world,s we have some chance of humanity tackling this massive problem of climate chaos that is causing so much trouble across our land, from the massive floods in kentucky to the forest fires of the pacific northwest, town after town being burned down, it is really america that has to lead the way. there is a- there is a lot more i would like to see in this bill. i filed a lot of amendments, but i can't pull them up tonight. -- i can't ask for a vote on them. anything that changes may result in this bill never passing. and so this is why when we come back in the next session of congress, we have to reform this senate so we can do legitimate amendments like my colleague from ohio suggested in a process where they get consideration and

don't tornado the bill under which we're discussing them. those reforms are so essential because the arc of this chamber has been one in which individual amendments have been suppressed. it's unacceptable. we're all so frustrated with the fact that deals are made by basically four individuals leading the two chambers off this floor rather than determined and responsible debate, public, transparent debate on the floor of this chamber. so the right answer is to come back and make this place work so that all ideas, as my colleague from ohio listed his, i have my list. i want to add in back affordable housing, i want to stop the drilling, i want to fund the community colleges, i want preschool to be counted. i want to fix so that we can take the electric vehicle tax credits and do better with them. i want to include the two-wheel and three-wheel vehicles, i want

to put in the summer benefit for school that has been so effective in helping so many children through the summer. but i can't do these things, let's fix this senate. let's have the type of debates that we have. and tonight let's pass this bill for the right steps in the right direction on tax reform on health care and on climate. thank you, madam president..

mr. durbin: madam president. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent that all remaining time on the bill be yielded back, that there be two minutes for debate equally divided prior to each vote with respect to the reconciliation bill and following disposition of sanders amendment number 5210, the following amendments be the first republican amendments in order. number 1, amendment 5301, senator graham. number two, amendment number 5409, senator barrasso.

number three, amendment number 5382, senator capito. amendment number four, amendment number 5384, lankford. amendment number 5404, crapo. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. there's two minutes of debate equally divided. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from vermont. mr. sanders: the american people are sick and tired of being ripped off by the greed of the pharmaceutical industry which makes tens of billions of dollars a year in profit charging us by far the highest prices in the world for our

medicines. this bill as currently written allows medicare to negotiate prices with the drug companies but not until four years from now and then for only ten drugs a tiny fraction of the toll. that is a very weak proposal and not what the american people want. they want us to lower prescription drug costs now, not in four years, and they want all drugs covered. the v.a. has been negotiating drug prices for 30 years and pays half, half as much as medicare pays. my amendment is simple. it says that medicare should not pay any more than the v.a. for prescription drugs. if we do that, we will cut the cost of medicare prescription drugs in half and save $900 billion. please support this amendment. mr. graham: madam president. the presiding officer: the

senior senator from south carolina. mr. graham: we're off to the races, so i'm going to make this easy. i raise a point of order that the pending amendment viements section 313-b-1-c of the congressional budget act of 1974. mr. sanders: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from vermont. mr. sanders: pursuant to the act, i move to waive section 13 of that -- section 313 for purposes of this amendment and ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote: