>> the u.s. senate is about to gavel in to start the week. lawmakers will consider more biden administration nominees including today todd kim to be assistant attorney general for the environment and natural

resources division, the justice department's top attorney which oversees its criminal and civil cases to enforce the nation's environmental laws. a vote to limit debate on the nomination is set for 5:30 eastern today. and on live to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span 2. :: 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 help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

help our lawmakers to honor your name. demonstrate your great power by filling them with your spirit and giving them a desire to cultivate spiritual discernment. sustain them through the power of your prevailing providence until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. as our senators draw near to you, experiencing your divine guidance, may they be motivated to follow your precepts as they face difficult decisions.

we pray in your sovereign name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the 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, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c.,

july 26, 2021. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable mazie k. hirono, a senator from the state of hawaii, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore.

the presiding officer: the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. 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: department of justice, todd kim of the district of columbia to be assistant attorney general.

mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call. mr. durbin: thank you, madam president. this week the senate will consider the nomination of todd kim to be assistant attorney general for the justice department's environment natural resources division known as enrd. this division acts as our nation's environmental law firm. it protects our nation's precious natural resources by enforcing federal, civil and criminal environmental laws including the clean air act, the clean water act and hazardous waste laws. at least that's what it's designed to do. under the previous president, donald trump, enrd took some troubling steps in the wrong direction. it prioritized protecting polluters over the environment.

with more than 1.5 million acres of the united states currently burning in a wildfire season that has been grated exacerbated by climate change, we are mindful of the critical importance of vigorous enforcement of our nation's environment laws. what the division needs now is a leader who will bring back integrity, expertise, and a renewed commitment to enforcing our nation's environmental and natural resources law. mr. kim is that leader. in fact, his career in environmental law began at enrd where he worked as trial attorney. during his time with the division he was awarded the justice department's outstanding performance award on three separate occasions. as a trial lawyer there, he spent eight years representing the united states zealously and apolitically under both clinton and bush administrations. mr. kim's principal leadership in that role earned him praise across the ideological spectrum.

he has support of enrd officials from both parties. over 80 environmental law experts and academics who often don't agree on many things all believe he's the right person. they wrote enrd deserves one of the nation's best lawyers at its helm. todd kim promises to be such a leader. mr. l kim has experience leading a large legal department. he served as the district of columbia's first solicitor general, a role he held for over a decade. additionally, mr. kim received support from asian american organizations including asian americans advancing justice and the national asian pacific american bar association. his nomination receives strong bipartisan support in our committee. four of my republican colleagues, senators grassley, graham, cornyn and tillis joined the democratic members in advancing his nomination. with mr. kim leading enrd, the american people can trust our nation's public lands and natural resources and be

protected by a proven expert and an accomplished lawyer. i urge my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of his nomination.

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: now for years republicans and democrats have spoken about the need to invest invest -- let me start from the top. for years, madam president, republicans and democrats have spoken about the need to invest more in our nation's

infrastructure. we are a country the size of a continent. every state has critical infrastructure demands. bridges that need repair, railways that need maintains, sewer systems that desperately need expansion and renovation. over a month ago now a bipartisan group of senators announced a deal with the white house on a framework for a bipartisan infrastructure bill, a breakthrough moment. ever since, i have committed both publicly and privately to put that bill on the senate floor. unfortunately, last week our republican colleagues prevented the senate from taking a procedural step to begin the debate, but i want to be very clear. i'm fully committed to passing a bipartisan infrastructure bill. as majority leader, i have the ability to move to reconsider the vote to begin debate on that bill this week. since senators are system finalizing the text of the

agreement, senators should be on notice that the senate may stay in session through the weekend in order to finish the bill. let me say that again. senators should be on notice that the senate may stay in session through the weekend in order to finish the bipartisan infrastructure bill. and as i've said before, further delays may mean that the senate will remain in session until the previously scheduled august recess. we have reached a critical moment. the bipartisan group of senators has had nearly five weeks of negotiations since they first announced an agreement with president biden. it's time for everyone to get to yes and produce an outcome for the american people. i understand that bipartisan achievements are difficult in our polarized times. extreme partisans are always rooting for failure. look no further than the former president. just this morning, president trump, former president trump

released just this morning -- former president trump released a statement urging republicans to retreat from all bipartisan negotiations on infrastructure until after the midterm elections in 2022, maybe longer. again, the former president said this morning that republicans are weak fools and losers -- his words -- for even talking to democrats and suggested that the republicans should not negotiate at all unless they're in the majority. fox news personalities following his lead are now encouraging primaries for republican senators who support a bipartisan infrastructure deal. look, there are always going to be radical voices on the far right who brook no compromise but that's only a recipe for obstruction and gridlock. we have the opportunity right now to actually accomplish something good for the american people. will our republican colleagues follow the absurd demands of a

disgraced former president and his media allies or will they get a good bipartisan deal over the finish line? republican senators must ignore former president trump if we're ever going to make progress with the american people. he's rooting for our entire political system to fail. i and the rest of my democratic colleagues are rooting for a deal. now on nominations, the senate will not remain idle in the meantime. this week we'll consider several highly qualified nominees to the biden administration. tonight the senate will invoke cloture on todd kim, someone senator from illinois has spoken about to serve as assistant attorney general and head of the environmental and natural resources division of the justice department where he worked as a lawyer for nearly eight years. the son of korean immigrants, mr. kim fell in love with america's natural treasures at a young age when his parents took

him on an r.v. trip across the american west. after tonight he'll be in a position to defend those very treasures by making sure our environmental laws are enforced, our federal lands are maintained and our relationship with native tribes is respected. i look forward to confirming his nomination. senators should also be aware there could be more nominations, including members of the national labors board. the senate has a constitutional presidential appointments. on we'll continue that important work this week. i yield the floor. mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: i ask consent to speak in morning business. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, i want to just back up what the majority leader said. the day was may 22, 2019.

i remember it well. two things happened that morning. first it was the birth of my granddaughter which was an exciting and happy event. the second was just the oposite. it was a meeting in the white house with president donald trump and the purpose of the meeting was to discuss infrastructure. you see, we had an earlier meeting. democrats met with the leaders of the trump administration, to discuss an infrastructure bill and when we suggested $1.5 trillion be spent on infrastructure, president trump said, no, make it $2 trillion. well, we were happy to hear that. and then when we suggested that president trump's earlier suggestion of 80% of it being paid on at state and local basis rather than federal, he reversed himself and said, well, then, it will be 80% federal. more good news. then came the suggestion, well, it shouldn't just be horizontal

infrastructure, it ought to be vertical infrastructure, broadband, school buildings, things that we desperately need in america. and he said include them. make that part of the package. it was one of the best meetings. and then came the subject of how we were going to pay for it. and then-president trump said, stop, i'm not going to get into that conversation. and we said, mr. president, we agreed on what we want to do, but we have to pay for it. and he said, we're not -- you're not going to trap me with making me unpopular. so we postponed the meeting to may 22, 2019. and we were anxious to get it done because during his presidency there had been no infrastructure programs. none. nothing. despite his promises to the contrary during the campaign. we came back may 22, he walked in the room and he said to all of us assembled there, as long as you're investigating me for

any reason, there will be no infrastructure bill. wheeled around and walked out and that was the end of any conversation about infrastructure in the trump administration. it was never considered or debated after that. now we're engaged in a new exercise. some republican senators, and i thank them for their courage and initiative, want to sit down with democrats and finally after years and years, come up with an infrastructure bill and rebuild america. they were under pressure. they are under pressure from senator mcconnell. he didn't want to engage in this kind of negotiation and now today former president trump has joined the chorus, put it off for two years or more until republicans control the whole process. that is an achievement for little or nothing, madam

president. i hope this will be a breakthrough week. senator schumer, the democratic majority leader tried to get it started last week with a simple procedural vote that would move us to this conversation but he was unlucky and unable to get that done, but he's maintained the procedural option of reconsidering that vote and i certainly hope that that will happen soon. madam president, on a separate issue. we're at a pivotal moment in the fight against covid-19. thanks to the leadership of this administration, our nation has had one of the most successful vaccination efforts in the world. 340 million doses of covid-19 vaccine has been administered in the united states. 80% of americans over the age of 65 have been fully vaccinated. 80%. that means the vas majority of our senior population is protected from being hospitalized or dying from

