expect senators to vote when to confirm stephanie davis to be u.s. court of appeals judge for the 6th circuit. also a member of the federal election commission. live coverage of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. te will come to. the chaplain, the reverend dr. barry black, will open the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. o lord who serves the mind of all called to serve you and country, guide our lawmakers to fulfill your purposes. when it is difficult to see the path ahead, give them the wisdom to trust the unfolding of

your powerful providence. empower them to resist the sins that bring dishonor as they seek to live for your glory. lord, unite them to bear the burdens which are laid upon them during these challenge tion days. as they remember their accountability to you, inspire them to be good stewards of your bounty. and, lord, bless ukraine. we pray in your great 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, may 24, 2022. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable raphael g. 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. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, federal election commission, dara lindenbaum of virginia to be a member.

if you're starting to turn into midterm elections what should they know about the races happening tonight? >> guest: i would say probably the main race tonight on one georgia gubernatorial primary. brian kemp republican incumbent who donald trump does not like after trump helped make him and helped him win in the 2018 primary opposes him because he didn't assert a go along with what trump was saying about the 21 election and integrity of that election in georgia. david perdue u.s. senator who lost in 2020 is challenging brian kemp in the primary. most people expect poll suggests brian kemp is going to finish first tonight and get over the 50% he needs to avoid a runoff. that's the one everyone is watching because the former president put so much of a personal stake in that race it doesn't seem like a string of what he wanted to try and what a reminder it's 50% plus one vote in georgia and a lot about that back in 2020. if that does happen and if brian

kemp wins by significant margin what does that say about a donald trump endorsement especially in light of president trump's perhaps mixed record in endorsement so far try to particularly and gubernatorial races that doesn't seem like trump is said the juice he had in other races. trump is issuing endorsements and all sorts of races, many times he's endorsing races where there's no doubt about the winter. it's fair to look at where he is intervening in competitive races. he is had some successes, j. d. vance and ohio was very helpful in that race. i certainly think the republican party remains broadly supportive of donald trump. republican candidates want his endorsement. trump is taking some hits here and there but he still has a ton of influence in the party. he's very active for defeated former president which leads to people who wonder what he's going to run in 2024 and he could at this point.

>> host: what's happening in alabama? >> guest: the senate primary tonight for the open republican senate nomination in that state and you have a handful of candidates. trump intervened on behalf of mo brooks a member of congress, a member of the u.s. house but then brooks was not doing so well. he was trailing and so trump rescinded his endorsement but now brooks might make a runoff. there will be a runoff there, three major candidates. it's a question of who will make it but brooks maybe one of those candidates. that would be an interesting way to look at trump's influence because someone he endorsed but then resend the endorsement but maybe he will make the runoff anyway. >> host: is a something about how the calendar has fallen so far or as a something about what democrats are doing in primaries? there seemed to be more high profile republican primaries this cycle the democratic primaries. there's the federman race in pennsylvania they got a lot of attention, conor lamb but we

seem to be talking more about republican primary strategy part of it is just a republican said for the sin they are more open seats. you have competitive primaries like in pennsylvania and ohio and alabama. you have republican senators who retired and submitted competitive primaries. in the competitive senate races almost all of the democratic incumbent to running again like raphael warnock in georgia and mark kelly in arizona, cortez masto in nevada. a lot of incumbent governors running on both sides but to the extent that been primary challenges to them, governors they been on the republican side and you have had donald trump endorsing against sitting republican governors but trump hasn't necessary had success in bids to essentially kicked out incumbent republican governors in primaries. the race to make his most hope profiles. >> host: .

there's also been a lot more republican participation in the primaries on the republican side compared to the democratic side. i don't necessarily know if primary turnout is predictive of november outcomes but if your belief going into the primaries is that republicans are more engaged, nothing about the primary turnout would turn you off of that idea. >> host: don't want to leave out the lone stars date, arkansas and primary runoff tonight. >> guest: you have a member of the bush family george p. h who is running for state attorney general in texas. he is an underdog to the senate republican attorney general in that state so that is a premier race. there's a primary in texas 28 which is a south texas state. those seats have eventually towards republicans particularly in 2020. you've got henry cuellar who is one of probably the most

conservative house democrat one of the most conservative candidates. he's pro-life running against a much more aggressive candidate so that's a competitive democratic primary that might tell us something about the future track of the democratic party. >> host: we are talking with kyle kondik of sabah does crystal ball and allowing you to talk about what races you want to talk about. kyle kondik and usually handle any question. it's 202-748-8000 for democrats. republicans 202-748-8001. independents, 202-748-8002. as folks are calling in want to show folks around the country what georgia voters are saying. first a reason at from david perdue touting his endorsement from president trum trump. >> brian kemp is the turncoat, i cowered and is complete and total disaster. a vote for david perdue is about

to save georgia and build it's a vote for this country because we have to honest elections. the choice is clear. >> host: david perdue putting up that ad not too long after getting president trump's endorsement. brian kemp with his own set of ads this election cycle, a very expensive race. here's one of his more recent ones. >> in washington insider david perdue voted for trillions of new debt. his out-of-control federal spending is driving inflation through the roof. in georgia governor brian kemp has balance the state budget every year. he suspended the gas tax to help the prices at the pump and deliver historic income tax cut. washington failed your david call these tax cuts disgusting. governor brian kemp gets things done and he will be stacey abrams again. trauma kyle kondik on the internet brian kemp add, turning to the general election even though the primary, focusing on

stacey abrams at the very end of a bit of a closing message that do the democratic nominee ran in 2018 and lost to brian kemp in a pretty competitive race. for whatever division there may be in the republican party following this primary i think this factor of abrams potential being governor was up unify republicans. it seems kemp is in pretty decent shape to do significant better than david perdue tonight. one problem you see with the purdue ad is purdue has made his entire pitch about donald trump and the 2020 election assorted backward looking and one thing some of her about the race is purdue hasn't made a compelling case, a positive case for his own candidacy and why kemp should be thrown out of office. >> host: in the form of vice president mike pence was at uva not too long ago. he's getting involved or has been involved in this georgia

gubernatorial race. explain. >> guest: former vice president came in and supported brian kemp in this race so is going against his former boss. i think was also an opportunity for mike pence to go in and support kemp who is a otherwise pretty loyal republican and pretty pro-trump republican despite the break between trump and kemp but mike pence is waiting back into the waters a bit and i think is leaving open the possibility he runs himself for president in 2024. >> host: talking till kyle kondik. let us do what races you want to talk about, we would love to from voters, some callers for voters in georgia and alabama and arkansas as well in the texas runnels. he is with us for about the next 35 minutes or so. this is carol out of new york, life for democrats. good morning. >> caller: good morning. i hate to rain on your

discussion but i would like to ask about new york state generally in terms of the congressional races. our lines are about three days old as we speak. candidates are still running around searching for districts. i am particularly interested in new york 19, the new new 19 which is an open seat. i believe josh riley has expressed an interest in it, and a woman, jamie cheney, on the democratic side, plus i think it would have been, well, i think delgado would've had, would have been a very competitive race with a delgado. so anything you can talk about the 19th specifically or new york state generally, i would be very interested in. thank you. >> host: you are not raining

on our parade. midterms are the topic. >> guest: a lot going on in new york, new york has new congressional map. the state courts threw it out. the new map finally merged on friday evening or actually basically saturday morning. i didn't stay at fort but a lot of people stayed up for it. in new york, new york, is a very democratic state you have got, there are 26 districts. .1 of the 2626 now or can be districts by the one -- biden one. one of those is you mentioned new york 19 which is antonio del couto, democrat district. he is now running for lieutenant governor was so it's not ruo that we a special election in the current new york 19. this will be difficult to follow but there's republican who ran

for governor in 2018, is fairly prominent. based on our ratings we see him as a favorite come slight favorite for both special in the old district of the regular election in the new district. there's a lot of jostling going on. >> host: what have we done with redistricting? >> guest: not quite. you have your still holdouts of that silly state that doesn't have maps right now. just two districts. new hampshire basically had the same congressional map since the 1880s, very basic division of the state. republican state legislature wants to change a visit, make one district easier for them to win, make it easier for the democrats, governor sununu who's also republican does want to change the map that much so that one holdout we have. overall we can start to be able to say some things about the overall map. the current districts, the ones in place for the currently elected congress, if you look at the meeting house district basically you break all 435 days

six the most democratic to most republican, the meeting house he seat was won by biden about 2.5 points. about two points to the right of the nation. under the new lines is probably be biden by about two points so the overall map is a little bit better for republicans if you like to look at it by that measure. it still has little bit of republican vice built into. >> host: what about the measure that will decide who can be speaker of the house, who gained seats in who lost seats overall? >> guest: i i would say it is awash. some of that you can determine until after the election, the actual results. what ended up happening in a lot of places is use all republicans saw some other seats eliminate alike in new york state, one of your seat was limited, , michign another one but they can make up by winning current democratic seats in those various states. if you look at the seats eliminated and added democrats have a bit of an advantage but that might get washed away by

