gavel in on this wednesday morning. today lawmakers will consider more judicial and executive nominations, including sandra thompson to lead the federal housing finance agency which oversees federally backed mortgage companies fannie mae and freddie. c-span2. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal redeemer, the father of mercies, you are our help in time of need. lord, as we mourn the senseless tragedy at robb elementary school in texas, guide us with your grace. lord, sometimes prayers seem so useless, yet in first

thessalonians 5:17, you told us to pray without ceasing. we lift our voices again to you. we pray because you have helped us in the past. we pray because you are our hope for the years to come. strengthen us to pray and work until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. you -- inspire our lawmakers to strive to become islands of mercy in the midst of a sea of indifference. lord, use our senators to build

a more safe nation and world. we pray in your merciful name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c, may 25, 2022. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tina smith, a senator from the state of minnesota, 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.

you

mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: madam president, there is a playing, -- a plague, a plague upon this nation, a plague of gun violence that has taken over this country.

two weeks ago that plague claimed the lives of ten black americans who were massacred in broad daylight while shopping at a grocery store in buffalo. they were black and they were in a grocery store. that is the reason they were shot by an 18-year-old with an ar-15. and then yesterday, just ten days after buffalo, that plague struck again in uvalde, texas, where 19, 19 innocent children and two teachers were gunned down at robb elementary in the middle of the school day, just before the start of summer when these kids were looking forward to having such a wonderful time with their family and friends, gone. they're gone. the shooter crashed his truck near the school, overpowered the police already at the scene, and reportedly began shooting inside a fourth grade classroom.

19 kids, 2 teachers forever gone in the blink of an eye. america's gun epidemic is unmatched by any of our peer nations in the world. no american is safe from it, and the american people are sick and tired of it. but we also have a problem, a big problem here in the u.s. und states -- a big problem in the united states senate. the problem in the senate is simple. too many senators on the other side of the aisle are disconnected from the suffering of the american people. too many members on that side care more about the n.r.a. than they do about families who grieve victims of gun violence. as i said, the american people are sick and tired of mass shootings. they're sick and tired about active shooter alerts. they're sick and tired of

children, children, nine -year-olds, ten-year olds, 11-year olds, being shot, gunned down in their schools. when i read the news of yesterday's shooting, i ached for the families and then thought what if it was one of my children? i imagined what i would feel if this happened to one of them. the mere thought, just thinking about it was a gut punch in my stomach. the fear sent ripples down mine mine -- my spine. to my republican leader colleagues, imagine if this happened to you. imagine if this was your kid or your grand kid. how would you feel? could you ever forgive yourself for not passing a simple law that would make these gun shootings less likely? please, please, please damn it, put yourself in the shoes

of these parents for once. maybe that thought -- putting yourself in the shoes of these parents instead of in the arms of the n.r.a. -- might let you wriggle free from the vice-like grip of the n.r.a., might free you to act on even a simple measure. for the sake of these children, these nine-year olds, these ten-year olds, these 11-year olds, please, damn it, think of what you would do if it was your child or grandchild. now, madam president, it wasn't always this way in congress. nearly 30 years ago i was proud to be the author of the brady bill and a leader of the assault weapons bans. these were major legislative accomplishments and they worked because they were good commonsense laws and they passed because both sides of the aisle worked together. and because they became law, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands perhaps lives were saved -- children, elderly

people, people of color, you name it. people now walking the streets who might have been dead had we not passed these laws. but today the n.r.a. has made it all but impossible for even the bare minimum to move forward in congress, and the other side is all too ready to bow in obeisance to the n.r.a. and service to their whims. madam president, these types of shootings used to be rare, so rare in fact that each occurrence stood apart as a singular event. but now these shootings happen so frequently that the nation can barely keep up, barely mourn the ten people shot in the grocery store in buffalo before being rocked to our collective core by the slaughter of 19 elementary school children in a predominantly latino community of uvalde, texas.

these shootings happen everywhere -- movie theaters, grocery stores, colleges campuses, high schools, elementary schools, elementary schools with beautiful children getting ready to move out into the prime of life. honestly, i thought sandy hook ten years ago would be the breaking point. i thought that that would be the tragedy that forced republicans to examine their conscience and think oh god, we can't allow schoolchildren to be slaughtered. well, i was wrong. the slaughter of 20 elementary school children in sandy hook didn't move them. we heard about their thoughts and their prayers, but no action. then came aurora and the navy yard. then after charleston, i thought maybe this, maybe this is the moment -- nine americans shot in a church during bible

study, this has to move the republicans here in the senate. no, it didn't. they gave a few more thoughts, a few more prayers, no real effort to solve the problem. and so, madam president, it continued on and on and on. san bernardino, orlando, las vegas, sutherland springs, marjorie stone man douglas high school. thousand oaks, the el paso walmart, dayton, virginia beach, boulder, buffalo, and now uvalde. when will it end? we must act -- action. not thoughts and prayers, action. after the shootings in el paso and dayton three years ago, the republican leader promised that red flag laws and background checks would be front and center in the senate debate. he was then majority leader.

but then the republicans did nothing. they ensured there was no debate, just as they wanted. they don't want to debate this issue. indeed, we hear -- all we hear from republicans are thoughts, prayers, and now there's a new phrase. now some of my republican colleagues want to lift up the community. that sounds heartening, but it does absolutely nothing, nothing, to prevent the next family from having to grieve for their loss. and it won't do a single damn thing to prevent another life from being taken. it won't do a single damn thing to prevent another child from being shot at school, a 9-year-olds, a 10-year-old, an 11-year-old, beautiful children. and madam president, you may have noticed that when they aren't offering thoughts and prayers to distract from their inaction, many of my republican colleagues focus on the motives of the shooters instead of

focusing on the obvious common denominator. they talk about the real villain being mental illness, and say nothing about the fact that we are a nation suffocated by firearms. rates of mental illness are the same across the world. the u.s. is not an outliar on mental illness, but we are an outlier in the sheer number of guns available in this country. that is why we have so many shootings and other western countries don't. if mental illness were the simple cause, you'd see mass shootings happening all over the developed world, but you don't. what you do see in america are enough guns to give every man, woman and child in this nation a firearm and still have nearly 70 million guns left over. you do see is that it's far too easy for people to access weapons in this country, then to use them to slaughter people, to slaughter children by the

dozens. by the dozens. again, america doesn't stand out when it comes to the rate of mental illness, but we are unique among the world's developed nations in that today the leading cause of death among children is no longer a car accident, is no longer illness or malnourishment. the leading cause of death among children is a firearm! the leading cause of death of children -- do you hear that, my republican colleagues? is a firearm. clearly, many of these shooters had different motives, but at the end. day does the motive really matter to the family with an empty seat at their dinner table? children who lost parents don't just care whether the shooter was mentally ill. they care that the shooter had ready access to a gun. spouses who lost their partners don't just care that the shooter had a grudge or agenda or

grievance. they care that the shooter had ready access to a gun. americans who lost friends and coworkers and parisher ins who lost wello worshipers don't juss don't just care whether the shooter wrote a manifesto. they care whether the shooter had ready access to a gun. they care that their loved ones had been taken from them by someone who had access to a gun. taken from them while some members of this body refuse to do what it takes to prevent those losses, refuse to focus on the denominator to every single one of these shootings. refuse to even do the bare minimum as they bow in obeisance to the wretched n.r.a. what do we do about it? if the slaughter of schoolchildren can't convince

republican to buck the n.r.a., what can we do? there are some who want this body to quickly vote on sensible gun safety legislation, legislation supported by the vast majority of americans, democrats, republicans, and independents alike. they want to see this body vote quickly so the american people can know which side each senator is on, which side each senator is on. i'm sympathetic to that, and i believe that accountability votes are important. but sadly, this isn't a case of the american people not knowing where their senators stand. they know. they know because my republican colleagues are perfectly clear on this issue, crystal clear. republicans don't pretend that they support sensible gun safety legislation. they don't pretend to be moved by the fact that 90% of americans, regardless of party, support something as common sense as background checks, that

the vast majority of gun owners support the background checks bill. they don't pretend that they want to keep guns out of the hands of those who might use weapons to shoot concert go-ers, movie watchers, shoppers, or children. they don't pretend at all. just listen to them when they show up in obeisance to the n.r.a. at the n.r.a.'s convention in houston, the same state as uvalde, on friday. they'll offer their thoughts and prayers. they'll say they want to lift up the community. and then they'll go back to their smoke-filled rooms and assure the n.r.a. and gun manufacturers that nothing will change, that they've got the n.r.a.'s back. no, madam president, no, this isn't a case of republicans hiding their position. they proudly tell the american people which side they're on. and america is much worse off

for it. and if nothing does change, we're condemned to find ourselves right here once again very, very soon. as i was reading the reports of the tragedy in texas, i saw that amanda gorman, the young woman who mesmerized the nation at president biden's inauguration tweeted, the truth is, one nation under guns. one nation under guns. that is simply heartbreaking -- heartbreaking to think that this is the legacy that older generations are leaving behind for young americans. one nation under guns. it doesn't have to be that way. our parents don't need to drop their kids off at school and wonder if their kid will be next. that's in the thoughts of millions of moms and dads right now. our citizens don't have to endure the fear of getting groceries while constantly

keeping an eye behind their backs. again, millions of americans are worried about that right now. americans can make a choice. americans can reject the republican guns at all costs doctrine, obeisance to the n.r.a., not even voting for the most simple, sensitive, positive, and popular gun legislation. americans can cast their vote in november for senators or members of congress that reflect how he or she stands with guns, with this issue, this issue, at the top of the voters' lists. in the meantime, my republican colleagues can work with us now. i know this is a slim prospect, very slim, all too slim. we've been burnt so many times before. but this is so important, and i have such a firm belief, taught to me by my late father, who passed was he in november, that if you do the right thing and persist, justice will eventually prevail. but you got to keep persisting, and we will.

and for that reason alone, we must pursue action, and even ask republicans again to join us. maybe, maybe, maybe. unlikely, burnt in the past, but their hearts might see what has happened and join us, do the right thing. they know it's the right thing. they can work with us to craft legislation that would prevent needless loss of life. it's their choice. as majority leader, i haven't been shy about putting bipartisan legislation on the floor for a vote, but bipartisanship means both parties must engage in crafting a bill, like happened in the house and senate 30 years ago, with the brady law and the assault weapons ban. democrats have been trying to work hard with republicans. senator murphy, senator manchin, on legislation that will eventually pass and become law. the other side has refused. there are so many options available to us.

so many ideas. we just need some brave republicans to stand before history and yell stop. to think, if it was your child, your grandchild, how would you feel, and woulded -- and build that move you to do something, something about this plague of guns? like my colleague, senator murphy, i refuse to believe that we cannot find a path forward. make no mistake about it, if we can't find a good, strong bill that has bipartisan support, we will continue to pursue this issue on our own. we have no choice. it's too important. lives are at stake. and i accept the fact that most of my republicans are not willing to do what it takes to present this needless loss of life. the n.r.a. will have a hold on them. that's just a reality, unfortunately. but it is unacceptable to the american people to think that

there are not ten of my republican colleagues, just ten, one out of five over here, who would be ready to work to pass something that would reduce this plague of gun violence. it's unacceptable that there are not ten members of the republican caucus willing to save lives, find a way to do it. and yet, that's where we are. that's where we are. another week, another american community devastated by mass shootings. all of us thinking of these nine and ten and 11-year-old children, just shot, gone! another american community, uvalde, which will never recover, like the other communities before it. will it yet be uvalde, another

example of republicans unwilling to do what it takes to keep americans safe? 3 i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i understand that there are five bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the titles of the bills for the second time. the clerk: h.r. 3807, an act to amin the american rescue plan of 2021 to increase appropriations to the restaurant revitalization fund and for other purposes. h.r. 3967, an act to improve health care benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances and for other purposes. h.r. 6833, an act too amend title 27 of the public health

service act, the internal revenue code of 1986 and employee retirement income security act of 1974 to establish requirements with respect to cost sharing for certain insulin products and other purposes. h.r. 8, an act to require a background check for every firearm sale. h.r. 1446, an act to amend united states code, to strengthen the background check procedures to be followed before a federal firearms license may transfer a firearm to a person who is not such a license. mr. schumer: in order to place these bills on the calendar, under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding en bloc. the presiding officer: objections have been been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: madam president --

mr. mcconnell: madam president. mr. schumer: minority leader. mr. mcconnell: our country is sickened and outraged by the senseless evil that struck robb elementary school in uvalde, texas, only yesterday. according to earlier reports from authorities, it appears that a deranged young man tried to murder his own grandmother, then crashed his car, and then ran into an elementary school and began killing. at least 19 young children and two teachers were murdered, murdered for no apparent reason at all. these innocent kids were simply requesting to -- going to school. they'd put on their backpacks, said goodbye to their parents, and headed off for another day of learning and friendship. there were only two days left before summer break. and because of this maniac at

least 19 of these kids never made it home. one of the victims was a 10-year-old girl whose father described her as full of life, a jokester, always smiling. a ten-year-old boy who loves sports and art had just received his honor roll certificate a few hours earlier. his mother says he was thrilled, thrilled about moving up into middle school next year. it's literally sickening, sickening to consider the innocent young lives that were stolen by this pointless, senseless brutality. to consider the parents and families who sat waiting at the civic center, waiting to hear -- waiting to either be reunited with their son or their daughter or to learn they never would be.