covid-19. yet, at this moment, there's trouble on the horizon. case numbers across the country are ticking back up. it's important to note why. the delta vairnt is -- variant is spreading like wildfire among unvaccinated people. i've heard it is a thousand times more transmissible than the original covid-19 and it has quickly become the dominant strain of the virus in america. there's good news, the vaccines that we all have access to right now will stop the delta variant in its tracks. it will save your life. with the spread of the delta variant, americans need to get vaccinated or risk getting a deadly or serious case of covid-19. as the director of the c.d.c. said last week, and i quote her, this is quickly becoming a

pandemic of the unvaccinated. over the past week we have started to see a renewed sense of urgency from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. they finally -- finally become more vocal about dispelling disinformation about the vaccines. even fox news has begun airing public service announcements and encourage viewers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. i applaud them for starting to join the chorus of health experts calling on people to protect themselves and their loved ones. it was only a few weeks ago when a couple of prime time hosts on fox expressed their displeasure with me personally. i was alarmed and said so on the floor of senate by some of the stuff that carlson and ingham

were peddling, it put their viewers and the families of their viewers at risk. i can disagree on political issues, and i'm sure we will continue to do so but we shouldn't play political games when it comes to covid-19 vaccines. we've seen a shift in tone recently. some hosts on fox, specifically shawn hannity and steve ducey encourage their viewers to get vaccinated. at the very least they call on them to consult with their doctors the it's a move in the right direction. but we ought to make it clear once and for all publicly where we can, that those who are spreading the anti-vax rhetoric are literally risking the lives of our fellow americans. we see that good comes from sharing facts about vaccines and the potential to save lives. as of yesterday, the seven-day average of newly vaccinated americans is up nearly a third over last week. nearly seven in 10 american adults now have one dose of the

covid-19 vaccine. we need to keep it up. more than 610,000 of our family members and friends and neighbors in america have died from this disease and millions more around the world. we have the power within our hands with vaccine to stop this pandemic. we all have to do our part. and i want to take an opportunity to recognize something else. disinformation is not the only reason why people are not getting vaccinated. sadly, there is a long history of racial bias in our nation's institutions from education to housing to health care. and that history of racial bias has understandably led some americans to question our institutions based on fear. so let me first say this. trust has to be earned. and we have a lot of work to do as a nation to address racial inequity in our health care system. like the fact that black women are three times more likely than white women to die from

pregnancy related complications. acknowledging these inequities, doing something about them is how we can build and regain trust. that's the work that we have to do. president biden's american rescue plan was an important investment in tackling health disparities, it expanded support for community health centers, it provided a $1 billion investment in the national service corps to recruit doctors, nurses and other health communities of color. that was another provision that i added to the bill. at this moment if you're still unvaccinated against covid-19, and you have questions, reach out to a medical professional that you trust. talk to a doctor, make sure you have the facts on your side because the sad truth this has

deepened the racial disparities in america. last year there was nearly a three-year drop in life expectancy among black and brown americans. three years. communities of color were more likely to be hospitalized, twice as likely to die from covid. we can end the cycle of sickness and despair, but we swr to stop the new variants. consult a medical professional and ask them to vaccinate you. the senate judiciary committee is going to have an important hearing tomorrow on the issue of ransomware. for those who may be unfamiliar, ransomware is a type of malicious software that can attack a computer. if hackers attack your computer system they can demand a ransom payment in exchange for unlocking. ransomware is a relatively new threat but it could impact any

individual, business or organization. many americans had a rude awakening about this threat earlier this year when a cyber crime syndicate used ransomware to shut down the largest petroleum pipeline in the united states, the colonial pipeline. that started a panic that had people lining up at gas stations for hours and put ransomware into plain view to all americans. perhaps someone you know had their world turned upside down by a ransomware attack. tomorrow we will discuss it at length. tomorrow we will begin this week with yet another devastating toll of weekend gun violence across america, including the city of chicago m. more than 70 -- chicago. more than 70 people were shot in chicago. if you remember two weeks ago, the 4th of july weekend, over 100 people, victims of gunshots

in chicago. in that case 19 of them died. it's a mass killing on a regular basis in that great city. much of it's concentrated in sections of the city, but it's starting to spread. because it's so darned easy for a person to get their hands on a gun in that city. shootings in chicago have surged during the covid pandemic. we see it happening across america. the biden administration's taking steps in the right direction to stop this gun violence, cracking down on untraceable ghost guns, rogue gun dealers, and these braces, this equipment that can effectively turn pistols into short-barreled rifles, crucially the department of justice has also announced the launch of five firearm trafficking strike forces, chicago is one of the cities, new york, san francisco, washington, d.c., and los angeles are the others.

