valuable toolting . but this authority raises serious constitutional concerns as it allows access not just to communications by those who are foreigners, but also to the vast databases of america's communications without the customary search warrant required by the united states constitution. this powerful tool, this effective tool on foreign

surveillance has been usen my mind improperly to spy on american protesters from black lives matter toloyalties. the fbi imposed new limits on authority of fbi agents to search the communications of americans, but even after implementing these reforms, the fbi still conducted over 200,000 warrantless searches of just o more than 500 searches of americans per day. democrats and republicans alike are rightly concerned. our founders understood the danger of unchecked government surveillance and had the wisdom and foresight to enshrine protections for american citizens in the constitution. the fourth amendment to our constitution protects americans from unreasonable search and seizure, particularly those without a warrant based upon probable cause that had been

approved by a judge. i have long raised concerns about section 02's lack of sufficient safeguardsrotect these rights and voted against the extension of section 702 without changes. however, i've also said that i would support section 702 if it includes sufficient safeguards to protect americans from warrantless surveillance. as chairman of the senate judiciary committee, which has primary jurisdiction over fisa, i have evaluated proposed reforms and carefully considered the administration's views. i have also heard from my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. existing legislative proposals■ of the house and senate go too far for some and not far enough for others. that's why today i'm introducing what i hope will be a compromise bill that tries bridge this divide to protect both our security and our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms.

enhancement act or safe act would enhance our national security by reauthorizing section 702 for four more years while also protecting americans from warrantless surveillance. the safe act would require the government to demonstrate to a court that it has probable cause before reading our listening to the private communications of americans that have been swept up by section 702. basically in just a few words to describe the process, if one of our intelligence or law enforcement agencies suspects that a foreigner is engaged in conduct that is threatening the security of the united states c that foreigner and it turns out that foreigner has communicated with an american citizen, the question is what do you do next? can you in any way monitor that conversation or come up with an

investigation of the documents of that american with or without a warrant? that's the fundamental question we're facing here. so theght direction to a foreig source and ends up dealing with an american, an american obviously with constitutional rights. the safe act would require the government to demonstrate to a court that it has probable,% li private communications of americans that have been swept up in section 702. however, this requirement will not prevent government searchin determine if foreign targets are communicating with americans, nor will it prevent agents from accessing the communications of those foreign agents. but if the government wants to review the contents, the americ communication, it would first be required to demonstrate to the foreign intelligence surveillance court that it has

probable cause to do that. this would not be overly burdensome bus a warrant -- because a warrant would only be required in cases where the gornment actually reviews the content of american communications. they estimate that the incidents of americannt is 1.58% of all 702 searches of americans. the safe act also would not require a warrant in the cases or cybersecurity attacks to ensure that there would not be any delay that jeopardizes our national security. this approach is based on recommendations by the independent private and civil liberties oversight board, which we created after 9/11 to ensure that our counterterrorism policies do not violate the constitutional rights of the american people. the persistent and widespread violations of section 702 underscore the importance of the

court arovale propose. better compliance measures within the federal branch are helpful but they are no substitute for checks d balances by the judicial branch as founders intended. the safe act, which i'm introducing, is a sensible, moderate compromise between more robust reform proposals that address a wide range of surveillance concerns and bills that reauthorize section 702 without adequately addressing these concerns. i know that compromise does not come easy when it comes to this policy, but a reasonable middle ground that protects our national security and the rights of the american people is possible. the safe act is my offer and xriems to achieve -- and compromise to achieve that goal. with the april 19 sunset of 702 fast approaching, i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in supporting this compromise for the good of the american people. i yield the floor.

i ask consent the following law clerks be granted floor privileges. casey adams,nna1 pollard, patrick reyes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: mr. president, president biden released his budget on monday, and predictably it was fild with the same old tired tax-and-spending proposals. so much spending and s taxes. all told, the president's budget raises taxes by a staggering $5 trillion. you heard that right -- $5

trillion. his corporate tax hike and capital gains tax proposals would both raise rates higher than those in communist china. many small business would see a hefty tax hikeproposal. and most americans would see an income tax hike as his budget would allow current income tax rates to expire after 2025. so much for the president's commitment to not raising taxes for anyone making under $400,000 a mr. president, something president biden and democrats never seem to understand is that raising taxes has consequences. the corporate tax hike that president biden would like you to believe will be borne by ceo's and that tax hike would hit working americans hard. studies have shown that workers bear a huge percentage of the burden of corporate income

taxes, and impacts aren't just limited to workers employed by corporations. corporate tax hikes can hit all americans in the form of higher prices for goods and services. or take president biden's proposed tax hike on gas and oil which would be on top, on top of the energy tax hikes he's already imposed. taxing energy can drive up the cost of americans' energy bills and make it more expensive every time americans have to fill up their cars. not exactly a desirable outcome. mr. president, as i said, all o by spending proposals as president biden continues his and intrusiveness of the federal government. his budget massive new spending programs and big increases for government departments and agencies like the irs.

yet, even as the president uses budget gimmicks and accounting gimmicks to blow through the spending gap for 2025, he makes no attempt to use any of his budget sleight of hand to address the serio readiness problems facing our military. the president spent ample time in his state of the union address talking about the dangerous world in which we live. and he's right. yet, his budget makes little attempt to make sure that our military is equipped to meet the dangerous world. mr. president, we have military services well below their recruitment targets, we are behind on shipbuilding and ship maintenance. there's a persistence pilot shortage and in a number of cases we have too few mission-capable aircraft and we're not doing an adequate job of maintaining the kind of supply we need of munitions.

yet, president biden is happy to blow through the nondefense spending cap but can't find an extra dollar in his budget for our military. mr. president, this says a lot about the president's priorities. it's also worth noting that the president's budget makes no attempt to make sure that social security is protected for current and future retirees, wi track to run out of benefits -- you would think that the president would safeguard this program rather than creating government programs that have to be funded. but, clearly, you would be wrong. this year the interest on our>b national debt is projected to cost more than any government expenditure except social security. let me just r that. this year the interest on our national debt is projected to cost more than any

spend tur -- sxendure -- sx that is just the interest. when the interest on your set is -- debt is the second highest number, you k■ now you are an unsustainable fiscal track. it -- the president should not have massive new government programs when we're going into debt just to afford the ones we already have. mr. president, i could go on. the talk about the president's request for $8 billion to hire an additional 50,ans for his climate corps like so-called climate resilience workers. i could talk about the president's attempt to force american taxpayers to pay for abortions. or the eye-watering large funt wants for the irs.

but i'll stop here. and i hope -- i hope my colleagues will agree for the sake of the american people the president's budget should be dead on arrival here in the t, i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: sy the clerk: ms. baldwin. the presiding officer:

senator from north carolina. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum. a senator:4h i ask to vitiate t quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. budd: there have been 9 mil crossings, there has been a -- of arrests. this lack of enforcement of existing law has caused unimaginable suffering across our country. one su t month. an illegal alien from venezuela brutally murdered nursing student laken riley on the catch pus of the university of georgia. what makes it more devastating is that the killer could have been stopped but wasn't. so how on earth was this tragedy

even allowed to take place? well, here's the time line. the killer illegally entered t 2 in el paso, texas, he was caught and then parnto the country. he made his way into new york city where he was arrested for child endangerment in3, but then he was released. he then went to georgia and committed petty crimes like theft and shoplifting. heained by ice. then came the tragedy of february 22, when he preyed on an innocent young woman jogging around the university campus. this was allowed to take place because of the cies of presiden it took place because government agencies are given discretion to determine what crimes trigger who can be taken into custody.

the discretion loophole has to be closed. that'stç w we are here to make sure these tragedies never happen again. in laken's honor, senator britt and i have teamed up to create the laken riley act. it would require ice to take in illegal aliens. it allows the the homeland surt to -- bottom line, if this bill were i before february 22, laken riley would be alive today. the house of representatives passed this bill last week in a bipartisan -- again, a bipartisan vote of 251-70, including crats. you know, in a time of division

and polarization, the laken riley act brought both sides together. it's our hope we can learn from this horrific situation and make some positive change. let's pass the today. mr. president, i would like to yield to my colleague from indian. the presiding officer: the senator from indian. mr. braun: february 22, university college student laken riley went for a morning run on a popular trail. despite doing everything right, informing her friends of his expected return time and sharing her location with them, laken never made it home. her life was stolen by an illegal alien who should have never been in the country. the president's open-borderre s

remember, before he came in, we were at record lows, now we' at record highs. we're even talking about categories we didn't have before like got-aways, who has come into this country when currently monthly 50,000 to 60,000 people never confront the border patrol, not to mention the 200,000 to 300,000 that do. this individ had been arrested in new york for a felony. the loss of laken riley was an avoidable■■ tragedy inflicted b president biden and his policies. these policies allow illegal aliens like laken riley's killer to rome free -- even after committing crimes. the laken riley act will have

the immediate illegal aliens when they commit a crime. it makes sense. for those concerned about due process, remember, we're talking individuals with zero legal right to be in the u.s. in the first place. retainers for ice deportation should already be issued in these cases but aren't in many cases due to status. we should honor laken riley's memory by assuring that no other family ever has to endure this heartache. pass the laken riley act. i yield back

a senator: mr. president. mr. budd: i'd like to further yield to my colleague from kansas. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. to start y thanking senator budd for leading this very important issue to the senate floor. we rise to pay our honor and respect to the late laken riley and her family and mourn with her family. today we call on this chamber to come together to ensure this never happens again. laken hope riy -- laken hope riley was a beautiful young woman in the prime of her life. she was b broad daylight while jogging on

the university of georgia's campus. her alleged venezuelan, was one of two million people paroled by joe biden. one of two million. ironically, his welcome here on the united states soil by this president on his egregious he w in 2022 when he crossed into texas illegally, but because of the biden administration's unlawful mass parole of illegal aliens, he was -- he was arrested by the new york police department last year for acting in a manner to endanger a child and for a motor vehicle violation. but he was quickly released and never turned over to ice for deportation, instead he was released by police before a detainer could ever be issued by dhs allowed to roam freely and

he journeyed on to athens, we member of the violent venezuelan gang. but how can we ever identify who these people are when 10,000 people are crossing our border every day? how can the border patrol possibly vet these people inman just so many other unvetted migrants living in the country now, this migrant was handed the american dream that laken riley should be living right now. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. budd: it's for the reasons articulated by friend and colleague from kansas and indiana, that, as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to immediate consideration of calendar number 341, h.r. 7511, the bill be considered read a third time

pavend -- and passed, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. durbin: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, the death of laken riley was a horrible crime -- horrible crime, and a heartbreaking loss. this 22-year-old american nursing student at augusta university in georgia i'm certain would have made america a better place with her life and contribution to our country, but instead she was taken from us on february 22, 2024. a suspect has been arrested and will ultimately be tried for this crime. that is as it should be. that is how we follow the law in the but when you look at the request before us, it gives me pause.

we can all agree that noncitizens who are convicted of violent crimes should be detained and roved from the united states. sadly, the measure before us does nothing to address thisls issue. under current law in the united states of america noncitizens who enter the country illegally violate the terms of their status or have their visas revoked can be detained by officials from immigration and known as ice, as they should be. current law also requi individu serious -- detention of individuals with serious criminal convictions and those who have committed murder, rape, or any crime of violence or theft offense with the term of imprisonment of at least one

year. as they should be. the law also gives ice the discretion to detain or release a noncitizen in any case where a noncitizen has been chargedith a crime, as they should be. to make this decision, ice must assess the individual circumstances of the c ensure the agency's limited resources are used effectively to focus on protecting our national security and public safety, as they should be. remember, the vast majority of republicans,nc this measure, recently blocked a national security supplemental bill that would have given ice more funding to immigrants who might pose a threat to our country. the sweeping approach in the bill before us would eliminate the agency's discretion to prioritize the most dangerous

individuals and require ice to treat those arrested for sh those convicted of violent crimes. let me repeat that. require ice to treat those arrested for shoplifting the same as those convicted of violent crime. capacities and facilities and make our nation less, not more safe. for example, this proposal before us would require ice to detain every immigrant who's arrested for shoplifting, even if the charges are ultimately dropped and don't lead to a conviction. remember, this bill does not require a charge or a conviction. tell me, does it make sense to treat a noncitizen arrested for shoplifting the same as someone convicted of murder? i think we all know the answer to that question. this bill would grant -- goes into another area which hasn't been discussed much, which is

hard to imagine, but this bill would grant general the standing to sue federal immigration authorities if a state disagrees with immigration enforcement decisions made by the its face unconstitutional. for example, this bill would give a state attorney general the standing to challenge the use of the parole authority, for example, like uniting for ukraine, which allowed ukrainians to flee putin's war to come to the united states if the state can prove it had an impact of $100 for the federal government to make laken riley's murder was a tragedy. we must do everything we can to prevent crimes like this from happening. but this legislation would make our system less safe. the reality is that most immigrants in the unid states are law-abiding individuals who are seeking a better life in this country. many studies have shown that

immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than u.s. citizens. mr. president, you know personally from your own experience in congress, it's been more than 30 years since we have seriously considered an immigration reform bill. we had a chance, didn't we, just a few weeks ago? there was a bipartisan group and the white house was part of it that one of the -- that wanted to sit down and change the immigration and border security laws in the united states. the republican effort in this regard was led by james lankford, a conservative, respected republican from oklahoma. on our side senators murphy and sinema negotiated for weeks, notion was to finally up withr address the border security of the united states in a comprehensive, bipartisan realistic way. itial. there were some parts of it i didn't care for at all, but i thought this was a good faith,

bipartisan effort. we were assured because republican senators had chosen senator lankford as their negotiator that at least it would entertain some support on the republican side. we called the measure on the floor and it failed because the republicans would not join the democrats in engauging in this --n this bipartisan effort. the issues raised this morning by senator budd could have been resolved perhaps if we would have had that kind of bipartisan negotiation. but it didn't happen. i had my concerns about the deal, but it certainly should haveard. when it came to a vote, the vast majority of republicans opposed it at the request of former president donald trump who who measure to stop and not be considered and move forward and said, and i quote, go ahead and blame me for it. well, i am blaming him for it and i'm blaming those who stepped away from this

bipartisan opportunity. donald trump has made clear that he does nottution to our challenges at the border. he wants an issue for the november election, and so we stepped away from$= the only realistic chance to have a bipartisan solution. i urge my colleagues to reject donald trump's advice. let's get back to the table. let's consider theueator this morning and other issues that are important and make a bipartisan decision to move forward to solve this problem. i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. budd: thank you, mr. president. i'm deeply with my democrat colleagues that objecting to a bill that had it been in place, laken riley's life would have been spared. the democrat party's commien bo otherwise preventable tragedies to occur again and again and again. but while we're here, address some of the counterarguments we've heard. one contention is that this bill

would apply to individuals merely acued of a crime, robbing them of due process. well, the fact that illegal aliens are freely roaming around the country in and of itself is illegal. if they then commit another crime, authorities are well within their rights to detain them. the law that this bill would strengthen already have been involved in various acts, such as drug trafficking, prostitution, and other vices, regardless of whether or not co. opponents of this bill don't just have a problem with this bill. they have a problem with well established laws onhe argument d is that this bill would violate the constitution's standing the supreme court in united s. states v. texas provided a real road map for congress to authorize lawsuits against the executive branch for failing to the bill follows that road map and upholds the constitution's separation of powers.

