space, his weaponization of energy, his repression of christians at home and in occupied ukraine, his cold-blooded targeting of civilians including a missile strike on ukraine's largest children's hospital earlier this week, alle, of this is facilitad by china's support the clerk will report the nomi nomination. the clerk: nomination, federal labor relations authority, anne marie wagner of virginia to be a member. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president, i rise today to remind the american people that from the day he took office,

president biden and his administration has left much to be desired. as we look to the future, i think it is just imperative that we consider this administration's track record over the last three and a half years. president biden's record has made an enormous impact on americans directly in their wallets. everybody feels it every day. as the people of our country continue to deal with the consequences with this reckless tax and spend agenda this administration has championed, president biden has long pledged to get ahold of inflation and actually passed the ironically misnamed inflation reduction act that did exactly the opposite. that law, along with other spending sprees, passed with only democrat support, have stifled economic growth. though president biden talks

about the middle class, he's failed to actually deliver for them. truly, as we know, we've always heard in our lives, actions speak louder than words. instead, what we've been dealing with is a continuous impacts of an economy that just isn't working. we have out-of-control prices at the grossry store -- grocery store and gas pump, a housing mark that has made home ownership impossible for many families, and for those locked out of the housing market long-term rent inflation that continues to threaten renters and small businesses. just last week we celebrated a great time in our nation, our nation's independence on the 4th of july. what is normally a joyous time for americans to come together, instead became the most expensive independence day on

record. this follows the most expensive hol -- the most expensive halloween and most expensive thanksgiving, leaving americans little to celebrate. the cost of a cookout is up 5% over last year. 5 pes? okay. but -- 5%? okay. but it's up 30% from five years ago. addi additionally, gas prices this past weekend averaged $3.57, a 27% increase from 2019. couple those statistics with the june jobs report that showed our country's unemployment rate at the highest it's been in two and a half years, or that home prices are up a whopping 49% since 2020, far outpacing any wage increases anybody's seen, and the joint economic committee's recent report that the average american family has lost $25, 920 paying for the

increased cost of living under president biden and his policies. it's clear to the american people that bidenomics is not working, and that president biden's economic policies are fai failing. so this is something i hear frequently about from my constituents in west virginia, that the savings they work so hard for and that they've sacrificed to accumulate are dwindle in front of their -- dwindling in front of their eyes, due to the skyrocketing cost of living under this administration. these are policies to employ, there are policies we can shrink and cut, regulations to cut that would improve our economic standing. but instead, bidenomics, named by the president, has severely jeopardized the american dream for millions of people. additionally, we've seen immigration surge to the top of

the mind for voters. you always hear immigration, it's only the states at the border, and why does everybody talk about it? it's a national issue. it impacts every single state. the biden administration has proven time and again they have no genuine interest in controlling or closing our southern border, or any desire in enforcing the immigration laws that we already have on the books. president biden has allowed over ten million, five times the population of my state, ten million illegal border crossings throughout his tenure, all beginning with his decision to rescind the effective immigration policies of president trump on day one of their administration. the mass influx of unchecked immigration has led to widespread repercussions and endangered the lives of american

citizens and of the migrants themselves. it has also left the door wide open for individuals on the terror watch list to enter our country, and they've actually been caught at the border. something nearly unthinkable in a time of heightened national security concerned as we are right now. i haven't even mentioned, just briefly i mentioned, the drug crisis that president biden's border inaction has fueled, as mass amounts of fentanyl stream across our border, endangering the lives of residents in every state, every city, every county of this country. the bottom line is that addressing the issues at the southern border is something that president biden actually has the tools to do himself. if he was really serious, he would step in and bring to an end this humanitarian crisis that has developed under his guidance. even here his inconsistent

message and leadership is just baffling to me. saying he doesn't have the tools one minute, and then enfo enforcing -- and then attempting to enforce too little, too late policy changes the next. he says he doesn't have the tools, and then he announces that he's going to do something using one of the tools he's had for three and a half years. perhaps the most alarming area that president biden faltered on is the international stage, where his indecision and ill-advised policies have signaled unreliability to our allies and weakness to those who would do us harm. we're living in a time when our nation faces the most dangerous global threats that we've seen in decades. we have nato here in town today. it's a big topic of discussion. yet president biden has proven to be a president of weakness, wavering during some of the most

tumultuous episodes of our nation's history. this display of weakness is best exemplified by president biden's disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan. it continued with president biden 's suggesting that a minor incursion into ukraine might not provoke a u.s. or allied response. next iran strung president biden along on fruitless nuclear talks, while the regime was building up their nuclear capabilities and their malicious -- their millionishas to attack -- militias to attack our troops. now, president biden has thrown our commitments to israel into question, conditioning aid for our ally during this existential moment. there's no denying that president biden's weakness created a world wherein our adversaries are feeling emboldened and growing closer

together, and that is something we cannot allow to happen. not now, not ever. it's important to remind the american public it just doesn't have to be this way. americans shouldn't be forced to choose between paying rent, putting food on the table, filling up the gas tank. they vaunt have to turn on the tv and see the southern border in chaos and continually hear the alarm from our nation's counterterrorism experts. americans shouldn't have to harbor such doubt about our international standing, which has lange stood -- long stood as a pillar of strength and freedom around the globe. my republican colleagues and i who are going to speak today are not here to just spectate or throw stones. we have ideas, and this is why i, along with my republican colleagues, continue to fight for solutions that reduce taxes and combat the crippling

inflation that has become a defining feature of this administration, that put forward policies to bring order to our southern border, like reinstating remain in mexico or ending catch and release. and that, to restore american strength on the international stage, reminding both our enemies and our allies of who the united states of america is and always will be. while these three and a half years of failure of the biden administration have damaged our nation, it is certainly never too late to get right back on track. senate republicans remain united in our efforts to fight on behalf of the american people and deliver on the priorities that mean the most to them. there's no doubt that the people of our country deserve better. with that, madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: first i ask that

the following senators be allowed to speak up to five minutes each prior to the roll call vote. senator hoeven and senator moran and senator cornyn following me. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: i rise to speak about strong american leadership. president biden's weakness, seen on the world stage, is dangerous, dangerous for our nation and for the world. it hurts our citizens, and it encouraged aggression against our nation and others. sadly, america doesn't have strong leadership right now, from the president or vice president. joe biden is stumbling, it bumbling into a disaster. it's not one night of forg forgetfulness on the debate stage. it's three and a half years of a pattern of failures. we are living in the time of heartbreak at home and hume ilks abroad -- humiliation abroad. look at the drugs, death, destruction coming from our southern border. under democrat open-border

policies, there have been ten million illegal immigrants who have invaded our nation. americans all across the country are in danger. democrats' open borders allowed venezuelan criminals to go to houston, texas to sexually abuse and murder a 12-year-old girl. illegal immigrants' crimes have taken the lives of many americans across the country. they make headlines every day. the open border allows deadly fentanyl to flood our nation and poison our communities in all of our states, and certainly wyoming has been one of the victims of this poisoning. more than 300 terror suspects have come into america. that is 300% higher than what we saw under the strong policies of president trump. and terrorists are roaming our nation undetected. remember, border security isn't optional.

