green bay, wisconsin, because we have no refineries in the upper peninsula right now. and i am up on the politics. if the republicans would sign the price gouging bill that is in the works right now, it would down another at least $.50 a gallon right now. that is my comment. i'm a math person. i remember -- at $98 a barrel back -- it was at $3.75 back a couple years ago. at $98, it should be $3.75. host: is that true? we believe this year to keep our commitment to coverage of congress. go to our website c-span.work. the u.s. senate now gatling and for the nomination of elizabeth

williams haynes to be judge for eastern district of virginia, confirmation vote on her -- the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal god, our hearts are steadfast for you. though evil sometime seems to prosper, we trust you to cause justice to prevail.

in these turbulent times, our hope is in your goodness that continues to sustain us. today, give our senators the ability to realize more fully that they are servants of heaven as good stewards, give them your perspective on their daily tasks and decisions. may faithfulness to you provide the litmus test by which they evaluate each decision. lord, give our lawmakers such integrity that they will refuse to be careless about their spiritual and moral fitness. we pray in your strong name.

amen. the presiding officer: please join me in saluting our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., august 2, 2022. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable john w. hickenlooper, a senator from the state of colorado, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is 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, the judiciary. elizabeth wilson hanes of virginia to be united states district judge for the eastern district of virginia.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president? the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: we learn more each day about the devastating toll that ongoing flooding has inflicted on eastern kentucky.

as rescue and recovery efforts continue, kentuckians are grieving lost family members and friends and neighbors. one of the victims of last weekend's flash floods was gabe hensly, a 30-year-old coal miner and father. he was working a shift when the floods hit. on his way home to rescue his wife and son, he stopped to help a man who had wrecked a four-wheeler. he cleared trees and turned people away from danger. then, tragically, the flood waters gave away. eastern kentucky lost a hero. we're all grieving for the men, women, and children this flood has taken from us. the hensly family has asked that

people honor gabe by helping other flood victims. flooding, high winds, and power outages are still ongoing, and forecasters predict more heavy hanefall in the region throughout next week. the threat of even more disaster in even -- in eastern kentucky is acute. i spoke with the governor, legislative leaders and those on the ground in eastern kentucky yesterday, they echoed the need for food, cleaning supplies, and water. in such dire times, the rate of hope is the -- the ray of hope is the fact that generous kentuckians from across the commonwealth are hearing these pleas for help and answering loud and clear. already the relief fund has received $2.3 million in charitable donations. amy state from the vfw to neighborhood restaurants,

organizers are organizing neighborhood drives. they're fund-raising for flood relief and police departments from around the region donated cruisers to help with search and rescue. all this generosity will play a crucial role as we begin to rebuild. as the officials i spoke to emphasized, it will be a long road ahead for the families affected by these awful floods. but i know i speak for every kentuckian when i say we will be with them every single step of the way. now on a dinner subject, democrats have -- on a different subject, democrats have rolled out their latest taxing and spending spree. proposing huge tax hikes and runaway spending doesn't go over

very well. here are a few things, nonpartisan experts have already proven about the democrats' proposal. number one, the so-called inflation reduction act would actually increase inflation in the short term and do nothing to tackle the problem in the long term. that's from the university of pennsylvania. number two, their tax hikes would shatter president biden's promise not to impact households earning below $400,000. many billions of dollars of the new tax hikes would fall -- listen to this -- directly on the working class and the middle class. ment, of course, is not from republicans but from the joint committee on taxation. number three, also from the joint committee on taxation, fully half of the democrats'

$300-plus billion -- billion -- new tax on american jobs would come crashing down on american manufacturers in particular, manufacturers in particular. now, those groups that i cited are neutral and nonpartisan. but just for fun, let's take a look at the most favorable numbers, the most favorable numbers for democrats. let's look at their own spin. one of the biden administration's favorite outside economists, somebody who has consist tently been overoptimistic about inflation and democrats' policiespolicis their bill will reduce the consumer price index by a grand total -- listen to this -- a grand total of one-third, one third of one percent. one third of one percent between now and the end of 2031.

0.9%. that's 1/28th of the inflation the democrats have caused in the last 12 months. for goodness sake, democrats added four times that much inflation just in the month of june alone. so listen, the friendliest estimate for democrats says their taxing and spending spree would take nine years, nine years to unwind literally one week's' worth of recent inflation. hundreds of billions of dollars in tax hikes, hundreds of billions of dollars in new spending, and it would take nine years to remove one week's worth

of democrats' inflation. goodness. so let me repeat it one more time. this is the most generous estimate for democrats. the neutral experts like the university of pennsylvania, say even this is too optimistic and their bill would actually make inflation worse in the coming months. so, look ... this isn't an inflation-reduction act. not even close. it's just a catalog of tax hiation and green boondoggles that democrats have wanted for years with a false new label slapped on the front. the inflation reduction act

won't reduce inflation anymore than the american rescue plan actually rescued america. the inflation reduction act won't reduce inflation any more than the american rescue plan actually rescued america. the only thing the so-called rescue plan rescued the country from was stable prices and a functioning economy. and the only thing their inflation reduction plan will reduce is american jobs, wages, after-tax incomes, energy affordability, and new lifesaving medicines. wow, what an accomplishment. so the democrats say they need to pass another massive economic failure because their first huge economic failure has made it necessary. well, the american people see things quite differently.

now, on one final matter, public reports indicate the speaker of the house just landed in taiwan as she traveled through asia. i believe she has every right to go, and it's been unseemly and counterproductive for president biden and his aides to have publicly sought to deter her from doing so. there is significant precedent for high-ranking u.s. officials visiting taiwan, including a past speaker of the house. beijing claims such a visit is now unacceptable. they claim that things have changed. well, it's certainly true. china has stepped up its aggressive actions. they're trying to change the status quo through force. they've expanded militarily in the south china sea. they've invested in antiship and antiaircraft capabilities to threaten u.s. vessels.

they've manipulated and threatened neighbors and matted an all-out assault on democracy and autonomy in hong kong. now beijing wants to dictate taiwan's future to its people and snuff out the island's democracy. and they're building the military capacity to actually bring that about. that, mr. president, that is what's provocative. and to hear these responsible for this aggression complain, complain that speaker pelosi's travel itinerary is provocative provocative -- is utterly be a sush. i -- absurd. i welcome the speaker's display for democracy, but i hope she returns from asia more mindful of the military dimensions of the chinese threat and more committed to working with republicans to address the

changing balance of military power out in the region. what that requires is selling the right mix of weapons to taiwan on a prompt timeline while helping taiwan's military prepare for likely threats. the biden administration has had two years to build on its robust investments their immediate predecessors made in military modernization. instead, they submitted defense budget requests that pointed in the completely wrong direction. while china keeps ramping up the biden administration proposed to actually cut, cut our defense spending after inflation. so, when congress debates the defense authorization and appropriations bills, we must address national security challenges in the indo-pacific head on, and i hope the speaker's travels will mean that we do so with more of a

bipartisan consensus on american might that we have seen in the recent past. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum call be dispensed. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, over the last five days we've seen what president biden and a democrat led congress are focused on getting done. bringing terrorists to justice, lowering costs, reducing inflation and the deficit, helping out our veterans, and better competing with countries like china. i want to begin with a word on last night's strike. last night, president biden reported that the united states conducted a strike that targeted and killed ayman al-zawahri, the notorious mass murderer, the leader of al qaeda and one of the sick planners of the september 11 attacks, which in new york and around the country and world we are still mourning. the strike against alza was

harry is a -- al-zawahri is a major victory for the united states and will make our country and world a safer place. it also helps bring an element of justice for the 9/11 families as well as the many americans who still carry the scars deep within. i applaud president biden for bringing final justice to this loathsome murderer who orchestrated the killing of thousands of my fellow new yorkers, including some people i knew quite well. i also want to thank the president's national security team for keeping congress fully and currently informed throughout the process. and finally, i want to applaud the skill and bravery of our dedicated intelligence community, servicemembers and diplomats who worked day and night, day and night, to keep america safe. this successful mission will send a chill down the spine of trysts all over the -- tereses all over the world and --

terrorists all over the world and likewise those who want to harm our citizens. you will find no comfort, you will find no quarter, you can run, but you can't hide. we will hunt you down to the ends of the earth, until justice is carried out. now, on the pact act. every day that passes without action on the pact act is another day that our nation's veterans have to do the unthinkable, fight for basic health care benefits they rightfully deserve. two months ago, the senate overwhelmingly passed this bill that secured the largest health care benefit expansion for our veterans in decades. we are dealing, by and large, with that exact bill again. so there's no justification to delay swift passage of the pact act any longer. i'm very hopefully that republicans can work with democrats to break through the impasse on the pact act immediately. we have offered senators paul and senator toomey votes on amendments they've been calling for, set at a 60-vote threshold,

just like the cloture vote has a 60-vote threshold. we hope to reach an agreement where we can act on this bill as soon as today. for that to happen, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle should work with us in good faith. there's no better message we can send to the vettance that have -- veterans that have camped out for nights in front of the capitol that their long wait and the wait of veterans everywhere is finally over. these brave americans risked life and limb to keep our country safe, and the very least we can do is ensure they receive top care. i urge my colleagues to come together so we can get the pact act done asap, as soon as today. now, on the inflation reduction act of 2022. the senate is on track to consider and pass the groundbreaking and truly historic inflation reduction act later this week. i want to thank the office of the senate parliamentarian and all of the committee staff on both sides of the aisle for their tireless work on the byrd

bath process currently under way. all texts and cbo and jcb scores have been submitted for review. the parliamentarian and her team have dedicated long hours on our legislation. and i think i can speak for all senators in thanking them for their work. we're on schedule to consider this bill later this week. the more that people learn about what's in the inflation reduction act, the more they find reasons to praise the bill, and the more absurd the republican attacks sound. this morning, a group of 126 leading economists, including seven nobel prize winners, three former chairs of the council of economic advisers, two former treasury secretaries, wrote a letter to congressional leaders call for swift passage of our bill. they found that our bill, quote, will fight inflation and lower costs for american families while setting the stage for strong, stable, and broadly shared long-term economic growth.

that's seven nobel laureates, three former chairs of the cea, two former treasury secretaries. let me read it again. this bill will, quote, fight inflation, and will lower costs for american families, while setting the stage for strong, stable, and broadly shared long-term economic growth. another annual from the committee for responsible federal budget began with the headline that, quote, the inflation reduction act will help fight inflation. they believe it's aptly named. it is. the headlines go on and on to speak for themselves. "the new york times", quote, -- this is a headline -- analysis deems biden's climate and tax bill fiscally responsible. cnn top economists say democrats' health care and climate package will put downward pressure on inflation. the hill says ribltion -- reconciliation bill will lower prices for all americans.

these are a few voices out of many. they join former secretary larry summers' the republican leader's favorite inflation expert. and they join voices like that of mark zandi, moody's top economist and former advisor to senator john mccain who said our bill will have a material beneficial economic impact and will push inflation lower. taken together, these voices say the same thing. they inflation reduction act will lower costs, fight inflation and secure historic wins in the fight against climate change. now republicans have spent the last few days launching the same stale predictable and alarmist attacks they use against virtually any democratic proposal regardless of the facts. they claim our bill is some crazy tax hike for the vast majority of americans. balderdash.

they want to only help the rich when it comes to taxes and when we do something against the rich, they howl. our bill does not increase any taxes for small businesses and families making under $400,000 a year. let me say that again. our bill does not increase any taxes for small businesses and families making under $400,000 a year. what we will do is close loopholes that the largest businesses in this country have long abused to bring their tax rate down, sometimes to nothing. if nurses, if firefighters, if teachers pay their fair share of taxes, so too should megacorporations. americans don't think that's crazy. it's just common sense. here's the truth. republicans will say anything to smear our proposal because they know they're on the wrong side of many of the issues or bill would solve. republicans know they're on the wrong side of taxes after the american people rejected their sweeping boondoggle of a tax bill that overwhelmingly went to

the wealthy and the largest corporations. republicans know they're on the wrong side of health care and prescription drug reform after spending years trying to repeal health care while cozying up to big pharma, republicans don't have a good answers for a bill that will bring drug costs down. republicans know they're on the wrong side of the climate debate. this bill is going to make the biggest investments in clean energy ever, which will not only reduce emissions by roughly 40% but will also help prevent nearly 4,000 needless deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks each year. republicans will bow down for years to our nation's biggest polluters, know they have little credibility with the american people when it comes to climate. the american people do not want to hear the same fearmongering over and over again from republicans. they actually want us to take steps to bring costs down. they want us to preserve our planet for future generations, and they want to make sure everyone plays by the same rules

on taxes and everything else. and they want to have high-quality health care without worrying about the bankrupt. the inflation reduction act is going to take meaningful steps on all these issues and democrats will pass the bill in the coming days. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate previous order, the senate

honors america's unwavering commitment to supporting taiwan's vibrant democracy. our visit is part of our broader trip to the indo-pacific focus on mutual security, economic partnership and democratic governance. this statement goes on to read our discussions with taiwan's leadership will focus on reaffirming our support for our partner and on promoting our shared interests including advancing a free and open indo-pacific region. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government. we are funded by these television companies and more including media,. >> the world of change in an

instant but mediacom was ready. internet traffic soared and we never slow down. schools and businesses when virtual and with howard a new reality because at mediacom we are built to keep you ahead. >> mediacom support c-span as a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front-row seat to democracy. >> advocates for the homeless testified about the need for more affordable housing and federal support to address homelessness around the country. they say the pandemic is made the issue worse. this hearing held before a senate subcommittee runs an hour and a half. [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] >> the subcommittee on