the history of mr. floyd's use of controlled substances is significant and it is not a character problem. millions of americans suffer from opioid crisis. neither is this a true crisis that this country is facing. but it is significant to understand the history, not just as much as the long-term history but his long-term history provides us with insight on how his body physically reacts to methamphetamine or opioid use, i should say, opioid use within the context of a law enforcement encounter. >> we leave the trial here to fulfill our 44 plus year commitment of the live coverage of the u.s. senate. you can continue watching the trial online@seesmic .org and we will show all of today's

proceedings at 8:00 p.m. eastern here on c-span2. today lawmakers plan to continue work on anti- asian hate crime legislation. work on the nomination of lisa monaco to be the deputy attorney general. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. o god, our strength, rock, and fortress, we praise your holy name. we praise your holy name. we pray your holy name. thank you for being our shield

and our stronghold. today give our lawmakers wisdom to seek you. because you deserve their trust. remember how you have sustained our nation in the past and made a have confidence in your guidance for the future. lord, remind them of the time the time that they provide to you for help and you answer them through your loving providence and when you speak, goodwe thins happen and empower them to face whatever the future brings

without fear. use them to speak life-giving words that bring goodness and hope. we pray in your marvelous name, amen. >> please join me in the pledge of allegiance to theni flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america. and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, with liberty and justice for all >> communication to the senate.

>> washington dc, april 19, 2021, the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable senator from the state of hawaii to perform duties of the chair, john leahy. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership previous order, the leadership [inaudible] >> under the previous leadership order, the time is reserved.

>> sir, you may proceed. [inaudible] >> the court, the council, members of the jury. his name was george floyd junior, born on october 14, in

1973 in fayetteville, north carolina. his parents, george floyd senior and larcenia floyd, as well as his brother, and the family. sissy was the mother of the neighborhood and you heard about the bond that she and her son shared during his life and you have heard about their relationship and how they would always take time to pay special

attention to her, that he would still cuddle with her in the fetal position. and you have learned all about george's childhood. and during his time growing up in that house, george floyd was surrounded by people, people he knew and people he recognized, familiar faces to pick out of the crowd. people need that. george floyd was surrounded by people he cared about and those that cared about him. throughout his life, throughout his childhood in that house, his adolescence, into his adulthood end on may 25, 2020, george floyd died, face down on the

pavement, right on 38th in chicago and minneapolis. nine minutes 29 seconds. nine minutes 29 seconds. during this time, george floyd struggled, and desperate to breathe and to make enough room in his chest to breathe. but the force was too much, he was trapped at the unyielding pavement underneath them, as unyielding as the men that held them down, those that were pushing him, and each anita the neck and a knee to the back, twisting his fingers, holding his legs for nine minutes 29

seconds, putting his weight on him. the lungs and his chest unable to expand because there wasn't enough room to breathe. george floyd tried, he pushed himself and lifted himself against the pavement to give his chest and lungs and a ability to breathe, with the pavement tearing into his bare skin. he desperately pushed with his knuckles to make space so he would have room to breathe, the pavement lacerating his knuckles. the defendants it on top of him for nine minutes 29 seconds so desperate to breathe that he pushed with his face, with his face to lift himself and to open

his chest and to give himself room to breathe, the pavement tearing into his skin, losing strength. not superhuman strength, there was no superhuman strength that day, there is no human strength in that way because there's no such thing as a superhero, those things exist in comic books and this is a very real place, not superheroes, only humans. just a human, just a man, lying on the pavement and being pressed upon, desperately crying out. a grown man crying out for his mother, a human being and in that time and in that place as

he was surrounded by people he knew and faces he could pick out, there was no one there that he knew. he was surrounded by strangers. all of them, and nine minutes 29 seconds, surrounded by strangers without a familiar face. but he did say them in some. he said them to someone that he did not know by name, but he knew him by the uniform that he wanted in the batch that he wore and he called him mr. officer we call the police when we need help. he pleaded with mr. officer and

his final words on may 25, 2020 were pleased, i can't breathe. and he said those words to mr. officer. he said those words to the defender. he asked for help, his very last breath, but mr. officer did not help, he stayed on top of him and continued to push them down, to grind his knees and to twist his hands and fingers into the handcuffs that bound him, looking at him, staring down at times, horrifying those they gathered and watched this unfold. and the motto of the minneapolis police department is to protect

would encourage them to serve with compassion. george floyd was not a threat to anyone. he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. and he wasn't trying to do anything to anyone. that did not require 1 ounce of courage and none was shown on that day. no kurd was required, all that was required was a little bit of compassion and none was shown on that day. george floyd said i'm not trying to win. this was a call about a 20-dollar bill, a possible counterfeit 20-dollar bill and all that was required was compassion. people need that.

the more fundamental situation than that, what george floyd needed was some oxygen and she needed to breathe because people need that in humans need that. to breathe. and the defendant heard him say that over and over. he heard him, but he didn't listen, he continued to grind into him, to twist his hand for nine minutes 29 seconds. he begged until he could speak no more and the defendant continued. when he was unable to speak, the defendant continued, when he was unable to breathe, he continued beyond the point that he had a

pulse, yet he continued, the defendant continued this assault 9:28. when the ambulance arrived, the amulets was here in the defendant continued, he would not get up, he would not let up, he stayed on him, grinding into him, continuing to twist his fingers and hold him down and he had no pulse, he was not responsive and the defendant had to know what was right beneath them. right beneath an. you saw the video. you saw the point when the amulets arrived and finally after a paramedic got out,

finally the defendant got up and they listed mr. floyd and you saw that there was nothing there. and there was nothing there to prevent him from falling from the ground. the defendant had to know that. he was there and he was on top of him. and he was on top of him. he was on top of him. sometimes you ask for the truth and sometimes you insist on the truth and the truth is that the defendant was on top of him for 9:28 and he had to know. he had to know. and the medical examiner would

find the cause to be cardiopulmonary arrest, complicating subdural restraint and neck compression complication. when he sought the defendant and the other officers doing to george floyd caused his death. and the medical examiner had ruled the death a homicide, death at the hands of another. and what the defendant did to george floyd, killed him. it was ruled a homicide. the defendant was charged with murder. he was charged with murder and manslaughter and it may be hard for any of you to imagine a police officer doing something like this and remember in jury

selection, we have talked about why is and preconceived notions and leaving those behind, well, imagining a police officer committing a crime could be the most difficult thing that you have to set aside because that is just not the way that we think of police officers. we trust the police to help us. and we believe the police are going to respond to our calls for help and we believe that they are going to listen to us. and it's difficult to set this aside. i want you to consider that even after they saw what they saw, the bystanders come after they saw the shocking display of abuse of police power. if you know this man murdered in

front of her, genevieve called the police. and this man called the police as well. a 9-year-old. suggesting we need to call the police. that is the expectation, even after witnessing this, is that the police are going to help. and within good reason. because policing is a most noble of professions. it is, it is. and to be very clear, this case is called the state of minnesota versus tran-threes. it is not called the state of minnesota versus the police, it is not.

it is a profession. you met several officers during the trial, they took the stand, they testified, make no mistake this is not a prosecution of the police, it is a prosecution of the defendant and there is nothing worse for good police then that police that do not follow the rules or procedure, those that do not follow training. the policy that the department and the motto of the department to protect and serve with kurds. this cheese of police took the stand and he testified and he told you what that badge that he wears over his heart means. it is a public service and a public trust and it is a professional organization. there are standards and rules in the code of conduct and a use of

force policy, there is extensive training, the police and first responders are who we call for help and they help us. they have cpr training. more training and more to policing them putting handcuffs on people and hauling them away. there's other kind of training and procedural justice. there is crisis intervention training and there is de-escalation. hundreds, hundreds of hours of training and you met the people that stopped the training center and they told you we don't train this. and the sanctity of life and the protection of the public, those

are the cornerstones of the use of force policy, protection of the public, all of the human beings that make up the public. the defendant, he did not do that because that day badge was not in the right place. it was a police officer. and again, you need to set aside the notion that it's impossible for a police officer to do something like this. the senate is on trial not for being a police officer, he is not on trial for who he was but for what he did, and that is what he did. that is what he did on that day. 9:28. that is what he did.

he did not follow training. the hundreds of hours of training. he did not follow the use of force or the rules, he did not perform cpr. he knew better and he just do better. during the opening statement, they said that the defendant followed the rules and followed his training. did you hear evidence of that or did you hear something quite different? the chief of police testifying, violating the use of force we. he violated the de-escalation policy and the duty to render emergency aid. you heard the trainer say this is not who we are and that

representation was simply wrong, it was distorted. what the defendant did was not policing, what the defendant did was an assault. and i will discuss the lot with you in a bit. the courts have provided second-degree murder arguments and you know if you commit a certain felony level of assault and a person dies as a result of your assault, you are guilty of murder. it is as simple as that. what the defendant did here was a straight up felony assault, it was not policing, it was gratuitous, it was disproportionate, and he did it on purpose. no questions asked. this is not an accident. he did not trip and fall and find himself upon the knee and

neck of george floyd. he did what he did on purpose. and ultimately it killed george floyd. that killed george floyd. and he betrayed the badge and everything it stood for. it's not how you're trained, it's not following the rules. this is not an anti-police prosecution. it is a pro-police prosecution. the defendant abandoned his values and the training and killed a man. and why? rideout and the public, in broad daylight, in front of several bystanders as they looked on in shock and horror. it all started over a call of an

alleged counterfeit $20 bill. and george floyd's life was taken for something worth far, far less. you saw the photo, you can learn a lot about someone by looking at their body language. facing down a crowd, pointing cameras at him, telling him what to do, challenging his authority, his ego and his pride. not the kind of pride that makes you do better or be better. it's the kind of ego-based pride >> majority leader. >> madam president, the senate returns this week with a full plate and today we will continue to work on two important

nominations to the justice department. both should be confirmed by the end of this week. the senate will also vote to confirm the commissioner to uphold the term. at the same time, the senate will continue to work on the anti-asian crime seatbelt. last week s the senate voted to proceed with the legislation by an overwhelming bipartisan vote, 92-6. the process will continue b to e bipartisan. senator collins had worked with them on a few modifications, which we have welcomed. the senators have worked with senator scott of florida to incorporate his feedback into their legislation called the no hate act, which would improve and strengthen the bill and the senator has worked with them to include the tragic shootings in

atlanta. all of these will be incorporated into a broader amendment and i will ensure the senate votes on the substitute amendment in the coming days, all told, they are on trackwe to finish the bill later this week. when given the opportunity to work, the senate can work. members from both sides of the aisle have worked together over the past week to consider and perfect and enact legislation responding to a pressing issue. very regrettably in recent years, all of us have witnessed a surge of white nationalism and extreme violence and violent extremism in american society. senators of goodwill have taken note and develop proposals and that includes the surge in hate crimes substitute amendment to this bill. as a result, i'm optimistic we

can finish our work on the anti-asian hate crimes bill later this week in the same manner we started it, with an overwhelming bipartisan vote. and let me say it's needed. as i go through new york, i've been at several morallies, one as early this morning, anti-asian hate crime unfortunately is on the upsurge. we hear about the violent acts. we heard about the deaths. but every day thousands, thousands of asian americans are subject to smaller but nonetheless stinging acts of hate crimes by being called names, by being spat upon, by being cursed at and even just by being stared at in a nasty way like who the heck are you? so we must act. we must act both to strengthen the department of justice's ability to prosecute hate crimes and to pay attention to hate crimes and to calculate their number, but also to send a

message, two messages in fact, one to our asian-american friends. a 6% of america, 10% of new york is asian-american, that you are us. we are all americans together, and we welcome you being here. i for one, like you, madam president, would welcome more asian immigrants coming to america. but, second, a message to those who perpetrate these awful acts. you are not american. we despise what you do and we're going to remain vigilant until this kind of bigotry is diminished and maybe even snuffed out. now on another matter, for the last year the country has faced a daunting series of crises. after such a difficult year, it's important to take stock of how the country is finally, finally starting to recover. over a month ago senate democrats passed the american rescue plan, super charging our nation's vaccination drive and putting thousands of dollars

into the pockets of americans who needed it most. already the benefits are pouring in. yesterday the c.d.c. announced that the country had reached a truly remarkable milestone. over half of u.s. adults, 130 million americans, have received at least one dose of the covid-19 vaccine. it's the result of a rapidly accelerating pace of distribution which we in the senate, many of us, pushed for first in the december bill and then in the a.r.p. bill. the country now averages over three million doses per day. even better news arrived this morning. starting today, every single adult in the united states is eligible to get vaccinated. let me say that again. all u.s. adults in all 50 states, washington,d.c., and puerto rico, are now eligible to get the vaccine, meeting the