these strike forces will confront what i believe to be one of the most important causes of this gun violence,s elicit -- illicit traffickerring of guns. -- trafficking of guns. this will provide support for law enforcement who are on the front lines. attorney general garland join me in chicago to highlight how the justice department is standing with our police officers and first responders. i'm grateful that attorney general garland returned to his hometown of chicago for this purpose but it was a sad homecoming. we met with the mayor of chicago at the harrison district police station. it is basically ground zero for gun violence in the city of chicago. they demonstrated to us the brand-new technology, the amazing technology, the video cameras, the shot spotters, new technology which they are using every single day to thwart the

criminals and prove their cases when necessary. these communities and these officers are keeping us safe as they can but they are up against an avalanche of guns. grim gun toll -- grim toll of gun violence in chicago continues to climb upward. the officers agreed with attorney general garland and myself, a major problem is that we have guns being illegally sold to people who never should have had them, who never would have passed a background check, convicted felons or those mentally unstable. it is more important and more significant than any single jurisdiction. it's nationwide. roughly 60% of the guns recovered at crime scenes in chicago originate from out of state, primarily from indiana, but also from downstate. a person can easily buy a gun from an unlicensed seller in indiana and drive into chicago

in a matter of minutes on the same day to resell the gun on the streets. why don't we do something about this? if those who own guns agree with everyone else that we ought to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people, why can't this congress do that simple thing to slow down the gun violence? there's one more truth we must acknowledge. gun violence isn't just about access to weapons. too many kids in cities like chicago face daily trauma that is making them more likely to fall into the cycle of violence. during the attorney general's visit to chicago, we joined community leaders at st. agent ga that -- agatha catholic church. they developed a successful program called ready chicago. it's one of the many community intervention programs that has received financial support from this president. while meeting with the leaders of ready chicago, i spoke with a young man whom i will call john. he's remarkably brave and after

learning his story, one cannot ignore the similarities he shares with so many other young people in the city. he grew up in a struggling family. he sold drugs to earn money. like many of his peers, he ended up carrying a gun and got involved with gang violence. he was arrested, convicted, and served time in prison. then he came back to the community and wanted to start a different life. that's how he got involved with ready chicago where he's now a positive force for change in his home city. it's an inspiring story, but that young man, john, in his early 20's, still remains at risk. he fears that his advocacy on behalf of this program has put crosshairs on his back in the neighborhood and that his family may even be targeted as well. every street corner in his neighborhood, every street he crosses comes with a risk. he has to look around constantly to see if the gang bangers are going to target him.

but still even under this unimaginable stress, john is looking for a new path in his life. i asked him what he wanted to do. he said he'd like to apply to attend chicago state university which is near this area. i hope he can get there. i hope he'll be a success. but it's amazing that he still has that dream after all that he's seen. for young people in chicago like him, there's no quick fix. if you grew up a family without stability and security at home and school or in a neighborhood that many of us take for granted every day, it can harm your development and change the way you see the world. the c.d.c.'s landmark study on aces, adverse childhood experiences, tells us that exposure to trauma is linked to use of drug use, suicide, academic struggle, and many other problems. if you're a young child experiences this chaos, if you watch a family member get shot or violently assaulted, it

leaves a scar called trauma. trauma can stay with a child for life. that's why violence intervention programs like ready chicago are so important. connecting these add-risk youth with cognitive behavioral therapy, paid transitional jobs, wraparound support services, resources that support a healthy development for children who are struggling with trauma, these are the resources that will change a young person's life and set them on a better path, a path where they can discover a passion or calling and ultimately give back to their community. we must invest in these long-term solutions to break cycles of violence and trauma. the bipartisan rise from trauma act i've introduced with senator capito, republican of west virginia and many colleagues, is an important step in that direction. it would provide $5 billion that president biden has called for in his balanced back -- build back better agenda but we need

