committed in ukraine and we welcome the fact that the incoming prosecutor of international criminal court has opened an investigation into the situation in ukraine so they are options for accountability even absent of a dedicated tribunal as you mentioned. >> the previous administration had sanctions against the ipc. are you cooperate in with the prosecutor of the ipc? >> we are considering the various options for accountability. it has no been -- there's not been as specific as in the prosecutor has been meeting with the parties which are members of the court and they have specific asks for those members who have paupers in with the court. as a nonstate party member. we aren't a member of the court so we don't have any affirmative corporation. >> thank you ambassador. [inaudible]

would be what changes and how can this help the ukrainian people is that all? >> it's incredibly important to shed a light on what's happened to the people of ukraine to the people of ukraine understand that the world knows that they are suffering at the hands of the aggressive war launched unprovoked by russia. it's also extremely important to continue to document what's happening on the ground to preserve that information as potential evidence for future accountability purposes. we don't want to lose that evidence so it's extremely important we collected now and preserve it for future accountability. >> you listed a number. he didn't say these were specific to what the war crimes allegations are so what's specific are you looking at? >> i can't get into those specific instances that know do we are looking at broad range

such as russian forces are engaged in syria and will continue to see that going forward. we don't want to get into a situation where you have to make a public announcement every time there's an incident. an ongoing process throughout this conflict. >> the theater and mario poll is that when you are looking at? >> that is extremely important and it appears to have been a direct attack upon the civilian objects. >> in terms of the secretary of state there appears to be deliberate targeting of civilians is there anything you can say about evidence gathered aside from the theater that had children in it out side. in a court of law is there evidence lost a towering figure

in american and world history.e madeleine albright was one of the smartest, strongest diplomats that we've ever had. she came to america as a refugee and helped to move the country closer to the promise that it was founded upon. she made the world a better place. madeleine albright was born in the former czechoslovakia in 1937. when the nazis took power, her family was forced into exile ending up in london where they survived the blitz. after world war ii, they returned to czechoslovakia but again were forced to seek refugee, this time from communism. as an 11-year-old, she arrived with her family at ellis island, she became a united states citizen, graduated with a full scholarship and went on to earn a ph.d. while raising her three

daughters, alice, katie, and anne. she worked here in the united states senate on the foreign relations committee under edmund muskie, then at the white house national security council before becoming a renowned professor at georgetown university. in 1993, president clinton nominated her as a united states ambassador to the united nations. she was the second woman to hold that position. in 1997, she became the first woman in our nation's history to serve as the secretary of state. as secretary, she was a strong supporter of nato, encouraging lines to -- encouraging the alliance to add new members and to protect vulnubble populations. she earthed military intervention to save lives, she worked to prevent rogue states from getting nuclear editorial and supported the kyoto protocol and she strengthened american

alliances across the planet. but madeleine al light is not sum of her accomplishments. madeleine albright is something more. she embodied the ideals of our country. she was a constant light in the struggle between freedom and oppression, relentlessly advocating for people to have rights that she knew didn't exist under authoritarian regimes. she broke the highest glass ceiling in her field and then spent the rest of her career fighting for opportunities for other women. we'll remember her as a diplomat and a trailblazer, but i'll also remember her as something else. family. my oldest brother jake is married to her daughter, katie. when i first became a united states senator, she was thrilled to have a politician in the family and wanted to be helpful without casting a long shadow.

so she discreetly called barbara mikulski and told her to look out for me. we were fast friends, not acquaintances, not friends in the political sense, but actual friends. she was a tireless and sharp political strategist. she was the kind of person who would watch c-span for fun and was endlessly fascinated in politics at all levels, municipal elections, state elections, hawaii politics, the united nations. she loved the stuff. she was also a trusted confidant. we had long talks about everything but mostly about our two shared loves -- family and politics. and it was always over a meal, which she would occasionally let me pay for. but most of all, i will remember her as grandma maddie.

someone who was kind and curious with my kids. she was one of the most decent human beings that i've ever known. mate her memory be a blessing. i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska. ms. murkowski: mr. president, i request that the proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: we're not in a quorum call.

ms. murkowski: mr. president, senator sullivan and i are here this afternoon on the senate floor, and we're here with heavy hearts. we're joined in the gallery by friends of alaska because last friday our congressman, congressman don young, the congressman for all alaska and the dean of the house who served our 49th state ably and faithfully for the last 49 years, passed away as he was flying home, flying home to be with the people of alaska, seated next to his wife and he passed peacefully and left this world. there is no doubt, there is no doubt that congressman young lived a large and a full life.

he was 88 years young, and we always referred to him as young, not old. he accomplished an incredible amount across the many decades that he served alaska and served his country, but that doesn't make the loss any less sudden or any less devastating. and it doesn't change the fact that we are now left with a hole the size of alaska in our congressional delegation. mr. president, we were a team. we were small but mighty. you've heard me on this floor talk about the last great race, the iditarod. and no dog team, no dog team can make it without the leader. we all know that. but you've got the swing dog and you've got the wheel dog, and we've all kind of taken

different points on that team, but it's always been with don young. i was home over the weekend. i spent the weekend there reflecting on don young's life and on his legacy. i had a chance to speak with his wife, ann, over the phone. i talked with his daughters joni, who we know well, and don, sister. talked to a lot of friends who shared some stories about our congressman. many of those stories are probably not fit to print in the "congressional record," but lots of reliving of the life and times of don young. for those who didn't have the privilege of knowing congressman young, as so many alaskans

did, he was really -- he was all of the things that have been written about, all of the things that have been said about him these past several days. he was all that and he was more. he was larger than life. we keep saying that. larger than life. he was colorful, as colorful as they come. he could be tough. he could be gruff. he could be very feisty. but he was also, he was warm, engaging, he was l charming. but most of all, he was passionate. he was a passionate man about alaska and alaskans, to his very core. and he was loyal. he was loyal and devoted to his family, to his friends, to his staff who served him, and loyal

to the people that he loved so dearly. so we think about don as forever being alaska, but don's life didn't begin in alaska. he grew up in california, working on his family farm. his father would read jack london to him at night, and that inspired him later on to head north. he served in the army with the 41st tank battalion. and then after graduating from chico state college, he answered the call of the wild. he eventually made his way north to the village of fort yukon just above the arctic circle. he tried his hand at just about everything. he was into construction, he was into mining, he taught at a b.i.a. school in the winter, he was a tugboat captain in the spring, in the summer. he hunted, he fished, he trapped. he took well to alaska, and

alaska took well to him. by then don had fallen in love with alaska and was also head over heels for his first wife lu, who was a bookkeeper from a respected family. he spent time as mayor, he moved on to the alaska statehouse of representatives and then in our state senate. but where he would really make his mark was at the federal level as a member of the house of representatives, which he joined in 1973. and initially it didn't start out so well. he lost the election in 1972 to nick begich, only to win it in a special election in march of 1973 after congressman begich

went missing after an airplane accident. but once in office, don young never stopped winning for alaska. in his first year in office, congressman young helped authorize the trans-alaska pipeline, which has been the economic backbone of our state ever since. not long after his colleagues chose him as their freshman congressman of the year. there are so many, many legislative accomplishments over the course of the congressman's life, too many to list here. but just to highlight a few, in addition to the pipeline authorization, he helped establish the 200-mile fishing limit and contributed to the magnuson-stevens act, which has allowed alaska to maintain its world-class fisheries. he wrote the national wildlife refuge system improvement act which guides the use of millions

of acres of those lands. congressman young passed legislation to open a small part of the nonwilderness 1002 area in the arctic national wildlife refuge and he did this a dozen time before we steered it into law in 2017. and believe me, congressman young reminded me every time how many times he had actually got it across the finish line in the house, but don never, ever gave up. and given the way of the world now, his commitment to energy security should be more appreciated than ever. he enacted important measures as chairman of the resources committee and a landmark transportation bill -- safetea-lu, as chairman of the transportation and infrastructure committee. and he was a strong, strong champion for alaska native americans. don was pretty independent. he was independent in his

