like no other. since 1979 we've been your primary source for capitol hill, providing balanced, unfiltered coverage of government, taking you to where the policies, debate and are decided all with the support of america's cable companies. c-span 45 years and counting, powered by cable. we take you live now to the u.s. capitol where the senate's ready to gavel in. today members are considering judicial and executive nominations. they're scheduled to recess at 11:45 a.m. eastern for weekly caucus meetings and to attend a joint meeting of congress for israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. ... the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer.

the chaplain: let us pray. our father in heaven, author of liberty, who has made and preserved us as a nation, bless today our lawmakers, who are called to serve the republic by bringing order out of chaos, truth out of falsehood, and peace out of strife. may our senators lift the shield of their integrity against the enemies of justice, freedom, and faith at this time when the world's hopes depend on character.

lord, guide our legislators with your providence until this nation shall gleam undimmed by tears of want, worry, and woe. make us all worthy of the sacrifices of those who have given the last full measure of devotion for freedom. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance.

mop i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, july 24, 2024. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable benjamin l. cardin a senator from the state of maryland, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserve the. -- reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, united states tax court. kashi way of maryland to be a judge.

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the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the acting president pro tem of the senate -- committee on the part of the senate to join with a like committee on the part of the house of representatives to escort his excellency benjamin netanyahu, prime minister of israel, into the house chamber for the joint meeting on

wednesday, july 24, 2024. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: so, mr. president, later this afternoon, israeli prime minister netanyahu will address a joint meeting of congress. it's been 291 days since israel suffered the deadliest day for jews since the holocaust, at the hands of evil hamas terrorists. the pain of october 7 remains fresh, because to this day at least 116 israeli hostages remain in captivity, including women, teenagers, the elderly, including american citizens, including new yorkers, my constituents. yesterday afternoon, i met with some of the families of the hos hostages, where i reaffirmed a solemn promise i made months ago and each day since. i'm doing everything in my power to ensure their loved ones come

home safe and sound. today is yet another opportunity to fight for just that. even though i disagree with many of bibi netanyahu's policies, i will attend this speech because the united states relationship with israel remains ironclad and transcends any prime minister or president, and we must do all we can to get our hostages home. i told the families of the hostages i will continue supporting the biden administration and all negotiators as they push hamas to agree to a deal that will release the hostages and bring relief to gaza. the negotiators agreed on a fram framework, and now is the time to close the deal. later today, i will also meet with prime minister netanyahu during a bipartisan bicameral meeting of the congressional leadership. i promised the families i would relay their message directly with the prime minister, do all you can to bring the hostages

home now. many of the families i met with yesterday were the very same families i met with during my trip to israel a few days after october 7, a few days after the october 7 attack where their loved ones were captures. i can only imagine what the latin america eight months have been like for these courageous souls, not knowing if their loved ones are alive. i was particularly glad to meet with some of the families from new york, including the family of itay chen, murdered on october 7, and whose body is still being held hostage. i also met with the family of omar newt ra, who remains in captivity and whose family will attend the speech as my guests. omar was a tank commander near gaza when taken, but back home he had his whole life ahead of him. he's a student-athlete, an nicks

fan, captain of his school basketball team, and set to attend bingham university after his service. there are many, many just like omar, who still we need to bring home. there is simply no time to waste with a deal within reach. yesterday, another hostage family member told me the tragic story of her family. her mother and brother were both taken captive by hamas on october 7. today, her mother is home, released in the november hostage deal. but her brother is dead. murdered in captivity. as she told me, the difference in fates of her mother and brother lie at the negotiating table. the survival of the hostages depends on closing a deal now.

the prime minister must make bringing hostages home a top priority, and i proposed the families that is what i will tell him when we meet this afternoon. on a different issue, kosa and copa, tomorrow the senate will get a chance to take a major step forward on ensuring our kids' safety. we'll hold a cloture vote on a measure that contains two resoundingly bipartisan bills -- the kids online safety act, or kosa, and the children and teens online privacy protection act, or copa. both of these bills have been around since last congress. both have gone through the senate commerce committee without opposition. but there have been many roadblocks to both kosa and coppa, and the parents mo have been -- who have been pushing and pushing and pushing for kids' online safety are fed up with the delay. but i believe this time will be different. this time i'm very hopeful we

can pass these bills true the chamber. i worked closely with members on both sides to get these bills ready and to the floor. i made sure members had plenty of time to offer their input, work through disagreements, and arrive at a consensus. now the moment to act has arrived. we're going to get our chance to take the next big step tomorrow. i've had many difficult meetings with constituents as a member of this body, but few, few have been as heart-wrenching as the meetings i've had with the parents of kids who took their own lives because of what happened to them on social media. i met with one parent from new york yesterday, whose child suffered this terrible fate. she's lost her child forever. and i met many others back home and across the country hoe are in a similar situation. some of the parents told me about how their kids were relentlessly bullied online.

others told me how their kids were targeted by predators or duped into buying deadly drugs. virtually all the parents shared their stories about the intense mental anguish their kids suffered. when i talked to the parents who lost their children, when i saw the pictures of their kids they were holding up yesterday -- i've seen those pictures before -- i think of my kids when they were little. i think of my grandkids today. what if one of them goes online and loses their life? god forbid. god forbid. the loss shatters their heart. i think to myself if we could get this done it would do so much good for millions of families across the country. tomorrow is the day we must act. i want to thank so many of the senators who labeled tirelessly on these bills. i especially want to thank senators bluchlt v blumenthal and blackburn for their work on

kosa as well as senators cassidy for work on coppa. i look forward to advancing the kosa coppa here on the floor later this week. now next topic, tonight president biden, mr. president, will address the nation on a most solemn matter, his decision, his generous and wonderful decision to pass the torch at the end of his term and his vision for the future of america. president biden's decision to stand down from a second term in office will go down as one of the greatest acts of patriotism of any president in our long-storied united states history. to pass the torch is one of the hardest decisions possible for someone whose life has been entirely about leadership, but he did it because he believed it was the right thing to do for the country he loves so much.

nevertheless, tonight i expect president biden to remind the american people that one thing hasn't changed. right now our democracy stands at a crossroads, and we, all of us have a lot of work left to do. democrats want to keep america moving forward with greater hope and opportunity for everybody. republicans, on the other hand, are hell-bent on taking our country backward with chaos, with dysfunction. if anyone needed a clearer contrast between the democrats and the republicans' vision for america, just take a look at the latest trump plan proposed by the very conservative, the arch conservative heritage foundation. the more the american people learn the details of project 2025, the more trouble donald trump is going to have. let me say that again. the more the american people learn the details about project 2025, the more trouble donald

trump is going to have. the trump plan calls for the most conservative agenda in american history, chock-full of radical right-wing maga proposals that way out of line with the mainstream. while democrats are focused on protecting reproductive rights and a woman's right to choose, the trump plan lays the groundwork for a national abortion ban. while democrats are focused on providing student debt relief to millions of borrowers, the trump plan calls for defunding the department of education. while democrats are focused on creating jobs and making our tax code fairer for working families, the trump plan calls for more tax cuts for the very wealthy, the corporate elites, the megacorporations. while democrats are focused on tackling climate change and lowering energy costs, the trump plan would gut our clean energy investments, empower the nation's biggest oil and gas producers and throw thousands and thousands who are now in

good-paying jobs out of work. the list goes on and on and on, but the bottom line is this, america cannot afford four years of the trump plan. it would be dangerous for our democracy, disastrous for our economy, horrible for the average american family, and down right destructive for the progress we've made in the last four years. and finally, mr. president, 26 years ago today detective john gibson, officer jacob chestnut of the capitol police gave their lives in the line of duty while defending the capitol from an attack by a lone gunman. on what was a very dark day in the history of this building, detective gibson and officer chestnut demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of extraordinary danger. if not for their selfless actions that day many innocent people would have been injured or lost their lives.

days like today remind us of the immense responsibilities of the capitol police. it's no easy task to be the guardians of the capitol complex but capitol police do it every single day with unwavering dedication and courage. so we will never forget the sacrifice that detective gibson and officer chestnut made 26 years ago. may their memories continue to be a blessing to their families, to all of us here who remember that awful day, and to their brave brothers and sisters, the capitol police. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the clerk: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: some events in our lives make such an impression that we can recall exactly where we were and what we were doing when we reflect on learning about them. on november 22, 1963, i was a sophomore at georgetown university here in washington, d.c., when the news broke that president john kennedy had been shot in dallas, texas. i was in the library and the news spread through that quiet room like while fire. we -- like wildfire. we stopped what we were doing and went outside, stood in the street and listened to the car radios report the tragic news, of course, that president kennedy had given his life.

