place, research completed, and private investment nearing reality, we have an opportunity to realize a dream of generations and put alaska back on track to provide many of our citizens with cheap, clean natural gas for decades to come. a completed gas line from the north slope to our road system creates endless possibilities, such as cheap, reliable, and clean energy for our residents, for our military bases, and for potential manufacturing and new industries. a gas line led by private industry would be an absolute game changer and a chance to once again show the world that energy independence and protecting our environment are not mutually exclusive. before i go, i'd like to share a few thoughts on the challenges that lie before us. >> use senate would be gaveling in shortly. today lawmakers will consider the nominations of alejandro mayorkas to be homeland security

secretary, and pete buttigieg to be secretary of transportation. senators are expected to work on the budget resolution. live now to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr.barry black, will lead the senate with prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. all-powerful god, who lives above the highest stars, we borrow our heartbeats from you. each day your power enables us to

live and breathe and have our being. when our hopes are uprooted, you comfort us with your presence. lord, guide our lawmakers on a road that leads to a clear conscience. inspire them to refuse to think, say, or do anything that would disappoint you. help them to hear even in the beauty of falling snow whispers of your power. we pray in your sacred name. amen.

the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting 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.

mr. leahy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont is recognized. mr. leahy: mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: are we in a quorum? i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, the capitol attack on january 6 unleashed many, many horrors, but it also revealed many heroes. one such hero was capitol police officer brian sicknick, a new jersey native, a national guard veteran, 12-year police officer for the capitol, his body will arrive at the capitol and he will lie in honor beneath the capitol rotunda. we will formally pay our respects of officer sicknick.

i, along with my colleagues, grieve his loss. may his memory live forever as a model of service to our nation, selflessness in the line of duty, and courage in the face of danger. on another matter entirely, the senate this week will continue confirming president biden's cabinet nominees, closing the book today on the nomination of alejandro mayorkas to be the secretary of homeland security. mr. mayorkas's qualifications are unassailable. he is a seven-year veteran of the d.h.s. and has already been confirmed by this chamber three -- three times. like most of president biden's cabinet nominees, his nomination is also history making. he will be the first latino and first immigrant to hold the top job at d.h.s. i look forward to confirming mr. and we have a second outstanding nominee to confirm today as

well. pete buttigieg for secretary of transportation. mr. buttigieg, known to many simply as mayor pete, has demonstrated an impressive familiarity with our nation's entire transportation challenges. challenges which are pronounced in states like my own where projects like the gateway tunnel are a top national priority. i know that mr. buttigieg is committed to working with members from both sides to improve rail and transit, highways, and more, in rural communities, urban centers, and everywhere in between. i'm excited to call him secretary pete by the end of the day and get to work with him immediately on helping the m.t.a., the nation's largest transit network in the country, and moving gateway forward after years of cynical obstruction by the trump administration. on covid. even as we continue to confirm

president biden's nominees, the senate will turn this week to the historic task of preparing a rescue package to lift our country out of the depths of the awful covid-19 pandemic. and set our country back on the path to normalcy. despite the best efforts of congress over the past year, the needs in our country are still great and still urgent. the disease has been with us for nearly a year, and yet this january was officially the worst month to date. nearly 100,000 americans died. just in the last month. unemployment insurance claims remain at nearly a million a week. schools remain closed. businesses unvisited. and all the familiar fixtures of daily life still remain on hold. all of us in this chamber are tired of seeing our constituents, our friends, our family, our country suffer.

it's time to meet the challenges of the moment with boldness, with courage, and with urgency. when congress came together to pass an interim emergency relief bill in december, we all knew the job was not complete. economic experts and the president-elect at the time called it an important down payment because that's what it was, a down payment, not the final act. no one should be surprised that the first legislative act of the new democratic majority is to build on that foundation and help the country defeat covid-19 once and for all. so the senate is going to move forward this week with the process for producing the next bold rescue package. yesterday, speaker pelosi and i filed a joint budget resolution for the 2021 fiscal year, totaling $1.9 trillion, which will give us another legislative

tool to pass a covid relief bill quickly and decisively. the senate will vote to proceed on the budget resolution this afternoon. time is a luxury our country does not have, and let me be very clear, mr. president. we are not going to dilute, to dither, to delay. we are not going to die lute, dither, or delay. the needs of the american people are so demanding, we need to think big, and we need to act quickly. the senate must move forward today with a vote to begin debate on the budget resolution, and i'm optimistic that the motion to proceed will pass. i would say to my republican colleagues that we want this important work to be bipartisan. we welcome your ideas, your input, your revisions. we welcome cooperation. there is nothing about the process of a budget resolution or reconciliation, for that

matter, that forecloses the possibility of bipartisanship. i would remind this chamber that since 1980, the budget process has been used 17 times, 17 times to pass serious bipartisan legislation. this process is open to bipartisanship, so let me be clear to my colleagues this morning, there will be a bipartisan open amendment process on the budget resolution this week. democrats eagerly encouraged participation from both sides of the aisle to this proposal. again, there is nothing about the process itself that prevents bipartisanship. what has made recent reconciliation efforts by senate republicans so partisan was not the process but the legislation they sought to pass. the former senate majority, i heard the senator from texas crying crocodile tears about

using reconciliation, but just a few years ago, he was an active participant in using it twice to pursue expressly partisan and deeply unpopular legislation. first, to repeal our nation's health care law and kick millions of americans off their health care coverage. and second, to slash taxes for big corporations and the wealthy to the tune of a $1.7 trillion bill and hole in our deficit. of course democrats oppose those efforts on the merits. at the moment, however, we're talking about using the process to help small business, something we all support. we're talking about using the budget process to speed the production and distribution of a vaccine that everyone championed and everyone knows is the key to ending the crisis. we're talking about getting our country back on its feet and our economy back on track. we want this entire effort to be

bipartisan. we do. but helping the american people with the big, bold relief they need, mr. president, that is job number one. that is job number one, which is so, so important. so again, we're not going to dilute, dither, or delay because the demands of the american people are so real and so large. we need to think big and think quickly. helping millions of americans who are still without work by extending the unenhanced -- the enhanced unemployment benefits that are now slated to expire in march. helping parents waiting for the day their kids can finally go back to school safely. helping teachers, firefighters, bus drivers, and other essential public employees at the state and local levels from the risk

preventing them from the risk of layoffs. helping restaurants and bars and theaters who were the first to close and may be the last to open. helping every american struggling to make ends meet to pay the rent, pay for mortgage, pay for groceries, keep up with that utility bill by sending them direct assistance in the form of a check. that is job number one. helping the american people survive the toughest months of this crisis while hastening the end of the crisis itself. in the months to come, millions of americans will be vaccinated, and slowly but surely life will return to normal once again. the rescue plan proposed by president biden, the rescue plan that we begin to work on this week will lay the foundation for our country's long-awaited comeback while giving americans a helping hand to stay safe and stay financially secure in the meantime. i look forward to proceeding

with this budget resolution and on the work of making this historic and vital rescue package a reality so it works for the american people. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: today the senate will vote on alejandro mayorkas, president biden's nominee to be secretary of homeland security. up to this point, i voted in favor of the president's mainstream nominees to key posts. i will have my differences with secretaries austin, yellen, and blinken on policy, but they were mainstream choices.from the

president. mr. no, is something else. he does not deserve senate confirmation to lead homeland security. frankly, his record should foreclose confirmation, even to a lower post. the problem isn't experience, not exactly. mr. mayorkas is all too familiar with the levers of power that control immigration law. the problem is when he is chosen to pull those levers and for whose benefit. as a high-ranking official in the obama administration, mr. mayorkas did his best to turn u.s. citizenship and immigration services into an unethical favor factory for democratic party royalty. governors, a d.n.c. chair, hollywood executives, a senate majority leader from nevada, they all received special treatment to a degree that stunned and disturbed the obama administration's own inspector

general over at that department. his independent report blasted the, quote, appearance of favoritism and special access. we're talking about shoving through green cards as political favors and intervening to overturn denials. the i.g. confirmed this wasn't just about speed. mr. mayorkas' improper influence actually changed outcomes. this wasn't the first time this nominee abused an office for political purposes. before his tenure at d.h.s. while a u.s. attorney, the nominee had helped his fellow california democrats get a well-connected l.a. drug kingpin onto president clinton's infamous 11-hour pardons list. the drug dealer's father was a major democratic party donor. mysteriously, several notable california democrats took an extremely keen interest in the case. both mr. mayorkas and yet another one of president biden's cabinet nominees, mr. becerra,

came under scrutiny for their personal roles in the special treatment that was dished out to this donor's son. and when questioned about these actions, mr. mayorkas responded with false and conflicting statements, including, including while under oath. reviews of cis under mr. mayorkas found intimidation and retaliation against employees when they were too focused on ridding out fraud instead of merely rubber stamping applications. according to some of his own employees, his leadership led to, quote, a culture of fear and disrespect. so, mr. president, does this sound like somebody who deserves a promotion? employees reported mr. mayorkas viewed the people applying to live here as the agency's, quote, customers whom it was their job to please and satisfy. they said the crucial goal that defined his approach was not enforcing american laws, protecting american jobs, or

defending the american homeland but rather ensuring there were, quote, zero complaints from the customers. i'll close with one observation. last week i heard the democrat leader compare the confirmation timelines for mr. mayorkas versus general john kelly. general kelly unethically -- unethically compromised partisan lawyer versus a four-star general whom the senate confirmed 88-116789 the contrast could not be sharper. for one thing i'd say secretary kelly understood that our customers first and foremost are always the american people. it's frankly remarkable that someone with this record is even up for a cabinet appointment. i'll be voting against his confirmation and urge our colleagues to do the same. now, on another matter, the united states and democratic countries around the world are anxiously watching events in

burma. i've had an interesting burr -- an interest in burma for many years since i chaired the appropriations subcommittee for state and foreign operations. just last november here on the floor, i cautiously celebrated burma's recent elections. i warned that its military remained a toxic influence and an obstacle to democratic progress. and sure enough the world was horrified over the weekend when burma's military rounded up the country's civilian political leadership, including aung san suu kyi and civil society leaders. the military was afraid that popular support for the new government would yield the constitutional economic reforms they've long opposed. so they've tried to simply claim control for themselves. i spoke with president biden and secretary blinken yesterday about the situation in burma. the new administration deserves credit for approaching the situation in a way that's bipartisan and coordinated with congress. the world is watching.

