■x 90%. if we were to let those extremists have their way, it would mean millions of women in our country being left without options and forced into unwanted pregnancy and other situations that we may not be prepared for. now, my state, california, has been a leader on the front lines of reproductive freedom. five months after the dobbs decision, california voters overwhelmingly chose to amend the state constitution and unequivocally protect the right to abortion and contraception. this week i heard from martin oragu and emily attending santa monica college and irvine valley college respectively. together they serve as the youth

equity and safety ambassadors for essential access health, a nonprofit dedicated to championing quality sexual and reproductive health care for all. they wrote to me saying, quote, access to contraception is not just a health issue; it's a lightestline forur -- it's a life-line for our autonomy and future. access to contraception is about giving us the power to shape our destinies. when we have the tools to manage our health, we can stay in school, build stable families, and positively to our communities. the ability to get contraception enables us to leave healthier, more productive lives and achieve dreams. it's about8$ fostering personal responsibility, stability, and economic self-reliance. madam president, when i came to this chamber, i made a

promise -- i made a promise to be urgent in my efforts to protect the rights of young pe emily and others in their generation who are tired of being ignored and dismissed. we cannot fail them or let them down in this moment. i close urging my colleagues to join in and ensure that a tax on contraceptives do not go unchecked. we must support this legislation and safeguard contraceptive care for the millions of young girls, women, and patients across the country. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. i rise colleagues to urge all of my colleagues to vote may never of the right to contraception act. at its core, this bill is based

on a very simple value, that every individual -- the value is that every individual should have the right to■i make decisis about their lives, medical care, their family and their bodies. and passing this bill would not only protect the right to birth control free from government interference, but it would protect this core american value. because if you don't control your reproductive life, you don't control anything about your life. so this is a bipartisan issue, at least in the nation, if not in this chamber, over 80% of americans support access to birth control, including over 70% of republicans. but despite this overwhelming level of support, many of my republican colleagues seem set to block this bill today. and, you know, i wish i could say that i was shocked, but there is a direct through line republicans and donald trump

confirming trump's extremist anti-choice justices, o overturning roe and bringing us to this day. so this is not an accident. this is a plan. and in the era of chaos, ushered in by the supreme court's dobbs' decision, republicans' refusal to protect access to birth control is a cruel and reckless approach to women's health. every day we are confronted with the grave consequences that roe has had to americans. today one in three women of childbearing age live in a state with a trump abortion ban and we hear the impact of that on people's lives many women trying to get reproductive health care and being turned away, sometimes until their condition becomes life-threatening injuries, doctors trying to provide health care that they feel is best for their patients but they can't because of fear of prosecution. it is clear that the people

responsible for this either don't understand women's health and bodies or they just don't care. now, people access contraceptive care!" for a host of reasons, f end endometriosis, and families. that is why this is so important, right to contraception protects more than your right on whether and when to become a parent, it protects your right to chart the course of your life and to make decisions without politicians and judges interfering. when republicans vote no, what they are saying to be in charge freedom, your autonomy, and your personal dignity. so, you know, you may be thinking, as you're listening to this debate, i mean, why is this law necessary? what is out there?

who is out there that is actually trying to restrict access to contraceptives? the reality, colleagues, is that this is happening. you can see it in redefining contraception like iud's or the morning-after pill, not based on science or the best medical expertise, but on political views. you can see it in the relentless efforts to cut title 10 funding. now, colleagues, title 10 is the bipartisan law signedy president noings. it is the only federal program dedicated to providing comprehensive family planning and health care. it helps low-income people afford wellness exams, testing for sex transmitted diseases and hif-aids.

it is a godsend for over two and a half million americans. we should be supporting title 107b now tearing it down. now, many of you know that long before i came to this body, i worked at planned parenthood. when i was there i saw every day what it means to get access to basic reproductive health care. how that frees people to be able to live the lives they choose and how much they depended on those services. now donald trump and extreme senate republicans have created a health care crisis by banning abortion for one in three women of childbearing age in this country and if my republican colleagues are really interested, truly interested, in helping women and families, you would vote nor bill, this right to contraception act, you would vote for it today. i'm here to tell you actions speak louder than words. a no vote means that you don't trust women to make our own

decisions about our bodies, our health and our lives. and so i urge you to join us in voting yes. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. senator: mad the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: madam president, pe being hysterical for saying that republicans would take away people's, the prevailing republican decision to ban abortions in every instance was so unpopular, people said, they would never go through with that. two years ago, it finally helped. roe fell appeared tens of millions of women across america lost their right to reproductive freedom overnight. and now once again people question whether republicans will actually go through with the thing that they say they want to do.

it's too morally extreme, it's too politically risky, but the fact is republicans have shown no restraint whatsoever when it comes to shredding people's reproductive rights. overturning roe was never going to beenough. the project also included banning birth control and ivf. it doesn't matter how unpopular it is, it doesn't matter that 92% of americans support birth, it doesn't matter that women and families would lose the ability to plan and whether or when to have kids. dismantling reproductive freedoms is central to the republican agenda, aside from tax cuts for billionaires, it's kind of their main thing. no right or freedom, no matter how basic or popular, is off-limits until congress enshrines that right in federal law. the right to contraception act does exactly that.

it enshrines in federal law the right to birth control, and it protects doctors who are simply doing their jobs by providing it. this should not be controversial. no matter w stand politically, if you want several kids or none at all, whether you're religious or eighthist -- atheist or somewhere in between, this is about principle that people should be able to decide what's best for themselves, their bodies and their families. over the past two years since the fall of roe, republican lawmakers in 17 states, arizona, wisconsin and h have -- and republican-led legislators in states like missouri and idaho are pushing to block access to various forms of birth control including plan b and iud. you have donald trump openly telling with national contraception ban.

so to say the future of birth control in the united states is serious jeopardy is not partisan spin. republicans continue to work at this goal. they want fewer rights, less autonomy, less freedom, and the only way to counter their crusade against people's fundamental frooements is to -- freedoms is to enshirine their rights in federal freedom. this is out what people actually think. there was a memo from the nrsc. a lot of people are talking near the reason to to the media about what they think about contraception, but in two hours we get to know what you think about contraception. we get to know whether you actually want to enshrine this right in federal statute or you don't. that is the beauty■" of this place, and that is the beauty of this bill at this time. everyone will go on the record. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: madam president, thank you. i want to thank all of my colleagues who are here on the floor and senator hirono, who has led this legislation, along with senator markey. as you just heard today every senator is going to be confronted with a very simple question. should americans have the right to contraception, the right to birth control, iud's, plan b? now, that should not be a hard question. in fact, most americans thought this matter was settled, after all, nearly 60 years ago the supreme court decided griswald v. connecticut, and confirmed the right to contraception. and today the right to contraception is overwhelmingly popular. the vast majority of american people, our constituents, support this right. so easy vote. this bill should pass with flying colors. it almost shouldn't be

necessary, and yet, republicans have been making clearl like this is not only necessary but urgent. because not only has justice thomas signalled an interest reconsidering griswald, not only have senators said griswald was unsound, but there are republican bills right now with large gop support that would severely undercut the right to birth control. like the life at conception act, which is supported by more than half the republicans in the house, including the speaker. that gop bill would enshrine the truly extreme doctrine of fetal personhood nationwide. that would not jus would outlaw emergency contracepti like plan b and it would outlaw iud's. you don't have to take my word

for it. i chaired a help hearing yesterday on the damage of republicans' anti- attacks over the past two years, and i asked the republicans' own witness directly, do you view iud's as abortion? the answer was yes. let's be crystal clear. iud's and plan b do not cause an abortion. that level of disinformation is chilling. and it cuts to the heart of the issue aboutt many republicans really think about contraception. so every time plunges try to -- republicans try to say no one is coming for your birth control, well, what about every republican pushing for fetal personhood? seriously. and let's say republicans succeed at making fetal personhood the law of the land. i mean they already succeeded at overturning roe. so if republicans enact fetal personhood, what happens to all the women with iud's?