the bill state attorney general or other authorized officer to bring a lawsuit against executive branch officials for failure to enforc that harms such state or its residents. the bill authorizes a federal court to grant appropriate injunction relief. this bill does not prejudge the result of any case or hands. the bill simply ensures that states are given their day in court to protect theiritizens against harmful, lawless, open border policies of the biden administration. i simply don't believe that ameo experience a tragedy like the one that befell the riley family. and i'm going to continue to work with my colleague from britt, and my -- all my colleagues to push this legislation until it passes this chamber. mr. president, i yield the

floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: mr. president, it's been almost a year since president biden nominated dennis hankins to behe ambassador to haiti. at that time haiti -- in that time haiti has gone from a a security and humanitarian catastrophe. vicious gangs, armed largely with weapons trafficked from the united states have plunged the country into chaos. they have burned government buildings, attacked police statio, and while the prime minister was out of the country to facilitate an international peacekeeping mission, gangs led a massive jail break releasing nearly 4,000 prisoners. eave their homes.ave been forced

almost half the population is facing food insecurity crisis. and this is within a very short assistance of the united states of america. thousands have been murdered. hundreds kidnapped. according to the u.n. officials, gangs have used collective rapes to instill fear, punish, segregate, and inflict pain. we are on the verge of having a failed state, roughly 800 miles from our shores. secretary blinken was in kingston this week to help broker a political agreement with other partners in the region. an agreement for a political path forward that includes tran presidential council following the resignation of the prime minister. i am pleased that we are finally voting on an ambassador, ambassador hankins' nobody job -- that he was nominated for

but that was taking us way too long to get to this point. m voting on his nomination. it should have been well before now. i mentioned this week my meeting with general richardson, our south com commander. how critical it is around our homes fear and around the world to have confirmed ambassadors to speak on behal o strong voice on what's happening in haiti but how can we have that if we don't take advantage ofbassador. i'm glad we're kreekting that today. -- correcting that today. the nomination has been held up for reasons that have nothing to do with haiti and nothing to d . u.s. leadership matters, especially in a country so close to our border. we need senate-confirmed ambassadors on the ground who request work with haitian leaders and diplomats too lay groundwork for transitional

unitomeone who understand bes the depths of the humanitarian sufferings which if not addressed will lead to thousands of haitians seeking most importantly, we need someone who can help coordinate once the kenyan-led multinational -- multilateral security support mission is in place, which will be critical to restoring capacity. we need that multilateral security force in place, but we need our voice to make sure they can be successful. in haiti, in this region and throughout the world, we need to have confirmed ambassadors. ambassador hankins has more than two decades of foreign service experience. he has served in some of the most complex crisis-prone situations in the world, including in haiti. in 2025 he was confirmed as ambassador to -- unanimous

vote he was previously confirmed. he has the experience to guide this process forward and advance u.s. national interests. i want to call on my colleagues to support the administration's outstanding funding request for haiti. not only do we need to get the ambassador confirmed, but we need to have our -- available so the multinational force that kenya is leading can be deployed and we can start to restore order in haiti so that a transitional government has a possibility of restoring the order necessary to avoid the current crisis and be able to address the humanitarian needs and stability that the people of haiti so badly need. but it starts with us confirming the ambassador. and we have the that with this next vote. i'm pleased that we had this opportunity today, and i urge my colleagues to support this

nomination. and with that, mr. president, i would ask consent that the vote that was supposed to start at 12:00 noon start immediately. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the question occurs on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. 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.

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. ro

mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall.nnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla.

mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. 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. wyden. mr. young. senators voting in the affirmative -- ll,

cardin,s coons, durbin, ernst, hagerty, king, lujan, murray, and wicker. nor senator voted in the -- no senator voted in the.o

the clerk: mr..

mr. schatz, aye.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye. mr. scott of florida, aye. ígej mr. ossoff, aye.

the clerk: mr. merkley, aye. m mr. 1'ám■kthune, aye. mr. brau

mr. braun, aye. the clerk: ms. ■collins, aye.

the clerk: mr. ■kaine, aye.

the clerk: mr. crapo, aye. mrs. rcapito, aye.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, aye.

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye. mr. vance, aye./i■

the clerk: mr. saendz, aye. -- mr. sanders, aye.■v ÷a mr. wyden aye. mr. whitehouse, aye. the clerk: mr. brown, aye. mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mrs. britt, aye. mr. van hollen, aye.

the clerk: ms. sinema, aye. the clerk: ms. cortez masto, aye.zb

the clerk: mr. kennedy, no. mr. menendez, aye.l#

the clerk: mr. ricketts, aye.

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye.

mr. tuberville, aye. can. the clerk: mr. welch, aye.

the clerk: mr. warner, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. risch, aye. the clerk: mrs. ehyde-smith, ay.

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye. the clerk: mrs. fischer, aye.

ms. smith, aye. the clerk: mrs. blackburn, aye.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye. mr. peters, aye. mr. young, aye.■#÷<

the clerk: mr. grassley, aye.

the clerk: mr. marshall, aye.■4

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

the clerk: mr. tillis, aye.

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye.■)39

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye.■.

mr. cornyn, aye.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye.

the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye. the clerk: mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. johnson, aye.

vote: the clerk: ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: mr. romney, aye. ■x

the cls. duckworth, aye. the clerk: ms. lummis, aye. c.

mr. cruz, aye. p■l

the clerk: ms. warren, aye. um

the clerk: mr. graham, aye. ■e■7

the clerk: mr. lee, aye.

the clerk: mr.chumer, aye. the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye. wb■vt>

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.ï the clerk: mr. hawley, aye.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, aye.

vote:# erk: mr. fetterman, aye. x

the clerk: mr. rounds, aye. ■x

the clerk: mr. hoeven, aye. ;

the clk: ms. butler, aye.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 89, the are 1. the motion is agreed to. the nomination is agreed to. 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.c-', will rn of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination t judiciary. nicole g. berner of maryland to be united states circuit judge for the fourth circuit. #