it's an obligation, a commitment to the safety of our american people. it is the foundation of our safety. without border security, there can be no national security. under joe biden, americans are not safe at home, and increasingly the world is not safe either. president biden's weakness has invited war. it's invited conflict. it's invited chaos around the world. he continues to appease iran by letting iran avoid sanctions. iran's exporting almost 1.3 million barrels of oil to china each and every day, and uses the money to fund terrorism around the world. president biden made the misguided assumption that concessions to iran would stop conflict. instead, biden's appeasement makes iran more aggressive. meanwhile, biden has proven to be a fair-weathered friend to

our strong ally israel. on american college camp uses today, student protestors express hostility to the very existence of the jewish state. democrats in washington have also grown more hostile to israel. senator schumer stood on the floor, he demanded on this floor in march that israel replace its prime minister. senator sanders called the very next month for america to stop sending aid to israel. the anti-israel drift in the democrat party is bad enough. what's more worrying is that president biden, the leader of the free world, lacks the backbone to stand up against it. rather than resist the pro-hamas wing of his party, biden repeatedly bowed to them, recently slapped a de facto arms embargo on israel. the weapons he withheld limit civil yap casualties -- civilant carpeteds -- civilian

casualties. he stopped that. the hostages have spent nine months in captivity. he blocked these weapons anyway. he would rather apiece a small group of pro-hamas voters in michigan than support our closest ally in the middle east. playing politics is the core of joe biden's foreign policy. he recently claimed no american servicemembers died on his watch. he told the world that. well, that's false. it's wrong. it's a denial of what happened. january 11, 2024, two navy seals were lost at sea during a mission to stop weapon shipments from iran to houthi terrorists. january 28, three american soldiers killed in jordan. then there is the disaster of afghanistan. on august 26, 2021, isis terrorists killed 13 bream american servicemembers -- brave

american servicemembers. they were the first casualties in a year and a half. this was a young man, from wyoming, who loved his country and left an impression on everyone he met. he was our home state wrestling champion, recently married, about to become a father. 1300 people in wyoming showed up to attend his funeral. it was outdoors in a tent, 37 degrees, lasts several hours, and no one left. because americans deserve better than a president who forgets the sacrifices of american heroes and forgives the aggression of americans' adversaries. joe biden oust weakness is a vivid contrast to what past presidents have done o i think of president ronald reagan and his policy of peace through strength. for eight years pregnant restored america's confidence, he confronted america's enemies. his approach incredibly ended

the cold war without firing a single shot. three decades later, president trump adopted a similar policy. no more apologizing for america like president obama had done. we had strong borders. we had a strong military. we had a strong economy. and we had strong american leadership. our allies respected us, our enemies feared us, we were safer. it's time for america to return to that approach o -- approach. the truth is that joe biden is a president who cannot defend his record and defend this nation. we need a lot less of joe biden's weakness and a lot more of this nation's strength. that's how we get to this nation back on track a thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

mr. moran: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from can cap. mr. moran: madam president, thank you. just a few weeks ago i stood in this position on this floor and raised concern about how the biden administration was undermining the law and restricting the ability of veterans nationwide to get health care closer to home. since then, 19 of my republican colleagues have joined me in calling on the biden administration to quickly reverse course and to lift these restrictions on community care that they have put in place to the detriment of many of america's veterans. one of those veterans in nigh home state of kansas -- in my home state of kansas, mica, an air force veteran, a single mother and community leader. she does not have health

insurance and relies on the v.a. to help her manage her autoimmune disorder and many other issues. mica lives about an hour from the local v.a. clinic which is small and has a limited amount of services, and more than three hours -- she lives more than three hours from the nearest v.a. medical center. in her own words, she said, i don't know what my health would be like or where i would be if i did not have v.a. health care benefits in the community. congress passed and president trump signed the mission act six years ago to expand and protect the right of veterans to seek community care. community care offers veterans across the country -- and it's particularly useful in states like many of us that are so rural, especially states like mine -- a much-needed lifeline. often it's the distance that

causes a vernes to choose -- that is causes a veteran to choose that he or she needs care in the community. sometimes it is expertise and specialty. however, in all instances, the department of veterans affairs is making it harder for veterans like mica to get the care they are entitled to under the law in the community. in president biden's nation, community care has come to under atalk and veterans -- attack, and veterans, many them, are paying the price. in january the department's under secretary for health commissioned an outside panel to examine community spending. the panel recommended that the v.a. save money by, among other things, reducing community care referrals for veterans seeking emergency oncology and mental health care.

there's not enough mental health care anyplace in in the country. how could we restrict, why would the v.a. restrict access to mental health in the sdmunts -- in the community? these veterans are among our most vulnerable and high-risk veterans in v.a. patient populations. since those recommendations were issued in the spring, veterans have been reaching out to me, as i've indicated on the floor before, many of the things i know about what's going on in veterans' lives come by conversations i have with veterans or my staff has with veterans or phone calls, e-mails, the suggestion that something is not right in the way the v.a. is caring for a veteran. it often ends up in casework and we try to solve the individual problem for the individual veteran. we also ought to solve the system problems, and this is one that is now systematic. it's not the circumstance that an individual veteran is

uniquely being denied care in the community. it's become a systemwide effort to reduce the opportunities veterans have to access care in the community. i'm sure my colleagues, republicans and democrats, if they'd talk to their caseworkers, staff, people that deal with veterans' issues, you'd see the same thing is happening in your community with veterans. most recently i spoke about this on the floor when it it turned out that the v.a. had denied a cancer patient the last two cancer treatments where he has received the last two 58 but was told he had to return to the v.a. more than an hour away, a to the v.a. hospital to receive the 59th and 60th cancer treatments. and most recently, i think if you'd check with the folks in your offices who know these things and maybe -- and i would guess many of my colleagues have heard this themselves, time and

time again someone who has had chiropractic care in the community is being denied the opportunity to continue to see their chiropractor. if you are going to have chiropractic care, you must have it at the v.a. hospital. we're also hearing beyond our own constituents from whistleblowers within the v.a., people who work within the v.a. facilities. they're telling us, telling me that they're facing increasing pressure to keep veterans in v.a. medical facilities, whatever the choice is of the veteran. incidentally, the v.a. has indicated that they are going to reduce the number of employees at the department of veterans affairs working in v.a. medical centers by 10,000. i'm grateful to my colleagues who joined me in opposing these policies, and i appreciate that effort. let me take this step just a little bit of history.

a the a point in time not -- at a point in time not too many years ago, the v.a. -- we had veterans dying within the v.a. system because they couldn't access the care. phoenix comes to mind, and as a result congress responded and passed the choice act. the choice act said if you live a certain number of miles away from a v.a. hospital, a v.a. facility, a you can access care at hometown at your own hospital much . the v.a. was very reserve sent and very difficult in the implementation of the passed by congress and signed by the president. so we tried a few years later with the mission act. one of the many provisions says that if it is in the best interests of a veteran, he or she can have care where they choose to have it. best care is defined not by the v.a. -- let me say that more clearly. the best interest of the veteran is not defined by the department of veterans affairs but by the

veteran and his or her health care provider. so the choice under the law rests with the veteran, not with the v.a. and yet the v.a. is once again undermining the law and trying to make certain that those choices that a veteran, he or she, can make are not made by veteran but made by the department of veterans afafrms the veteran who wants fair, chiropractic care at home, seen a chiropractor, the same chiropractor for years, is told, no, we don't care what you want. we want to do it our way. these policies are very damaging and can put us back in the same position in which the life and well-being of veterans across the country are impacted, affected, and damaged. and so, mr. president, i would again ask, along with my colleagues, which i hope is much

broader than just a republican set a of colleagues -- i hope my democratic colleagues and my republican colleagues, i hope all of us will insist that the biden administration follow the law. it used to be that republicans and democrats qaim together when -- came together when an executive branch dieseling was made that -- decision was made that intruded upon the legislative branch's lawmaking authority. would end to get back to the days, whether it is a republican administration or democratic administration, if they're not following the law, they're not following what congress has told them to do, and we ought to all object. we certainly ought to object to what the biden administration is doing at the department of vet veterans affairs to restrict the capabilities of people who are making choices, those who served oured country who are making choices that this is in their best interest. and we don't need the department overruling a choice about that decision. i hope we'll work together. i hope the department of

veterans affairs will change its ways. in the meantime, i'm worried about veterans are across kansas and across the country whose decisions about their own well-being are undermined by those who decide something better is for them. let's let our veterans, who served our country, let's let them make a choice in consultation with their health care entrepreneur about what makes the -- health care provider about what makes the most sense. sometimes it is miles. sometimes it is quality of care. but that choice, regardless, ought to be made by the veteran. madam president, i yield back. mr. hoeven: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. hoeven: today i join my colleagues in outlining more than three and a half years of policy fail user under president bush -- failures under president

bush which are impacting families and businesses across the country every single day. from our economy to our nation's security, americans can feel the weight of this administration's decisions leading to a higher cost of living and less safe communities, things that impact people every single day. i'll begin where individuals most frequently feel those impacts -- their pocketbook. biden's inflation is hurting every american, particularly low-income incomes. for example, americans are paying more for energy because president biden has sought to block or restrict access to our nation's vast energy reserves. on day one of his administration, president biden blocked the keystone x.l. pipeline. president biden and congressional democrats doubled down passing a partisan

tax-and-spend bill that included higher fees and royalty rates on federal energy production. just recently had the interior department's bureau of land management finalize the a new public lands rule enabling radical environment at groups to lock away more of our energy reserves under a so-called conservation leasing plan. the blm also finalize add new onshore oil and gas rule and a new venting and firing rule. in my state, blm is proposing to close off leasing on 45% of federal oil and gas acres and 95% of federal coal acreage. blm's failed stewardship extends to other states as well, including the blocking of new oil and gas production in the national petroleum reserve in alaska. each of these actions are specifically designed to drive up the cost of energy production on federal lands. and these costs are ultimately passed along to consumers.

today americans are paying 46% more for gasoline at the pump. and at the same time utility bills are also rising and outpacing inflation. the environmental protection agency's latest onslaught of new power sector regulations will require utilities to spend billions of dollars to comply with burdensome regulations. or worse, force the premature retirement of reliable coal-fired baseload power plants that our nation needs. independent grid operators from across the country are warning the epa's regulations will threaten reliability and increase the risk of blackouts and brownouts. americans can no longer afford to pay more for less reliable energy following three and a half years of president biden's failed green new deal. that's why we need to take the handcuffs off our energy producers and empower them to

increase supply and bring down prices for hardworking american families. now, in addition to discussing president biden's failures on inflation, the economy, and energy production, i want to again bring the crisis taking place at the southern border to everyone's attention. we are nearly through fiscal year 2024 and the consequences of president biden's failed border policies are becoming clearer every single day. the american people are seeing beyond the administration's false claims that the border is secure. every day there are new reports of horrific crimes being committed by individuals illegally in the united states, and these violent crimes continue to be perpetuated in every state. local and federal law enforcement officials have confirmed that the trend aragua -- i may have not said it

right but this is a transnational criminal gang that originated in a venezuelan prison is now present and operating in the united states. think about that. their activities in the u.s. include human and drug trafficking as well as assaults and the murder of police officers. in addition, there is now an increased threat from dangerous elements illegally entering the united states with direct ties to international terrorist organizations like isis. just last month i.c.e. arrested eight tajikistan nationalists with potential ties to isis who illegally crossed the southern border and have been living in the united states. let that sink in for a minute. at our port of entry and all along the border we continue to see high numbers of individuals on the terror watch list

attempting to enter the u.s. in fiscal year 2024 we have seen 316 individuals attempt to enter the country. the fbi director said we are seeing a wide array of dangerous threats that emanate from the border, end quote. the cause of these threats to our homeland is clear. president biden's failure to secure the southern border. president biden's failure to secure the southern border. the american people suffer the consequences because the biden administration refuses to enforce policies that protect our southern border. these policies were put in place by the trump administration. they are the migrant protection protocols or remain in mexico policy enforcing third safe country agreements and resuming construction of the border wall. the biden administration must address this crisis, enforce the

laws that lead to lower numbers that we saw in the donald trump and take that border security very seriously, deadly seriously. because border security is national security. all together, all these issues, whether it's safety, whether it's inflation, all of these things affect americans across this entire country every single day. after nearly four years of policy failures, our country needs to get back on the right track, bring down inflation, strengthen our economy, and address the border and national security and safety in our communities. and that's exactly what our, my colleagues and i are working every day to accomplish. with that, madam president, i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: madam president, over the last three and a half years president biden's policies have unleashed a series of crises one after another, and thus made the lives of average americans harder, not easier. the security crisis at the border that my colleague from north dakota talked about a moment ago, rising crime rates across our communities, some of which comes from gang members who transit through our southern border and then go on to commit crimes of violence against innocent americans, and all across the country the drugs that took the lives of 108,000 americans last year alone. and then there's america's

weakening role on the global stage. i believe there's a reason why the threats that confront our country and world peace are at the greatest level since they have been since world war ii. and that's because the tyrants, the autocrats, the dictators, the people like vladimir putin, president xi in china, kim jong-un in north korea, what they perceive as weakness and weakness is a provocation, it's an invitation for them to take action and to threaten stability and peace. president biden's policies have made americans' lives harder, not easier. and nowhere is that more evident than in the high prices that are clobbering family budgets. i know the occupant of 1600

pennsylvania avenue is doing just fine. he's not feeling the impact on higher prices at the gas pump and the grocery store, in rent, and all across our economy. it doesn't affect him and it doesn't affect many of us. but for people on a fixed income, people who are lower income, seniors, retired individuals, it is degrading and undermining their standard of living and their quality of life. since president biden took office three and a half years ago, consumer prices have risen on average 20%. so that means the dollar that you spent on consumer products, whatever they may be, three and

a half years ago now only buys 80 cents worth of value. that's a hard leap for many families to absorb. and for those living on fixed incomes or tight budgets, it's virtually impossible. families are paying 21% more dproes riss. 41% more for energy, and 51% more for gasoline. when you add in price hikes on clothing, car insurance, even a visit to the dentist, you're looking at a mountain of expenses that costs more today than they did when president biden took office. america has experienced a 40-year high in inflation as a result of the reckless spending policies of the biden administration, throwing $2.7 trillion of reckless partisan spending on the fire of inflation, making it much, much,

much worse. and of course then the federal reserve has to try to raise interest rates, which they've done in order to dampen that fire, in order to put out the fire, but that doesn't erase the fact that american consumers, our constituents have experienced a 20% increase in costs of living across the board. an average household in the state of texas is spending more than $1,000 a month more today than they did thee and a half years ago. that's more than $1,250 a year. texas don't need that data to know that their lives have been impacted negatively because they felt the impact themselves for three and a half long years. they've seen the effect of the biden policies reflected in their bank accounts, their credit card statements, where

credit card debt is at one of the highest level it's been in all time because people who can't meet their monthly bills, if they have access to a credit card may likely charge it and say, well, i'll try to get by today by borrowing on my credit card. but of course they have to end up paying that back as well at some point. meanwhile, they're charged a lot of interest costs which, again, increase their cost of living. many americans have scrapped family vacations and they settled for more affordable local activities. sometimes it's a matter of convenience. sometimes it's a matter of life or death, such as deciding whether to fill a prescription or pay your air conditioning bill. i can tell you right now in the wake of hurricane beryl, that

many texans are without electricity and experiencing 100-degree heat and 99% humidity. many americans who can't afford to pay their utility bills are having to cut back on things like air conditioning, and many people during the heat of the summer, particularly vulnerable americans and elderly, are suffering as a result. what is president biden's response when you raise these criticisms? it's to say, well, it's somebody else's fault. he tries to blame his predecessor for the sticker shock that americans are experiencing on a daily basis. a couple of months ago president biden claimed that inflation was at 9% when he took office. now that's not the only time that president biden has misstated the facts.

it might be a compelling point if it were actually true. when president biden took office, inflation was only at 1.4%. and under his leadership, inflation has soared to a 40-year high of more than 9%. fortunately, thanks to the policies of the federal reserve, which are painful enough because they raise interest rates which costs consumers more on the debt they owe on their vehicle or when they buy a house, fortunately inflation has slowed, but high prices remain. president biden's policies have sent prices through the roof, and that's where they have stayed. no matter what the level of inflation is, currently those high prices are cumulative. and with election day less than five months away, voters are asking themselves a very important question -- has my

life gotten better or worse since president biden took office? thanks to president biden's policies, families are struggling to cover the cost of gasoline, grocery, rent, insurance, just about everything else. and high interest rates which are the result of the federal reserve tightening access to credit continue to make dreams like owning a home or opening a small business out of reach for many americans. as i said, texans are now paying more than $1,000 per month more thanks to president biden's policies. if president biden manages to win another term in the white house, i worry about how much higher my constituents' monthly bills will continue to climb.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. ask for the yeas and nays. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:. the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd.

the clerk: mr. casey. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer.

mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee.

mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. 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: sfishg sfishg bennet -- senators voting in the affirmative -- bennet, browne, collins, durbin, coons, kennedy, lankford, murkowski, murray, padilla, rosen, schatz, warner, whitehouse and wyden. mr. casey, aye. senators voting in the negative -- blackburn, boozman, cornyn, cotton, kaip, hyde-smith, lujan, marshall, paul, rounds, rubio, schmitt,

and tillis. mr. sullivan, aye. mr. merkley, aye. mrs. shaheen, aye. the clerk: mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. graham, no.

the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: mr. tuberville, no.

mr. peters, aye. ms. stabenow, aye. mr. lujan, aye. the clerk: mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye.

the clerk: mr. kaine, aye. m mrs. capito, aye. mr. cassidy, no. mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. reed, aye. the clerk: ms. cortez masto,

aye. the clerk: mr. thune, no. the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

the clerk: mr. vance, no. the clerk: mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. barasso, no. vote:

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. welch, aye. mr. johnson, no. the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. ms. butler, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. tester, aye. the clerk: ms. ernst, no.

the clerk: mr. booker, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. budd, no. the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. vote: the clerk: mr. cardin, aye.

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: mr. cramer, aye.

the clerk: mrs. britt, no. mr. young, no.

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

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

>> i rise today to pay tribute to a great gentleman. a dear friend, a colleague, and in many cases a battle warrior. senator jim inhofe. he was an extraordinary gentleman. and you can't say gentleman enough when it came to jim inhofe. if he was a man of -- he was a man of humility, of decency and of kindness. and he took everyone he met with

those qualities. he was also a man of deep principle. but what made him a great senator, in fact, one of the best that that has served in this body, is that he was always looking for principled compromise. he was always trying to reach across the aisle and and see if he could, working with others, find a way forward that would be better for the country. so i was terribly saddened yesterday when i learned of jim's passing. he was a leader, he was a gentleman, he was all that we expect a senator to be and much more. for three decades he served on the armed services committee in both and house and the senate. i had the privilege to serve with him as a member of the senate armed services committee.

we were in turn both chairman and ranking members, both the senior republican and the senior democrat on the committee for many years. and we introduced nearly two dozen national defense authorization acts. we traveled to combat zones around the world and worked to support our men and uniform, men and women in uniform. and as i said before, there are many issues we disagreed upon, but we were able in many, many and, if not most cases, to find a way forward. and one of the issues i think that is so compelling in jim's life is that as a young man, he was in the army. and he knew what it was like to serve and sacrifice and dedicate yourself to a cause beyond personal ambition and personal ago a rantizement.

aggrandizement. and he learned also something that was profound and reflected in all of his work on the committee, that the decision that we make here ultimately affect the lives of young americans in uniform across the globe. he knew that. he understood that. so he was not sitting back here thinking about, well, how will this affect this company and that company. it's are we doing best for the young men and women that have dedicated themselves to the country, that will sacrifice even their lives for this country? are we doing as a much as we can for the families that are serving with them? that profound sense of service that he incubated as a young army soldier he carried through his senate career.

he always insisted on speaking to the junior ncos and junior service members. you know, we all get a briefing by the general about here's the situation, sir. but he wanted to get down and talk to privates and specialists and seamen and airmen and say, what's going on? how is things going? are you getting adequate rations, are you -- is this working from your perspective? and, again, adding to the quality of his service was this sensitivity. he truly understood the people who served in the uniform in the united states. and he made sure to support those troops. he sponsored critical legislation to improve their lives whether by overhauling barracks or creating new benefits for military families. and he and i worked together on countless efforts to provide better pay and health care and equipment to our servicemen and

women. this nation and and if our military -- and our military is stronger today because of jim inhofe. and safer today because of jim inhofe. he had a way to look ahead. i remember when i was serving as the ranking member with john mccain, and we were thinking about what's going to the face it. -- face us. and jim was there with us talking about the pacific defense initiative, how we have to begin to put more resources in it. and then before the invasion of ukraine, the european defense initiative. we have to be able to be flexible and to counter the thrust of a potential outbreak of war. win positioned in -- we were positioned in europe to help the ukrainians because of jim inhofe 's work over many, many years. i'm especially proud if that the

armed services committee voted to the name the 2022 defense bill the james m. inhofe national defense authorization act. it was a fitting tribute and honor. again, an extraordinary leaderment -- leader with legislative skills, the capacity for hard work, always placing the troops and his fellow oklahoma chance first -- oklahomans first. he never forgot about oklahoma. he never forgot about their needs. he was in there fighting every step of the way. and i will be very, very -- i am very, very grateful for the kindness that he extended to me. just an amazing gentleman. and i think i speak for the senate armed services committee, and i think i speak for all the senate, we will miss him dearly. i want to expression press -- express my deepest sympathies to

kay, his wife, his wonderful family. he would admit without any reservation that he was able to do his job because of the love and support of kay and his family. they were there with him every step of the way, and in their moment of sorrow and sadness, i offer my sincerest condolences. mr. president, may we all strive for the wisdom, courage and humility that senator jim inhofe imparted upon this great nation and this senate. i also a want to salute my colleague here today, senator lankford, who is carrying on that tradition of integrity and decency as is senator thune and senator cornyn, and thank them for letting me say a few words about my friend, jim inhofe. with that, mr. president, i will yield the floor.

>> mr. president? >> republican whip. >> thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i want to join senator reed and so many of my colleagues today as we express our great sorrow in learning about the death of senator jim inhofe. jim was an icon here in the senate. he was a personal inspiration to me. when i first got here [inaudible conversations] when i first got here, he was the chairman of the environment and public works committee in the senate and worked with me. my first legislative accomplishments came as a result of him is and his staff working with me to help me establish myself as a new senator and to

do the work that the people of south dakota sent me here to do. and he made that possible because of just the way that he led the committee, his understanding of what it takes to get things accomplished here in the united states senate, and i'm grateful for his legislative prowess, for his leadership as a chairman of not only that committee, but later the senate armed services committee. and grateful for his tireless work ethic. i learned a lot -- my first trip, actually, as a senator abroad was to iraq. and i went with senator inhofe. and i can tell you from traveling with him, and i know that anybody he's traveled with, knew that he had -- [laughter] boundless energy and ability to work people half his age under the table. he was truly a remarkably durable and passionate advocate for this country, a man of deep

convictions. and as was pointed out by senator reed, somebody who had a connection with the rank and file military because of his military background. and every place that we went, we would meet with soldiers who respected him for that, the connection that he had, and also for the leadership that he provided for our country when it came to important national security matters. i also had the opportunity in oklahoma to visit, travel the state a little bit with him. i flew an airplane with senator inhofe, and he was a renowned pilot. i think everybody knew that was one of his great passions in life. but there wasn't anybody who was around him ever who had the opportunity to interact with or work with senator inhofe who wasn't impressed by that powerful work ethic that he brought for the people of oklahoma and for the people of this country. and i know that in traveling abroad with him i saw that firsthand. i know his many trips to the continent of africa, often times to war-torn countries where he'd