make no mistake, that isn't simply some provocative h hypot hypothetical, if republicans actually pass the life at conception act, this is a question millions of women will have to grapple with. i don't expect an answer from republicans and i don't expect every republican to bes forthcoming as their witness yesterday as to where they stand with the right to birth control. but we are putting every single senator on then we vote on the right to contraception act. this bill is exactly straightforward and common sense as it sounds. it simply codifies americans' right to birth control into law. that's it. and you don't have to take my word for it. read it. it's 11 pages. madam president, to me, this is not just a messaging bill, i is a meaningful way to protect a really fundamental right. but it is it absolutely right

that how each of us votes will send a message. so what mes want to send the american people? what message do we want to send our constituents? that we support their right to birth control, that we support access to iud's, to plan b, or that we're okay taking that right away and let politicians make medical decisions for women in this country. i know where i stand, with the overwhelming majority of people who support that right. and soon we will know where every republican senator stands as well. madam president, whatever happens with this vote, democrats are going to keep pushing full force to hold republicans accountable for their extreme policies, t harm they are causing and we will work to restore abortion rights in this country and protect women's reproductive rights across the board. thank you, madam .

the presiding officer: the senator from new hampshire. mrs. shaheen: madam president, i am here today with the same concern that we've heard from my colleagues, that this country is failing women in new hampshire and across the country when it comes to protecting our fundamental freedoms. fundamental freedoms like the right to contraception which we thought was safe just a few short years ago. from the beginning the right to full access to contraception was hard fought. since that right was first recognized by the supreme court in griswold v. connecticut nearly 60 years ago to the affordable care act expansion of contraceptive coverage in 2010 requiring insurance companies to pay for it, there have been incremental yet vital steps forward for women to determine our o futures. it put us on a path to making sure our daughters and granddaughters had more fundamental rights, not fewer.

but as so■ñ many things, this progress has been met with resistance. in the year since the affordable care act, attacks on contraception have increased at both the state and federal level. like many americans, like those of us here today, i was very alarmed when i heard justice thomas or when justice thomas wrote in his concurring opinion in the supreme court's dobbs ruling tha the court should reconsider its ruling in griswold v. connecticut. should reconsider women's to access to contraception. that's my editorial analysis of what justice thomas was saying. and then of course just last month, the former president, donald trump, implied that states should be allowed to decide access to contraception,

potentially a dangerous precedent that would harm millions of women and families who rely on contrapt and we heard senator murray talk so eloquently about how the laws are being to raise concerns about access to contraception. as senator schatz said so well. we've heard people suggest that our concern about access to contraceptives is really a scare tactic, but for all of us who worked for years trying to protect roe v. wade and the right for women to make our own health care decisions, we heard that same argument for decades on the roe decision. the supreme court is never going to overturn that. we've already heard the justices say that's settled law. well, we saw what happened in the dobbs decision. and these threats against women are felt acutely in my home

state of new hampshire where our critical family planning providers can't make ends meet because elected officials nt state funding vital to ensuring that granite staters have access to reproductive care. and that care doesn't just encompass contraceptive services, though that's critically important, but it also includes basic reproductive education, includes things like breast cancer screening and sexually transmitted disease screenings and treatment. and by throwing up roadblock after roadblock, maga republicans are showing that they don't really care about women's health or our personal freedoms. they're taking us backward when women want and deserve to go forward. and these efforts follow a concerning pattern that women's rights are they can easily be taken away, and that womes

freedoms to decide our own futures are not valued. so to address the women and families who are on the front lines of this partisan onslaught, let me just say that i understand the anxiety, the fear, and the hopelessness that comes from watching your rights be stripped away. to zoe who is a recent university of new hampshire graduate. she wrote about the positive experience she had with a family provider in new hampshire. she said, and i quote, without access to birth control, decisions about my future would always have an element of uncertainty lingering. but because zoe had access to a family planning provider, she was empowered to make her own decisions, to have control over her own future. and to the women in new hampshire who have written me to s

say, for example, i'm worried about which rights will be taken away, or, i feel that women don't have equal rights, and how did it come to this? to the women not ready to start family, to those whose family is just the right size and to all the young women like any granddaughters who have fewer freedoms now than their mothers did at their age, i say to you i hear you and i feel thatain. as we vote today, history is watching us. can't sit back and while reproductive freedoms backslide because access to contraception iright. and no one, not a sitting supreme court justice, not a governor, not a member of congress should be allowed to decide whether or not a woman chooses to use contraception and determine her own future.

that highly important and deeply personal decision belongs to the woman and to the woman and her family, to the woman alone. with that i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: madam president, we are living through a new era in a fight for reproductive freedom. this month marks two years since the extreme conservative majority on the supreme court struck down roe v. wade. this decision which was enabled by donald trump and my republican colleagues has been an absolute disaster for our country. republican lawmakers have stripped abortion access from millions of women. they have made clear that they won't stop until get a national abortion ban. and this is all part of the

extreme agenda that will go even further. a mission to take away basic freedoms for women all across our country. we have to step up and protect reproductive health now. contraception could be the next frontier in that fight. republican governors in virginia and nevada have vetoed bills to protec access to birth control. the arizona legislature has sim. and that's why i'm proud to be a cosponsor of the right to contraception act. this legislation is vmple. it guarantees every single american the right to access contraception and ensures that health care professionals can provide it without interference from extreme republican politicians. birth control is a pillar of reproductive health care. it's safe. it's millions of women

control over when they want to start a family, and some contra septemberives have an array of other health benefits like helping to prevent certain kinds of cancer. it also expands economic opportunity for women. birth control is linked to better educational outcomes, more professional opportunities, and higher lifetime earnings. for all those reasons, access to contraception is an issue with support. more than 90%, 90% of americans believe that everyone should be able to access the contraceptives that they need. we must take every measure to prevent dangerous bans on birth control, especially because barriers and access disproportionately impact our most vulnerable communities. black, hispanic, low income, and

uninsured women are more likely to have issues assessing and affording contraception. every person should be able to receive this essential care and have t freedom to plan for their future, however they see fit. i call on my colleagues to vote in favor of the right to contraception act. republicans are bent on taking away reproductive freedomshere,o stop them from turning back the clock. we should also not stop at contraception. we must work to expand access to all sexual and reproductive health services, and that means abortion, contraceptives, gender-affirming care, maternal health care, and so much more. starting a family is one of the most important and clearly one of the most personal decisions that a person can make. and politicians should be absolutely nowhere near it.

