disrupted in guatemala. are you concerned about the pull factor here as well as the policy implications related to working americans? are you concerned about a pull factor with amnesty of that scale? >> i remember bipartisan piece of legislation that the united states senate proposed a number of years ago with the path to citizenship, contributing to the nation's well-being for many years and the fact that it spoke of a certain requirement to ensure that individuals who had been here and contributed to the united states can gain that path and those who had not yet arrived and would not but with respect to the pull and push factor let me speak -- >> we are leaving this

confirmation hearing to keep our 40 your commitment to congressional coverage. this hearing continues live on c-span.org. now to the floor of the senate for general speeches. no votes are expected. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will open the senate with prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, ruler of all nations, as the inauguration of president-elect joseph biden approaches, bless and heal america.

bless this land of amber waves of grain with the righteousness that exalts nations. heal this land of curvaceous mountains by removing from it sins that bring reproach to any people. lord, use our lawmakers as your servants of reconciliation and hope, empowering them to fulfill your purposes on earth. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. 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. under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. under the previous order, the senate will be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the chair lays before the senate the letter of resignation of senator kamala d. harris of california, which became effective at noon yesterday, january 18, 2021. without objection, the letter is deemed read and spread upon the journal and will be printed in

the record. the senate majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i understand that the senate has received a message from the house of representatives that it has taken action relative to impeachment, though it has not yet transmitted the article of impeachment to us. i ask that pursuant to rule 1 of the rules of impeachment, the secretary of the senate notify the house that the senate has received its message. the presiding officer: so ordered. the senator from iowa. mr. grassley: i ask consent to speak for one minute in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. grassley: last week i started my annual tradition of holding k & a's with iowans with all 99 counties. i remember only one meeting

counts for the tally, but i hold many q & a's in more populous counties. i was in ten counties last week. a snowplow manufacturer in manchester, iowa, that employs over 300 iowans and the marshal town high school to hear what's on the minds of young people because they never come to my town meetings. i heard about the pandemic, paycheck protection program, commodity prices, infrastructure, and high drug prices. i look forward to the next 89 county meetings to keep in touch with my constituents. i yield the floor. mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: the last time the senate convened, we had just reclaimed the capitol from violent criminal whose tried to stop congress from doing our duty. the mob was fed lies. they were provoked by the president and other powerful

people. and they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like. but we pressed on. we stood together and said an angry mob would not get veto power over the rule of law in our nation, not even for one night. we certified the people's choice for their 46th president. tomorrow president-elect biden and vice president-elect harris will be sworn in. we'll have a safe and successful inaugural right here on the west front of the capitol. the space that president bush 41 called democracy's front porch. then we'll move forward. our work for the american people will continue, as it has for more than 230 years. there are serious challenges that our nation needs to continue confronting, but there will also be great and hopeful

opportunities for us to seize. certainly november's elections did not hand any side a mandate for sweeping ideological change. americans elected a closely divided senate, a closely divided house, and a presidential candidate who said he'd represent everyone. so our marching orders from the american people are clear -- we're to have a robust discussion and seek common ground. we are to pursue bipartisan agreement everywhere we can and check and balance one another respectfully where we must. and through all of this we must always keep in mind that we're all americans. we all love this country, and we're all in this together. now, on a related matter, a great deal has already been said about the disgraceful events of january 6. more will be said in the weeks ahead. i understand the f.b.i. has already made at least 100

arrests and the justice department reports more than 275 persons under investigation. a number that is climbing fast. i want to commend the work of the department to swiftly investigate and bring offenders to justice. as i've stated, january 6 saw failures of institutions, protocols, and planning. those failures did not just leave congress itself exposed. they also left the courageous men and women of the capitol police themselves in a totally untenable situation. so today i want to reaffirm the huge respect and gratitude that i have and i believe all senators have for the men and women of the u.s. capitol police. -- who put their own safety on the line every single day that they clock in and stand guard. neither the institution of congress nor the american people

will ever forget the bravery and the valor of officer brian sicknick, who sacrificed himself to protect this place and those inside. we'll not forget our friend, officer howard liebengood, and we'll never forget our debt to all the brave uscp officers and their families. it is more than just comforting to come to work in a place protected by such fine men and women at risk to themselves. it is also very humbling. we're also grateful to the local officers from d.c., virginia, and maryland, the federal law enforcement officers, the national guard, the secret service, and all the other professionals who helped sub-you don't the criminals and secure the -- who helped subdue the criminals and secure the capitol and are working for peace this week. tomorrow a new president and

vice president will swear their oaths of offices. they will do so safely and securely because so many brave men and women have sworn their own oaths to support and defend our constitution. we salute you all. now, mr. president, i understand there is a bill at the desk due a second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk mr. read the title for the second time. the clerk: a bill to establish an individualsry committee to make recommendations on improvements to the integrity, security, and administration of federal elections. mr. mcconnell: in order to place the bill on the calendar, under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the calendar. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. schumer: now, before i get into the substance -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: before i get into my remarks, i noted that my dear friend and colleague, the senator from illinois, is giving remarks to say a fond and i'm sure poignant farewell to arena dodin who has done an amazing job for me, for senate democrats, for decades. we will miss her very much. the only consolation is she is going on to the administration and even bigger and better things. now, the senate returns to session today for what will be a

very busy and consequential period. tomorrow, we will celebrate one of democracy's core attributes, the peaceful transfer of power. albeit under much different circumstances than most americans are used to. rioters, insurrectionists, write supremists, and domestic terrorists tried to prevent the transfer of power. they were incited by none other than the president of the united states. they have failed. although they have made the transition of power anything but peaceful, democracy's oldest and most revered tradition, the peaceful passing of the torch, will take place tomorrow. we must remain vigilant. we must remain strong. if we do, democracy will always prevail, despite what these evil terrorists tried to do.

the peaceful passing of the torch will take place tomorrow as it has for generations. in the weeks since the attack, the nation has learned about the heroism displayed by many capitol police officers on january 6, and i want to again thank those officers who protected members and staff. let us also recognize the bravery of one officer in particular, brian sicknick, who was killed in the line of duty. i also want to acknowledge those members of the fourth estate for their efforts during these difficult times, for continuing to shine a light on what was happening at the capitol, sometimes at great personal risk. now in the wake of the despicable assault on the u.s. capitol on january 6, we have taken precautions to ensure the safety of the inauguration of

president-elect biden tomorrow. senate leadership has been in close and constant communication with the secret service, the f.b.i., the national guard, the d.c. police. as we speak, there are more troops around the capitol than there are in afghanistan. no force, no force will prevent tomorrow's constitutional proceedings from taking place. tomorrow, joe biden and kamala harris will be administered the oath of office. they will be sworn into the presidency and the vice-presidency of the united states. and the powers vested in our chief executive will flow to a new officeholder, a peaceful passing of the torch, as it has been for over two centuries in the grand tradition of democracy in the united states of america. and tomorrow, the country will turn the page on the most chaotic and divisive presidency that can ever be remembered.

we will begin again the hard work of unifying and healing this nation, defeating the pandemic, recovering our economy, and repairing our standing and stature in the world. and this is just the beginning. the inauguration of a new president and the start of a new administration always brings a flurry of activity to our nation's government, but rarely, rarely has so much piled up for the senate as during this particular transition. over the next several weeks, the senate must accomplish three essential items. a second impeachment trial of donald trump. the confirmation of president biden's cabinet and other key officials. and legislation to provide much-needed, almost desperately needed covid relief. again, that's three essential items of business.