the overall results. bottom line is republicans are in still very good position to win the house majority in november. >> host: indiana, mike, a republican good morning. >> caller: good morning. i like your program. i get to call them once in a while and i get to talk. >> host: thanks for calling. go ahead. >> caller: i was worried about the pennsylvania election. i know they got all the mail in ballots and the drop in boxes. looks like the 2020 election all, all over again in pennsylvania. republicans look good but, unfortunately, they are voting again just like they did in 2020 so no matter how good republicans look. i don't know about the vote in georgia. was suppressed when had more people in the primary then they did in 2020. >> guest: i appreciate the call. i disagree with the characterization of the pennsylvania elections and that what we had in 2020 was a lot of

people voted by mail who hadn't voted by mail in the past. that was a change that the republican state legislature and the democratic governor agreed to in pennsylvania in 2019 before the pandemic. more people took advantage of that because of the pandemic for obvious reasons and a lot of the ballots weren't allowed to be processed in advance which is why the vote count took so long. part of the reason why the primary between member dawes and david mccormick for republican senate nomination in pennsylvania is it's really close. >> host: under 1000 votes? >> guest: it takes a long time figured out and that will be a recount. these things happen. i don't think that means there's something wrong with the election in pennsylvania. that's just the process we have. >> host: what is another several weeks until we know the gop nominee, what does that mean for democrats? do they try to take advantage of

that time? >> guest: to meet its fairly early in the catholic some states historically have really late primaries like florida is typically one of the last states to vote. they the vote in late augustr september. at that point you're getting pretty close to the general election so so-so delay might be an issue. there's plenty of time for the republicans to get their act together and unify between, behind oz looks like a slightly better position than mccormick right now but it's so close it's hard to head to get. >> host: staying in the keystone state, michael, independent, good morning. >> caller: good morning. how are you? >> host: doing well. >> caller: okay. i'm looking at all of the issues and listening to all of the issues, and it was awesome hearing that women on the other channel, the real problems that

nobody on the top is looking at because they are not financially strained. >> host: michael, how was i going to relate to the midterm elections? >> caller: we are electing more sharks into the tank that is eating the working society. >> host: that's michael in pennsylvania. let me try to relate it to this tweet, ask can you talk about anyone running who has vowed not to take corporate donations? >> guest: that has been something that's particularly merge on the democratic side although i can't necessary think of folks although some people more on the left have talked about that. >> host: an issue that has come up in primaries in the past. >> guest: and also like pac money, sometimes something that comes up although if you can generate a national audience and

a national fundraising network, you don't need that kind of money because you're raising small dollars from all over the country. or getting small dollar donations from all over the country. >> host: what about that pennsylvania democratic primary, fetterman and conor lamb, was whether or getting their money an issue? >> guest: i don't recall it necessarily be an issue. fetterman was a much better fundraiser and fetterman became come has become a national figure at least he's a statewide figure in pennsylvania. particularly in aftermath of the pennsylvania 2020 election fetterman was on tv a lot defending the integrity of the vote, and i think he's also a charismatic guy, and of a character in american politics. fetterman was able to get a a bigger kind of statewide and national profile. to the callers point about his question maybe think about this inflation problem which is the .

the presiding officer: the senate is not in a quorum call. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. the hardest job in america during the pandemic certainly fell on the shoulders of our health care heroes. we owe a great debt of gratitude to the sacrifice and integrity they showed during this challenge. is but i want to add another category, and that would be the category of parents, particularly of newborn infants during the pandemic. they've dealt with school closures and covid lockdowns, rising prices at the checkout counter, and for parents with kids under the age of 5 the wait for covid vaccine has been excruciating. now parents throughout the country are facing another burden, of all things, the availability and cost of infant formula. since the beginning of this year, the supply of infant formula in america has been reduced by nearly half, half,

and the obvious question is why. in february, the food and drug administration discovered that abbott's michigan factory, which produces similac, a well-known infant formula to many parents, may have been the source of a bacteria outbreak. that outbreak sent four infants to the hospital. tragically, it claimed the lives of two. as a result, the factory in michigan was shut down. now that shutdown and larger supply chain issues has caused a shortage and caused panic among many families. at this very moment, parents are frantically scouring the internet for formula, driving for hours from store to store, and paying obscene prices to shady sellers exploiting this desperate situation. some of the parents in illinois have written to me. one of them is jennifer sandusky

from deer park in illinois. eight months ago she gave birth to a son. in her words, it was a moment of sheer joy, love, and excitement. soon after she gave birth, jennifer joined millions of other women in supplementing her son's diet with formula. jennifer wrote to me that, quote, in the last several months, we've been fighting an uphill battle to find formula. what would have once cost $13 for a 12-ounce can of powdered formula now sells for $40, if you can combined it on the shelves. jennifer -- if you can find it on the shelves. jennifer described her struggle to find the formula as a nightmare. she's not alone. another mother, named jennifer, who lives in lake zurich, illinois, said the formula shortage is becoming dire, in her words. sadly, these moms are right. the shortage is dire. that's why i'm grateful that the president has sprung into action

to try to help these parents and families. two days ago, the administration completed its first shipment of more than 75,000 pounds of imported formula as part of operation fly formula, enough for more than half a million bottles. the second shipment is expected in a few days. and as these shipments reach america's shores, president biden has also invoked the defense production act, authority he has under the law to ramp up domestic production. this could help to eliminate supply-chain bottlenecks and compel manufacturers to prioritize the production of infant formula. it's hard to think of anything that would be a higher priority. both of these steps are crucial, but in the meantime if you're a parent struggling to find formula, the department of health and human services has a website you should visit.

hhs.gov/formula. that's hhs. gov/formula. it identifies companies and health care providers, food banks and other resources that have supplies available. let me say it again, hhs. gov/formula. additionally last week president biden signed the act into law that will allow parents to buy infant formula through w.i.c. finally the food and drug administration is looking to maximize production as well. in particular, the production of specialized formulas for infants with specific health needs. the f.d.a. has also entered into an agreement with abbott to get its michigan factory back in business.

that's the largest infant formula factory in the country. we need to get it reopened safely, quickly, as long as the company meets critical safety standards, we want them in production. let's be clear, this disastrous situation could have been averted if the f.d.a. was not chronically understaffed and underfunded. at the time abbott's factory was shut down, try to guess how many federal employees had the responsibility of the oversight of this life-and-death industry. the answer, nine. nine people within f.d.a. were responsible for the oversight of infant formula, nine workers mont -- monitoring a $3.9 million industry. these workers are spread way too thin. and here's why it's a problem. when a safety issue arises, it

can take months for the f.d.a. to launch an investigation. that's exactly what happened at abbott's plant in michigan. the f.d.a. received the complaint about that company's production last october, but they didn't physically inspect the plant until january of this year. the f.d.a. does essential work with limited resources, but it cannot serve the needs of the american consumers and families on a thin budget. if we want to truly protect the safety and well-being of families and kids, we need to step up in congress. the house of representatives did it last week. house lawmakers passed congresswoman's laura derosa's legislation additional funding to help the f.d.a. with the formula shortage and prevent the next one. this legislation is a no-brainer from my point of view and that's why it's puzzling that 190

republican congressmen and women voted against it. they voted against the f.d.a. to get infant formula back into the homes of american families to prevent any healthy and safety issues in the future and 190 republicans said, no, i don't want to spend that money. that's right, the party that often claims to be so pro-family voted against legislation to help parents feed their families, feed their babies and provide parents with the peace of mind that their formula is safe. i'm sure my republican colleagues will keep coming to the floor this week to express outrage over the infant formula shortage. when you listen to what they say, also watch how they vote. if they're serious about protecting kids and families, it is time to vote that way.

congresswoman derose's legislation helps with that path. while we're at it let's look at the challenges facing working families before the formula shortage and even before the pandemic. congress has waited far too long to provide the support working families need to thrive. so let's extend the enhanced child tax kret. let's provide paid parental leave. let's offer postpartum health coverage to all new moms and let's parents afford the cost of high-quality education. i think those programs are critical and they are pro family. we have the power to make america the best place in the world to raise a family. we're not quite there. instead of the freedom to choose how and when to raise a child, i have a different proposal for my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. let's invest in the health and

potential of every family in america. mr. president, i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. proo the clerk will -- the president pro tempore: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: h. w. bush and by 2000 west virginia voted for bush is

signed and is now i think either wyoming was trumped best state in 2020. clearly democrats about this problem in appalachia and appalachia has -- a lot of competitive states come some of the parts of the country north carolina is another one. the democrats have been gaining in affluent diverse highly educated suburban areas but also have been losing and kind of wider rural places also they lost ground amongst nonwhite voters to some degree. you go back historically and look at who did franklin rosengren into the democratic party when he essentially created the modern democratic party in a lot of ways and some was created the modern welfare state or the idea the conception of government as being a bigger force in people's lives.

look or roosevelt improved on past democratic performance, a lot of like places very working-class and very ethnic and had a lot of like new immigration but you find allow those places in steel towns and places a lot of heavy industry a place like pennsylvania and ohio. some of those places state democratic all the way into trump in 2016 and finally flipped. it's interesting thing you had these working-class places that i think are struggling now who historically were linked to the more working-class party democratic party and yet that has changed. i think there's always the opportunity for soul-searching on both sides of the aisle but democrats have to think about why did those places move away, because a lot of places like that in competitive states and the makes a difference in close election. >> host: is somebody going to look back when did say that's how donald trump changed and we

made the modern republican party? >> guest: sure. probably like you can go back and look at, roosevelt was winning in landslides. trump lost a national vote twice but he wonl: the electoral colle in 2016. you you can look at some places that obama won by 25 or 30 points in ohio, and the county went three points for clinton in 2016 and trump wanted in 2020. and again that are similar places dotted across the midwest but there's this political science think about critical elections or realigning elections and their then some holes poked in that scholarship over the years but there are some elections you can look at historically and say why, things changed in this election change for a long time. some of the voting patterns that change in 2016 will be with us for longtime. >> host: buffalo colorado julie, independent, good morning. >> caller: good morning.

first i want to say i have a bachelors degree in political science and i used to be an instructor of civics and a part-time professors at the university there. i would love to have taken a class, political science class. second, my question is i live in lauren boebert district. if you follow her when she ran the first time for congress she refused to debate the democrat candidate because she couldn't get the questions of the debate ahead of time. i'm just wondering what his prediction is for her. she is being primaried and republican primary and last i saw like four candidates running against her. do you have any idea if this soul will win the democratic party or somebody recovery.

his campaign published the biden plan to revitalize main street and invest in small businesses. and another to give america's working families the tools, choices, and freedom they need to build back better. so just how have the working families and small businesses fared with president biden and the democratic parties calling the shots? 69% of americans say our economy right now is bad. even more, 77%, say they're pessimistic about cost rising even more in the coming months. just last month one longstanding measure of optimism along

business owners reached its lowest level on record. month after month the historic high inflation that democrats helped unleash with runaway spending last spring is taking its toll on america's hope for the future. but more immediately it's taking a toll on their wallets. more than a third of americans say they're having difficulty paying for usual household expenses. just last month the price of a gallon of milk was 16% higher than the year before. gas prices are scraping the stratosphere, in kentucky, the average price for a gallon of regular reached an all-time high a week ago, today it is 20 cents higher than that. in lexington, one resident to drives a ride share put it this way, quote, i'm not trying to be

a bill air in, i'm just -- billionaire, i'm trying to pay bills. she's paying more at the pump and so are folks filling up their trucks tractors or trying to fill up with diesel. as our nation reached the effects of one-year of one-party control, some are acting like opposite conditions were afoot. after their spending bonanza kicked off historic inflation, they want to pile on the biggest tax hikes in history. after their radical day one climate agenda hammered energy on homes, they want to double down on far-left fantasyies. as the biden administration

passed its 100th day in office, i urged the president to recommit to solving our nation's actual problems. well, here we are, approaching his administration's 500th day in office. by now america's working families have figured out for themselves that the so-called biden plan, for them, is just a fast-track to historic hardships. now, on an entirely different matter. five months ago democrats in the media were saying the sky was falling because of some states' main streets voting laws. georgia passed a voting law that was more open than the rules on the books in blue states like new york and delaware. texas passed a law that switched off some one-time covid exceptions, like keeping polls open in the middle of the night. these mainstream laws brought a

torrent of hysteria from the far left, from corporate america, hollywood, and the -- there was a rush to unleash laws they hadn't read. it was untethered from reality. one poll a few months back found that less than one half of 1% of america said that voting laws were the biggest problem in america. some believe that the current laws are too lax than too restrictive. the far-left became fixated on this nonissue. the manufactured outrage just kept coming. at the peak of the country shend -- -- at the peak, democrats voted to break this

institution on a bill. the majority saved the senate as an institution. we are seeing the hard evidence as we all knew the hysteria was never based on fact to begin with. georgia's primary election day is today, but we already know a lot thanks to early voting figures. here was a washington post headline a few days ago, georgia is surging despite new controversial voting law. the story goes on record breaking turnout is undercutting predictions that the georgia accounting integrity act would lead to a falloff in voting. by the end of friday, the final day of early in-person voting, nearly 800,000 georgians had cast ballots. more than three times, three

times the number in 2018. and listen to this -- even higher than in 2020, a presidential year. turnout is up despite the fact that fewer georgians are availing themselves of the state's no-excuse mail-in voting. georgians are getting back to in-person voting, a return to prepandemic norms, and doing so in huge, huge numbers. the reporter quoted one 70-year-old black voter who was stunned by the easyness of the voting process after all the disinformation that had been thrown around. this is what she said, i had heard that we were going to try to -- they were going to try to deter us in any way possible. so to go in there and vote as easily as i did, i was really thrown back. shame, shame on the democrats who pushed the big lie that a

grand scheme was afoot to prevent millions of americans from voting. it was never true. it was just to push their preexisting policy agenda. the fake hysteria was just a pretext to push a sweeping national takeover of election laws that democrats had already had on the shelf for a number of years. now the rhetoric is proving false right before our eyes. these commonsense republican laws appear to be achieving just what the american people want. the american people want to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat. this whole episode proves exactly why our democracy still needs its cooling saucer. this is exactly the reason why the united states senate exists, so that one party cannot lose its head in short-term fever and upend

massive federal laws on a partisan basis under false pretext. thank goodness, thank goodness a bipartisan majority stopped democrats from destroying the senate over this fake issue a few months back. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: now, mr. president, it's become clear over the last few months that too much of the republican party has been taken over by maga republicans who are now dominating the party and republicans in the senate, moving the party away from things that it's often stood for in the past. the contrast has become clear. democrats, for instance, want to codify a woman's freedom to make decisions about her own body into federal law, but maga republicans want to take away women's rights by pushing national abortion bans, jailing women and doctors for carrying out abortions, even pushing bans with no exception for rape or incest. in the wake of the buffalo shooting, maga republicans continue embracing unhinged

conspiracy theories like the great replacement which has been a rallying cry for ultra nationalists and white supremacists in europe for year. and all year long, while democrats have been pushing solutions that will lower costs, maga republicans and the chair of the republican campaign arm openly support raising taxes on the poor and working families while cheering on inflation as a gold mine. and that was senator scott's words, not mine. he called inflation a gold mine. imagine. mr. president, maga republicans are showing americans exactly who they are, an amazing happening this weekend the conservative political action conference, the largest be conservative organization in america held their conference in hungary and welcomed one of europe's most proponents of

replacement theory, viktor orban, as their keynote speaker. the conservative political action conference, a very important organization in the new republican maga party had viktor orban as their keynote speaker, an autocrat who has whittled away democracy in hungary. it is sickening, sickening to see that two weeks after the shooting in buffalo, republicans as prominent as donald trump and tucker carlson spoke at the same event as one of europe's most prominent white nationalists and authoritarians. it's a scary and other-worldly turn for one of america's two parties to take. i know not all republicans embrace the views of maga republicans. i know many of them support women's rights and embrace diversity and reject conspiracies like white replacement. i urge these republicans in the senate and the country to

repudiate the maga wing taking over the g.o.p. i invite the voters to support democratic candidates as a protest against extremism so we as a nation can halt the dangerous rise of the hard right. this week all of us in the senate will have a chance to take a stand against extremism by voting to begin debate on the domestic terrorism prevention act. for the information of all, i will take the first procedural step on this legislation later today, and members can expect a vote on thursday on this bill that will chak down on domestic terrorism and extremism. as far as legislation goes, this bill is as much of a no-brainer as it comes. two years ago, when donald trump was president, the house passed this bill unanimously. every single republican was for the bill. but in a sign of how radicalized the g.o.p. has become, nearly

every single house republican opposed it last week, despite one morning consult poll that showed that a majority of republicans and republican voters support these commonsense measures. let me say it again. according to one morning consult poll, a majority of republican voters support cracking down on domestic terrorism, yet nevertheless, every single house republican voted against this bill last week. if you wanted some proof that the maga wing of the republican party is taking over the whole party, there it is. i hope that given everything happening across the country right now, senate republicans will act differently and support this bill. let me be clear, democrats' goal is to pass this bill just as it is with all bills we bring to the senate floor. but if republicans keep going down their extremist,

obstructionist path, then this vote will still allow the american people to hold their elected representatives accountable. mr. president, not long ago views like replacement theory were relegated to the fringes of american society, shared primarily by twisted minds on online message boards. but today white supremacy, which has been with us for decades and centuries, is now out in the open, and proponents speak about it unabashedly and unashamedly. many were shocked in 2017 when out in the open thousands of white supremacists marched at the unite the right rally in charlottesville and chanted you will not replace us. it was out in the open on january 6 as insurrectionistists waved confederate flags through the hallways of this capitol, the first time that ever occurred in american history. it's out in the open every time donald trump holds a maga rally

and blames undocumented immigrants for stealing the 2020 election. and it's out on the open on cable networks, cable news networks like fox where tucker carlson has spread replacement theory in over 400 episodes and other commentators join in. to be sure, the extremism of maga republicans is hardly limited to their embrace of ridiculous conspiracy theories. across the country the hard right is also hellbent on turning back the clock on women's rights by 100 years, pushing restrictions on abortions that are wildly outside the mainstream. whether it's a national ban on abortions, which leader mcconnell acknowledges is possible if republicans win the senate, or the prosecution of women who pursue abortions or even banning business that help employees access abortions out of state, maga republicans are

opening, openly championing restrictions that would have been career enders just a few years ago but are now part of the g.o.p. canon. and we cannot ignore who suffers most under these radical restrictions -- women of col lore, low-income families, families in deeply gerrymandered states where their views have all been but silenced. mr. president, this is what maga republicans clamor for, a world ruled by conspiracy theories, national abortion bans, and the greatest curtailing of individual rights in 50 years. world where immigrants and communities of color are considered replacers, where women are considered second-class citizens and being told what to do with their woddies -- their bodies, where white supremacy is tolerated and embraced, and democracy erodes in favor of autocracy. imagine again, orban, leading autocrat of europe, as a speaker

where president trump and other republicans participated. who would think we would see that tay? -- that day? we cannot let these views become accepted or even the norm in the united states. this week, we can take one step of many to help silence the voice is of white supremacy, the voices of domestic terrorism. so i implore my republican colleagues, if you reject the danger of white supremacy and views like white replacement, you should vote in favor of moving forward to begin debate on this domestic terrorism bill. this is a test. this is about accountability. republican senators, do you reject the views of maga republicans? do you rejoact white sprem -- reject white supremacy and replacement theory? taking a stand against domestic terrorism and whies supremacy should be the easiest thing in the world. if republicans can't join us on something as simple as that, americans will see with even

greater clarity how radical the g.o.p. has become under donald trump and maga republicans. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. young: what defines an american soldier? is it courage under fire? is it physical strength? is it the great victories on the battlefield? no, i think it's something else. above all, it's sacrifice. it's the selflessness to surrender ones life so that a set of values will endure, not only for the living but for generations to come.

it's the faith that the future of this great nation is more important than the life of any one of its citizens. the cause of liberty is greater than any individual. now, be that as it may, every fallen hero must be remembered. every individual who makes the ultimate sacrifice must be honored. and that is why in the spring every year we decorate their graves. with flowers and the flag they fought for. those headstones made of marble or granite are often indistinguishable from a distance. fittingly their sacrifice was the same, no matter how fabled or forgotten the battle, no matter in victory or defeat. and though we rightly revere our

glorious triumphs the trenches of yorktown, the hills of gettysburg, the field of the marn, the beaches of normandy, it's often in america's darkest hours, in the face of great disaster when we see the virtues of america's warriors most clearly, and so it was with sergeant charles gerigas, a farm boy from the town of francisco in southern indiana. growing up during the depression, he developed a passion and skill for motors, driving trucks and tractors across the hoosier countryside. it was why he was drawn to the united states army, why after his discharge at the end of world war ii he reenlisted, serving as a motor pool sergeant in japan.

sergeant garagas was scheduled to return to indiana on june 26, 1950. one day before that, on the 25th, the korean war began. and so he again answered the call. after the initial setbacks, the north korean people's army, pushing u.s. forces south, by the end of the summer, the north koreans were in retreat. americans were advancing north, up the peninsula. the end of the war was in sight. general douglas mcarthur divided his forces, the eighth army went from sowell to py -- from seoul to pyongyang. the regimen was assigned to guard the 10 corps flank. once connected, they would march towards the chinese frontier,

reunite korea and end the war. the soldiers might be home for christmas. then came the battle of chosin reservoir, where 100,000 chinese soldiers attacked. the americans isolated and spread out across the res, voyeur, were -- across the reservoir were surrounded, they were trapped. it was an unmitigated disaster. one of the worst in the history of america's military. the fighting continued for two more nights before sergeant garagas' regimen consolidated with another larger unit, led by colonel allen mcleen. on the morning of the 29th, their 60-vehicle convoy made its way to the perimeter. the chinese fire was so heavy, two trucks filled with supplies

were left on the opposite of the bridge leading to mcleen's men. when sergeant garagas looked across that bridge and saw chinese soldiers approaching the vehicles, he dashed, on foot, across the bridge, reached the first van, and drove it back across the ice-covered brinch. -- brink. then got -- across the ice-covered bridge. then he ran out, got across the bridge, got in the second truck and drove that across to american lines too. just as he made it over, the engine stalled out. but his fellow soldiers roared. it was a shot of hope in a desperate hour. after 80 hours of attack, the situation had grown so dire that on the morning of the 30th, the americans determined to break out and drive over mountain roads to the saifort of the marine -- to the safety of the marine base, at the southern end

of the reservoir. they loaded what rations and supplies they had left, along with the wounded, into 35 trucks and jeeps and prepared to set out across the narrow mountain roads that led to the marines. before they departed, chinese forces come on deared the -- comandeered the americans' defensive machine gun posts. sergeant garagas rallied other soldiers, fought off the chinese and retook the weapons, turning them on the enemy, freeing up the column of vehicles to depart. the way was treach treacherous, the formation was disorganized, scattered by chinese gun fire. with sergeant garrigus at its head, the convoy drew near the marine base. what was once a 35-vehicle

convoy was now 15. the trucks and jeeps were full of bullet holes, but the final run was at hand. with mortar blasts exploding along its sides sergeant garrigus guided the convoy forward. they were five miles away, just within reach. then a tremendous blast of machine guns erupted. the lead vehicle veered off the road, smashed into a ditch. sergeant garrigus lay dead behind the wheel. the entire convoy ground to a halt. the surviving soldiers were at the mercy of the chinese. sergeant charles garrigus never returned home to indiana. his name is among the missing, the ones who answered their country's call and never came home. he was awarded the distinguished

service cross for his service and sacrifice. though his mission was doomed, his death was not in vain. the fighting distracted the chinese army long enough to allow the army to successfully witt draw south -- withdraw south, the longest withdraw in american history. he and his brothers in arms fought like hell, through hell, their chances of victory, even survival, were remote. but they didn't fight for themselves. they fought for their countrymen, living and generations away, for the ideal of self-government. on memorial day we honor all those who've died in service to america in defense of that ideal. let us not mistake the stillness

of the patriot graves with silence, though. the rows of head stones speak to us of sacrifice for common good. they remind us of the price at which our freedom was won, of the too-often smallness of our divisions, of the many reasons for faith in our fellow americans, no matter how strained our bonds may be, of the blessings we share, even if they're obscure, and of our ability to pass through any trial no matter how daunting. when we listen to them, i believe, we will lift our heads from today's anxieties and face the future optimistically, as the story of sergeant garrigus shows. we americans have refused to let

far greater obstacles deter us or accepted that more difficult problems can't be solved. months after his death at the chosin reservoir, sergeant garrigus' parents received a note of condolence from general douglas mcarthur. in it, he hoped that the loss of their son in defense of his country offered some measure of comfort. the letter also spoke of the sergeant's devotion to duty at the cost of all he held dear. eloquent words or well-meaning gestures on memorial day or any day have small power to comfort those left behind, but we can take more than a measure of comfort and should be eternally grateful that from our founding until today there have always

been americans willing to keep us safe and free at the cost of all they hold dear. may god bless them and keep them in his arms. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. rosen: mr. president, for years, solar power has been clean and low-cost energy in nevada, and states across the nation, like yours, mr. president, in exactly ca. nevada has the most solar jobs per capita of any state. supporting solar energy creates american jobs and these jobs are

helping us to transition to clean, renewable energy. our domestic solar industry, it's made up of more than 10,000 businesses, large and small, located in every single state, employing over 250,000 american workers. but at this moment, the american solar industry's at risk. all of the progress we've made to transition to clean energy and dramatically lower energy costs for american families, well, it's at risk. hundreds of thousands of good-paying solar jobs are at risk because of the department of commerce investigation into imported solar panels. our domestic solar industry's success depends on a steady supply of solar panels to install. if we don't have the panels to install, we do not have -- we just don't have -- domestic solar industry.

unfortunately solar panel manufacturers in the u.s. can only meet the needs of 15% -- 15% of american solar projects. that leaves 85% of solar projects without any access to solar panels and this requires -- requires importing solar panels. and let me make something very clear. i 100% support ramping up domestic solar manufacturing so that some day all of our solar panels and cells can be made in the united states. and i've introduced a bipartisan bill with senator jerry moran to do just that. however, today we simply do not have the capacity or the capability to manufacture enough panels to meet demand or to support the hundreds of thousands of american workers, many in union jobs, whose

livelihoods while they depend on available, affordable solar panels. utilities across the country and especially in the southwestern states are shifting to renewable solar energy and they have already hired workers and in many cases have made multimillion dollar investments to do so. these are good-paying jobs which often requires special expertise to install our solar installations. since the investigation was launched, there have been widespread reports of project cancellations and layoffs. it has thrown the entire solar industry into uncertainty and threatening jobs and it's setting us back on our clean energy goals and it's sending the wrong message to our communities as they plan for their infrastructure investments. one industry report states that as a result of the solar freeze,

over 80% of american solar companies -- i want to repeat that -- over 80% of american solar companies are facing cancellations, they're facing delays on all of the materials that they need. projects are on pause, companies are facing closure and american jobs, people's livelihoods, they're in jeopardy. earlier this month, the state of indiana announced that due to the investigation, it will not be able to complete its solar projects on time and will have to keep its coal-power plant opened several years longer than initially planned. they won't be able to complete their solar panels in time. and in my state of nevada, n.v. energy, the state's largest power company said that this is causing massive disruptions that would provide low-cost power to

more than 114,000 homes. this is hurting president biden's own clean energy goals. it's reversing our progress toward clean, renewable energy. i've highlighted all of this in bipartisan letters that i've led to the department of commerce and to the white house signed by nearly a quarter of the senate, including many of the colleagues you're going to hear from today. at the department of commerce -- if the department of commerce continues down the path we're on and enacts additional and retroactive solar tariffs, more than 100,000 american jobs could be lost. hardworking families across this country will feel the pain of this decision that will cause energy costs -- they're going to cause energy costs to go up. americans are already getting squeezed at the gas pump, facing historic inflation, paying more for groceries. we cannot allow home energy

costs to increase as well. the administration, they can prevent this outcome and quell the panic in the solar industry by swiftly bringing the department of commerce's misguided investigation to an end. i understand and respect the department of commerce's need to be thorough in investigating any claims of unfair trade practices, but as i've been pointing out, this petition is built upon a husband 0 of cards -- upon a house of cards. the petition for the investigation was brought by one -- one single solar company relying on data from researchers who say the the company's claims are wrong and the claims in the complaint do not accurately reflect their research. we cannot let this one single company use data in a misleading way to destroy hundreds of thousands of american jobs.

we must support and build our u.s. solar manufacturing and i stand ready to work with all my colleagues to make that possible, but there are supply needs that need to be met right now and we cannot simply build out domestic solar manufacturing overnight. this is not an either or situation. we need to do both. american jobs are on the line. we need a resolution. so i call on the department of commerce and the white house again to use every resource at their disposal to expedite this process and get american solar -- well let's get us back on track. president biden, we need action, not next week, not next month, or later this summer. hundreds of thousands of american solar workers, their

families, our communities, they are counting on you. so, mr. president, today we will hear from several of my colleagues on this critically important issue. and i look forward to hearing from them about how we can continue to work together to save american jobs and protect our climate future. thank you. i yield. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. a senator: thank you, mr. president, i have, along with my colleague, senator rosen, am pleased to be able to speak out today. ms. cortez masto: we've both been working throughout our time here in the united states senate to support nevada's booming renewable energy industry,

including our solar sector, for some of the reasons that my friend and colleague, senator rosen, highlighted right now. there's one thing that is important to also understand. i want to put this in perspective. you know, 2020, i helped to security -- in 2020, i helped to secure the investments of the tax credit to increase investments in this critical sector. what happened with this investigation -- and don't get me wrong. i think all of my colleagues feel the same way. that under this statute, under the code, the commerce department has every right to investigate this sir circumventn petition. that's not the issue that, for me, what we're coming here today. what we're asking the administration to do, at least from my perspective, is that pursuant to that very statute

under sub f, the administrator, in this case the department of commerce, and their incredible staff are required to make a determination within 300 days of the petition being filed. within 300 days of the petition being filed. what we're asking for is that swift determination to be made. here's why. because we know in our state and what i'm hearing from so many of the industry in my state, it is having a chilling effect from us moving forward and being able to move forward to, quite honestly, achieve this administration's goal of aggressive decarbon nation targets -- decarbonization targets for our country and for our future. what i do know is this, because of the effect this is happening during this period of investigation, there's a couple of things happening. the solar industry, right now, everything is on hold. there's concerns that, depending

on how the outcome of this hetion rolls -- investigation rolls out, there could be retroactive tariffs to these industries. so any business could say, i don't know what the industry, what the lay of the land is right now, what my costs are going to be, so i'm going to stop moving forward until i know the results of that investigation. because there if there is retroactive tariffs or retroactive costs to me, i want to know what that will be as a business owner. because nothing is moving forward, i talked about the fact that we actually passed under the previous administration in 2020, the extensions of the tax credit and the tax credit for solar. so we gave incentives to the solar industry in 2021 and 2022 so that we can build up the solar industry and meet our decarbonization aggressive goals

that we had. at 26%, they're entitled to that tax kret from years -- credit from years 2021 to 2022. and then it goes down in 2023, and then down to 2024% down to 10 -- 2024, down to 10%. so nobody is getting the benefit of that from the previous administration to move forward with. so here is what the challenge is. we are here because we want to move forward with decarbonization and clean energy, slower is the -- solar is the way to do that. we need a ramp to get there. we cannot shut off the modules, the panels, everything we need and 80% of those panels come from outside of this country. we cannot shut it down overnight and expect tower solar

manufacturing -- expect our solar manufacturing companies the ability to achieve what they need to achieve to go forward. we need to figure out how to make this happen with the ultimate goal of reducing the carbon footprint in this country and build it and making it in america again, all of those panels and modules. but it cannot be done overnight. we put the investments out there. yes, we have a new plant going in ohio, which is fantastic, but i'll tell you that one plant alone isn't enough to achieve what we need in capacity for the solar industry in this country. so as we stand here, what is happening is that nothing is moving forward. and we are now in potential of losing out potential thri to other countries -- potentially to other countries and slowing down a process that we need to reach our clean energy goals for this country.

that's why so many of my colleagues, including in nevada, but across the country, are coming up and talking with the administration and what we're just asking is for the administration to understand the challenges that we're facing right now, but at the same time make a swift, determined investigation and action. do it quickly so that we can move forward so that the solar industry has the information that it needs. and why are we so vocal about this? i will tell you nevada solar industry is the largest in the nation. the industry supports more per capita in my state than had any other and -- than any other and many of those are union jobs and they're on hold right now and nothing is moving forward right now. that is not, i don't believe, the intent of the administration or what we have been trying to achieve here at the end of the day as we look forward to a clean energy economy.

i know this industry in my state makes our economy much stronger and more resilient and solar and other renewables help us meet our climate goals and enhance our energy independence in this country, which we need now more than ever and investments in renewable energy are lowering energy costs for nevadans across the state. because of the hundreds of union trained workers who are building out solar capacity will be at risk if they can't get the material they need to move forward, we are slowing down not only the potential to not only meet that clean energy future, but we are slowing our economy and we are putting too many of our good-paying union workers out of jobs right now. and so my request and i know my colleague's, is that we're asking the commerce department to make a swift decision. yes, they should be doing this,

yes, this is right under the statute, yes, the circumvention is important so we can prevent any type of dumping by other countries and flooding our market. absolutely. i agree. within the provisions of the trade laws that we are right now and the statute, the commerce department rightly does the investigation, but they can do it quickly, and that's all we're asking here, mr. chairman. thank you, and i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that several individuals serving on the senate committee on environment and public works, the majority staff and one individual in my personal office be granted privileges of the floor for the remainder of the congress, jamin barr, connor

ransom, alex smith, and james hammer. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. carper: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, this week, the solar industry of this country is something in naval aviation that we call refusal speed what is that? it is the speed at which an aircraft continues to pick up speed on its takeoff role or abandon, aboard that takeoff role and remain on the ground. in recent years, america's solar energy has been rolling down the runway, picking up speed every day. unfortunately there are forces at large today that threaten to abort the takeoff role and ground this vital industry. today i join my colleagues in rising to express our grave concerns about a challenge that threatens to bring the solar industry to a halt. to a halt. not from climate change deniers but from our own federal government. as we speak, mr. president, the u.s. chamber -- the u.s.

commerce department is investigating whether solar energy products coming from malaysia, vietnam, thailand, and cambodia should be subject to the same tariffs as are currently in place for products coming here from china. this investigation is currently freezing access to these products for american businesses that import and deploy them across our country. and the threat of astronomical tariffs loom large. as a result, a number of our colleagues are deeply concerned about the impact of the commerce investigation not only of our solar industry but also on our ability to combat the climate crisis and meet president biden's bold climate goals. we're already in danger of running out of time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. i know that. the presiding officer knows that. all our colleagues realize that. now this investigation threatens to create an unforced error, an unforced error in our commitment to protect our planet. we don't have time for an unforced error.

we're not waiting for the climate crisis to arrive. the climate crisis is here and here now. our country and our planet will continue to feel ever more devastating impacts. already in the last year alone, we witnessed wildfires burning billions of acres in montana, and other western states, as big as my state. the same hurricane that knocked out access to power and water for a million people in louisiana and mississippi then went on to produce flash floods in new jersey and new york. people there actually drowned in their basements unable to escape at the torrent of flood water. to prevent further reversible effects for future generations, we need to continue transitions our nation and our planet away from fossil fuels. among other things we should be doing everything in our power to lift up innovators in the solar industry, to boldly cut emissions from our power sector and attack this climate crisis

head-on. but unfortunately the commerce department's investigation threatens to hamstring one of the strongest weapons in our fight, clean renewable energy. the prospect as much as of a 250 -- 250% tariff on solar products will have an immediate disastrous impact on the leading renewable energy source for our nation. effectively we would be punishing the very green industry that's helping to lead the charge to curb emissions and further reduce our nation's reliance on fossil fuels. we'd be punishing the hundreds of thousands of american workers who work in the solar industry. in fact, the solar industry -- the solar energy industry association estimates that this investigation currently under way threatens 70,000 jobs between now and 2025, 70,000 jobs. but more than that, we've heard from businesses in the solar industry who say that the very threat of these tariffs is already freezing imports needs

to build solar infrastructure and bolder -- bolden our defense against the climate crisis. the idea that solar companies may have to sit around waiting for january 2023 to come around just to see if industry tariffs will be announced. that alone is destabilizing. it's worse than destabilizing. it already risks bringing investments to a standstale while adding uncertainty to the solar market and pushing utility companies to slow their tran siption away from -- transition away from fossil fuels out of fear for a change in american climate priorities. because that's what's at stake here. what do we value? are we committed to a clean energy future? a transition to a 100% carbon pollution-free electric sector by 2035 and protecting american jobs and lives from an impending climate crisis? are we okay with the status quo, with holding back renewable

energy prospects and continuing to let politics dictate our planet's future? across this nation americans are feeling the effects of climate change in every storm surge and every coastal flood. we certainly see that in my home state of delaware with the lowest lying state in america, seas rising, my state is sinking. americans across the country are ready to do whatever it takes to save our planet and create a ton of jobs at the same time. i implore the biden administration to swiftly expedite its investigation rather than drag in process out and add to the uncertainty of businesses across our country and rule out retro active job-killing tariffs in the process. in this moment we have to act with greater urgency to drive down emissions. in this moment we have to unleash the power of american clean energy and in this moment we need to protect our planet for generations to come. to fall short of our commitment

would be to let down all of those would inherit this planet from us. future generations will look back at this critical moment in our nation's history to do what we did when our planet was on the line. heaven forbid, heaven forbid they look back and see our own hand, our own hand forced this error. again, i implore this administration to end this investigation, lift up the solar industry, and help us meet our nation's climate goals. thank you, mr. president. i yield back the remainder of my time. thank you.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: thank you, mr. president. the first stan ga of our national anthem ends, quote, o say does that star-spangled banner yet wave or the land of the free and the home of the brave. we sing this part as a triumphant declaration, but if you read the lyrics of the star-spangled banner, the

sentence actually ends with a question mark. francis scott key intended this line to be sung as a question rather than a statement. that's fitting because while our freedom may be concrete, hate and evil threaten the security of our freedom from one generation to the next. over the years our national anthem took on a feeling of confidence and assurance rather than uncertainty. and that's thanks to the millions of men and women who bravely answered the call to serve. many soldiers lost their lives to give us the security we all enjoy and the assurance we are proud of. that is what we keep in our hearts and on our minds as we honor the fallen on this memorial day.

throughout the course of our nation's history, our freedom has been protected by those who stood toe to toe with hate and evil, endured sleepiness nights on the battlefield, rough days at sea, harsh conditions in the desert, years living in a far corner of the globe so that we as americans can sleep peacefully in the comfort and security of our home. sadly, some of our nation's heroes never ever returned. my state of alabama lost 2500 soldiers during world war i, 5014 soldiers during world war ii, and hundreds and hundreds of others in wars since.

alabama pays tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice with memorials across our state. more than 400,000 people visit the u.s.s. alabama battleship memorial park in mobile annually where they learn more about our military and those who serve. the city of trustful, alabama recently broke ground on the alabama fallen war year monument to honor alabama's servicemembers killed since 9/11. but these sites are more than just landmarks. they tell stories of countless lives that were forever changed. the stories of daughters, sons, husbands, wives, mothers, and fathers who answered the call to defend our country at home and

abroad, not knowing what their future would hold. stories of mothers who hug their children and husbands, who kiss their wives without knowing if it was for the last time. every year on memorial day we pause to honor these heroes and reflect on the price they paid for our freedom. today i would like to recognize some of alabama's fallen soldiers who have paid freedom's high cost and the gold star families who still grieve from their absence. many of our fallen servicemembers had not yet reached the prime of their life. some were still in high school when they answered the call to service. that is true for private first class james j joshua, -- james joshua, junior would left high

school to become a united states marine at the young age of 18. this bright young man adored his family and his dreams for his life were like that of many 18-year-olds. private joshua had great aspirations of travel and he wanted a successful career. but he also felt a higher calling to serve his country in vietnam. the second oldest of eight children, private joshua was a natural protector who wanted to make sure his family and his country were safe. so he deployed as a marine but he never returned home. on may 22, 1968, his life was cut short. he was killed when his company was attacked with mortars .

his younger sister judy recalls getting ready for her high school graduation when the notification officers arrived with news of her brother's passing. a day that started as celebration of graduation turned into a day of tragedy as she, her mother, and sisters received the news. still judy remembers the screams and shock and despair. the joshua family never got over the passing of their beloved brother and son james. judy's mom especially struggled to cope with the loss. she passed away from a heart attack at age 49 which judy attributes to the grief she experienced following the tragic loss. private joshua was posthumously awarded a bronze star and a purple heart for his courage and

his bravery. his hometown of gadston honors his service at central carver's museum wall of honor. he's honored on panel 65-e, line 11 of the wall at the vietnam memorial wall here in washington, d.c. he gave his country the best years of his life. a sacrifice we can never fully repay. sadly, his life is not the only instance of years cut short because of service to our country. private first-class thomas stag, known as tommy, from birmingham, alabama, was declared missing in action in 1950 during the korean war. he was 21 years old at the time.

he and ten other paratroopers from the u.s. army 187th regimental combat team were on a patrol in the wacai province when they were over-yelled by chinese forces. all 11 members were declared dead and missing in action. private stag received several awards for his services, including a push heart and a national -- including a purple heart and a national defense medal. colonel larry leonard was very young when his family received the news about his uncle. but he witnessed the toll it took on his mother, who had already lost another brother during world war ii. colonel leonard shared that his mother's dying wish was for her little brother to be found and to be returned and buried

alongside her and her parents. five years ago colonel leonard saw his mother's wish fulfilled. thanks to the help of the defense pow-mia defense accounting agency or the dpaa, he was returned home more than 67 years after he was declared missing. colonel leonard says that while memorial day is a somber day, it is important to recognize those who, quote, thought so much of her country, they were willing to give their lives for it. you know, it is estimated more than 81,681 soldiers are still missing since world war i. 81, 600 still missing.

and some soldiers still accepting for answers. like teresa schmidt of hundredsville, alabama who was only eight years old when her father, u.s. air force technical sergeant albert phillips airplane crashed in the me congress river during the vietnam war. his body was never recovered but he was presumed dead and labeled missing in action. teresa was one of six children between the ages of four and 11 who were left behind. she spoke of the many days and nights she spent waiting to see if her father would ever be found and the heartbreak of growing up knowing that he would never be present to teach her how to ride a bike, meet her high school boyfriends,

celebrate her graduation, or walk down the aisle at her wedding. teresa's mother committed to raising her children alone, never remarrying in the hopes that her husband would return. sergeant phillips received numerous awards for his courage, including the national defense service medal with one battle star and the air force commendation medal with oak leaf cluster. he was honored at a memorial in alabama and on panel 46-w line 62 of the wall of faces at the vietnam veterans memorial here in washington, d.c. the phillips family reminds us of the ordinary moments we take for granted and the immense sacrifice of gold star families. our military defends us abroad but also protects us here right

at home when acts a of terror occur on american soil. that is the story of first class marcia ranchford, a native of pritchard, alabama, who was killed when hijackers crashed american airlines flight 77 into her office on the western side of the pentagon on september 1, 2001. she described by her family as someone with a huge, huge heart, who was passionate about helping those in need. the 34-year-old mother left behind a husband and three young children -- 11, 8, and 18 months. she was awarded a purple heart for her courage in the wake of one of the most horrific days in america's history. officer richford's son rodney

told the story of learning about his mother's passing when he arrived home to see his father crying as he held the telephone and recalling seeing the pentagon in flames on television. rodney described the next day without his mother, like, quote, waking up in a different world. his teenage days were met with without having his mother's hand as a guide. rodney's story is another heartbreaking example of gold star children who faced a childhood they didn't ask for but were given as a result of the unthinkable sacrifices their loved ones made for freedom. their courage is no doubt a testament to the braving parents who raised them. it is impossible to speak of gold star families without mentioning the parents who are

robbed. joy of seeing their children -- robbed of the joy of seeing their children grow up and have families of their own. danny philbin is one such gold star parent. danny's son, u.s. army sergeant jason jordan of the 101st airborne deficiency was killed -- division was killed on the night of july 20, 2003 when his humvee was ahacked by rocket-propelled grenades. even though it was not required for the 24-year-old, he chose to go on patrol that night because he would not ask his company to do something he wasn't willing to do himself. because of his service and sacrifice, sergeant jordan earned the combat infantryman badge, a purple heart, and a

gold star. sergeant jordan is honored in elba at the least they be forgotten memorial at veterans memorial park in elba. danny describes his son as a natural-born leader who led by example. he said jason was studying chemical engineering prior to his military service but joined the military because he felt there was a need. danny said jason was a hard worker who loved his hometown, his state, and his country. now, to cope with his grief, danny drives the truck that once belonged to his son. for fathers like danny, holding on to ordinary possessions of their loved ones helps them feel close even after they have passed on. these are the stories of americans who gave their lives

for freedom's cause. mothers, brothers, sisters, and sons who became heroes to all of us. there are many, many others who have made pentagon ultimate sacrifice for all of us and for our country. these heroes live lives of impact driven by a desire to serve their country at any cost. we tell their story to keep their memory alive and ensure their sacrifices are never, never forgotten. and as long as there are brave men and women like those i've mentioned today we can continue to sing the national anthem, not with a question mark but with a declaration that we are the land of the free and the home of the brave.

as memorial day approaches, i hope we will take the time to honor americans fallen along with the brave families who they left behind and always remember that our freedoms were won by men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. blunt: mr. president, dara linden balm is the president's nominee tock a member of the federal elections commission. we're scheduled to vote to on that nomination today. on april 6, the committee on rules an administration held a hearing to consider this nominee. she shared her credentials for the job and her understanding of the agency's mission and the roll of a commissioner on may the 3 reasonablerd, he was repot

of committee. i supported her nomination to be voted out of committee. the federal elections commission plays a vital role for campaign finance committees. as a former secretary of state, i worked with the f.e.c. on a regular basis and since that time i've run in many federal elections. i know how important a fully functioning f.e.c. is to federal candidates who need to avail themselves of the f.e.c.'s guidance and advisory opinions. i also know how importance the stability of the agency is to the regulated community. and while the commissioners to the federal election commission are by design partisan, it is unlikely that every senator will agree with the views of all nominees. ms. lindenbaum has agreed to work with the agency. i am a republican and ms. lindenobama baum is a

democrat. this commission only works if there is an equal number of republicans and democrats. sadly, with the three republican nomination from the last administration, the vote on the floor was 49-43, 49-47, 50-46. these should not be partisan nominations. they are partisans nominated to a partisan job and, frankly, we've got to do a better job than 49-4349-47 or 50-46, which again was the vote on the floor of president trump's republican nominees who are currently serving. now, ms. lindenbaum deserves the support of election law practitioners. senator klobuchar and i received a letter from 30 practitioners from both sides of the aisle

highlighting her decade of relevant experience, especially her experience representing clients on matters of state and federal campaign innocence and election law. i look forward to supporting her nomination. i hope many of my colleagues will join me in supporting her. this is a commission, one, that doesn't-to-work without an equal number of republicans and democrats and it doesn't work if there are -- if the commission doesn't have at least that equal number. unless there are at least four commissioners, the commission ceases to function. and for too many months of the last dozens years, we had a commission that wasn't fully functioning, couldn't make final decisions, couldn't issue opinions. i'm looking forward to a six-member commission, and i look forward to voting for

ms. lindenbaum today when her nomination comes up early this afternoon. thank you, mr. president. 6

healthcare heroes, a great debt of gratitude to the sacrifice and integrity they showed during this challenge but a want at another category and that would be to the category of parents, particularly of newborn infants during the pandemic. they dealt with school closures and covid lockdowns, rising prices at the checkout counter, and for parents, the weight has been excruciating. now parents that the country are facing another burden, of all things the availability, the cost of infant formula. since the beginning of this year the supply of infant formula in america has been reduced by nearly half, half. the obvious question is why? in february the fda discovered that abbott michigan factory which produces similac, , a well-known infant formula too

many parents, may have been the source of the bacteria outbreak. that outbreak sent four infants to the hospital, tragically claiming the lives of two. as result the factor in michigan was shut down. now that shut down and larger supply chain issues has caused the shortage and cause panic among many families. at this very moment parents are frantically scouring the internet for formula, driving for hours from store to store and paying obscene prices to shady sellers exploiting this desperate situation. some of the parents have written to me. one of them is jennifer from deer park in illinois. eight months ago she gave birth to a son. in her words a moment of sheer joy, love and excitement. soon after she gave birth jennifer joined millions of

other women in supplement her sons diet with formula. jennifer wrote to me that quote in the last several months we've been fighting an uphill battle to find formula. what would've once cost $13 for 12-ounce can of powdered formula now sells for $40, if you can find it on the shelves. jennifer describes her struggle to find that formula as a nightmare. she's not alone. another mother named jennifer lives in lake zurich illinois said the formula shortage is becoming dire, in her words. sadly, these mom's are right. the shortage is a dire. that's why i'm grateful that the president has swung into action to try to help these parents and families. two days ago the administration completed its first shipment of more than 75,000 pounds of imported formula as part of operation fly formula, enough

for more than half 1 million bottles. the second shipment is expected in a few days. and as these shipments reached america's shores, president biden has also invoked the defense production act, authority he has under the law to ramp up domestic production. this could help to eliminate supply chain and compel manufacturers to prioritize the production of infant formula. it's hard to think of anything that would be a higher priority. both of these steps are crucial, but in the meantime if you are a parent struggling to find formula the department of health and human services has a website you should visit. hhs.gov/formula. that's hhs.gov/formula. it identifies companies and healthcare providers, food banks and other resources that have supplies available. let me say it again,

hhs.gov/formula. additionally last . a senator: i am here today for spend a few minutes on an issue that is profoundly important to colorado and i would say to the presiding officer's state as well, without being presu presumptuous, new mexico, our neighbor to the south. mr. bennet: in march the biden administration launched an investigation into whether china is evading solar tariffs. that may seem fine on its face, but in reality it has taken a sledgehammer to the solar industry in colorado and all across the country. there are over 330 solar companies in my state. they've created nearly 7,000 jobs and driven close to $5 billion of investment. our companies are leading the nation. last year we nearly quadrupled our deployment of solar capacity

compared to 2017. and before the biden administration's investigation, we were projected to double or even triple that capacity, washington should be lifting up colorado's successes, exactly the kind of progress we need to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 which we have to do and instead the commerce department's investigation is driving our solar industry out of business because it could end with a massive expansion of tariffs that could drive up costs and cripple that sector. worse, the administration has said they might even apply these tariffs retroactively. think about that, mr. president. if you are a solar company in colorado, you're already dealing with supply chain delays. you're already dealing with labor issues. you're already dealing with rising prices and continued uncertainty over the clean

energy tax credit because this place can't get its act together to pass legislation that can give certainty to american business. and now on top of all of that, you face the prospect of your own government sending the price of your supplies through the roof when you need that least. businesses can't make decisions with that kind of uncertainty. investors hate that level of uncertainty. and these aren't talking points. this is the reality on the ground. in colorado the price of solar panels is already up 30% to 50%. and we know colorado families are ultimately going to bear that cost and it's going to slow our energy transition. many of our solar companies have begun hiring freezes. some are considering major layoffs. construction workers are losing hundreds of thousands of hours.

investors are pulling out of major projects. it's put hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of jobs at risk, mr. president, which is why i am here to ring this alarm. more than 90% of solar companies surveyed in colorado report severe or devastating harms to their business from this investigation by the commerce department. in my state we have major solar projects that are frozen in place. and if this continues, they may never move forward at all. a lot of these projects in rural counties that are counting on the projects being built for jobs and tax revenue. this is the last thing they need from washington, mr. president. a 200 mega watt solar project in pueblo was just canceled since the developer can't get the components they need.

another 150 mega watt project in northern colorado has been delayed. a community solar developer told me they've canceled all of their new construction for the rest of the year. utilities in my state, like united power, and tristate are ready to support hundreds of mega watts in new projects but our solar companies can't submit bids because they don't have the certainty to do it. 180 mega watt project in watkins is demobilized as they wait for solar panels. a project at denver international airport is indefinitely delayed. and i've heard story after story like this since this commerce department decision to have this investigation was made. if you add it all up, this investigation has put at least 870 mega watts of new solar capacity at risk in colorado,

mr. president. and it's put more than 50 gigawatts at risk across the entire country. that's enough to power nearly ten million homes. i cannot understand why the biden administration is doing this, mr. president. you can't say on the one hand we want to rapidly deploy clean energy and then use the other hand to stick a dagger in american solar. you can't say we're going to fight climate change and then punch american solar in the gut. last year electricity generation from coal increased, increased in this country for the first time since 2014. and at the same time that's happening, now what we're going to say is we're going to cut the deployment of solar panels by a third or by half as result of

this? it's crazy, mr. president. the administration should have viewed that alone, the fact that coal is up for the first time since 2014, they should have viewed take alone as a reason to increase our investments in clean energy, not pursue an investigation that sabotages one of the fastest growing sectors in colorado and across the country. i also don't understand why the administration would do this at this time when we have to find a way to replace russian oil because of what putin has done in ukraine. and we should be replacing that with our own oil production and with our reserves in this country. you'd think that supporting american solar would be on the top of the list as one of the

best things we can do to diversify our energy and protect our security. instead, the administration has paralyzed the industry with this investigation. it is a self-inflicted wound on america's clean energy leadership, our energy security and our economy at the worst possible moment. and, mr. president, i've said this before and i will say it again -- i deeply believe that we need to restore critical supply chains, not just for solar but for so many areas that are critical for our economy. i think the era where we told ourselves the story about why we were privileging people who wanted to make stuff as cheaply as possible in china, instead of privileging other important things like protecting our supply chains, like protecting our national security, like

having an economy that when it grows grows for everybody, not just the people at the very top, we have an incredible opportunity to bring these supply chains home in order to do that. i think reshoring is an essential part of an economy, as i say, that works for everybody, not just those at the top. but that's going to take time, mr. president. and we can't drive people out of business today when we don't have that supply chain in place. and until we do have it in place, we can't cripple america's solar industry. that can't be our policy. that can't be the right answer. i'm sure if the biden administration understood the facts on the ground, it wouldn't be doing what it's doing. the least the administration could do is lift the uncertainty off the solar industry by coming

out and saying we're dropping this investigation. in fact, they should have said, we're going to boost american solar. that's what we should be doing. by extending the clean energy tax credits and giving business certainty over the long term. on top of that, what we should be doing is strengthening the credits. and that we're going to do everything we can to take every action that we can to clear the path for american solar deployment, wind, and other types of clean energy to accelerate our transition. that is what they should say, mr. president. and unlike this investigation, that would be welcome news in colorado, and i would say almost everywhere across the country. thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent for my next set of remarks to appear separately in the record. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. bennet: thank you. thank you, mr. president. i want -- wanted to take a few moments to talk about charlotte sweeney, who is president biden's nominee for the district judge for the district of colorado. equality under the law isn't an abstraction. it is her life's work. a native of littleton, colorado, charlotte grew up hiking and skiing with her family on the rocky mountain trails within an hour of their home. and today she hits the same trails for the two most -- with the two most important people in her life, her children. as much as she loves our state, she has remembers a time when it wasn't easy for lgbtq coloradans like herself to be open about who they were, especially at work. it was a time when instead of leading the nation on equality, as we are today, colorado actually passed an amendment that blocked laws to protect

lgbtq people from discrimination. i just want to pause by saying that, you know, sometimes people say, well, you can't make a difference in this country, and that democracy is broken. you can't make progress. but when you see the way colorado has made extraordinary progress, it reminds me that we should never give up, that change is always possible. and, you know, when the colorado supreme court declared that amendment unconstitutional that we had passed, charlotte saw the power of the law to tip the scales, for and against, for or against equality. after graduating summa cum laude from the university of denver school of law, she joined a small firm that focused on

representing plaintiffs. she rose to become a partner in just two years. and just two years after that, she became a name partner of the firm. most people would have been content with that achievement, but charlotte being charlotte kept on going. in 2008, she started her own firm to represent people in employment law cases. and over the last 20 years, charlotte has become one of colorado's top employment attorneys, representing federal, state, and private-sector workers in virtually every area of -- aspect of employment law. in one case, she represented her former law professors at the university of denver who'd been paid less than their male colleagues for decades. she obtained $2.6 million in relief for her clients on top of their overdue pay raises. sadly, that outcome isn't the norm in our country where our

justice system too often sides against workers, even when the facts of the case are actually on their side. that is corrosive to the american people's confidence and the rule of law and it's why we need more judges with charlotte's perspective. charlotte's obvious credentials, her integrity and her much-needed experience more than qualify her for had role, and that's why i strongly support her nomination. mr. president, if confirmed, charlotte would also become the first openly gay woman to serve as a federal judge west of the mississippi, a powerful affirmation of america's commitment to opportunity and equality for all and something that is just long overdue. so i want to thank the judiciary committee for sending charlotte, this exceptional nominee to the floor. and i urge members of both parties to give her a strong, bipartisan vote of confirmation.

with that, mr. president, i thank you for your indulgence and your patience, and i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. i rise today in strong support of judge stephanie davis, who is nominated to serve on the u.s. circuit court of appeals. judge davis has spent her entire career in michigan, and we are better two it. -- better for it. judge davis began working in the eastern district of michigan. during her time there, she served in the office's civil rights. she prosecuted fraud, bank robbery, embezzlement, violent crime, public corruption, and

criminal conspiracies involving drug trafficking as well as money laundering. and she saw -- oversaw community and law enforcement initiatives and led the office's diversity efforts. in 2016, judge davis became a magistrate judge for the u.s. district for the eastern district of michigan. in 2019 with the strong support of both senator peters and myself, judge davis was nominated by president trump to serve as u.s. district judge for the eastern district of michigan. her confirmation was bipartisan and so was her support in committee for this sixth circuit nomination. judge davis has done an outstanding job every place she has been serving the people of michigan, and i have no doubt that she will continue her strong record of public service

on the united states court of appeals. i've had the opportunity to get to know judge davis, and it's really been a joy. she's not just an extremely accomplished jurist. she's also a wonderful person. and those qualities, no doubt, are needed more than ever these days, so it is with great confidence that i urge my colleagues to support this wonderful nomination. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. mr. president, i understand that -- i have two requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted.

ms. stabenow: mr. president, i would now ask consent that the senate recess until 2:15, as part of the schedule. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate stands in objection, the senate stands in today lawmakers are considering a number president biden's executive and judicial nominations. at 2:30 p.m. eastern senators are expected to vote on whether to confirm stephanie davis to be u.s. court of appeals judge for the six circuit. they will vote to advance the nomination of dara lindenbaum to be member of the federal election commission. coming up later this week senate lawmakers are expected to vote on whether to begin debate on domestic terrorism legislation. this after the recent mass shooting in buffalo, new york. as always you can follow live

coverage of the senate when they return here on c-span2. >> on wednesday a house hearing on the shortage of baby formula in the u.s. with testimony from the head of the fda dr. robert k less and others live at 11 a.m. on c-span, c-span now, our free mobile video app or anytime online at c-span.org. >> the up-to-date in the latest in publishing with both evs podcast about books with current nonfiction book releases, plus bestseller lists as well as industry news and trends through insider interviews pick you can find about books on c-span now, our free mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. >> there are a lot of places to get political information, but only at c-span2 you get it straight from the source no

matter where you are from or where you stand on the issues, c-span is america's network. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. if it happens here or here, or here, or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> another tuesday in may and of the state of midterm primaries on tap joining us to break on today's primary kyle kondik managing editor of sabato's crystal ball. first, if folks are starting to turn into midterm elections what should they know about the races happening tonight? >> guest: i say probably the main race tonight on the what most people are watching is the georgia gubernatorial primary. yep brian kemp republican incumbent who dollar trump does not like after trump