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, are we in acall? mr. president, i am here today for a really fun some of you have been here before when i've had occasion to speak about the last great race. the last great race in alaska is all about the iditarod. the presence of my friend from vermont who was sitting where the presiding officer is last year, and he was so captivated

by the story of the iditarod. he said lisa, when you come back an yat announcement, let me know. i'm pleased to be able to regale you with yet another iditarod. this is the, this is an extraordinary tradition, 51 years in alaska where dogs and mushers have left the starting in the willow, wasilla north to an almost in some yearsrace, a against all of the elements. and it's always a bit exciting. but this year i'm really excited to be able to announce that we have made history yet again with the iditarod sled dog race.

dallas seavey has won for the sixth time in a row. this is the first time any musher has ever won more than five iditarods. this extraordinary young man from an extraordinary mushing family has made history in a way that is absolutely worth celebrating. again who are not familiar with the iditarod, it is, it's about a 1,000-mile sled dogoes from the anchorage area where we host the ceremonial start. i was there a couple of weeks ago. then they beginday, on sunday. but they proceed all the way up to nome. this is not easy terrain. you are going ice and rivers. it is -- it's the -- if the terrain is challenging and

certainly the temperatures are challenging. this has been a test for all of our mushers. they were seeing temperatures down in the negative 40 degrees, you get yourself moving behind a dog team, get that wind in your face, it is no pleasant journey by any strimagination. it tests the mushers, it tests the canine athletes, but it is an extraordinary race that was based off of a relay effort to the get diphtheria yum to -- serum to nome during the 1920's. we no longer carry the diphtheria serum, but we do carry the message about working dogs and mushers and their teams have had in a state like alaska.

i want to speak a little bit about about seavey family. as we speak about daas's achievements, having won six iditarods. the family tradition srt in 197 this was the very first iditarod. and dallas's grandfather participated in that race. dan seavey ran the first iditarod, he placed rerespectab stayed with it and he raced in four additional iditarod dan's took the reigns from -- reins from his dad and mitch went on to win three iditarods himself.

he raised in 28 different iditarods. that's a commitment to the race. mitch had four sons, three of which have taken on the iditarod themselves. the oldestas danny seavey, he raised three times. t tyrell he raised twice and dallas has competed in 14 iditarods. and wife jen has also competed in the iditarod. this is a family extraordinaly og raising and particularly with the iditarod. i think it is somewhat unique to note that it was just a couple of years ago that dallas and mitch, his dad, were competing in the same race. how many different sports activities, competitions -- intense xegsz do you see

exceptions do you see -- competitions do you see a father and son as competitors? it is quite remarkable how the seaveys came to this race and how they have committed to it. so when dallas started raising in the iditarod. he was the youngest competitor, it was two weeks before his 18th birthday. he started pretty young and stayed in it since 2005. he was the youngest competitor to win the iditarod and he holds the record for the fastest iditarod ran, back in 2021. in that race, the he completed seven days, 14 hours, and 51 seconds. seven days to race 1,000 miles. and so now with this sixth win,

he has overtaken another five-time champion rick swenson for the most iditarod championships of all. dallas is going to be inducted into the alaska sports hall of fame this year, which, again, is certainly appropriate given all of his accomplishments. butne of the things that's so great about the iditarod, one of the things so great about these mushers, they will tell you it's not about■b me. i'm the individual standing on the sled. i'm making sure they're getting the water, the food, the rest that they need, but this is about the mushers, this is about the canine athletes and dallas gives due credit the lead dogs through the race, arrow, intesian -- sebastian.

he said that every one of the dogs could be a leader except for frank. he said he won't do it, he would run right up there, i won't let him. he pees on things. so we have different challenges with people and others who we work with, but usually it's not dogs. so there's never an iditarod where there isn't a story that captivates the news. and the weather was significant. i mention the 45 below. you come to a place on the -- on the ocean when they're going across ice and there's an area so windy, they call it a blow hole, and the accounts of the mushers not being their hands in front of their face, much less the markers, the

winds are so intense that it blows the sleds and the mushers off the trail. this is not easy stuff. that's towards the later end of the trail. one of the instances that got everyone's attention in the first 100 miles, dallas seavey, is coming the trail and there's a blind corner and right there in of the trail, there's a moose. moose and sled dogs not -- do not get along well. dallas knows this is not good. he has 16 dogs in harness, the moose gives the first half of the team the go-ahead, but then turns around and starts charging the latter half of his team.

we've had dogs that have beened on the trail because of moose attacks. they're just ferocious, cranky, particularly this time of the year when the snow is so deep and it's hard for the moose to walk. so dallas does what he needs to do, he dispatches the moose. he has a revolver and takes -- there are rules that tells you what to do if you encounter an animal that you need to take ou your team and the rules require if it's an hedible animal, you have to gut it accordingly. this guy has won five eye debt rods, he has a mission and

gutting a moose was n travel pl he gets out his knife and guts the moose. in his own words, doesn't do the best job he could, but he does an acceptable job, he then moves on. keep in mind, he's one man with 16 dogs that are in a bit of a tizzy, you've got a moose on the trail, you've got a gun, you have blood, they're in the middle of a race, they want to go, dallas seavey is not going to be able to haul that moose off the trail. he moves on to the checkpoint ahead and notifies them that there is a moose on the three mushers from behind, same blind corner, come around the corner, the dogs see this things on the trail, leap over like a horse going over a jumper, the sled flying, and the story from