let's guarantee women have the reproductive freedom that they deserve. madam president, i yield. ms. stabenow: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: i rise at a very serious moment in our history. and i want to thank senator hirono, senator markey, all of our colleagues for joining together in really not only speaking out but standing up for women across the country, for families, for everyone who wants the capacity to h freedom, to make their own health care indications, their own personal decisions about their lives. that's really what this is all about. let me first back up in the big picture because we know for 50

years, roe v. wade protected our freedom to make our own health care decisions. then two years ago because of a new supreme court majority appointed by donald trump, gone. i was a college student when roe v. wade was decided. i can't believe that women today -- that my daughter, that my granddaughter may she grows up have fewer freedoms than i did all those years ago. today 21r total bans or severe restrictions on abortions. that means one out of three women now live under extreme and dangerous abortion bans, and we know who to blame because he said it. donald trump, maga republicans, he said himself i was proudly the pern responsible for ending roe. proud to put the lives ollions .

proud to take this freedom away. and if you think dwfrt and republican -- donald trump and republicans are going to stop there, then you haven't been listening to them. first, their ultimate goal is a nationwide ban. under a nationwide ban, all of michigan's hard work, our election to protect our freedoms in the michigan constitution that we passed two years ago will be gone. none of that will matter. and we can't let that happen. but as we're here talking indicated they want to go even farther in their assault on reproductive freedoms. right-wing judges, republicans across the country are attacking access to contraception. i never thought, madam president, in i would be standing on the floor of the

talking about efforts to right, woman's right, any person's right to make their own decisio contraceptio but right now in states like virginia not very far from here, nevada, arizona, republicans are working to block protections for birth control right now. justice clarence thomas has been quoted on this floor today and has called on the supreme court to reconsider the constitutional freedom tocc contraception in america. and let's clear. birth control is a key part of a woman's health care. it's impornt for reproductive decisions, for treating medical conditions, or decreasing the risk of cancer.

and most importantly, it's a personal decision. this is a personal decision. americans don't want politicians, anybody here, or judg ju judges, in their doctor's office, in their medicine cabinet, or in their bedroom. they want to make their own decisions. they have every right in america to make their own decisions about their health care, their life, and their future. that's as basic as itet in america. we talk about the freedoms we have in this that's pretty basic to make your own decisions on your own health care. we're here on the floor as democrats to say we couldn't agree more. we could not agree more. this is absolutely fundamental. and that's why we need to pass the right to contraception act

n now. and everybody on this floor is going to have the chance to vote to do that or not. this critical legislation will guarantee the right, the freedom to contraception, contraceptives, a right that was decided by the supreme court nearly 60 years ago. we can't let republicans turn back the clock. we need to defend america's freedom to make decisions about our own health care, our own lives, our own futures. and protecting contraceptives is an essential part of that. it's a basic part of that for us. and that's we're here. reproductive freedom is something we should all embrace as a basic american freedom. i hope colleagues will join us

in moving forward on this essential legislation. i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. i rise in support of the right to contraceptionab would like t markey, and hirono for this. senator cantwell is here, such a strong supporter of this bill. we're at a pivotal moment for women's rights in this country. this month marks two years since the supreme court issued the ruling shredding half a century of precedent protecting a womens

right to make her own health care decisions. . ms. klobuchar: this ruling was against the wishes of somewhere between 70% and 80% of americans who believes the personal decisions about her health care should be made not by politicians, but by a woman, her doctor, her family. in the wake of this disastrous ruling, women have been at the mercy of a patchwork of sta cha when it comes to accessing reproductive health care. since the dobbs decision came out, extremist judges have attempted to ban mifepristone, undermine ivf and even criminalize doctors. legislatures have introduced bills to criminalize doctors for doing their job. 21 states fully or partially banned abortion and the number of u.s. patients traveling to other states for abortion care has skyrocketed to one in five.

this is unacceptable. my daughter should not have less rights than her mother or her grandmother. so what is next? well, what we must do is to codify p roe v. wade into law. but as we work to do that, we have something else we have to watch out for, and that is that some republican political leaders have called for even restrictions on contraception. and in his concurring opinion in the dobbs case, justice thomas actually laid out a road map for how the court could overturn the right to contraception. he said that the supreme court, quote, should reconsider, end quote, whether the constitution protects theig contraception. this friday marks 59 years, 59 years since the supreme court recognized the right to access contraception. but the current court has made

it clear that it won't hesitate to overturn decades of precedent in other context. this threat is not hypothetical of the dobbs decision, nearly 20 million american women live in what we call contraceptive deserts where they struggle to access birth control. i'm thinking about delilah who lives in northern texas. there are no health centers in her county and the dozen surrounding counties. to talk to a doctor about birth control, shen has to travel mor than 400 miles, nearly 7 hours. or maya, who lives in yaz. the -- who lives in arizona. wait times at her health centers are so long she needs to request an appointment at least three weeks in advance. then there is leah who lives in ohio. she has access to a clinic, but to take time off work to go to appointments, something she can't always afford to do. state-level efforts, including recent governo right

to contraception bills, are making the problem worse. we saw this in nevada, and just two weeks ago in virginia. in republican-controlled state legislature refuse to hold a ac. and we've seen missouri and other state legislatures attempt to cut off public funding for widely used contraceptives like iud and plan b. while 14 states, including my home state of minnesota, protect the right to contraception, that is simply not enough. we cannot settle for a situation where women in minnesota have more rights than women in missouri. and with so many extremists racing to the state capitals to see who can be the first to take women's rights away, it's clear we must explicitly protect the right to contraception. the american people agree, recent data shows that more than 90% of americans support access

to contraception. that's why we are calling on our colleagues to pass the right to contraception act. this legislation is hardly radical. it simply ensures women will be in the driver's seat when it comes to their health by codifying the right to contraception outlined by the supreme court nearly six decades ago, the same right justice thomas and others want to strip away. specifically, this bill safeguards a patient's ability to seek contraception and a health care provider's ability to provide these critical services. and because the right to contraception cannot be an empty promise, it gives the justice department patients andoctors the power to make clear that no one can infringe t right to contraception. i'll note that two years ago the house passed this legislation on a bipartisan basis. it's time for this body to do

the same. for the last two years women in this country have faced an unacceptably, uncertain future. these attacks on reproductive freedoms, on freedom for health care have no place in america. women are not second-class citizens. the bill we're considering today represents a better path forward, a better fu that we mul answer is will we take that path? are we going to turn this over to this supreme court who has created a patchwork of laws, that has allowed some states to try to criminalize doctors who have allowed some states through their courts to ban mifepristone, a drug that has been found safe in dozens and dozens and dozens of countries. we've got to decide. so we have an opportunity today to make clear where we stand as a nation. i call on my colleagues to do

what the american people overwhelmingly support and pass this bill into law. madam mtpresident, i yield. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. ms. cantwell: madam president, i join my colleags on the floor. i thank the senator from minnesota for her unbelievable advocacy for women, health care and her constant leadership on this issue. i'm glad to be joined by my colleague from hawaii, both of them serving on the judiciary committee, the front line of th are protected. i thank them so much. most americans alive probably don't remember a time when they didn't have the freedom to use birth control. we hear a lot about family planning. well, what is family planning if you don't have access to contraception? most people don't remember a time when they didn't have the freedom to decide whether and

when to have children. in idaho recently, they banned abortion. now several of the state's colleges have banned their staff from even speaking to students about contraception. imagine college students in the dark about something as basic as a health care service. we've heard from an ob-gyn doctor from idaho who moved away from their state after their reproductive care law, like so many other physicians have done in other stuck out about what she told us. she said the anti-choice activists really stood out to her. she said, because they told her they're not done. after texas banned abortion, the state's governor said women should use emergency contraception to avoid getting pregnant, but texas had already stopped covering emergency contraception under the state family planning laws.

