prices to withheld rebates and discounts. our veterans do not stand to gain from being tied to this unvetted and failed new proposal. as we confront unprecedented challenges at home and abroad, we must look to consensus-driven solutions that meet americans' everyday needs including prescription drug access and affordability. we can agree on that. members across the political spectrum have developed bipartisan drug-pricing policies that can make a meaningful difference for workers and families. i've introduced legislation which is waiting in the committee for a vetting rather than coming to the floor here to try to get it brought to the floor without even going through senate regular order. my legislation is called the lower cost, more cures act. just a quick summary of what it contains, a hard cap on annual out-of-pocket spending for all seniors under medicare part-d, with an installment-based

monthly payment option. reforming of medicare part-d benefits to reduce seniors' cost-sharing burdens and incent viedzing plans to negotiate the best possible deal for enrollees. increasing part-d plan choices. increasing options and reducing prices. my bill does have an out-of-pocket monthly insulin cap at $35. that, you might remember, is the insulin cap that president trump put into place. that is the kind of approach that we need to follow. establishing a chief pharmaceutical negotiator to combat foreign freeloading and ensuring the best trade deals that achieve american success in dealing with these price discrepancies that are driven by terrible behavior from our counterparts in other parts of the global economy. strengthening our consumer

oriented oversight through our cost-comparison tools and robust reporting requirements in the drug supply chain. facilitating value-based arrangements where private and public sector payers can pay based on patient outcomes, driving better results for patients. and restructuring payments for drugs administered in the doctor's office or hospital outpatient department to encourage physicians to deliver cost-effective treatment options where appropriate clinically. my point is there are a lot of solutions that can work within the consistent free market and private-sector solutions that we have solved here and are working on to make them better. we have an opportunity to lower prescription drug costs without threatening access to therapies or cures or the future of handling of, of giving an advantage, frankly, to our global rivals like the chinese. with a bipartisan and bicameral effort undertaken through regular order, we could make a

major impact on these issues. this legislation, unfortunately, does no such thing. it is thoroughly unvetted, showing no signs of technical assistance or practical feasibility, has not received a c.b.o. score or informal analysis or committee hearing. it did not advance through regular process in the senate. mr. chairman -- mr. president, i see that our time is running out, and so i will end my comments at this point. but just ask my colleagues to let us engage in regular order in the finance committee in the senate and work these issues through. there are a lot of ideas on the table. let's work them through rather than trying to cram through one side's idea on the very day the bill was introduced in the senate. i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: i ask unanimous consent for two minutes. i say to my friend from idaho,

we've been going through regular order dealing with prescription drugs for 40 years. it hasn't quite worked. your bill has gone nowhere. my bill has gone nowhere. if you've got objections to what senator klobuchar and i are doing, let's debate them on the floor of the senate. we've heard all the talking points from you that the pharmaceutical industry wrote. i got that. they spend a lot of money writing these talking points. let's have that debate right here. the bill that senator klobuchar and i are proposing is supported by over 80% of the american people, and i dare say a vast majority of the people of idaho. you want to oppose it, go for it. let's have the damned debate right here on the floor. and if it takes one week, great. if it takes two weeks, great. you will agree with me that this is an issue that the american people care about. so i would hope that you would reconsider. let's bring it to the floor,

offer your amendments, let's have the debate. thank you. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of defense, alexandra baker of new jersey to be a deputy under secretary. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 75. the nays are 21. the nomination is confirmed, under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president willen immediately notified of the senate's action. the majority leader. mr. schumer: could we have a little order. the presiding officer: there

you go. mr. schumer: for the information of members, we're going to have four more votes tonight. i urge members to sit in their seats so we can get these done quickly like we did last week. i ask unanimous consent the votes be ten minutes each. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: export-import bank of the united states, reta jo lewis of georgia to be president. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 56, the nays are 40. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action.

mr. schumer: mr. president? the president pro tempore: the majority leader. could we have order in the senate, please. mr. schumer: mr. president? the president pro tempore: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the vote on -- the senate vote on confirmation of the stark and mcbride nominations. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. the president pro tempore: under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: the judiciary, leonard phillip stark of delaware to be a united states circuit judge for the federal circuit. the president pro tempore: question is on the nomination. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the president pro tempore: is there a sufficient second? there is a sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

the president pro tempore: on this vote, on this vote the yeas are 61, the nays are 35. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the president will be immediately notified of the

senate's action. under the previous order, the question occurs on the macbride nomination. is there a request for the yeas and nays? is there sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the president pro tempore: on this vote the yeas are 61. the nays are 33. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action.

mr. schumer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the majority leader. the president pro tempore: could we have order, please. mr. schumer: mr. president, can we have some order, please. get this done. the president pro tempore: the senate will be in order. we can't continue until it is. the senator from new york. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask that the senate now vote on the motion to discharge the bagenstos nomination as under the previous order. the president pro tempore: under the previous order, the question occurs on the motion to discharge. is there a question -- mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays. the president pro tempore: is there sufficient second? there is sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

officer is the yeas are 48, the nays are 47. the motion is bread to.

the nomination is discharged and will be placed on the calendar. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding rule 22, upon the conclusion of morning business tomorrow, february 10, the senate proceed to the consideration of calendar number 264, h.r. 4445, that the time until 11:00 a.m. be equally divided between the two leaders or their designees this at is

1:00 a.m., the bill be read a third time and the senate vote on passage of the bill, with no intervening action or debate. further, on disposition of the h.r. 4445, the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the vekich nomination and at 11:45, the senate vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination, and if cloture is is invoked, the senate vote on confirmation of the vekich nomination at 1:45 p.m. finally, if any nominations are confirmed during thursday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i understand that there is a bill at the desk and i ask for its first reading.

the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: s. 3623, a bill to reauthorize the violence against women act of 1994, and for other purposes. mr. schumer: i now ask for a second reading and in order to replace the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i object to my own q -- request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill will receive its second reading on the next legislative day. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. on thursday, february 10, 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 proceed to the consideration of calendar 264, h.r. 4445, as provided under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: for the information of senators, we expect to have one roll call vote at 11:45 a.m. and one vote at 1:45 p.m. if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until the senate today can from the president's nominee to the assistant army secretary for acquisition. and that nominee for general counsel of the navy. also today considering the nomination of reid at joe louis president of the export import. seneca take up legislation that would prohibit employer

employers forcing into binding arbitration for complaints about workplace, sexual assault or sexual harassment bread that would allow the employees to sue in court on the senate is back in session live coverage here on cspan2. he ♪ ♪ a spanish or unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more. including immediate calm. >> the world changed in an instant. viacom was ready, enter treatment tracking sort and we never slowed down trade schools and businesses went virtual and we powered a new reality. because that media calm we are built to keep you ahead. >> immediate calm support c-span as a public service along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. the senate commerce committee considered the nomination to be a commissioner of the federal communications commission. this was her second