build relationships, advocated for american ideals and was a tremendous example and witness on thoat -- those trips. i'm grateful for his leadership in so many ways and for the impact he had not only to the people of oklahoma, the people of this country, but people all over the world who he he touched by his work, by his efforts and by his character. and i also a want to say finally and probably most importantly, mr. president, above all i'm grateful for his christian witness. jim was a man of deep and profound faith, and it showed up literally, as i mentioned, in every aspect of his life. for many years he hosted chaplain black's bible study in his office providing place for senators from both parties to gather for prayer and study. and i don't think, and i think chaplain black would probably validate this, that jim ever missed a session of that bible

study. and while the bible study has continued without him and is still, i would argue, one of the most significant hours that we spend here each week, i know that all of us miss being welcome comed into jim's office which jim made easy for us to find by hanging a symbol outside the door. mr. president, my thoughts and prayers today are with jim's wife kay and with his family. jim will be sorely missed. but in the midst of the sorrow, i'm also comforted by these words from the apostle paul, and these are words that i know jim deeply believed. quoting here, brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be unof informed about those who sleep in death so you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope. we believe god will bring with jesus those of who have fallen asleep within him. the voice of the arch angel and with the trumpet call of god and

the dead in christ will rise first. and so we will be with the lord forever. therefore, encourage one another with these words. end quote. mr. president, i yield the floor. >> mr. president? >> the senator from texas. >> mr. president, i want to join with my colleagues and say a few words celebrating the tremendous life and times of james mountain inhofe. had a great, he had a great name. and it seemed to fit him amazingly well. my memories of senator inhofe were similar to those that senator thune mentioned, that when i came to the senate, he was the chairman or ranking member of the environment and public works committee. i remember him telling me one time, he said i'm a true

conservative. i believe in a strong national security, lower taxes and infrastructure. [laughter] and, of course, the job of the environment and public works committee was largely to handle the regular highway bill reauthorization and funding, and he was true to his word. he believed as a true conservative in those three important things, and he said pretty much everything else we do is way down the list in terms of friars. priorities. but perhaps the time i remember the most is working with him when he was leading the armed services committee. i know he believed that there was no more important job for us to do, those of us who have the privilege of serving in the united states senate or in the congress, than to defend and protect our country and our way of life. and he believed that with all of his heart and all of his mind.

and so the exercise that we do every year which is called the national defense authorization act which we've done, i think now, 63 years in a row. he was passionate about making sure we did that on time and got it done because of his commitment not only to our national security, but to the men and women who serve our country in uniform and the families that love and support the presiding officer: does any senator wish to vote? does any senator wish to change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 55, the nays are 37. the nomination is confirmed. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the motion to

reconsider is asked made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session and resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 4554, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to s. 4554, a bill to express support for protecting access to reproductive health care and so forth. ms. hyde-smith: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from mississippi.

ms. hyde-smith: madam president, we are now well into the month of july, and less than three months away from the current farm bill extension expiring. as such, i would like to bring the new focus on the framework proposed by my colleague and ranking member of the senate agricultural committee. i commend my friend, senator boozman from arkansas, for presenting us with a framework that answers the call of farmers, ranchers, stakeholders, and taxpayers across the country. for the greater part of two years, we've heard time and time again from those who equity willed us to be here -- who elected us to be here. in the next farm bill congress must -- and these are some of the things they say we must do -- strengthen the farm safety net, disaster assistance and crop insurance among other important safety net mechanisms, enhance conservation programs, especially those designed for

our working lands, such as the csp and the equip programs. provide greater opportunities for u.s. agriculture in the global marketplace, ensure that our domestic food assistance programs serve as a hand up and not a handout. offer better access to credit and financing, particularly for young and beginning farmers. dedicate adequate resources to our rural communities which are built around agriculture. invest more in agricultural research, which america is currently lagging behind our competitors and adversaries in spite -- and despite having the brightest minds in t arc. -- in short, put more farm in the farm bill. the farm bill framework released

by our senate agriculture committee -- ag ranking member would achieve all of these things and in a fiscal b bipartisan responsible manner. it is our responsibility in congress to listen to those who know best about what they need to make a living so they can continue to feed our nation and the world. when the subcommittee commodities, risk management and trade conducted a hearing last year on producers perspectives of the farm soutafety net, one person described it as two inches above the concrete. that's insufficient in today's farm economy where producers faced extraordinary volatility, historic inflation and record-high input costs, catastrophic natural disasters and geopolitical tensions that disrupt markets. times are changing.

new challenges and threats to rural america emerge every day. this is why congress revisits this important multiyear legislation to keep what's working, fix what's not, and eliminate what is no longer necessary. i commend the house agriculture committee for advancing a strong co commonsense farm bill proposal out of committee and i commend our senate ag committee chair for all of her efforts throughout this process. but the bottom line, madam president, it takes time to move away from partisan disagreements. it's time to do that and instead work on finding common ground. it's time to dwgraduate from concepts and proposals, instead start advancing actual legislation. simply put, it's time for congress to enact a new farm bill, one that our farmers,

ra ranchers, and rural america have been asking for quite some time. thank you, madam president, and

>> both present and future, and he led accordingly. jim respected the design of the senate as a place where every state's needs should be considered. he valued cooperation, he valued

collaboration, and if he wanted our annual defense bill to reflect the concerns of all of the committee members. he was resolute in his views and fierce in their defense, but he was always kind and caring. he built strong friendships with all of his colleagues. and despite many disagreements, he would have these relationships, so much so that a close democrat colleague once described him as a brother to 40 her -- to her. and, of course, you cannot speak of jim without speaking a heaea come to the floor and pay tribute to former oklahoma senator, jim inhofe, a dear friend who honorably served the

people of the sooner state. senator inhofe led a life of public service first as a soldier in the u.s. army and then in several other roles in elected office and all levels of government. it was evident how much he truly loved leading and representing his community. the people of oklahoma and our co country. i had the honor and privilege of serving with senator inhofe and developing a ritch ba-- relationship based not just on our responsibilities and interests, but also on our faith and values. we first met when we were in the house of representatives and had an opportunity to join one of his congressional delegation tr trips. i encouraged and administratored h -- admired a. and i consider it a blessing that i got to work alongside

senator inhofe for 12 years together in in chamber. he was a leader on the environment -- on the senate environment and public works committee. when i was a junior member. and i learned so much from simply opening observing. but he was also gracious enough to view me as a partner. a decade ago i invited the senator to port smith, arkansas, my hometown and he took me up on my offer. so fally we worked together on a number of -- so naturally we worked together on a number of issues including the arkansas river navigation system and a future interstate designation from u.s. rout 412 in arkansas to i-35 in oklahoma. the list goes on and on. i often cited senator inhofe's leadership on the epw committee as a great example of bipartisan. he and his counterpart, former

california senator barbara boxer had different backgrounds and different beliefs but found common ground and accomplished truly remarkable feats like rewriting a chemical safety law and crafting the first long-term highway bill in nearly a decade. t both of them had a tremendous sense of responsibility re regarding infrastructure and believed very strongly -- so they were able to overcome their differences and do what many felt like couldn't be done. another thing about being with him when traveling is that he maintained a rigorous schedule while on congressional delegation trips. in fact, in every facet of his life. there were usually whirl winds and there were other occasions, he would set out on a power walk

and like me he had no sense of directions and would get back through others. i truly enjoyed traveling with him on multiple he could dels as we met so many american troops serving abroad bhwhile learning more how better to support their needs and mission defending the interests of our country. knowing senator hoch at -- senator inhofe meant you knew that he and his wife kay had a special marriage and relationship. they filled their home with love a . my wife cathy and i will be forever grateful for jim and kay's relationship. our prayers are with kay and the entire inhofe family as they honor the life and legacy of their husband, father, brother, and grandfather. senator inhofe my former coach