it's been more than 60 years since the assassination of president kennedy and 43 years since president reagan was shot. a week and a half ago americans were shocked to witness on live television an assassination attempt against former president donald trump as well as the murder of corey comperatore at a pennsylvania political rally. we should all take a moment to reflect on mr. comperatore's family loss. his wife reported that when the shots were ringing out, he shielded his wife and children with his body. it's an amazing scene to think at that moment, that emergency moment he thought of others to protect them. they have been in my thoughts since the tragic events of that saturday afternoon. we have a responsibility in congress to learn how the secret service failed to protect former president trump on july 13.

we need to do this on a bipartisan basis. keep politics out of it. the judiciary committee, which i chair, has jurisdiction over the secret service. tomorrow morning the judiciary committee, along with the homeland security and governmental affairs committee, will receive a classified briefing on the shooting. i hope that we learn more since the hearings that have occurred in the house of representatives. next tuesday morning the judiciary committee and the homeland security committees will hold a joint bipartisan hearing on the assassination attempt where we hope to learn more from the fbi and the secret service. we need to ask probing and important questions and do it in a responsible way that avoids the kind of incendiary language that has become all too common in our country. it is irresponsible for a member of congress to accuse the opposing political party of being, quote, flat-out evil

trying to murder president trump, but a member of congress actually said that. another member said, quote, joe biden sent the orders. can you imagine? those kinds of statements are so irresponsible and mean spirited, they don't belong in part of the national debate. as a country we have become desensitized to the toxic and violent rhetoric some politicians have embraced as standard fare. we should all be disturbed by the april poll from marist which found one in five u.s. adults believe americans have to resort to violence to get their country back on track. i said this repeatedly, political violence is never acceptable. it is never the answer. political parties should not elevate leaders who say these things that are so irresponsible. candidates should encourage americans to exercise their constitutional right to speak and vote, not open a rally with

an official declaring, quote, if we lose this election, it's going to take a civil war to save this country. as the most powerful democracy in the world, the eyes of our allies and rivals are always on us. our political discourse should reflect our solemn responsibility to encourage free and fair elections, not just abroad but at home. because the land of the free, in the land of the free everyone should feel safe expressing their political views and participating in this country's most sacred and fought for legacy, a free and fair democracy. mr. president, i ask that the next part of my remarks be placed in a separate part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, later today israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu will address a joint session of congress. i believe this invitation to speak was ill timed and one which the prime minister should have had the good sense to decline. but if there's one thing we know about prime minister netanyahu is that he never misses an

opportunity to further his political agenda. let me be clear, there are nations and proxy groups that seek to destroy israel, and that is not something we can or ever should take for granted. we've seen this with horrific slaughter by hamas on october 7. the subsequent iranian missile p barrage, the ongoing attacks by hezbollah, and the continuing holding of innocent israeli hostages, including hirsch pollen with ties to my state of illinois. let me make clear, support for israel's right to exist is not a blank check for extremist policies of prime minister netanyahu. even before the october attack netanyahu was pursuing a deeply troubling agenda compelled by his self-interest desire to hold together his far-right coalition and avoid legal problems. ep enabled illegal settlement

expansion, entertained outrageous proposals to annex the west bank, advanced policies that would undermine israel's judicial independence. pressure from israel's friends, including president biden to rethink those policies was often brushed aside or manipulated to create domestic political support in israel. tragically it's been clear for years that neither the current israeli nor the current palestinian leadership has a vision or political will to find a lasting peace for two people. with after the october 7 attack by hamas, many warned our israeli friends to learn from our own mis mistakes we made following september 11, 2001, but i fear threes lessons have been lost upon netanyahu and the the cost for israel and the palestinians alike are heartbreaking. netanyahu has failed to create a

post-:flict plan. he has ignored increased settler violence and extremists are blocking aid from entering gaza. when i think about the right of israel to exist, it is clear that that is a basic foundational position to take. the right to defend themselves, of course. october 7 is proof-positive that that's necessary. but you take a look at the course of the war in gaza ever since. 39,000 innocent palestinians have died. 90,000 have been injured. the scenes that come back to us from what is happening in gaza are heartbreaking. to think what these children are dying of famine and starvation because they've stopped the shipments of humanitarian aid into gaza in a regular, orderly way. that is unacceptable of the in had the end, i fear that the

devastating civilian toll in gaza will not only be judged a humanitarian calamity but a likely strategic failure by the israelis as well. i have long supported a two-state solution. out of the terrible yom kippur war came an unimaginable but lasting peace between israel and egypt. with the right leaders on both sited sides, it can be done. the united states has a responsibility towards this goal, one in which israeli and palestinian children can live together in peace and dignity. a pending cease-fire that would see hostages released, humanitarian aid increased. last night at the invitation of ben cardin, our colleague from maryland, i met with some of the hostage families in the capitol. i cannot imagine what it must be like, many of them wondering if the person they love, their