the investigation is still underway. the authorities will continue to learn exactly what happened and how. in the meantime we're also praying for the border patrol officer, who according to reports was wounded after he responded to the scene. and for all the first responders whose dedication yesterday saved lives. most of all, the entire nation's hearts are broken for the victims and for their families. words simply fail. yesterday the ee vawldy school -- ee evalde school superintendent said we're a small community and need your prayers to get through this. we pray fervently through this nightmare of grief, our holy

father will make the promise from solmn34,. the presiding officer: 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 housing finance agency, sandra l. thompson, of maryland, to be director. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: madam president, i ask that the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i just had heard the minority

leader say he was sickened by what happened in uvalde. tomorrow we have a bill coming to the floor that addressed the last shooting, the one in buffalo. will he join us in allowing a debate and amendments to that bill that will address the gun plague in america? thoughts and prayers are not enough. we need action. i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: madam president, i had originally, before yesterday, planned to speak today at length about the fact that in 36 days children across the country are going to lose healthy meals they've been getting in the summer as well as

meals during the school year and schools are going to be put in a very difficult situation. up to one-third of the schools may not be able to offer school meals at all. so that was my intent in coming to the floor, but after what happened, the horrible situation in texas, 19 more children, a teacher, a grandma died. now i wonder how many more kids will be killed in the next 36 days. we don't have to live like this. we don't have to live like this where we're begging for eight more republicans to join us, 52 of us, who want to make sure kids get healthy meals. we don't want to live like that. and we don't have to live in a situation where parents are afraid, where people are afraid to go to their place of worship,

they're afraid to go to the grocery store, where they're afraid to just live by some random shooting by somebody who got ahold of a gun, a military assault weapon or didn't have to go through a background check and went to a gun show or whatever it is, whatever it is that is causing the carnage in our country related to guns and mass shootings. it's not happening in other countries. it's not happening in other countries. and they have as many challenges as we do. but in other countries it may be somebody going into school with a knife and it -- the kids get hurt, but they live. here it's assault weapons. it's shooting children indiscriminately in an elementary school. we don't have to live like this. we don't have to live like this.

the question is, how many republicans will join us to save children's lives from gun violence? how many? can we just get started? you know, leader schumer's put two bills on the calendar related to background checks. bipartisan background checks act, closing the gun show loophole, requiring background checks through private unlicensed leaders, and the enhanced background check that would provide a national background check system, enough time to thoroughly review gun sales. now, these are not controversial. these are children. these are not controversial. 90% of the public says, duh, of course. of course. now, the folks that don't want us to do it are the folks that make the guns of they make a lot

of money. they're trying to pit us against each other. they put out all kinds of crazy theories. they're funding our republican colleagues to stop anything from happening. because god forbid with the profits of the gun manufacturers would go down because maybe there were a few less guns that were on the street. this is not rocket science. we know what to do. i grew up in a northern michigan community surrounded by legal gun ownership. my own family, my friends, my relatives. you know, when the assault weapon ban went in, madam president, for ten years, nobody in my family stopped hunting. nobody in my family had to say, well, no, we can't do what we want to do because military assault weapons aren't available. this was put in by democrats. it was then repealed by

republicans, and we saw violence -- violent shootings that had gone down tremendously suddenly go up. so there's a lot of different things that we could do, and the question is will we come together on any of them? will we start with comprehensive background checks? that is the question. will we have republicans joining us? every action we take, or inaction, we laits to our values and -- relates to our values and it relates to our will to do it. we can do anything if we want to do it. i mean, last week we came together on this floor to address baby formula for the w.i.c. program, and we did it together. it was great, one of the fastest things i have ever seen move through here. i appreciate that. i appreciate that. i appreciate senator boozman

joining me in that. why can't we extend that to, first of all, make sure that in the summer that kids get healthy food that they're going to start lose in 36 days, and that during the school year, we're supporting our schools that provide healthy meals for all of our children in a it time of supply chain breaksdowns, costs going up. and what happens when we start hearing in the fall from those schools that have to stop all school meals? because somehow we couldn't come together and prioritize feeding children. and on top of that -- i mean i hate to say feeding children is -- all of this is important, but their lives, we can't even come together around basic, commonsense measures that will begin to address what is happening with the random

shootings and the killings of our babies, of our children. we can do better than this. we have to do better than this. we have to do better than this. we only need ten republicans. we need eight republicans to help us feed healthy kids in the summer and on into the -- give kids healthy meals this summer and the fall, eight. we only need ten -- we only need ten republicans to join us on background checks, closing the gun show loophole. we don't need everybody. we don't need everybody. some of those can go run and stand with the gun manufacturers and what has become an incredibly extreme n.r.a., dangerous positions. folks can do that. we just need ten. ten people to stand up and go,

this is too much. this has gone too far we can do better than this. because if not now, what is the number? i'd like to ask leader mcconnell, what is the number? how many children will he describe and sympathy will he show for dead children on the floor of the u.s. senate before it's snuff -- before it's enough. how many? 100 more, 200 more, 1,000 more? when is it enough when too many children have been killed? when is it enough? it's past enough right now. we can do better than this for our kids, and i hope this is the moment that republicans in the united states senate will step up and join us. thank you, madam president.

ms. stabenow: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc -- calendar 185, h.r. 767, calendar number 186 h.r. 1170, calendar 187 h.r. 1444, calendar 189, s. 2932, calendar 325, s. 3825, calendar 326 s. 3826, calendar 328 h.r. 735, calendar 329 h.r. 1298, calendar 330 h.r. 2324, calendar 332 h.r. 3529, and

calendar 334 h.r. 4168. and i would have an amendment. let me repeat. calendar 332 h.r. 3579. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measures en bloc. ms. stabenow: i ask unanimous consent that the bills en bloc be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. stabenow: thank you. madam president, i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> mr. president, there is a plague, a plague upon this nation, a plague of gun violence country. two weeks ago that plague claimed the lives of ten black americans who were massacred in broad daylight on shopping at a grocery store in buffalo. they were black and they were in a grocery store. that is the reason they were shot by an 18-year-old with an ar-15. and then yesterday, just ten days after buffalo, that plague struck again in uvalde, , texas, where 19, 19 innocent children and two teachers were gunned down at rob elementary in the middle of the school day just before the start of summer when these kids were looking forward to having such a wonderful time with their family and friends.

gone, they are gone. the shooter crashes truck near the school, overpowered the police already at the scene and reportedly began shooting inside a fourth grade classroom. 19 kids, two teachers forever gone in the blink of an eye. america's gun epidemic is unmatched by any of our peer nations in the world. no american essay from it, and the american people are sick and tired of it. but we also have a problem, a a big problem, here in the united states senate. a big problem in the united states senate. the problem anderson is simple. too many members on the other side of the aisle are disconnected from the suffering of the american people. too many members on that side care more about the nra than they do about families who agree

you've victims of gun violence. as i said, the american people are sick and tired of mass shootings. they are sick and tired about active shooter alerts. they are sick and tired of children, children, nine-year-olds, ten-year-olds, 11-year-olds, being shot, gunned down in their schools. when i read the news of yesterday shooting, i ached for the families. and then thought, what if it was one of my children? i imagine what i would feel if this happened to one of them. the mere thought just about it was a gut punch in my stomach. the fear sent ripples down my spine. to my republican colleagues, imagine if it happened to you. imagine if this was your kid or your grandkid. how would you feel? could you ever forgive yourself

for not supporting a simple law that would make these mass shootings less likely? please, please, please, dammit, put yourself in the shoes of these parents for once. maybe that fought, putting yourself and issues of these parents instead of in the arms of the nra might let you wriggle free from the vice like grip of the nra. might free you to act on even a simple measure. for the sake of these children, these nine-year-olds, these 10-year-olds, these 11-year-olds, these beautiful children please, dammit, please think if it was your child or grandchild. now, madam president, it wasn't always this way in congress. nearly 30 years ago i was proud to be the author of the brady bill, and a leader of the assault weapons bans. these are major legislative accomplishments and they worked

because they were good commonsense laws, and they passed because both sides of the aisle worked together. and because they became law, tens of thousands, , hundreds of thousands perhaps, lives were saved, children, elderly people, people of caller, you name it. people now walking the streets who might have been dead had we not pass these laws. but today, the nra has made it all but impossible for even the bare minimum to move forward in congress. and the other side is all too ready to bow in a be sent to the in the service of their whims. madam president, these types of shooting used to be rare. so rare in fact, that each occurrence stood apart as a singular event. but now these shootings happened so frequently that the nation

can barely keep up, barely more than ten people shot in the grocery store in buffalo before being rock to our collective core by the slaughter of 19 elementary school children in a predominately latino community of uvalde, texas. these shootings happen everywhere, movie theaters, churches, synagogues, concerts, nightclubs, , college campuses, high school, elementary schools, elementary schools with a beautiful children getting ready to move out into the prime of life. honestly, i thought sandy hook ten years ago would be the breaking point. i thought that that would be the tragedy that force republicans to examine their conscious and think oh god, we can't allow schoolchildren to be slaughtered. well, i was wrong. the slaughter of 20 elementary school children in sandy hook didn't move them. we heard about their thoughts

and their prayers, but no action. then came aurora, and the navy yard, then after charleston i thought maybe this, maybe this is a moment, nine americans shot in a church during bible study. this has to move the republicans here in the senate. no, it didn't. they give a few more thoughts, few more prayers, no real effort to solve the problem. and so, madam president, it continues on and on and on. san bernardino, orlando, las vegas, sutherland springs, marjory stoneman douglas high school, , thousand oaks, the pittsburgh synagogue, santa fe texas the el paso walmart, dayton, boulder, buffalo and now uvalde. when will it end? we must act.

not thoughts and prayers, action. after the shootings in el paso, in dayton three years ago, the republican leader promised that red flag laws and background checks would be front and center in the senate debate. he was then majority leader but then the republicans did nothing. they ensure there was no debate, just as it wanted. they don't want to debate this issue. indeed, we hear from -- all we hear from republicans are thoughts, prayers, and now there's a new phrase. now some of my republican colleagues want to lift up the community. that sounds hardening, but it does absolutely nothing. nothing to prevent the next family from having to grieve for their loss. and it won't do a single damn thing to prevent another life from being taken. it won't do a single damn thing to prevent another child from being shot at school, a nine-year-old, 10-year-old ten-year-old, an 11-year-old. beautiful children.

and madam president, you may have noticed that when there are not offering thoughts p and prayers to distract from their interaction, many of my speak as if in morning business for up to five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. casey: thank you, madam president. i rise to speak about yesterday's horrific tragedy in texas, and i won't be long. i know we have votes coming up, but i wanted to start by expressing, i think, both the grief and the outrage we see all across the country that yet again, not just another tragedye death of 19 children and 2 adults -- at least that's the latest reporting, but also indicating that the deaths took place because an armed gunman came into a school with body

armor protecting him from the response from any law enforcement. so we've had another example, in barely less than a week, where a gunman goes into a setting, in a grocery store in buffalo, new york, and now into a school, where second graders, third graders, and fourth graders are killed, because he has a high-powered weapon and he's fully protected from any law enforcement or any other response, and we're supposed to just get used to this, i guess. that seems to be the response here in washington. now, this isn't a problem of congress more broadly or the executive branch of our government. this is a problem, the failure to address this problem, even to pass something as simple as background check legislation, this is a problem in the senate

of one side. you got 50 united states senators who are republicans, who have refused now for years to pass anything remotely resembling commonsense gun measures. i would support a whole series of bills that we could talk about. we don't have time today. but at least the united states senate should be able to pass a background check bill, supported by 90% of the american people. and you have to ask why is that. and it's not simply that you have so many republicans that are beholden to the gun lobby. that's obvious. that's right in front of us. the other problem is, and i think it's related to the question of the power of the gun lobby in one party, is you've got a whole party that seems to want to surrender to this

problem, to throw up our hands and say there's nothing the most powerful nation in the world can do, nothing at all that the most powerful nation in the world can do to stop the killing, over and over again, of americans, and especially in the context of the horror, the unspeakable horror yesterday of second, third, and fourth graders being gunned down, in a manner that is so horrific that some of them can't be identified, because of the power of the weapon and the number of bullets that can be discharged in a matter of seconds. so even if law enforcement gets there and isn't confronting body armor, law enforcement -- no law enforcement is fast enough to get to a scene in seconds to prevent a horrific mass shooting. so we're supposed to accept the fact, as americans, i guess this

is what the republican position is, that we should surrender to this problem. the most powerful nation in the world can't stop second, third, and fourth graders from being murdered in schools. the most powerful country in the world, i guess, can't prevent the shooting we saw in buffalo. and you can go down the list of other tragedies. this is a uniquely american problem. no other country that is similarly situated has an economy like ours as a country, even close to what we have, no other country has this problem. any kind of change or reform or action is being blocked by one side. and i know there's work that has to be done at the state legislative level and all that. but right here, we could vote this week on a background check bill, and it would be supported overwhelmingly. but think about, and i'll end with this, but think about this -- if we had the same attitude about 9/11, what if

someone said right after 9/11, you know what, there's really nothing we can do as americans to stop a foreign terrorist from taking an airplane into a building, or crashing an airplane into the pentagon, or the plane that went down in pennsylvania. that there's nothing we can do about that. so we just have to get used to that reality of terrorists doing that to our country. no one would say that, then or now. we create an entire new agency, the department of homeland security, and guess what -- a lot of those reforms that we made to protect americans against terrorism worked. just like no one said years ago, when we have these viruses and the potential for pandemics, but we shouldn't do anything about it, even though we have the knowledge and the skill to create a vaccine. we invested. we did what americans do, confronted a big problem and did

something about it. what if world war ii, what if everyone stood up and said, you know, the axis powers are pretty powerful, those nations are pretty powerful, they have the most well-funded, sophisticated armies in the world, and there's nothing we can do, in 1941, to take on the axis powers. we didn't say that. it is un-american to surrender! to surrender to a problem. now you have an entire political party in this chamber that has not just surrendered to the lobby -- that's objectionable and ib subtling enough -- and insulting enough, but they've surrendered to the problem, that there's nothing we can do about it. that, i would submit, is un-american, and it's about time that the republicans in the senate begin to be part of the solution, to do something that americans do all the time, confronting evil, like we did after 9/11.

confronting terrorism or disease or whatever it is. in this case, to confront gun violence, and do something about it. not sit around and pretend that there's nothing we can do. that is un-american. we don't surrender. we're americans. we take on tough problems, like our entire history has shown. but we haven't taken on this problem. what we should be saying to these families, in addition to offering our sympathy, is your government has failed you. your government at the federal level and your government at the state level, it's failed you. and in this case, in this chamber, it's failed because one side will not even entertain the idea of passing any gun measures they've surrendered. mr. president, i would yield the floor, and yote the absence of a quorum -- and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: will the senator withdraw the -- mr. casey: i will.

the presiding officer: the scherk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, evelyn padin of new jersey to be united states district judge for the district of new jersey. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 51, the nays are 43. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. charlotte n. sweeney of colorado to be united states district judge for the district of colorado. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the question is on the nomination. a senator: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas 48, the nays 46, and the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 806, sandra l. thompson of maryland to be director of the federal housing finance agencies, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of sandra l. thompson of maryland to be director of the federal housing finance agency shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 48. the nays 46. the motion is agreed to.

mr. brown: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that allen cox a, fellows of the urbn affairs committee be granted floor privileges for the duration of this congress. the presiding officer: without

objection. mr. brown: thank you, mr. president. i urge my colleagues to support sandra thompson to be director of the finance agency. she's an exceptional nominee with decades of experience in mortgage markets and federal financial regulation. since june 2021, ms. thompson served as acting director at fhfa where she's paid a vital role to mortgage credit, overseeing and supervising freddi may, freddie mac and federal home loan banks and protecting the safety and soundness of the housing finance system. before being designated as acting director, ms. thompson served for eight years as the deputy director for the division of mission and goals at fhfa so she's clearly very qualified. 18 years at the federal deposit insurance corporation. while there she worked for seven different chairpersons. obviously from both political parties and in senior level

positions. she'll be the first woman, notably be the first black woman confirmed to lead fhfa. for the first time we have an administration and a senate banking and housing committee that understands how important it is to have economic leaders who reflect the country, who look like the country, and think like the country, people who make it work. she'll join a growing list of experienced, talented black women who have come through our committee. marsha fudge was my congresswoman in cleveland. she's now secretary of h.u.d. cecelia rouse, chair of the economic advisers to the white house, rita jo lewis, c.e.o. of the export-import bank. lisa cook, first black woman ever in 109 years, 109 years, the first black woman at the federal reserve. alana just to name a few. ms. thompson has proven she'll

work and listen to lenders and consumers on both sides of the aisle. before the pandemic, housing was too expensive and too hard to find, even before the pandemic. whether you're looking to rent or to buy, fhfa has an important role to play in bringing down housing costs and empowering more families to be able to afford a safe and stable home. i strongly urge my colleagues in supporting ms. thompson's nomination. expected to vote on whether

to begin debate on a domestic terrorism agenda which recently passed in the house. legislation establishing three new offices in the justice and homeland security department.

while we wait for more action on the floor of the senate we take you to a news conference on the mass shooting at a elementaryschool in uvalde, texas . >> had that gift taken away fromthem . stolen by a demented person. days before, days before yesterday when these children were at school, some were receiving awards for perfect attendance. these kids will never attend school again. to say the least, uvalde has been shaken to itscore . families are broken apart. hearts are forever shattered.

all texans are grieving with the people of uvalde and people are rightfully angry about what has happened. events like this tear at the fabric of a community. our job is to ensure that the community is not going to be ripped apart. all texans must come together in support of families who have been affected by this horrific tragedy. what they need now more than ever is our love. what they need is uplifting from all of our fellow texans . all our fellow americans. and let me emphasize

something that i know you all know. but the reality is as horrible as what happened, it could have been worse. the reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do. they showed amazing courage by running towards gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives. and it is a fact that because of their quick response getting on the seed, being able to respond to the gunman and eliminate the gunmen, they were able to save lives. unfortunately, not enough. but i want to make sure that

everybody knows all of the law enforcement agencies and groups involved that were involved in this process, the texas rangers are leading the investigation and they are supported by the texas department of public safety highway patrol, texas department of public safety criminal investigative division, dps aircraft, dps intelligence counter antiterrorism division, dps crime and victim support. there also supported by the texas division ofemergency management , the fbi as well as multiple partners including dea, and border control. and then of course the volumes local officials. the uvalde sheriffs department, the uvalde police department, uvalde independent schooldistrict

police . uvalde county constables. the county mayor, county judge, uvalde district attorney's office, public works and surrounding police department and san antonio police and fire departments also. let me walk you through some of the facts of what has happened. there's been a lot of things that have been said. some are correct, some are incorrect. let me tell you the best information we have at this time understanding importantly that this is an ongoing investigation and ongoing investigations often reveal new information as those investigations progress . the first thing that happened was the gunmen shot his grandmother in the face. she then contacted police. the gunman fled and as he was

fleeing had an accident just outside of theelementary school and he ran into the school . officers with the consolidated school district approached thegunmen and engaged with the gunmen at that time . the gunmen then entered the back door and went down to shore always and then into a classroom on the left-hand side . the gun man entered into that classroom and the classroom was connected internally to another classroom. border patrol consolidated ist officers, police, sheriffs and dps officers converged on that classroom. and the border patrol officer killed the gunman. as i said texas rangers are leading the investigation joined by federal state and local law enforcement officials. at this time we know that 19 children, 19 children have

lost their lives. two faculty members lost their lives. in addition to that, there are 17 people who were injured, but their injuries are not life-threatening. all family members of all these students and faculty members have been contacted and informed about the circumstances . officials are working with parents to ensure the parents will be able to see their children . parents should contact victim services at the county fair s . we know that there are parents still striving to make a connection.

all parents are welcome and urged to contact victim services at the county fair plex. the gunmen was 18 years old and reportedly high school dropout. reportedly there has been no criminal history identified yet. he may have had a juvenile record, but that has yet to be determined. there was no known mental health history. of the gunmen. he used one weapon which was an ar 15 using 223 rounds. there was no meaningful forewarning of his crime other than what i'm about to tell you.

as of this time the only information that was known in advance was posted by the gunmen on facebook approximately 30 minutes before reaching the school. the first post was to the point of he said, i'm going to shoot my grandmother. the second post was i shot my grandmother. the third post, maybe less than 15 minutes before arriving at the school was i'm going to shoot an elementary school. during this shooting that took place at the school in addition to the students and faculty there were three officers injured all remain in good condition.

one deputy sheriff lost a daughter in that school. before coming out here, we had a long discussion with law enforcement at all levels . we had a discussion with community leaders, elected officials and i asked the sheriff and others an open ended question and got the same answer on the sheriff as well as from the mayor of uvalde. the question was what is the problem here? and they were straightforward and emphatic. they said we have a mental, we have a problem with mental health illness in this community. and then they collaborated on the magnitude of the mental

health challenges that they arefacing in the community and the need for more mental health support in this region . i want to make sure everybody understands the mental health services that are available at this time. with me making one clarifying point in advance that i'm going to redouble on in the aftermath. whenever anything as shocking

. food doesn't just magically appear in grocery store -- on grocery store shelves. what so few people know what it takes to produce food, we often run into obstacles that policy -- at policymaking tables here in congress and around washington, d.c., and i often quote something dwight eisenhower said, and he said it

best. quote, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles away from a corn field. end of quote. there's never been a more important time than right now for farmers to have a successful year. we're facing a world threatened by food shortages and food insecurity, the likes of which we haven't seen since the air be a spring a decade ago, in large part today because of putin's unprovoked invasion of ukraine. the productivity of the american farmers and ranchers this crop season will have a big impact on security and prosperity of countries around the world as well as to make sure we don't get into devastating shortage of

food. with so much at stake, washington, d.c., must provide farmers across the country a consistent policy when it comes to regulation of inputs and crop production products. one s one state out of 50 can't go another direction without bringing harm to food production. when it comes to regulation of these products, public policy must be based on the best science available to make informed decisions. science-based decision shouldn't surprise anybody in this town, because science was the golden rule in every coronavirus decision that was made both in the trump administration and still being made in the biden

administration. the best science is why congress enacted in 1972 the legislation that goes by the title of the federal insecticide fungicide and rhodenocide act or fifra for short. since 1972, fir -- fifra vested e.p.a. with final authority over pesticide labeling and the usage of that pesticide. specifically, fifra gave the e.p.a. authority over pesticide labeling and the usage of that pesticide. under fifra, it's the e.p.a.'s

responsibility to undertake very extensive scientific review of regulated products and then determine what disclosures, if any, must be on the product labels. fifra provides that e.p.a. conduct studies to determine product safety. congress intended that there be a federal regulatory regime that would impose warnings, impose disclosures and impose restrictions on the use of products under fifra. congress made it very clear that congress wanted science-based certainty and predictability for farmers and the resulting

benefit that is to the farm entire economy. unfortunately, we've seen politically motivated environmentalists pushing for restrictions on regulated products that the e.p.a. has determined are not necessary. this fundamentallyundermines trust in the e.p.a. and trust in federal regulation of these products used in farming. make no doubt about my stand or anybody's stand here in the united states senate, we all thoroughly support vetting of regulated products to ensure public safety. however, i strongly support ensuring iowa farmers have the supplies they need to feed

families across america. i hope president biden would agree with me. his administration should be putting forward policies and taking positions that protect public safety while ensuring farmers can produce the food that we need here in america and that we're able to supply one-third of our production for overseas. as we look at the world with a growing shortage of food, as i emphasize, because of, partly because of what's going on in ukraine, we must then ask ourselves what more we can be doing to support farmers. unfortunately, some recent decisions just made by this administration do just exactly the opposite.

i said just made by this administration because two weeks ago president biden's solicitor general filed a brief in a case involving widely used pesticides in that brief, the solicitor general flipped the government's long-held position that fifra preempts state law and instead argued against e.p.a.'s authority. so it looks to me like politics overcomes science. you'd think such a significant change would be firmly based in law on science, just as i said. however, the solicitor general explained this is sounding -- astounding change wasn't based on science because it was based

on politics. perhaps that's why the e.p.a. general counsel name doesn't appear on the brief. i've heard from many constituents about how serious of an impact the position taken by biden's solicitor general would have on farming industry at large. if the court, meaning the supreme court, effectively adopts the solicitor general's position and that of the lower court decision, it will fundamentally disrupt the federal regulation of use and of warnings under fifra related to substances such as these that farmers rely on every day in production agriculture. it's clear that it wasn't the

intent of congress when it enacted fifra for there to be 50 state standards in addition to federal standards because we all know the purpose of fifra was to create a uniform regime with authority vested in the e.p.a. to such standards, and that's never been questioned until now. it's shocking that president biden chose to put forward an argument that undermines the public trust in e.p.a. by putting politics ahead of the long-standing and consistent e.p.a. regulation that enables farmers to grow the food that we and the world need. this abrupt change in the administration's position will have serious implication for the farm economy and our food supply.

again, there needs to be a consistent regulatory regime to ensure the public's trust and to support u.s. agriculture so farmers can produce food. again i say that the nation needs and the world needs. so i hope the solicitor general reverses his position. and even if he doesn't reverse his position, i hope the supreme court of the united states will be willing to hear this case. i want to encore dr. norman, the peace prize winner i think in 1970. this winner was raised in iowa, quote, if you desire peace, cultivate justice. but at the same time cultivate the fields to produce more bread.

otherwise, there will be no peace. and i think what he's referring to there is -- at least what i believe and what i've heard -- that society is only nine meals away from revolution. in other words, if you're a father and a mother and you can't feed your kids for three days, you'll go to almost any end to make sure they get the food. so if you want social cohesion in america and around the world, we've got to have enough food to feed our people. i yield. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from delaware. mr. carper: mr. president, thank you for that introduction. mr. president, i want to start by saying i have ten requests for committees to meet today during the session of the senate. they have the approval of both

the majority and minority leaders. would like to ask for permission. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. carper: thank you so much. mr. president, like a lot of other americans, i didn't sleep much last night. i didn't sleep at all. i couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of sorrow that i felt for the community of uvalde, texas. 19 innocent children -- fourth graders -- were gunned down in their classroom three days before summer break. three days. two teachers were murdered as well. countless children witnessed their classmates and teachers shot and killed as they climbed through windows to try to escape the massacre. these 21 families are living every parents' worst nightmare -- the loss of a child. instead of planning their summer

vacations, those families are now planning their children's funerals. their nightmare is our national nightmare. my opinion own boys who are now -- my own boys who are now groanl adults, i can't help but think of when my wife used to help them with homework and tuck them into bed at night. i can't help but think when they were the same age of the 19 elementary school children gunned down at their school yesterday. like millions of american parents across our country, my wife and i are brokenhearted today. millions of americans dropped their children off at school this morning, and my guess is they probably hugged them extra tightly. they said goodbye and watched those kids walk into school, and they left to hope and pray today that their children will be there alive at pickup at the

end of the day or that they'll be on the bus ride coming home at night. they are left to hope and pray that they never get the shattering call that those families in uvalde received yesterday. mr. president, we are the only country in the world where parents have to hope and pray that their children will not be murdered at school by a gunman. we're the only country in the world where a fourth grade classroom can be turned into a battlefield by a madman with an assault weapon. this has to stop. we can't go on this way. we are mourning this tragedy, and i refuse to accept inaction. i refuse to accept that the mass slaughter of children in their fourth grade classroom is

somehow normal. this has to stop. we can't go on this way. madam president, for about as long as i've been in this chamber -- and that's some 21 years -- we've been failing to address the epidemic of gun violence in this country. this has to stop. we can't go on this way. i refuse to believe that congress can't reform our gun laws in a way that the american public broadly support. i refuse to believe that changing our laws won't reduce gun violence and make these tragedies less likely from recurring in the future. we're long overdue to make commonsense reforms to our nation's gun laws. madam president, to put it bluntly, this is not going to be easy. i know it. i think we all realize that. many of our friends in this

chamber revere the second amendment and respect the traditions of lawful gun ownership in this country. i myself own a gun, bought a bb gun when i was 12 years old. it does not give us the right to gun down children at school or kill african americans at a grocery store. our declaration of independence, thomas jefferson wrote these words that we all remember. he wrote all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. these 19 children were denied the right to life, to liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. so madam president, in uvalde, there is no little league game this weekend.

there is no fifth grade next year. there will never -- they will never get to be teenagers, go to their prom, graduate, go on to college, have a career, or have children of their own. and, if lucky, maybe grandchildren someday. their lives are stolen from them by a gunman, and tragically we can never bring them back. what we can do, though, what we can do, though, is to try hard -- really hard -- to prevent this from ever happening again. we need to be able to say to the american people we've had enough , this has to stop, we can't go on this way, we won't go on this way. today we are a nation in

mourning. we also need to be a nation working together to address this epidemic. working to reform our gun laws and doing whatever it takes to prevent another massacre in an american school, in a place of worship, or in a grocery ■store. may god bless the community of uvalde. may the lord be with those 21 families during this time of unfathomable heartache and anguish. with that, madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. mr. johnson: madam president, today america grieves. there's nothing partisan about it. being a parent and grandparent, i cannot imagine, i cannot imagine the grief felt by the parents of those children.

unless you've experienced it, none of us can. what's the solution? there's no one solution. let's be honest about that. following sandy hook, following parkland, i met with the parents of those horrific and senseless tragedies. i've been blessed to get to know three parents quite well -- tom and gina hoyer and max shacter. tom and gina are the parents of luke hoyer. max is the father of alex schachter. two of the 17 victims of the marjory stoneman douglas high school slaughter in parkland,

florida, that occurred on february 14, 2018. in getting to know tom and gina and max, you get some sense of the level of grief. i mention there's nothing partisan about the grief. i listened to president biden's remarks last night. i think the point he made that pierced my heart, because president biden is known -- has known tragedy, is when he said that those parents in texas, they're asking themselves will they ever sleep again. so we all grieve. we're all looking for solutions. the good senator from delaware

said we must take action. what i've always valued about tom and gina and max is these are three individuals, parents, who do know the pain, that still grieve for the loss of their sons. and yet, they have not approached trying to find solutions in any partisan way whatsoever. they're trying to find areas of agreement. they advised the federal commission on school safety. they came up with a pretty commonsense action. may not solve all the problems, but it's a good idea. it was such a good idea that as chairman of the senate committee on homeland security and governmental affairs, we codified it, we passed it.

unanimously out of our committee. in november of 2019. it's called the luke and alex school safety act. it's pretty simple. it just creates a clearinghouse of information, of the best practices for school safety. it involves numerous departmentf health and human services, justice, homeland security. they all must approve what these best practices are. assures parents, teachers, school officials and other stakeholders have input into what those best practices are. it doesn't allow the clearinghouse to mandate any school take any certain action. and maybe most importantly, it publishes the available grant programs and federal resources available for school safety. again, it passed out of the

committee on committee on homeland security and government affairs twice, unanimously. once under my chairmanship, once under the chairmanship of senator peters. there's nothing partisan about this bill whatsoever. it's just a good idea that could save lives. it was such a good idea that under the previous administration, they set up that clearinghouse. it's up and it's operating. so, all this bill does at this point is served as a model for what's happening. all this bill does now is codify it, to make sure this clearinghouse stands the test of time. that it will always be there to provide those best practices on school safety. now, i'm very sensitive to the moment in time we're sitting here right now.

we should let the nation and those parents grieve. i don't want to politicize anything about this moment. so i called up max. i called up tom and gina. i asked them, what would you like me to do? they've been trying to get this codified, passed into law for four years. i can't explain why it's not law. just last month the senate passed the pray safe act, which basically took that bill, the luke and alex school safety act, and just applied it to churches. that passed by unanimous consent, no objection. i tried to attach this bill to that bill, but, for whatever reason, somebody is objecting. i have no idea why, none. again, it passed our committee unanimously twice. it's a good idea.

it could save lives. it is an action. when people are calling for action following this tragedy. so madam president, i know i see the senator from florida that would also like to speak to this bill before i ask consent. mr. scott: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida. mr. scott: when i heard the horrific news from uvalde, texas yesterday, i immediately thought of two things -- my grandchildren, most of who are in elementary school, and the 17 lives we lost in parkland, florida, four years ago. our hearts are shattered at the loss of these small children, 19 children just in fourth grade and two teachers. it's infuriating and heartwrenching. i can't man losing a child or loved one. unfortunately, there are 17 families in florida who don't have to imagine it. they know that pain and live it each and every day. there's seldom a day that goes by i don't think about the

children that -- the families that lost children and loved ones that day. no community should feel the pain that families in parkland and uvalde now feel. we'll never prevent every vicious crime, but can and must ac. there are solutions at the state and federal level. today, we can take action in the senate to make our schools safer. i want to thank senator johnson for leading this bill and senators rubio, rich, and grassley for their strong support of this legislation and other efforts to keep our kids safe. this bill, the luke and alex school safety act is in honor of luke hoyer and alex schachter, luke and alex were taken from us in the shooting at marjorie stone stoneham high school in florida. since that day, i have worked with it families as governor, now senator, to do everything possible so no child, carter, or family has to experience that again. there is a lot of work to do. this legislation codifies a federal school safety clearinghouse by informing

parents and educators on expert recommendations and best practices that schools can implement to improve school security. this build on the work to keep schools safe and prevent another tragedy. today, we can get something done that creates safer schools for our kids and teachers. i appreciate the work again of senators johnson, rubio, risch and grassley and all of our colleagues. a as we continue to to pray for uvalde and the families, i urge the senate to bass this good bill and take a step -- to pass this good bill and take a step in the right treks to keep -- right direction to keep schools and teachers safe. mr. johnson: i thank the senator from florida. i just spoke with max and gina and tom. these are parents of children who lost their lives in school shootings. these are parents who have come up with a solution, a nonpartisan solution. got it recommended by the federal commission on school safety.

they told me that the day after parkland had a parent from sandy hook had a piece of legislation that they'd been trying to get passed but couldn't, that would help. they would have been 100% supportive of that piece of legislation come to the floor and passing by unanimous consent irrespective of the timing. they asked me to come to the floor today to ask my colleagues to lay aside partisanship, to do something for these families, provide them some measure of comfort by passing a completely nonpartisan bill that could make a difference, that could save a life. there's no reason not to pass this bill today in this chamber

at this hour. so madam president, as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 102, s. 111. i further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. schumer: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: majority leader. mr. schumer: now, madam president, the american people have had to endure two of the worst mass shootings in recent history in just the span of ten days. one of them happened to be in my home state of new york, in the dear city of buffalo. the other happened yesterday in texas, the worst school shooting since sandy hook, and we can't get out of our minds -- i can't -- the picture of 10, 11,

9-year-olds being shot, killed, just ready to burst into the adolescent and adult phases of their lives. what the american people want is real solutions to our nation's gun violence epidemic. we've had too many moments of silence, too many thoughts and prayers, americans are sick of it, many in this chamber are sick of it. here's the sad truth about what happened yesterday and why i plant to object to my colleague's u.c. -- hardening schools would have done nothing to prevent this shooting. in fact, there were guards and police officers already at the school yesterday when the shooter showed up. one was a school police officer, two were from the uvalde police department. the shooter got past all of them, with two assault weapons that he purchased. they couldn't stop him. the bill would not have protected those children. more guns won't protect our children. that is the wrong answer.

there are too many guns and too many options for the wrong people to get guns. so i plan to object to passing this measure today through consent, but i would tell my colleague from wisconsin tomorrow we can begin voting on a bill that will take us -- that will let us take action on guns, and we could consider amendments like this then along with others. tomorrow, the senate is scheduled to take the first step, the first step, in responding to the shooting that happened in my home state of new york two weeks ago, and so many other mass shootings over the years that have been motivated by race. the domestic terrorism prevention act, which i set in motion earlier this week, is a necessary and timely step to honor the memories of the dead in buffalo and to make sure mass shootings motivated by race don't happen again. i urge all my republican colleagues to vote to get on the bill. all we're asking is a vote yes on the motion to proceed.

i urge my colleague from wisconsin to vote yes on that bill. if senator johnson helps us get on the domestic terrorism bill we could consider amendments related to guns. his and others that have a different point of view. and if republicans can vote with us to get on that bill, we can have a debate on considering commonsense, strong gun safety amendments hopefully with bipartisan support. the senator from wisconsin says his bill is bipartisan, it's five republican sponsors. and the bottom line is you don't -- you can't just say my bill will pass. i am providing a path to have a debate on these amendments. let me be clear. we are going to vote on gun legislation and the republicans could let us start doing that as soon as tomorrow if they simply voted yes on the motion to

proceed, and i give them a pledge that we will then start debating gun amendments. senator johnson's and many others that have a different point of view. i repeat, though, we are going to vote on gun legislation. the american people are tired of moments of silence, tired of the kind words offering thoughts and prayers. we can use the domestic terrorism bill tomorrow to begin, i repeat, to begin considering gun safety amendments and we can consider the proposal he brings to the floor today. so we won't just have this amendment, we'll have a lot of amendments to debate and that seems perfectly fair and, in fact, bipartisan. alone the johnson bill is not in any way, shape, or form a sufficient solution, and so i object. mr. johnson: madam president. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. johnson: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from wisconsin. mr. johnson: as chairman of

homeland security, i passed over 300 pieces of legislation out of committee, over 130 of those became law. very few of those, almost none, were partisan in any way, shape, or form. the approach i used to have that kind of legislative success is rather than focus on issues that divide us, i concentrated on the areas of agreement. today i brought to senate floor a -- a nonpartisan bill, a bill crafted by the parents -- the parents who lost their sons in one of these horrific tragedies. it passed our committee twice

unanimously. those parents asked me to come today to please pass this bill, take some action, provide some comfort to all the parents that are grieving, to a nation that is grieving. so i came to the floor today and i will not engaging in partisanship other than to say it is just sad -- it is just sad that this body can't pass this bill when about a month ago they passed an identical bill that applied to churches. this one applies to schools. and, yet, it's inappropriate according to the majority leader to pass this nonpartisan bill by unanimous consent. madam president, this is a very sad day for the united states senate. i yield.

the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: gas prices have set a new all-time record highs

every day for more than two weeks. overall inflation is the worst it's been in more than 40 years and the biden administration's preparing to follow their botched afghanistan retreat with a disastrous nuclear deal that would help iran and hurt america. but this week senate democrat majority is not taking action on any of those things. the senate is instead spending the week more far-left democrats in the executive branch where they will make the problems far worse. later today, senate democrats want to confirm as assistant administrator for the e.p.a., someone who has researched the environmental impact of football tailgating and concluding it would be best for the

environment if the authorities -- listen to this -- banned charcoal grills and gas generators. this is no joke. dr. christopher frey literally coauthored a research paper that argued, quote, the most environmentally responsible policy would be a universal ban on idling charcoal grills and old generators. just the nominee the american people need confirmed by memorial day weekend. so, honestly, where do they find these people? this same nominee wrote in defense of the illegal job-killing so-called clean power plan and as a past member of the clean air scientific adversary committee, he worked to politicize his work from

outside. things aren't going any better at the committee level. this monger the help committee deadlocked on the nomination of codacol, who president biden wants to put on the equal employment commission. ms. codocol is best known for writing hollywood contracts to push movies toward casting gender quotas and sexual orientation quotas. the president has found the one person in america who thinks that liberal hollywood is not woke up. the nominee has a record of hostility to american energy. she has been both an official spokeswoman and registered lobbist for a far-left group who wants to eliminate fossil fuels. she is on the board of another

organization that has frivolously sued the state of west virginia over energy issues. the american people know washington democrat policies hurt working families. they've seen that in our colleague's legislation and it's more of the same when it comes to the nominees they are picking to design and carry out their tsunami of regulations. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president. as a ranking member of the committee on environment and public works, i rise to oppose the nomination of dr. chris frey to -- due to the consistent lack of responsiveness from the e.p.a. to -- on our critical oversight matters. the republican leader, senator mcconnell just talked about

dr. frey's research on gas grills and grilling out, but over the past 16 months, my objections are the biden e.p.a. has repeatedly slow walked responses to reasonable oversight requests for agency briefings and documents related to implementation of policies with huge -- huge implications for our economy and our constituents' lives. we cannot adequately oversee the agency's programs, including historic levels of drinking water infrastructure funding made possible by the bipartisan iija without this transparency. madam president, until the e.p.a. heeds congressional oversight requests, i urge my colleagues to join me in opposing dr. frey's nomination. thank you. mr. carper: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. carper: thank you, madam president. madam president, as we've heard from the previous speakers, we will shortly vote to invoke

cloture on the nomination of dr. henry christopher frey to be assistant administrator of the e.p.a.'s office of research and development. i rise today in strong support of his nomination. chris frey, as he is known to his friends and colleagues, is an outstanding public servant, a deeply respected scientist and an excellent choice to fill this leadership role at e.p.a. the office of research and development provides the bedrock of scientific eyal sis -- analysis where we establish our critical and environmental protection. the e.p.a. is able to protect the air we breathe, protect the water that we drink and the land we build our communities upon because of the robust scientific research provided by what is called o.r.d., the office of research and development.

dr. frey's nomination received a bipartisan vote in the committee on environment and public works. he has the experience, intellect and integrity to lead this indispensable office. i'm eager to see him confirmed. i encourage my colleagues to join me in supporting cloture on his nomination. this is about restoring science as the guiding force in e.p.a.'s work. thank you, madam president. i yield back the remainder of my time. madam president, i know of no further debate on the nomination. the presiding officer: if there's no further debate, the question is on the thompson nomination. mr. carper: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote: