the presiding officer: pursuant to rule 4, paragraph 2, the hour of 12 noon having joy ousley arrived, and the senate having been in continuous session since yesterday, the senate will sus pebdz for a prayer from the senate chaplain. chaplain black. the chaplain: let us pray. o lord, our god, who rules the raging of the sea, our weekend work gently reminds us that freedom's price must be paid.

as our senators provide the currency of perseverance to protect and defend this land we love, strengthen them for the challenges and empower them for the vicissitudes. remind them, as they strive to pay liberty's recurring bill, that you will never leave or forsake them. rouse yourself, o lord, and help them. we pray in your merciful name. amen.

mrs. blackburn: mrs. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. i have a motion at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from tennessee, mrs. blackburn -- mrs. blackburn: mr. president. , i ask that we waive the

reading. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. blackburn: thank you, mr. president. right now, chinese owners control more than 194,000 acres of farm and forestry land valued at $1.9 billion as of the last accounting, right here in the united states. now, much of this farmland is located in close proximity to our military institutions, and a lot of this farmland is being used so that chinese-owned farm operations can compete with u.s. farmers. my amendment would stop funds from this bill from ending up in the hands of agents of the chinese government and their businesses. this is a commonsense motion to commit. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: mr. president, this motion to commit is a red

haring and complete distraction. the department of agriculture already has strict rules that all producers must meet before they can participate in usda conservation programs. these dollars go to farmers who are american citizens or legal permanent residents for conservation practices that help protect and improve american soil and water. farmers are only reimbursed after the practices are in place. this would add burdensome paperwork, unnecessary bureaucracy that would really bond our farmers down. this is different than circumstances just talked about with state-owned chinese companies. this is not the same thing. this amendment goes right at our farmers, and the conservation practices they are asking us to support for them. again, the only reason for this amendment is to stop us from passing this bill, which among

other things will cut prescription drug costs, create jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. i urge a no vote. the presiding officer: the time has expired. the question is on the motion. mrs. blackburn: mr. president, i ask for the yeas and nays and urge a yes vote. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the nays are 50. the motion is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from florida is recognized. mr. rubio: i have a motion at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from florida, mr. rubio, moves to commit the bill h.r. 5376 to the committee on health, education, labor, and pensions of the senate with instructions to report the same back to the senate in three days, not counting any day in which the senate is not in session with changes that, one, are within the jurisdiction of such committee. and, two, would contain a definition for the term pregnancy that limits maternal and infant-related program

resources to biological females. the presiding officer: the senator from florida is recognized. mr. rubio: mr. president, the only people who are capable of being pregnant are biological females, and, therefore, i think federal pregnancy programs should be limited to biological females, and that's what this would do. mrs. murray: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from washington state is recognized. mrs. murray: mr. president, let's be clear about what's going on here. this is a procedural attempt by republicans to derail our ability to get this bill across the finish line and deliver for families in our country. it's actually outrageous that republicans are trying to talk about pregnancy when in this country right now they are forcing women to stay pregnant no matter their circumstances, pushing cruel and extreme abortion bans. republicans are now resorting to tactics like this to distract from the fact that they don't have any serious concerns for

working so hard to oppose this bill that lowers costs, lowers emissions, and lowers the deficit. i urge my colleagues to vote no. the presiding officer: the senator from florida has 40 seconds. mr. rubio: thank you, mr. president. a fiewnts -- few minutes i looked back. across 55 years of human history so far every pregnancy has been a biological cal female. the only thing i'm trying to do is make sure federal law is clear since yeferl -- every pregnancy that has existed has been to biological females. very simple. i would accept unanimous consent if they want to offer it and we can move on and not waste any time. the presiding officer: senator murray has ten seconds left. mrs. murray: when we are facing the challenges -- when we're facing the challenges in this country in helping our constituents to lower costs, it is outrageous that republicans

are trying to define pregnancy of all things on this floor, on this day after hours of voting on amendments. i urge a no vote. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be a is there a sufficient second. the clerk will call the roll. vote: .

the presiding officer: the yeas are 50. the nais are 50.

the motion -- the nays are 50. the motion is not agreed to. the senior senator -- the senior senator from south carolina is recognized. mr. graham: i ask consent to make the following four points of order en bloc. the first point of order concerns 43 lines three through eight. this language violates section 1313b1a, the second is lines to three through five, this violates 313b1a, the third is 537 line 18. this violates sections 313b1a, the fourth concerns 639, violates section 313b1d.

the presiding officer: the points of order are sustained. the provisions are stricken under 313e. mr. sullivan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska is recognized. mr. sullivan: mr. president, i call up my amendment 5435, and i ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from

alaska, mr. mr. sullivan, proposes amendment 5 5435 -- mr. sullivan: mr. president, we have a true crisis, a humanitarian crisis, a national security crisis right now on our southern border. it is a huge tragedy that my democratic colleagues want to ignore, and that tragedy has spread across our nation, crime, victims of human trafficking, many of them children, a fentanyl epidemic killing our young people, chaos all fueled by a lawless border. secure borders work. the presiding officer: take conversations off the floor to the senator from alaska can be heard. mr. sullivan: secure borders work, walls work. just ask the biden administration as they quietly build sections of the wall in arizona right now. the democrats' reconciliation

bill does nothing to address this crisis. instead it gives d.h.s. $500 million for sustainability and environmental programs when our kids are dying from drugs streaming in from the border, when our communities are under siege, this should not be the priority for d.h.s. my amendment would take this half a billion dollars and recommit it, this dhs money to building the wall and securing our border, which is dhs's primary mission, not environmental programs. i ask that all-my colleagues -- all of my colleagues vote yes on this commonsense amendment. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan is recognized. petmr. peters: people are dying from a chemical that has serious

health problems. this bill would help to protect surrounding communities and front line dhs personnel. this amendment seeks to continue the past administration's efforts to fund and construct an ill-conceived border wall on the southern border. i agree we need secure borders, but we need smart and cost-effective security measures, including technology and adequate personnel levels to meet our border security needs. we should be working together in a bipartisan manner to develop smart investments in border security. that secure our southern and northern borders instead of throwing taxpayer dollars to build a costly and ineffective wall. mr. sullivan: how much time do i have? the presiding officer: time is expired on both sides.

mr. sullivan: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote: vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 50. the nays are 50. and the amendment is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. daines: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the following amendments be considered as one amendment. number 5487. that's 5425 daines, 5361 ernst, 5360 fisher, 5224 portman, 5411 lankford. 5454 murkowski. i further ask that there be two minutes of debate equally divided on each division prior to the vote. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. mr. daines: mr. president, my

amendment -- the presiding officer: the senator from montana is recognized. mr. daines: mr. president, my amendment would -- the presiding officer: suspend for one second. the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from montana, mr. daines, for mr. graham, for himself and others proposes an amendment numbered 5487. the presiding officer: the senator from montana is recognized. mr. daines: mr. president, my amendment would strike the antienergy provisions that snuck into this bill behind closed doors. this partisan bill before us has a slew of provisions that raise royalty rates, fees, taxes that hurt our small oil and gas producers in america the most. and by the way, those smaller oil and gas producers that produce over 80% of our supply, i guarantee you if there's a rebuttal, talk about big oil, this is not big oil. 80% is from the small guys. these small producers don't have the ability to absorb the large

increases from the government. and if you raise prices for energy producers, you raise energy prices for americans. it's not that complicated. if you want lower gas prices, vote yes. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator for iowa is recognized. ms. ernst: thank you, mr. president. this one should be simple. my amendment eliminates subsidies for slave and child labor. the price of buying a car has reached a record high and what is the democrats' answer? a tax break for wealthy coastal elites to buy electric vehicles produced with slave and child labor. currently this bill already prevents vehicles containing any part sourced or assembled in foreign entities of concern, like china or russia, from being

eligible for the tax credit. and my amendment doesn't change that. my amendment simply ensures that our tax dollars don't subsidize e.v.'s from any countries using child or slave labor. we all know that critical minerals that comprise e.v. batteries are largely mined in subsaharan africa by companies abusing children which are then assembled in chinese-owned factories, many of which use slave labor. subsidizing to the tune of $7500 per person the purchase of a luxury vehicle for wealthy coastal elites that utilizes slave or child labor is a direct contradiction of our american values. we shouldn't be sacrificing on a clean conscience in exchange for a so-called cleaner car. i urge the adoption of the amendment. mrs. fischer: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska is recognized. mrs. fischer: mr. president, my democratic colleagues say wealthy americans should pay their fair share. yet they want to expand the electric vehicle tax credit for the rich once again. in this bill there are two separate e.v. tax credits. one for people who want to buy new $80,000 vehicles and one for those who want to buy used e.v.'s. why two separate credits? the tax credit for new e.v.'s is available to the wealthy while the credit for used e.v.'s is limited to folks with lower incomes. why do my colleagues on the other side keep giving bigger tax breaks to the rich donors? my change would at least prevent taxpayer dollars from subsidizing the wealthy. i yield. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio is recognized. mr. portman: mr. president, this is an easy one. let's trade bureaucracy and more

funding in this bill for the department of homeland security for desperately needed technology along the southern border to stop deadly fentanyl from coming in to our communities. tragically over a hundred thousand americans were killed last year which is a record from drug overdoses. two-thirds of those overdoses were from these synthetic opioids like fentanyl. we know that the vast majority of that fentanyl originates with drug cartels in mexico now, and there's a surge of these deadly drugs coming across our southern border. this amendment increases funding focus toms and border protection by $500 million for badly needed technology to detect fentanyl and other drugs. if you can believe it, right now only 2% of cars, 2% and 14, 15, 16% maybe of commercial vehicles are being screened. both g.a.o. and the department of homeland security i.g. have done reports saying we badly need this technology and it's available. we need the funding. the funding is more offset by

reducing huge increases in this bill for the office of chief readiness at the department of homeland security. so this money stays at d.h.s. let's make it a higher pryorty to stop -- priority to stop and detect these deadly poisons coming into our communities. the presiding officer: the senator from oklahoma is recognized. mr. lankford: mr. president, this is an amendment from senator barrasso and i. it's very straightforward. if you're a restaurant, you can deticket your business expenses. that's normal tax code. if you're a hardware store, you can deduct your business expenses. that's normal operation. since 1913 inning tangible drilling costs have been tax deductions for oil and gas. idc's, incontinuingible drilling costs since 1913 have been set aside for preparing the space, doing all the labor costs, the services, the normal business operations. for a hundred years until now. slipped into this bill yesterday

into the base tax. strips away the tax deductions for oil and gas companies, what has been in place for over a hundred years. if you're a wind farm, you can use renewable energy credits to take your tax rate down to zero because you can deduct your normal business expenses as well. if you're a coal company, you could use 45 queue but if you're oil and gas, prices are going up. americans should remember this bill when they fill up in the days ahead and when the people in their communities are trying to get a job with oil and gas. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska is recognized. ms. murkowski: mr. president, the united states mineral security has really become our achilles heal. it's a significant threat to our economy, our competitiveness and our geo political leverage all at the same time. we know mineral demand is skyrocketing yet it's harder than ever to produce minerals here in this country. what we've done, we turned to imports to fill the gaps in our

supply. so we are seeking through this amendment to put some limited assistance on the table to make sure projects for the most critical minerals can move forward in a timely manner. and that's what my amendment does for cobalt and for nickel. right now, right now we import 76% of our cobalt, 48% of our nickel but demand is growing so dramatically for both as a result of e.v.'s, of energy storage systems, other clean technologies. so what we're seeking to do with this is repurpose $400 million for states to implement energy efficiency codes to instead ensure that domestic nickel and cobalt projects can advance. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: who yields time in opposition? the senator from new mexico. mr. heinrich: these are all problematic amendments that will jeopardize the underlying legislation and the progress on

climate, on prescription drugs, on a whole host of other things. so we should all vote no. we should pass this important bill, and we should be done with this. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendments. there's sufficient se second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. the motion is not agreed to. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee is recognized. the senate will be in order. the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from tennessee -- a senator: i ask to dispense with the read, mr. president. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hagerty: immigration and customs enforcement arrested more than 12,000 illegal aliens with aggravated felony

convictions, an all-time record entered our country last year. this is an unprecedented national security crisis. before we spend billions of dollars on green new deal programs, the department should first do its core job of securing the homeland. the presiding officer: the gentleman will suspend. the senate will be in order. the senator from tennessee is recognized. mr. hagerty: thank you. this same policy was adopted 53-46 during the budget resolution process last august with four of my democrat colleagues joining me. now, one year later, we have a worse crisis and an opportunity to provide real funding to protect our citizens from individuals who endanger our communities. i hope my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will maintain their previous support to fund law enforcement and put public safety and national security over partisan politics. we have a chance to address this in a real manner right now. solving a major crisis like this is worth taking a little more time. i urge my colleagues to support this motion.

the presiding officer: deputy majority leader. mr. durbin: mr. president, members, the senator from tennessee just provided with us this copy of his new amendment, and i hope you'll take a look at it because it is recommitting this measure for three days. end of conversation, end of debate, end of any possibility of passing what we consider to be a major piece of legislation for prescription drugs, for dealing with environmental issues, the list goes on. we've faced this so many times already in the last 12 or 14 hours. but the second thing i'd like to note is we understand the seriousness of this challenge, so much so that we've already decided it's a crime. it's a crime that can be prosecuted and it is a crime that is investigated and enforced by an agency of the federal government which we funded just four months ago. four months ago we gave $8 billion to ice for this purpose. $31 republicans voted against -- 31 republicans voted against

funding this purpose. one of them was the senator from tennessee. now we're told we need the money. four months ago he wouldn't vote for it. i think we know what we have here. we have a challenge that really is important to this nation that both parties share, but we have a political challenge with an effort to derail this measure today. stick together, vote against this amendment. mr. hagerty: do i have any more time left? the presiding officer:ness no additional time. mr. hagerty: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote: the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50, and the motion is not agreed to. mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: mr. president, i call up my amendment number 5472 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from south dakota, mr. thune, proposes amendment number 5472

to amendment number 5194. mr. thune: mr. president, democrats say that the book minimum tax will apply only to very large corporation was a three-year average financial statement income in excess of $1 billion. but as their bill is currently proposed, and this change occurred basically in the last 24 hours, the bill now requires unrelated companies of any size held by funds or partnership to combine their otherwise unrelated income to determine if they meet an aggregate $1 billion income threshold, subjecting each respective company to the book minimum tax, even if its own income is far too low. this significant expansion of the tax has the potential to subject thousands of american businesses to the book's minimum taxes, administrative and financial burdens. the nonpartisan joint committee on taxation said this change would raise $35 billion in taxes on potentially thousands of

small and medium-size businesses, not nearly a hundred or so large companies as our democrat friends would have you believe. my amendment is fully offset by extending for one year the cap on the state and local tax deduction nab enacted in the tax cuts and jobs act. i encourage my colleagues to support this amendment to ensure our nation's small and meads yum-size -- medium-size businesses aren't hit with a misguided and entirely inappropriate $35 billion tax hike. mr. wyden: there are no tax increases on small businesses under our bill. the only businesses paying under our bill are corporations with at least $1 billion in profit per year. republicans are calling private equity corporations small businesses because they want private equity and foreign corporations to get more favorable treatment.

rather than close loopholes for billion-dollar private equity firms, republicans would raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 per year. i urge a no vote. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the presiding officer: on this measure, the yeas are 57, the nays are 43 and the amendment is agreed to. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. warner: mr. president, i have an amendment at the desk, i ask for its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from virginia, mr. washer, prepares -- mr. warner prepares amendment -- mr. warner: i ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. warner: mr. president, the end is near. i hope. for those of us on this side of the aisle, who've worked long and hard, this is the last substantive action we have to take before final passage of a historic piece of legislation. recognizing, and i want to thank the senators on both sides of

the aisle for the productive discussions in the last vote, on a difficult issue that my amendment would address. my amendment would simply strike the offset in the previous amendment, known as the state and local tax deduction, and replace it with the two-year extensive a so-called loss limitation policy that has bipartisan support over many years. this was first employed under president trump, then employed by the democrats, everyone on this side of the aisle has voted for this pay-for, $52 billion, which more than offsets the $35 billion that were taken from the previous amendment. this amendment will allow us to move forward on this historic legislation, on drug prices, climate change, reform the tax code, and bringing down inflation and making sure we're goff a true comprehensive energy policy. i urge all my colleagues to

support the amendment. the presiding officer: the senator from south dakota. mr. thune: mr. president, i would urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. the amendment we just voted on and passed has an offset in there, and it's a prohe vision that works very, very well -- a pro provision that works very, very well and covers getting rid of this tax on private equity, small businesses and larger businesses in this country. what the senator from virginia is proposing is an offset loss limitation, and he's right, we have voted for it we voted for it because we put it in the tax bill in 2017 as an offset. what it offset and paid for was the 199-a deduction that benefits all pass-through businesses, small businesses across this country, which expires in 2026. that very offset is how we're going to pay for extending the 199-a deduction for pass-through businesses in this countries. if you want to rob it and use it

here, it's not going to be available when it comes time to help out those small businesses, all of whom you represent, pass-through businesses across this countries. the offset, the pay-for in my amendment is the right way to do this. i urge you to oppose the amendment. mr. warner: mr. president, do i have any time remaining? the presiding officer: all time has expired. mr. warner: i urge adoption of the amendment. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. is there a sufficient second? there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

the vice president: on this vote the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. the senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative, and the amendment is agreed to. mr. schumer: madam president. madam vice president-president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i know of no further amendments to the substitute. the vice president: if there are

no further amendments the question is on the substitute as amended. all those in favor say aye. all those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendment -- the substitute as amended is agreed to. the clerk will read the title of the bill for the third time. the clerk: c calendar number 464, an act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title 2 of s. con res. 14. mr. schumer: madam president. the vice president: mr. majority leader. mr. schumer: madam president, it's been a long, tough, and winding road, but at last, at last we have arrived. i know it's been a long day and a long night, but we've gotten it done. today, after more than a year of hard work, the senate is making history. i am confident the inflation reduction act will endure as one of the defining legislative feats of the 21st century.

our bill reduces inflation, lowers costs, creates millions of good-paying jobs, and is the boldest climate package in u.s. history. this bill will kick start the era of affordable clean energy in america. it's a game changer, it's a turning point, and it's been a long time in coming. to americans who have lost faith that congress can do big things, this bill is for you. to seniors who face the indignity of rationing medications or skipping them altogether, this bill is for you. and to the tens of millions of young americans who spent years marching, rallying, demanding that congress act on climate change, this bill is for you. the time has come to pass this historic bill.

i ask --. the vice president: the question is on passage of h.r. 5376 as amended. mr. schumer: i ask for the yeas and nays. the vice president: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the vice president: on this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. the senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative, and

the bill as amended is passed. mr. schumer: so, madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i've got to compose myself a little here. every senator knows an undeniable truth. we can never do what we do

without our amazing, incredible staff. they work behind the scenes. they never fall under the spotlight, but they do incredible work nonetheless. now that we finished passing the inflation reduction act, i want to applaud all of the staffers we -- we already applauded them but that's good -- who made them possible, the hundreds of staffers who serve in senate offices across the various committees. i want to thank every single one of them for their remarkable work in passing the inflation reduction act. i will submit their names into the record to honor their achievement and preserve forever the role they played in bringing this bill to life. and i ask unanimous consent to have the names of all all of the committee staff who contributed submitted into the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: to the floor staff, particularly the parliamentarian who worked so hard under not easy conditions, and especially because we had to do so much in such a short

period of time, we thank you so. the clerks, the doorkeepers, the reporters, thank you. thank you to the pages who worked overtime to help us in this historic endeavor. and you'll tell your grandchildren you were here. you were here. thank you to the cafeteria workers, custodial staff and capitol police. the senate can't function without all of you. and i thank the office of legislative counsel, the joint committee on taxation, the congressional budget office. and of course i cannot forget my own staff, the best staff ever on capitol hill. and my members know it. the members know how good my staff is. i am so dedicated to them, the best in the business. of course every senator thinks their staff is the best on capitol hill, but in my case it happens to be true. to mike lynch, who has been with me all these years and is so strong and steadfast and

steady, to his deputy chief and my deputy chief, eric sagervaugn, who is amazing. we prize her for her e.q. among other talents. she told me that. to martin brennan, another, like mike lynch. mike lynch and martin brennan have with me just about since i started being senator, and they are just such rocks in our office. incredible, probably the team of husband and wife who have done more to save the earth this year than just about anybody else, and that is jerry patrella and megan tyra. they met, got married on my staff, they have a beautiful little boy, george. when you have two people so important, policy director and legislative director, and a little child at home, it is tough, but they managed to be great parents at the same time as being great and amazing

staffers. and they're brilliant. they're just brilliant. my executive team is world class, emily sweeter, kelly carney. an amazing please team -- justin goodman, alex wynn, monica lee, alice nam, jazz minimum harris, and everyone on the digital team, the senate media who worked day and night to record, edit, finalize photos, graphics, videos of every sort. they are a blessing. and i want to recognize my press staff up in new york. they are just incredible, amazing. i'm just so blessed. [reading names ] my speechwriter, my rapid response director, the amazing team of researchers.

[reading names ] our talented press assistants, thank you so much. to people who do amazing job reaching out to the community. [reading names ] incredible. they talk to all the groups and make them feel part of what they're doing and we know what they're doing. it's wonderful the job that they do. and a brilliant legislative team. brilliant. brilliant is an overused word but it's not overused in the case of my staff, the ideas they come up with, the way they manage to get everything done, it's amazing. so there's adrian, tim, matt fuentes, dilly, sundera morphy. where is he? he's not here to correct me?

good. anna taylor. anna taylor is so damned dedicated, she had a baby two days ago, and she's still on the phone talking. and i said anna, stop. no, no, no, she was so dedicated and put so much time into this that she kept working, and her little, her little, beautiful child, posey, we heard her crying happily in the background as we were moving through all of this. john cardinal, an amazing guy who worked so hard on this and on chip fab. reggie babbin, our counsel. rob hickman, ann daley. [reading names ]

[reading names ] and the floor staff. you know, there are certain people you say you couldn't have done it without you, and a bunch of the names i mentioned fall in the couldn't have done it without you. but we all know just the wisdom and the knowledge and the history that's in his bones and brain is just, made him indispensable, and that is gary myrick. is he here? he's very modest. i'm going to make him mad. we should all applaud him. he hates it. and of course tricia angel, his great deputy. the wonderful team on the floor and in the cloakroom. [reading names ] and of course my tech and

i-team, what a great bunch. for someone who is not very tech oriented, this team is indispensable too. remember everybody, not very tech oriented. here it is. [reading names ] more staffers who work here every day in washington, and we didn't name a lot of my staff in new york. i'll just throw in the name of steve mann who has been our deputy directer since i started in the senate and does a wonderful job. they all do, but i just wanted to mention him. and we commiserate with mike lynch over the yankees who are losing a lot of games these days. as today i conclude, i ask unanimous consent to enter the names of my entire staff in the record. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i want them to know how much i appreciate their

work, how great a difference they made. this bill is going to change america for decades, and you did it. wherever you go, whatever you do, you should never forget how much you have helped make the world and the globe a better place. never forget it. so to every single staffer on my team, to staffers in other offices, committees here on the floor, thank you, thank you, thank you very, very much. i yield the floor because mr. padilla has some important words about a new yorker. mr. padilla: madam president. the presiding officer: the junior senator from california. mr. padilla: thank you, madam president. as leader schumer said, i rise today to honor the life and mourn the passing of vincent vin skullly, who will be remembered

as the greatest broadcaster in sports history and a true ambassador for los angeles, the dodgers, and the game of baseball. born in 1927 in the bronx, he grew up near the polo grounds and actually became a big fan of the new york giants baseball team as a child, and i never held that against him. he served our nation as a member of the united states navy for two years before attending fordham university. and at fordham -- listen to this -- at fordham, he managed to play on the baseball team, work on the school paper and broadcast many of the university's football, baseball, and basketball teams. his career as a broadcaster took up soon after he graduated from college. by 1950, he joined the brooklyn

dodgers broadcast team and in 1954, he became the team's principal announcer, a position he would hold until his retirement in 2016. he was the longest-tenured announcer for any team in any professional sport. in 1953, at only age 25, vin became the youngest person to ever broadcast a world series, a record that remains to this day. when the dodgers moved in 1958, vin moved with the team and he quickly became the voice of baseball in southern california. vin was the voice of the dodgers for 67 years, but his unparalleled story telling and love of sports allowed him to transcend baseball.

many fans will recall some of the unique calls of some of the most memorable football games and golf tournaments of the 21st century. he appeared in dozens of movies, tv shows and documentaries. vin lent his talents to "laugh in" to the x-files, to the classic baseball movies and one of my favorites, "for the love of the game," and he relished serving as grand marshal of the 125 rose bowl parade. he was awarded the presidential medal of freedom, recognizing vin as one of the signature sounds of america's pastime.

and ever humble, when vin was informed that he would be receiving the honor, he asked, are you sure? from opening day to the world series and every inning in between, vin made every game memorable with his love of baseball. and for generations of fans -- generations, hearing vince scully's soothing voice meant it was time for dodger baseball. now, i grew up in the s san fernando valley and as a child growing up in the 1980's, i spent many evenings dreaming of growing up to play professional baseball while listening to vince's voice narrate the action. while he was the talent behind the microphone, he will be remembered best for his decency

beyond the broadcast booth. when i was serving -- i had an opportunity to interdu jour angela and our two sons before a game at dodgers stadium and he was just so incredibly gracious with my family. it's a memory that we'll cherish. we weren't unique in that interaction with vin. he always made time for fans, regardless of age, regardless of occupation, wherever and whenever he met them. you see, he wasn't just a sports broadcaster, he was a figure larger than life and he made all of us feel like family. angela and i certainly join the los angeles community, the dodgers organization, and baseball fans around the world

in mourning the passing of vince scully. our hearts go out to the entire scully family. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. and the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, john z. lee, of illinois, to be united states circuit judge for the seventh circuit. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk

will report. 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 bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 985, john z. lee, of illinois, to be united states circuit judge for the seventh circuit. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 736. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all n.s.c. favor say aye. all opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the

nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, andres b. mathis, of tennessee, to be united states circuit judge for the sixth circuit. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report the cloture motion. 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 bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 736, andre b.b. mathis. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the reading of the nails be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls filed today, augus. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent to proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, karen f. patman to be ambassador

extraordinary that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action and the senate resume legislative session. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, karen f. patman, of texas, to be ambassador of the united states of america to the republic of iceland. the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. all in favor say aye. all opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the nomination is confirmed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that notwithstanding the upcoming adjournment of the senate, the president of the senate, president pro tem and minority and majority leaders can make appointments to interparliamentary conference of the two houses or by order of the senate. the presiding officer: without objection.

mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: finally, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it adjourn to be then convene for postal reform session only with -- pro formas and that following each pro formas session, the senate adjourn to the next pro formas session, tuesday august 9, friday august 12, friday august 19, tuesday 23, 10:30 a.m., friday, august 26, 10, a.m., friday september 2, 9:00 a.m. i ask when the senate adjourns on friday, september 2, it next convene at 3:00 p.m. tuesday, accept 6, -- september 6, that following morning business, the journal of proceedings be

approved to date, and the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and the morning hour be deemed expired and upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session and resume consideration of the lee nomination and that cloture motions ripen at 5:30 p.m. on tuesday, september 6. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senior senator from maryland, mr. cardin, be authorized to sign duly enrolled bills from august 8 to septembe. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under provisions of senate res. 748. the presiding officer: under the previous order, and pursuant to s. res. 748, the senate stands adjourned until 9:00 a.m. on tuesday, august 9, and does so as a further respect to jackie t

relationship with his father.e t