of nemacolin, pennsylvania in greene county, right on the greene county-fayette county border. and it was that kind of community, a coal mining community as was most of greene county in those days. i think of this community from the perspective of my own ancestors' background -- i come from the other end of the state, all the way up in the northeastern part of the state, scranton, northeastern pennsylvania, also a coal community. lackawanna county, war bon -- carbon county, susquehanna county. they were the main counties that were producing anthrocite, hard coal. where rich and his family were

living was soft coal. in 1894 the great novelist stephen crane who was famous for among other novels, the red badge of courage, he visited a town near my hometown of scranton. he was at the time a very young man. i think he passed away at the age of 30. he was in his 20's when he wrote a long essay about visiting this coal mine, a beautiful description but a haunting description of what a coal mine was like in 1894. now, when rich trumka went into the mines in the late 1960's, of course, there were great advancements to protect workers, new technology, other protections that his ancestors and mine would not have benefited from. but you're still going underground. you're still going every day into that darkness, into that place of so many risks, what

steven crane called a place of inscrutable darkness, a soundless place of tangible loneliness. that's how he described his first impression of a coal mine when crane was just in his 20's. later he described all the ways you could die in that coal mine, what he called the hundred perils of dying in a coal line. of course, this is in the context of the 1890's, but said, there is an insidious, silent enemy in the gas. if the huge fan wheel on top of the earth should stop for a brief period, there is certain death. if a man escapes the gas, the floods, the squeezes of falling rock, the scarce shooting through little -- the cars shooting through little tunnels, the hundreds perils that usually

comes to him in minor's asthma that shakes and rakes him into the grave. he was talking to what they used to call minor's asthma in the old, old days. rich trumka understood that. his own family members had died from that same -- had that same cause of death. it wasn't some theory or some passage he read in a history book or even a passage that he might have read from steven crane. he lived it. his father and his grandfather and his extended family in his community lived it. and that awareness, that understanding of danger in the workplace, that understanding of suffering that workers still face today in different contexts but certainly faced in a coal mine all those years ago, that's

part of who he was. and to understand rich trumka and his contributions to american working men and women, you have to understand where he came from, those roots. so i'm thinking about that today because of the connection to my own region of pennsylvania, really the connection to my own family. i'm far removed from it. we had, i guess, four generations before me working the coal mines, but it kind of stopped when my grandfather worked there as a child and then was able to escape the mines. these were people who not only understood labor and suffering and contribution to their community, these were people who kept their promises. that's why we fought so hard just a couple of years ago --

the presiding officer was one of the people waging this battle -- to get health care benefits for retired miners. they waited year after year after year, and we finally had a breakthrough. and one of the points, one of the arguments we were making is these miners that kept their promise, they were told by their country, by their government, the federal government, that those benefits would be there for them, and the federal government was not at that time keeping its promise. so you had miners who had kept their promise to their country, sometimes serving in combat in world war ii or the korean war or vietnam and iraq and afghanistan, but also keeping their promise to their employer to work every day in the most dangerous job in the world, and of course they kept their promise to their family. so rich trumka knew what it meant to make a commitment and to keep your promise, to never

break faith with those to whom you had made the promise. and that's why workers all over the country trusted him. they knew that he came from them, that he understood their struggles, and that a. kept his -- and that he kept his promises. so to understand the life of rich trumka and what he meant to this country, what he meant to workers,you have to understand his roots in the coal mines. how about his work? well, it was a lifetime of fighting battles tooth and nail for workers, first for coal miners and then for workers across the board represented by the afl-cio. and there's no way, if i had a half an hour or several hours, there's no way i could encapsulate his work leading the afl-cio. so i won't try to do that. but suffice it to say, if there was a battle on health care or

pensions or the minimum wage or the right to organize and bargain collectively, rich trumka was at the center of it, often the leader of all those battles. and it's noteworthy -- and this of course applies to rich trumka but also any labor organizations, or any labor leader -- often fighting battles for the rest of us, battles that they had already won. rich trumka was trying to preserve the protections of the affordable care act. and yet as the leader of the afl-cio, unions have already bargained and negotiated for health care benefits. but he knew that other people who were not members of a union needed that protection, needed the protection and the security that a family would need that the affordable care act would provide. the minimum wage -- another

example. unions have already bargained for their wage, almost in every instance higher than the minimum wage. but there they were and there he was, rich trumka, on the street marching and battling for an increase in the minimum wage, even though his entire membership already had a higher wage, always helping those who didn't have power. so, mr. president, it's difficult on a day like today to be comprehensive, in a recitation of all that rich trumka contributed to working men and women and by extension our country. our best tribute is not what we'll say in a floor speech sore a statement or -- or a statement or even in a eulogy, as important as those words are, as important as toss pay tribute. maybe the best tribute of all