at university ■ofarkansaswould describe as a giver, not a t taker. there is no better compliment we can pay him than that. may he rest in ee tternal peace with our lord and savior. with that, madam president, i yield back. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the following senators be recognized to speak prior to the scheduled roll call vote. hirono for up to ten minutes, stabenow for up to five minutes, klobuchar for up to ten minutes, murray for up to five minutes, schumer for up to five minutes. further, that the mandatory quorum call with respect to the cloture vote and the motion to proceed to calendar number 420, s. 5554 be waived. finally the cloture motion with

respect to the kiko nomination be withdrawn and at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader, the senate vote on confirmation of the kiko nomination. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. ms. hirono: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: after dobbs came down, we worried about what a post-dobbs america would like li like. would other reproductive freedoms be attacked and stripped away piece by piece across the country? now, what years later, we know the answer is queyes. in dobbs, the supreme court, quote, returned the issue of abortion to the states, quote. and eliminated a constitutional right women in our country had relied on for nearly 50 years. we often refer to the states as

laboratories of democracy. s sadly, these laboratories are now experimenting on women with dystopian results. this hellish experimentation has resulted in devastating consequences for women and families across the country who are now subject to states-imposed abortion bans. as a result of over 20 states enacting boars bans -- abortion wa bans, some without exception for rape and inscest, women are beig forced to travel far sidistance for borabortion care or carry pregnancies regardless of the risk. there is a story of kate cox, a mother of two, whose pregnancy was threatening her life and ability to have more children in

the future. despite her deteriorating health condition, officials ruled she wasn't sick enough to get an abortion, forcing her to travel out of state to receive the lifesaving care. while kate had the ability to travel, so many other women in her condition do not and are forced to suffer the underimagie unimaginable consequences of republicans obsession with power and control. wh what's more, health care workers in states with abortion bans are living under a constant threat of criminal prosecution. when patients and states with abortion bans present with signs of a miscarriage, doctors are unable to provide emergency treatment, going against their legal and professional duty of care and years of expert training. as a result, many of these

providers are fleeing their pra practices, contributing to reproductive health care deserts all across the country. the cruelty of dobbs has also resulted in an increase in infant mortality in states with abortion bans as women are forced to carry fetuses with fatal birth defects to term. let's be clear, abortion bans aren't about protecting anyone. they're about the rights -- right's obsession with witpowerd control, plain and simple. while republicans continue their march toward a nationwide abortion ban, they refuse to be honest with the american people. time after time republicans have come to this floor insisting that they support women's health only to turn around and vote against bill after bill that would do just that. despite their rhetoric, they

voted en masse against the right to contraception, the right to ivf, and have consistently blocked any effort in this chamber to protect women's fundamental rights. but still my republican colleagues insist they stand with women. today they have the opportunity to put their money where their mouths are. the reproductive freedom for women act is straightforward. it simply expresses support for protecting access to reproductive health care. the bill is one page long and does not codify roe or enact any policy changes. this should be a no-brainer for anyone who actually supports women and our right to control our own bodies. but if pass -- it's safe to say republicans will vote against this bill today only to insist tomorrow that they are the party of freedom. give me a break.

democrats meanwhile are determined to restore, protect, and strengthen reproductive rights. and we will not stop fighting until we succeed in this. that is why today i am proud to stand with my fellow democrats in voting for the reproductive freedom for women act, to support reproductive rights and health care for all. madam president, i yield. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, madam president. i'm really proud to be joining the senior senator from hawaii and other colleagues that will be coming to the floor to talk about such an important topic

and bill as the freedom reproductive freedom for women act. we've known that for 50 years roe v. wade protected our freedom to make our own health care decisions. then two years ago it was gone. i can't believe that today's young women, including my daughter and granddaughters have fewer freedoms than their mothers and their grandmothers did. and frankly, madam president, we're furious in michigan. want to know just how furious? in michigan we turned our anger go action and in november of 2022, we had the largest voter turnout for a mid-term election ever. and one of the measures on the ballot enshrined a right to reproductive freedom in our michigan constitution.

and it passed by a strong 13-point margin because michiganders understand that health care decisions should be made by individual women, not by judges, not by politicians, and by the way, we hear all the time on the other side that it's a debate between should it be federal politicians or state politicians? neither. neither. this is about individuals having the freedom to make their own health care decisions, and i can't believe we have to debate this in 2024 in america. but a lot of folks just haven't gotten the message yet. today 22 states now have near total bans or severe restrictions on abortion services. and that means one out of three women now live under extreme or

dangerous abortion bans. and we know who is to blame for this because they brag about it all the time. donald trump and the maga republicans. and since the fall of roe, republicans have continued their assault on access to contraception, on ivf, a choice for those who desperately want a baby and need some additional help from science to help make that happen. to severe and total restrictions ole abortion services -- on abortion services. unfortunately, maga republicans want total control of our lives and total control of our fundamental freedoms. last month democrats acted to protect these freedoms for women. and unfortunately, every time we bought bills to the senate

floor, republicans blocked them. and unfortunately we know that they won't stop there. we know that the republican party, if they have their way, will create a national abortion ban which means michigan's constitutional protections that people worked very hard to achieve, hundreds of thousands of signatures, working hard, voting to put this protection for our freedoms into the michigan constitution will all be ripped away if that happens. imagine what this would mean for the woman who learns the pregnancy she desperately wants is not viable and her own life is at risk. this is actually happening, unfortunately, all the time right now in the states that

have severe restrictions. and i will never forget hearing a woman talking about her own experience of being told she wasn't close to death enough to get care in the emergency room. she had to go and sit in her car until she was so close to death that they felt they could treat her. doctors are now talking to their attorney before they're talking to other doctors or women and their families and so on. and we're seeing so many things happen, so many things now. we've already seen one study showing in texas that there's been an 8% increase in infant mortality. that means children don't live until their first birthday because something has happen ed. so who decides what happens to

someone in that situation? the woman supported by her family and her doctor or a right-wing supreme court and republicans in the united states senate or any other elected body. today we have an incredibly important vote. it will tell us where every single member of this chamber stands. do you think that women should have the basic freedom to make decisions about our own health, that anyone should have the freedom to make their decisions about their own health. it's as simple as that. we know where we stand. we're working every day to defend our freedoms, to make decisions about our own health care, to make sure it's not a politician, it's not a judge,

that it's women, their faith, their family, their doctors, that people who are directly involved are making those decisions. the women of this country should have the freedom to make our own decisions about our own health care, our own lives, and our own futures. that's what this vote is about. and we're not going to give up until we have those freedoms fully protected. i would urge colleagues to pass the reproductive freedom for women act. i would yield the floor. thank you. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. klobuchar: madam president, i join my colleague from michigan and all of the other senators who have spoken out on this topic today. to say that now is the time to protect women's reproductive freedom. i thank leader schumer for organizing this group of senators, and i thank senator murray for her work on this.

i thank you as our newest senator for being part of this. a few weeks ago america marked two years since the supreme court overturned half a century of precedent and stripped away every woman's right to make her own health care decisions going against the 70% to 80% of americans who believe that this decision should be made by a woman and her family and her doctor and not by politicians. and no, they don't want our colleagues sitting in the waiting room. in the wake of that disastrous decision, women across the country remain at the mercy of a patchwork of state laws that are creating chaos when it comes to accessing reproductive health care. today 22 states have passed laws to fully or partially ban abortion, and one-third of women of reproductive age live under extreme and dangerous bans.