sons, their daughters, their wives, their friends are even alive today. unimaginable. we've got to bring this to an end, and a cease-fire agreement with hamas is the only way to get that done. instead of stirring the same old pot, i urge prime minister netanyahu to share such a vision for the future when he speaks to the united states congress today. i yield the floor. the clerk: the clerk will call the roll. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin. quorum call:

mr. president, it's been a remarkable couple of weeks in our country if the attempted assassination of president made by president biden two,, notwithstanding having one all the primaries and being essentially the chosen leader of the democratic party on the presidential ticket from november, his decision to step down and what can only be described as a political coup to install the vice president as the democratic nominee even after months upon months of elections where the votes of people who participated in the democratic primary have now simply been disregarded in favor of a handful of leaders in the

smoky, smoke-filled rooms are in washington, d.c. deciding who should be their standardbearer. but tomorrow we have a very, another very significant event occurring, prime minister benjamin netanyahu is in washington this week and will address congress tomorrow. more than nine months have passed since that terrible day on october 7 when israel was attacked by hamas terrorists. these attacks were against innocent civilians, not israeli defense forces. and these terrorists brutally murdered more than 1200 israelis without any warning, and violently assaulted. they took 2v to one hostages, many unfortunately have died while 120 of them still remain in hamas custody, including

eight americans. over the last several months israeli forces have faced attacks not just from hamas but from another terrorist proxy, or i should say two of of them, hezbollah from lebanon in the northern part of the region, and its proxy the houthis in yemen. sadly, many on far left in our country have chosen to take sides, not with our friend and ally israel, but with the terrorists, with hamas, with hezbollah and the houthis against our friend and ally israel. they have repeatedly called for a ceasefire notwithstanding the fact that israel is still under threat from iranian proxies. and they have attempted to frame prime minister netanyahu as the villain here for a war begun on october 7 when terrorists

attacked innocent israeli civilians. at a time when many americans, and sadly, many members of congress, do not seem to understand what americans support for israel is so critical, i hope prime minister netanyahu's remarks tomorrow will provide some clarity and some context. there's a saying that's been going around for years, , if has lay down its weapons today, it would be no more violence. if israel laid down its weapons, there would be no more israel. hamas is not fighting for peace. it is trying to wipe israel off the map. this is an existential threat to the state of israel and the people of israel. the united states cannot tiptoe down the line between good and

evil. we must make the choice, and we must make a stand. and that stand should be with israel. prime minister netanyahu's joint address to congress is an opportunity to reaffirm our shared values and highlight the typical role israel plays in promoting stability and democracy in an admittedly volatile region. i look forward to hearing his remarks tomorrow, but i am concerned about one critical absence. there have been news reports that vice president harris, who is now on track to become the democrats presidential nominee, will not be in attendance. reports are she's scheduled to speak at a sorority convention in indianapolis. but this isn't a last-minute or unavoidable scheduling conflict.

the date of prime minister netanyahu's speech was announced in early june. and in any event, i'm sure the sorority convention would forgive the vice president for attending to this important event here in washington, d.c., and perhaps reschedule for another time. .. >> and it foreshadow cans a continuing trend in u.s. foreign policy that started under the current president. and, obviously, it's designed to send a message to prime minister netanyahu and israel. we've already heard some members of this body call for prime minister netanyahu, basically, for there to be an election to replace him. if an unprecedented intrusion in

the affairs of a sovereign nation, another democracy. it's disgraceful and embarrassing to see the pandering to extremist elements in the democratic party. sadly, the vice president isn't the only one shying away from showing support for one of our critical allies. media reports say that this chamber's president pro temp the ray, senator murray, is boycotting the speech as well. i'm not surprised that some of the more radical members of dem can cabot conference may boycott, but it's shameful when their top leadership is so willing to abandon a key ally. in light of these dynamics, i hope the majority leader, senator schumer, will make it clear where he stands and that he doesn't condone skipping one of the most important sessions of congress in lean memory just to get -- in recent memory just to get more air time on cable tv.