deadline president biden set just two weeks ago. i urge all americans to go online, find a location where vaccines are being administered, and get the vaccine. register, sign up, call in, do whatever you need to do to make yourself an appointment. this is about protecting yourself and protecting your families. we're on the way to beating covid-19, but everyone knees to do their part and -- needs to their there part and part of that is being eye innoculated, this is a oh, momentous task. the fact that we've already reach the halfway point in four short months is a credit to the biden administration and our work here in congress to find vaccine production and distribution. and it's a credit to the thousands of medical researchers, scientists, doctors, nurses and all the public health workers who have made this possible. thanks to the american rescue plan, our economy has gotten its

own shot in the arm. the treasury department announced that nearly 159 million stimulus payments, $376 billion have reached people across the country. last week, jobless claims fell to their lowest level since the start of the pandemic. global consumer confidence is now higher than it was even before the pandemic. across the country, the american rescue plan is accelerating our economic recovery. consumer spending is up. businesses are gradually reopening and american workers are regaining hope and reentering the workforce. thanks to our historic investment in american workers, american families, and the american economy, brighter days are just around the corner. all of us who worked hard on passing the a.r.p., and the previous legislation, can be very proud of what we were able to do. now, of course, we're not completely out of the woods yet.

despite the roaring success of the american rescue plan, we must continue to bolster our economic recovery and create good-paying jobs for american workers. that's why infrastructure, big, bold infrastructure remains at the top of our priority list. there isn't a community in this country without some glaring infrastructure challenge, be they crumbling roads, roads housing property or unreliable internet. if america to going to compete in the 21st century, we can't have an infrastructure that's stuck in the last century so congress, in coordination with the biden administration, is going to work on a comprehensive jobs and infrastructure bill this year. today at the white house, president biden will meet with members from both parties to continue bipartisan discussions on an infrastructure package.

the president has reiterated his intention and desire to work in good faith with our republican colleagues. hopefully our republican colleagues share that willingness and scier, reliably investing in our nation's fruc used to unite our two parties. it can do so again. here in congress, we are going to start getting our teeth into the details of an infrastructure package. right here in the senate there are numerous activities going on this week. tomorrow the senate appropriations committee will hear from four cabinet-level officials on the details of the american jobs plan, secretary buttigieg and judge. later in the week the steering an outreach committee will hear from secretaries buttigieg and row romando and the president

will meet with the secretary of the economic council. i will soon mover to have the senate take up a bipartisan water infrastructure bill. this legislation, the drinking water and infrastructure act, was advanced by the environmental and public works committee on a unanimous vote earlier this year. it will authorize tens of billions of dollars to make sure american families, especially low-income families, have access to safe and clean drinking water. the drinking water bill could represent a small but important first step in bringing our two parties together on the work of infrastructure. i salute chairman of e.p.w., tom carper of delaware and ranking member senator capito of west virginia for coming together on the legislation. we look forward to working with our republican colleagues later this work period to get that piece of legislation done. i yield the floor and note the

absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the presiding officer: mr. majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask to suspend the quorum call. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration

of s. 937, which the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 13, s. 937, a bill to facilitate the expedited review of covid-19 hate crimes and for other purposes. mr. schumer: madam president, i have an amendment at the desk and ask for its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the amendment. the clerk: the senator from new york, mr. schumer, for ms. hirono and ms. collins has an amendment, number 1445. mr. schumer: i ask to dispense with further reading of the amendment. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the car was running. the superseding cause that was discussed is a cause that comes after altering the natural sequence of events and let's look at the medical timeline and

we know that it was 8:21:05. we know that they responded to cub foods at 8:27:27. we know that they call for fire at 8:29:36. it takes approximately three minutes to put him into the ambulance and the amulets pulled away at 8:30 p.m. then fire response, that is four minutes 15 seconds after they were called. that is pretty close if you consider the three minute

expectation. but they had driven several blocks away, arriving sometime between 8:31 and 8:33. we know that because there is 62 and 63 so somewhere between a man and a half they were began the process dictated efforts. the first air is pumped into him at 10 minutes after mr. floyd went unconscious, but it is 7:4. ultimately we know that the

ambulance left at 8:48:23, they arrived shortly after 8:53, so it took about five minutes to get from 36 and park. so what would've happened if they had started resuscitative efforts right away. what would've happened if they had gone to the hospital. they would have been there in that time. i am not suggesting that the ambulance paramedics did anything wrong. but it raises the prospect, what if they had administered better care?

we heard that it could have helped him

mr. mcconnell: madam 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: last week the senate began consideration of the covid-19 hate crimes act. it's my understanding the democratic leader hopes be a final vote on the bill will occur on wednesday. earnest bipartisan conversations have improved this legislation considerably behind the scenes. senate republicans have helped make the bill better, and i am confident that with a bipartisan process this week that also includes votes on republican amendments, we'll be able to continue moving forward toward the outcome the country deserves. now, on an entirely different matter, last summer, our nation began grappling in a renewed way with anger and pain at the fact that our progress toward racial justice remains unfinished. rightly understood, this is not a struggle against our nation's founding principles and central pillars. rather, it is a journey to make

america even more faithful to itself, to ensure that life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and equal justice under law are indeed the birthright of every single american. unfortunately, some of last summer's demonstrations devolved into violent and destructive riots. small businesses were looted, civic monuments were defaced, and government buildings attacked. not just insults but rocks and molotov cocktails were thrown at the good men and women of law enforcement. these were efforts to use violence and disorder as a political tactic to influence or overrule our democratic processes and our justice system. now, over the last few weeks, minneapolis returned to center stage with the trial of the police officer who is accused of killing george floyd last may. again, the causes of civil

rights, equal justice, and the rule of law tell us that this trial and every trial must go forward without social pressure, political considerations, and certainly violent threats playing a role. every single american deserves a fair trial. this is sacred. you do not balance the scales of justice by trying to tip them. and yet, this past weekend, one democratic house member from california took it upon herself to visit the protesters in minneapolis. she said, quote, we're looking for a guilty verdict, like somebody window shopping or ordering off a menu. she is looking for a guilty verdict. if that verdict is not reached, the congresswoman said demonstrators should not only stay in the street, we've got to get more active, get more confrontational, make sure that they know we mean business.

it's harder to imagine anything more inappropriate than a member of congress flying in from california to inform local leaders, not so subtly, that this defendant had better be found guilty or else there will be big trouble in the streets. again, so much of our nation's quest for civil rights and equal justice has been the fight to get rid, get rid of extra judicial violence, to get rid of rigged trials where the outcome was molded by public sentiment or angry mobs. it's beyond the pale for a sitting member of the united states congress to look at what happened last summer and imply there should be some kind of a sequel, a sequel if a legal case does not unfold as she thinks it should. now, just a few hours after those comments, two members, two members of the national guard who are on site in minneapolis keeping the peace were targeted in a drive-by shooting.

thankfully, neither was seriously injured, but let's hope it doesn't take an injury or a fatality to remind politicians that their words actually have consequences. earlier this year, of course, the country heard many strong opinions from democrats about whether leaders bear responsibility when reckless words precede criminal violence. instead of trying to tilt the scales of justice with threats, policymakers should focus on actually making policy. last year, senator tim scott and senate republicans tried to pass legislation that would have expanded body cameras, increased transparency in policing, and finally made lynching at long last a federal crime. our democratic colleagues used the filibuster to kill it because it was not antipolice enough. our colleagues on the far left have enough work to do here in the capitol without trying to dictate to the judicial branch.

now, madam president, on one final matter, on friday, the chinese communist party reminded the world what it thinks about justice, due process, and self-governance. nine of hong kong's most devoted pro-democracy advocates received harsh sentences. so what was their crime? well, it was inspiring more than a million people to take to the streets in august of 2019 to protest peacefully in support of basic freedoms. it's not the first time beijing's thin-skinned authoritarians have brought the hammer down on hong kongers, and sadly it will not be the last. china's position is supposedly that, quote, only patriots, only patriots should be allowed to govern hong kong. let's review what it means to be a p.r.c. patriot. apparently, it means applauding hong kong's new so-called national security law cooked up

by mainland partisans and the political repression that it enables. it means applauding saber rattling and interference with civilian commerce in the south china sea. it means cheering on the communist party as it uses invasive technology to repress dissent at home and turning a blind eye to the detention and killing of religious and ethnic minorities in broad daylight. well, the c.c.p. is right that real patriots should be speaking out and leading in hong kong. they are just wrong about who the true patriots actually are. hong kong's patriots are people like my friends, jimmy lee -- jimmy li and martin lee who risk their safety to champion democracy. they are the hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters who have carried the torch even as their countrymen have been imprisoned. i appreciate the voices across the globe who are calling attention to the plight of the real patriots and all the other

groups in beijing's cross hairs. to a global business and government leaders who haven't yet spoken out, i hope you are watching closely. if beijing feels comfortable treating hong kongers this way, just think how little regard the p.r.c. will show for basic international norms. i'm also grateful to our own american leaders who fight for basic human rights, including our religious freedom commissioners tony perkins and gale manchin who have themselves been comically blacklisted by beijing and rightly wear that as a badge of honor. i hope the administration will add teeth to its tough talk on china and reassure our friends in hong kong that we have their backs. mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: madam president, i was sure that i wouldn't like

him. i was convinced that we weren't going to get along. i had so many grievances against president george w. bush -- the war in iraq, the interrogation of prisoners -- i really was prepared not to like him at all, and then i met him. darn it, i met him. and i liked him. and i still do. and we still have some profound differences on issues. i think back on his presidency, though, and some of the things that i want to give him credit for. first and foremost, i want to thank him for being our president during 9/11 because if you will remember what he said after 9/11, how profound it is in light of our history since. he said our war is against terrorism. it's not against people of the islamic faith. it is a faith of peace. what a remarkable statement to make by a president because we have seen just the opposite

since by another president from his party. and he did great work when it came to global health, extraordinary work. he changed the world for the better, and i was glad to be his ally in that effort. that wasn't the sum total of all the work on the good side of the ledger that he had done, and i won't recount the areas of disagreement because there were many, but i do want to tell you that i was touched, personally touched by an article that president george w. bush wrote in "the washington post" this weekend. it was about his new book, a collection of paintings entitled "out of many, one." and he said in putting this book together that he was really setting out to accomplish two things -- to share some ports of immigrants -- some portraits of immigrants, and he has become an

accomplished painter, each with a remarkable story he says i try to tell and to humanize the debate on immigration and reform. george w. bush, a proud republican, speaks not only to the people of america but especially to his own political party in this article. i hope that these faces and stories that accompanied them serve as a reminder, he writes, that immigration isn't just part of our heritage. new americans are just as much a force for good now with their energy, idealism, and love of country as they have always been. he goes on to talk about some of the amazing stories. the story of a young man from france who followed his dream to william an -- become an american soldier and went on to win the medal of honor. a story of a champion runner who barely survived ethnic violence in east africa and who told president bush, quote, america has given me everything i

dreamed of as a boy. he says the backgrounds of these immigrants are varied, but readers won't have to search hard for a common theme. president bush writes, it's gratitude. so many immigrants are filled with appreciation, a spirit nicely summed up, he writes, by a cuban american friend who said, quote, if i live for a hundred years, i could never repay what this country has done for me. president bush writes the help and respect historically accorded to new arrivals is one reason so many people still aspire and wait to become americans. and then he asks the important question -- how is it that in a country more generous to new arrivals than any other, immigration policy is the source of so much rancor and ill will? the short answer, he says, is the issue has been exploited in ways that do little credit to either party, and no proposal on immigration will have

credibility without confidence that our laws are carried out consistently and in good faith. one place to start, bless him, he writes, is daca. the deferred action for childhood arrivals. americans, he writes, who favor a path to citizenship for those brought here as children known as dreamers are not advocating open borders. they just recognize that young men and women who grew up in the united states, who never new -- knew any other place as home are fundamentally american and they ought not be punished for choices made by their parents. let me just add thank you, president bush. he speaks of our border, and he should. another opportunity for agreement, he calls it. i've long said that we can be both a lawful and welcoming nation at the same time. he writes we need a secure and efficient border, and we should apply all necessary resources to

assure it. he goes on to say we need a modernized asylum system that provides humanitarian support and appropriate legal channels for refugees. the rules for asylum should be reformed by congress to guard against unmerited entry and reserve that vital status for its intended recipients. i don't disagree with a word that he has written. increased legal immigration focused on employment and skills, and here we may have some area of disagreement, is a choice that both parties should be able to get behind. temporary entry program for some workers. and listen to what president george w. bush writes about the undocumented in america, estimated to be in the numbers of millions, 11 million. here's what he says. as for the millions of undocumented men and women currently living in the united states, a grant of amnesty would be fundamentally unfair to those who came legally and are still

waiting in turn to become citizens, but undocumented immigrants should be brought out of the shadows through a gradual process in which legal residency and citizenship must be earned as for anyone else applying for that privilege. requirements should include work history, payment of a fine, back taxes, english proficiency, and other things. he closes by saying if we trust those instincts in the current debate, then bipartisan reform is possible, and we will again see immigration for what it is -- not a problem, a source of discord, but a great and defining asset of the united states. i was touched by those words and still am that he would be so caring and so pointed in his message. that's the basis for bipartisan immigration reform which america

desperately needs. now i'm looking for george w. bush republicans to join democrats in a bipartisan effort to get it done. i've called together a group for that purpose, and we're going to meet again soon to talk about progress that we might be able to make. but i do want to thank the the president. we have a job to do and we need to do it together. and i hope that we can do it following the values that george w. bush brings to the american people debate. madam president, i ask that a separate statement be at in a separate part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: a 13-year-old boy, adam toledo, on march 29, in the

wee hours of the morning was stopped and shot in an ally in chicago. thousands have been gathering in his memory, since. the videotape of the arrest was released last week and there is that stark moment with his hands up that he's being shot and killed, 13 years old. there's a lengthy debate going on in our city and our nation about the role of the police, the fairness of law enforcement, what's happening with children in areas of poverty, and guns. this past weekend our nation's epidemic of gun violence continues to devastate families and communities. the adam toledo tape wasn't the only thing that happened. in the city of chicago

yesterday, sunday, 7-year-old joslin adams was shot and killed in the back seat of a car while at a mcdonald's drive-thru with her father. she was one of 27 people shot in chicago this weekend, five of them fatally. in kenosha, your home state, madam president, a gunman at a tavern on sunday morning killed three people and wounded three more. in austin, texas, three people fatally shot on sun someday morning in a report -- on sunday in a reported domestic dispute. and another mass shooting in indianapolis at a fedex facility. eight people died. these are just some of more than 100 americans who were killed -- who are killed every single day by guns in this nation. this, unfortunately, is not an

isolated set of events. this is not just a rare, tragic weekend. this is america 2021. one of the key parts of an effective response to this crisis is understanding it, and that raises important questions about news coverage of gun violence as well as anything else. i ask to include in the record an april 5 column in "the chicago tribune" by heidi stevens entitled "why aren't chicago's mass shootings included in the outcry over recent violence in atlanta, colorado, and california?" i ask unanimous consent to include -- the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: thank you, madam president. heidi stevens' column points out that the media often covers what it considers to be mass shootings. all too often mass shootings in communities of color are left out of the coverage. this is wrong. it is unfair. it is nothing short of an

outrage. it needs to changes. we need to understand the full scope of this crisis that's killing so many americans with reliable, objective data that is quickly made available. the center for disease control keeps count, but there is a time lag with their data on firearm deaths and injuries. right now, the latest official c.d.c. report on gun deaths is from the year 2019. there is a website, though -- gun violence archive -- had a keeps track of shooting incidents virtually on a real-time basis. i believe that news coverage of mass shootings should use the definition and statistics provided by the gun violence archive. they define a mass shootings as an incident in which four or more people are killed and injured, not including the shooter. it is a purely knew mayor icle standard, not subjective. according to the definition, i

want to put this on the record. so far this year, by their definition, there have been 153 mass shootings and yet we're only 109 days into the year. nine of this year's mass shootings so far have taken place in chicago. four people fatally shot and 50 injured. it's important to gather this data as quickly as possible so that we can respond effectively. last week i spoke on the floor and commended president biden for speaking out. he recently announced an important set of executive actions on gun violence. steps to limit untraceable ghost guns, help states pursue extreme risk protection orders, which incidentally the state law in indiana apparently was not solid enough or tamperproof enough. it was overcome there for the latest mass shooting. report on firearms trafficking

patterns and nominate an experienced a.t.f. veteran, david chipman, for the first senate-confirmed director of that agency since 2015. you see, madam president, many of the critics of gun safety legislation say just enforce the laws we have. but if you've been around the senate for more than 15 minutes, you realize that the agency that has a major responsibility in that, a.t.f., is notorious to be being underfunded, understaffed and to go without leadership. that's part of the design of people who really don't want to see the laws enforced. i am particularly encouraged by president biden's commitment to provide federal resources for community violence interdiction programs through the american jobs plan and other grant programs. this is the type of serious investment we need to tackle this crisis. this president has taken constitutional, common sense steps to reduce gun violence. but what have we done? nothing.

i held a hearing in the judiciary committee a few weeks ago on gun violence. we're going to hold more. senator blumenthal of connecticut chairs the subcommittee with that responsibility. hearings are important so that we can put together legislative reforms and appropriate funds. the house has already passed a bipartisan bill to close gaps on the background check system. the ball is in the senate's court at this moment. we need ten senate republicans to help us get to 60 votes necessary to overcome republican filibusters. will our republican colleagues stand up and vote to close these gaps in the law? will our republican colleagues support the president's call for funding community violence interdiction? we need to act. saving lives from gun violence should not be a partisan issue. it is an american tragedy. sadly, we learn by the day that

it is not an exclusive blue-state problem. it is a blue-state and a red-state problem. it is an american problem. we've had too many mass shootings, too many americans dying in gun homicides, sue ideas, and accidents. let's take bold action that meets the scale of this public crisis. our nation is counting on us. i yield the floor. mr. marshall: madam president? the presiding officer: the junior nor from kansas -- alabama. my apologies. mr. marshall: i've been called worse. thank you, madam president. today i want to talk about two very important topics to america and the folks back home in alabama. mr. tuberville: president biden's so-called infrastructure proposal and his proposed budget for the department of defense. now, i know infrastructure and

defense aren't exactly the peanut butter and jellyfishes but electrical me tell you how they go together. with these two proposals, the american people can plainly see just how out of place president biden's priorities are. i've traveled every corner of alabama from mobile to muscle shoals. all the time i hear that we need improvements to our transportation infrastructure and i've seen it with my own eyes. there are over 100,000 miles of public roads and 16,000 bridges in alabama. more nan 1,000 of those bridges have been condemned. driving on poor roads cost alabama drivers a total of $4.2 billion annually due to vehicle operating costs, traffic congestion, and car crashes.

and it's not just alabama. it's everywhere in our country. i've spent decades traveling around the country as a football coach, and i've here to tell you, we need help. we need help with our infrastructure. investment in infrastructure is important and very, very necessary. sound infrastructure allows people to get to work, keep our goods flowing, and keep america competitive. that's why every penny and every dollar of any infrastructure proposal should be spent on actual infrastructure. sadly, president biden's proposal fails that test by a long shot. out of this massive $2.35 trillion proposal, only 6% is for roads and bridges. in fact, the proposal puts more

money towards electric cars than roads, bridges, ports, waterways combined. we've got to stop treating government like spending its money like monopoly money. when the american people hear about what's included in this bill, i think they'll agree. the biden administration is using the umbrella term of infrastructure for a host of things back home that don't associate with the word. here's a couple of spending items that qualify as infrastructure according to president biden. $400 billion for nursing care. $213 billion for government housing. i can see and understand where those fit in, but not in an infrastructure bill. but what gets me is that $10 billion per year for a civilian climate corps. now, this $10 billion includes

free housing, free clothing, free food and allowance for members while they promote climate justice. $10 billion a year. is that infrastructure? we can debate the individual merits a of these items, but, please, let's not pretend these are for infrastructure. because we need true infrastructure. to call this an infrastructure proposal is really an insult to the english language. the definition of infrastructure is not the kitchen sink approach. let's call this proposal what it is -- it's a farce. this proposal is simply the green new deal in disguise. and they need to disguise it because the actual infrastructure improvement is popular. the green new deal is not. in order to pay for all this spending, president biden has proposed raising the corporate

tax by seven percent, the largest federal tax increase since 1993. this would undo president trump's tax cuts and jobs act which spurred the greatest economy we've had in decades. i can tell you right now the worst possible time to raise taxes is in the middle of a crisis. so many employers have already been hit hard and are just trying to get back on their feet. remember who really ends up paying for tax increases, especially corporate tax rates -- it is the consumer like you and me. it is not the corporation. as americans for tax reform has pointed out, the tax cuts and jobs act directly led to lower utility bills for hardworking folks across the country. raising taxes would directly raise electric bills on millions

of americans essentially taxing them, too. as tax increases threaten family-owned small businesses and family farms, forcing future generations to sell the legacy their papers and grandparents have worked so hard to build. here is the real kicker. as democrats are out there peddling this proposal as infrastructure and jobs, president biden's tax increase will eliminate -- will eliminate -- one million jobs in the first two years alone. according to the national association of manufacturers, all that harm just to pay for democrats' wish list consisting of the green new deal. that absolutely makes no sense. we need to be focused on creating jobs and getting folks back to work. not destroying jobs for progressive pipe dreams down the road.

this comes on the heels of a massive stimulus that just passed, the one that democrats called the covid relief but really less than 10% of the bill went to covid and health-related measures. with all the trillions of new spending proposed by the biden administration, so far you'd think that there wasn't any spending proposal that they didn't like. yet when it comes to our national defense, president biden has shown he cares very little about increasing investment to keep our country safe. president biden recently released his skinny budget which includes a cut of $7 billion for the department of defense after accounting for inflation. president biden's proposal and proposed defense budget is disappointing, dangerous, and a disservice to the men and women in uniform. what is more bewildering is that

it asks for our troops to do more on a shoestring budget. it adds more duties like combatting climate change and other social priorities of the democrats to our already thinly stretched forces, and that's very, very dangerous. regardless of whether these individual duties may be warranted -- and for the record, i don't think they are -- we shouldn't expect our military to do more with less. at a time when our enemies grow bolder and the threats of america, to america are increasing, do more with less is the last thing we should tell them to do. these threats to our nation are real and are getting worse. russia is likely preparing to invade ukraine and finish what putin started in crimea. north korea continues to test ballistic missiles. iran is emboldened to continue

its nuclear weapons program. and then there's china. in recent weeks china has bullied taiwan. they think now is the time to test the united states of america. china is building up their military to directly challenge the united states for global supremacy. over the last ten years china's defense spending increased by $200 billion while the united states of america decreased its defense budget $400 billion. we cannot let china continue to gain ground. in order to keep our country safe and protect democratic allies from chinese aggression, we must stay well ahead of both weapons and technological advances. president biden's defense budget is not just dangerous for america, it's bad for us all. across our state, alabama has more than 200,000 jobs

supporting national defense. the economic impact of the defense sector represents more than 8% of our state's g.d.p. by underinvesting in defense, the critical work done by the service men and women at alabama military institutions include red stone arsenal, fort rucker rucker, maxwell gunner and others could be seriously hindered. it will set back our entire's state's economy. i was just at red stone where i heard how badly we need to invest in modernizing our weapons system across the world. the best way to avoid a conflict is to have a bigger and better gun than the other guy. most of president biden's appointees at the department of defense support the 2018 national defense strategy, which is a comprehensive plan to

compete, deter and defeat our adversaries. this defense budget threatens our military modernization efforts and america's ability to provide combat-ready forces. we cannot allow anything close to president biden's defense budget to become law. our military needs to focus on winning wars, not planting trees. the people of alabama and the men and women in uniform should know that i'll stand up to president biden and the globalists in his administration who want a weak military. president biden has gone on and on about unity and his reputation for reaching across the aisle, but ever since he came into office, his actions have been focused on appeasing the far left, progressive voices in his party. we saw it firsthand with the stimulus bill. shortly after that we get this loaded up, inappropriately named infrastructure proposal. it's not just about the

spending, which is a lot, but it's about what's in these proposals. progressive wish list items that are paid for by the american taxpayers -- not the government, the american taxpayers -- and are passed on party lines, not bipartisan. and that is where president biden's priorities clearly lie. he is signaling that he's more willing to invest in the progressive policy items than the safety in our nation and the world. my colleagues now are interested in working with president biden on a bipartisan bill that addresses actual infrastructure, and we're ready to work on a defense budget that actually invests in our military and prepares us against the growing threats. we just need a president willing to unite rather than divide our great country. i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. over the past few weeks my republican colleagues and i spent quite a bit of time making sure the american people know just how little of president biden's $2 trillion-plus infrastructure plan will fund actual infrastructure plans to fix roads, bridges that are so in need of repair. these are things that the tennesseans have repeatedly told me they want to see in a bill -- fix the roads, fix the bridges. what do they want to be taken

out of that bill? they want to get rid of some of these provisions that have nothing to do with infrastructure. nothing. so imagine their disappointment. people that are ready for a highway bill, that are ready for a transportation bill, that are ready for an infrastructure bill, imagine their disappointment when they discovered that all the funding that they had hoped was going to go to potholes and expanding lanes on the interstate and fixing flooded back roads would instead be spent on electric cars, union advocates, and climate change ambassadors. madam president, i know pothole repair isn't flashy, but it's what tennesseans need. an electric car does not do you

one bit of good when you're going to have to have a four by four to go pull it out of the mud every single time it rains. we're pretty practical people, and my wish would be that my colleagues across the aisle would join us in reviewing the needs of the american people -- the needs of the american peoplg practical. the lack of practicality has been a recurring problem in the months since president biden took office. it seems that the democrats here in washington, d.c. can't resist the urge to throw money at social media-friendly causes that not even the most talented communicators have been able to tie to the pressing needs of the american people. they did it with covid relief,

and now they're doing it with this infrastructure boondoggle. the wish list just doesn't match the p.r. campaign. and that's a shame because this country has its own wish list of urgently needed items that we really can no longer afford to ignore. just a few weeks ago i took my own trip down to the southern border to get a sense of the situation on the ground, and, madam president, it is a dire situation. we are facing an environmental crisis, a national security crisis, and a humanitarian crisis that is massive in scope. if we want to talk about infrastructure projects that matter, let's talk about all the infrastructure that president biden abandoned back in january when he halted

construction on the wall. to paraphrase a famous saying, a 450-mile long stretch of border wall serves the purpose right up until you hit mile 451. and here you can see that's the situation that ranchers and law enforcement officials in southern arizona are dealing with. the construction just stopped. president biden's proclamation ordered contractors to stop work and abandon their progress. immediate. stop. so they walked away because they had to. what did they leave? they left behind an unfinished wall, piles of supplies, and roads and other infrastructure built to support construction crews.

everything is sitting there, sitting there at the border. the equipment, the border wall, it is all there wasting away. tax dollars right there. all of that is now vulnerable to exploitation by the cartels and the traffickers, because it's sitting there on the border. this is an absolute shame. an absolute shame. and what we know is that the cartels and the traffickers, whether they're drug traffickers or sex traffickers or whether they're moving gangs, they're taking full advantage of this situation. i got the chance to see where the coyotes and the drug smugglers are coming across now that there's no activity on the border it to deter them from

using access points built into the wall for their own purposes. in conchas county alone, officials have seen a 200% increase in migrants this year. 200%. the holes in the wall have turned into walking paths for the singaoloa cartel drug runners. law enforcement officials have set up an extensive network of cameras, but there's only so many leads that they can chase when the border patrol agents who should be supporting these efforts are busy implementing useless, useless and detrimental catch and release programs. and, madam president, you see where there's a gap in the wall. why do you have these gaps? because the doors that were to

go into these gaps are sitting not in place. why do you have these gaps? you have them because the wall components are there in the dirt. but what did president biden say? as of today no more. no more. stop immediately. halt. do not build this wall. and what is it that our border patrol tell us that they need? they need a wall, they need more technology, and they need more agents and officers on the ground. this has been their request for years. for years. on private property along the border, you can see where migrants have ditched their old clothes in exchange for actual

uniforms that identify them to a cartel because they are given them by the cartel. it is their cartel-issued clothing, much like a work uniform. there are piles of discarded backpacks, water bottles and medicine at regular intervals. there's no telling if the people who abandoned these items made it out alive because we know many do not make it out alive. many of them are left to die in the desert by their handlers, the coyotes, and the cartels. madam president, it is vital to note, you do not cross that border unless you are working with a cartel, which means you have paid the cartel a fee to come across that border, or

you've agreed to go into modern-day slavery and work out your fee, whether it's with the labor gang, an ms-13 gang, sex trafficking gang, you've got to work that fee out once you come across. now the ranchers have seen evidence of this evil disregard for human life. they will tell you their lands are no longer safe. they do not feel free and they are constantly on their guard for their own safety of themselves and of their property. madam president, i understand that immigration enforcement is controversial. so much so that during his campaign, president biden promised to avoid the issue entirely by halting construction of the border wall forever.

but we're living in the real world now and in the real world, the globe's most powerful and free republic is being taken advantage of by the west most terrifying drug lords and human rights abusers and the biden administration is letting it happen. congressional democrats are letting it happen. even though they don't want to admit it, it is happening. look at the reports, look at the footage, talk to customs and border patrol, and talk to the sheriffs in these counties. and so i say to my democratic colleagues, do something. do something. work with us to find common ground and get this situation under control before it is too

late. and realize that every town is a border town and every state is a border state until that border is secure. if you care about human rights, if you care about infrastructure, please care about this issue. care about this issue. the environmental crisis, the humanitarian crisis, and the national security crisis. you can spend the next four years sitting on your hands and blaming president trump or leader mcconnell or me or any of my republican colleagues and blame us and say, well, there's death, there's destruction, there's drugs, and all of that is happening along this border. but that's the thing about

winning elections. they do have consequences and the consequence that is facing our democratic colleagues right now is leading and leading on this issue. you own this crisis. you own this crisis. it is from president biden's failed immigration and border strategy. and if you fail to act, you will forever own the tragedy, the absolute tragedy that is unfolding along our southern border. i yield the floor.

mr. inhofe: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma. mr. inhofe: madam president, this week, -- this week marks

the 26th anniversary of the worst domestic terrorist attack in history, and that was the oklahoma city bombing. each year, we mark this solemn occasion, and this year we come together to do it again. i remember that day so clearly. 168 people were murdered. i remember the thundering cadence of the police officers, the firemen, all the first responders as they were going into the -- standing there, watching them going into a burning building, risking their lives, and many of them died. close friends who died that day, and i know so many others who lost family and friends and loved ones. it is a day that really forever changed our proud state. i was flying my plane back to -- from the mexican border to

tulsa. i didn't have quite enough gas. i had to make a stop in dallas. i looked up at the f.b.o. there were crowds of people around a tv set in dallas. i went to see what they were watching. i recognized it was our downtown oklahoma city buildings, and the disaster had taken place and everyone was watching. we could have let that moment define us and change us for the worse, but it would have been a lot easier to do that, but that's not the oklahoma way. second corinthians remind us to not lose heart in times of struggle and tragedy, and oklahoma did not lose heart. what arose from the rubble that day was the oklahoma standard, strangers helping strangers, performing acts of service for each other. i also want to take a moment to recognize the work of the oklahoma city national memorial

museum. for the past two decades, they have upheld their charge to honor those who were killed and those who survived and those who were changed forever. today please join me as we remember the victims, their families, and loved ones, as well as extend our thanks to all the first responders who were forever changed on that april april 19, 1995. let's honor them by taking a moment to rededicate ourselves to the -- to live the oklahoma standard embodied in the actions of so many on that fateful day. we owe it to them. and i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from california. mr. padilla: madam president, i have one request for a committee to meet during today's session of the senate. it has the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. padilla: and, madam president, i also rise today to offer my strong support for the nomination of ms. vanita gupta to be the associate attorney general of the united states. in the 44-year history of the position, a woman of color has never served as associate attorney general of the united states. we have the opportunity to confirm a qualified, proven, and respected woman of color in

ms. gupta, and the senate should not delay any longer. as associate attorney general, ms. gupta would help restore professionalism, empathy, and dignity to the highest levels of the justice department. through more than five hours of testimony -- five hours -- before the judiciary committee and in a lengthy career in public service, ms. gupta has demonstrated exactly why our nation would be well served by her leadership in the department of justice. throughout her career, ms. gupta has paid particular attention to the most marginalized and much the least heard -- and often the least heard of those among us. from defending wrongfully

convicted individuals to the time in her leadership roles in the aclu, leadership conference and the department of justice, ms. gupta has demonstrated her deep commitment to pursuing justice, equity, and equality for all people. in pursuit of that goal, ms. gupta has also demonstrated her desire and ability to work with anyone, including those who might normally disagree with her. indeed, ms. gunpoint t.s.a. endorsements -- ms. gupta's endorsements from groups like the fraternal order of police and individuals like grover norquist confirm that she is a thoughtful listener, a bridge builder, and a consensus seeker. in this charged political era, it is hard to imagine that any other nominee for associate attorney general could give my republican colleagues more

assurance that their views will be fairly considered at the department of justice. and yet our republican colleagues on the judiciary committee requested that ms. gupta's nomination be indefinitely stalled and that she be required to testify before the committee again. and when those demands were rightfully declined, they chose to vote en bloc against referring ms. gupta's nomination to the floor. but the opposition to ms. gupta's nomination is, frankly, frivolous. for four years now, the now-minority members of the judiciary committee refused to even comment phon, let alone criticize, president trump's tweets antagonizing judges, senators, everyday americans and so many others. yet now they argue that

ms. gupta's occasional limationed tweets over the last four years is somehow disqualifying, despite her sincere apology, her expression of respect for members of this body, and her promise to participate in turning down the rhetorical temperature. my republican colleagues' double standard could not be more clear. similarly, our republican colleagues spent the last four years hastily confirming judges and nominees who refused to answer basic questions, like whether or not brown v. the board of education was rightfully decided. of course it was. but now they argue that more than five hours of testimony and 10,000 pages of documents is not sufficient to evaluate ms. gupta, who repeatedly

answered each and every one of their questions? again, the double standard could not be more clear. i could go on and on, but instead of continuing to point out the obvious hypocrisy, let me say a few more words about why i'm excited to have ms. gupta serve as the associate attorney general. for years now, civil rights, voting rights, environmental justice, immigrant rights, and consumer rights have found themselves as a second thought in the administration of our justice system. no longer. under ms. gupta's leadership, i look forward to seeing a justice department that pursues equal justice for all of our citizens and that recognizes the dignity and humanity of all people. i look forward to seeing

ms. gupta work with republicans and democrats, with liberals and conservatives to find solutions to our problems, as she has throughout her career. and i look forward to young girls and boys of color once again seeing someone who looks like them in the leadership of our justice department and knowing that one day they, too, can reach such great heights. colleagues, let's not wait a moment longer. it's time for us to confirm ms. gupta as the next associate attorney general of the united states. madam president, i yield the floor. madam president, i note 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 that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order the senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of justice, lisa o. monaco of the district of columbia to be deputy attorney general. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 57, lisa o. monaco of the district of columbia to be deputy attorney

general, signed by 18 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of lisa o. monaco of the district of columbia to be deputy attorney general shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 94, the nays are 3. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session. the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, could we have order for one minute, please? the presiding officer: there will be order in the chamber. mr. schumer: thank you. mr. president, i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 62, the nomination of vanita gupta, to be the associate attorney

general, and i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any other senators in the chamber wishing to vote or

change their vote? seeing none, the yeas are 50, the nays are 49, and the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 62. i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close executive calendar 62 vanita gupta of virginia to be associate attorney general. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. the the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye.

all those opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the motion carries. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that 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. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that as if in executive session the nomination of shannon estonos of florida to be assistant secretary for fish and wildlife send sent to the president on april 19 for the joint committee on energy and natural resources and environment and public works. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if h made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i understand that there are two bills at the desk, and i ask for their first reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the clerk will read of the title of the bills. the clerk: s. 1216, a p bill to is extend the temporary scheduling order for fentanyl related substances.

h.r. 7, an act to amend the fair labor act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination on the basis of sex and for other purposes. mr. schumer: i now ask for a second reading and object to my own request all en bloc. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the bill to be read for the second time on the next legislative day. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. tuesday, april 20. that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. that upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate resume consideration of s. 937, the covid-19 hate crimes legislation, that at 12:00 noon the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the against letter nomination and -- of the gary gensler nomination and the senate vote.

that the senate recess following the vote on the gary gensler until 2015 p.m. -- 2:15 p.m. further all post time be considered expired at 2:15, that if confirmed the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be notified of the senate's action. following the confirmation vote the senate resume consideration legislative. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. schumer: if there is no further business to come before the senate i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until the senate gobbling out for the day. today they worked on anti- asian hate crime legislation. the two limit debate to be deputy attorney general and the associate ag. later this week work on water

infrastructure. with the senate returns live coverage here on cspan2. tuesday morning transportation secretary pete buddha judge commerce secretary, hud secretary and epa administrator michael regan testify on president biden infrastructure planned before the senate appropriations committee. life coverage begins at 10:30 eastern on c-span three online@c-span.org or listen on the free c-span radio app. >> a busy agenda here in washington. the chief congressional correspondent for the washington examiner, good monday morning thank you for being with us. >> good morning. let's first talk about the senate today taking up hate crimes aged at asian-american and pacific islander's but with the final bill expected on the floor later this week. what would it do? >> it could