i hope and expect the united states will quickly make the obvious legal determination that this is a military coup and impose significant costs on the military for its attack on democracy. we've already have sanctions in place against key military officials in that country and congress has already given the executive branch the authorities it actually needs to swiftly apply even more sanctions to the military and its infiltration into burma's economy. but we'll also need the help of our friends and allies to effectively pressure the hoonta. it's time for freedom loving nations to stand up for democracy and impose their own meaningful costs on the military hoonta. the communist party state news dismissed the events as a major cabinet reshuffle. a cabinet reshuffle? that's a joke and the free world knows it. this is a military coup and an

attack on democracy, plain and simple. there are two paths before burma. it can continue to grow into a modern democratic country, connected to the global economy, or remain a corrupt, impoverished authoritarian backwater in the shadow of the people's republic of china. the people of burma have said which they prefer. they've spoken at the ballot box. the threat of force must mott be -- notten a-- not be allowed to silence their choice. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of transportation,

peter paul montgomery buttigieg of indiana to be secretary. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the time until 12:00 noon will be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees. under the previous order -- mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the democratic leader. mr. durbin: mr. president, i rise morning of course to support the nominations of pete buttigieg to be secretary of transportation of -- and alejandro mayorkas to head the department of homeland security. they're both exceptional choices by the administration to fill critical positions. this afternoon when we vote on mr. mayorkas, it will be the completion of three of the four national security elements of the cabinet for president biden having previously voted for the

secretary of state and secretary of defense. the post that's remaining, of course, after today's actions if they are favorable and i believe they will be is the office of attorney general. and i would like to address that directly. first let me say this, mr. president. when you feel that you're a target of terrorists, a personal target of terrorists, you'll never forget the moment. it's only happened twice in my life. on 9/11/2001 as united states senator i was at a meeting in a room just several feet away from the senate chamber when the attack on the world trade center took place and the attack on the pentagon. those were terrorists at work, killing innocent people. there was one more plane in the air. we didn't know where it was headed. it was early in the morning on that day that we were told to evacuate the capitol building. first time i had ever faced that

as a member of congress. we quickly ran out the doors and down the stairs and stood on the lawn outside the capitol wondering what was next for fear that this building, this symbol of america and its greatness was the next target of an attack. it could have been. we're not sure. we never will be. but thanks to the heroic efforts of passengers on an airplane, they attacked the attackers, went after the terrorists personally and brought that plane down in pennsylvania at the cost of their own lives. in a way many of us were spared from being targets of terrorism that day. when we reflected on those 3,000 innocent americans who lost their lives in new york and at the pentagon, i'll never forget the feeling that i was spared that act of terrorism and the

hope that no one in america would ever have that fear again. fast forward to january 6, 2021, fewer than four weeks ago here in the united states capitol. again i felt i was the target of terrorists. that was the day when an insurrectionist mob stormed the capitol, broke through the doors, beat down the windows, and came marching toward this senate chamber. i'll never forget that moment and i don't think anyone who is here at the time could possibly forget it. 2:15 in the afternoon when the vice president of the united states was removed from the chair that you're sitting in, mr. president, he was whisked off the platform to al safe room -- to a safe room so he could be spared from anything that might come from this mob. the rest of us were told to sit at our desks, one safe room in the capitol. we lined the walls with staffers

to protect them against this insurrectionist mob and we waited. but only for a few minutes and the order was reversed quickly. leave the chamber. what had happened we came to learn was that same mob of terrorists continued to advance through the capitol despite the valiant efforts of the capitol police and other law enforcement. it was during that period of time when this mob of terrorists was attacking this building, the united states capitol, when officer brian sicknick of the capitol police lost his life. we honor him tomorrow by bringing his remains to the capitol for him to lie in re repose, a place of honor, for all of us to thank him and his family and to thank all of the men and women who risk and certainly one who gave his life in the service of our nation. these men and women who stand in

silent service every single day are often overlooked by visitors but they are literally risking their lives. the time that i've served in the house and senate, this is at least the third occasion when members of the capitol police have given their lives to protect me and brian sicknick will not be forgotten. for those who want to take this insurrectionist mob and the incitement of this mob as just another political protest, i ask them to reflect for a moment, please, on the graphic video evidence of what happened on that day as the people who were part of this mob took baseball bats and sticks and everything they could get their hands on and beat up against those law enforcement agents. it was a sad moment. yesterday's "new york times" spelled out what led up to it. a big lie that the former president of the united states