given the partisan antics at play, i'm relieved to hear that the senate foreign relations committee chairman, senator ben cardin, will sit behind prime minister netanyahu tomorrow. i don't recall when the vice president and the president pro tem declined to sit and the chairman of a standing committee like the foreign relations committee was called upon to fill in, but good for him. he understands the important message that this address sends and has stepped in to do what others have refused to do . thuns consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: thank you mr. president, the attempted assassination of president trump 11 days ago at a peaceful rally in pennsylvania shook the nation, and i'm very thankful that he was not seriously h harmed. i'm grateful also for the law enforcement personnel who rushed

in to cover the president when the shooting started. but as every american knows by now, the events of july 13 should never have happened. there was not just one but a number of apparent security breakdowns, notably a failure to secure the roof before the rally. and while we are grateful for the fact that president trump was not killed, the security failures resulted in the death of one innocent american, and serious injury to two others. and it is appropriate that the secret service director resigned yesterday in the wake of this tragedy. but there is more work to be done. multiple investigations are currently being conducted, several here in congress, to identify everything that went wrong that saturday and explore ways to ensure that it never happens again. among other things, we obviously need to take a hard look at what

needs to be done at the secret service. i have no doubt that there are many dedicated agents serving there, including those who heroically dived to cover president trump when the shooting started. but the fact is that the secret service has been beset by problems for a number of years now, including staffing issues and a number of previous security failures. it's time to fix these problems once and for all and ensure the secret service is fully prepared to fulfill its mission. we also need a new secret service director committed to making reform of the agency a priority. mr. president, events like the ones of july 13 always horrify because they demonstrate the worst of which human beings are capable. but they also give us a glimpse of the very best. that was certainly true in

pennsylvania. there was cory compare tori -- cory ofi -- there was co corey comparatore. the emergency assistants who attempted to render medical assistance. the everyday americans who stepped in to help fellow rally-goers. if there's one thing we can take from the events of july 13, other than the meade practical need of addressing security failures, it is a renewed determination to live our lives in such a way that we too, at the time of our testing, would be among those whose response was to help and protect their fellow man. mr. president, soon after surviving the attempt on his life, president trump said, and i quote, in this moment it is more important than ever that we stand united and show our true characters as americans, end quote. that's a call that we should all

heed. that doesn't mean, of course, that our disagreements suddenly disappear, but it does mean we recognize and remember that most americans, regardless where they land politically, want what's best for the country's future. and i hope that out of this tragedy can come a renewed sense of what unites us. amid the outpouring of shock and concern after the attempted assass assassination, there were those who actually made remarks lamenting that president trump wasn't killed. it is disturbing that our discourse and our regard for the value of human life has deteriorated to such an extent that there would actually be people wishing bodily harm on a political candidate simply because they don't like his politics. in the midst of our real and valid disagreements, i hope we can remember the people beneath

the politics and emerge with a greater respect for our fellow americans. mr. president, my thoughts and prayers continue to be with those injured on july 13, and with the families of the injured and deceased. and i pray, i pray that the events in butler, pennsylvania, will never be repeated. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: mr. president, this afternoon, in just actually a few short hours, israeli prime minister netanyahu will deliver an address to a joint session of

congress. as his country faces multiple attacks on multiple fronts, an existential threat actually, prime minister netanyahu has come to the united states to affirm the strong relationship between his country and ours, and to highlight the stakes of this war. this joint address comes at a critical time, and i am absolutely stunned and profoundly disappointed that the vice president of the united states has decided to boycott participating in this particular speech. as we all know, it's traditional that the vice president, as president of the senate, and the speaker sit behind the speaker, the invited speaker, in this case prime minister netanyahu. i remember several years back when prime minister netanyahu

was last here, the vice president and the speaker both sat in those chairs, recognizing the importance of lending that dignity and sense of gravity to the proceeding. but vice president harris can't be bothered with any of that. she's blaming her decision on a scheduling conflict, even though the date of this speech was announced in early june. and the only other item on the vice president's schedule is a speech to a sorority convention in indianapolis. the world is on fire, we've never seen a more dangerous environment since world war ii, and the vice president can't be bothered to show up at the na nation's capitol, in the house chamber, and to demonstrate the respect and courtesy that we

thought was a given. but apparently not. in this case. not only is the vice president chosen to skip -- not only has the vice president chosen to skip this address, so has the senate's president pro tem, senator murray, as well as, we learned this morning, the majority whip, senator durbin is boycotting this address. i think it's absolutely disgraceful that the most senior members of the democratic party have chosen to give the heisman to one of our closest allies in the middle east, the only democracy in the middle east that's fighting for its very existence. why would they do something like this? well, it's pretty obvious -- it's pandering. it's pandering to the most radical elements of the democratic base.