thinking. he was not afraid to vote his conscience to help alaska. just before he left washington, d.c. this past week, he was involved in the reauthorization of the violence against women act, and it helped considerably with the tribal title in that act. i also credit him, seriously credit him for garnering enough republican votes in the house last year to ensure that the bipartisan infrastructure bill could finally move across the finish line. he knew that that measure was good for alaska, and he said not only am i going to give my vote, but i'm going to work to make sure that we have the votes over here to sign this into law. there's a lot of stories on this, in this body about our

former senator, senator stevens, being legendary, pretty tenacious in his pursuit of federal dollars to help build alaska. but just know that congressman young was right there every step of the way, making sure that alaskans received what we consider to be our fair share. on december 5 of 2017, alaskans were just filled with pride for congressman young when he became the 45th dean of the house as its most senior member. at the time i gave him a little gift. it was a star designated in his name. you can actually get a certificate that says this star up there is designated to you. it was given as a sentiment,

reflecting his stature as the north star of our delegation and our northern state. but when you think about, when you think about this remarkable journey that don young had, from teaching fifth graders in alaska, running dog teams, guiding barges along the yukon river, to becoming the longest-serving republican member of congress of all time -- of all time -- and the most senior member of the house of representatives, for all that congressman young accomplished, for all that he did for alaska, you have to know this was no easy task. this was no easy task. for 49 years he stood alone in the house of representatives as the sole voice for alaska.

we only have one congressman for all alaska. only seven states have just one congressman. and of course, alaska is further away from washington, d.c. than all of those states. bigger than all of them combined. and our vast amount of federal acreage means that we have more issues and perhaps more complicated issues that have to be addressed as well. but none of that mattered to don young. he took the long trips back home in stride. he would use his time on the plane to meet people, to talk to them, to just have conversation, try to understand their priorities and concerned. but he was making friends. and he did the same here in washington. he worked tirelessly here to build relationships, build alliances that would help him help alaska.

help address our state's challenges. and it wasn't as if he was seeking out bipartisan relationships necessarily. don was just the kind of guy who would make friends. the record shows that congressman young was one of the top legislators of our time. he was the primary sponsor of 123 bills that became law. you go over to his office and you will see pictures on the wall of ten different presidents that signed into law different measures that don had participated in. and again, recall don young was one of 435 voting members of the house, and the only one there to represent alaska. and he was repeatedly named one of his chamber's most effective

members. don young was old school, because his relationships really ran on both sides of the aisle, starting with speaker pelosi, leader mccarthy, spanning the spectrum of all who would work with him. and he really did work tirelessly to do what was right for alaska. because at the end of the day, that's all he cared about. he was pretty open about that. being a congressman for alaska requires every last bit of you. it requires tremendous sacrifice from you and your family. if you don't trust that, if you doubt that, just ask, just ask anne walton young. since they married in 2015, she has been by his side literally every day -- in the office, traveling with him.

she knows, she knows the work ethic of this man. she knows the heart of this man, and she knows how hard he worked for all of alaska. but from his first day through his last day, 49 years and 13 days, don young gave it his all. and as a true man of his people, he was just the right alaskan to save in the people's chamber. senator sullivan and i are going to have a lot more to say about our dear friend, our partner, our team leader in the coming days and weeks. we will have a number of occasions to honor his life and legacy, including on march 29, when he will lie in state in statueary hall, for a well deserved tribute. for today, however, our reality is that for the first time in 49 years alaska does not have a

congressman in the house of representatives. for the first time in 49 years alaska does not have don young there to defend, to advocate, and to legislate on our behalf. and i'm heartbroken. and so are countless alaskans and individuals across the country whose lives happen to intersect with this legendary legislator. on saturday morning, i got a text from a former staffer. he left years ago. young man, and he said in his text, he says, don young was the only congressman for all of alaska, for all of my life. i will miss him.

we have lost a giant who we loved dearly and who held alaska in his heart always. we thank him for everything he did for us, to build our state and fulfill so much of our promise. we owe his family, his wife anne, his daughters joni, sister, a debt of gratitude for sharing him with us for so long. together with them, we mourn for our late congressman, alaska's champion, and our dear friend, don young. with that, mr. president, i yield to my fellow senator from alaska. mr. sullivan: mr. president. the presiding officer: senator for alaska. mr. sullivan: thank you, mr. president. and like my good friend and colleague, senator murkowski, i want to rise today to recognize a giant, a larger-than-life man,

certainly a legend in our state and certainly a legend in the house of representatives, congressman for all alaska, donald edwin young. and as senator murkowski mentioned, we lost this great alaskan, this great american while flying home with his beloved wife anne by his side just this past weekend. he was flying back home to alaska, the state he loved so much and served so well, and it is a state that loved him back and showed him that love by electing him to office every two years since 1973. think about that. unbelievable. the longest-serving politician in alaska's history, the longest-serving republican member of the house in u.s.

history, our north star, don young. and as senator murkowski mentioned, he was 88 years young and i just want to say, like all alaskans, my wife julie and i, when we heard the news, we were saddened, shocked, devastateed by the sudden passing of congressman don young. and we heard this from so many people over the weekend -- his spirit, authentic, tenacious, indomitable, a man of the people, a true man of the people , epitomized our state to such a degree that there was this sense that he would always be there, that he'd live forever. there was this sense, and the shock back home is so palpable because of that.

think about almost three-quarters of our state's history, don young was our congressman. so, i too want to spend a little bit of time talking about this incredible man, this life in full as senator murkowski mentioned. a lot of stories about being raised on a small ranch in central california, where he began the hard work of ranching as a young, young boy. don young once said, my dad was a good man, but he believed when you turn 7 you became a hired man. so, he was working at the age of 7. sun up to sun down. it was hot, riddled with snakes and poison ivy. evidently, don young did not like snakes or hot weather, because he mentioned often about his father reading him jack london's "call of the wild" a book about a dog, a man, the

harsh conditions of the yukon and loyalty. senator murkowski already mentioned that one of the things, and i love this man so much, but one of the things about him that you always knew -- loyal, loyal, loyal. what a great quality. what a great quality. and then, of course, alaska captured his imagination. no snakes, no poison ivy, snow. those of us, all of us who saw don young over the years carry around that battery-powered portable fan, we knew that, well, don young ran hot, with that fan. so, as senator murkowski mentioned, he got his associate's degree from junior college in 1952. served in the army. i love to give him a little

grief about his army service, as a marine. chico state. then at an elk's club in chico, he heard then territorial governor, alaska territorial governor mike stepovich give a speech about alaska, talking about the wonders of alaska, and don young was hooked. 1959, the year we became a state, he heeded the call of the wild, headed up in a brand-new plymouth fury and the great state of alaska would never be the same. according to don young, in alaska you could, quote, do anything you wanted to, so he did. as senator murkowski mentioned, he fought forest fires, he owned a skating rink for a short time. damn, i would have loved to have seen that, by the way. he owned a movie theater. tried his hand at commercial fishing, trapping, prospecting for gold, of course, he was a tugboat captain, teacher at a

b.i.a. school, importantly in fort yukon, and that's where he always called home. in fact, he still has a home there. he used to joke he's the only congressman who when he goes home he uses an outhouse, when he goes home. eventually met lu, his wife, incredible lu, who stayed by his side for 46 years, until she passed in 2009. since that time, don found another wonderful partner in anne. so, anne, thank you, and the family for sharing him with us. don with lu's prompting caught the political bug. he served in the statehouse in alaska, and the state senate. now, he discovered that he didn't like the senate much. quote, all they did was stand around with hands behind their back and talk.

that's what he said about the alaska state senate. well, guess what -- his attitude about the united states senate wasn't that much different. you senators are always late, he would often growl at meet and lisa. and we were, when we had our frequent alaska delegation meetings. but even as senators, we always knew our place with congressman don young, dean of the house. all those congressional meetings, alaska congressional meetings, were over in his office, were over in his office. one of my favorite things i did with don young, as dean of the house, wherever i saw him, particularly in public in alaska, the first time i'd see him at an event or something, i'd say it's the dean of the house. grab his hand, take a knee, and kiss his ring. now, he always said stop that. i hate it when you do that. you know what? i think he actually kind of

liked it. i actually think he kind of liked it. so he didn't like the senate. he liked the house. the place where bills move fast, where elections are right around the corner, no matter what. think about that -- 25 elections. jeez louise. i could never think about that. and where the action was. and mostly he was a man of the people, and he belonged in the people's house. along the way, he had two wonderful daughters, joni his sister who he loved fiercely, and always said the most important thing in his life were those two daughters. lu was nothing if not persuasive. she was no doubt the boss in the family. so when she told him he needed to run for congress, he did, and with the help of many people, and i'd like to say my wife's grandmother, her sitsu, was an

avid don young supporter, flew all over interior alaska during those early campaigns to help him introduce himself to a wider audience. so, when don was appointed to a seat in 1973, the original knock against him, he said, back then, was that he didn't know anything about d.c. people said you don't know anything about d.c.? it's going to take you two years until you can find the bathroom in your office building. so, i'm sure some of you heard the story, the first day in office, he combed the rayburn building looking for the bathroom. when someone finally said congressman, why don't you use the one in your office, which i don't think he had noticed. so, he was learning. but on a more serious note, and i love this story, the day after he was sworn in it, there was a hearing on the transalaska

pipeline authorization act. after being held up for years, by litigation and studies -- imagine that. sound familiar, america? don successfully pushed through an amendment. to me, one of the most brilliant amendments ever conceived in the halls of congress that said no more studies and no more litigation. we're done. we're building the transalaska pipeline system now. he said, quote, it was a hard fight. half of my side was initially fighting against me, but when the vote was called, he prevailed. his amendment prevailed by four votes, and alaska's history was changed forever. america's history was changed forever. and, by the way, what a great idea. stop endless litigation. stop studying things. build infrastructure.

the country and the state of alaska need energy, practice, commonsense, get it done. this is why alaskans loved don young. the day of that vote when it was successful, 1973, remember, ralph nader stood outside the hall and declared don young the most powerful member of congress brand-new baby freshman in alaska, don young. now, you can say a lot of things about ralph nader, but he knew power when he saw it. and don young had it, kept it. as senator murkowski mentioned, more than 90 bills that he sponsored became law. thousands more that he cosponsored, mostly to help

alaska, but to help our whole country. and he became a fierce advocate for helping people, thousands and thousands of alaskans and americans. every two years since 1973 alaskans could count on don young during one of his 24 elections standing on a corner with his supporters, many here today, waving signs in the cold in november back home, wearing his old winter coat. and if you didn't know it then, and few alaskans didn't know, you wouldn't guess that the man in those clothes had so much power and had done so much to help his fellow alaskans and fellow americans. nearly everything -- and i mean everything -- that has advanced to benefit our state in the

congress has don young's fingers -- fingerprints on it. the alaska we know today is sole possible because of don young. as i mentioned, there's of course the trans-alaska pipeline system, which transformed our state and our nation. many of the victories that senator murkowski just mentioned. i always like to talk about the magnuson-steven's alaska, which of course transformed america's fishing industry, among other things created a 200-mile limit to keep foreign fishermen from plundering our fish and sustain our fisheries. it used to be just three miles. now, we all know it as the mack new son-stevens act. but of course don young moved it in the house with congressman gary studs of massachusetts. so i used to like to say at

events with don young, magnuson-stevens or maybe a better young would have been the young-studs act, which of course he loved that idea. so i kind of like calling it the young-studs act. so here's the thing -- the story, such a great story that a lot of people don't know, the executive branch wasn't thrilled about this bill, wasn't thrilled about it at all, to such a degree that president ford was considering vetoing it? why, because he had a really smart, clever secretary of state, henry kissinger, who thought it would raise tensions with our allies, the koreans and the japanese in particular, who loved fishing off the coast of alaska, taking our fish. 200 miles off? they were going to lose out. they were mad. so he was encouraging a veto, whether it was on the racquet

ball court, in the halls of the capitol or at a potlatch in rural alaska, don young knew where to be to get things done for alaska. and he knew that the president and kissinger were heading to asia, stopping over in alaska. so don and his two daughters and lu got a ride on air force one. a few martinis later, don young, the new congressman from alaska, was debating one of the most brilliant men in america, the secretary of state, former harvard professor, dr. henry kissinger, on air force one, in front of president ford. veto the magnuson-stevens act or not? guess who won that debate? the harvard professor or a tugboat captain? it was the tugboat captain. now, don jokingly credits the

martinis, but we all know that he was the one that got that done. and, again, our state and our country's history wouldn't be the same. and, by the way, henry kissinger and don young were great friends ever since. mr. president, that's just one example of many that senator murkowski mentioned don young would tend presidents. he knew them all. he was called moose, he had crab flown in to eat with george w. bush. he and president clinton were at the white house one night when the vote was called. they were having so much fun that president clinton said, i don't want you to leave, don. don said, well, mr. president, i'll need a hall pass. so he got a handwritten note from president clinton writing to the speaker of the house, dear mr. speaker, please excuse

don young from voting tonight. we're having cigars at the white house. and when don young went to the white house to sign the anwr legislation that we had been working on, that he had been working on for over 40 years and were able to pass -- again, our small and mighty team working together in 2017 -- with president trump, he turned to president trump and said, so you're the other don in this town. so don young has been great friends with presidents, world leaders, but what really motivated and moved him was helping people, especially alaskans. it didn't matter their title, their political affiliation. just wanted to help people. he said, quote, a as long as you respect the other person and their beliefs, you can be successful. whether in the majority or the minority, i try to work with people to solve problems.

my job is to listen to what they want and how i can then help them get it done. like i said, mr. president, commonsense, practice, no wonder so many alaskans loved don young. and we all know he could tell a story. holding court. we know that the house, there isn't assigned siting, but there was one seat in the house that nobody sat in -- don young's. by the way, if you did, you may be taking your life into your own hands. he sat and members gathered around him listening to his stories, the story of the usick might come up, how he used that in his debates. how he sat in a committee hearing with his fingers caught in a bear trap to make a point. and his legendary christmas parties, members from all over

the congress and staffers stood in a long line that snaked into the hallway just a to have a few minutes to hear him holding court. his true love was always alaska. he could have done anything, but he chose to stay and work for the people up until the last moment of his life. you can make all the money in the world, he said. but if you aren't happy, it doesn't count for anything. and don young was a happy man. mr. president, we lost don young, we lost a piece of alaska, a piece of ourselves, a piece of his indomitable, irascible spirit. but it will live on forever, and i know that he has an army of loyalists. he has amassed through the years, in the gallery, in addition to his wonderful family, dozens of staffers are here to pay tribute. some of them now work for my

office. in fact, early on in my senate career, i learned something very smart a i frequently stole don young's staff to come work for me. well-trained, smart, i still do it, and he never minded. as a matter of fact, he always said, i just want what's best for my people. larry burton, eric eaten, liz banecki, so many are still here with me, so many cut their teeth at don young's office. so many are intensely loyal to this great alaskan. his spirit will live on in the house of representatives and the people's house. his spirit will live on in everything that he has done for our state and every alaskan from the trans-alaska pipeline to the ketchikan shipping yard, to the many, many land exchanges arc

the health clinics dotting our state, the state-of-the-art alaska native american medical center in anchorage, and his spirit will live in his wonderful family, joanie, his sister and 13 grandchildren, anne and so many others. don was a dear friend and mentor to me, to senator murkowski, to my wife julie and so many others. he was truly a man of the people, a great man of the people. we miss you, don. rest in peace. i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. ms. baldwin: i ask that the senate proceed to executive session and vote on the confirmation of executive calendar 737, the nomination of hector gonzalez, under the previous order. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the gonzalez nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. hector gonzalez of new york to be united states district judge for the eastern district of new york. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. ms. baldwin: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 52, the nays are 45 and 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. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: could we have a little order. okay, folks, once again it's wednesday night. we're going to try to repeat the

same success we had the last few wednesdays and not drag this out for too long. so i urge members to either sit in their chairs or be around the chamber. we have a whole bunch of votes. so i ask unanimous consent that any remaining votes tonight be ten-minute votes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: please stay nearby so we can get this done. mr. president, i ask that the senate proceed to executive session and vote to confirm, vote for the confirmation of executive calendar 679, the nomination of john h. chun, under the previous order. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the chun nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. john h. chun of washington to be united states district judge for the western district of washington. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays.

the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

it was, you know, magazines whatever magazines whatever. dismofd vote:

vote:

vote: the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 49, the nays are 47. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action.

ms. cortez masto: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: mr. president, i ask that. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada will suspend. the? is not in order -- the senate is not in order. the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: mr. president, i ask that the senate proceed to executive session and vote on confirmation of executive calendar number 684, the nomination of cristina silva under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate la proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the cristina silva nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. cristina d. silva of nevada to beious district judge for the district of nevada. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. ms. cortez masto: for the yeas and nays. -- i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or to change their vote? if not, on this vote the yeas are 50, the nays are 46. and 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. the senator from illinois. the senate is not in order. the senator from illinois. r. mr. durbin: i ask the senate vote on confirmation on the executive calendar 685, the nomination of anne rachel traum under the previous order.

the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to the executive session to resume consideration of the traum nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. anne rachel traum of nevada to be united states district judge for the district of nevada. mr. durbin: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wirveg to vote or to change

their vote? if not, on this vote, the yeas are 49, the nays are 47, and the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified on the senate's actions. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: this is the last vote of the evening. i ask unanimous consent -- the presiding officer: the senate will be in order. the senate will be in order. mr. schumer: i ask that the senate proceed to executive session to vote on the confirmation of executive calendar 677, the nomination of alison nathan under the previous order. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the nathan nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, allison j. nate alison j. nathan of new york to be judge on the second circuit.

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

vote:

vote: vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: are there any senators in the chamber wishing to vote or to change their vote? if not, on this vote, the yeas are 49, the nays are 47, and the nom nation is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and and the president will be immediately notified on the senate's actions. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the substitute amendment to the desk. the presiding officer: without

objection. 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 amendment number 5002, to clairnd h.r. 4521, an act to provide for a coordinated federal research, and so forth, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the bill to the desk. the presiding officer: without objection. 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 282, h.r. 4521, an act to provide for a coordinated federal research initiative and so forth, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory

quorum call for the cloture motions filed today, wednesday, march 23, be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations en bloc, calendar 686, 6 2k-8 9, 691, that the senate vote on the nominations en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, that any statements related to the nomination be printed in the record, and the president will be immediately notified on the senate's actions and the senate resume legislative session. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the nominations en bloc. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nom naifntions are confirmed en bloc. the presiding officer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten

minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i understand there's 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 presiding officer: h.r. 4373 an act making appropriations for the department of state for related programs for the fiscal year 2022 and for other purposes. mr. schumer: i now ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under provisions of rule 14 i object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection having been heard. the bill will receive its second hearing on the next ledges lative day. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to immediate consideration of calendar 225 s. 1566. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: 225, s. 1566, a bill to plan for and coordinate efforts for advanced air mobility aircraft into the

national air space system and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i ask the committee reported substitute be agreed to, the bill as amended be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i know of no further debate on the bill as amended. the presiding officer: if there's no further debate the question is on passage of the bill as amended. all in favor say aye. opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill as amended is passed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the motions to be -- mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 226, s. 1259. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: 226, s. 1259, a bill to provide that crib bumpers shall be considered banned, hazardous products, under

section 8 of the current product safety act and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i ask that the bill be considered read a third time. the presiding officer: if no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill. all in favor aye. opposed no. if the ayes appear to have it. the bill is passed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the motion to to reconsidered be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask that the senate proceed to calendar 290 s. 2794. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: 290, s. -- a bill to amend the united states code and for so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask that the bill be considered read a third time.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i know of no further debate on the bill. the presiding officer: if 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. schumer: i further ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 303 s. 2533. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: 303 s. 2533 a bill to improve mammography services furnished by the department of veteran affairs and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: scuct that the committee report -- i ask unanimous consent that the committee reported substitute bill be read a third time. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i know of no further deesht on the bill as amended. the presiding officer: if no further debate, the question is on passage of the bill as amended.

all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the bill as amended is passed. mr. schumer: i further ask that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: and mr. president, i have one additional request for a committee to meet during today's session of the senate. it has the approval of the majority leader and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. schumer: finally -- oh, no. i note the absence of a quorum. sorry. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

pass permanent normal trade relations legislation so we can

land another devastating blow on putin's economy. in a few moments i will ask the senate for consent to do that. last week the house passed legislation revoking russia's normal trade relations with the u.s. by 424-8. 424-8. the vast majority of house republicans backed it including leader makar the end of the republican leadership. here in the senate, my friend, the senior senator from idaho sincerely believes we should amend the bill by including an oil band. i don't believe we should do that, and as i said earlier today, there are four reasons why we should move forward quickly on p ntr and then have a separate discussion on the oil ban. first, president biden has already implemented at the ban on russian oil and gas, so passing something the president has already done is not even as remotely as urgent as passing

the pn tr. especially because the president is leaving today and meeting with our european allies. what could be better than a united senate putting further sanctions on russia as the president meets with our european allies where he's done a very good job of bringing them together second -- second, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, on thursday, march 24. 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 calendar 282, h.r. 4521, america competes act. at 11:30 a.m., the senate vote on confirmation of the luger nomination.

finally, if any nominations are confirmed during thursday's session of the senate, the motion 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: if there is to 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 >> the senate has adjourned for the day. during the session, lawmakers continue to work on the america competes act and agreed to officially debate on the measure. the bill focuses on u.s. when it comes to the chip manufacturing industry. in addition, senators confirmed a member of president biden's judicial nominees to serve as u.s. district court judges. also wednesday majority leader chuck schumer attempted to schedule a vote to suspend normal trade relations with russia, however, republican senator objected to. lawmakers indicated that

negotiations will continue off the floor. more senate coverage when they resume work tomorrow right here on c-span2. madeleine albright, the first female secretary of state has died at the age of 84. she was nominated to be america's top diplomat by president clinton in 1996. madeleine albright also served as the u.s. ambassador to the united nations. in 2012, president obama awarded her the presidential medal of freedom. c-span is your unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more including mediacom. >> the world changed in an instant, but mediacom was ready. internet traffic soared and we never slowed down. schools and businesses went virtual. we powered a new reality, because apps mediacom we are built to keep you ahead.

>> mediacom supports c-span as a public service along with of these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. next a look at what the biden administration is doing to protect the rights of lgbtq plus individuals around the globe. the house foreign affairs committee heard from jessica stern who serves as a special envoy to the state department. this is just under an hour. i will keep my remarks brief to allow as much time as possible for everyone to have the opportunity to ask questions. i want to extend my appreciations for taking the time to provide this briefing. as you might know i'm the proud sister of a gender nonconforming siblings of the issues facing the lgbtqi+ community have been close to my heart. on february 4th, 2021, the biden administration announced to advance the human rights of lgbtqi+ prisons