actually won the november 3 election. denot. the votes were -- he did not. the votes were counted and he lost but he's never been able to accept that reality. and what he has done in the meantime is to foment a revolt against our government at the grassroots level across america. and that is the reason why a new attorney general brought to the position of leadership as quickly as possible is so important. i regret that once again i need to come to the floor to call on the senate republicans to stop blocking merrick garland from receiving a hearing before the senate judiciary committee. we all remember the way merrick garland, a judge in the circuit court of the d.c. circuit, was treated by senate republicans in 2016 when he was nominated by president obama to the supreme court. i'm not going to recount the

entire history today, but i will tell you it was not a proud moment for the united states senate when senate leaders on the other side of the aisle announced they would not give him a hearing. they literally would not even meet with him and give him the dignity of such an opportunity to discuss his nomination for the supreme court. but i do want to talk about the urgency of putting president biden's national security team in place, including merrick garland, the president's nominee for attorney general. our country faces, as we learned on january 6, challenges of great importance at this moment in our history. as we face that mob assault on the capitol building for the first time since the war of 1812, our capitol was breached by attackers, domestic terr terrorists, domestic terrorists who are part of a coordinated,

comprehensive effort to stop the government of the united states. that situation needs to be carefully reviewed and examined by the department of justice and the attorney general as quickly as possible. there is no person better qualified to lead this investigation to bring these perpetrators to justice and to prevent future domestic terror attacks than merrick garland. when he previously served at the justice department, judge garland oversaw the investigation of prosecution of the largest domestic terrorism attack in recent history, the oklahoma city bombing. his qualifications and experience are well suited for the moment we face. as our nation's top law enforcement officer, the attorney general is a key part of the president's national security team. the attorney general oversees our nation's law enforcement response to threats both foreign and domestic. my republican colleagues have frequently talked about the importance of letting a new

president get his national security team in place at the start of his new administration. dismight the unresolved -- despite the unresolved nation of the senate's organizing resolution, other senate committees have come together on a bipartisan basis to schedule prompt hearings and votes for nominees, including the secretary of defense, director of national intelligence, secretary of homeland security and secretary of state. we need to do the same when it comes to the nomination of merrick garland to serve as attorney general. why would we allow partisanship to get in the way of national security? i've urged my republican colleagues on the judiciary committee, current chairman graham, and incoming ranking member grassley, to consent to start the hearing for merrick garland as soon as possible. i proposed february 8, next monday, as a hearing date in part to accommodate senator graham's request to avoid holding a hearing during the impeachment trial. a february 8 hearing date gives

the committee sufficient time to review judge garland's record. it would follow the same timeline, the very same timeline that senator graham used for judge amy coney barrett's nomination to the supreme court last year. remember, the committee has already received the vast majority of judge garland's record, including his speeches, interviews, and publications that less than five years ago were presented when he was nominated to the supreme court. we have had this material in the committee for years. senator graham claims that important paperwork for judge garland is still missing. the only thing that has not been filed is judge edgarland's f.b.i. background -- garland's f.b.i. background investigation. the committee hearings have been scheduled before the f.b.i. background investigation had been submitted. for one example, the committee received then-senator jeff

sessions' f.b.i. background investigation just five days before his hearing and we were six days away from a proposed hearing day so what we're asking is not unprecedented or unrealistic. senator graham points out they typically have two days of hearings, one day to question the nominee and one day to question outside witnesses. this isn't always the case. there was a one-day hearing for alberto gonzalez to be attorney general. if the goal is to ensure there is sufficient time to question the nominee and hear from outside witnesses, i'm willing to do just that. allow for two rounds of questions for the nominee and outside witness panel. i also find it surprising that senator graham objects to committee business on the eve of an impeachment trial. just remember the history. on january 16, 2020, the same day that the previous impeachment trial of this

president started, senator graham held a committee markup during which the committee considered 11 judicial nominees. there was nothing sacred about the day before an impeachment trial then when senator graham was chairman. judge garland is a consensus pick. as even senator graham acknowledged the senate should be deferential for the president's cabinet nominees. we look to swiftly confirm judge garland given the events of january 6 and being able to respond to these events. i hope republicans will consent now to notice a hearing for february 8. it would show real bipartisanship and fairness. under our committee rules, we can still notice the hearing with less than seven days if my republican colleagues on the senate judiciary committee agree to do so. we need to get an attorney

general confirmed and there is no justification for any further delay. while on the subject of confirmation, the senate has confirmed alejandro nicholas mayorkas three different times. when you listened to the republican leader, you may not get that fact. he head the agency he is nominated by president biden to lead. he was d.h.s. secretary and chief operating officer, handling counterterrorism, cybersecurity, border security, emergency management and other critical matters. we need mr. mayorkas's deep expertise and experience in place at the d.h.s. starting as quickly as possible, maybe even today. perhaps republicans have forgotten about the last four years of chaos at the department of homeland security. here's a reminder, under president trump's

administration, the d.h.s. experienced an unprecedented leadership vacuum. d.h.s. lurched from one secretary or acting secretary to the next. six -- six in total. only two of whom were actually confirmed by the senate. that's more agency heads in the last four years than in the 13-year history of the department of homeland security before the trump administration. for over a year the agency was led unlawfully by appointed acting-secretary chad wolfe. nine days before president trump left office, the white house and -- and the white house, mr. wolfe resigned and was replaced by yet another acting secretary. for former secretaries of two republicans, and two democrats, every person to serve as d.h.s. secretary prior to the trump administration recently endorsed