i'm proud of the deep friendship between the united states and israel. our national security is tied up in the national security of israel. we know iran, the number one state sponsor of terrorism, wants to wipe israel off the map. that's what hamas, which is a proxy for iran, like hezbollah, like the houthis in yemen, all are determined to destroy the nation of israel. so it's never been more important for the united states to stand shoulder to shoulder with our ally and friend against these unprovoked attacks by terrorist groups against innocent civilians. there were 251 hostages taken on

october 7, innocent civilians in addition to all of the thousand-plus individuals that were murdered. eight of the current hostages are american citizens. and the vice president can't be bothered to show up? it's disgraceful. mr. president, op another matter -- on another matter, election day, november 5, is only 104 days away. on november 5, the voters will head to the polls to chart a new direction for our country. the presidential race, of course, has garnered the most attention, given the surreal events of the last ten days. in the last several days, the

democratic candidate has dropped out of the race, the republican candidate has survived an assassination attempt. you couldn't make this up. if you wrote this as a novel, people wouldn't believe it. this presidential race is unprecedented and with high stakes, but there's more on the line this november than just the future of the white house. from the top of the ballot to the bottom of the ballot, the american people will vote for candidates to represent their interests at every level of government -- at the local level, mayors, city cou councilmen, to governors, to members of congress, including the united states senate. as we know, election years are not known for their productivity here in the senate. our colleagues are always eager

to spend more time at home campaigning, which does present some serious scheduling problems. historically the prospect of legislating grows dimmer as election day grows closer. even still, the outlook for the next few months looks pretty shocking and pretty dismal, including the day the senate is scheduled to be in session for 18 days. let me say that again. we have 104 days until the election, and the senate is scheduled to be in session for only 18 days. that's about one day a week. if the senate had already completed its most basic duties, this might not be quite shocking and alarming, but the truth is we have a mountain of critical work that needs to be completed

before the end of the fiscal y year. before the end of september, which is the end of the fiscal year, we need to pass the national defense authorization act, something we've done, i think it's 63 years in a row, which is essential to our military's readiness. as i said earlier, this is the most dangerous time we've sooep since world war -- seen since world war ii. you would think the national defense authorization act would be a priority, but apparently not for leader schumer. i'd hoped the senate would take up and pass this bill before the end of july, but that's clearly looking unlikely at this point. then we have to pass all 12 annual appropriations bills to fund everything from national defense to processing passports to veterans benefits, to administering social security, medicare, you name it.

failure to complete that job on time could result in a government shutdown. we also need to pass a farm bill to support our mighty agriculture industry and the dedicated farmers and ranchers and producers that depend on it. this task should have been completed last fall, but congress punted that deadline, and we can't keep our ag producerers, farmers and ranchers in limbo forever, but that's what's happening. these are three basic functions of governing. funding the government, funding our national defense, and protecting our food supply. all these deadlines were known well in advance, but the senate has not taken up or passed even one of these bills. and we know it's not uncommon

for a single bill to occupy a couple weeks of floor time, but the majority leader has given us 18 days to complete 14 bills. if the senate had spent its time working on other important matters i might understand the legislative pileup like we're facing today but that's not been the case at all. this chamber is barely in session and even when we're in washington our time is wasted on show votes and occasional nominees. the past few session weeks have been dominated by votes on radical nominees and partisan messaging bills, not the best use of our time. the situation has been so common that i was shocked to hear that senator schumer planned to put two real bipartisan bills on the floor this week, and i'm

appreciative of his willingness to do so. we need to more of that, not less of it. we all know that the age of social media has created serious safety risks for america's children. we've heard countless stories about the devastating impact social media has on children's mental health. more and more children and teens are dealing with bullying and harassment online. it's no surprise teen depression rates are on the rise and parents are eager for something to change. so this is one of the bright spots of bipartisan cooperation, where republicans and democrats have made this issue a priority. we've heard countless hearings across multiple committees to learn about the danger that kids

face online as well as big tech's failures to keep our children safe. senators have authored a number of bipartisan bills to keep kids safe, and we've been clamoring for a long time for the majority leader to put those bills on the senate floor. so i'm glad that senator schumer has hit the pause button on the partisan show votes at least for a week so we can take action on two critical bills to address this crisis. the first is the kids online safety act introduced by senators blumenthal and blackburn. it provides children and parents tools and safeguards they need to keep safe online. it includes keeping harmful content about suicide, eating disorders, and substance abuse out of children's algorithms. more than two-thirds of the senate has cosponsored this

bill, and i'm proud to be one of them. we're also expected to vote on the children and teens online privacy protection act introduced by senators markey and cassidy. this bill prohibits internet companies from collecting personal information from the youngest users and establishes better safeguards to protect children's privacy. in short, it does what big tech has failed to do. it prevents big tech from tracking and targeting kids with the most addictive content possible. these are complex issues, and i want to commend my colleagues, senators blackburn and cassidy, for their work in this area. they managed to draft legislation that balances the first amendment rights of online users with the safety of our chi children. these bills are on the vernal of passing the senate -- on the verge of passing the senate, and that would not be the case without their dedication and tireless efforts.

again, i'm proud to cosponsor these bills and i'm glad the senate will finally vote on them this week. they will make critical advancements to keep kids safe from the dangers lurking online and finally provide parents across the country with a little peace of mind. it's great the senate is l finally doing some productive work for a change, but it's embarrassing that it's taken this long to put this legislation on the floor, which only the majority leader can do. he sets the schedule. once it passes, we hardly have time, though, to separate because of the mountain of bills we need to advance before the end of september. the national defense authorization, the defense authorization act, 12 appropriations bills, the farm bill, all of those are designed or need to be dealt with by the end of september. but to state the obvious, this was entirely avoidable, this

crunch time. again, election day is 104 days away, and in my book, it can't come soon enough. the past three and a half years have brought us one crisis after another under the current administration. most notably at the border. we need new leadership, and i'm eager for the american people to make their voices heard at the ballot box in just a few months. until then, we have a lot of work to do. i just hope the majority leader will give us the opportunity to do it. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: thank you, mr. president.

two or three times lately i've been coming to the floor to have a conversation with my colleagues on the subject of national security. remember all of us that wars are being waged right now in gaza, ukraine, sudan, and i presume elsewhere on this globe. we have uncertainty and unrest looming on the horizon in the south china sea and the horn of africa. there are also serious national security concerns right here in the united states. for the last three years at our own southern border hundreds of thousands of migrants from around the world have come to america without our permission,

including people on the terrorist watch list. earlier this month we celebrated the 75th anniversary of nato, the most successful military alliance in modern history. winston churchill sowed the seeds for the idea of nato. he did this in the aftermath of the failed league of nations. he delivered his speech called sinnals of peace. he did this in america's heartland, a famous speech at college campus in fulton, missouri. churchill spoke of two great dangers that imperil the hearth

and home of common people. those two dangers -- war and tyranny. in his speech, he called for military coalition to build what he called a temple of peace. that would be, as he said in a quote, a force for action and not merely a frothing of words. end of churchill's quote. that was churchill's words of saying a blueprint for peace that actually worked. no european nato member was invaded postworld war ii because of the nato. by contrast, the nations that

want to be very aggress ■ive turned during the cold war, particularly the soviet union, to instigate conflicts in asia, africa, and latin america. but they didn't mess around with europe. churchill's words of wisdom then stand the test of time. i'd like to further quote churchill. from what i have seen of our russian friends and allies during the war, i am convinced that there's nothing that they admire so much as strength, and there is nothing for which they have less respect than for weakness, especially military

weakness. end of churchill quote. the fall of the iron curtain opened the lane to freedom, symbolizing victory over tyranny that we must never take for granted. it's no secret that russian president vladimir putin, remember a former kgb officer, putin wants to resurrect the soviet empire from the ash heap of history. and you can consider russia's recent timeline for this ago depression. 2008, russia invaded the republic of georgia. in 2014, moscow annexed

ukraine's crimea peninsula and occupied parts of eastern ukraine. and then three years ago putin launched what we now know as a full-scale invasion of ukraine. appeasement was a key ingredient in putin's recipe for russian expansion. let's not forget that russia marked nato's 75th anniversary celebrated here in washington, d d.c. at that time he launched 40 missiles into ukraine, targeting a children's hospital, killing scores of innocent civilians so putin very

much has hitched his horse to america's foreign adversaries by getting supplies for his war efforts from china, iran, and north korea. kind of the 21st century axis, similar to germany, italy, and japan during world war ii. just as dangerous for us now as that other axis was dangerous and brought great conflict during world war ii. with global conflict and terrorist threats in mind, history must inform our nation's path forward and history shows a strong u.s. military is an

impenetrable instrument of peace. a weakened u.s. military is for sure an invitation for our foreign adversaries to keep pushing the envelope. now, make no mistake, russia and russian allies' mission is to do whatever it takes to undermine the united states as a leader of the free world. now, we didn't seek that title being leader of the free world, but we learned the hard way that allowing dictators to get away with aggression eventually threatens american freedom. this brings me back then to square one. the core responsibility of the