the mushers, is almost surreal, using the moose as a speed bump, the moose was taken to the village and shared with the villagers, so there was good news about the moose, but you think,■) alaska. what has not been shared about the dispatch of the moose was the first musher to come around the same blind corner, seeing the moose, he was able to stop his team quick enough, jesse holmes, he sees the moose, he needs to get the moose off the trail, he punches the moose in the trail, i don't know whether that is bravado or if the moosen the news, but jesse was able to move past safely with his team. these are some of the things that make the stories interesting, amazing, a lot of

people swear like that's the craziest thing ever, why would you do it? i think it's important to note that dallas not only won in nine days, two hours, 16 minutes and 8 seconds, he did so, he finished ahead of matt hall who came in nine days, 6 hours, 57 minutes. he did that with the two-hour penalty he received for not properly gutting the moose. stoy stories continue. but dallas' time, think about it, my friends, we do things around here where we say this is a long slog. when you are standing behind your sled and guiding your team through not only extreme bitter temperatures but howelling --

howling winds to be on your feet for 9d days, 6 s, their averages 4.42 miles, so they're clipping along, but it is it a tough, ■/tough, tough endeavor. the -- there's some stories from other mushers that you hear. a rookiemusher, josie thyer, she was having trouble staying awake going frozen yu con -- yukon, and she is asleep, and that's trust when you know your animals will guide you while you get a catnap. it's tough while doing it. i mentioned jesse, as a -- josi,

as a think another history making fact is that four women finished in the top ten of thedi women to finish in the top ten. we have page, millie, who finished, seven, and amanda, at eight. and the top tenthis year. you think in order to do this extreme sport, in order to handle a dozen dogs, in order to take all of this on, you have to be some tough burrelly guy --■, burley guy, women are doing an exceptional job, my friend dede iditarods, she is 5 gotlue eyesh

the iditarod this year, but she did the snow machine trail all the way up. so justo up for 1,000 mile snow machine ride. tough women, let me tell you. there were 16 rookies in the race tour of those rookies have dropped out, ten are still racing. there are 11 musherout on the trail and seven mushers total have dropped out, 20 mushers have finished the race so far. so it's an endeavor as the rest of the teams finish up we're praying for their safety and i'm sur they're praying for a little bit of a nap when they come in. it's congratulations and condemnationings for -- con mendations for everyone who participates. they're all winners from the mushers to the dogs, and the

volunteers, very few paid staff. but the volunteers who come, whether to put on the banquets or be dog handers, the eyeidita air force, which is all volunteer air force that moves everything along the way, the veterinarians who come from around the country to volunteer a week of their time to make sure the dog's care is taken care of. those in the community who come out who sponsor gourmet meals for the first place person to come in or the pizza place that is called peace on earth where if i want to make sure that a particular musher gets a nice hot pizza when they come in to the finish, i can call up, they will message on the box and give it to the musher when they come in. it's

everybody working together. nothing captures the grit, determination, spirit, or just the sheer alaskans. so i'm delighted to come and celebrate dallas seavey an iditarod once again. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.senator from . mr. coons: mr. president, volunteerism and service has long defined the very heart of the american spirit. it was in the middle of the 19th century, at the dawn of the american republic, who observed that it was the take initiative, to roll up year sleeves and get to work helping build your community that distinguished the people of this

new continent from the■22 old world. and i'll say is i've seen it myself. i'm here to celebrate the 30th anniversary of america's national service program, something called americorps. it was created in a bipartisan effort at the end of the george h.w. bush administration, at the beginning of the bill clinton administration, there was a concerted, bipartisan effort to recognize that the country that showed the impact on young americans of spending a year of their lives in service to others was worth expanding and replicating. this week actually happens to be americorps week, march 10 to the th and service. i've just introduced a bipartisan and bicameral resolution with senator cassidy, congresswoman matsui and congressman grace. as i mentioned, americorps has been bipartisan from the start

and i look forward to continuing its future in a bipartisan way. i've long had a connection to americorps going back to one of the very first national direct americorps pha the "-i have a d foundation in the mid-1990's. we've americorps members serve in ten cities doing after-school programming and summer programming with children from young americans participating in americorps have contributed to their community, have developed their skills and havemoney for . years later when i was a county executive, i launched the new castle county emergency services corps to strengthen the volunteer fire service in my home community. there are dozens of volunteer firedelaware, and they have strengthened every community. the siren going into the middle

of the night from our volunteer firefighter was a reminder of the call that is at the very foundation of our nation to get up in the middle of the night to jump in your truck and drive down to the fire hall and take on the risk of serving and saving your nei and supporting americorps members through the i have a dream program was one of the most rewarding opportunities in my life. i actually for many years served on the commission that directs and oversees americorps in delaware, and it was through that service that i met my wife. over a million americans have served in americorps since 1994. delaware today■core than 361 traditional americorps members, more than 900 americorps seniors, and thenge tutoring children, responding to disasters, rebuilding housing and helping veteran and muc

more. let me mention two currently serving members of americorps in delaware, sharon an adult literacy instructor who teaches english to our newest americans. she spoke of the joy an immigrant mother felt when the school admintror tell her about her son and to communicate something positive about his schooling and she could understand everything for the first time. or christie, an academic coach at team sharp, a program for underrepresented high school a fulfilling it was to help young men and women in delaware just as she herself had benefitted from similar mentoring and tutoring. these two examples are a reminder of what more than a million americorps members over 30 years have experienced -- that service brings america together. it helps us bridge our divides. americorps has organized for