in the senate need to take immediate steps to combat violence crime. can't we just get together and agree that we don't want to sell firearms to people who are convicted felons? it seems so obvious. and there's such public support for it. i want my colleagues to understand that the problem with gun violence isn't confined to the city of chicago. we have cities much smaller down state that are seeing an increase in gun violence as well. it's time for us to do something about it. madam president, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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: this weekend we received the bad news that our friend and former colleague mike innocenceee was -- inzy was involved in a serious accident. my colleagues were sorry enough to see him depart the chamber and begin his well earned next chapter just a few months ago. mike and diana were a fantastic senate couple in every respect from major legislative accomplishments to the generosity and kindness they showed to everyone from senate staff to the pages. so, madam president, i know members on both sides of the aisle are very much thinking of mike at this time, praying for his health and for the entire

insy family. american families are anxious and they are uneasy. the share of americans who feel optimistic about our country's direction has plummeted by almost 20% just since the springtime. as recently as early may, nearly two-thirds of americans said they were optimistic about the direction of the country. that was the highest figure that survey had recorded in 14 years but alas that has plummeted. late next week a new survey found optimism is now a minority position, 55% of americans are pessimistic. approval of the new administration's handling of covid-19 has tumbled. their handling of the economy is under water among independents. fewer in four in ten americans approve the handling of immigration. the border, or violent crime.

unfortunately, american families have ample reason to feel this way. the end of june clocked the highest annual inflation spike in more than a decade. the democrats stay home bonus to workers who remain unemployed has slowed the recovery and helped keep workforce participation stagnant. meanwhile, last year as the far-left put the squeeze on law enforcement funding in cities across the country, america faced a 25%, 25% increase in homicides. and after the biden administration was very eager to claim ownership and spike the football on the vaccination trajectory which they largely inherited from republican leadership, we've now seen vaccination rates in many places plateau on what this white house has been insisting is their watch. this turn toward pessimism is

especially stunning and especially sad because president biden took office with wind at his back. things were set up for a roaring success like no other presidential transition in recent memory thanks in large part to operation warp speed set up by the prior congress and administration we had multiple safe and effective vaccines that were beginning to circulate widely through the country. the new administration so-called ambitious goal of about a million vaccines per day was already happening before they were sworn in. thanks to the five bipartisan rescue packages that the republican-led senate passed last year, we were primed and ready for a historic economic comeback. americans were excited and ready to build a comeback summer for the history books, but those incredible tailwinds have largely been squandered. that historic head start has

been wasted through bad policy and in many cases needlessly divisive leadership. after a poorly targeted partisan spending package that even liberal economists warn could cause more inflation, american families are now feeling the pain and literally paying the price. after campaign rhetoric and then policy decisions that have made our southern border less secure, a predictable crisis is playing out. after a year of antipolice, antirule of law rhetoric from too many on the political left, a violent crime surge is hammering communities and making streets less safe all across our country. oh, and as the new administration pulls back america's presence in the middle east in a reckless and rushed fashion, terrorist leaders are simply jumping for joy. this is how you take a country from near-record optimism to serious pessimism in just two months' time.

this is how you inherit favorable trends in just about every direction imaginable but produce disappointment. and our democratic friends' big master plan is yet another reckless taxing and spending spree, but even larger washington democrats' big ideas to borrow, print and spend our way to even more inflation and even higher costs for american families. along with a historic set of big tax hikes to boot. my friends across the aisle and down pennsylvania avenue should be less concerned about checking left-wing items off activists' wish lists and more and more of democrats' partisan agenda comes online, the american people's pessimism grows and grows. the families of our country need a better approach.

i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. tuberville: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tuberville: thank you.

you know, there's an old saying that i've used quite often, but it bears repeating. give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. you teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime. it's a simple yet insightful concept. human beings often like things to be easy. it's just in our nature, but the reward for easy is very short-lived. sometimes if you don't earn it, you don'tunderstand it. if we work hard and challenge ourselves to improve, we reap the benefits for much longer. that is the american way. i tell this -- i'd tell this to my players over the years that i coached, but lessons learned

that are applied to the football field also apply in life. you know, this country owes you one thing, an opportunity. sometimes people just don't -- just need to be shown where that opportunity's at and encouraged to take it. and that's what everyone in this body should be focused on doing, opening doors for opportunity for the people of this country. president biden seems determined to close those doors of opportunity by creating, it looks like, a future massive entitlement state. my republican colleagues and i have talked a lot about the reckless tax and spend plan and the cost of that plan on american families. we're seeing rising inflation, which means dollars from your paycheck are not going as far.

we're seeing costs rise on every day goods that families need, food, gas, diapers, you name it, it's going up. this is a direct result of untargeted spending this year as we're trying to recover from a pandemic. the worst time in the world to be throwing government money at a pandemic. and now our democratic colleagues looks like wants to spend $3.5 trillion more after spending $1.9 trillion back in february. and what gets talked about less than costs of this spending is the social and societal cost of all these new and expanded programs. while it may not be easy to see or measure, it's no less important and that's what i want to talk about today. let's remember how this started and how we got here.

it started with president biden's announcing two plans, great names. first was the american family plan and then there was american jobs plan. despite their confusing similar names on the face they don't sound that bad. i'm for american families and i'm for american jobs. these plans are not american families or american jobs. they are full of progressive items that can only pass the senate through a reconciliation process. there won't be any -- there won't be any republicans that will vote for this. and democrats know this. so now here we are with our colleagues stuffing the worst parts of president biden's agenda, i'm talking about the most aggressive items, that appease the base or far left into the package and all of

president biden's programs costs money -- lots and lots of money and they are going to pay for them with your taxpayer dollars. not the government dollars, taxpayer dollars. a lot of my colleagues have expressed concern about the democrats' tax and spend spree. they are not the only ones sounding the alarm. folks back home have started to take notice and there's a lot more collective wisdom among the folks back home than there have been lately here in washington, d.c. so i brought a couple of letters with me here today. these are folks are alabama who wrote to me about their concerns about president biden's massive spending plan. here's what james merrill from huntsville, alabama wrote to me. i have been studying this atrocious biden america family

plan. it is clear that not only is the costs staggering, the implications of all the rules that will go with it will terribly impact all family life and our freedoms to manage our lives. it blatantly makes the middle class dependent on the government, cradle to grave, a clear path to socialism. james, you are exactly right. and rosa hill in birming hill, alabama, had this to say. i just listened to president biden and the ideas are ridiculous. we should be helping each other, not the government getting involved. ms. hill makes an important point. much of this work can and should be done by our neighbors and churches and people in the communities. the problem is we've been conditioned to wait for the government to do the hard work

of helping the less fortunate for us rather than doing it ourselves. half a century ago president lyndon johnson launched the war on poverty. he and leading liberals at the time thought the answer to poverty was to dramatically increase the benefits the federal government would give out to the poor. well, the war on poverty didn't work like its backers thought it would. the following decade was filled with economic stagnation, high inflation, gas lines, spikes in drug addiction, and horrifying rise in crimes across our country. sounds familiar, doesn't it? just like what's happening today. folks, the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again

expecting a different result. we've already tried this. president biden is determined to try the same warnout policies today, throwing trillions and trillions of taxpayer money at the problem and hoping the problem goes away. it has been and still is the wrong solution. president biden's reckless spending spree won't help struggling american families. it will trap them in the endless cycle of dependence on big government and taxpayer money. just take a look at what president biden has proposed in his america's family plan. government subsidized child care. free preschool. free community college. free, free, free.

that seems to be the slogan of this administration. of course we all know that there's no such thing as free in this country. i've talked before about the fact that president biden has proposed 30 -- you heard me right -- 30 new taxes that the democrats can choose from to pay for these free programs there their next spending package. 30 new taxes during the pan pandemic. according to one analysis by the hoover institution, president biden's american family's plan would add $21 million -- add 21 million americans to the federal government's list of beneficiaries. 21, 21 million more people living off the government. now there are certainly people out there who need help. we all know that. but this plan opens the

floodgates to taxpayers' funded benefits instead of concentrating on those that mostly need it. under president biden's plan, your family could make up to $200,000 and still qualify for federal health care. $200,000. we don't have to comb through the history books for examples on how these progressive policies fail. we don't have to look far. just look at what we've done here recently in the insistence on keeping unemployment benefits historically high. my republican colleagues and i have spoken about how these misguided benefits essentially pay people not to work destroying small businesses all over the country and our economy's progress has gone down as we try to recover from this

pandemic. republican governors across the country recognize the problem and decided to cut out the overly generous benefits months ago. folks who need it, help, would get it. but they wouldn't be paid to sit at home and they wouldn't be sitting at home when they could have been working at jobs that would help their families. just about every democrat governor has insisted on keeping these benefits. now what does that tell you? insisting on keeping the benefits and not keeping the benefits. we made some terrible decisions just in a short period of time. well, we can already see the results of what's happening with these benefits. according to the monthly data from the bureau of labor statistics, states that cut their federal expanded benefit are closer to returning to

prepandemic employment levels than the states that kept it. 13 of the top 15 states with the best unemployment numbers have all ended their federal expanded unemployment insurance. why don't we learn from this misguided policy and not repeat it by spending money on bad outcomes. we seem to continue to do that every time we turn around. the reckless tax and spend spree to advance president biden's progressive agenda isn't just unaffordable, it's un-american. the united states was founded on the ideas of personal liberty and self-reliance. make you feel good about yourself, earning your own way, not government handouts best known as socialism.

since our founding people have flocked to the united states because of the opportunity it gives citizens to succeed, not because of cushy government handouts. because our society valued and values hard work, grit, and determination more than the country's -- than the countries most of these folks have left behind. again, this country owes you one thing, and that's an opportunity to succeed through education and hard work. democrats want you to believe that you can only succeed with the government's help. republicans believe in self-reliance, that you have within you god-given skills and potential to work hard and succeed. you have that.

that's what this country gives you which is why president bi biden' reckless spending spree and expansion of government programs is so-so -- so, so disappointing. the democrats and president think success is americaed by how much taxpayer money the government can spend. but real success is measured by how many people no longer need the help in the first place. our efforts need to empower people to be free to live and work to build a better life for themselves and their families. the most successful antipoverty program should eventually put itself out of business. so i say enough, enough of continuously growing the federal government, enough of the reckless taxpayer-funded spending sprees, enough of trapping people in a cycle of

dependence because a culture of dependency is a culture in decline. i say we work together to encourage people to seize the many opportunities in our country and have them wait around hoping the government will fix every problem life throws their way. we can't do that. it's long past time we get back to teaching folks to fish. learn to fish themselves to be self-reliant. that's a culture of hard work and resilience. that's a culture of the united states of america, the best country on the face of the earth. madam president, i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

quorum call:

mrs. blackburn: madam president.

the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: this has already been a -- the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum. mrs. blackburn: i ask that we u.s.s. spend the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. this has already been a big week in tokyo for team u.s.a., and i hope all of my colleagues have the opportunity to watch a few minutes of the olympic games over the next few weeks. every year, we hear so much from come men eightors and athletes about how the games are an opportunity for the world to come together. and that's exactly how it once was. unfortunately, the olympics are also a target-rich environment for people in regimes that want to use these rare moments of unity to trick the world into ignoring evil. before we were able to enjoy any of this year's double pike vaults or 400-meter freestyle

swims, we were already worrying about the impending havoc casting a shadow over the 2022 beijing winter olympics. late last year, the chinese government began pilot testing a new digital currency that will inevitably knock other domestic mobile payment systems out of the marketplace. the digital yuan trial has already pulled in 5.3 billion -- that is correct -- $5.3 billion in transactions, and this month, we learned that cross-border payments are also on the table. in fact, the trial has been so successful that beijing wants to expand testing at the 2022 winter olympics. now, as much as i'd like to

believe that this is an innocent effort to bring the world a little closer together, this is the chinese communist party that we're talking about, and we shouldn't expect good faith because that is not what we are going to get from the c.c.p. we have reason to believe that the chinese government intends to use the digital yuan to conduct a massive surveillance operation on chinese citizens and foreign visitors. it wouldn't be the first time something like this happened. the c.c.p. has an unfortunate history of weaponizing emerging technologies against people they would like to control. they used it against the uighurs, against freedom fighters in hong kong, and on the mainland against anyone who questions their priority

propaganda. they are already using digital payment platforms to spy on their own people. and if we are not careful, they're going to use them to spy on team u.s.a. this month, i sent a letter to the u.s. olympic and paraolympic committee, asking them to forbid our athletes from accepting or using the digital yuan while competing in beijing. madam president, the threats are changing, and far too often, we see our allies and partners and even our own government ignoring those threats to preserve the status quo. you may be asking yourself why is so much of the world willing to look the other way when confronted with genocide in xinjiang or murdered protesters in hong kong?