federal government is national sec security, and the fundamental responsibility begins and ends with a strong national defense. and impenetrable u.s. military safeguards america's food security, energy security, infrastructure security, and cybersecurity. in a nutshell, the u.s. armed forces are the nucleus for peace and prosperity at home and abroad. so when the senate takes up the must-pass national defense authorization act and the defense appropriations bill, i urge my colleagues to invest in america. doing so will cement our

national security interest for generations to come. first we must enhance pay and benefits for members of the military and their families. next, we must restock america's arsenal and boost our military preparedness. in recent decades, washington has allowed our armed forces to lose its wartime footing. when we lose our footing on any one of those rungs, know that our enemies are circling the waters to take us down a notch. my colleagues from -- my colleague from mississippi, senator wicker, serves as ranking member of the senate armed services committee. i reviewed his plan that outlines where the united states military most needs of defense

dollars exist. as it stands, the united states is ill-equipped to meet the emerging global threats to our national security. senator wicker's blueprint would put us back on the right path to secure peace through strength. the plan estimates that the annual defense budget needs to grow to 5% of gross domestic project. our defense spending as a result of gross domestic product has been falling and is nearing an historic low. meanwhile, many of our european nato allies have been dramatically increasing defense expend turs because they ee -- expenditures because they see how dangerous the world has

become. another key nato metric is the percentage of defense funds going towards equipment. in other words, war-fighting capability. the united states is in the bottom of the pack among our nato allies on this very score. it's no coincidence that the united states became the leader of the free world by leveraging its commitment to peace around the world through unassailable military power. in the first quarter of the 21st century, and a key period in history, america stands at the crossroads. we cannot buy -- we cannot bury our heads in the sand when china's spending on defense is on a pace to match our own

country. and that's according to estimates from our intelligence community. now, to be sure, china is plotting to leapfrog america as a global superpower. china leveraging every tool at its disposal, china infiltrating our education system, china manipulating data on tiktok, china deploying debt-trap diplomacy, and final china unleashing military exercises in the tie juan straits -- in the taiwan straits and even close to alaska at the barring sea. we cannot afford to ignore what is really obvious. a diminished military puts our

patient in at risk and our troops very much in harm's way. today, i call upon my colleagues here in the congress to stand by our duty and our constitutional obligation of national security being the number one responsibility of the federal government. we must stand shoulder to shoulder to meet this moment. in fact, we have a responsibility to do so on behalf of our constituents, and more importantly, getting future generations protected, and that is a long-term responsibility. so, as senator wicker's report details, we must modernize u.s. nuclear programs, revive homeland defense sites, restore the u.s. navy and fleet, its

readiness to bolster u.s., and we need to bolster u.s. air force and u.s. space force. bring cyber command up to speed and provide our servicemembers better training, technology, and modernize munitions to fulfill their mission. there's no time for dilly dalying -- dillydalying, right now our foreign adversaries are cobbling alliances to skirt sanctions, undermine freedom and secure their own self-interest. in closing, i'll finish with three messages. first, we can avoid war by anticipating war. second, preparing for war does not mean writing a blank check

to the pending. -- pentagon. you can be sure i'll continue my oversight work to get most banking for our -- bang for our defense buck, and thirdly, we must respond to the writing on the wall. if we allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security with our military power, historians will write about america's twilight instead of american-led 21st century. i yield the floor, and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call:

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. braun: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: i believe we are. mr. braun: vitiate it, please. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. braun: i would like unanimous consent to complete my remarks. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. braun: i rise today with great pride to honor the

fighting irish. this may the university of notre dame's men's lacrosse team on the 2024 ncaa, division one title with a resounding victory over the maryland terrapins. final score 15-5. this year's victory marked the second national lacrosse title for the fighting irish. it was also a consecutive national championship, very hard to do in this day and age in the competitive arena of college sports. fighting irish is the first team since 19 and 2021 to win those back-to-back men's lacrosse national championships, and only the eighth team in division one history to accomplish the feat. i would like to personally congratulate notre dame's men's lacrosse team for claiming the

2024 title. it's a university that's distinguished itself in so many ways over the years. blessed to be in my home state. i'm very proud of them across the board. mr. president, as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. res. 768 which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 768 congratulating the fighting irish of the university of notre dame's men's lacrosse team and so forth. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. braun: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no

intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until >> and the u.s. senate in recess for their weekly party caucus meetings, and at 32 p.m. eastern lawmakers will hear and be addressed by israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu to >> watch live coverage of the senate at 3 p.m. eastern here on c-sp today israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu willddress a joint meeting of