that we can contribute, that we can offer in memory of rich trumka is to keep up the work, to pick up the banner and keep marching, keep fighting, and we have one of those opportunities in the next few months in the opportunity that presents itself in the form of a piece of legislation that senator murray talked about from the floor today and she has led the fight on -- the pro act, the protect the right to organize act, that rich trumka spent his whole life -- or i should say the most recent years of his life trying to enact into law. so our tribute to him should be to pass that piece of legislation. so, mr. president, let me conclude with condolences for rich's family, especially his wife, barbara, and his son, and the men and women of the afl-cio

who have lost a leader but, more importantly, have lost a friend, someone who would walk with them in every battle. may it be said of all of us that we will walk those same battle lines with them. with that, mr. president, i will yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. mr. wicker: i ask unanimous consent that senator shaheen and i be allowed to engage in a colloquy. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. wicker: thank you, mr. president. senator shaheen, the portman- sinema substitute provides in title 1 of the division on broadband that, and i quote, nothing in this title may be construed to authorize the assistant secretary or the national telecommunications and

information administration to regulate the rates charged for broadband service, unquote. it is my understanding that an agreement was made among the bipartisan group that no rate regulation of broadband services would be authorized or permitted by ntia or the assistant secretary, who leads the ntia, as part of the state broadband grants program. is it the senator's understanding that the language i just quoted accomplishes that goal? mrs. shaheen: senator wicker, that is my understanding. wick welcome -- mr. wicker: i thank the senator and i yield the floor. mrs. shaheen: thank you. ms. lummis: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming is recognized. wyoming thank you, mr. president. i want to say a few words about the wyden-lummis-toomey amendment that is ready for the senate to vote on tonight.

america is at its core a country of innovators. it's written into our d.n.a. it's why we were the first country to develop a computer, land on the moon, and develop the internet. right now our financial system is evolving before our eyes, much in the same way that the internet first began to find a foothold in the mid-1990's. distributed ledgers, digital assets and other forms of financial technology are in the early stages of transforming the way we share and store value. these technologies have the potential, if implemented properly, to create a vast, new economic opportunity, reduce systemic risk in our economy, and provide for faster payments and create a more inclusive

financial system. these are principles that all americans can agree on. america has a heritage of being the global leader in financial services, and this has created enor husband wealth -- enormous wealth and opportunity in this nation. but we must be careful not to rest on our laurels. america's leadership in the global economy is a privilege, not a right. and one we must earn through innovation and hard work. europe, china, singapore, and other nations have a headstart on the united states in implementing financial technology and integrating it into their economies. we have a window to catch up because the u.s. dollar is still the world's reserve currency and because our central role in

payments and the capital markets put us there. but let's not make a mistake here. we still have a lot of catching up to do. the digital asset reporting provisions in the infrastructure bill is one of the first times the senate has been required to grapple with the opportunities and risks of digital assets. thank you, senator portman, for bringing attention to this very important issue. the issue of ensuring tax compliance in the digital asset markets. everyone should be paying the taxes they owe under the law, and i support the spirit of this provision. i also want to thank senator portman for his willingness to work with me over the last week to make changes to the language currently in the bill. it's come a long way. but even with these changes, it isn't quite ready to become law.

the wyden-lummis-toomey amendment is very simple. it clarifies in law what most of us already believe -- that validaters of distributed ledger data like miners and stakers, hardware wallet providers and software developers, should be required to report transactional data to the internal revenue service. this is common sense. the most important thing this amendment does is say in plain english what the law means. this is so important to start-ups, small business owners and ordinary americans who want to take a risk on their ideas. in many cases, these americans can't hire a fancy lawyer to tell them what applicated -- what a complicated law means. the amendment makes clear that congress is about to have a real important debate on the legal

status of digital assets as securities or commodities and the appropriate regulatory framework in which to house digital assets. we must make sure that the validaters of distributed ledger assets, like miners and stakers and software developers are not in a position to report transaction data to the internal revenue service. mr. president,t is the first step in a long journey towards america renewing its commitment to innovation and retaining its role as the leader in the global economy. this is why chairwoman -- chairman wyden, ranking member toomey, and i brought this amendment forward. it's because we care deeply about the future of american innovation, and we want to see thoughtful debate and good public policy around these issues. i'm very thankful to chairman wyden, ranking member toomey,

senator sinema, senator portman, and others for allowing us to have this debate today. it will be the first of many in the coming years. i urge my colleagues to thoughtfully consider senate amendment 2498 and to support it when it comes up for a vote. thank you, mr. president. i yield back.

mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, we are working on an agreement, as you know, we've been working all day. but we aren't there yet, as work continues on the agreement, i am filing cloture on both the substitute and the underlying bill for a saturday vote. if we come to an agreement yet tonight, which is our preference, we will have additional votes on amendments. i believe we're very close to an agreement and see no reason why we can't complete this important bipartisan bill. so i urge both sides to continue working diligently to make it happen. now, i send a cloture motion to otodesk. 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 debate on the sinema substitute amendment to calendar number 100, h.r. 36 4,an act to authority funds for federal-aid highways, transit programs and for other purposes, signed by 19 senators as follows -- mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i send is 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 debate on calendar number 100, h.r. 3684, an act to authorize funds forbe federal-aid highways, highway safety programs, and transit programs and for other purposes, signed by 19 senators as follows -- he 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, thursday, august 5, be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous

consent that if cloture is invoked on executive calendar 25, the lee nomination, all postcloture time be yielded back and that notwithstanding rule 22, the senate vote on confirmation at a time to be determined by the majority leader in consultation with the republican leader, not before saturday, august 7, 2021. that if confirmed, the the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, the president be immediately notified of the senate's action, and the senate then resume legislative session. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. schumer: i ask that the senate vote -- the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask that the senate vote on cloture as under the previous order. and this vote -- i know that members are probably not all here right now, so we'll keep it open for a little while. but i urge members to get here soon. 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 debate on the

nomination of executive calendar number 250, eunice c. lee of new york to be united states circuit judge for the second psyched, signed by 17 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 eunice c. lee of new york to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are manned trid under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

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the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas a 50, the nays are 49 and the motion is agreed to. cloture having been invoked, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. eunice c. lee of new york to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit. mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president,

now we've worked long, hard, and collaboratively to finish this important bipartisan bill. the senate has considered 22 amendments during this process, and we've been willing to consider many more. in fact, we've been trying to vote on amendments all day but have encountered numerous objections from the other side. however, we very much want to finish this important bill so we will reconvene saturday at noon to vote on cloture and then we will follow the regular order to finish the bill. i yield the floor. ms. sinema: i want to commend commie colleagues for the work we've done over the past four years, considering 22 amendments. while we weren't able to agree on additional amendments today, i also look forward to us

reconvening on sat did i and proceeding under regular order to finish what will be an historic legislation both in its bipartisan nature and that the impact it will have on our country. thank you, mr. president. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent to vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following nominations en bloc -- calendar number 143, 144, 145, 272, that the senate vote on the nomination en bloc without intervening action or debate, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that any statements related to the nominations be printed in the record and that the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions and that the senate resume

legislative session. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the question on the nominations en bloc. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nominations are confirmed en bloc. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for first degree amendments to the substitute amendment number 2137 in the underlying bill h.r. 3684 be at 11:15 am and second degree amendments at 11 schon 55 a.m. on saturday, august 7. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 69, s. 610. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 69, s. 610, a bill to address

behavioral health and well-being among health care professionals. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the murray-burr amendment at the desk be agreed to, the committee-reported substitute amendment as amended be agreed to. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask that the bill as amended be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i know of no further debate on the bill as amended. the presiding officer: if there is no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill as amended. all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill as amended is passed. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 86, s. 1041. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 86, s. 1041, a bill to advance the strategic alignment of the united states diplomatic tools towards the realization of free, fair, and transparent elections in nicarauga and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported amendment be agreed to. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the bill as amended be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i know of no further debate on this measure. the presiding officer: if there is no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill as amended.

all those in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill as amended is passed. mr. schatz: i ask that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 110, s. 812. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 110, s. 812, a bill to direct the secretary of state to develop a strategy to regain observer status for taiwan and the world health organization and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on veterans' affairs be discharged from further consideration of s. 1031 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 1031, a bill to require the comptroller general of the united states to conduct a study on disparities associated with race, ethnicity with respect to certain benefits administered by the secretary of veterans affairs, and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the committee on veterans affairs be discharged from further consideration on h.r. 1448 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h.r. 1448, an act to direct the secretary of veterans affairs to carry out a pilot program on dog training therapy and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i know of no further debate on this bill. the presiding officer: if there's no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill. all in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill is passed. mr. schatz: i ask consent that the motions reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: 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 the titles of the bill for the first time en bloc. the clerk: s. 2670, a bill to provide for redistricting, reform, and for other purposes. s. 2671, a bill to amend the federal election campaign act of 1971 and so forth and for other purposes. mr. schatz: i now ask for a second reading and i object to my own request all en bloc. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the bills will be read for the second time on the next legislative day. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the filing deadline for second-degree amendments be at 11:45 a.m. on saturday, august 7. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today. it adjourn until 11:00 a.m. saturday, august 7. that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be

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 h.r. 3684. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: 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 11:00 a.m. on saturdayship of w.

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