it's because speaking up can be dangerous, especially when it comes to challenging the c.c.p. china boasts the most in-demand market in the world. in fact, it's such a gold mine that you will recall the nba ignored large-scale child abuse at its training camps in china, just to maintain access to broadcast advertising and merchandise revenue. through the belton road initiative, the chinese communist party has sunk its teeth into some of the most valuable tourist destinations on the face of the earth. on trade routes and strategic outposts, they've sold this program as an economic development initiative, but in reality this debt-track

diplomacy is really just an extortion scheme. once these countries fall into the trap, it is almost impossible to escape. even before the pandemic forced the u.s. into lockdown, i and several other of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle were ringing alarm bells about our supply chain security. china is the most dominant global source of rare earth minerals, technology infrastructure, and many active pharmaceutical ingredients. long story short, there's a lot on the line for the people of the united states. madam president, the cards are stacked against us. it would be really easy to protect that valuable status quo by ignoring human rights violations and extortion schemes and other overt attempts to make the world a little less free.

but as much as we would like it to be, freedom is not humanity's natural state. it is fragile. it falls victim to the weak and the power-hungry alike. and if we're not careful, yes, it will slip away like it has in so many other countries. freedom does have to be fought for, and we need our leaders to set the example. that means staying focused on not following the example of countries that have given up their freedom. we don't want to live out the authoritarian nightmare that the c.c.p. has created, but we also want to avoid becoming like nations that have already pawned their futures in pursuit of some grand socialist future.

i fear that our new majority has already lost touch with what the american people actually want. they sure don't want what the biden administration has been selling lately, i can definitely tell you that after a weekend in tennessee. they don't feel taken care of, but their feeling is if they are being manipulated. they want to know why president biden and the democratic majority keep trying to pawn off the freedom that makes us an example to the rest of the world in exchange for more government control that nobody asked for. i would encourage my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to remember that the american people entrusted them with the power that they're wasting on

these radical wish list items, and that power can be taken away just as easily as it was given. the american people want to make certain that we do as ronald reagan implored us to remember. and, madam president, as you know, last week i had that poster here on the floor. freedom is always one generation away from extinction. it is our responsibility to fight for it to pass it on. i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. mr. king: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: we're not in a quorum call. oh, the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i'd like to move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president, i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 257. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no.

the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, national labor relations board, gwynne a. wilcox of new york to be a member. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. 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 257, gwynne a. wilcox of new york to be a member of the national labor relations board, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye.

all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president, i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 258. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, national labor relations board, david m. prouty of maryland to be a member. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. 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 258, david m. prouty of maryland to be a member of the national labor relations board, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, july 26, be waived. the presiding officer: is there obj -- is there objection? without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the floor. 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, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 122, todd kim, of the district of columbia, to be an assistant

attorney general. signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. is it the sense of the senate that the debate on the nomination of todd todd, of the district of columbia, to be an assistant attorney general be waived? the yeas and nays have been ordered. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

are. the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 54, the nays are 40. the motion is agreed to. the senator from rhode island. mr. whitehouse: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the following nomination -- calendar number 165. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of defense, frank kendall iii of massachusetts to be secretary of the air force.

mr. whitehouse: i ask consent that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate and if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all without intervening action or debate, that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the question occurs on the nomination. all in favor say aye. opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nominations is confirmed. mr. whitehouse: that the senate proceed to legislative session and an senators be permitted to speak ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: the committees -- the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. whitehouse: i ask that the senate proceed to senate resolution 320, reported earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk

will report. the clerk: authorizing the taking of a photograph in the senate chamber. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. whitehouse: i further ask that the motion be agreed to. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. whitehouse: finally i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn at 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, and the morning hour be deemed expired, upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the kim nomination, further, that all postcloture time on the kim nomination expire at 11:30 a.m., if the nomination is confirmed, the nomination be considered and laid on the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, it is so ordered. mr. whitehouse: if there's no

mr. whitehouse: if there's no

gary shapiro president and ceo of the consumer technology association talked about maker under major tech policy including online free speech, antitrust and broadband access on the communicators tonight at eight eastern on c-span2. the house committee investigated the january 6 attack on the u.s. capital, held its first hearing on tuesday officers from the u.s. capitol police in washington metropolitan police department will tell members what they saw an experience from that day watch the hearing live tuesday beginning at 9:30 a.m. eastern on c-span3, online at

c-span.org or listen with the free c-span radio app ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> our guest is michael bender h wall street reporting and the author of the brand-new book frankly we did when the selection in the inside story of how trump lost, welcome to the "washington journal", let's start with the title of the book i wanted to play the short segment the wee hours of