ali mayorkas. they said he is, quote, a man of integrity, experience, and compassion and a proven leader to right the ship. you would hardly believe that if you listened to some of the things said about him on the floor. in their endorsement of mr. mayorkas every head of department of homeland security went on to say the chaos at department of homeland security may have led to being unable to prepare for terrorist attack on the capitol. that's the reality. after four years of disorder and disarray at d.h.s., the security of america, including this very capitol building, suffered because of the lack of leadership under the previous administration. mr. mayorkas is the son of a holocaust survivor and an immigrant from cuba. mr. mayorkas knows first hand that america can be a beacon of

hope to the world and the promise to those who are facing persecution of a place of safe haven. mr. mayorkas is an experienced national security leader who can restore integrity and decency at the department of homeland security. i personally appreciated the skill and dedication mr. mayorkas showed as the director of the united states citizenship and immigration services. it was in that post in 2012 that he implement daca, the deferred action for childhood arrivals program which has aallowed more than 8 -- allowed more than 800,000 young people to contribute to america's future. i won't recount the entire history, but my trek on this particular issue began 20 years ago when i introduced the dream act, thanks to my friend, former colleague, and leader of our country barack obama, by executive order he created daca and gave these young people a

chance to prove themselves. as deputy secretary mr. mayorkas oversaw a $60 million budget and led a workforce of nearly 230,000 individuals. he excelled in that role. he received the department's distinguished service award, its highest civilian honor. the u.s. coast guard's distinguished service award and special accommodation from the national security agency for his achievements in national security and cybersecurity. among his numerous spoments, mro the ebola outbreaks, a relevant and timely experience he will bring to d.h.s. during the covid-19 pandemic. early in his career, mr. mayorkas served as senate-confirmed u.s. attorney in california. the national president of the fraternal order of police enthusiastically endorsed mr. mayorkas, and i quote, his professionalism, integrity and

commitment to just and fair enforcement of the law makes him an ideal candidate to lead the department. mr. mayorkas has pursued criminal wrong doers and protected the rights of the innocent with vigor. his work reflects all that is right in government. mr. mayorkas is an outstanding nominee to -- to be secretary of homeland security. his experience, qualifications, deep expertise and integrity will serve our nation well in this important and challenging position. steady leadership at the department of homeland security is sorely needed today. i urge my colleagues to expeditiously confirm mr. mayorkas so that he can serve as next secretary of homeland security. today we'll get a chance to vote on mr. mayorkas. i sincerely hope that the republican members of the senate judiciary committee will allow us to set the stage for a hearing as quickly as possible for our next attorney general merrick garland. so much is at stake.

the national security of the united states should be a higher priority than any partisan consideration. mr., i yield the floor. -- mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. kennedy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i want to talk about two topics today. first i want to address the issue of immigration. my good friend, senator durbin, is -- is -- is very articulate and he is almost an expert on this issue, and i appreciate his comments. i want to just give you my perspective on immigration because it is so important. this is not why i came down here today, mr. president. i love legal immigration. i think most americans do. louisianans love legal immigration. and -- and i say that with great confidence because every year

the american people invite over a million of our world's neighbors to become american citizens in a legal manner. we are -- we are very welcoming in this country. we invite more people to become citizens in america than any other country in the world. and -- and i'm flattered that people want to come here. i mean, other than someone living in north korea, whs the last -- when was the last time you heard someone try to sneak into china? people want to come to america and i'm so proud of that fact. i don't believe in illegal immigration. some of my colleagues, not through the chair, senator did r durbin, but some of my colleagues think that vetting people at the border is racist, i don't. i think it's prudent. every country does it. we respect the rule of law in

this country and illegal immigration is illegal. duh. i mean if you don't like the immigration laws, one should change them. in the meantime, we have to follow the law. i'm not real crazy about traffic cameras. i think in many cases they are designed to just raise money, but i obey them and when i get fined, i pay the fine. it doesn't happen often now, but i do it. this country needs an immigration system that -- that looks like somebody designed it on purpose. it does. i think the american people deserve that, and i would love to work with senator durbin. i'm not really interested in nibbling around the edges, i'm not really interested in piecemealing it, i'm not real

interested in some sort of widespread amnesty. i think we ought to sit down -- we all ought to take our meds and sit down as adults and senators in good faith, as all senators are, and try to tackle this problem in a global way. i want to make it clear, speaking from me personally, i learn a lot listening to senator durbin as i always do, i'm a steadfast believer in legal immigration, but i oppose illegal immigration. i think it's dangerous, i think it's unfair, especially to those people across the world who have -- have waited in line patiently and followed the immigration laws of our country. now, let me switch topics. one of the good things about politics and government, mr. president, you probably had this experience, is you meet so

many interesting people and everybody is interesting in his own way. i've met people who are more famous than wise, i met people who are more wise than famous, and i met people who are both famous and wise and one of the latter is what i'd like to talk about today. it's a gentleman by the name of pat shingleton. his name may not be famous here. it is back in louisiana. but i can assure you that his virtues are. i want to honor the work of pat shingleton today. pat is a baton rouge meteorologist, but he's also a long-time fixture in our community. he has retired. i think his last broadcast was friday night. he -- he has worked for 45 years, mr. president.

