amount. and in addition to that, the 9 the 0 90% of it's paid for. folks, we have to think big. thinking small is a prescription for disaster. we're going to get this done. this nation's going to come together and we're going to beat this climate change. thank you. >> mr. president-- [inaudible] [inaudible conversations] >> the senate is about to gavel in to work on nomination of the undersecretary of education. a confirmation vote is expected at 11:30 eastern and lawmakers

will work on judicial nominations and next week voting reform legislation. next live to 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, who by your glorious power brought hope into our lives, fill our lawmakers with your peace. in the intricate challenges they face, provide them with the ability to persevere through life's storms, lord, may they

experience a peace because of their palpable connection with your divine presence. in your boundless compassion, be for them a shade by day and a defense by night. give them the wisdom to please you by striving to live blameless lives. we pray in your merciful 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., september 14, 2021. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable raphael warnock, a senator from the state of georgia, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: mr. president, we have a busy day in store for the senate as we aim to hold a number of important votes before the start of yom kippur. today we will vote to advance four presidential nominations. first we'll confirm james kvaal to be under secretary of education. we'll also confirm both david

estudillo and angel kelly to serve as district judges in washington and massachusetts respectively. this afternoon, we will also advance the nomination of ms. veronica rossman of colorado who has been nominated by president biden to sit on the tenth circuit court of appeals. ms. rossman has spent practically her entire legal career in public service as a federal defender, giving a voice in the courtroom to those who often cannot afford legal representation. she is also an immigrant who fled russia with her parents as a child after her family endured anti-semitic persecution in their home country. she understands personally the damage faced by those who endure discrimination. if confirmed, ms. rossman would be the only federal defender to sit on the tenth circuit, one of the few in the entire country. i am proud to have nominated iew

niece lee to the second -- nominated eunice lee to the second circuit in new york. she, too, was a defender. like so many other of president biden's judicial nominees, ms. rossman would bring a sorely needed perspective to our courts. the more we work to reflect the diversity of this country, both demographic and professional, the more we will strengthen the public's trust in our judicial system. now, secondly, today the senate democrats will also continue work to turn president biden's build back agenda into law, build back better agenda into law. it bears repeating. this is a historic effort. this is not just a simple -- another piece of legislation. we're laying the foundation for another century of american prosperity. just like the great society and the new deal before it, our

legislation will bring transformational change to help build ladders so that those can climb up into the middle class while making it easier for those already in the middle class to enjoy that middle-class life and stay there. too many in the middle class worry they're going to slip out with all the changes occurring in our society. we strengthen their ability to stay. and too many who are trying to climb those ladders find the ladders steep and unavailable. we are providing those ladders so they can get there, too. it's strong, bold, important legislation, and it's really a privilege to be here in the senate and consider something as strong and bold as this. later today, our caucuses -- our caucus will discuss the latest elements of the reconciliation bill. working with our colleagues in the house, we will have met the target date of september 15 set in the budget resolution for

producing text to review. i expect our committee chairs will provide an overview of all the work that each of their committees have done over the last four weeks in crafting legislative text, and the entire caucus will have the chance to offer feedback so we can continue to move this process forward. this will continue to be a collaborative process. everyone, everyone is going to have input into this legislation. but, of course, our unity is our strength, and if we're not unified with 50 votes, we can't get anything done, so we all must come together. now, i'm pleased to say after working weeks over the summer on our reconciliation bill, we are making great progress towards bringing the bill to the floor. now while democrats are fighting to strengthen the middle class, our republican colleagues unfortunately are resorting to the same tired, predictable objections they raise about

practically any democratic proposal. rather than explain why they oppose supporting families or expanding health care or taking action on climate change, they have spent the last several months recycling old accusations about, quote, liberal wish lists, and rather than engage our policies on the merits and have a real debate, too be often they have raised unwarranted and incorrect points about how these programs will impact inflation. i remind my colleagues of a report released not long ago by the chief economist at moody's analytics, mr. mark standi. when mr. standi examined democrats' two legislative proposals, our infrastructure bill and our build back better legislation, he concluded these packages would provide a massive boost to our economy. specifically, he said our program would, quote, lift the economy's longer term growth potential and would lift productivity and labor force growth. that is our proposal.

we will do exactly what we say it will do according to this impartial arbiter, mark stand i. as -- mark zandi. as for the republicans' overheated rhetoric on legislation, mr. zandi dismissed such concerns as overdone and said our two infrastructure bills are designed to ease, his words, inflation pressures. let me repeat that. according to moody's top economist, hardly a fervent liberal, the democrat proposals will actually ease inflation pressures, not raise them. when you strengthen worker productivity, when you increase supply chains. you push to inflation decreases, decreases. and he also says in the long term it would help grow our economy so that more americans can get to and stay in the middle class. compare that to the signature accomplishment that senate republicans pushed when they were in charge, a massive

corporate -- a massive tax break for corporations and the wealthy that did little to help everyday americans. and that's the difference between a democratic majority and a republican one. we're fighting to strengthen american workers and american families. republicans seem only worried about protecting those at the very top. and in addition to those with inflationary concerns, we're going to pay for our proposal. the trump tax cuts, which every republican voted for, created a $2 trillion deficit. so let's be realistic here. let's be honest here. the charges of runaway inflation are just wrong, especially when you consider we're paying for it when republicans were so willing to tax the rich without paying for the other ones. another thing you care care a great deal about, voting rights.

all year long, senate democrats have committed to passing legislation to protect the most sacrosanct right in our democracy, the right to vote. on two occasions, senate democrats voted unanimously to begin debate in the senate on this critical issue, and both times republicans formed a wall of total opposition against any progress on voting rights in the united states senate. but republicans' refusal to work with us is no excuse for not getting something done. so later today, my colleague, senator klobuchar, along with senators kaine, king, manchin, merkley, padilla, tester, and warnock, will be introducing the freedom to vote act, a compromise voting rights bill that i intend to schedule a vote on in the very near future. to piece this bill together, i'm proud to have convened and worked with eight members of my caucus, four progressives and four moderates, in bringing this

bill to fruition. the compromise proposal contains many of the important provisions of previous voting rights bills championed by senate democrats, particularly by my colleague, senator merkley. it will protect the right to vote, put a stop to partisan gerrymandering, end the scourge of dark money in our politics. critically, the legislation also incomp rates -- incorporates important feedback from election officials and includes new measures to promote greater voter confidence in our elections while stopping partisan election. this is a good proposal, one that nobody in this chamber should oppose. my colleague, senator manchin, is working with republicans to secure support -- to secure support for the bill, and we look forward to hearing what changes they might make on legislation. i applaud senator manchin for his work here. he has always said that he wants to try and bring begins on, and

now with the support of democrats in this compromise bill, which senator manchin had great input into, he can go forward in that regard. the fact of the matter is that this is -- the fact of the matter is that this legislation is critical for stopping some of the most egregious assaults against voting rights happening at the state level. a few weeks ago the governor of texas signed one of the most sweeping voter suppression bills in the entire country. it comes on the heels of other restrictions sprouting across the country. for amending election day registration in montana, limiting after-hour drop boxes in florida. even making it a crime to give food and water to voters at the polls in georgia. no one, no one can look at these restrictions with a straight face and say they have a legitimate purpose. they have only one goal. it's a despicable goal. it's a nasty goal. making it harder for younger,

poorer, non-white and typically democratic voters to access the ballot. republicans lost the election. biden is president. i'm majority leader. instead of doing what you're supposed to do in a democracy, win over the people you didn't win before, they're trying to stop the people who didn't vote for them from voting. that is autocratic, antidemocratic, small d, and not what america is all about. it's a new phase of what used to be called jim crow. the freedom to vote act is a necessary step to put an end to these assaults on the franchise. as majority leader, it's my intension to hold a vote on this bill as soon as next week. as i mentioned. now, finally, on the debt ceiling, in the long history of our country, the long, long history, the united states has never defaulted on its obligations to pay its debts.

the full faith and credit of the united states has been the bedrock of our country's economic prosperity, a spotless record that both parties have years -- for years have worked together to preserve, no matter who was president, democrat or republican. in the past the other party always stepped up to the plate and said we can't let the country default. most recently when president trump was in office, democrats stepped up on three separate occasions to work with republicans to suspend the debt ceiling and continue to ensure that the u.s. was able to pay its bills, even when there was a democratic majority in the house. we did not resort to hostage taking or proclaim that it was the over side's responsibility -- other side's responsibility. we simply knew when it came to the debt ceiling, it was important to put aside political differences and act responsibly, no matter who sits in the oval office. we know that failing to raise the debt ceiling would be as the republican leader has said in the past, when you trump was

president and he was arguing that democrats should join him, would be a disaster. well, if anything that's an understatement. just yesterday one top forecaster said that, quote, a failure to raise the debt limit would have serious negative consequences. so in the immediate future we need to raise the debt ceiling again. as in previous instances, it must, must be a bipartisan endeavor. and the reason is simple. we have to get this done but much of the recent debt we need to pay for was incurred during the trump administration. in fact, president trump added nearly $8 trillion to the national debt, $5.5 trillion of which was since the last time the debt limit was suspended until trump's final day in office. so in other words, $5.5 trillion of this debt is totally under republican management in a sense because trump was the president

and speaker -- leader mcconnell was the majority leader. democrat, we got that -- that's when the debt was created with republican vote, lots of republican votes. both sides led by a republican senate, as i said, incurred much of this debt. senators from both parties overwhelmingly voted in support of the many laws that contributed to this obligation. so neither party can wash its hands of responsibility to pay the bills. mcconnell keeps talking -- leader mcconnell keeps talking about the new spending that democrats have done. that's not this debt. this debt, $5.5 trillion was all under trump and when mcconnell was the -- leader mcconnell was the majority leader. but some republicans recklessly, irresponsibly, so overwhelmingly politically seem eager to push our economy to the brink of total catastrophe by suggesting that they will oppose any effort

to raise the debt ceiling. and rather than urging his colleagues to immediately drop this reckless idea, the republican leader, shame on him, seems to be giving it his blessing if not promoting it. if the united states defaults on its debt, it will harm every single american in this country, including potentially those who rely on social security and the members of our military. the consequences would reverberate around the world and it would cause irrepublicannable harm to the "boston global" economy at at time when we're working to lift ourselves out of a pandemic. so any efforts to play nasty political games with the full faith and credit of the united states is reckless, irresponsible, despicable. it could pose permanent damage to the u.s. economy and is a complete nonstarter. in america when it's time to pay the bills, we do it without exception. i yield the floor and note the

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

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader is recognized. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: here's a quote, mr. president, to start the day. i do think we're at a very serious danger of repeating almost all of the mistakes of the 1960's and early 1970's. that, mr. president, is larry summers, the senior adviser to two democratic presidents about the risk of inflation we face today. as one reported claim, quote, the former treasury secretary has been warning since february that president joe biden's big spending agenda was creating the risk of an inflation spike this

year potentially cutting into the economic recovery from the covid-19 pandemic. end quote. but washington democrats have spent trillions, trillions of dollars on pet liberal projects. they've been printing and wasting money like there's no tomorrow. and american families are hurting as a result. inflation has more than overtaken the average worker's wage growth since last year. employers are raising wages higher and higher, but their workers' paychecks go less and less far. families' incomes and savings are eroding right before their eyes. democrats have done this proudly, proudly on a party-line basis. back in 2020 during the covid emergency, congress worked across party lines to massachusettsive rescue packages that republicans massive rescue

packages that republicans and democrats had written together. virtually every serious expert agreed that after the last relief bill that we passed in december, the economy was primed and ready to go. but our democratic colleagues wanted more. like they admitted from the start of the pandemic, they wanted to use the crisis to, quote, restructure things to fit their vision. end quote. from a temporary emergency to permanent socialism. they bragged the partisan bill they passed in march was the most left-wing legislation in american history. now they want to dwarf that bill with reckless taxing and spending spree that would cost trillions more and bury the country in job-killing tax hikes. when it comes to spending and the economy, president biden's, speaker pelosi and the democratic leader have made a

conscious decision they don't want partners. they want to go along. well, with one exception, just one exception. no, republicans won't have any input into the massive reckless taxing and spending spree that will stick middle-class families with higher costs, lower wages, and a socialist country they didn't vote for. but democrats do want republicans help with just one thing. they want us to help raise the credit limit to make it happen. they want us to help clear the path for their partisan job-killing agenda which we oppose. so let's make this perfectly clear in case anybody is in doubt. the debt suspension that just expired in august automatically covered the borrowing that had been accumulated before that date. this is a discussion about the

future. this isn't the last four years when we were reaching bipartisan agreement, bipartisan appropriations, and bipartisan covid bills. dbilitys have made a -- democrats have made a different choice. they want to make policy all by themselves. so they can come up with the financing on their own as well. the democratic leader has every tool and procedure they need to handle the debt limit on a partisan basis. just like they're choosing to handle everything else. now, mr. president, on a completely different matter, providing for the common defense, protecting the american people, it's one of the fundamental responsibilities our founders entrusted to the federal government. it's the core obligation of the commander in chief. yet to a deadly degree, a parade of mistakes in afghanistan tells

us president biden and his team have failed this most basic test of competence. for 20 years the united states has successfully kept terrorists from staging another major attack on our homeland. over the years we've reduced our own military presence in afghanistan, secured greater assistance from foreign partners, and supported local afghan forces who did the vast majority of the fighting. this strategy kept al qaeda on the run. it kept the taliban from taking control. and it kept afghanistan from becoming a safe haven for te terror. in only a matter of months president biden and his team have squandered all of that, squandered it. the collapse we witnessed wasn't inevitable. it didn't happen on its own. it happened because president biden pulled the plug on our

afghan partners and pulled the plug -- pulled the rug out from under our alives who were with us -- our allies who were with us in this shared fight. everyone seems to realize this is a historic disaster for the united states except maybe the president and his loyal retainers. secretary blinken points to the frantic evacuation of a hundred thousand desperate people as a huge success. seriously? they initially didn't envision having to evacuate anyone. the number of people evacuated is not a metric of success for this administration. it's a measure of their failure. back in april my colleague, the democratic leader, he praised on what he called president biden's quote, careful and thought out plan with a real timetable and a firm end date. end quote. does he stand by this lavish

praise for this careful and thoughtout plan? crickets. was it to abandon the air base in the middle of the night without telling our partners? was it careful and prudent to tie our departure with 9/11. this cost more american lives than nearly the prior two years combined. and make no mistake, the war against terror hasn't ended. far, far from it. in a rare moment of candor, the biden administration's own experts admitted explicitly that we will face new terrorist threats from inside afghanistan sooner rather than later.

we'll have to face a more entrenched and emboldened enemy with fewer resources, fewer friends and more constraints. so, mr. president, virtually every reason and advantage that president biden said this policy would bring about has already proven absolutely false. the administration said leaving afghanistan would let us focus more resources on china, but it's catastrophic retreat has tied up even more resources, including strategic naval assets from the indo-pacific. and while the administration's officials are consumed -- consumed with this catastrophe, china is cultivating deeper ties with the taliban. the administration told us our military and intelligence community could keep terrorists at bay with over-the-horizon

capabilities, but longer distances, fewer assets and less intelligence are already taking their toll and innocent civilians appear to be paying the price. even still, the white house continues to pedal ms. leading -- misleading comparisons, ignoring keeping close eyes on a land locked government thousands of miles from u.s. bases. administration officials like to say there's no imminent threat posed by al qaeda emanating from afghanistan. but their abandment of afghanistan has already let that let it grow and we will have fewer resources with which to confront the gathering threat. according to the press, just this morning the deputy director of the c.i.a. acknowledged they are seeing al qaeda terrorists

flowing back into afghanistan and our intelligence capabilities are already diminished. but there's a larger pattern of broken promises of the president said everyone hob wanted to get out -- who wanted to get out would be able to do so. that we would leave no one behind. instead we left americans and vulnerable afghans behind. secretary blinken said that the taliban committed to allow afghans and americans back to the airport. instead we know that americans and afghans were prevented from getting to the airport. many still cannot leave. the administration said we'd have tremendous leverage over the taliban. that they would need international recognition and funding. yet the taliban doesn't seem to be terribly concerned with global p.r.

the administration said they would hold the taliban accountable. they haven't. the administration seems to believe the taliban would establish an inclusive and representational government. look, we're talking about a government of medieval theocrats, the same killers, kidnappers and hostage takers who aided and abetted the terrorist architects of 9/11. well, their government is, however, inclusive in one way. it's inclusive in one way. listen to this. it includes four -- four of the guantanamo bay terrorists released by president obama in exchange for beau berdog, four

terrorists released by president obama in exchange for beau better better -- it includes a terrorist with blood on its hands, another top official in the new government. this is not at government that cares about staying in the good graces of the so-called international community. enough fluff, enough spin. it's time for hard truths and accountability. the biden administration's conduct over the past several months demands thorough investigation by the senate. that will begin with secretary blinken's hearing at the foreign relations committee today. i hope the secretary and the administration he represents are prepared to answer some tough questions about past decisions

as well as future plans. the american people and the partners we left behind deserve nothing less. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. the senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of education, james richard kvaal, of massachusetts, to be under secretary.

mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip is recognized. mr. thune: is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. thune: in a moment i want to talk about the situation in afghanistan, but before i do that, i just want to speak to something that the majority leader said earlier regarding some of the justice coming business that we have to deal with this fall. we have a whole series of deadlines in front of us. the fiscal year ends on september 30, meaning we have to at some point fund the government which would likely be in the form of a continuing resolution, we were told that the house of representatives when they send it over here will

include a debt limit increase. the debt limit does run out. we will hit that at some point. varying estimates of when that would be. some say as early as october or mid-november, but that will be upon us. and there is a discussion here about how that ought to be lifted and who ought to deliver the votes to get that done. and i just want to make the point, mr. president, that the majority leader, as he was down here making his remarks earlier, indicated that this was all debt that was accumulated during the previous administration and certainly there was some debt because obviously during the coronavirus pandemi expiration f

july, it reset and it covered -- it covered everything up until that point. what we're talking about now is raising the debt limit to accommodate trillions and trillions of new spending proposed by the democrats here in washington and by the president and his administration. and it strikes me at least that that being the case if the democrats on their own, without a sickle republican vote -- single republican vote and there won't be republican votes for the $3.5 trillion bill that they are talking about, which the

committee for a responsible budget says it is really $3.5 trillion, it is $5.5 trillion of new spending, massive expansion of the new government, financed some with tax increases, but inevitably some with adding to the debt that would make sense -- so the democrats are going to do that through reconciliation, which is a purely partisan exercise with only their votes that it could accommodate and increase the debt limit to pay for all that spending. i think that is a very this ands me at least sibs the democrats -- since the democrats have embarked upon this one-party rule approach, if they are going to spend another $3.5 trillion to $5.5 trillion that they ought to raise the debt limit to accommodate all that additional spending. and i think that's a reasonable way to approach this and i frankly think it's consistent if you look at what's happened in the past. the last time we raised the debt

limit was in the summer of 2019, but that was a bipartisan deal and it was a bipartisan deal that actually put caps on spending. we were limiting spending as we were raising the debt limit and republicans and democrats joined together at the time to do that. the spending that i said i referenced in march of 2020, the $4.5 trillion, thereabouts, that was spent on the response to the pandemic, was also bipartisan. in fact, so bipartisan it passed in the senate 96-0. does anybody here ever remember anything around here passing 96-0, particularly of that consequence? clearly -- clearly strong bipartisan support for doing something that needed to be done in response to the worst pandemic that we've seen in this country in a century. those were things that were done in a bipartisan fashion. now, this is an entirely different scenario and i don't think anybody can dispute the fact that the democrats, as they embark upon this $3.5 trillion

reckless tax and spending spree, and, again, other estimates, committee for responsible federal budget says it's not $3.5 trillion, it's actually $5.5 trillion when you look at the spendout and the various budget windows and time lines. let's say it is $3.5 trillion to $5.5 trillion, a massive amount of spending, none of which related to the coronavirus and all of it is part of a massive expansion of government which i have referred to on the floor as the free everything bill. literally cradle to grave the government, the federal government will take care of you. in addition to a lot of other left -- left-wing agenda priorities, a lot of green energy provisions, all sorts of things in this, mr. president, that are democrat priorities with no buy-in from republicans,

no attempt to reach out to republicans or do anything in a bipartisan way. this is a strictly, purely partisan exercise in which the democrats are trying to include things that have absolutely no relationship to spending debt or revenues which is what the reconciliation process is designed for, they are talking about doing immigration. immigration. major, major policy that needs to be done on a bipartisan basis that affects this country in a profound way. as we can see by the crisis at the border already. in the month of july already, it was a 124% increase this year the number of illegal crossings. it is a major consequential crisis and the democrats are going tro try and do something -- are going to try and do something to legalize people who are here illegally on a strictly partisan basis as part of the reconciliation bill.

this is a purely, purely partisan exercise done without any input from republicans and i don't think there's a single republican who ought to be pushed into or feel like they in any way feel like they need the support, the massive expansion of government we're talking about here, the trillions and trillions and trillions of dollars of new spending. that's what the debt limit is about. it's about raising the amount of debt that this country can borrow to pay for a massive expansion, reckless expansion of our government that moves us more in the direction of a western european social democracy rather than the american country that i think we all know and love. we have a ter taj built around -- heritage built around responsibility and to maintain a strong national defense. i think that's one thing that as we look at spending we can debris upon.

but this massive expansion of what they call social or human infrastructure is nothing more and nothing less than the biggest expansion of government we've seen literally in decades. and it will be financed with some tax increases which will harm the economy but also with additional debt. and that debt, the debt that is acquired for the huge runup in spending that will be supported purely by democrats through reconciliation, a procedure that is a partisan procedure, that ought to be paid for, that ought to be done by democratic votes and it can be done. it's perfectly. there's a way in which the reconciliation procedure can be used to raise the debt limit to pay for all the new spending that the democrats have in this bill. and so when they get down here and talk about how important it is this be bipartisan, well, it

would be one thing if there was a bipartisan negotiation going on, but there wasn't. the last time the debt limit was raised, it was. in 2019, at that time it was about caps. it was about reducing spending. there was a bipartisan agreement to reduce spending as the debt limit was being increased and the other thing i would mention, mr. president, in response to what the majority leader said earlier, is that the debt that was accumulated in the previous administration, much of which was done on a bipartisan basis in response to the biggest pandemic that this country has seen in 100 years, in march of 2020, $4.5 trillion of that debt was -- was put on the bill because of a bipartisan agreement that was reached, as i said earlier, 96-0. 96-0 was the vote here in the united states senate. so democrats want to go down this path. they want to spend, spend, spend

like there's no tomorrow, tax, tax, tax like there's no tomorrow. and borrow, borrow, borrow like there's no tomorrow. then they ought to pay, pay, pay with their votes when it comes to raising the debt limit and unfortunately handing the bill for that to our kids and grandkids. mr. president, 20 years ago on a clear september morning, the unthinkable happened, an attack on our nation here at home on our own soil. almost 3,000 americans died that daind our nation real -- and our nation reeled. we saw evil on september 11, but in the days and weeks that followed, we saw good as well. the first responders spend weeks going through the rubble, those americans who fought back against the terrorists on united flight number 93. there were hour-long lines for

blood donations the out of the ashes of the world trade center is came a new birth of patriotism and resolve. america might be bloodied, but she would not break. evil and terror would not win. the 9/11 generation of warriors and intelligence personnel took the fight to the terrorists in the middle east. they disrupted terrorist groups, thwarted attacks and hunted down and delivered justice to bin laden. it allowed a generation of afghans to grow up in freedom. i was honored to get to spend part of september 11 with members of the national guard, many of whom spent time overseas. as we marked the 20th anniversary of september 11 on

saturday, our soldiers and veterans should have been able to reflect on their successes in the fight against terrorism over the past two decades. but i know that today many of them are struggling with the recent events in afghanistan. the united states' disastrous, hasty withdrawal is a stain on our nation's history and the betrayal of the men and women who fought there. but i hope they know that their sacrifices and the sacrifices of their comrades were not in vain. as i said, their actions enabled a generation of afghans to grow up free from the oppressive hand of the taliban and kept the country from being a haven for al qaeda and other terrorists. despite the grim current situation in afghanistan, i'm convinced that the seeds of freedom sown by our military men and women will yet bear fruit on afghan soil. mr. president, i and many others warned that a total troop withdrawal in afghanistan that ignored conditions on the ground was going to be a strategic disaster, and it has been. the united states has

historically maintained a limited military presence in foreign countries when it is in our national security interest to do so. and with the presence of just 2,500 to 3,000 troops, we were maintaining stability for a country that was fighting to find its way toward freedom and democracy and simultaneously protecting the interest of our own country. all of that, of course, is now at an end. president biden's disastrous decision to completely withdraw u.s. troops on a timeline he announced to our enemies allowed the taliban to bide their time until our ultimate departure. american citizens are still trapped in afghanistan. thousands of afghans who worked with u.s. troops and u.s. intelligence are in grave danger. and afghanistan is well on its way to once again becoming a terrorist haven. in fact, the taliban has already appointed terrorists to stop the

top post in its new government. there is also reason to feel that government oppression will once again become the norm in afghanistan, particularly, particularly for women and girls. mr. president, we heard over and over again president biden was going to restore america's standing in the world and repair our relationships with our allies, particularly our nato allies. in fact, he has done the opposite. his afghanistan disaster is a national embarrassment. he failed our troops. he failed the american people. he failed our allies, and he failed the afghans who risked their lives with and for us. the parliament of a key u.s. ally, the united kingdom, condemned president biden in the strongest terms for his dishonorable withdrawal from afghanistan. the fact that we have left behind thousands of afghans who worked with our country and who we promised to protect is unconscionable. it is a stain on our country's

record we will not eastity be wiped away. and i hope, i really hope, that the president does everything within his power to get afghans who worked with us and any remaining u.s. citizens out of the country as soon as humanly possible. in the coming weeks, the relevant committees in the house and senate need to conduct thorough oversight and investigations to understand why this withdrawal was done in a manner that further empowered and strengthened the taliban and their al qaeda allies. we also need to discover why there was no effective plan to get our citizens and our afghan allies to safety. the scenes of chaos at the hamad karsai airport should never have happened, and we need to find out why they did. 13 brave americans died protecting our withdrawal.

11 marines, one sailor, and one sailor. it's hard not to wonder if their deaths could have been avoided had there been a better plan in place for evacuation. the families of these men and women and the american people deserve answers, and the biden administration must provide them. mr. president, the weeks of august, 2021, will live in infamy. the president's ill-considered, untimely withdrawal and ineffective plan to evacuate from afghanistan created a humanitarian crisis and the conditions that allowed the taliban to swiftly take over the country. the president's actions have helped condemn women and girls and the entire afghan people to once again live under pre-9/11 oppression. and he has emboldened terrorists and increased the security risk facing our nation. it's tragedy that all the good

we have done in afghanistan has come to this. mr. president, i yield the floor. i won't suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: thank you, mr. president. sometimes we don't all agree on things here in this chamber, but i think we can all agree that a quality education has the power to uplift and transform someone's life. it is the key to freedom and the key to opportunity. i know this because i've seen it firsthand. i've coached and mentored hundreds of student athletes over my 40-year career. i have witnessed the difference an education can make in the outcome of someone's life, how it truly creates a pathway to success. in fact, that's one of the reasons i was inspired to be an

advocate for better educational opportunities for all americans. because investing in our children's education is investing in our country. it's like putting a down payment on our country's future success by creating opportunity. i've recruited hundreds and hundreds of students from across our country. i have been in their homes. i've seen how they live. i've seen how they have grown up. unfortunately, for many children from difficult backgrounds, a large percent coming from one or no-parent homes, real opportunities can be hard to come by, very hard. regardless of what town that they lived in or what their family was like, i wanted my athletes to know that education

can open many, many doors. most of them understood and appreciated. as i have said many times before, the only thing that this country owes you as a citizen is an opportunity, and i still believe that's true. there's a lot that goes into making the decision to go to college. students often think that -- first about the cost. or they could be the first in their families to attend college. my parents didn't attend college. one worked in manufacturing. the other worked on a line. they were very supportive of my decision, but i still had to figure out a lot on my own. and it's a huge decision. but there's always the

question -- is this the right place for me. will this school provide me with a path forward for success and a productive future? many students across the country have turned to historical black colleges and universities, better known as hbcu's to answer these questions because of the pathway hbcu's provide. while they are respected for their strong traditions, hbcu's are the ultimate opportunity creators for students all across this country. serving nearly 300,000 students annually in 21 states and territories, hbcu's have made tuition costs more affordable, costing 30% less on average than other higher education institutions, and because of

that, 60% of the hbcu attend's are low-income, first-generation college students. hbcu's not only knock down barriers, but they build upon inherent potential of their attendees. i am proud that the great state of alabama is home to 13 hbcu's, the most of any state in the nation. these colleges are major contributors to communities across our state, producing more than 15,000 jobs annually for our local economies. and they also prepare students for the 21st century job market. let me tell you a bit about some of the great things that hcbu's in my state have accomplished. among their many contributions,

alabama hcbu's have helped to fill the continuing need for more african americans in stem, science, engineering, and math professions. for companies desperate to recruit for top-level stem roles, these colleges offer thousands of highly qualified candidates. as part of this effort, alabama state university offers the yrt science and engineering improvement program. this program focuses on giving undergrad stem students a chance at handson research and professional development opportunities. in fact, alabama state university just announced a new partnership with apple where it will become a center for coding and creativity. in montgomery, trinham state offers free stem courses for dual enrollment students to

allow high school students to get a jumpstart on their college careers. but it's also important to recognize that hbcu support, low-income first-generation college students in meeting and exceeding their post-secondary educational goals. alabama a&m university announced its new apprenticeship program for social work, the first of its kind by any hbcu in the country. this investment in our students and communities will help to ensure we will have more social workers to meet the needs of underserved that are in our population. tuskegee university, home of the renowned scientist george washington carver and the tuskegee airmen leads the country in african american aerospace science engineer

graduates, leads the country. oakwood university in huntsville is one of the top universities sending minority undergraduate students to medical schools. and just this year the achievements of two stillman college students and two talladega college students were recognized by the white house as part of the prestigious hbcu scholars program. traditional four-year degrees aren't suited for everyone. i noticed that in my years of coaching. everybody does not need to go to a four-year university. and alabama hbcu's have a strong tradition of empowering students through their vocational and technical programs that they offer. in as little as six months a student at lawson state community college in birmingham can launch a career, just in six months.

their vocational programming provides low-cost fast-track avenues for students to gain subject matter expertise in industries like hvac work and building construction. meanwhile, gaston community college is working to make a new advanced manufacturing center. part of its future, to help prepare students for the roles that manufacturing industry will be filling in the coming years. finally, we've repeatedly seen that when alabama hbcu's collaborate with local businesses and government agencies, communities thrive, innovation occurs, and progress is made. shelton state's fire college is responsible for training paid vol, volunteer firefighters and e.m.t.'s. bishop state community college just partnered with alabama power to offer a nine-week

electric line worker training program. only nine weeks. the graduates of this new program will be the power restoration experts that people rely on in times of need, such as a hurricane which we have just gone through several in the last few months in the south. drake state created a satellite tracking station in partnership with nasa and an amateur radio station that serves as fema's relay station during weather watch activities. and throughout its history, miles college has a strong relationship with surrounding communities, promoting racial equality for african americans. during the civil rights era, president l luau owe lucas pits helped negotiate race relations and supported student desires to participate in nonviolent protests. overcoming decades of adversity

and opposition, hbcu's continue to be competitive, educational institutions with programs for students who want higher education, career tech training, or to position themselves for better employment opportunities. we need to honor accomplishments by the hbcu's and celebrate their significant contributions to our society. over the last decade, my colleague senator tim scott from south carolina has been focused on doing just that. i'm thankful to have joined him the last month to introduce a resolution to formally designate the week of september 6 as national hbcu week because their work and the work of their leaders, these institutions are deserving of national recognition.

last week during national hbcu week, there were many tributes about the work of these great colleges and universities, about the impact they have made in the lives of so many people across this country and the impact they made on many, many lives. while this week was a chance to recognize the many ways hbcu's contribute to our society, our recognition shouldn't stop at one week. we should honor their work by continuing the conversation for how we can support these institutions for years and years to come. hbcu's have given the gift, a gift of education and an opportunity to so many in alabama and across our nation. i hope my colleagues join me and senator scott in recognizing

their tremendous, tremendous impact on a lot of young lives of people all across our country. mr. president, i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. hawley: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that i along with senator moran and senator murray be permitted to complete our remarks before the scheduled roll call vote. the presiding officer: is there an objection? seeing none, without objection. mr. hawley: mr. president, i'm here today to talk about the crisis in afghanistan and honor the distinguished service of those who gave the last full measure of their devotion protecting americans there. for the last month americans have watched horrified at the

scenes of chaos and terror and bloodshed, americans trapped at the kabul airport terrified as the enemy closed in. innocent civilians fleeing for their lives abandoned by their government. a young man desperately clinging to a departing plane's landing gear. he was so desperate to escape only to fall then to his tragic death. 13 marines, the pride of our nation, cut down by terrorists never to see home again. and then as american planes finally departed, hundreds of american civilians left behind to the enemy. let me say that again. hundreds of american civilians left behind to the enemy. and after all of that, who can forget the image of the president of the united states

declaring this mission that he planned, that he executed, that he oversaw, this mission that left 13 marines dead, that left hundreds of american civilians behind enemy lines, this mission that resulted in chaos and terror and bloodshed, who can forget this president saying that the mission was, and i quote, extraordinarily successful. an extraordinary success. really? as a commander in chief in american history -- has a commander in chief in american history ever before uttered words like that? has a commander in chief ever celebrated as successful, successful the abandonment of american civilians to an enemy? the death of american soldiers, the terrorizing of american citizens and american allies?

i hope i will not live to ever hear again in my lifetime such shameful and disgraceful words from a president of the united states. and make no mistake, this president is a disgrace. his behavior is disgraceful. he has dishonored this country with his shameful leadership in this crisis. and it is time for him to resign. and if he had the responsibility of leadership, he would resign. for the crisis that he has himself led this nation into and the responsibility he bears for the lives that have been lost and for the american citizens who are even now as i speak trapped in afghanistan, left to the enemy because of his fai failures and his shameful, disgraceful leadership. mr. president, even the shameful performance of america's leaders cannot disguise or cover over

the heroism of america's soldiers. and i want to talk about one of those soldiers now. he was a marine corps lance corporal named jared schmitz. he was from missouri. he was from wentsville in st. charles county to be exact. and he had wanted to be a marine since he was a teenager. lance corporal schmitz was only six months old when terrorists attacked this country on september 11, 2001. he wasn't old enough to remember the beginnings of this long war in which he would go on to so valiantly serve. he had only graduated from high school from fort zumwalt high school in 2019. jared signed up to join the marines shortly before his 18th birthday. he had dreamed of it since before his sophomore year. he began training with recruits

even before he enlisted. he wanted to serve this nation because he was a man who served others. his father said jared was always smiling nonstop. he brought light and hope to every place he went. and he wanted to bring those gifts in service to his country. and he did. he was a fine marine. he was sent on his first deployment to jordan earlier this year and then received orders to afghanistan. jared schmitz, lance corporal schmitz was there on august 26, there at the kabul airport doing his duty, serving his country, smiling nonstop when the enemy attacked. and it was there that lance corporal schmitz, age 20, gave his life for the people he loved and for the nation he served.

he died that others might live. i had the privilege of speaking to lance corporal schmitz' family just hours after he learned of jared's death. i said this to them, and i promised that i would say it for the whole nation, that jared schmitz lived a life of honor. he lived a life worth living. and his sacrifice was not in vain. jared didn't have to serve. he didn't have to deploy halfway around the world. he didn't have to stand protecting americans and other innocent people as disaster unfolded. he didn't have to do any of it. he chose to do it. he chose to serve. he chose to give his life for others. that's a hero. that's an american. lance corporal schmitz deserves this honor. he deserves this recognition.

frankly, it's the least of what he deserves. and so today i'm introducing in this body a resolution to honor lance corporal schmitz and all the missourians who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war in afghanistan. they will not be forgotten. over the last 20 years, we have often heard numbers used to describe the costs of this long war. $2 trillion spent, over 20,000 soldiers wounded in action and thousands more who came home with invisible wound and 2,461 american personnel who gave their very lives. in each of these numbers was a son, daughter, husband, wife, father or friend. they have names. they have lives and they deserve to be honored as this chapter of

american history con -- concludes i want to recognize each-my fellow americans who during the war in afghanistan made the ultimate sacrifice serving this nation. i ask that each of us reflect together and pray together for each of the fallen and their families who have sacrificed so much. who have sacrificed all they have to sacrifice. these men and women will live in our hearts and in the memory of this nation, they are christopher michael algire, michael chad bailey, brian jay brad berry, jacob russell carver, joseph brian kemper, robert keith tarlton, richard michael crane, robert wayne

crowe jr., justin eric cullbirth, edward fred dickson, iii, james matthew finley, zachary michael fischer, jacob rudolph flasher, blake wade hall, james warren harrison jr., joseph michael hofsteter, isaac brandon jackson, christopher m.katzemberger, william joe kirkwood, dennis kezzleoff, matthew david mason, richard lewis mcnaulty, michael robert

paton, joseph michael peters, robert wayne ferris, ricky lynn richardson jr., charles sedel, charles ray sanders, jr., ronald wayne sawyer, jerrod marcus schmitz, adam olen smith, tyler smith, christopher glenn stark, sean patrick sullivan, philip james sutek, philip james vintage, matthew herbert walker, jeffrey lee -- white jr.,

vincent and gunner william. mr. president, the sacrifices of so many brave men and women demand that we in congress bring all the facts of this long war to light. these sacrifices demand that we in congress prioritize transparency and full accountability and these sacrifices demand that we hold responsible those who bear the blame for if the failure of the last month and of all the months that preceded it. for 20 years our soldiers who fought in afghanistan did what we sent them there to do, fought al qaeda and build bin laden. they did their duty and they did it honorably. but now it's abundantly clear that president biden has not done his. president biden turned an

orderly evacuation into a disaster. that much is painfully clear. first joe biden pulled our troops out and sent thousands back in. he failed to protect americans still in the country, he failed to account for lethal american military equipment, he failed in his judgment that the afghan security forces would hold their own when our own intelligence estimates said they wouldn't. he failed to anticipate a new offensive by the taliban, he failed again and again and again until american blood at the kabul airport paid the price for that failure around celebrated it as an extraordinary success. joe biden's team is responsible too. men like secretary austin, secretary blinken and jake sullivan, the national security advisor. they overestimated it and instead of planning for the worst, they planned for the

best. because of them we have americans stranded by enemy lines and over 100,000 afghan refugees arriving to this country without vetting or precautions. this was never necessary. it did not have to be this way and it shouldn't have been. joe biden is responsible for today's failure and now there must be accountability. instead, the president's team is even now coming to capitol hill blaming others, shirking responsibility. that's cowardly. and i, for one, am not willing to look the other way. let me be clear, i will not consent to the nomination of any nominee for the department of defense or for the department of state until secretary austin and secretary blinken and jake sul vin resign -- sul sullivan

resign and the failure of these individuals, the failure of this administration has cost americans their lives and has left american civilians to the enemy. there must be accountability and there must be a new start. mr. president, i believe that a century from now when the history of this long war is written by our children's children, they will note the heroism and the honor of our soldiers and veterans who in the aftermath of the worst attacks on our nation's soil in a century stood steadfast and resolute in unity and who despite the grave mistakes of their leaders over many years, served their country with bravery and disparticulars in defense -- distinction and defense of our union. winston churchill said that we

have endured all of the agonies of the past, we will prevail over the dangers and problems of the future with holding those sacrifice, grudge no toil, seek no sort of gain, fear no foe, all will be well. we have, i believe within us, the life, strength, and guiding light by which the tormented world around us will find safety after a storm. i believe as americans we have that life strength. i believe we have in us the light and the hope to survive this troubled time and to provide for the world around us, the harbor of safety after the storm. god bless our troops. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the

senator from kansas. mr. moran: mr. president, thank you. i join the senator from missouri and senator blunt in expressing my condolences for lance corporal schmitz and others who died at kabul airport in the effort to free americans and afghans who helped americans from that country and from their deaths. it takes us back to this weekend, saturday september 11, our nation remembered the horrific attacks that occurred 20 years previous and reflected upon the fight against terrorism that was set in motion ton that very fateful day. the events that have unfolded in afghanistan these past few weeks have made the 20th anniversary of september 11 that much more painful, painful especially for

the men and women who served our nation in afghanistan. the chaos and collapse of that country cost american lives, opened old wounds and left many americans questioning how all this could happen in this manner. the american people require answers from the administration on how our withdrawal from afghanistan went so horribly -- so horribly, horribly wrong. officials should be, must be held accountable for their weak leadership and mismanaged withdrawal. during my tenure in the u.s. house of representatives and here in the united states senate, following the attack of 9/11, i visited afghanistan four times. over the course of those visits, i saw progress being made by our troops and by civilians, by our nato allies and by afghan

partners. my last visit was about four years ago, just to the day, about a week ago. at that time the u.s. had less than 15,000 service members in afghanistan and our men and women were operating as advisors to the afghan military. for the most part, the war seemed to be fought by the afghan military. certainly several terrorist groups had a presence in the region, but our military was preventing them from gaining the ability to strike our homeland. president biden's withdrawal plan, if it could be called that, led to the deadliest day for american service members in afghanistan since 2011. 13 of our service members returned home in flagged-draped caskets. most of them were too young to

remember 9/11, yet they laid down their lives to help the afghans flee in safety. thousands of our afghan partners who are likely to face persecution or death at the hands of the taliban have little hope of escaping the country. our own office continues the effort to try to find and help those individuals, remove themselves from a country where death seems certain. i thank my staff and pray for those people and i thank the kansans who brought them to our attention. people at home worried about christians being persecuted for being christians in afghanistan, those who serve in afghanistan worried about someone who saved their life, an afghan who saved their life or their interpreter,

who was side by side with them now left to the fate of the taliban. i'm a member of the subcommittees that fund the departments of defense and state. we must hold responsible for president's decisions. we need to determine what steps if any were taken for americans with special immigrant visa holders from afghanistan. we also need to hear directly from the administration how costly the lethal american weapons ended up in the hands of the taliban. the high-ranking officials who are responsible for this will failure must -- must answer to the american people why this operation failed so spectacularly and why their taxpayer dollars was left behind for the taliban in the form of helicopters, combat vehicles and

weapons. how is it that we came to rely upon the taliban to help those we are responsible for, we owe a debt to to be able to escape from the taliban? the administration must also be held accountable for its mismanagement and for the precarious security situation that this incompetent withdrawal created. hastily withdrawing thousands of troops in a symbolic departure before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, made this world a more dangerous place. it created an environment that will allow radical terrorists to find refuge under the taliban rule and proceed and produce one that was one of the most pressing humanitarian crisis in history. we deserve answers on how we will remedy this complex security situation, how we will help afghan women

and girls who are already being persecuted, and how we will learn from the mistakes that were made to make certain it cannot happen again. finally, our veterans who served honorably in afghanistan need to know that their service -- when i say finally, this is not the most -- the least important point. it's made at the end to make the point so clear. our veterans who served honorably in afghanistan need to know that their service was not, was not in vain. more than 775,000 service members were deployed to afghanistan over the two decades since 9/11. to those service members, make no mistake, your service has left a lasting and unfair related impact upon the world. our country has been safe from a terrorist attack from the region

of afghanistan since their arrival in afghanistan. their work and efforts, their sacrifice and service made a difference for the safety of their fellow americans. those who served significantly reduced the threat from al qaeda and brought osama bin laden to justice. you deserve to know the collapse of afghanistan does not fall on your shoulders, but on the failure of leadership here in the nation's capital city. our sudden, disastrous and poorly executed withdrawal opened old wounds and created new ones. i commit as the ranking republican on the senate committee on veterans' affairs to work side by side with my -- our chairman, the senator from

montana, to make certain that our veterans receive the care and attention that they deserve and are entitled to. the respect and honor from their fellow american citizens and the benefits that we promised to be available available. we have made the world a more dangerous place by our failing departure, and we have left americans in our -- and our afghan partners behind. i have served in the house of representatives on 9/11 20 years ago. i remember the day and the attack. i was one of the first members of congress to visit ground zero where i saw the remains of the two twin towers, still smoke coming from the ground, steam. a bit like a construction site as they were trying to remove

the rubble that were the remains of those towers. first, family members were brought in to see the site where their loved ones died, which captured my heart as i watched them see where their loved ones died. and after paying my respects to those family members, then as i was leaving, i found a make-shift memorial that new yorkers had placed there, a series of long tables in which people had brought flowers and cards, stuffed animals, teddy bears, and notes to pay tribute to those who had died just a few weeks before at that location. i picked up one thing from that table of remembrance and honor and respect. it was a piece of notebook paper with a jagged edge along the side torn out of a spiral notebook. a child's handwriting.

dear daddy, how much i love you. how i hope heaven is a wonderful place. and i hope, daddy, that i live a life good enough to join you there someday. amanda, age 12. that moment has stuck with me for 20-plus years now. the point being that we have a responsibility to make sure that there are no more amandas who suffer the fate that that young girl suffered that day with the death of her father. it occurred because of a terrorist attack occurring on the lands of afghanistan held by the taliban that allowed isis to attack the united states of america. i tried to change my conduct as a member of congress since that day to be a more responsible member, to do the things necessary, to be more worldly

and understand what's going on, to make sure that i make the decisions that make the world -- help make the world a safer place. what we've seen in the last few weeks discourages me in making the world a safer place, but i rise to the call again to say we have responsibilities left in afghanistan. we have responsibilities to the people we left behind to allow and to help them escape near-certain death, and we also have responsibilities to those men and women who have served in afghanistan who answered the call because they saw what happened to our nation on 9/11 and say i have something to give, i have something, perhaps my life, to give to see that. -- to see that this doesn't happen again.

i hope that we, despite the circumstances that we've seen in the last days, now have the ability as a united states congress, as a member of the united states senate, to rise to the occasion in which we are still needed in this world to protect american lives, to save lives in afghanistan, and to make certain, to make certain that there are no more amandas asking for the opportunity to see their father someday in heaven. the burdens are great for us. the responsibilities are real. those who have failed us to date need to be held accountable, and the rest of us need to rise to the occasion to protect this country we love, the united states of america. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from washington. mrs. murray: thank you, mr. president. we are about to take two votes. i will speak on each one of them for just a few minutes. right now, mr. president, many students in higher education across the country are back on campus for the start of a new school year, and although i know many of them are excited to finally be able to return to their classroom and their friends, there are still many challenges in higher education we need to tackle immediately, including keeping our students safe and healthy as the covid-19 crisis continues. we also cannot lose sight of the fact that student debt is at an historic high as borrowers across our country are drowning in student debt. the cost of higher education continues to rise, forcing students to give up on higher education dreams simply because they can't afford it. predatory for-profit colleges continue to target first-generation students, students of color, and our veterans, and across the country, campus sexual assaults, harassment, and discrimination

and systemic racism leave too many students feeling unsafe in their own school communities. students across our country deserve leaders who are committed to addressing these urgent problems and who work -- will work to always put students and borrowers first. i believe james kvaal is exactly that kind of leader, and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting his nomination to serve as under secretary of education. mr. kvaal's background reflects a deep commitment to our nation's students and the experience needed to hit the ground running on day one. as president of the institute for college access and success, mr. kvaal fought to improve student outcomes and quality, reform federal and state financial aid, support student loan borrowers, and increase state and federal investments in higher education. he also has a long record in public service, including as deputy under secretary of education and deputy director of the domestic policy council in the obama administration where

he helped strengthen college accountability, expanded investments in pell grants, and worked to ensure students have critical information about the outcomes of the colleges and universities they might attend. to me, it is a clear vote to confirm mr. kvaal. it is a vote to support our students and borrowers and help build a stronger, more equitable higher education system. the second vote we will take is on judge estudillo's confirmation. i rise in support of the nomination of judge estudillo to serve as u.s. district court judge of western district of washington in the tacoma courthouse. i had the honor of recommending president biden nominate judge estudillo for this position. i am so glad he did. judge estudillo is tremendously qualified for this job, currently serving in his third term as grant county superior court judge. he is someone who will bring a powerful and important perspective to the federal bench. let me tell you a little bit about him and the kind of person

he is. he was born and raised in the yakima valley of washington state. judge estudillo is the son of immigrants, the ninth child of ten, his parents coming here from mexico through the becerra program. his mother and father were farm workers until they were able to open up a small grocery store where judge estudillo worked growing up and through college. he is someone who worked hard to give back to his community, working as an immigration lawyer. he represented clients in tough removal proceedings successfully presenting and trying claims for asylum, cancellation of removal, and other forms of relief from deportation. he also consistently provided pro bono services at immigration legal clinics to help immigrants applying for citizenship and often presented information in spanish about immigration policy and procedure all around the community. and that work as an immigration attorney is important to me because it means when judge estudillo is in the tacoma

courthouse and washington state families look up to the judge's bench who maybe don't speak english or just aren't familiar with our court system, judge estudillo is someone who will make sure that every person that walks into his courtroom feels heard and that every person who walks out believes equal justice under the law is real in america. and don't just take my word for it. the judge was endorsed by both republican and democratic parties of grant county where he first ran for his current post, and he was recommended to me by my judicial merit selection committee which has both republican and democratic members, and he has earned an outstanding reputation for leading a courtroom where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. if we want people in this country to have faith in our federal courts, an absolutely vital part of our democracy's check and balance system, then we need to appoint judges who will serve with integrity and independence and will reflect the communities they serve.

i know judge estudillo will do exactly that. he will be an exceptional federal district court judge for the western district of washington, and i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting his nomination. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 58, the nays are 37. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. 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 252, david g. estudillo of washington to be united states district judge for the western district of washington, 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 david g. estudillo of washington to be united states district judge for the western district of washington shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 52, the nays are 42, and the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: the judiciary, david g. estudillo, of washington, to be united states district judge for the district of washington.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until >> lawmakers will continue working on judicial nominations this afternoon. when the senate returns you can watch live covovovovovhere on c-span2. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more including midco. midco supports