for instance, just two weeks ago in our neighboring state of iowa, right below minnesota, the state supreme court allowed a six-week abortion ban to take effect. you couple that with what's going in south dakota and north dakota, and you understand why in minnesota clinics have moved across the border. that's what's happening in every state in this nation right now. in states across the country, women are also being forced away from emergency rooms and left to travel hundreds of miles for health care. i think of the woman in oklahoma who was told that she needed to wait in the parking lot until she was much sicker or as the doctor put it, on the verge of a heart attack. i also think of the woman from louisiana who was turned away from two emergency rooms during a miscarriage because the doctors feared prosecution for providing care under stringent

abortion laws. and i'll never -- i don't think any of us will ever forget the heartbreaking story of the 10-year-old girl in ohio who had to go to indiana in order to get a legal aboirgs after she -- abortion after she was raped, a 10-year-old girl. people didn't believe the story. remember that? then it turned out it was completely true. they said it was a hoax. it wasn't. it's what's happening right now in america. . doctors are being threatened with prosecution for doing their jobs and access to fertility treatments is at risk for families who are desperately trying to get pregnant. like many of my colleagues, i did a series of 4th of july parades over the last week. i think i did eight of them. and in nearly every parade, someone came up with their child, a little baby, sometimes more grown up and said she wouldn't be here, he wouldn't be here without ivf.

but right now all of those things that we have expected for so long are at risk. access to contraception, access to abortion drugs that are safe in dozens of countries because while the supreme court gave us a temporary reprieve in the mifepristone case, we know that a number of other states are now gearing up to bring similar lawsuits because that was just thrown out based on a legal requirement, a legal standing for who could bring the case, not actually on the merits. this is our current reality, but it doesn't have to be our future. this is a pivotal moment for america. are we going to move forward and protect freedom which has long been a hallmark of our nation? or are we going to go further backwards in history? not just to the 1950's but to

the 1850's. the decision threatens women's health and freedom no matter where you live in this country and demands a swift response. all three branches of government have a responsibility to protect people's rit right -- rights and if one branch doesn't do its job, then it's up to another to step in. that means it's on congress to codify roe v. wade into law. every american woman should be able to get the care she needs without navigating unnecessary bans. and the choice of whether and when to start a family should be just that. while we are here today, i also see senator murray is on the floor, and i want to thank her for organizing yesterday's group of speakers on important legislation related to reproductive freedom. in addition to codifying roe v. wade into law, we need to pass other commonsense measures, like my bill, the uphold privacy act which we tried to move forward

thanks to senator murray yesterday, unfortunately was blocked. this bill sets limits on how companies can use people's health data. this is particularly important following recent troubling reports of companies collecting and sharing data related to reproductive health care. just this year we learned that a company allegedly tracked people's visits to nearly 600 planned parenthood locations across the country and provided that data for an antiabortion ad campaign. that is that is just wrong. no one can believe that is happening today in america, but it is. and with women's right to reproductive care under attack, it is even more dangerous. that's why enacting commonsense limits on how companies can use people's personal data is so critical right now. all of this comes down to one question -- who should get to make personal health care decisions for women?

the woman herself, her doctor, family, consultation? or a politician that she's never going to meet that isn't going to be looking ought for her? to me, the answer is clear. as our country enters its third year without her? to me, the answer is clear. as our country enters its third year without roe v. wade, i continue to stand with my colleagues in the fight for reproductive freedom. we stand on the side of the american people who have come together time and time again -- in kentucky where they voted for a governor who is standing up for reproductive health care; in kansas in the middle of the prairie where no one expected it, the first real test of it, where democrats and republicans voted on the side of freedom; in ohio in a referendum whereby 11 points, the people of ohio stood up for freedom; or in the legislative races in virginia;

or in a congressional race in long island; or in the wisconsin supreme court race. the message is clear where the american people are. this isn't about red states or blue states. think of the states that i just listed. this is about freedom. so we refuse to back down. we refuse to give up. we refuse to settle for a reality in which our daughters have fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers. this may be our reality right now, but, colleagues, it does not have to be our future. madam president, i yield the floor. mrs. murray: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, madam president. today we are going to vote on a bill that offers a simple statement of values -- do you

support a woman's freedom to make her own health care decisions? for the vast majority of americans, the answer is yes, without question. we know that because the american people have been speaking out loudly and repeatedly and at every opportunity to oppose republicans' extreme abortion bans. the record here is remarkable and unmistakable. since trump and republicans succeeded at overturning pointing roe v. wade and ripping away a constitutional right from our daughters and granddaughters, every single time abortion rights have been on the ballot, abortion rights have won. every time. but the american people have not just been speaking with their own votes, they have been using their voices and sharing their own personal stories of the

nightmares that republican abortion bans have put them through. women denied medical care for a miscarriage because of abortion bans, women turned away from hospitals because their doctors' hands were tied until they lost over half of their blood, until their husband found them unconscious on the floor, until the only option was an emergency hysterectomy, or, tragically, until it was simply too late. children who couldn't get abortion care after being raped. a teenager delivering a baby clutching a teddy bear, forced through pregnancy by republican politicians. this isn't some dystopian prediction. this has all happened recently in the united states of america because of donald trump and republicans' answer abortion

extremism. just last month, "the new york times" profiled the story of one mother in idaho who woke up with heavy bleeding in her 20th week of pregnancy. she was leaking amniotic fluid. they went to the emergency room. she was told, nothing they could do to help her. sorry. because of idaho's extreme abortion ban, it meant that any doctor who gave her the abortion care she so desperately needed would be risking their loss of their medical license and jail time and heavy fines. the best they could do was give her an emergency flight to another state, and when she arrived, nurses remembered her saying, i just need to stay alive so i can be around for my two other kids. that same hospital in idaho has already had to airlift six pregnant women out of the state for emergency abortion care this

year. madam president, that's just one hospital in one state in one horrific variation of the many nightmares that are happening on loop across the country as a direct result of the republican abortion bans. and, madam president, i'm going to keep saying it -- a forced pregnancy does not have to make headlines to make someone's life a living hell. this is not an issue that republicans can run away from, no matter how much they try to. donald trump, a convicted felon and a liar, is trying to tell us he doesn't know anything about project 2025. that is the playbook that has been written by some of his top advisors for him. he may as well be saying he has no idea who named trump tower. we all know donald trump ended roe v. wade. we all know republicans

championed that for decades, and we know that trump will absolutely ban abortion nationwide. republicans do not get to pretend they support the health of a mother while ignoring the horror stories happening today across the country and urging the supreme court to rule against ensuring abortion is available in emergencies. republicans do not get to pretend that they support ivf and birth control while championing a national fetal personhood bill and voting down bills to protect the right to ivf and birth control. republicans do not get to pretend they only want state politicians controlling women's most personal decisions while supporting national abortion bans, including the fetal personhood bill i just mentioned, supporting efforts to strike down access to medication abortion nationwide, blocking

efforts to protect women who might travel out of state for care, and even blocking protections for doctors in states like mine where abortion is legal. and i cannot stress enough how transparently unserious it is for trump and republicans to pretend they are somehow returning abortion to the people when in reality they are doing the exact opposite. republicans are giving politicians power that once belonged to an individual, an individual woman, and they're trying to sell that as giving people a bigger voice in this issue. do republicans really think americans are that stupid? do republicans really think thick -- they can take away a constitutional right and convince us it is a within for -- it is a within for

freedom? that is insulting. do you want to give the people a say son abortion? how about you let each person decide what's right for them? how's that for letting people decide? madam president, if republicans really want to let people make their own decisions on abortions, that's news for me. it would certainly be news to the countless women who've had that choice ripped away from them by republican politicians over the past two years. but they have a chance to prove it right here, right now when we vote on my reproductive freedom for women act. this is a plain up-or-down vote on whether you support women being able to make their own reproductive health care decisions. it doesn't force anything. it doesn't cost anything. it's actually just a half-wage bill simply -- half-page bill samely saying that women should