that's probably older than you. he's been reporting and trying to predict, and he has predicted with great accuracy the weather in the baton rouge, louisiana area. but his experience is a lot more than being a mettologist, though he's one of the best i have ever seen in that regard. during his nearly half century of reporting the weather, pat's not only covered more than 500 storms and hurricanes but he's also hosted we play baton rouge, a local game show, the fifth quarter, a sports show, hotline after dark, a local talk show where his guests, and i'm going to quote he, mr. president, run the gamut from champion body

builders to beer breuers to duck -- brewers to duck callers. pat has a warm heart and cares for the state and baton rouge community and that's been on display for a lot of years, mr. president, and i'm not telling my people back home anything they don't already know. pat is especially well known for being chairman of wbrz, wbrz channel 2 in baton rouge, a prominent local station where pat has worked for so long. pat has worked hard as chairman of that station's pat's coats for kids. pat's coats for kids. and this program has unfortunately -- we have children in america and in louisiana who are hungry and cold. you can't learn when you're hungry.

you can't learn when you're cold. pat's delivered hundreds of thousands, could be in the millions for all i know, of coats to kids whose parents can't afford to keep them warm in the winter. he's also created the, quote, fill a prescription for the needy project, and he started baton rouge's st. patrick's day parade, the wearing of the green it's called, which he continues to coordinate every single year. pat's final broadcast took place friday night, as i mentioned, january 29. that does not -- i can assure you, knowing pat shingleton, that does not mark the end of his service to the -- to the people in baton rouge. i can say that with great confidence. i predicted pat will continue to contribute as a community -- community advocate, as a

spokesperson at wbrz. i predict he will continue to champion all of the charity projects that he has spearheaded for so many years. now, when asked about his retirement, pat said, and i'm going to quote, i think we're all given a whole bunch of heart beats. we're all given a whole bunch of heartbeats, pat said. and god gives us these heartbeats to do something good. what an eloquent way to put it. pat's used his heartbeats pretty well, in my judgment. he has a lot more to go but he has done it for the good of our state, for the good of the baton rouge metropolitan community, and he's done it in the newsroom, and he's done it outside the newsroom. pat says he's going to spend the extra time with his family. good for him. he's earned it, especially his

1-year-old grandchild. we're going to miss his guiding hand through louisiana's irreverant weather patterns. we may have to draft him back on a few occasions. but i want to wish him a joyful retirement to soak in all the perks of being a grandfather. pat, thank you. thank you for your hard work for the people of baton rouge. thank you for giving so much to the people of louisiana for all of these 45 years. you're a good person. you're a fine american. god bless you and your family. thank you, mr. president. i suggest, sir, the absence of a quorum. i withdraw that -- i withdraw that suggestion. i think i would rather just yield, mr. president.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, i rise today in support of pete buttigieg and his nomination to lead the department of transportation. whether it's rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, maintaining our leadership in the global mobility race, or improving pipeline safety, there is no chornlings -- no shortage of challenges facing our incoming secretary. as a fellow midwesterner, and as a former officer in the u.s. navy reserve, i can't think of anyone more equipped to take on this challenge than pete buttigieg. he understands the need to revitalize our infrastructure because he has seen it in our neighborhoods and on our roads each and every day when he served as a mayor. he has a unique understanding of how the department can be a resource to state and to local governments and what can be done

to ensure that the federal government supports those states and local governments and makes sure the need gets addressed most effectively. if we're going to build back better, a partnership at each level of government will be absolutely vital. having someone at the helm who recognizes that that relationship is so important will be an incredible asset to the department. i've also had several conversations with secretary-designate buttigieg on the auto industry, which is the very beating heart of our manufacturing economy. and as the industry advances both towards electrification and self-driving technologies, it will be critical that we support these technologies to make sure that they are safely deployed and that they are deployed here in the united states. we have an opportunity to save lives but also to create jobs

and empower our domestic auto industry to take the moonshot for artificial intelligence and spur technological innovation. and i am pleased that secretary-designate buttigieg has committed to working with us as we craft legislation that establishes a federal framework around these new technologies. and finally, i'm excited to work with secretary-designate buttigieg on improving pipeline safety, especially around the great lakes. we know that line 5 under the straits of mackinac pose a very serious threat to the great lakes. the great lakes are not only an economic driver and natural resource for our country, they are literally in the d.n.a. of every michigander. as a midwesterner and as a husband to a michigan native who was born and raised in traverse city, secretary-designate buttigieg fully recognizes the need to protect the great lakes.

i agree with mayor pete's belief that he says, quote, good transportation policy can play no less a role than making possible the american dream. i am proud to support pete buttigieg's historic nomination which has already garnered bipartisan support, and i urge all of my colleagues to vote for him. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, i have six 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. the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. ahead of our votes today, i want to echo the concerns that have already been voiced by many of my colleagues in this chamber

regarding the nomination of alejandro mayorkas to be the secretary of the department of homeland security. at this point, we're all very familiar with his long legacy of service on behalf of the people of the united states, so i will just highlight one example of value that he will bring to the table should the senate vote to confirm him. when he served as uscis director during the obama administration, the inspector general was forced to investigate, quote, an extraordinary, end quote, number of internal allegations that mayorkas was granting special access and special favors to wealthy eb-5 investor visa applicants linked to influential democrats. when the i.g. took a closer look

at the visa applications for three powerful chinese nationals in particular, they came to the conclusion that if mayorkas hadn't intervened -- and i'm quoting -- the matter would have been decided differently, end quote. now, mr. president, this is something that we know is inappropriate. we know that this is something for which mr. mayorkas should be held accountable. we know that this is something for which he has not been held accountable, and here is what he did. he put his thumb on the scale, pressured his d.h.s. colleagues, pressured his d.h.s. colleagues to break their own rules and turned the law on its head, all because a few powerful friends

asked him to do it. he pressured others for the benefit of some powerful friends. and it is all there for everyone to read in the inspector general's report, and yet he was never held accountable. and yet, here we are being asked to support his nomination to the president's cabinet. there are plenty of policy differences between myself and mr. mayorkas that have convinced me i have no choice but to stand in opposition to his confirmation, but the example i just cited in particular gives me additional serious concerns about how his influence would affect the integrity of the agency. just last week, i joined several

of my colleagues in a letter to the senior senator from illinois asking him to exercise his judgment as the incoming chairman of the senate judiciary committee and allow for a second hearing so we could examine mr. mayorkas' record thoroughly. because while i believe that the president has every right to assemble his cabinet, i also believe that the american people have every right to understand exactly who is being put in charge of enforcing our nation's immigration laws and keeping our borders secure. enforcing counterterrorism measures and keeping an eye on the country's cybersecurity. and the current nominee never

held accountable for showing favor to some friends in high places. that's not the way this is supposed to be. and i would urge my colleagues to consider what the american people, the taxpayers who are footing the bill, for every salary that is given to every individual working with the federal government. what is the standard? what do they expect from their leaders? thereby, i oppose the nomination, and i yield my time and notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from washington. a senator: i ask the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection.

ms. caldwell: i come to the floor today to support the nomination of pete buttigieg to be secretary of transportation. we all know the nominee as mayor pete, a man who basically came onto the national stage as a midwest mayor who had lots of enthusiasm for making investments in america's future. so today we're considering his nomination to be secretary of transportation at a time when we need a lot of work done on transportation. and in my opinion, he's a young, energetic mayor who is going to help us usher in a new era of transportation. that means there's going to be a lot of bipartisan dialogue about how we get there, but this job should not be underestimated in the importance that the transportation secretary and the investments for the future need. that is, our transportation system serves as a backbone of our economy and when it's not doing well, the consequential impacts of that affect our economy. it affects how our business compete in a global economy.

it affects ho you people get to and from work, and it affects their home life as well. so it's a big job that we have, and i know that this mayor and future secretary of transportation understands how big this challenge is. we've underinvested in our infrastructure for decades. in the past ten years alone we underfunded our infrastructure needs by $1.5 trillion. the american society of engineers estimates that we need to invest $5.6 trillion in our infrastructure over the next two decades or the united states stand to lose about $10.3 trillion in g.d.p. i know this because my state knows this. i think the presiding officer knows this as well. if the transportation infrastructure doesn't work, goods and services don't get through your ports. they don't get to their destination. and businesses choose other vehicles or other avenues for the products to be delivered. america needs to be competitive. and the american public also knows that poor infrastructure and the problems that they see

in their communities have to be addressed, whether that's concrete crumbling off of bridges, delayed trains, buses, congestion, railroads, or any of the many issues. just this week a highway in california slid into the ocean disrupting traffic along the famous highway 1. and this could be a delay for months. i know again the presiding officer understands this as well as the state of washington. mother nature doesn't always comply with our transportation needs. so while these investments and numbers may seem huge to people, it is what this investment will enable that we need to keep focused on. we need to focus on the fact that the united states makes and grows things and we need to get them to their destinations. we need people to be able to get to their place of employment. so we need someone at the department of transportation who is enthusiastic about taking on these challenges and helping president biden administer a new era of transportation and the

challenges that we face. mayor buttigieg, a harvard graduate, rode scholar, former united states reservist who i believe served in afghanistan also understands the challenges of small-town mayors and transportation systems and the impacts they could have. he knows the challenges we now face because of covid-19, that there is a new burden on our transportation system because of the impacts of lost revenue. state departments of transportation estimate $50 billion in lost revenues over the next five years. airports have lost $23 billion because of people no longer flying. transit agencies have lost an estimated $350 billion by -- $50 billion by the end of 2021. to these losses will continue to compound until we find the best way to protect our transportation workers, our travelers, and continue to help with personal protective equipment, testing, vaccines, clear health-based protocols to help return safety to our

transportation system and public confidence. that is one of the reasons why we're fighting so hard for this next package of investments. president biden took decisive action by mandating people wear masks which is a giant step forward in our transportation system. i think there's more we can do and hopefully our colleagues can work together on that. the long-term revenue outlet for transportation also is changing and so it will be a long time before its recovery. so i believe that mayor pete buttigieg is the right choice for this job because he was mayor of south bend. he dealt with infrastructure where the rubber meets the road managing state, federal, and local resources to help build infrastructure in his community. he also helped facilitate public-private partnerships for the dollars to go farther and important models for future investments in transportation. one of those projects, the south shore double track project whose full funding grant agreement was signed earlier this month is

like many other state and local projects. the south shore double track demanded impressive coordination between the federal, state, and local governments to bring it to fruition. mayor buttigieg's smart street initiative also shows he nows how to operate and succeed in a current environment and will be able to help communities around the country replicate the success that he had at south bend. he won't be the first mayor to be the secretary of transportation, but i think we can say that when you have a mayor in that job, they're going to pay attention to local transportation infrastructure investment to help our communities continue to grow and be competitive. we have a major opportunity, i believe, to now driver on -- deliver on infrastructure needs on many of those communities. we should start immediately by talking about infrastructure packages and working on the transportation infrastructure plan for the 21st century because it's clear we have opportunities this year with the surface transportation programs

expiring in september. communities everywhere are demanding that c we help work on these -- that we help work on these important issues for their communities. mayor buttigieg will also be called on thinking about the new eras of transportation and how we maintain our competitiveness. he will have to think about issues of ensuring safety with new autonomous vehicle technologies and on-demand aircraft. he'll have to promote stronger emission standards for automobiles, aviation, and maritime industries. he'll have to support the continued growth of electrical vehicle infrastructure. he'll have to make big investments and game-changing projects that will help us move freight more cost effectively through our nation. people will want to know and understand what our reliable passenger rail and transit systems and the investment in bridges are going to be for the future. so all of this are a big challenge, but i know that this nominee is up to that challenge.

he did well at the committee and making sure that people understood that he believes that those challenges need to be addressed for america to continue to move forward. from my perspective, just in the state of washington before covid had really hit, we saw 78 hours per year of delayed traffic. that is, the average commuter spent 78 hours in delayed traffic. a recent study in my state estimated that washingtonians lost more than $7.4 billion each year in lost time and wasted fuel due to congestion, deteriorated roads, and safety problems. as america starts to head back to the office, no one wants to spend time back in that world of congestion. and so we need to make critical investments. people in puget sound know that we need to fix the west seattle bridge. they know in southwest washington that the columbia river need as new bridge across i-5. in eastern washington they know

that we need a north-south corridor and in everett they know that the trestle needs replacement if goods from eastern washington are going to get to the port of everett and out the door. all of these things are investments and with them come the structures of things like at-grade crossings, passenger rail systems, and safety that are huge, i believe, infrastructure investments that have not been quite appreciated. i was very pleased to get mr. buttigieg's commitment during our session with him that these things at grade crossings, ports competitiveness and moving products safely should be a big priority for the future. the lander street project in seattle which was an investment of the new freight program was just a few blocks but literally congestion for hours, had stopped traffic from getting from i-5 to the port of seattle.

the lander street in a lot of ways represents what it really is, a bridge to the future, a bridge to get people moving where they need to go and the right investment being competitive for the future. well, we're going to face many more delays if america doesn't remain competitive. so i look forward to working with mr. buttigieg on all of these issues. he also during the committee hearing process committed that he will continue to work with senator wicker and i on the important issues of aviation safety. he committed to us that he understood that aviation safety and the f.a.a. need to continue to make reforms. i believe that if you want to be the leaders in aviation, you have to be the leaders in aviation safety. and i think mayor buttigieg gets and understands that that will be a very big job of the department of transportation as well. so, mr. president, i am en-- i enthoseically support this --

enthusiastically support this nominee. i look forward to the focus he can give to the department of transportation. this area of our government right now needs to address the covid crisis. it needs to help us plan for a better transportation system of the future, and it needs to understand that this transportation infrastructure and investment in these changes in these sectors of cars and planes and passenger systems are all very dynamic-changing industries so our competitiveness will be at stake as well. so i encourage my colleagues to support this nominee. i'm sure we'll hear a lot of discussion from him and a lot of bipartisan effort to help get our transportation system fully funded. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: mr. president, i would ask you to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. reed: thank you. mr. reed: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. reed could we have the yays and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the yeas and nays are ordered. mr. reed: thank you, mr. president.

vote: the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. the yeas and nays were previously ordered. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote: the presiding officer: is there anyone in the chamber who

would like to vote or change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 86. the nays are 13. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the mayorkas nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of homeland security, alejandro nicholas mayorkas of the district of columbia to be secretary. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 2:15

quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, the capitol attack on january 6 unleashed many, many horrors, but it also revealed many heroes. one such hero was capitol police officer brian sicknick, a new jersey native, a national guard veteran,