madam president, when they say they're not done, i believe them. inion ban is blocked for now, but the state attorney general temporarily paused a public funding program that helped pay for emergency contraception for rape victims. 362 reimbursements have been delayed. madam president, i believe them when they say they're not done. in arizona, where abortion rights have been in legal chaos due to practically civil air war ban, republicans there unanimously mrokd a vote to -- blocked a vote to protect the right to access contraception. in virginia, people still have abortion rights, but the governor chose to veto a bill to protect and expand birth control access just hours before the deadline. so, yes, they're not done. inorida, where a total

abortion ban■í -- near total abortion ban went into effect, lawmakers granted a so-called crisis pregnancy center authority, a fivefold funding increase. these centers pretend ream clinics while -- real cli sprea about contraceptive care. across the country anti-choice organizations are pushing false claims about contraception, fighting access to contraception, and basically even saying that birth control should be illegal. so they're not done, and that is why we're here today. the supreme court took awa our constitutional right to abortion, and according to even one justice, they said they're not done. so the point is that a woman, not even sure she can depend on the miracle of ivf to stand a family, america needs to know

where people in this institution today stand on the reproductive rights of women, of family planning, of giving us access to contraception. today in my state, the state of contraception are protected by law, but this bill is important to my state because health care laws in the our delivery care system. the university of washington just this week released a study that showed our state's abortion providers have seen a 50% increase of out-of-state patients since the dobbs decision. this study also found -- now if you think about it, if you've sooep a 50% -- if you've seen a 50% increase in out-of-state patients, you're seeing more patients. what is the effect of seeing more patients? the study also found all patient are getting abortions about one week later than they were before the dobbs decision, which is

not, is dangerous on the health care delivery side. washington saw the largest in■

the right to contraception act. i certainly look forward to voting on this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. it just seems like not that long ago when our country recognized in connecticut vs. griswold that we have this right. and when we've been talking about it for the last many years now, really as so manys to be a nominee for a judicial branch, they all said this is all settled law. connecticut vs. griswold. we always ask that question. why? because connecticut vs. griswold was the basis that gave you this right to privacy. now, not only was that ign by the supreme court, it was amazing that when you think about the time before that, people didn't have access to

contraception, it became such a day-to-day part of our lives. if it's such a day-to-day part of our lives, and the delivery of health care, then we should have the courage to say so and vote thisay today. if people don't, it's because they aren't done, and they don't want to protect this, and i guarantee you families deserve the privacy of knowing when and how they want to start their families. i ask my colleagues to support this legislation and support our health care system that has been working very well with the support of contraception. i thank the president, and i yield the floor. ms. hirono: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: madam president, i want to thank all my colleagues who came to the floor of the senate yesterday and today urge

urge pasge contraception act. this month marks almost two years since the supreme crt's disastrous dobbs decision. this resulted in women in half the country have fewer rights than women in the other half of the country. what kind of a country is that? i thought this is a country founded on equal protections and equal rights. not according to this supreme court. so dobbs wreaked chaos in its own right, overturning roe v. wade and eliminating a constitutional right that i had for almost 50 years. but it also foretold more chaos to come. in his concurrence in the dobbs case, justice thomas specifically called for reconsidering griswold v. connecticut, the 1965 case

protecting the right to contra contraception. when a supreme court justice says he wants to reconsider a case, that is a signal that he wants to overturn it. it's bad enough they overturned roe v. wade, 50 years of a constitutional protection. now, if they want to overturn griswold, that is a 59-year precedent protecting our right to contraception. we have whatcribed as an out-of-control supreme cou t overturning decades here, there, and just about everywhere, based on their ideological agenda. justice alito meanwhile respects his wife's right to make her own decisions, but he has no problem

telling millions of women, the rest of us, what to do with our bodies. i mean, just think about it. do you see the irony of it? do you see the hypocrisy of it? and just this year, both of those justices, and i am talking about justices alito and thomas, suggested that thec comstock ac, a civil war era law, civil war -- how far back are they going to go? -- could be used to restrict access to reproductive care nationwide. this crusade against reproductive rights, by these justices and the rest of their comports with the .rrepublicans obsession with power and control

over. as they work toward a national abortion ban, republicans and their allies on the supreme court have given us every reason to believe contraception is also on their list. republican states across the countryed or rolled back access to contra contraception. you've heard from my colleagues, virginia's governor vetoed a right to contraception bill last month. earlier this year, arizona republicans blocked a similar bill in their state. okl oklahoma's legislature advanced a bill that can ban access to iud's and emergency contraceptives. the list goes on. they are very specific about the kinds of contraceptives that we should have access to. so this whole desire that i

■oreally can't figure out on th part of the maga republicans and their supporters on the supreme court, which really comes down to power and control over women's bodies. that's what it is.ent, contrace is health care, essential health care, that millions of people across the country rely on. and to become pregnant, but also to treat medical conditions, regulate hormone levels, and more. and that's why the vast majority of americans support the right to contraception. madam president, the current assault on women's rights is horrifying, but it's not new. our coury has a long and dark history of exerting control over women. for much of our country's history, women were denied the right to vote, a fundamental right to vote. they didn't have a right to own property. they couldn't open bank

accounts. the list goes on. some women of color faced forced sterilization and coercive contraception testing. that is the dark history in our country, of controlling women and our bodies. these attacks on women and our freedoms were wrong then, and you would think by now we could have learned a thing or two to protect all of our rights, but not this maga majority supreme court. so the attacks we are facing today is a reality. the right to control one's own body, free from government inter interference, is as fundamental as it gets. that is why it is critical that the senate pass the right to contraception act. our bill is simple. it would protect an individuals right to -- an individual's right to access contraception and a provider's right to

provide it. it wouldn't force anyone to take or provide contraception if they don't want to. but it would ensure that those who do can, without the government getting in their way. it would ensure people can access the health care they need, from iud's and birth control pills to emergency contra contraception, like plan b and more, especially for women of color, women with disabilities, lgbtq phose from rural communities who have difficulty accessing this kind of care. they already face increased barriers to accessing contra contraception. this bill slunlt be controversial -- shouldn't be controversial, but republicans have become so obsessed with controlling women's bodies that they refuse to protect even the most basic freedoms. to my republican colleagues, ask, what's with this obsession with power and control over

women's bodies? democrats know women, not politicians, should be the ones making decisions about our bodies, and our health care. and we're doing everything we can to protect and strengthen the reproductive rights of all americans, including the right to contraception. we are going to vote on this bill today, and i urge all of my colleagues, with the fierce urgency of now, to stop taking away rights of women in this country, women a and voe for this bill. thank you, madam president. i yield back. thes ms. cortez masto: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: madam president, i am thrilled to be joining senators markey, hirono, duckworth, and all of my colleagues today in support of

the right to contraception act. you know, this month marks the second anniversary of the supreme court decision overturning roe v. wade, which upended a woman■> choose and paved the way for former president trump and anti-choice politicians to further erode women's rights in this countries. now, we knew these anti-choice republicans wouldn't stop attacking reproductive rights after roe fell. we knew they would keep trying to diminish our freedom to make decisions about our own bodies, including the right to obtain and use birth control. you don't have to take my word for it. look what's happening in states across the country, as you've heard from my colleagues. even though the right to birth control has strong bipartisan support, anti-choice lawmakers are passing bills left and right to chip away at access to contra contraception. and listen republican party just two weeks ago. former president trump said he

was open to restricting women's right to contraception if he wins another term. for the anti-choice right, this is about controlling women. on the other hand, my fellow pro-choice colleagues and i believe in reproductive every protect access to birth control and other basic forms of women's health care, and we're making real progress here. last year, the food and drug administration approved o-pill, the first ever over-the-counter birth control pill, and once it was approved senators murray, hirono and i, with others, pushed the manufacturers to make sure o-pill is widely accessible without a prescription. it's now available online and in stores across the country. we're not alone in this fight. the hard to expand access to contraception and make it more affordable for american women. and we've made important progress, but we've seen that

the anti-choice movement won't stop coming after our reproductive rights. that's why we have to pass the right to contraception act and protect access to birth control in every state across our country. we kno that despite dishonest efforts from anti-choice politicians to label it as dangerous, birth control is an essential part of health care, and for me contraception was about my health care, as it is for millions of women in america. i'll tell you what, to my female colleagues here, if a man were able to give birth, we would have universal health care by d. because they don't feel it. they don't see it. so they disregard it. and they disregard the impact to women and the essential care that we need when it comes to our bodily health. that's why this legislation is so important. it would protect the fundamental right to access essential health

care. it would empower women in nevada and across the country to make decisions about their own lives on their own terms, and it would make it clear to anti-choice candidates, like donal■yd trump and his anti-choice followers, that messing with the right to contraception is not on the table. my and i will never stop fighting to reinstate the rights anti-choice politicians have stripped away from millions of women, and we will fiercely, fiercely defend the rights women still have, including access to birth control. that's why we are here today. i get asked quite often what are you doing about it. this is it. there's a role for congress to play, and we are doing it. but there's a role for everyone

matter youabout this issue, no do something about it, to advocate, to be a part of a solution or policy chang your state or your local community. there's a role for everybody and a responsibility. this is about women's rights. this is about women's freoms and that is worth fighting for. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

according to a recent poll, one in 5 us adults worries that the right to contraception is under threat. one in five us adults. that more people that live in florida, texas, or california, it is the same paul, less than half of the adults felt the right to use birth control was sick your. one of

the many shameful consequences of overturning roe versus wade. this is the mess donald trump, the mag supreme court and republican-led senate has created. we live in a country where not only tens of millions of women have been robbed of their reproductive freedoms, we also live in a country where tens of millions more worry about something as basic as birth control. that is utterly mid-evil. it is sickening. it should not happen in the united states. but because of donald trump and the hard right, it is reality. today, the senate has the chance to protect reproductive rights by advancing the right to contraception. i thank my good friend, senators geraldo and marky for championing this bill. i think every senator and every advocate and every concerned citizen who has raised their voice supporting this bill.

in a perfect world a bill saying you can access birth control without government interference should not be necessary but given the erosion of reproductive rights in america, today, it is absolutely vital. so i would be glad to vote yes today ans on both sides of the aisle to do the same. sometimes the right awer is the obvious one. if republicans truly support protecting access to birth control, they should vote yes on moving this bill forward. we've heard a number of anxious arguments from the other side against moving forward on the right to contraception act, that it radically expands access to abortion, we've been told it stomps all over religious liberties. we 've heard this issue is much ado about nothing. these predictable and at worst dangerous. let's set the record straight. to those who claim the right to

contraception undermines religious liberties, the opposite is true. this bill absolutely protects religious liberties. there is nothing in the text forcing anyone to provide contraception that contradic their own beliefs. should this bill passed, the religious freedom restoration act would remain the law of the land. to those who say outlandishly that this bill expands abortion access, that is false, full stop. i invite americans to read this bill for themselves. there is nothing, nothing in this bill about abortion. to suggest this bill expands abortion is vulgar fear mongering, plain and simple. the reason we hear these claims is because republican colleagues don't want to say the quizet heart out loud, the gop, the republican party here in the senate has been totally captured by the radical maga right which is opposed to protecting reproductive rights.

even birth control, which 90% of americans support. make no mistake. if republicans get into power, the maga right will push for a naonal abortion ban and elimination of reproductive care. finally of course, there's the more devious claim that the right to contraception act is much ado about nothing, that it is unnecessary, that birth control could never fall under risk. people said the same thing about roe, that it could never be overturned. then, tragically, it was.m donald trump and the republican senate filled the supreme court with maga radicals who followed through with the goal of eliminating freedom of choice. and who knows how far the hard right will go? a few years ago it was row. a few years from now it could be something else. justice thomas open the door to

undoing protections for birth control in his dissenting opinion in dobbs. we are kidding ourselves if we think the hard right is done with their attacks on reproductive rights. let's be perfectly clear. attacks against birth control aren't theoretical. it is already happening at the state level. to those who argue federal protections for birth controls are unnecessary, ask the people of virginia what they think■f after the republican governor vetoed a bill that would have protected contraceptives at the state level. ask the people of nevada what they think after their republican governor also vetoed a bill to protect access to birth control. to those who say birth control will never fall at risk, go ask the people of arizona or florida or idaho or iowa or missouri. in each of these states reblican governors or republican state legislators are on record blocking protections for birth control access in one form or another. let therbe

in the aftermath of row's demise the threat to birth control is very very real and that is why it is so important for the senate to ask. this is a simple bill and a simple vote. if you believe women deserve to have contraception, you should vote for this bill. that's all there is to it. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. >> about time for democrats weekly exercise in election-year politics.ter today, we will takp a talking point for democrat candidates and the democrat leader hopes put republicans in a tight spot. but if he wants to see republicans quaking in their boots after being asked to take their votes he should think again.come the chance to talk about the democrat agenda, take

this afternoon's exercise, under the guise of protecting access to contraception, something that is not under threat, the democrat leader is bringing up legislation to democrats allies, and would wipe out to wipe out conscious protections for healthcare providers. the bill specifically targets the religious freedom restoration act which was bipartisan registration passed in 1993, when democrats believed in protecting our first amendment freedoms. this is not the first time democrats have attempted to carve out sweeping exceptions to this once widely supported legislation. apparently americans are free to live out their deeply held religious beliefs when they don't conflict with democrats policy positions. deeply disturbing the democrat

leader has gone from sponsoring the religious freedom restoration act to attempting to decide when and how americans can exercise one of their fundamental first ent leader th republicans are intimidated, to vote against legislation that would seriously impair all americans ability to live according to their consciences, he should think again. i suspect there are few americans who don't recognize the democrat leader's politicking for what it is. just as i suspect there are few americans who bought the democrats border legislation ploy two weeks ago. the democrat leader apparently thought he could erase americans memory of three plus years of chaos at the southern border under president biden by bringing up a vote on a border bill he knew would not be able to pass the senate. i think he will find that

americans memories are more retentive than that. three years of national security crisis were not wiped out by a showboat intended to provide electoral cover for democrats. just as they won't be wiped out bread president biden's latest election-year ploy, an executor order to implement border restrictions the likes of which he should have implemented years ago. if anything, any improvements at the border stemming from the president's latest measure will only serve to highlight the president's failure to address this crisis earlier. the needless danger to which he has subjected americans. mister president, i mentioned the democrat leader knew his border showboat would fail. just as he knows his planned parenthood subsidy and religious freedom legislation will fail this afternoon. that, of course, points to the fundamental and the seriousness of what the democrat leader is do

if the democrat leader had any interest in legislating on these issues he would be working with republicans. president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from iowa. ms. ernst: inderstand there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading. the presiding officer: the. a senator: -- the senator correct. the clerk will readed title. the clerk: s. 4447, a bill to a drugs. ms. ernst: in order to place at built on the calendar. i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. ms. ernst: madam president -- the presiding officer: the junior senator from iowa. ms. ernst: thank you you madam president. the so-called right to'b contraception act goes far beyond the scope of providing access to contraception.

it's important the american people understand what the democrats are peddling. senator mark's a precedent to mandate access to abortion drugs for women and girls of all ages. it also allows taxpayer dollars to be funneled to organizations like planned parenthood. the bill removes conscious freedom protections, which allow our doctors maintain their religious and moral beliefs practicing medicine, a right that we are all afforded in the workplace, whicsh i would like to remind my democrat colleagues of the religious freedom restoration act, or rfra■7 is what we call here. it is a law that was championed

by senator more than 30 years ago. the majority leader has really come a long way, hasn't he, just like president biden, who used to be pro-life religious professionals and organizatis across the country rely on rfra for protection from broad government overreach. yet the democra upend that precedent for politics and, more importantly, for abortion. let's be clear what's going on here. from the senate to the white house, democrats do not have anything to run on. no agenda that resonates with the american people. so instead, they are fearmongering in the name of politics.

fortunately, republicans have a solution -- the allowing greater access to safe and effective contraception act. like 90% of americans, i believe routine use contraception should be safe and accessible. that's why i've long worked to increase access to safe and effective over-the-counter oral contraceptives. with my bill, we're women 18 and over can walk into oak, iowa, or washington, d.c., and purchase a safe and effective birth control option. this republican bill creates a priority-review designation for over-the-counter birth control options to encourage the fda to

act quickly. i am encouraged that as of this year, but the only over-the-counter option on the market has been approved. but having just one over-the-counter product on the market is just a starting point. we need more options that are truly effective for women -- women in rural areas, women facing domestic violence. in addition, my bill brings much-needed transparency and accountability in federal spending to better understand where gaps are occurring and also to ensure -- ensure dollars are actually going to supporting women and families. gao will take a 15-year look-back at total dollar

amounts for contraception reimbursement, inventory stocking, provider training and patient education efforts to help better inform us as lawmakers and you as tax payers on where and how our money is being spent. madam president, i ask unanimous consent that to the immediate consideration of calendar number ■r418, s. 44. further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, made and laid upon the table with n intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from minnesota. ms. smith: reserving the right to object. i have great respect for my colleague from iowa, our[ neighbor to the south, but we

just disagree on this issue. madam president, i think that this is an attempt by republicans to claim they're increasing access to contraception when in fact in bill does not accomplish that goal at all. and i also think that our republican colleagues believe that they have a message problem when it comes to women's health when in fact they have a policy problem. and i regret to say that this bill is not going to fix it. one in three women in this country face barriers to accessing prescription contraception and only half of women that are interested in over-the-counter birth control pills can afford them. but instead of addressing this very real and very well understood challenge, this bill does nothing to improve access to contraception. it ds not address the lack of insurance coverage for prescriptionnd over-the-counter birth control, carve-outs republicans repeatedly supported which makes contraception more expensive for patien. it does not protect patients from efforts to roll back the

ability of providers to prescribe birth control. it does not enable patients to know what's best for themselves to get birth control without unnecessary barriers. instead the bill directs the fda to prioritize the review of applications to convert prescription contraception to over the counter. but in fact an over-the-counter birth control pill has been approved for almost a year and has been available in stores since march of this year. and this bill does nothing to get that product into patients' hands. the in fact, it explicitly restricts access to this important product for young people. this bill also directs study of federal funding for contraception. madam president, we don't need a study to tell us that there are problems here. we know what the problem know t anti-abortion justices at the supreme court and republicans' years of policies here in congress and in state legislatures around the country have restricted access to birth

control. in addition, this bill reinforces the misguided view that emergency contraception causes abortion. that is not what the science says and it is not what doctors say. if republicans truly support increased access and fewer barriers to contraception, then they should vote for the right to contraception act. our bill would actually guarantee the right for people to obtain and use contraceptives and for health providers to provide contraception, contraception information, all free from government right to is the bill that we all need to support, and i look forward to voting for this bill this afternoon. and for these reasons, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. a senator:adam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from iowa. l ms. ernst: madam president, i am disheartened to see my colleague from minnesota rise in opposition. i respect her greatly as well,

and we doagthis issue. but unfortunately, given the nature of this political exercise, i'm not surprised. this was never about finding real solutions. this was always about fearmongering and election-year stunts. my effort, one that many of my republican colleagues support, is a commonsense solution to give women more access to over-the-counter birth control options and bring accountability to government spending. notc÷ about finding loopholes s we can find a way to fund those drugs that cause abortions.■ despite attacks from the same far left that promotes drugs that endanger women encourages the death of the unborn, i will always stand up for families. as a mother and a grandmother alongside my fellow republican senators, iill continue to protect life while supporting

policies tip women to raise children to live the american dream. thank you, madam president. s a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: madam president, i want to thank the sator from iowa for her legislation, important legislation protecting the right to birth control, and making it easier for women to have over the counter. this is something we all agr on. this is something americans across this nation agree upon. this is a protected in all 50 states. in just a few minutes we're going to see democrats engage in a show vote, and there's ar! reason for that show vote. because democrats in the senate,

every one of them, their views on abortion are extreme and radi voted repeatedly in favor of unlimited abortion on demand literally up until the moment of birth. partial birth abortion in the 39th andr2 40th week of pregnan. that's an extreme position. nationally 9% of americans agree with that position. 91% of extreme position and say that's too far. and indeed even among those americans who call themselves pro-choice, a majority of pro-choice americans say late-term abortions up until the moment of birth, that is extreme. so what do the democrats? they recognize that 91% of americans disagree with their extreme position, so they try to change the topic. and in particular, they're trying to change the topic to birth control. all 100 senators, every single senator agrees that birth control should be protected as a matter of law.

and yet, what did we just see? we saw senator ernst introducing her legislation, legislation of which i'm a cosponr. the fight to protect the right to birth control. and what happened? the democrats objected. why did they object? understand why they objected. because they want to use this as an issue in november to scare people, and they don't want to talk about their own radical record. instead they want to falsely claim somebody is■á coming to te contra contraception. that is deliberately false. and so when you see millions of dollars of tv paid for by democrats, ask yourself one question -- why did the democrats just block senator ernst's and my legislation protecting the right to birth control. because this is not about protecting this right. it is about politics for the democrats hiding their own radical view.

i wish we would come together. by the way, next week i predict the democrats are going to do the same thing. i have legislation protecting in vitro fertilization, another incredible medical miracle that knowledge, all 100 senators support. katie britt and i together have introduced that legislation, and yet i next week the democrats to do what they just did today, which is object to it because they're playing politics anhey'reling to actually put in federal law a real and strong protection. i know it's campaign season, bus are not willing to work together. had they not uttered two words -- i object -- senator ernst' and my legislation protecting the right to birth control would have passed out of this body. but senate democrats didn't want it to. i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: i ask unanimous consent to ask that baby to come back into the spectators' gallery? that was the sweetest noise we've heard in her for quite some time. madam president, following interns in my office be granted floor privileges until -- ms. a mr. charlie hayes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cassidy: madam president, senate democrats are using their power in the majority to push an alarmist and false narrative that there is a problem accessing contraception. they proposed a bill which is more about a solution to find a problem. today's vote is nothing more

than scaring and misleading, misleading, misleading the american people. here are the facts. let me show this graph. there is no state or territory that bans access to birth control pill. we made this graph. here you see all the states that ban birth control are in oran. t are in green. and if you notice, every state is green. this is unless, unless you're a candidate for -- your candidate for president is running behind in thels and there is a need to make people frightened to turn out on a false issue to hopefully improve poll numbers. but misleading and scaring voters seems to be, in their mind, the only way they can get that extra support. but don't be mistaken. the bill goes way beyond protecting access to the routine use of birth control pills or

other contraceptives, and there are plenty of reasons why republicans oppose this legislation. here's what the bill actually does. it defines contraception so broadly that it likely also includes a right to a chemical ab it eviscerates conscious protections for providers overriding the religious freedom restoration act, or rfra. in fact, if enacted, this would be the first time a law explicitly waived rfra. now, by the way, we are a pluralistic society. some people are pro-life, some people are pro-choice, but we try to find peace on this issue. you don't find peace by eviscerating people's rights to follow their conscience, knowing that there is a provider down the street that could give the service that would be required under thislaw. finally, the bill prioritizes abortion provider planned parenthood preventing states or the federal government from prioritizing funding for

life-affirming organizations. madam president, this is not serious legislation. it bypassed the help committee. just kind of taken straight to the floor. again, not seriously considered. rather, a■ grandstanding. it is not a serious process, but rather a political stunt designed to fearmonger and mislead the public in an attempt to sway voters in an election year. republicans should not play along. i oppose this legislation and urge my colleagues to do the same. i also want to highlight my amendment to this flawed bill. while the bill is beyond improvement in current form,y amendment proposes to shed much-needed light on another issue that has been pulled into the democrats' political stunt of the month. that is the fact that the centers for disease control and prevention have very little data on abortion, including on abortion survivors. yet the policy preference of the other party is to promote

abortion on demand, the american people deserven on this policy' effects. we're fortunate to meet a two - abortion attempts this week. committee. and so as democrats continue to push the chemical abortion pill on women, we may learn of more abortion survivors when at home-unsupervised abortions fail and put mothers at risk.posal d include attempted abortions as a method of 7;delivery and to collect data on abortion survivors. it would also direct the department of health and human services to refer abortion survivors to applicable federal programs for vulnerable and newborn children. if democrats stand behind their abortion on demand stands, why would they not support this policy? nevertheless, i suspect the other p would not be electric ed in considering -- electric ed in considering this

as part of thebill. with that, i yield. . . a $kp

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. today every senator must take a stand. if yougr access to contraceptio, then vote yes on then act. this bill simply says thatf you want to access birth control or if you're a health care provider wanting to prescribe birth control, the government has no right to interfere. this is not a show vote. it's a show us who the american watching. up to 90% of americans support

access to contraceptives. but today one in five adults are now worried that birth control is under threat. this is just one of the consequences of overturning roe. so we have every reason in the world to vote yes today. we should all agree that in america nobody should ever question if their ability to access krifts will -- contraceptives will be taken away. passing this bill would put those fierce to rest and protect people's basic civil liberties. again, it's all very simple. if you agree all americans deserve to have access to contraception, then you should support the bill. thank you to senators others fo chihirono and others for championing this legislation and let us all vote

madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture vote on the motn waiv the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask consent that the vote begin now. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. k: cloture m, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed to calendar number 400, s. 4381, a bill to protect an individual's ability to access contraceptives and so forth. the presid the question is is it the sense of the senate that debate on the

motion to proceed to s. 4381, a bill to protect an individual's ability to being a set contraceptives and protect a health care provider's ability to protect contraception and informed related to contraceptions, shall bclose. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst.. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mr hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy.

mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- baldwin, collins, cortez masto, fetterman, hirono, peters, reed, saerschumer, stabenow, warren, welch. o senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, budd, cassidy, cramer, johnson, lankford, marshall, rubio, tuberville.

vote:

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye. mr. rounds, no.

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

the clerk: mr. durbin, aye. the clerk: mr. cruz, no.ó

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye.■@

the clerk: mr. thune, no.

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

the clerk: mr. cardin, aye.

the clerk: ms. lummis, no. mr. daines, no.

mrs. fischer, mr. crapo, no.■b risch, no. the clerk: mr. tester, aye.

mrs. murray, aye. mr. van hollen, aye.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye. mr. mcconnell, no. mr. hawley, no. mr. kaine, aye. mrs. capito, no.

the clerk: mr. wyden, aye.

the clerk: ms. butler, aye. mr. murphy, aye. mr. kelly, aye.o-

vote:

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye. ms. sinema, aye. mrlujan, aye. g(

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. mr. lee, no. ms. ernst, no. mr. mullin, no. mr. whitehouse, aye. l the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye. <

the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no. ms. murkowski, aye. the clerk: cotton, no.■

the clerk: mr. merkley, aye. ■,

the clerk: ms. smith, aye. ■

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no. mr. scott of florida, no. mr. paul, no. mr. barrasso, no.■

vote:

the clerk: mr. warner, aye.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.■■c

the cl

the clerk: mr. ossoff is aye. ■n■

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.■u#f the clerk: mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. wicker, no.■í%, .

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

mr. cornyn, no.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye. ms. cantwell, aye.=■■

vote: rr

the clerk: mr. markey, aye. ■ mr. ca

the mr. schatz, aye. ■'■+■5

the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas -- the clerk: mr. schumer, no. the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 51, the nays

are 39. three-fifthses of the senators duly chosen and sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i enter a motion to reconsider the failed cloture vote. the presiding officer: the motion is entered. mr. schumer: just so the public will know, i switched my vote so i might reconsiderf and possibl vote on this again. i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 669. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to proceed. all those in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will port. the clerk: nomination, federal energy regulatory m!commission, david rozner, of massachusetts, to be a member. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion

the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 669, david rosner, of massachusetts, to be aember of the regulatory commission. mr. schumer: i ask that the reading of the names be waived are. the presiding officer: without objection. i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 670. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the motion is agreed . nomination. the clerk: lindsey secee to be a member. mr. schumer: i send a cloture

motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture. the clerk: cloture motion■ó the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby bring to a close debate on of executive calendar number 670, lindsey sc to be a member of the federal energy regulatory commission. mr. schumer: i ask that the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 688. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to proceed. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is dpraed to. the clerk will report the nomination. energy regulatory commission. to be a member.f massachusetts mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules

of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 668, judy w. chang of massachusetts to be a■o member the federal energy regulatory commission, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to proceed. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to table the motion to proceed to s. 4381. the presiding officer:estion is table. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to calendar number 413, s. 4445. the presiding officer:report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number 413, s. 4445, a nationwide access to fertility

treatment including in vitro fertilization. mrschumer: i ask consent the reading -- i send a motion to the g officer: the clerk will report the cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules bring to a close debate on the motion to proceed to calendar 413, s. 4445, an act to protect and expand nationwide access to fertility treating including in vitro fertilition signed by senators as follows. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, just to inform the members, i haveus cloture on the ivf bill to preserve the rights of women ivf's, and we expect a vote on that next week. i also, madam president, before i yield the floor, i'd like to

acknowledge that this is the last week for this class of senate pages. my message to every single one of them is simple. thank you, thank you, thank you for all your hard work. it's been a vy few months but the pages have done a great job bringing the senate to life we need them early in the mornings, late into the evenings. they have served this institution with grace and dignity and it was an honor to have them■- with us. i hope pages, whatever you do next, you'll always look backnt. it's not always easy work and this place can get a little chaotic and difficult. it used to not be so much that way. but by being here you've left your mark on our democracy. this is something nobody will ever be able to take away from you. on behalf of a very grateful senate, we say thank you and we wish you all the best as you return home and move on to your next adventures. godspeed.

madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senate be in a ines senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: madam president, i first want to echrds offered by leader toward the pages. as a former senate page myself, i know that this is a job that few people notice on the outside, but we notice it here. they make sure things run well here, and i'm grateful to know these fine people. i hope they had a good time while they were with us. and so to each of you, i wish you the very best of luck as you pursue future careers and look sitting in these chairs one day. as i entered this chamber shortly after being elected to the senate in 2010 for my orientation i was told to take a seat in the chairs. i couldn't take the seat. i couldn't figure out why.

then i remembered my training from the time when i was a page that i may never ever sit in a senator's chai only then i realized it's okay now because i just got elected.t anyway, i wish you the best of luck. madam president, the conviction of president donald trump is a clear manifestation of the fact that our justice system has been weaponized against us, against the american people. this was a political persecution aimed squarely at one thing and one thing only -- preventing president trump from challenging the current administration in this presidential election. let's just examine the facts, just the basic irrefutable facts. the proceedings against president trump were marred by unclear charges and irregular jury instructions making it evident from the very beginning that this tri about

the pursuit of justice. it was not about the objective demands of the law. no. it was a choreographed act of partisan lawfare intended to dismantle t political rights of an individual who stands as the l principal opponent. i would dare say te remaining obstacle to president joe biden becoming a second-term president. he's the last person, the last man, the last object standing in the way of president biden's second term. and so in fact all by itself that signals something, signals something we haven't seen before, signals something i wish we never had seen in our republic and i certainly hope we ner see again. the hypocrisy of this is just palpable. democrats and their allies in the media have long accused president trump of undermining american norms and tradition of

the supposedly norm-shattering actions. yet, they know champion, a prosecution that wreaks of authoritarian tactics seen by the tin horn dictators in banana republics, the same banana republics that failed systems of governments we publicly shamed with good reason. in what country judge who according to "the new york times" violated judicial ethics when he donated to a president campaign and another called stop republicans. that's literally the name of the group that he donated to. stop republicans. in what world could that judge be allowed to preside over the trial of a former president, a former republican president and chief political opponent of the incumbent democratic president? how aboutthew colangelo,

another key figure in this prosecution,ow could be put in a senior role to lead the political prosecution of president trump with manhattan d.a. alvin bragg? this intertwining of judicial proceedings with partisan politics should alarm every single american. regardless of your less of what country you call home, and, frankly, regardless of your party affiliation. let's not forget that senator schumer's brother whose law firm lent significant legal firepower to this prosecutorial effort, let's not forget that his brother is a partner of the law firm, the law firm of paul, wyfe, rifkin and garrison, the same firm that granted three

highly paid attorneys a paid leave of absence to join the manhattan district attorney's office specifically in its targeting of donald trump. madam president, we cannot stand idly by and act as if this didn't just happen and pretend that this whole endeavor hasn't changed, changed dramatically. we can't pretend that this didn't occur, nor should we. if we were observing such actions in another country, we'd be discussing sanctions and sha shaming, perhaps a whole lot of other things, but certainly not silence. we wouldn't see that. now as we prepare to honor the sacric made by the heroes on the beaches of normandy, we're reminded that those brave souls fought and died 80 years ago this week to defeat dictators

who ruthlessly wielded the power of a state, specifically to suppress and persecute their en else who they thought stood in their way. what would those amerin saw an president cheering on kangaroo court attempt to imprison his political rival, his sole impediment to a second term in the oval office? would they recognize the america they fought for? it is with their sacrifice in mind that i call upon every member of this chamber to make ng to aid and abet this white house in its project to tear the country apart. now pandora's box is open and sword of damocles hangs over the

neck of our great republic. if we can muster even an african american it shun of the courage shown by the greatest generation on june 6, 1944, 80 years ago tomorrow, we may still change course. there is still time.an still st this. there are more instances of reversible in this case underlying this conviction than i have time to recite in these remarks. for that reason alone, it would be very easy for the prosecution to error on appeal. there's still time, but there's not much time left. let's put this genie back where it belongs and never ever let it come back. i ask you, join me, join me ands

still time.■xident. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania. mr. casey: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that sean pyles of my staff be granted floor privileges for the duration of today'sficer: witho objection. mr. casey: i rise this afternoon to highlight the continued imprisonment of marc fogel. marc fogel is a teacher who career i'll describe in a moment, but he's from oakmont, pennsylvania, allegheny county in the southwestern corner of our state near pittsburgh. he's been imprisoned by russia. on august 14, 2021, marc fogel was arrested by russian authorities. upon his return to russia to on

anglo-american school of moscow, after 35 yearsf teaching history to the children of american diplomats at international schools across the globe and teaching at some, at the same school in russia since 2012. yes, marc had medically prescribed marijuana in his luggage to help him through the year in dealing with his chronic pain. that pain came from a hip replacement. it came from multiple back surgeries, multiple knee surgeries, and a spinal fusion which has left marc with a permanent limp. marc broke russian marijuana in country. marc's worsening medical conditions and actions to bring in less than an ounce of marijuana into russia should

require him to serve the full 14-year sentence at a russian penal colony. years imprisonmen than anmarijuana. it has been1,026 days since marc's initial arrest, over 33 months ago. at marc's age -- he'll turn 63 this july -- and in his poor health, terribly poor health, continuing to serve another 11 years or 130 months in any prison will indeed be a death sentence. based on a review of marc's records hospital, marc's treating physician has grave concerns over his health. his spinal cord and knee

injuries have combined with neuropathy, ayb loss of feelingn one of his feet to make the risk of a more a lot more likely. marc has already times. every fall, every fall heightens the risk of a broken hip or other severe injury that marc would struggle to recover from in prison. the 33 months have taken a toll on marcgel's mental and emotional health. ere many other younger individuals in russian penal colonies can have great hope for decades of life after their full sentences, marc fogel will be almost 75 years old by the end of his current 14-year prison sentence.opeful that russia, seeing the time that marc has already served and