one, as mandated by law and constitution, once the house of representatives delivers articles of impeachment to the senate, we will conduct and complete a trial of donald trump for inciting an insurrection against these united states. two, the senate will confirm key members of soon-to-be president biden's cabinet. those cabinet officials in charge of national security must be confirmed quickly, as well as those in charge of responding to the current health and economic crises. and three, the senate will take up legislation to provide the country additional relief from the pandemic. on impeachment. on impeachment, the senate has solemn responsibility to try and hold donald trump accountable for the most serious charge ever levied against a president, the

incitement of an insurrection against the united states of america. the events on january 6, make no mistake about it, were not a spontaneous demonstration. president trump invented the lie that motivated these criminals, he exhorted them to come to washington. he then directed them at the u.s. capitol, and his demagoguery whipped them into a frenzy. we need to set a precedent that the spherest -- severest offense ever committed by a president would be met by the severest remedy provided by the constitution -- impeachment and conviction by this chamber, as well as disbarment from future office. in the 230 years the house of representatives has impeached the president of the united states only twice. in just the past 13 months, it has impeached president trump twice more. president trump is a threat to

our constitutional order. whether he is in or out of office. even now, he has not accepted responsibility for what he has done and still falsely maintains that the election was stolen. once he leaves office, do we really expect him to change his tune and accept the truth? of course not. he will continue spreading lies about the election and stoking the grievances of his most radical supporters, using the prospect of a future presidential run to poison the public arena at a time where we must get so much done. after what he has done, the consequences of which we were all witness to, donald trump should not be eligible to run for office ever again. all of us want to put this awful chapter in our nation's history behind us, but healing and unity will only come if there is truth

and accountability, not sweeping such a severe charge, such awful actions under the rug. so let me be clear. there will be an impeachment trial in the united states senate. there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors. if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him again. the today there are no fewer than -- h. showed us we need qualified people in key national security

positions on day one. that means tomorrow. the senate will be in session tomorrow after the conclusion of the inauguration of the 46th president of the united states. with cooperation, we can confirm key national security nominees at state, the department of defense, homeland security, treasury, and the intelligence community. the health and economic challenges our nation faces, the need to get vaccines out quickly also require having key health officials and key economic nominees confirmed and on the job as soon as possible. in 2017, the senate confirmed president trump's secretary of defense and his secretary of homeland security on inauguration day. preyed biden should have the same officials in place on his inauguration day you at the very least. that is the expectation and

tradition for any administration, especially now in the midst of a homeland security crisis. as i said, the way the senate works, it will take cooperation from our republican colleagues to swiftly confirm these highly qualified national security officials, but make no mistake, the senate will move quickly to consider and confirm president biden's cabinet. including key items such as direct payments to american families, strong further support of vaccine distribution which must be improved, help for small businesses, schools, and state and local governments.

very soon the country will pass another tragic milestone. 400,000 -- 400,000 american deaths from covid-19. there is no issue more urgent than defeating this pandemic and the senate will immediately set to work on that goal as the first order of legislative business. there will be much more work for us to do in the following months, working with president biden and our house colleagues, the senate will the finally address the major challenges confronting our country. we will consider bold legislation to defeat the climb crisis by investing in clean infrastructure and manufacturing, which will create millions of good jobs for americans regardless of zip code. we must move significantly to improve our health care and child care systems, to fix our historic income inquality problem. we will fight to restore workers s. rights and fairness in the tax code. today we announced the first

bill,? the s. 1 will be a package of long overdue reforms to protect our democracy after it has been so attacked in four years and guarantee every american's right to vote. one issue that has been long important to me is immigration reform. i've always felt that comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship is one of the most important things a democratic congress can do. to me, passing comprehensive reform is a very high priority. so i was pleased that president-elect biden has crafted a proposal and will call on congress to take up this important subject. i am studying the president-elect's proposal and i look forward to working together with him with a new administration and with my colleagues in congress to get comprehensive immigration reform signed into law. as i said, at the beginning of this talk, the next several

months will be very, very busy and a very consequential period for the united states senate. let us begin our work in earnest. i yield the floor. test.

test. test.

mrs. loeffler: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from georgia. mrs. loeffler: mr. president, it has been the honor much my lifetime to serve georgia in the united states senate. there's never been a day that i don't walk through the hallways of the capitol when i'm not awe struck by the magnitude of this job and of this place and of my duty. and i want to thank my colleagues, especially those who welcomed me from the start, who worked with me, who even across the aisle worked with me to get things done for our country in such a consequential year. i want to thank the people of georgia, who showed me the very best of our great state. my goal as senator was clear, to work every single day to make georgians lives better and to make ours the very best state to work, to live, to worship, and to raise a family. i never stopped working to meet that goal and was energized and

humbled every single day by the opportunity to serve. in between weeks spent in washington, i crisscrossed our great state nonstop, going from southeast coastal georgia in hamden county to northwest county georgia, time with georgians are my fondest memories. one of my favorite was to homerville. i keep them in my thoughts every day. having grown-up on our family farm where the nearest small town had a population of 600, my calling to public service was in large part to be an outside voice for those who didn't feel they had a voice in washington. meeting georgians inspired me each day to bring results to every corner of our state.

in that spirit, i want to thank governor kemp for appointing me and entrusting me with the important work of being a voice to or -- for our state and a servant to our citizens. and i was proud to serve alongside my friend and colleague, senator david perdue. i want to recognize senator johnny isakson and senator chambliss for their shinning example of what it meant to be a senator, and most importantly, a public servant. i also want to recognize and thank my incredible husband jeff whose love and support encouraged me every single day and i want to thank my family to instilling the values of faith, family, and hard work. you all have my deepest love and gratitude. as importantly, i want to recognize my very talented and hardworking staff, many of whom are with me today, together our

work here and in georgia has made a tremendous difference in our state. and let me tell you about just some of that work because in one significant year in this senate, i am so proud of all we accomplished together. we delivered more than $47 billion in relief to georgia during the pandemic to farmers, to families, to small businesses, hospitals, and schools. and as a freshman senator, i introduced and passed six pieces of legislation. we secured funding for rural hospitals, we increased telehealth access and we sped the delivery of p.p.e. to the front lines. i championed and we passed legislation that increased funding to help homeless veterans get back on their feet and i was proud to champion agriculture, our state's leading industry, as well as our military, law enforcement, small businesses, and school choice.

i stood up for innocent life, the second amendment, and all of our constitutional rights. i was able to use my business experience to develop four wide ranging plans to drive economic security, keep our nation safe, modernize our health care system, and increase opportunity in minority communities. and in 2020 alone, our office helped over 5,200 georgians with casework, including nearly 1,000 georgia veterans and active duty service men and women navigate their v.a. benefits and the v.a. benefit centers. i am proud of all we accomplished together for our state and for our country. there is much more work to do. i had hoped to pass a piece of my legislation to bring back to the united states from china the manufacturing of our critical medical supplies, including

prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicine, and medical equipment. and i want to wish my successor well in his work serving georgia. now, most farewell speeches urge colleagues to put country before party or to fix what is broken here in the senate. my message is slightly different. in all of the events of recent weeks, i want to urge my colleagues to remember why we're here, who you serve, and to recall the greatness of the american experiment as well as the fragile nature of our freedoms. i spent 30 years in the private sector chasing the american dream. i worked on our family's farm, i waitressed, i lived paycheck to paycheck, i moved around and worked hard to overcome setbacks to build a respected career in business. i came to georgia two decades ago as a job seeker around i

became a job creator, helping grow a small start-up country into a fortune 500 company. and like many georgians, part of that work is giving back in our communities and supporting others and achieving their dreams. i've done that now in business, in philanthropy, in sports, and now in public service. that's the american dream. it gives everyone, regardless of their background, the freedom to make the most of their life, chase their passions, build their family and their career and thrive in the greatest country in the world. protecting that dream for all americans should be our common cause, regardless of political party. as i have served over the last year, it's become clear that we need more outsiders, more business people, and fewer, with all due respect, fewer politicians. americans have high expectations

for us. they are looking for leadership. they be want results and right now they want their lives back. they are looking for us to restore america and protect their dreams, not to take advantage of a crisis and expand the government. and they certainly don't want their way of life overwhelmed by radical change and costly policies that will push them out of their job, limit their children's occasional opportunities and threaten their right to worship and speak freely. at the same time while those on the left have a stier for -- in essence there can be no unity without conforming to their views. disagree and you will be canceled. and not just your social media account, but your job, your family, your occasional opportunities, even your god-given rights. only those who meet the ideological purity test can retain your voice.

over the past year i experienced this first hand many times. yes, i've been a proud champion of conservative values, but i always put georgia first ahead of politics. as the pandemic began to unfold, i worked around the clock to deliver relief across georgia. yet the mainstream media, including my own hometown newspaper, flooded its pages not with serious coverage of my relief efforts, but with completely false stories about stock trades fabricated by a left-wing blog. when this political attack was thoroughly debunked that fact was largely omitted from subsequent coverage to fit their narrative. the truth is the mainstream media and big tech increasingly care only about advancing their political ideology and protecting the speech that fits into their narrative. the double standards, disdain and contempt that leads the institutions of influence is

increasingly being revealed. for the sake of our discourse, this cannot continue. as a starting point we must hold accountable those who limit our free speech and the loss of our civil discourse in this country. the american people are alarmed by the effort to censor conservative voices. we're witnessing a constitutional crisis that threatens to erode the first-degree amendment amendment and silence people across our country. as a republican, a conservative american who still believes in the constitution and the core principles on which our country was founded, i refuse to be intimidated by the cancel culture and its are dangerous narratives, however, not every american feels free to speak up. their voices are being lost. mr. president, this is why this senate is so important. for 230 years, the u.s. senate has been the central venue for

voicing dissenting views and it has celebrated the deliberation of issues confronting our nation. you must be the voice for those who can't use theirs, now is the time, the urgency weighs on our country. if we're serious about uniting, it must be out of respect for diversity, not despite it. diversity of belief is not mono lithic. in 1964 a future president ronald reagan spoke to his fellow americans saying you and i have a rendezvous with destiny. we'll preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we'll sentence them to take that last step into 1,000 years of darkness. these sage words echo today. these words are timeless. to my colleagues in the senate, i urge you to address the dire threats to our first amendment rights in order to restore every

americans' faith in our democracy and to help restore our trust in each other. it is the only way to ensure that america, the world's shining city on the hill, a republic admired for centuries, can endure for future generations. i encourage each of you to uphold our uniquely american values and preserve the american dream. and i will continue to champion our party's values from whatever position i occupy. america depends on it. americans are counting on us to be their voice. for a shy farm girl who was the first in her family to graduate from college who could have never imagined that one day i would serve as a united states senator from the great state of georgia, thank you all. it has been my deepest honor. may god bless you and may god bless the united states of america. thank you. i yield the floor.

mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: mr. president, before i make my prepared remarks, i'd like to note the fact that this is the first time

that i'm returning to the floor of the senate since the event of january 6. it was in the early morning hours of january 7 that we concluded our business and left this chamber to return to our homes for the interim period. we left knowing something terrible had happened in this building on january 6, but we didn't know the extent of it as members of the senate we were largely protected from this terrorist insurrection which took place in this building. it was about 2:15 p.m. on that afternoon of january 6 when vice president pence was presiding over the senate and most of us were in our seats. there was a commotion at the chair and the secret service came in and literally pulled the vice president away from that podium and took him out the

door. we weren't sure what was happening. it all unfolded quickly. there was an effort to make a quorum call to determine which senators were on the floor. it was interrupted when a representative of the capitol police stood where the presiding officer is now seated and instructed us to stay in this room, in this chamber, in our chairs. the staff people and surrounding officers around the walls with us said it was going to be a safe place of refuge for whatever was going on. i remember that moment particularly because something happened which was etched in my memory. two plain clothes officers came down to the well of the senate and stood there just a few feet from where i'm standing. one of them had an automatic weapon around his neck. i couldn't imagine what was going on, where in the united states senate chamber it was

necessary to have that kind of firepower. we stayed here for a few minutes and then we were told leave, and leave quickly. we filed out the doors and down the steps and walked across through the tunnel to the hart building where members of the senate were safely protected. and that's one of the reasons i wanted to say a word this afternoon -- this morning. the capitol police, throughout this were heroic. they were overwhelmed by this massive insurrectionist mob. the capitol police as well as the others who joined them, and the d.c. metropolitan police and other law enforcement agencies which i don't know the names of as i stand here, but i want to thank them all for literally risking their lives for me, for members of the senate, for our staff and visitors. it wasn't until the next day that we learned, many of us learned that a capitol policeman had been killed, killed by this mob. my heart goes out to him and his

family. thanking him and all of his colleagues, men and women, who each day get up in the morning, put on their uniforms and come to this building to protect me and protect the other members of the senate and the house and all the staff that work here. we will never be able to repay them in any words for what they sacrificed and risked on january 6. but let us never, never demean what happened that day. it was a terrorist attack. homegrown american terrorist attack. i know we're going to spend some time discussing who provoked that attack. the republican majority leader laid the blame, as he should have, at the feet of the president who invited this group to washington and then urged them to come march on capitol hill.

i know we'll go into this matter with more detail at a later point. but the fact of the matter is we endured a great travesty, a great violation of our republic on that day. to think that in this building, this building that we value so much, so many people came in hellbent on death, kidnapping, and destroying this great chamber and the building around it. it is inconceivable that this happened in america, and we have to come to grips with it in honest, truthful terms, and not say that was yesterday's newspaper. we have to move on. but there is good news, good news in light of the bad news that i have just recounted. the good news is by this time tomorrow we will have a new president and a new vice president of the united states. as we begin a new congress and prepare to welcome president

biden and vice president harris, i find myself thinking in the words of a 13th century persian poet, rumi. he wrote, out beyond the ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. i'll meet you there. for the moment that we are living through, i would edit his words slightly. i would say out beyond the ideas of right versus left, out beyond the rigid confines of our current polarized politics, there is a field of common good and common purpose. i hope we will all find the courage to meet there, to work together in that place. in another moment of dangerous division in america, abraham lincoln prayed that, quote, the better angels of our nature would help us to rediscover our common bound and pull back from the brink of a civil war. today the union, preserved

through that war is battered and divided. for the first time since the civil war, thousands of federal troops stand guard at our nation's capitol to protect it from attack about american citizens. carpenters and other crafts people were still hard at work repairing the doors and windows and furniture smashed to bits less than two weeks ago by the insurrectionist mob. we must be better than this or we risk losing our democracy. i believe that beyond the killing field of weaponized politics there is still a field of shared dreams, which brings me to a specific reason i take the floor of the senate today. i come to thank a remarkable woman who has devoted countless hours over many years trying to help the members of this

senate, democrats and republicans, find that field on which we can work together. reema dodin has been a member of my staff for more than 14 years. she started as a law school intern in my chicago office. and over the years she rose through the ranks -- legislative assistant, research director, judiciary committee staff member, floor counsel, and finally my deputy chief of staff. for years my person on the senate floor has been this woman, this amazing woman. i am grateful for her service to the senate, her service to the people of illinois, and to our nation. but tomorrow rema begins a new challenge, as deputy director of the white house office of legislative affairs. this daughter of immigrants will make history as the highest ranking palestinian american woman ever to work in the

executive branch of the president of the united states. as the biden administration's liaison to the united states senate, she will continue to help the senate search for common ground on which to build a better future. only now she'll be doing it from a different office with a much better boss. i know that she'll be a tremendous asset to president biden and the nation. in these divided times, it's rare to find a public servant like rema whose excellence and integrate is so widely admired on both sides of the aisle. no one understands better than rema. well, perhaps two people in the chamber might understand better how this senate works but only two. as the saying goes, she wrote the book on it. coauthoring and insightful tone titled inside politics, a guide

for navigating the policies of the house and senate floors. published in 2017 by the brookings institute. it came this close to a "new york times" best seller. but maybe still with this speech today, it will reinvigorate sales. as a floor director for the senate democrats, rema has worked closely with staff and members on both sides of the aisle to whip bills and overcome hurdles. no matter how long, she has always remained friendly, decent, optimistic, and dedicated. it was not unusual to find her still at her desk at midnight or 2:00 in the morning sending her final whip alert or e-mail of the day to senate staffers summarizing the day's activities and the next day's senate agenda. rema acquired her political and diplomatic acumen through hard work and hardly it seems through genetics. her grandfather served as social affairs minister for the kingdom of jordan under king hussein and

was involved in the israeli-palestinian peace negotiations in the 1970's. as i mentioned rema like so many americans, including myself, is a child of immigrants. her parents both came to the united states as college students from he bron and the occupied west bank the rema was born in north carolina, grew up in orange county, california. she graduated from the university of california at berkley, earned her law degree from the university of illinois at urbana and we made her the honorary daughter of the land of lynn come. she also is a truman national security fellow, a new leader's council fellow, a former term member of the coins of -- council of foreign relations and a member of the jenkins hill society, a consortium of women in politics supporting politicians. she loves the challenge of this great chamber and loves to give hours in this -- give tours i

should say to those who want to know the procedure and the history of this beautiful room in american history and capitol of our nation. she cares about the people who protect and preserve this building, including the maintenance people, cafeteria workers, and everyone who works here. even after so many years of climbing the marble staircase from this senate floor to my office, she and i remain in awe of those time-worn steps, the colorful tiles that brighten the senate floors and the majestic frescoes that adorn the walls. during the most recent siege of the capitol, rema worried for the safety of senators and their staff, police officers and troops who were defending this building. but she also worried about the priceless paintings, statues and other historical treasures that have been passed down from one generation to the next as part of our national legacy.

most of all, i know that rema reveres the senate as a place where men and women representing all of the people and all of the competing interests of the united states can reason and work together for the common good of our nation. in her personal encryption to her -- inscription to her book of the senate, she lanked -- thanked me for taking a chance on folks with only dreams and no connections. well, rema, tomorrow when you join the staff of the president of the united states joe biden, you'll have the best connections in washington. and i know that you'll use whatever opportunity this presents itself for this new assignment, to bridge the gaps in america and bring together the people of this country in a better, more caring nation. i will forever be grateful for your many years of brilliant loyal service and i wish you the best. mr. president, i yield the floor.

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

a senator: is there a quorum call? request permission to vitiate the quorum. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. booker: mr. president, in the christian faith, there is a saying, no greater love half a man than this than to give his life for his friends. i rise today to talk about that kind of sacrifice, that kind of love and ultimately that tragedy in the death of a man who is a hero. mr. president, officer brian david sicknick was many things. he was a loving son to his parents gladys and charles sicknick, a loving brother to ken and craig sicknick and a loving partner of 11 years to sandra garza. he loved his two dachshunds

sparky and pebbles and took great care of them. many of us got to know officer sicknick because he served on the capitol police department. he was someone who loved his job and understood that every day when you put on that uniform, when you come to the capitol of the greatest power on the planet, the united states of america that wearing that uniform, wearing that badge, that you had a sacred duty to protect this sacred space. i'm proud to say that officer sicknick was a jersey guy through and through. he was born in new brunswick, new jersey, raised in south

river and he lived a life committed to the greatest calling you can have which is to serve others, to protect others, to defend not just your nation but her citizens. he was a member of the new jersey air national guard, loved his country and i'm proud to say he loved jersey, too. he was a new jersey devils fan. and he proudly in his work and commitment served his country in the 108th security forces squadron in saudi arabia and .officer sicknick was a reliable and cherished colleague. if you talked to those who knew him, they knew that he was a man of honor and decency and

kindness. they knew he loved this job. he loved being a capitol police officer. he loved serving this nation. he loved helping people. he loved his work. that love is evident. so many stories shared by his family and friends, people who in this time of painful grief are still celebrating the life he lived, even though it was cut short by hate. people speak to his character and the qualities, the values that made him so special. he was kind. he was patient. and like many of those who rise in their service to this cou

country, he was humble and he was selfless. you talk to people who knew him really well, and they remember him as the kind of officer who would go out of his way not just in his service to those of us who frequent the capitol, but to make sure that his colleagues, his fellow capitol police officers were also doing okay. he was not just a leader, he was a servant. and they remember him living with that sense of honor and that sense of duty. they remember him as the kind of person who would stand courageously in the face of a colleague who would sacrifice for them, who believed that service meant commitment, meant bringing your grit and your guts and your love. and that is what he did.

on january 6, 2021, when a violent mob attacked this capitol, officer sicknick stood for america. he stood for this capitol and all of its inhabitants. he was steadfast. he was courageous. he stood in the breach to protect the lives of the members of this body, their staffs, personnel. he faced down terrorists, attackers, and sacrificed himself, his own safety, his own security, and ultimately his life in the name of love of country, of country men and women. officer sicknick is the very

definition of a hero and he deserves to be remembered for the richness of his life, the way that he loved the devotion -- loved, the devotion that he gave this nation. that he is no longer with us today is a grievous tragedy, and it is also a crime. this great man was murdered. this crime demands the full attention of federal law enforcement officials. and anyone who still harbors doubt about what happened here on january 6 should think of h him. on january 6 when extremists, when terrorists, when white supremacists attacked our nation's capitol, they took the

life of one of our officers. they spilled his blood. they took a son away from his parents. they took a sibling away from their brothers. they committed this treachery while waving flags claiming solidarity, some of them with law enforcement. but it was hate. it was hate, it was hate that brought terror to our capitol and the death of one of our sons. so many of the words that led up to that day, the lies that were told, the incitement and the encouragement came from the highest office of our land to

dotted members of authority across our country. these collective actions that led to the moment, terrorists who are directly responsible as well. in the aftermath a heroic capitol police officer is dead, a champion, a hero. this is a senseless tragedy, an awful crime. i'm not alone when i say to officer sicknick's family and loved ones that we -- that i vow to hold those responsible for this heinous crime accountable. we must honor officer sicknick's heroism and sacrifice, not just with our words but by what we do here in the coming days, what we

do as a nation, how we all take responsibility in the aftermath of a horrific moment. officer sicknick died for this country. he did not die in vain. and we, the living, must -- must -- continue with his level of courage, as we tell the truth, as we hold others responsible for account, as we try to live in the spirit that he lived with -- humility, honor, courage, kindness, love, decency. may officer brian sicknick always be remembered for his service to the country he loved and may we rise to his example

and honor him and all those who have fallen in defense of this nation. may we honor them in how we live for this country. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i notice the absence of quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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mr. mcconnell: madam president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i have three requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to consideration of s. res. 5 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 5, honoring the memory of brian david sicknick of the united states capitol police for his acts of heroism on the grounds of the united states capitol on

january 6, 2021. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 4:30 p.m., wednesday, january 20, further, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, finally, that following leader remarks the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the provisions of s. res. 5 as further remark of respect for the late brian

david sicknick of the united states capitol police. the presiding officer: under the previous order and pursuant to s. res. 5, the senate stands adjourned until 5:30 p.m. on wednesday -- 4:30 p.m. on wednesday, january 20, and does so as a further mark of respect to the late officer brian david sicknick of the united states capitol police.