have the freedom to make their own freedom to make their own decisions about health care. if you care at all, even the tiniest bit, about protecting women's access to health care and allowing women to make their own decisions about their pregnancies, you should support this bill. now, make no mistake, i'm not holding my breath here today. but i am going to be holding republicans accountable. donald trump is trying to rewrite his abortion record. but i will not let him or anyone else off the hook. if republicans are going to force women to stay pregnant, we are going to force them to be honest with the american people about their extreme position. and, by the way, democrats are going to keep fighting to restore the rights the american people have been so clear that they want back. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: first let me thank the senator from washington state, the senate president pro tempore. she is the lead sponsor of the legislation and on so many other issues across the spectrum, particularly on women's right and health care, there's no more stronger, clarion voice than the senator from washington. so i thank her for that. now today, madam president, senate republicans must answer a simple question -- do they believe that women should have the right to make their own health care choices? yes or no? the reproductive freedom for women act is exceedingly simple. all it does is express support for a woman's right to choose. that's it. no more, no less. it should be an easy yes vote. my republican colleagues have a choice. vote yes and stand with women who want their rights protected

or stand with donald trump and maga radicals who want to see these rights taken away. we know where the american people stand on the freedom of choice. over 80% of americans, including two-thirds of republicans, agree that health care decisions, including abortion, should be between a woman and her doctor. but americans are rightfully worried that reproductive rights are being about pain-capable extinct in this -- are becoming extinct in this country. they see what's happening at the supreme court. they see the attacks on women's rights in states like texas and florida and idaho and beyond. the american people want to know where their senators stand on freedom of choice. by voting on reproductive freedoms, we are moving forward because it's very important and very reasonable for members to be asked to take a position on such a vital issue. if senate republicans genuinely trust women to make their own reproductive choices, then they should not block this bill today.

and i want to tell our republican colleagues, the american people are watching how we vote. you can run, but you can't hide. all of america is going to know whether you're for women's reproductive rights or not by this vote. no excuses. this is it. they -- the american people want to see who will defend their fundamental freedoms and who will not. again, let me thank senator murray for leading this bill. let me thank every female senator on our side of the aisle for cosponsoring it, alopping with me. -- along with me. we need a yes vote, and i ask for the yeas and nays. oh, sorry. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: 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 motion to proceed to calendar

number 420, s. 4554, a bill to express support for protecting access to reproductive health care after the dobbs v. jackson decision on june 24, 2024, and signed by 18 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sentence of the senate that -- is it the sense of the senate that motion to proceed to s. 4554, a bill to express support for protecting reproductive care after the dobbs v. jackson decision on june 24, 2024, shall be brought if a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. butler.

ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz.

mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly.

mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul.

mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville.

mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- butler, hassan, heinrich, hirono, merkley, peters, sanders, schatz, schumer, and warren. mr. hagerty voted in the neg negative.

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye.

the clerk: mr. tillis, no.

the clerk: mrs. murray, aye. mr. murphy, aye. mr. ricketts, no. mr. young, no. mr. cornyn, no.

the clerk: mr. cotton, no. the clerk: mr. rubio, no.

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

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye. mr. barrasso, no. ms. smith, aye.

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

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye. w. vote:

the clerk: mr. braun, no. the clerk: mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. vance, no. mr. kennedy, no. the clerk: mr. wyden, aye.

the clerk: mr. crapo, no. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mrs. capito, no. the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: mr. warner, aye. mr. paul, no. mr. wicker, no. mrs. hyde-smith, no. mr. kaine, aye.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye.

the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. cassidy, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. tuberville, no.

the clerk: ms. collins, aye. the clerk: ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: ms. cortez masto, aye. mr. moran, no. the clerk: mr. hawley, no.

mr. grassley, no. the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye.

mr. sullivan, no. the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

the clerk: mr. johnson, no.

the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no.

the clerk: mr. roundss, no. ms. rosen, aye. mr. marshall, no.

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

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, no.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mr. cramer, no. the clerk: mr. risch, no.

the clerk: mr. cardin, aye. mr. thune, no.

the clerk: mr. graham, no.

the clerk: mr. reed, aye. mrs. gillibrand, aye. mr. blumenthal, aye.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye.

the clerk: mr. boozman, no.

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. lee, no.

. the clerk: mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye. the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: mr. welch, aye.

vote:

the presid the clerk: mr. schumer, no. the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 49, the nays are 44, three fifths of the senators duly sworn not having voted in the affirmative, the motion is not agreed to. the majority leader.

mr. schumer: i have a motion to consider. the presiding officer: the motion is entered. mr. schumer: i yield the floor.

mr. lee: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from ute. -- from utah. mr. lee: european capitals have become too accustomed to -- it has allowed europe to enjoy constant protection without bearing the risks or the costs. today as washington hosts the nato summit, we find ourselves at a cross road. nato, now turning 75, is in alliance with major issues. despite the rhetoric from president biden and his ha handlers, the simple truth is we cannot eafford to admit ukraine nor sudhould the united states make overtures about future me membership. as nato gathers on our soil, we need to be forthright with our allies. that the u.s. cannot sustain the massive levels of support for

ukraine and any discussion of ukraine's membership cannot be on the table. we have challenges right on our front door that need our immediate attention. the crisis at our southern border and the credibility that -- the credible military threat from china in our hemisphere and the pacific. those two things combined with things we've got to address urgently so. the situation at hand demands that we prioritize our own borders and deterrence efforts in higher priority theaters. we do not have the luxury of infinite luxury capability resources or personnel and we do no favors to our european allies by minimizing the painful reality that the u.s. must prioritize our own security needs. we need to be honest with our allies about the truth.

the european security environment has drastically changed since the 2% defense spending pledge was made at the nato wales summit. our refusal to raise the b baseline to 3% or above, which is necessary to meet today's strategic demands places a disproportionate burden on the american people. our diplomat and military leadership admitted that 2% is insufficient. however, xhicommitments to increasing defense spending have not been made -- to increasing defense spence has not been -- spending has not been made this year. m we have shortened work weeks, climate alarmism and woke dei activities, the u.s. still far exceeds the wealthiest european nato allies in military corporations to ukraine, as this

graft demonstrates. while americans are pinching penny pennies, we're sending our tax dollars to fight in a faraway war. the burden must shift to brussels, berlin, b basis and - paris and london, the biden sdm administration inked a ten-year -- and asserts that there are no limits to u.s. aid. this is pure fantasy. to start, ukraine does not meet nato's membership standards, not even close. not by a mile. our defense industrial basin dwindling stockpiles demonstrate there are practical limits to what the u.s. can reasonably do for ukraine. the agreement also leaves open the possibility that u.s. forces

will be used to, quote, confront any future aggression against the territorial integrity of ukraine. once again, sidestepping congress and the american people, to put us on a path to a direct shooting war with a nuclear-armed adversary. this, madam president, is armchair biden adminis administrationmanship. by politicians whose children won't be the ones kdying. the supposed burden of proof of into the is to prevent war, not bring us closer to it. despite the obvious flaws, the biden administration sought to make it deliberately difficult to terminate this proposed ten-year agreement. my resolution condemns this ten-year bilateral security agreement with ukraine. it affirms that the agreement has no force of law without

senate ratification and rejects it as a bridge to nato's me membership. the administration cannot be allowed to skirt the constitution, to relegate congress to the periphery or to tie the hands of future administrations to entertain the fantasies of ukraine joining nato. we must prioritize our national interests and uphold the principles and porrotections of our constitution. it's time, madam president, for congress to remind the alliance and the biden administration that we hold the power to make tr treaties, to extend nato me membership, and that overtures made to ukraine and our european allies are not, quote-unquote, irreversible. ukraine's membership is not set in stone. if ukraine is in, the u.s.

should be out. and so, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the foreign relations committee be discharged from further consideration and that the senate now proceed to senate resolution 748. i further ask that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there an objection? mr. wicker: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. mr. wicker: reserving the right to object. i would simply observe that this resolution is, in fact, not the sense of the senate and it is wrong to suggest that the senate, in any way, the majority of senators in any way agree with this resolution. it is also a simple fact that the dictator, the war im