pursuing, intense investigations of the former president, i think watson was involved in multiple impeachments including the nixon impeachment so she's seen the whole gamut of high-profile investigations like this. >> jamie raskin had written his book heading up to the lead onto impeachment, furious with earliest leaks out of that group and tried to shut down weeks, it is the opposite with this committee, regular leaks of information on who's testifying, the information they are gathering, do you think that is part of a strategy of the generate six? >> i think it's hard to tell, this investigation t is massive. more than 1000 witnesses we can't identify -- >> will keep leave this for

congressional coverage. you can finish watching at c-span.org or c-span now. u.s. senate today will debate executive nominations including an assistant air force secretary muscles are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. eastern. live now to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. savior, lead us like a shepard. lowered, we experienced more mass shootings overred weekend leaving a carnage of dead and wounded. forgive us when we do too little too late.

give us the prudence to anticipate the evil and choose the right priorities to prevent it. lord, provide our lawmakers with the ability to discern and do what is right even when it is difficult. give them the courage to speak the truth regardless of the consequences. help them to be productive in all their endeavors as they strive to walk along the paths of justice. and, lord, bless ukraine. we pray in our savior's name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance. 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 president pro tempore: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of defense, alex wagner, of the district of columbia to be an assistant secretary secretary of the air force.

ms. hirono: mr. president. the president pro tempore: the distinguished senator from hawaii. ms. hirono: i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. leahy: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. leahy: madam president, i ask that the call of the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. leahy: madam president, i'll speak more on this subject later this week, but i spent much of last week, both marcelle and i did, in vermont. and it's a very peaceful state. walk across the fields at our home, walk down the dirt road we live and just go various places meeting people all over the state. but a lot of it is in a county that's about a -- that has about a quarter of the state's population and that's where i was the state's prosecutor.

and i made -- if there was a gun crime, i would go to the scene whether it was 3:00 in the afternoon or 3:00 o'clock in the morning,. i hear people say we should pray for these children. i would say, pray that the congress has the guts to stand up and pass real gun control legislation. in vermont we limit the number of rounds you can have in a semiautomatic weapon during deer season. we ought to try to protect children as much as we do deer. again, unfortunately in our state, the number of murders and shootings that i went to were nothing like we see today.

i have awakened in the middle of the night remembering the scenes. when you're at a murder scene and it's a child that's been murdered, and it's 3:00 a.m. and the chief -- and the grieving families there, there is no way you can forget it. it was more than 50 years ago i was doing that, i can tell you exactly what each scene looked like. i can tell you exactly the person i prosecuted for it. and i can tell you exactly how many times i prayed, why did this have to happen? don't ever let it happen again. as i said, i'll speak further on this, madam president. i know in my state of vermont, we do have a very large percentage of gun owners, most of them tell me, do something.

they say, of course pray for the children. pray that the congress does the right thing with real -- with real gun control. i yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

waiting for senator to speak lawmakers considering executive nominations debating whether alex wagner should be assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs a limit debate on his nomination and set up a final confirmation vote set to take place at 530 eastern. later in the week were expecting work on hr 3967 a bill that would improve healthcare benefits for veterans exposed to toxics substances >> brent samuels here to talk about president biden's domestic and foreign policy challenges, the week ahead at the white house, looking ahead what are some of the key events that the

president is headed to this week. >> the president back from a weekend in delaware he will be heading to los angeles the u.s. is hosting the summit of the americas the ninth iteration from leaders from south america, central in north america get together to discuss climate immigration the economy and all sorts of things. the president will be serving as host and he'll be headed there wednesday through friday and it will be interesting to see who attends that's one of the big questions around the event who will be on the final guest list the u.s. has boxed out a few countries to the dismay of mexico and some others it'll be interesting to see if the white house could turn this into a success. >> the ones that they box is cuba, nicaragua, venezuela. there have been countries, mexico for one that has

essentially said everyone should be invited to the summit but the white house has been a little choosier about certain governments that they put on ice for a bit. we will see who attends and if there's any strife among leaders and whether that overshadows the agenda that the white house has. >> you had a column at the hill headlined five things to watch when biden hearest attend the summit of the americas why is this event important to the white house in light of domestic policy challenges in foreign policy challenges in particular of the ukraine were. >> certainly domestically migration and immigration is something that republicans are very keen to talk up and criticize the white house over into goes hand-in-hand with the refugee situation in ukraine is only exacerbated the issue but there may be some talk about migration and refugees and

whether they can broker a deal among some of the attendees at the summit. on top of that there are events on climate change, vice president harris will be attending events on reproductive rights in promoting women-owned businesses. it's an opportunity to all kinds of agenda items that the white house wants to promote and show that there collaborating with allies on at a time when ukraine certainly has put in the spotlight whether the u.s. can work with allies and get their agenda done. >> the president spoke last thursday about gun violence after the shootings in uvalde and buffalo and a 15 minute address laid out in legislation before congress the house is move forward on legislation and will vote on the legislation and there is word that is senate negotiation behind closed doors on a possible deal for does the president satisfied to let congress work it out and sign whatever may come through and

whatever may pass through the house and senate? >> at the end of the day the president may not have much choice but to accept with the sun is able to get done with the 60 vote filibuster needing to get ten republican votes you need to get joe manchin in all 50 democrats on board. i think the reality some of the things that he laid out in his speech last week extended background checks, ban on assault weapons or raising the age on purchasing assault weapons some of those will not get the books that they need in the senate. ultimately if the senate group can come to a deal and pass something even if it's incremental i think the white house will accept that and take it as progress even if it's not what the president laid out or help for as a best case scenario. >> we welcome our viewers causing listeners 202-748-8001 the line to call for republicans

202,748,000 for democrats and for all others, independents and all others, 202-748-8002. our guest brent samuels white house reporter with the hill at the hill.com talking about the challenges in foreign policy and domestic challenges in continuing nagging domestic policies issues that nags the white house and administration gas prices. inflation but gas prices in particular. a headline from the washington times, gas prices have doubled since biden became president pointing out when he was inaugurated in 2021 was $2.40 a gallon and now the average is $4.84 a gallon nationwide. >> especially heading into the summer driving season and a lot of families want to go on vacation. that will remain a concern for a lot of families. the white house and the president has tried to show their taking actions whether encouraging releases of oil from

strategic petroleum reserve there is talk that the president may go to the middle east and meet with the conference in saudi arabia which is a complex decision on their part. there's certainly trying to show that they're working on this but ultimately nagging is a great word it's a persistent issue even though they take steps here and there that may immediately lower prices a little bit in the long-term is an issue that sounded them showing signs is gone away. >> or the indicating what the president is hearing for democrats up for reelection in many democratic senators. >> they have a temper talk of explicit talks of campaign season but they are aware and trying to project the kitchen

table cost that this is a direct impact on families and families are the ones paying for this at the pump they try to play a prudent price tag but ultimately americans are frustrated and gas prices have doubled in the a little over a year there setting records every day but ultimately how much can they do in the immediate term to lower those prices and show their working on this. >> has there been frustration as well that some members of the administration go off message on inflation that there's not one solid administration response to what is going on with inflation in this country. >> we saw last week the president wrote this opinion piece in the wall street journal laying out his plan for addressing inflation and he wants to lower the deficit and

childcare and contrasting that with republican economic agenda but we also saw the treasury secretary we saw her on cnn say essentially they were wrong on inflation to say was transitory in it would go away in a few month/year. last week we started to see focusing on inflation but also may be trying to fine-tune their message how much to acknowledge that they got the predictions wrong versus how much to say that they're working on and focusing on that. there there were inflation is front and center in it interesting to see how much they push and acknowledge that the last year was to blame and it will be top of mind for voters. >> you touched on the likely visit and then announced a visit by president biden the headlined in the new york times a visit to

saudi arabia is unlikely to help biden cool oil prices tell us about the political decision and the difficulty of making that choice to go to saudi arabia. >> when the president came into office he talked about the important of human rights and making saudi arabia on the international stage obviously with human rights records in the murder of the washington post journalist. to make president biden making saudi arabia a pariah and suffering the consequences to now meeting with the crown prince who is said to be involved with the murder of the washington post journalist the white house is going to have to square those two things and domestic politics needing to go to saudi arabia releasing more

oil and getting the global supply in order and needing to talk about that is a political reality at the moment that they need to put that front and center and let that declaration of making saudi arabia. >> is that move emblematic of the way joe biden has been as a politician through his career? >> it's a good point. i think the white house and the president realize they need to get to this moment it's what needs to take priority as we said americans are frustrated about gas prices if they think this can help their willing to weigh the pros and cons and go forward with this meeting if they think it would genuinely help the domestic economy. >> we will hear first from paula new york city on the independent line. >> good morning you are on the air. >> i guess my question do you

see any significant policy change likely to happen? i ask t that further proceedings on the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: last week we paused to honor the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation and in defense of our freedoms. for families all across america, the long holiday weekend also kicked off the excitement of summer traditions. but unfortunately, a year and a half into the failed policies of this all-democratic government even modest family celebrations came with price tags that were literally sky high. today, the average price of gas in america reached a new record high. it is now just -- there's now

just one state in our whole country where average price ps haven't passed -- prices haven't passed $4.30. from trips across town to visits with relatives, driving is becoming an even more painful proposition for working families. in boyd county, one kentuckian said it now costs him about $73 to fill up the tank. quote, i just hope those prices will go down. another in lexington said, i'm traveling up north to take care of my mother up in michigan. it's a long haul, and yeah, it's hard when it's this expensive. and sky-high fuel prices aren't just hurting drivers. april saw the biggest one-month spike in airfare on record, with tickets up nearly 20%. the cost of backyard cookouts

and all other home-cooked meals are continuing to rise. prices on everything from ground beef to eggs have clocked the fastest annual increases since 1979. what about big household purchases? many families wait for memorial day weekend sales to fill a need around the house. well, tools and hardware are 11% more expensive than they were a year ago. major appliances cost 12% more. and furniture is up almost 15%. these record-setting prices have got working families literally surrounded. and the american people know exactly where these hardships are coming from. they know this pain is a direct -- a direct result of the failed policies that washington democrats pursued, even as

everybody warned their reckless spending would cause inflation. a little more than a year ago, democrats dumped $2 trillion of liberal waste oobtd our -- onto our economy. their own experts, their own experts told them not to do it. president obama's top economist warned then it was, quote san francisco -- it was, quote, definitely too big for the moment. president clinton's treasury secretary said it could, quote, set off inflationary pressures of a kind we've not seen in a generation. and both of them said it at the time. it was reported a few days ago that even secretary yellen, the president's own treasury secretary, knew the spending spree was reckless and wished it were smaller. but our colleague, the democratic leader, brushesd aside expert concerns, saying,

quote, i do not think the dangers of inflation, at least in the near term, are very real. well, now his party is presiding over out-of-control inflation, the worst in four decades. a year-on-year inflation rate of, listen to this, 8.3%. and even that terrible number may be an understatement. in the early 1980's, right after the last bout of inflation this badz, the bureau of labor statistics changed how they measure inflation. larry summers has coauthored a new research paper that tries to complete a apple-to-apple comparison of inflation figures today versus 40 years ago. here's what they found -- the current inflation regime is closer to that of the late 1970's than it may at first appear. in other words, democrats have brought inflation much closer to the bad old days of the late

1970's than the official numbers even make it look. of course, no matter which way economists measure it, the american people know historic inflation when they feel it. it's impossible to ignore, from the gas pump to the supermarket to the big box store. on democrats' watch, working families' hard-earned dollars are buying them less and less. mr. mcconnell: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

tonight at 6:00 o'clock the background call with will this, in detail give you all the information that you wish to but i want to give a quick preview so you will have it now will be

arranged about five key areas and president biden will focus on the focus will be on economic agenda for the region and promoting health systems and health security. thursday will be responding to the climate crisis and combating food insecurity on friday will focus on migration in the western hemisphere you can expect to see deliverables and both areas announced by the president and other members of his cabinet all three days relating to the focus areas and one final item later this afternoon before our background call at six we will share the list of countries attending for the summit and everyone was excited i want to make sure folks are mindful and that we make our rounds and so people could have their questions

answered. >> the president spoke directly. >> let me speak to the president of mexico very quickly i have something in there for you we have had candy engagement with president lopez as well with other regional partners with more than a month regarding the issue of invitation to the summit it is important to acknowledge that there are a range of views on this question in our hemisphere as there are in the united states the presidents position we do not believe that dictator should be invited which is the reason the president has decided not to attend. we look forward to hosting foreign secretary as a mexican representative and we welcome mexico's major summit

deliverables president biden first lady look forward to welcoming in the first lady of mexico to washington in july for a bilateral visit at that meeting president biden and will have the opportunity to carry the work forward for the summit. to your actual question we had a little announcement there, the u.s. remains the most powerful force in driving hemisphere to address core challenges facing the people of the americas. inequality, health, climate and food security. the president continues to be a leader in the hemisphere. >> another question vladimir putin said they need to deliver rocket systems in moscow will hit objects they have not struck to expand the attacks. thinking on that the west interpreting that,.

>> i will not go to the president's op-ed that he did last week the new york times in which he laid out objectives in ukraine and why were sending ukraine more advanced rocket systems and munitions. we are provided with capabilities to help sender. troy from russia advances this is russia's advancement onto their sovereignty onto the territorial integrity this is russia's war and what were trying to provide with historic assistance to ukraine so ukraine can fight for their freedom. >> the compromise that is being worked on on the senate side on capitol hill sounds like it might include incremental expansions to background checks possibly encouraging more to adopt red flag laws but it would be a major expansion background checks or raise the purchasing

age for semi automatic weapon for fans or large magazines. how is the president thinking about a compromise like that and how important would be if it didn't include many things that we just laid out. >> the president is encouraged by the discussion that are happening currently in the senate by the bipartisan group that is being led by senator murphy and other members and it shows the urgency of the moment. we have to remember while there have been measured victory on gun violence prevention there has not been a wide ranging bill passed since 1984 that is a must three decades ago the president made it clear it's time for congress to act we see in the house take actions last week the get intake more actions this week he cannot do it all alone he's taken executive actions and he believes congress should continue to act in were gonna

see how the negotiations go we have to give it the space that it needs and were knocking to speak to what exactly is being discussed the pieces of legislation but we are encouraged and we think the incremental steps that they are taking is very important at the moment. does he consider this taking shape to be wide-ranging? >> what he's calling for clearly we've heard him talk to this on thursday when he talked about how it is enough and when he went to texas, uvalde, the parents he met with for more than three hours asked him to do something, ask for congress to do something. this is what were seeing now. we believe congress needs to act. what we see there taking actions by having this conversation and having this negotiation to act. we have not seen these steps in a long time.

the president is encouraged by it he welcomes it and we have to see what will come out of the negotiations. >> you said is giving them space. he is not in regular communication for the democrats or republicans. >> what i can say as we like to say we don't read out any private conversations. i mentioned this last week our office of ledge affairs has been in constant communication sense the uvalde shooting. more than dozens of conversations with leadership in congress with the negotiation the negotiators and with staff, that has been continuing in his staff has been very involved in that grade one more thing i want to add senator chris murphy on whether the networks here he said he's been in constant communication with us every day during this time of negotiation.

he also said he believes it's time for the senate to make a move and to take action. megabyte to go back a little bit. >> how does the president defined success when it comes to this issue. you know they need to do something, is doing something even if it falls short of what the president is looking for, is that success on the president xi? >> i think the way the president, he has said this, he laid down a sweeping list of actions he did that very passionately and effectively on thursday. what he's saying he heard directly from the parents in uvalde and families they want to see some action and that congress can actually put their politics aside and come in a bipartisan way and deliver something. when you think about the red flag law i know nancy was asking

me about that 72% of americans want the red flag law. that is encouraging and important. if you think about it and look at the shootings in the past parkland if the red flag law was in place back in 2018 that would've prevented if it was enacted would have prevented that tragedy and now florida has the red flag law unit has prevented tragedy in the states. there are things that are very important that are going to have some impact. of course is the president always going to call for more but people want to see action and that's what we hope to see with negotiation that is currently happening in the senate. >> leader schumer wants to give enough time to find common ground but also get those republicans on the record where

they stand, how long does the president believe these talks should be able to continue if there's a real form. >> the president wants action right away as soon as possible he does not -- the families do not want to wait who have lost a loved one sadly but we leave the mechanism to how this process is going to work and move forward to senator schumer. >> i know you yelled the question what i was walking out. chinese tariffs they asked her to look into removing in with the chinese about them dropping their tariffs were the u.s. products going into china. >> i don't want to get aheadn of that ? the presiding officer: yes. mr. durbin: i ask to suspend the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, the

name john edward porter may not be well known to many people now, but there was a time when he had a special impact on america. i was proud to call him a colleague and my friend. john porter was a congressman from illinois who served at the same time i was a member of the house. he did some remarkable things in his life. the famous tenth district, he was a real leader on many issues. he represented that district, chicago's northern suburbs, from 1980 until the year 2001. for most of the time, we served together in the house. i admired him. we always had a good, positive working relationship that we were of different political faith. he was a leader and a voice for

principled, bipartisan cooperation within our illinois congressional delegation. john porter passed away last friday. he was raised in a family where public service was a way of life. he took it to heart. he served in the u.s. army reserve from 1985 to 1964 and as an attorney with the u.s. department of justice during the kennedy administration. he was elected to the house in 1980 when his predecessor viktor, resigned to become a judge. be amikva was the son of jewish immigrants from ukraine who relied on welfare to survive the great depression. john porterrer was a fiscally conservative republican whose father was a judge.

but they shared many values. they believed that public service was a noble profession, that government could make life better and that america must remain a beacon of hope for the world. john porter support $efforts to protect the environment in the earliest days. he championed human rights efforts across the globe and efforts to protect the environment at home. he was a founder of the congressional human rights caucus. he was a key supporter of the americans with disabilities act. john moralitier was an independent -- john porter was an independent thinker who defied the national rifle association to support a national ban on assault weapons in 1994. it took guts. john porter did the right thing. his greatest and most visionary contribution to america was in the field of biomedical research. he was chair of a powerful house appropriations subcommittee on labor, health, and human services and education, and he was the driving force in the house behind the successful

effort to double the funding for the national institutes of health. for those who may not know, the national institutes of health in washington, d.c., is the leading medical research agency in the world. in the world. and john porter, this congressman from illinois, teamed up with two senators to take on what seemed like an impossible assignment. he joined with tom harkin, the senator from iowa, democrat, and arlen specter, the senator from pennsylvania, a republican. they set out to do the politically impossible -- to double the budget for the national institutes of health. the new funding came at a critical moment in history. it made possible discoveries that literally changed the world, including the famous human genome project, which dr. francis collins headed up at that time.

it was one of the greatest scientific breakthroughs in the 20th century, and it happened because john porter and the senators i mentioned decided to make certain that the n.i.h. had the resorrieses what they needed it -- the resources what h. when they needed it. the human genomes continues to transform medicine son a daily basis. it was the leadership of n.i.h. director dr. collins and inspired example of john porter that convinced me to try to team up with senators on the other side of the aisle and do the same in my time in the senate. i admired john's success so much that i decided to try to make it my own. so i teamed up with roy blunt, republican of missouri, and also, of course, with patty murray, democrat of the state of washington, and we started our efforts to see if we could increase dramatically the

national institutes of health utah about. we did. we've received it by over 40% in the period of time that we've taken on this assignment and more to follow. the n.i.h. recognized congressman john porter's invaluable contributions in 2014 by naming its neuroscience research center in his honor, a well-deserved tribute. loretta and i send our condolences to all who was inspired by his example to make our world and nation a better, healthier, and fairer place. madam president, i ask that the statement i am about to make be placed in a separate part of the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: madam president, 23 years ago after the massacre at columbine high school left 129 students and a teacher dead, the gun lobby and its allies

insisted that, quote, now is not the at the same time to talk about gun laws. in shooting after shooting since, as america has been stunned and grieving and burying its children, the gun lobby has demanded that we not politicize the issue of gun violence. they say we should wait until passions have cooled before taking any action to reduce gun violence in america. madam president, the grim reality is this: it is no longer possible to wait months or weeks or even days after a mass shooting for passions to school. the shootings just keep happening. so far this year we have seen 246 mass shootings in 157 days, more than one mass shooting every day. just this past weekend, a string of 11 mass shootings left at least 15 people dead and more than 60 others wounded in

tennessee, pennsylvania, south carolina, arizona, texas, georgia, new york, and michigan. madam president, no other developed nation on earth hags even a fraction -- has even a fraction of the mass shootings we have in the united states. president lincoln once said famously, we cannot escape history. this senate cannot escape its responsibility to do something. we cannot allow ourselves to go number -- numb and resign to the mass murder. negotiations are under way to help reduce mass violence in earthquake in. i want to thank senators chris murphy of connecticut, john cornyn of texas and the others, democrats and republican, who are trying to find a way to reduce gun violence.

but it takes 60 senators to make that happen. i hope in good faith we can at least take a step forward from this awful situation. the house of representatives already acted last year to close gaps in the gun background check system. this week the house will vote on bills to support extreme risk protection orders or red flag laws, and other important measures. tomorrow the senate judiciary committee, which i chair you will hold a hearing on mass shooting that took place in buffalo on may 14, just a few weeks ago. and the domestic terrorism threat it exposes. one of our witnesses is garnell whitfield, jr., his mother, ruths was murdered at the grocery store in buffalo. gun violence is now a leading cause of death among america's children and teenagers. it replaced automobile accidents. next week the senate judiciary committee will hold a hearing

from experts about the lasting trauma that gun violence leaves on children, and next month the judiciary committee will hold a hearing on the growing nature of gun violence growing -- to police who increasingly found themselves outgunned on the street. there was a retired police officer in that grocery store in buffalo. last name was slaughter. and he had served the community and the police force, and he was there to bring security to that grocery store. when the shooter came in with his military-style weapon, this policeman did his duty. he pulled his handgun. he was outgunned by this killer and lost his life. let's consider a few basics truths. number one, this comprise is not simply about -- this crisis is not simply about school safety. it is much bigger than schools

alone. last friday i went to a grade school in chicago. i won't name the name. but i have a granddaughter who is in the fourth grade there. there were 100 skids in the fourth grade in this school. they all came to it the assembly hall where i gave them a little talk. i couldn't help but think as i stood there talking about my job and what's the hardest part and what's the best part, i looked at those wonderful kids and thought to myself, they're exactly the same age as the kids who died in uvalde, texas. i couldn't imagine for a second the horror that the families must have felt when they heard the news that there was a shooter on the premises in their school. i can't imagine that this nation is so cold and cal loss that it would -- callous that it could ignore the tragedy, what if meant to these families and

still means to them to this day. but it isn't just schools. some people have said, well, if we just make a fortress out of the school, we'll only have one door and we'll have metal detectors and if all the workers are carrying guns, they can we can keep our kids safe. think about that for a moment. is that the answer in the united states of america to gun violence? we're going to outgun any madman who comes on the premises carrying an assault weapon? is that as good as it gets in the united states? i think we can do better. and let's not kid ourselves. as heartbreaking as it is to hear of any violence in a school, schools are not the only places where this happens. grocery stores, walmarts, waffle houses, bars and nightclubs, hospitals, doctors' offices,

sikhs, subways, movie theaters, street corners, baby showers, graduation parties, weddings and funerals, in big towns and small towns, gun violence can be found in every corner of america. it can happen anywhere to anyone at any time. point number two -- as horrific as they are, mass shootings are only a small part of america's gun violence crisis. in 2020 the most recent year for which c.d.c. has is it the stats, 45,000 americans died by gun violence. 45,222. the total number of gun deaths was 14% higher than the year before, 25% higher than five years before, and 43% higher than ten years. the 20 deaths were 34% greater than one year earlier.

49% over five years earlier. 75% greater than decade earlier. how can we look at those numbers and do nothing? in 2020, 79% of you murders were carried out with guns. how about canada? what percent of their murders in 2020 were the result of guns? 37. australia? 13%. the united kingdom? 4% s79% in the united states of america s it's horrible. and it's getting worse. point number three -- the changes the senate is likely to consider pose no threat to the lifestyle of any law-abiding gun owners. our goal is to save lives through responsible gun

ownership. there's a website and i am not going to mention its name. but it's sometimes viewed as the most prolific place to buy a gun on the internet. if you buy a gun on that site from a licensed firearms dealer, you have to pass a background check. but there are also what they call private sales on this site. one person selling to another person. private gun sales on this website at gun shows and other places require no background check. the two parties meet. the buyer hands over money, leaves with a gun. a recent investigation by gun safety organization every town found that in 23018 there were 1.2 million ads 0en this website to sell guns without a background check. last week it listed an ad -- listen to this -- last week it listed an ad for a private sale in buffalo, new york, of an

ar-15, the same weapon that that madman took into the grocery store. and the same weapon that was used against the children, the schoolchildren in uvalde, texas. on that website, you could buy an ar-15 last week, no background check required. how long do these background checks take? in most cases less than five minutes, and no law-abiding citizen needs to worry about passing this test. we should close the deadly private sale loophole to help keep guns out of the hands of people who are legally prohibited from carrying firearms. i support red flag laws that allow law enforcement to temporarily remove arms from a person determined by the court to be at risk of hurting himself or others. 19 states, including illinois, have these laws, and they are an important tool for preventing violence, even florida's republican-controlled legislature enacted a state red

flag law after the parkland massacre. we should support similar efforts. i'll close with a story from my state. three years ago a convicted felon was fired from a job at a small manufacturing plant near chicago. he came back a few hours later with a handgun. he shot and killed five of his former coworkers and wounded five police officers before killing himself. i attended the memorials service of several of those victims. those murders happened in a town called aurora, illinois. seven years before that, a gunman in another aurora -- this time in colorado -- opened fire in a movie theater killing 12 people and wounding 70 more. killing 12, wounding 70 more. when the police chief of aurora, colorado, heard about the illinois rampage, he said to a reporter, months from now as people talk about the mass shootings in aurora, some will

ask which aurora mass shooting are you talking about? think about that. in nearly any other nation on earth, the name of a town in which a mass shooting had taken place would be remembered and mourned for years or even decades. in america, gun deaths and even mass murders now happen with such sickening regularity that some people have a hard time keeping the tragedies apart or even remembering them. and i might say to the presiding officer at this point, i know the terrible shooting in your state over the weekend where one of your state judges was gunned down. it's happening everywhere. i'm so sorry that it touched your state this last weekend. this past week i met with people across illinois to discuss gun violence. i met with police officers, youth in chicago who had been affected by gun violence, doctors at children's hospitals. i spoke to so many people, and

this was always the first topic they mentioned -- gun violence. they asked me a basic question. when is congress going to do something about this? the american are stierd -- sick and tired of gun violence and they are desperate for us to bring change. this senate has it within our power now to make changes that respect our constitution and the rights of law-abiding citizens and will literally save lives. the question is whether we have the conscience and the courage to take these modest steps forward together. lives depend on it. when i left my granddaughter's grade school last friday, i thought about it all day long, those beautiful kids, and the kids down in texas, and the kids at sandy hook, and the kids at columbine, and the kids at parkland. all of these kids are being butchered by gun violence.

many people think that because the constitution and its second amendment gives a right to bear arms, that we can't touch this issue. they're wrong. even the supreme court in one of the seminal decisions judge scalia wrote still retain the power to regulate the guns that were sold and how they were going to be used. we've got to take that and seize that opportunity. we have been elected to the united states senate to respond to american crises. this is at the top of the list. after what we've been through in the last several weeks and what we're likely to go through for the weeks to come, how dare we say this is too big and too tough. how could anything be more important than the safety of our children and our families across america? i will join in the senate judiciary committee in any way that i can to support this bipartisan effort. i hope that it's meaningful. i hope when it's all said and done, we can point to it and say we achieved something in the

names of those families of survivors and those who lost their lives, who have given so much to this madness that has become part of life in america. madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senior senator from you iowa. mr. grassley: thank you, madam president. congress has a constitutional responsibility to ensure that the executive branch executes the laws and using taxpayer money appropriated to do it according to the congressional intent. now around here, we refer to seeing that the laws are faithfully executed as the constitutional responsibility of oversight of the congress of the united states. in furtherance of that

constitutional responsibility, congress has an obligation to investigate the executive branch for fraud, waste, abuse, and gross mismanagement. i take my constitutional responsibilities of oversight very seriously. from time to time i receive information that requires me to ask questions of the executive branch in efforts to better understand whether any wrongdoing has occurred. and if so, what remedial actions will be taken and employed to cure the damage done and that's what brings me to the floor of the senate today, focusing on assistant special agent in charge, timothy tebow

at the f.b.i.'s washington field office. last week while i was meeting with my constituents in iowa, i sent a letter to the justice department and also to the f.b.i. and also a letter to the department of justice's inspector general. in those letters, i provided evidence of extreme left-wing bias shown by special agent tebow. in his position, he's in a very powerful agent within the f.b.i., so powerful that he can open and close federal public corruption cases and investigations. and he's a shining example at the same time of what's wrong with the f.b.i.

andrew mccarthy wrote about mr. tebow last week and wondered what the heck has happened with the f.b.i. this f.b.i. agent's left-wing political bias was exposed by his very own linked in and twitter account. there in those accounts, he posted highly partisan material related to his superiors, matters under the f.b.i.'s purview, and matters under his own preview. his linked in network includes current and former f.b.i. personnel. the general public is able to review his social media context which includes his political views, his political biases and

objections. thibault, under the title of assistant special agent in charge, directly posted a partisan article related to michael flynn. that's lieutenant general michael flynn's case, to his linked in account. the article was a september 3, 2020, opinion piece from "the washington post" entitled, why the michael flynn case still matters, which was about, quote, the trump administration's abuses of the justice system, end of quote. he also liked other politically charged articles relating to then-president trump and his superior, then-attorney general

barr. thibault's public political association doesn't even end with those examples. according to his twitter feed, which is also under his name, he mocked the election of one of our new colleagues, senator tuberville and the state of mississippi at the same time. he said, quote, thank god for mississippi state model of alabama, end of quote. i'm not sure exactly what that means, but it's pretty clear that he's making fun. when representative liz cheney tweeted, quote, dick cheney says wear a mask, end of quote, thibault replied this, quote, your dad was a disgrace, end of

quote. he recently tweeted, quote, can we give kentucky to the russian federation, end quote. in response to a catholic priest tweet critical of abortion, he tweeted an anti-catholic slur to both catholic prevents and then president trump, quote, focus on the pedophiles, end of quote. there are other examples, but i think it's pretty clear you get the bias of this particular special agent. you get the picture, in other words. after my letters were made public, he reportedly then sent his tweets to protected mode and deleted his linkedin profile. his social media activity likely

violated several federal regulations and department guidelines, which guidelines are there designed to prevent political bias from infecting f.b.i. matters. such restrictions on political activity are heightened by senior f.b.i. officials like thibault because of the risk of improper influence on investigative matters. if he projects this type of political sentiment in public using his name and title, there's absolutely no telling what he's doing within the privacy of his office and in front of subordinates. the fact that this f.b.i. agent has the power to open and close investigations, particularly into political figures,

republican and/or democrat, is cause for serious concern. his actions present a grave risk of political infection and bias in his official decision-making process. let me ask, what have the justice department and f.b.i. done to oversee his work behavior? let me ask, how many investigations have been infected by this political bias, by this special agent? i fear for many years he's been able to do whatever he wanted to do. accordingly such conduct unquestionably undermines the justice department and the f.b.i. because at a minimum, it

creates the perception of unequal application of the law. now at the maximum, his political bias has materially infected investigative matters that he's been a part of. this is why the american people have lost confidence in the justice department, the f.b.i., to do the job that those two agencies are assigned to do under our law. political considerations have infected these agencies, and the cost is a loss of faith in the very institutions in a depend on the american people's trust for the credibility of these agencies. my press release last week listed a phone number, an e-mail address for justice department and f.b.i. whistleblowers to contact my office if they know some of these similar things that we

need to know. since then i've had whistleblowers reach out to me about thibault and others. i'll have more to say on that matter in coming weeks to my colleagues here in the senate. i urge anyone that's willing to speak to government waste, fraud, and abuse and gross mismanagement to contact me and of course i strongly urge the justice department and the f.b.i. to clean house without hesitation. transparency brings accountability and my future investigative actions in this space will do exactly that. so i'm asking my colleagues to stay tuned. i yield. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

select committee to investigate the january 6 attack on the united states capitol. kyle cheney, although these are the first public, certainly first public hearing since last year end certainly most significant ones the committee will have hold in public, correct? >> it's not the first one they have been since they've conducted the investigation and have things to share with the

american people. >> what you think the format of the hearing will be job findings to share, will they have witnesses? >> we don't know, i suspect they will, they haven't announced any witnesses, they kept a lot of details closed and i think they want maximum impact which is why they're trying to keep some of this mysterious as long as they can but i suspect we will see different topic areas to break down their investigation so that's what i'm watchful for. >> to have an idea on the numbers of people the committee has interviewed? obviously and private ahead of this hearing, the -- does it give us an indication where they are headed in the investigation? >> they've interviewed 1000 people, i think we only know of maybe a couple hundred of who those people are based on tracking the committee, their

lawyers and that but we know it got distinct lines of inquiry, what was donald trump doing proceeding january 6 overturning the election? the focus on domestic extremism, the proud boys and those involved in the violence of the capitol and money trails, there's different lines of investigation they will see broken out in the hearings. >> we mentioned this is a select committee, selected by the speaker but tell us about the genesis of the committee particularly the choice of republican members of the select committee. >> this committee was never supposed to exist, after the attack there was bipartisan outrage at what happened which somewhat retreated a little bit as donald trump reasserted his grip over the republican party

but what you initially saw was call for bipartisan commission like 9/11 commission that would independently investigate this and come up with findings free of the partisan rancor but republicans had the legislation and what happened was speaker pelosi said you can't have known, we have to have some investigation so i will appoint a select committee and what happened there, supposed to be nine democratic appointees and five republican appointees, maybe seven and five and when mccarthy made his pics to the panel, pelosi vetoed two of them within her power, she said jim jordan and jim thanks don't belong on the committee and because of that, leader mccarthy decided i'm going to withdraw all five of my pics and boycott the committee altogether so we have a committee appointed entirely be a speaker pelosi.

>> senior legal affairs, we are talking about hearings this week of the january 6 committee, we welcome your calls and comments, 2,027,488,001 for republicans. (202)748-8000 democrats and independents and others (202)748-8002. the timeline of this select committee will hold a hearing thursday, more expected and when do they want to wrap up their work and publish findings? >> we anticipate around hearings, maybe as many as eight and i think that will remain in flux depending on how the hearings go in which witnesses they get confirmed we still early know much so we expect some high-profile names eventually but one thing that's important is this is not the end of the road, they're talking about a timeline involving

releasing their report in september and that could change, everything is fluid for them have certain things may extend even beyond that, legal fights to get more information going into october and maybe beyond. >> the hearing comes up, or the numbers you will watch most closely? >> the obvious ones are chairman bennie thompson and this cheney and ms. cheney even more because one of two republicans on the committee, one of the most common it leadership role on the committee, how she messages the results here and tries to connect with publicans at home who may or may not tune into these hearings, she pulled no punches about her own colleagues and complicity what happened leading up to january 6 and the way she talks about republican involvement is very important

because it doesn't connect, it's different than democrats calling out donald trump when you hear her doing it. >> what about other members on the committee, who do you expect the toughest questioning to come from? >> i think jamie raskin is interesting, he led the second impeachment of donald trump related to january 6 so his involvement here, adam schiff similarly led the impeachment of donald trump so they have a long history of pursuing, intent investigations of the former president. i think loughman was another one, involved in multiple impeachments including the nixon impeachment as a house staffer so she's seen the whole gamut of high-profile investigations like this. >> jamie raskin in his book heading up the lead on the impeachment he was serious with

the earliest leaks that came out of that group and tried to shut it down, it's been the opposite with this committee, regular leaks of information on who's testifying on the information they are gathering, to think that's part of strategy of the january 6x. >> this investigation is massive, more than 1000 witnesses, we still can't identify more than 2150 and some are the witnesses themselves of the committee declaring who they subpoenaed, and people watching is coming in through the building so the leaks that have come out, we don't necessarily know the source of a lot of them sometimes it's the committee, could be witnesses themselves or attorneys, different motivations involved. i think what we have seen like text messages from mark meadows for example, former chief of staff, a consistent force of

leaks that isn't necessarily in the most important information and the committee released strategically its own information and court filings and it's a way to signal to the public were there investigation has grown what they have uncovered and some of it is intentional. >> let's get to colors, 202-74-8001 republican's. 20,274,000 and for all others, 202-7488 years or two. harrisburg, pennsylvania. independently. >> on part of an independent line and we are neutral and look at polling and the generous six issue is like the issue of other holes higher than generous six and number two what our polling is finding is a boomerang, helping the people, democrats trying to hurt here in pennsylvania where republican nominees were at the capitol

generous six he went in a landslide and use the issue he won in a landslide. >> kyle cheney. >> we hear that a lot and i think it's true, this issue is not one that connects with the average voters at home, it's something that happened and was not good at the time, the visceral outrage as stated in i think the committee knows that. when you ask what their goal is, you get different answers, we need to do this for history, document the truth of what happened. what they want to do is change that somewhat at the very least, they think they can convince people what happened was that, it's not over, it's ongoing and there are still attempts to feed that actors in position of power over elections that can predict

this crisis in the future and they want to show people complicit who may be preparing to do something, better orchestrated next time so i think they feel they could potentially move the numbers, they felt like they did that during the first impeachment over ukraine which was far more collocated and less connected to the average voter then generate six and they want to remind people what they felt like january 7 when the outrage was very real. >> lynn on the democrats line in elmore, ohio make sure you meet your television. lynn in elmore, ohio, you are on the line. go ahead. >> good morning. >> good morning, go ahead. >> good morning, this is an interesting morning, i have one question that's probably when we are investigating, why is it

that nobody has brought in the fact that all males, shooters are male, not female? can you answer that question? >> lynn, i think you are referring to our previous segment on gun violence but let's ask kyle cheney, is there any indication the witnesses may include some of the actual participants of the january 6 attack? >> i think it's possible, at least five in my count the people charged and pleaded guilty to participate in the mob breach of the capitol interviewed with the committee and more, that's just what we know. they've expressed remorse for actions duped into their behavior by donald trump and lies about the election results

and want to discuss that, whether they want to in a public setting or this spotlight the committee will bring is an open question but i think it's likely we will hear or see video testimony from those people why they did what they did january 6. >> has donald trump indicated will watch, comment on the hearings when they get underway thursday? >> i don't know if he said they would be watching, if commentary has been we push back on this, we use our organs to counter message the hearing, downplay the significance of january 6 and treated as a partisan unfair and not this moment for bipartisan result the committee wants to present so it's a major push back from him and his people and friendly the outlets to undercut the impact of the

committee. >> do you think will get testimony from former vice president pent staff? >> i think that is very possible, we know the vice presidents, former vice president after cooperative with the committee, mark shorr, chief of lawyer, megan jacobs were two of the most important witnesses -- presiding officer: without objection. mr. tuberville: madam president, just imagine it's tuesday night in october. the shuffle of shoes screech across the waxed court. the buzzer sounds and the crowd erupts in cheers as the home team scores the winning point. clinching the first place title, the home team gathers at center court. each player grinning from ear to ear the excitement is tangible. it was a hard-fought season and a well earned first place title. the trophy is presented.

pitchers -- pictures are taken and team members high five each other as fans charge the court to congratulate the winning team. what i just described were the final seconds of a high school girls basketball game. those who have witnessed a buzzer beater win knows there's nothing like it. for the players, the national, the -- the fans, the parents and all involved, it is a prized moment and a memory that will never be forgotten. but it's not just a memory, it is a valuable learning experience. over the span of a year, teammates dedicate hundreds of hours of late night and early morning practices. they overcome conflicts. they work together. they practice self-discipline.

they practice their craft. and they knew if they gave it all, they would have a chance to be victorious with all this hard work and effort. i saw these learning experiences unfold time and time again throughout my 40-year career as a coach, educator, and mentor. a great deal has changed in the world of women's athletics since i began my career coaching high school girls basketball almost 40 years ago. what an experience. almost 50 years ago female athletes receive less than 2% of college athletic budgets. and athletic scholarships for women were virtually nonexistent. only one in 27 girls participated in intercollegiate sports in the united states 50 years ago.

one in 27. since the 1970's, female participation in sports at the collegiate level has risen by more than 600%. and today 43% of the high school girls that we have in school today participate in sports, up from 5% 50 years ago. these strides in women athletics did not just happen by circumstance. they are a result of title 9 protections passed by congress in 1972 in this very room where we are today. title 9 provided females the long denied platform that had always been afforded to males only. it ensured female athletes had the same access to funding, facilities, and athletic

scholarships. that was title 9. it is an unquestionable truth that biological males have a physiological advantage over females. title 9 acknowledged that truth for the benefit of women's athletics. to break it down even more, one study states, quote, on average males have 50% greater upper limb strength. 20% to 40% lower limb strength. and an average of 12 pounds more skeletal muscle than aged matched females at any given body weight. title 9 sent an incredible, an incredible message to female athletes across the nation. that message was you can com compete. you can win.

and you will be afforded a fair and level-playing field to do so. because of these reasons, decades later we know title 9 has been a monumental success for female athletes across this country. as the 50th anniversary of title 9 approaches at the end of this month, we should be celebrating female athletes who were given the opportunity to win first place, to learn the life lessons sports teaches each individual, and to overcome obstacles and reach their god-given potential. we should be asking ourselves how we can preserve title 9 so female athletes 50 years from now can experience the same euphoric feeling of hard work and hard-earned victory. but unfortunately with the biden

administration's proposal the next few weeks we will lose title 9 protections for female athletes as we know it. later this month it is expected that president biden's department of education will punish -- will publish a proposed rule to change title 9 to align more with the administration's progressive agenda. these proposed changes would require schools to allow biological males to compete in women's sports. it would take a wrecking ball to the five decades of title 9 success and tilt what was a level playing field to the far left. with the biden administration's proposal, female athletes will lose. we cannot allow title 9's protections for female athletes to be eroded. it's been too much of a success.

and i plan to continue leading efforts against this misguided policy to ensure no federal action will negatively impact female athletes. recently i've spoken with numerous female athletes who were able to compete and win because of title 9. additionally i introduced an amendment to prohibit federal funding to schools that allow biological males to compete in women's sports. i have also repeatedly called for the senate to pass the protection of women and girls sports act, legislation i helped introduce that would ensure the definition of sex in title 9 is based on solely a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth and prohibit federal funding to institutions that do not uphold that definition. and just last week i sent a

letter to the united states department of education warning the administration to rethink this rule change. the biden administration's title 9 rule flies in the face of the so-called science that democrats are quick to pledge their allegiance to by ignoring scientific differences and biological makeup of male and female athletes. apparently science only holds water when it conforms to democrats' partisan agenda. allowing biological males to compete in women's sports will set women's rights back 50 years to a time before title 9. it will discourage young girls from entering the court, jumping in the pool, walking on the field because they will know they will have to compete with

the deck stacked against them. they can only hope to win second place at best. so the bottom line is that there's really no pre-game speech or half time talk you can give to a woman or a girl who feels like they aren't competing on a fair playing field like 50 years ago. with this proposed rule, girls will be playing for second. the biden administration should do the right thing and think and rethink their decision that would destroy female athletics as we know it today. i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

service to our nation and in defense of our freedoms.

for families across america, the long holiday weekend kicked off the excitement of summer traditions but unfortunately a year end a half into the failed policies of this all democratic government even modest family celebrations came with price tags literally skyhigh. the average price of gas in america reached a new record high. there's just one state in our whole country average prices haven't passed $4.30. from trips across town to business with relatives, driving is becoming a painful proposition for working families. one kentuckian said it cost about $73 to fill up the tank. i just hope the prices will go

down. another set on traveling up north to take care of my mother in michigan, the long haul and yes, it's hard. fuel prices aren't just hurting drivers, april saw the biggest one month price on record with tickets up nearly 20%. the cost of backyard cookouts and other home-cooked meals are continuing to rise. prices on everything from ground beef two eggs with the fastest annual increases since 1979. what about big household purchases? many families wait for memorial day weekend sales to fill a need around the house. tools and hardware are 11% more expensive than a year ago, major

appliances cost 12% more and furniture is up almost 15%. record-setting prices have working families surrounded. the american people know where the hardships are coming from. this is a direct result of failed policies democrats proceeded even as anybody warned reckless spending would cause inflation. more than a year ago democrats dumped $2 trillion of liberal waste onto our economy. their own experts told him not to do it. president obama's top economists warned it was too big for the moment. president clinton's treasury

secretary said it would quote set off inflationary pressures of the kind we've not seen in a generation and both of them said it time. it was reported a few days ago secretary yellen, the president's own treasury secretary new suspending spree was reckless and wished it were smaller but our colleagues democratic leader pressure side concerns saying quote i do not think dangers of inflation near-term are very real. well, now his party is presiding over our control, the worst and for decades. inflation rate of listen to this, 8.3%. even that terrible number may be an understatement. the early 80s, the bureau labor statistics change have a major inflation.

larry summers called a new research paper to create apples to apples comparison between inflation figures today versus 40 years ago so here's what they found. the current inflation regime is closer to that of the late 1970s that it may at first appear. in other words democrats fought inflation much closer to the battle days of the late 1970s than the official numbers even make it look. no matter which way economistsic measure it, the american people know historic inflation when they feel it. quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: madam president, like so many people in texas and across the country, i can't stop thinking about the 19 children

and the two teachers who lost their lives in uvalde, texas. over the last several days, 21 families have started burying their loved ones. this tight-knit community of 16,000 people 60 miles from the u.s.-mexico border is grieving the loss of classmates, playmates, friends, neighbors, colleagues, and fellow church members. as grief turns to anger and anger turns to action, everyone is asking the question, the logical question -- how do we stop these sort of things from happening again? well, i think that's the right question. that's the question that's been on my mind and dominating conversations with my colleagues the last couple of weeks.

now, this is a big, diverse country. there are a lot of differences regionally, culturally, and the like. and each of us have ideas about what would work best, but that's the genius of our federal system. what louis brandeis called the laboratories of democracy. because one-size-fits-all is not necessarily always the right solution. but those of us who work here in the senate know this is not just about our goals, our ideals. it's about what was once called the art of the possible. perfect bills exist only in our imagination. and we have to be realistic about what can pass both chambers of congress and get the president's signature, and we

know it's not easy. by design, the founding fathers had this idea that if they made it hard to pass legislation, if they forced us to build consensus, that we wouldn't pass a lot of laws that would limit individual freedom and liberty, that it would only be where there was a true national consensus that we could get those laws passed. over the last week and a half, i've been talking particularly with senator murphy, senator tillis, senator sinema, but literally with everybody i can reach on the phone or get through text message to see if there's some package of mental health and safety legislation that addresses some of the factors that might have prevented the recent shootings in uvalde and elsewhere. i want to be clear, though. we are not talking about

restricting the rights of current law-abiding gun owners or citizens. this is a constitutional right, as much as that may go against the grain of some of our colleagues who'd like to see us do things to restrict the rights of american citizens under the second amendment. the right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by the constitution itself. and the vast majority of the republican conference feels certainly the same way. what i'm interested in is keeping guns out of the hands of those who by current law are not supposed to have them. people with mental health problems, people with -- who have criminal records. again, this is about the art of the possible. in order to deliver results, we have to build consensus, and the best way to do that is through

targeted reforms. we've actually had success doing this before. on november 5, 2017, a tight-knit community in texas called southerland springs was the target of a the shoulding. a gunman opened fire at a small baptist church, killing 26 people. we quickly learned that the shooter had a long and disturbing record of violence, school suspensions, comments about wanting to kill his superiors in the military, animal abuse, violence against those closest to him, felony, domestic violence convictions, he fractured the skull of his stepson in a fit of anger, and he even spent time in military prison. yet, under existing -- under the existing national instant

criminal background system, that information was not uploaded. the shooter was prohibited from ever possessing a firearm. so how did he get his hands on a semiautomatic weapon that he used to take 26 innocent lives? well, it was because of a broken system. he was able to the purchase four firearms because the information about his criminal history had never been uploaded into the national instant criminal background check system known as the nics system. the answer was obvious -- get the background system improved to record existing disqualifications to purchase or possess firearms. senator murphy and i introduced

the fix nics act to ensure that these records were uploaded on a timely basis. that bill at the time it became law had more than 70 bipartisan cosponsors. and it was signed into law of march 2018. and here's what happened next. in the first three years since that bill became law, 11.5 million additional records have been uploaded into the three national databases. 11.5 million additional records. the number of records in one of those databases increased by more than 30%. i believe the reason we were able to succeed with the fix nics legislation is because it addressed a glaring problem

without jeopardizing the rights of law-abiding citizens under the second amendment. i mentioned that the bill had more than 70 cosponsors. i'm reminded here that it had 77 bipartisan cosponsors, and that was how we passed the first major reform to the background check system in 25 years. now, my hope is we can take the same approach here to build consensus by targeting the problem with a targeted solution. this one is actually harder because in uvalde there were so many multiple points of failure, not just one, multiple points of failure. but it's one obvious, glaring issue is the lack of mental health intervention. according to the reports we've seen, the shooter was isolated,

he was bullied, he harmed himself, he self-mutilated, he had a history of fighting and threatening students and abusing animals. these are textbook signs compounded with a profile that we've seen too often of someone who could pose not only a threat to the himself but to others as well. but these signs were ignored and we saw the tragic consequences. i don't think it's breaking news to say that there is a mental health crisis among america's children, and we can't ignore the devastating impact that the pandemic had on a lot of our young people. in a recent survey unanimous consent canned by "the new york times," 94% of school counselors said their students were showing more signs of anxiety and

depression than before the pandemic. 88% said students were having more trouble regulating their emotions and almost three-quarters said they were having difficulty solving conflicts with their friends. one counselor said, kids are more impulsive. they're less controlled and struggle with emotional regulation. i believe we need to take this opportunity to support our children who struggle with emotional or mental health problems, and that's something i believe will bring us together, and all 100 senators can agree on. another big issue is school safety. this shooter should never have been able to gain access to robb elementary school that day. again, the circumstances of how he gained that access are still

under investigation. initial reports indicated that a door had been propped open. now the police say the door had been closed, but it did not automatically lock like it was supposed to. if our schools need more resources to harden their infrastructure and to evaluate their physical security measures and to make necessary improvements, that's something we can agree on and something we need to do. no one should be able to walk through the door of a schedule and access a classroom so easily. you can't get into an airport very easily. we know how to do this. improving school safety also means reviewing current protocol, developing best practices, and adding or maybe expanding the number of school resource officers. these are commonsense ways to save lives, and we need to provide schools with the

resources to protect our students and our teachers. i'm a proud supporter of the second amendment. period. we also recognize, though, that there are people who are prohibited by current law from purchasing guns, like the shooter at sutherland springs, because of criminal records or mental illness. we're discussing possible additional reforms to keep guns out of the hands of people who are not legally allowed to purchase or possess them in the first place. if we reach an agreement, law-abiding gun owners will not be impacted at all. our conversations are ongoing, and indeed all 100 senators will be part of that conversation, but these are the broad parameters of the things that

i'm interested in addressing. we're not talking about banning a category of weapons across the board, a ban for certain high-capacity magazines, or changing the background check system by adding additional disqualifying items. if we're actually serious about finding common ground and building consensus, those sorts of things will stand no chance of passing the senate. instead we're talking about commonsense, targeted reforms that are responsive to the tragedies at uvalde and elsewhere and that will, i believe, save lives. strengthening mental health, bolstering school security, keeping guns out of the hands of people who are already legally prohibited from having them. i think a lot of our colleagues could get behind those provisions like they did with the fix nics bill.

following sutherland springs we came up with a targeted bill to address specific circumstances. i hope we can do so again. i will not settle on inadequate or down right harmful legislation for the sake of doing something. that's not productive for anyone. that's one of the things i hear the most. people say do something. well, we can agree something needs to be done, but what that something is is much harder to achieve, and so targeted reforms, i think is the way to get to where we need to go. i understand the desire for quick action, but i hope the democratic leader will allow bipartisan discussions to continue and then conclude before he pulls the plug and schedules show votes on something he knows can't pass. he's threatened to do it, but i don't believe we ought to try to meet artificial deadlines. we know how to do this, and i

think giving the senate adequate time over the next week or so to try to reach that consensus is imminently reasonable. i don't believe the senate will be voting this week because good consensus legislation takes time. so i hope senator schumer will let his members work. there's no use in rushing a vote on a doomed partisan bill like the house is expected to vote on this week. my goal is to achieve a result, and the only way we can do that that, the only way we can get a bill that will pass both chambers and earn the president's signature is by taking the time and reaching that consensus. right now there's not a bill out there that stands a chance of succeeding in the coming days, but my hope sthal change by -- is that will change by allowing

the senate to do the work we know how to do, come up with a bipartisan bill that commands the support of 60-plus members of the senate and something we can send to the president for his signature. i yield the floor, and i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. a senator: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. moran: madam president, it's an honor to be here on the senate floor tonight to talk about a topic and an honor to have you in the chair as i do so. madam president, i rise late this afternoon to discuss a piece of legislation that will be before the senate perhaps for a good portion of this week and maybe even into the next. it's the most comprehensive

toxic exposure package the senate has ever considered in our nation's history. since november 11, 2001, up to 3.5 million deployed servicemembers have potentially encountered toxic exposures from burn pits. during a deployment to a war zone, military personnel are often exposed to toxic hazards, many of which have been associated with chronic health issues. not really as an aside, but unrelated to this piece of legislation, a cause i now undertake, have been pursuing since this topic arose, is to make sure that in the future there are no burn pits that our service men and women encounter in their service to our nation. while we are preparing to take care of those who have experienced burn pits in the past, let there be no more burn

pit experiences. until almost 2010, the united states military kept burn pits on bases for the disposal of chemicals, plastic, medical waste and other substances that are just burned with jet fuel, creating toxic substances, toxic smoke. currently the v.a. can provide service-connected disability claims related to burn pit exposureses, however due to lack of evidence, scientific data and information from the department of defense, at least 70% of the claims are denied. over the past two years nearly every veteran service organization has testified before the senate committee on veterans' affairs and emphasized the importance of fixing the process the v.a. uses to provide health care and benefits to toxic exposed veterans. p jon tester, the senator from from mt., the chairman of the -- the senator from from

montana, having worked together with theeps veterans organizations, with veterans, advocates, with the v.a. and senate colleagues on and off the committee to craft a comprehensive bill to deliver all generations of toxic exposed veterans' long overdue health care and benefits. three weeks ago senator tester and i announced the sergeant first class keith robinson honoring our promise to address comprehensive toxic act of 2022. it has many priorities, but among those, this historic legislation will, one, expand v.a. health care eligibility; two, improve the v.a.'s presumption process; three, bolster the v.a.'s toxic exposure training and resources; four, strengthen toxic exposure research; and five, set up v.a. and veterans for success.

last week over memorial day, our country paused to remember and honor those who served our nation. my expectation, my guess is that almost every member of the united states senate in some fashion over the weekend spent time with veterans, paying respect, giving them honor. one kansas veteran, when i was in wichita, told me that he and his dad both served in the united states navy and both had an experience with exposure to hazardous and toxic materials. he said he didn't believe that either one of them suffered any major health issues from their exposure. it caused me to think this is a veteran who is not necessarily going to care about this legislation. but what he said was it was a concern that there would not be any help from the v.a. if they did, and they lived in fear and uncertainty. the veteran who didn't think he or she had any negative

consequences from exposure to toxic substances still worried about what would happen if i did, what would happen if my health deteriorates and worried that the v.a. would not be there for them or their families. after hearing the news of our comprehensive toxic exposure bill, this veteran said, and i quote, you have now changed that for thousands of veterans and their families. the uncertainty, the fear is diminished and maybe gone. it is time to advance this legislation to bring us one step closer to connecting all generations of toxic exposed veterans with the care they need and deserve and to provide veterans with certainty and support. i honor, i thank, i have great gratitude for every generation of veterans. and in my family's lifetime, those who served in iraq and afghanistan are among the most

significant to us. but vietnam is a part of my life as a 16-year-old boy, a junior in high school. in fact, if you were a senior in my high school, my high school of 71 kids in my class -- so i know them all -- if you were just a year older than me, you served in vietnam. and i saw how they were treated when they returned from their service, and they were treated terribly by fellow american citizens. and as a 16-year-old kid, i told myself i'm going to do everything i can to honor and respect those who serve, see if i can compensate for the circumstances these people, some of whom, many of whom i knew personally. can i compensate for what they're experiencing today in the early 19 and mid70's. i never expected to be a member of the united states senate. nothing in my life would suggest

that that would be the case. the dprais of god -- the grace of god, kindness of kansans. but upon my arrival in congress, in the house and now the senate, it became important for me to do something more than honor and respect veterans, to do something more than saying thank you, to do the things that i can do as a member of a legislative body to make certain that the department of veteran affairs does its job, but most importantly, that i as a member of congress do mine. it is important for us to pay respect, but it is also perhaps even more important for us to make certain those who served our nation receive the care and benefits that they are entitled to and that they deserve. it's beyond just saying thank you. it's saying thank you by action. it is time to advance this legislation and bring us one step closer to connecting all

generations to the circumstances that war brought to them and their families. and i hope after memorial day, we brought back with us, as we return this monday, memorial day being a week ago today, that we bring back with us a sense of what their sacrifice means and commit to living our lives and doing our jobs worthy of their sacrifice. decade after decade, service men and women have deployed to places around the globe in defense of freedom. and we've seen just within the last year there is no moment in which everyone is safe. there is no moment in which we may not have to ask people to continue to serve, to serve longer, or to begin their service in defense of freedom in the united states and freedom around the world. and unfortunately, throughout history many of them were exposed to harmful toxins during

that service that resulted in life-altering health conditions. too many veterans, far too many veterans face too many battles when they return home and are seeking the care and benefits they desperately need. our veterans deserve better and they're tired of waiting for solutions. this week this body, the united states senate, will discuss the sergeant first class heath robinson act at great length. and i look forward to speaking more about this legislation on the senate floor and with my colleagues so we can deliver to all generations of toxic exposed veterans -- to address the lack of uncertainty that they deserve. madam president, i yield the

floor. mrs. blackburn: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. i want to concur on the remarks just suppressed by my colleague and we do honor our veashes and senator moran -- veterans and senator moran serves as the ranking member on the veterans' affairs committee, and we appreciate his leadership as he seeks to honor our veterans and the obligation that our veterans have made, who don't shrink from service, who don't pass the blame, they execute their mission. i think it's important for each and every one of us to remember that our service should do honor to the serves and the sacrifice that they have made. now, madam president, for about

the past year our current president, president biden, and many of the democrats in the house and the senate where the democrats are in charge of each of those chambers, they have spent a great deal of time blaming everyone but themselves for the historic levels of inflation that have ruined the economy and made the american people very nervous about what two more years of this build back broke agenda would mean for them. i've said before that tennesseans feel like they have no idea who is in control in this country over in the white house or, indeed, if anyone over at the white house is in control in this country. and if you look at all the various characters get iewrd in biden's -- featured in biden's

blame game, you might think biden is wondering the same thing. who is in control, who is calling the shots? but the truth is, madam president, that no one in the white house is confused or shocked by how bad things have gotten. they know exactly how we got here because they did it because every step they took along the way was a deliberate attempt to reject common sense and manipulate the people into accepting a radical economic agenda. well, in july of last year, president biden insisted that inflation was transitory and that if we could just bring on a little bit more time and a little bit more effort and hang in there a little bit longer,

you know what, everything was going to be just fine. he didn't want the people to panic and start questioning the narrative that the white house was pushing forward every single day. surprising no one, that argument didn't fly, the people weren't buying it. so in october suddenly not only was inflation a problem, but guess what, it was former president trump's fault. that's right, not this administration's fault, not democrats, not president biden, it was president trump's fault. well, the american people, they weren't having that either. they weren't buying that line and over the next five months, the covid-19 pandemic, so-called global challenges, supply chains, and, of course, vladimir putin, and then senate republicans, everybody took a turn in the blame game seat for

president biden and the white house. it was everybody's fault but theirs. isn't that absolutely amazing? just amazing. the people in control of everything, the house, the senate, the executive branch, the white house controlling it all. they had nothing to do with this they want you to believe. while, yes indeed, they had everything to do with it. so last month the democrats had exhausted this rotation of vil villains -- of villains as they liked to call it. well, they panicked and they decided once again that they had to go out here and convince the american people that, yes, indeed, inflation was transitory

, it was going to be short-lived. it was only 8.5%, they would say, only, but go fill up the car, go to the grocery store, you know they're wrong. unfortunately for joe biden the american people are much smarter and more in tune with day-to-day life than the left has given them credit for. this administration is now in damage control mode. last week secretary yellen threw up her hands and admitted that the political narrative on inflation that she enabled put us on the road to economic collapse. on the same day president biden published an op-ed in "the wall street journal" blaming trump and putin for his troubles while touting the same policies that the american people have

rejected. what we are seeing now is the consequences of a failed political maneuver. it is the collapse of an economic philosophy the democrats insisted was far superior to anything their political opponent would ever come up with. and the democrats' response to this is what exactly? to say, well, they're sorry, and they just double down. they just keep on going. not exactly a plot twist for this administration. they intend to double down on their failed policies. at this point in biden's blame game, tennesseans are accustomed to watching the administration fail, but that doesn't mean that they're not paying attention to the details and the steps this administration is taking.

tennesseans are nervous, stressed out, they feel like everything is out of control and nobody in the white house really cares about it. as i've been out about and around the state, inflation, the price at the pump, the price at the grocery store, the cost of fertilizers for our farm community, logistics cost, the cost of clothing, the cost of shoes and equipment for the kids to go to summer camp, fees at summer camp, everything is going up -- everything. and who do people blame for this? they blame this administration. they know that in june of 2022 a gallon of gas was $2.17. this week in tennessee that gallon of gas is $4.47.

madam president, that is far more than 8% inflation. coffee is up 143%. ground beef is up. buns are up. eggs are up. bread is up. everybody is complaining about what it costs to live every single day. the playbook really is pretty simple on this. what this administration is doing is just putting it all on our debt line. but you know what? the american people know they can't afford this and they know that their children cannot afford this. they know that the programs that this administration is pushing, big, expensive programs -- big expensive programs, the

regulations they're putting in place, probably of the 69 regulations that president biden has in office, most of those are aimed at the energy sector. people know that it is all taxpayer money this administration is spending and the taxpayers cannot afford this out-of-control spending spree and they know that they cannot afford this far-left socialistic turn in this administration and in the policies of my democratic colleagues. now, why is this? it's because the democrats' vision for the future isn't compatible with what families want for their future. they look at what joe biden is offering, more government

control, less parental control, more government control, hardship on small businesses, more government control, less freedom to spend your hard-earned money, and they're saying this is not what we want. so i think that, madam president, when i listen to tennesseans and when i talk with them about their hopes and dreams, about what they want to see for the future for their children, they're not in a jovial mood, they're in a very serious mood. they're confused that this administration and democrats would go this far left and risk -- and risk goodwill, and i think that the american people

have figured out we are completely on the wrong track with this administration's policies. and they have figured out that these policies are not a path to prosperity, they're a path to government control. and i think that many of my democratic colleagues know and realize that. certainly secretary yellen has let us know that she realizes that and probably the president knows it, but instead of saying stop -- full stop, the democrats have chosen to double down. i yield the floor and i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. a senator: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. 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 477, alex wagner of the

district of columbia to be an assistant secretary of the air force 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 alex wagner of the district of columbia to be an assistant secretary of the air force 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: on this vote, the yeas are 69, the nays are 17, and the motion is agreed to.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i'm grateful to be recognized, especially with the presiding officer in the chair for the beginning of this talk, because i just wanted to come out here and mention that i, the last time i spoke on the floor, i spoke about the department of commerce's investigation on solar tariffs ands ways in which it was destroying colorado's solar industry. and i am very pleased to report, because of the efforts of the presiding officer and others, that president biden announced today that he's going to waive any solar tariffs from that investigation for two years. that is great news for colorado and new mexico. it will give colorado's solar companies the certainty they need to advance new projects, expand their businesses, and help us meet our climate goals.

i just want to say a word of gratitude to the biden administration for listening and for changing -- or making adjustments to what they were doing that i think are going to benefit american workers and american jobs. this evening, i'm actually coming to the floor to speak on a -- about a different subject. i saw a report over the weekend, mr. president, that president biden plans to cancel a significant amount of student -- of college debt, andpy think it's very important that before he does that he considers several factors. one is to consider how we got in this sorry state that we're in, how did we arrive in this sorry state. how do we put an end to the worst parts of our broken lending system? and really portsmouth, and i -- and really importantly, i think fundamentally, how do we create new pathways for a living wage for the 70% of americans who don't go to college?

the presiding officer: senators will take their conversations off the floor. mr. bennet: thank you to the presiding officer. i appreciate that very much. to my colleague from colorado, naturally. importantly, how to create new pathways to a living wage for 70% of the americans who don't go to college. and i think it's important for us, when we're thinking about things like this potential policy which -- by the biden administration, to understand the context in which this is happening. for 50 years we've had an economy in this country that's worked really well for the top 10% and poorly for everybody else. decades and decades when the economy grew, it grew for everybody. for the last 50 years, when the economy has grown, it has grown for the wealthiest people in our country, at the expense of

everybody else. that's been the effect of technology. it's been the effect of globalization. i think it's long past time for us to admit that a lot of the theories that we told ourselves about the importance of privileging people that wanted to make stuff as cheaply as possible in china, over cheating productive work here in the united states, like the solar jobs that you and i have been talking about, you know, it's time for us to think about that. and to, consider what it would like like to have a economy that grew for everybody, not just the people at the very top. i don't think there's any way that if we have another 50 years like the last 50 years that we're going to be able to sustain our democracy. that's how important this is. because when people lose a sense of opportunity, no matter how hard they work, that's when somebody shows up and says, i alone can fix it, you don't need a democracy, you don't need the

rule of law. that's what we're struggling with, economic mobility has vanished in the united states. as a former school superintendent of the denver public schools, i am deeply saddened to say on this floor that our education business, far from liberating people from their economic circumstances, is actually ratifying those economic circumstances. it's compounding the income inequality that we have, instead of liberating kids from their parents' incomes, because the best predictor of your quality of education is the income that your parents made, to the point of ruthlessness. as the wrongs of the -- as the rungs of the economic ladder have grown wider over time, americans have found it harder and harder and harder to earn a living wage with just a high school degree.

michael sin denver everyone ll, who has -- michael sindell who has written a book i recommend everybody read "the tyranny of merit" he argued that rather than fighting for an opportunity that works for everybody, more opportunity, less income inequality, american politicians have argued instead that the best hedge against economic catastrophe in a global economy is to get a college degree, and to be fair this sometimes works. the 30% of americans who graduate with a four-year degree go on to earn, on average, $ 1.2 million more, mr. president, over their life times than americans who only complete high school. the tragic exception to that, the tragic exception to that are black college graduates who, as a result of racism in this

country, earn on average less than white high school graduates. let me pause on that for a second. just pause on that for a second. on average, if you go to college in this country, you will earn $ 1.2 million more than your fellow citizens who just have a high school degree, unless you are a black american, in which case on average you will earn less than white high school students. i can't think of a more profound indictment of our society than that. and as more and more americans applied to college to get ahead in an economy where they couldn't find other ways of getting ahead, my generation of

taxpayers, my generation of citizens, unlike our parents, unlike our grandparents, refused to adequately fund our public colleges and universities. instead, we passed along tuition increases and tuition itself to students and their families. we said it's your responsibility, even though we grew up in a system where it was all of our responsibility to make sure that the public education was well-supported, public higher education was well-supported in this country. so we passed along these increases to students even though they saw no growth in their real income, and they had no choice but to finance their college years but the federal student loan program. that was the answer. that was the financing mechanism. and with no incentive to lower cost oz, colleges and universities just have jacked is up the rates. they've increased tuition.

and washington bankrolled these tuition hikes by financing loans to attend nearly any institution, regardless of cost, quality, or student outcomes. and as a result the cost of college, not surprisingly, has skyrocketed over the last 40 years. the fundamental problem we have here is that college costs too much. it's too expensive. in 1980 the price to attend a four-year college full-time was $10,000 a year. roughly. including tuition fees, room, and board. 40 years later the total price was $28,775. in real dollars. 180% increase over that time. todayer to 45 million americans as a result are saddled with student loan debt disproportionately students of

color. in my town halls, many coloradans tell me these loans have made their lives miserable. it's devastated their credit scores, made it harder to purchase homes, to start a business, or pay for child care, ever move out of their parents' basement. the same is true for people who never went to college and who struggled to afford housing and health care or child care. the building blocks of a middle-class life. i haven't seen any reports that president biden plans to excuse their debt. these people on average making $1.2 million less than people who got a college degree. their medical debt or the debt that they had to go into just to keep a roof over their head in this savage economy. but now president biden is

considering whether to forget $10,000 of student loan debt for americans who earn less than $150,000 last year, $300,000 for married families filing jointly. and according to the committee for responsible federal budget, this would cost $200 billion. there are all kinds of ways you could spend that. you could expand the -- extend the expanded child tax credit for two years, cut childhood poverty in half for two years, reduce childhood hunger by a quarter. we did that the last six months of the year last year. you could give every teacher in america $6,000 raise for a decade for $200 billion. you could begin to tackle the climate crisis, which is devastating my state and your state, mr. president. but if you're going to spend $200 billion or $2030 billion to

cancel student loan detect, we need to do it in a way that reaches those that need it most and reforms the underlying system that got us here in the first place. otherwise there is no reason to do it. because there are kids that have -- that are going to start school next year. otherwise we're simply passing along this injustice to another generation of college students. there is no shortage of ideas where we could start, mr. president. we should target the $10,000 of debt relief to low- and middle-income borrowers. by that i mean households earning the state median income or less. we should consider additional debt relief for student borrowers who receive pell grants while they went to school. because that's a proxy for their income. we should reform the public service loan forgiveness program which forgives federal loans after working for 10 years as a

teacher, firefighter or servicemember. at a minimum, we should expand the system to more borrowers. and beyond that we should forgive their loans after five years instead of ten years. we're losing 50% of the teachers from the profession in the first five years in this country. we should strengthen the income-driven repayment program to help low- and middle-income borrowers and simplify the program so it is simpler to access, providing relief retroactively for low-income borrowers who qualify toker that program but never enrolled. and finally we should increase the maximum pell grant so low- and middle-income borrowers don't need to take on so much debt in the first place to get an education. they're having to bear a burden that no other generation of americans have had to bear and

it's not their fault. americans deserve more than just student debt relief. and -- an across-the-board cut doing into to fix our broken student loan program. it offers nothing to americans who paid off their college debts or those who chose a lower-priced college to go to as a way of avoiding going into debt or taking on debt. it ignores really importantly -- it ignores the majority of americans who never went to college, some of whom have debts that are just as staggering and just as unfair, to say nothing of the 11 million poor children in this country who attend schools that are so terrible that they never had a chance at a college degree, much less a living wage.

as a former urban school superintendent, i tell you i've worked on these challenges for years. we have to revolutionize our public education. to prepare our children for the 21st century. and that is a lot easier said than done. and in too many parts of the country, we're actually headed in the wrong direction. our k-12 schools, as designed, will do little to make up for our failed economic policies, especially for kids living in poverty. and in the meantime, we need an economic vision for this country, for our country that is most rebust than making stuff, as i said, as cheaply as possible in china. we need to make things again in this country. so we can pay americans a living wage. we need to fight for higher wages for people who do things like taking care of our kids or our parents, service jobs that can't be shipped overseas but

deserve to be compensated fairly in this country. all of this is is going to take time, but we can start now by strengthening workforce training programs so high school graduates, so high school grads have a better chance to earn a living wage in today's economy. i don't think you should graduate from high school. that's what a high school diploma should mean is you're able to earn a living wage, not just the minimum wage in your community. and we have asians of that in colorado where -- and we have agencies of that in colorado where kids that are doing internships two days a week. they're being paid to do those apprenticeships three days a week and when they graduate there is a job with a living wage waiting for them. a system like that would transform the lives of millions of americans. it would transform the american economy. and we should support partnerships like that, you

know,between the private sector and labor that provide students high-quality, paying apprenticeships while they're in high school. senator rubio and i have suggested we should allow high school students to use pell grants not only to pursue college but to pursue shorter-term high-quality yes earnings dids that could boost their wages in the near term. i just met with a collection of people in denver. one of the most inspiring things i've seen in at that long time. these are people who had minimum-wage jobs, never lived independently or had roommates and now because they've gotten just a little bit of credentialing over three or four months of training, they're living independent lives. and they can see a future beyond just paying yesterday's bills. the bigger question that should animate us on the floor isn't how much student debt to cancel but how to create a pathway to

economic security for every american who graduates from high school, including those who don't go get a four-year degree. it should be how to build an economy that when it grows, it grows for everybody. not just the top 10%. it should be how to give every american child real opportunities to contribute to this democracy and to our society. that should be the level of our ambition on this floor, and i'm prepared to work with any of my colleagues to achieve that. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and is in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak herein for up to 10 minutes about each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, june 7, that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and

morning business be closed. that upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the wagner nomination postcloture. further, that all postcloture time on the wagner nomination be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and the senate recess following the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to h.r. 3967 until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly kay l. caucus meetings. further, notwithstanding rule 22, at 4:00, p.m., the senate vote son confirmation of the jacob, young, weinstein and bakerrer knocks. if any nominations are confirmed during tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table the and the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. officer without objection. -- the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: if there is to further business to come before the senate, i ask it stand adjourned under the previous

order following the remarks of senator portman. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. bennet: thank you. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. portman: mr. president, today is a very important day in american history, june 6, the anniversary of d-day. one of the most important and consequential battles of world war ii occurred on that day. every year i have served in this body i made it a practice of coming to the floor and reciting the famous d-day prayer that franklin d. roosevelt delivered on the morning of june 6, 1944. it was a consequential battle in the sense that it really marked the beginning of the end of world war ii, the beginning of the end of hitler. it is my favorite presidential statement. 78 years ago as the american people slept in their beds, the greatest naval invasion in history began and the greatest generation was born. on that fateful day, tensions

$tens of thousands of american soldiers and airplane joined allies from around the world to begin with general eisenhower called the great crusade, one that sought to free a continent and liberate millions from the grip of turney that came by amphib bus landing craft, by colliders, by parachutes deployed deep behind enemy lines and on the beaches called places like omaha and utah. they struck a mortal blow to the nazi regime. thousands would give they are lives. over 2,500 americans alone. like many in this chamber, i have a he seen the --ive seen the american cemeteries, it the stars of david that go on and on, a stark reminder of the price those brave heroes paid for all of us. these men did not go into battle alone as general eisenhower said on the eve of this risky battle, the hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.

as the battle was engaged, president franklin roosevelt spoke to the nation. he did not choose to address the american people with one of his trademark fireside chats nor did he choose to use a speech. instead he delivered words with of prayer by radio address as the fate of europe and the free world hung in l about a. -- hung in the balance. it's a powerful prayer. i think it captures best anything else i've ever seen what we as americans should be most proud of. we are liberators, not conquerors. and it also talks about the righteousness of that cause. this prayer must never be forgotten, and that's why i come to the floor and that's why i'd like to recite it now. this is what he said. my fellow americans, last night when i spoke to you about the fall of rome, i knew at that moment that troops of the united states and our allies were crossing the channel in another

and yet greater operation. it hasdom pass with success thus far and so in this poignant hour, i ask you to join with me in prayer. almighty god, our sons, pride of our nation, this day has set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion, and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity. lead them straight and true. give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. they will need thy blessings. their road will be long and hard for the enemy is strong. he may hurl back our forces. success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again, and we know that by thy grace and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. they will be sore tried by night and by day without rest until victory is won, the darkness will be rent by noise and flame and souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

for these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. they fight not for the lust of conquest. they fight to end conquest. they fight to liberate. they fight to let justice rise and tolerance and goodwill among all thy people. they yearn but for the end of battle for their return to the haven of home. some will never return. embrace these, father, and receive them, thy heroic servants into their kingdom. for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters and mothers of brave men overseas whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them, help us almighty god to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in thee in this hour of great sacrifice. many people have urged that i call the nation to a single day of prayer. but because the road is long and the desire is great, i ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer as we rise each new day and again when

each day is spent, let the words of prayer be on our lips invoking thy help to our efforts. give us strength too, strength in our daily tasks to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and material support of our armed forces and let our hearts be stout to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons where so ever they may be. and o lord, give us faith, give us faith in thee, faith in our sons, faith in each other, faith in our united crusade. let not the keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters, of but fleeting moment, let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose. with thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. lead us to the saving of our country and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace, a

peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men and a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. thy will be done, almighty god. amen. yes, amen. what a powerful statement, one that deserves to be remembered for generations to come. by the way, to ensure its place in history, back in 2013, shortly after i was elected to this body, i introduced legislation called the world war ii memorial prayer act with former senator mary landrieu and after her senator joe lieberman. representative bill johnson took the lead in the house of representatives. this was legislation that directed the secretary of the interior to install a plaque at or near the world war ii memorial on the national mall here in washington with these words, the words of f.d.r.'s

d-day prayer. and we said no federal funding would be used for this. we would raise the money privately. it was the ohio christian alliance president, chris long, who first came to me with the idea of a plaque displaying this historic prayer. since that legislation was signed into law in 2014, which kicked off the lengthy commemorative work process for siting and installing a plaque at the memorial, the friends of the national world war ii memorial and national park service worked to develop and refine the final plaque design and receive a variety of approvals from the national park service, the national capital planning commission and others. in the meantime, we have gone ahead with a beautiful temporary plaque that has been in place since 2019 in what's called the circle of remembrance which is north of the world war ii memorial. so if you're here in washington, go to the mall, see the world war ii memorial which is spectacular, then look to the north and go to the circle of remembrance and you'll see the prayer on display there. by the way, it's the only

prayer on display on the national mall. we hope that the final version of this plaque and the circle of remembrance being remodeled will be done by the end of this year. the process has been going on for eight years, longer than world war ii itself actually, so we're eager to see that final plaque installed, and i know it will be. the temporary plaque, by the way, was generously donated to the friends of the national world war ii memorial with the help of john now from texas, houston, texas, a great patriot. and also the ohio christian alliance and other who provided funding for this. in october 2020, the lily foundation, the lily endowment provided a $2 million grant for the construction and installation of the final plaque. and it's this committed financial support that will allow the project to get across the finish line even with hurdles. i thank the lily endowment for support. i want to recognize the tireless efforts of the friends r group especially holly rotundi who led the effort in fund-raising and

coordinating the project over the past several years. thank you, holly. d-day was a day of tremendous loss and also monumental triumph. those who lost their lives that day did not die in vain. the fate of the free world rested on their shoulders, those brave young member, many americans charging the beaches of normandy. and president roosevelt's prayer that day helped to comfort a nation in a time of great uncertainty. i'm glad that his words will soon take their proper place in our memorial to the war that changed the course of history. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until stands adjourned until lawmakers today considering whether alex wagner's should be an air force assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs. later this week were expecting

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