decades now an annual 9/11 day of service to be reminded of what citizenship means in our nation -- service to others. as we reflect on 30 years, i think it kneads to be a call for all of us to e gauge in did -- to engage in the work of service, to expand americorps as a program and to recognize that the best thing we can d for our nation is to get committeded to each other through national service. congratulations to all who have4 ed over the last 30 years and to the millions more americans whose future will be enlivened, brightened and strengthened through the opportunity to serve. thank you. mr. young: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. young: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the following senators be permitted to speak prior to the scheduled vote -- young for up to five minutes, barrasso, up to 7 minutes, stabenow for up to five minutes, and cardin for up to three minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. young: mr. president, during his state of the unionre week, e about solving the ongoing humanitarian crisis at our southern border, and he mentioned the"ç name of laken riley. laken riley, as my colleagues know,ost her life, lost her life because of that humanitarian crisis. laken22-year-old college student. she was murdered by an illegal alien last month. the illegal alien had been

previously cited for theft and shoplifting but was not -- but was released. and those who knew her described laken as a shining light and wind-hearted. -- and kind-hearted. her calling in life, mr. president, was to care for that calling -- studying nursing at augusta university -- when sh murdered, murdered by a venezuelan national who crossed our border illegally. now hurricanes to laken's family and friends, your fellow americans grieve with saddened . we pray and we hope that in you will find comfort.

we should all find comfort in the example that laken leaves behind. but let me not be the first to say -- let me add my voice to the chorus of voices in emphasizing the words of condolence -- that wordsot enou. no far better for us to honor laken's life than doing everything, everything our power to ensure that no other family endures this or a similar tragedy.biden, who said after his speech that he shouldn't have referred to laken's murderer as an illegal, and to any of my colleagues who is offended by the use

term, let us dispense with misplaced outrage. let's stop playing political word games. let's speak as plainly as possible. the man who killed laken riley broke the law when he walked across our southern border. he shouldn't h. he was an illegal immigrant. had our border not been broken, had our immigration laws not be continually ignored, he wouldn't have been in georgia. and laken riley would still somebody alive. -- would still be alive. the man who killed laken riley was a el paso.

he was then welcomed into the country with little obligation other than to follow the honor system,ings to show up for an appointment with the im customs enforcement, which he failed to do so. this is but one a wave, a wave of illegal immigrants drawn towards and all allowed into our border b design. in his first 100 daysness office, president biden signed 94 executive orders to dismantle, dismantle his predecessor's border policies for the policies actually reduced illegal immigration. he ended the remain ilicy. he scaled backboard enforcement.

he revived catch and release. he halted deportations. he allowed title 42-to-sunset. he abused our parole system, allowing millions of people into this country without proper vetting. overwhelming not just our law enforcement and communities along the border but also cities far from it, cities in my home state of indiana. last december alone, 300,000 people were processed at the southern border, an all-time high. mr. president, i request two more minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. young: and nine million illegal immigrants, mr. president, have crossed our border during president biden's presidency. if only those among us had spent

as much time worrying about securing our southern border as they do about finding inoffensive terms to describe the man who illegally crossed it and then murdered laken riley. for over three years i've urged the biden administration to reverse its border policies. record lelf illegal crossings are are a national security issue. we know that. but they're also a crime and drug use issue in the state of indiana and across the countr tragically evidenced by laken riley's death. the chaos this administration's policies have cautioned isn't confined to texas, not confined to arizona. every state is a border state. and i appreciate the good-faith efforts of some of my colleagues. senator lankford, most notably, to find bipartisan solutions to strengthen our border security. and i remain hopeful that we in congress can find a path to

improving our border security laws and to actually enforcing them. but the occupant is not powerle. at times president biden presents himself as a border hawk, waiting on republicans to give him the tools to end the crisis he created. we should note the president has routinely pushed the constitutional limits of his office in pursuit of political and policy goals, but now -- now he claims when it comes to the border crisis he's hemmed in from taking action by congress. despite the tough talk, we■ forgiven for concluding that this administration wants the crisis on our southern border to continue. prove us wrong, mr. president. fixing the border begins with you.r. president.

mr. senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: thank you you mr. president. every year on this in regard, a senator reads george washington's farewell address. this yeaor cardin, who is retiring from this body, was given the honor of reading the address. it's so we in the senate re lessons from george washington. so let's reflect on what's in george washington's farewell address, and it is this quote -- foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government. well, the majority leader of the united states senate certainly knows that. because four years ago he quoted these very same words. yet he ignoredy in this body whs

to our ally israel. hours ago the senior senator from new york crossed the line by calling for a new government in israel. let's be clear, israel is a democracy. it makes its own choice about who they want to lead them. it doesn't need to have a senator from new york's interference. the senator also made the outra statement that the prime minister of israel, in the words of the senator from new york, is this is exact ly backwards. it is the terrorists, the rapist hamas were the obstacles to peace. let us be clear. demonizing our friends is going to protect them from the

brutality of hamas. it only works to alienate our allies,■ our common goals of peace further out of reach. israel deserves an ally that the people of israel can trust. most especially when they are battling terrorists. aisle in this body have affirmed that israel has every right to defend itself. we must also respect israel's right as a democracy to choose its own destiny. mr. president, now o come to th speak about president biden's state of the union speech. speech is likely a preview of his acceptance speech this summer in chicago at the democratic convention. it was the an rest, most -- angriest, most divisive,

vindictive state of the union that i can recall. he used his most■ important speech in 50 years to launch a direct attack on half of america., belittled their concerns, and if people had the gall to disagree with him, he screamed that they were the of democracy. president biden said all of this to hide his disastrous record of failures. three years ago president biden said without unity, he said, there is only bitterness and fury. last thursday night, what we saw from president biden was bitterness and fury. to me this was an insult to every american. the president showed no respect for the american people, for our institutions, or for the truth. instead we heard an hour of dismissals, denials,

distortions, and deceptive spin. president biden is r has only himself to blame. it is his disastrous policies that cause us to be in the mess that we find ourselves. president biden said, quote, the state of our union is strong and getting stronger. well, that may be his opinion, but it's not what the american people li prices are up 18% today compared to the day that he took office. president biden said he needs new laws to secure the border. that's not true either. president biden has the power to secure the border, and he knows it. he simply lacks the backbone. during his first hundred days, the president took 94 executive actions that threw our border wide open. stopped building the wall. turned detain and deport into catch and release and more than nine million illegal immigrants have poured across our border

since joe biden became president. that includes terrorists, thousands of hardened criminals. this is dangerous for our country, mr. president. yet joe biden can't say that.■% since his speech last thursday, he has spent more time gravelling for using the term apologizing for not knowing the name of laken riley. people all across the country remember her as the 24-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant. president biden also claimed our global alliances are stronger an they ever were. that's not true. since joe biden became president, america has lost its standing in the world. our allies don't trust enemies . by every metric, we are worse off today than we were the day joe biden took office.ation is wrong direction.

no amount of scolding or lecturing by the president is going to change that. no amount of yelling will cover up president biden's endless failures to lower prices. by pr not going to restore confidence in the american dream which his own i angry blame shifting by president biden is not going to stop the flood or reverse the flood of nine million illegal immigrants and illegal border crossings. nor will it protect innocent americans from the illegalcrime. families in my home state in wyoming and all across america are fed up with the biden blame game. americans are not imagining that their grocery bills are higher than they ever were before. the bills actually are higher. americans aren't imagining that the border is more dangerous than ever before. it is more dangerous.

and watching president biden's speech, clear to the people all across wyoming and to like-minded americans, that the president doesn't listen. fortunately, senate republicans are listening. you heard it last week from the junior senator from alabama. heres was remarkably positive. unlike president biden, she offered a bright vision for the future of our nation. the senator said together we can reawaken the historic spirit of our great nation and she is right. thank you, mr. president. and i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. i want to say for the record it's been 36 days since republican colleagues voted down the strongest border security bill in decades. so that's a reality. but wha to speak about was the president's budget. when he was growing up,

president biden's dad used to say this. show me ll me what you value. tell you what you value. well, president biden's budget just came out and i'll tell you what he values. prident biden values investing in the middle class so that families are able to work hard and get ahead and build a better life for their children. ensuring that teachers and firefighters aren't paying more taxes than billionaires. and he values social security and lifted up ils of older -- up millions of older americans out of poverty, a whole generation, a great american success story. meanwhile, we have the republican nominee, the former president, in an nbc interview vowing to cut medicare and social security. show me your budget and i'll tell you what you value. the biden budget invests in growing our middle■" class, continuing the policies that have made our economy the strongest in the world.

since president biden and vice president harris took office, the economy has added about 15 million new jobs, the most ever president. the unemployment rate has stayed below 4% for two years in a row. we haven't seen that in more than 50 years. wages are up. the stock market is up. new small businesses are up.■i meanwhile, the republican agenda slashes investments in our families while cutting taxes for the wealthy. republicans like to talk about cutting the deficit. meanwhile, president biden is doing it. his bucket would reduce -- budget would reduce the deficit by $3ing -- $3 trillion by making the wealthy pay their fair share. it lowers costs for families in a number of ways. it invests in affordable child care so that working families aren't scrambling to find

quality care at a price they can afford. it increases affordable housing and helps american families buy their first home and achieve their dream. meanwhile, it makes higher education more affordable and cuts the burden of student debt. and it continues to lower president trumping costs -- continues to lower prescription drugs helping people get the medications they need. best of all it expands t■s child tax credit which was intact d as part of the rescue plan. it helped cut poverty, child poverty in half in 2021. and president biden's budget brings it back giving families some breathing room. we also know that families are concerned about our national skec security. the biden budget invests in a secure border through technology that detects fentanyl, more border patrol officers, more immigration judges, more asylum officers so that decisions can

be made quickly on who should be allowed to remain in the country. and finally, the biden budget protects and strengthens social security and medicare. these aren't just government programs. they're a promise that after a lifetime of hard work, you're going to be able to retire in dignity. meanwhile, republicans continue through their presidential nominee to focus on cutti break promise. the presiding officer: order please. please take your conversations off the floor. ms. stabenow: show me your budget and i'll tel you what you value, mr. president. a thriving middle class, safe communities, security for our seniors and ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share. that's what the president values. we've come a long way. it's time to build on the progress. thank you. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will report 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 of er number 461, nicole g. berner of maryland to be united states circuit judge for the fourth circuit 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 nicole gfrment berner of maryland to be the united states circuit judge for the fourth 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. beet

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin.