>> be up-to-date in the latest in publishing with book tv's broadcast about books with current nonfiction book releases, best sellers and trends through insider interviews. you can find about books on c-span now, our free mobile app or wherever you get your podcasts. weekends on c-span2 are an intellectual feast. every saturday, american history tv documents america's story, and on sundays, book tv brings you the latest in nonfiction books and authors. funding for c-span2 comes from these television companies and more, including charter communication. >> broadband is a force for empowerment, that's why charter has invested billions, upgrading technology, empowering opportunity in

communities big and small. charter is connectg us. >> charter communications, along with these television companies support c-span2 as a public service. >> the u.s. senate today is working on a bill to fund the government through september 30th of next year. congress approved a short-term spending package last week, but that will run out on friday at midnight. the latest bill includes aid to ukraine and natural disaster victims and also includes $858 billion in defense spending. we now take you to the senate floor here on c-span2 . the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the senate's chaplain, the

reverend dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god, the fountain f truth and wisdom, thank you for the yearning you have placed in our hearts for peace on earth to those with whom you are pleased. today, equip our senators for te tasks before them. help them strive to make the rough places of our nation and world smooth and the crooked places straight. lord, give them the wisdom to be guided by conscience and not contention.

empower them to disagree without being disagreeable. may they never swerve from the straight and narrow path of your prevailing providence. we pray in the name of the prince of peace. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., december 20, 2022. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby

aponte the honorable raphael j. warnock, a senator from the state of georgia to perform the duties of the chair. signed patrick j. leahy, president pro tempore.

>> its final hearing yesterday, a little over one hour in length. you can see the whole theory and all the other proceedings from the generous six committee on our website at c-span.org. you can still watch yesterdays at our app at c-span now. when it comes to the specific criminal referrals it was jamie raskin democrat of maryland a member of the committee who laid out the specific criminal referrals the committee plans to make to the justice department. >> the first criminal statute we invoke for referral therefore is title 18 section 1512 see which makes makes it unlawful for anyone to corruptly obstruct, influence, or impede any official proceeding of the united states government. we believed that the evidence described by my colleagues today and assembled throughout our hearings warrants a criminal referral of former president donald j. trump, john eastman,

and others for violations of this statute. the whole purpose and obvious effect of trump's schemes were to obstruct, influence and impede this official proceeding, the central moment for the lawful transfer of power in the united states. second, we believe that there is more than sufficient evidence to refer former president donald j. trump, john eastman and others for violating title 18 section 371. this statute makes it a crime to conspire to defraud the united states. in other words, to make an agreement to impair, obstruct or defeat the lawful functions of the united states government by deceitful or dishonest means. former president trump did not engage in the planted upon the united states acting alone.

he entered into agreements formal and informal with several other individuals who assisted him with his criminal objectives. our report describes in detail the actions of numerous co-conspirators who agreed with and participated in trump's plan to impair, obstruct, and defeat the certification of president biden's electoral victory. that said, the subcommittee does not attempt to determine all of the potential participants in this conspiracy, as our understanding of the role of many individuals may be incomplete even today because they refuse to answer our questions. we trust the department of justice will be able to form a far more complete picture through its own investigation. third, we make a referral based on title 18 section 1001 which makes it unlawful to knowingly and willfully make materially false statements to the federal

government. the evidence clearly suggests that president trump conspired with others to submit slate of fake electors to congress and national archives. we believe this evidence we forth in a report is more than sufficient for a criminal referral a former president donald j. trump and others in connection with this offense. as before, we don't try to determine all of the participants in this conspiracy, many of whom refuse to answer our questions while under oath. we trust the department of justice will be able to form a more complete picture through its own investigation. the fourth and final statute we invoke for referral is title 18 section 2383. 83. the statute applies to anyone who insights, assists, or engages in insurrection against the united states of america, and anyone who gives aid or comfort to an insurrection. and insurrection is a rebellion

against the authority of the united states. it is a great federal offense anchored in the constitution itself which repeatedly opposes insurrections and domestic violence, and indeed uses participation in insurrection by officeholders as automatic grounds for disqualification from ever holding public office again at the federal or state level. >> , there are some of specifics when it comes to criminal referrals. if you support those referrals being made by the generous six committee call us at 202-748-8000. if you post them 202-748-8001. 202-748-8001. if you want to text as it is 202-748-8003. former president trump making a series of statements on his truth social platform yesterday when it comes to specifically to the referrals on a series of posts he starts by saying under the headline statement of the generous six committee executive

session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of defense, r. russell rumbaugh, of nebraska, to be an assistant secretary of the navy.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, i have good news -- with days left before christmas, democrats and republicans have reached an omnibus agreement, completed at 1:15 a.m. early this morning. in the very early hours of the morning, chairman leahy and ranking member shelby released a long-sought bipartisan, bicameral omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2023. the omnibus is the last thing we have to do to close out a very successful 117th congress, and we've taken another step, a major step, towards reaching the goal line. after a lot of hard work, this package represents an aggressive investment in american families, american workers, and america's national defense. it will give our troops a raise, make health care more affordable for millions, and it fulfills

the promise democrats made to defend democracy at home and abroad, through the eca. it was no easy feat to piece this bill together, and if our amazing appropriator staff needs a quick power nap at their desks this morning, no one's going to blame them. i want to thank chairman leahy and ranking member shelby for working on this omnibus for months without cease. i can't think of a more fitting send-off for our two esteemed appropriators than this. if this omnibus goes down as senator leahy and shelby's final legislative contribution as senators, then i say bravo, thank you, well done. i also want to thank my colleagues in the house, above all speaker pelosi and chair deloro for their relentless work. the clock is now ticking until government funding runs out this

friday. between now and the end of the week, the watch words for senate will be speed and cooperation. for the information of senators, we're going to get going on this process today. members should be ready to vote to lay the omnibus before the senate as soon as this afternoon. we must finish passing this omnibus before the deadline on friday when government funding runs out, but we hope to do it much sooner than that, because we're mindful that a nor'easter is barreling down the east coast on thursday and friday. let me say this again -- the sooner we pass the omnibus, the better. we have until friday before funding runs out, but we ought to get it done bell before then -- well before then. i hope no senator stands in the way of us finishing our work. we cannot afford a shutdown. more importantly, the american people need us to act quickly.

the american people need us to act quickly to avert the looming danger of a government shutdown. nobody wants a shutdown. nobody benefits from a shutdown. and so i hope nobody here will stand in the way from funding the government asap. now, let's turn to the omnibus itself. this funding bill is overflowing with very good news for our troops, for the ukrainian brave fighters, for american jobs, for our families, and for american democracy. after a lot of hard work, democrats will fulfill our promise to pass reforms to the electoral count act into law. two years after january 6, the attack on our capitol remains an indelible stain on our democracy, and updating the electoral count act is one of the ways we can prevent another january 6 in the future. it is so important to do, and i wants to thank senators manchin

and collins and the group they put together to put the eca together. and senators klobuchar and blunt on the rules committee for their help in making this happen. i said months ago we would do everything possible to pass eca reform, and now we're following through. many thanks, of course, did to all my colleagues who made this possible. the omnibus is also going to fill our promise to stand with our friends in ukraine, with billions more in emergency economic and military aid. the bitterness of winter has descended on eastern europe, and if our friends in ukraine hope to triumph over russia america must stand firmly on the side of our democratic friends abroad. they're not asking for, nor do they want, american troops, but they do need the weaponry to defend themselves against a pruettal putin. on the home front, the omnibus will make health care more

affordable and more expansive for millions upon millions of americans. for the first time ever, every child in america who qualifies for medicaid or chip will now be guaranteed at least one year of continuous health coverage. this is a major change that will make a big difference in improving health care for millions of kids. we will permanently extend a policy from the american rescue plan that lets states give a full year of postpartem coverage for mothers on medicaid and chip. this is something huge, something i have so strongly believed in and fought for. it's a major step to address america's crisis in maternal health and mortality. many elements of the omnibus are in this bill, good elements of the omnibus, particularly for women of color who have long been discriminated against when it comes to birth and postpartem coverage. the omnibus also represents a

new offensive in the battle against america's mental health crisis. we all know that crisis is at record levels. we all know we have to do something about it. this omnibus does. overdoses and substance abuse are at record levels. i fought hard to make sure this package will allow seniors to get medicaid coverage for counseling, funding to train new psychiatrists, create new mental health mobile crisis units and instruct medicare to coverage intensive outpatient mental health care. we're also going to attack the opioid crisis head on, by expanding options for medication-assisted treatment, while also making never before seen investments in suicide prevention, maternal mental health, pediatric mental health, and so much more. we're also -- we will also keep making health care more accessible than it was in years past. we'll ensure medicare

beneficiaries can keep using tele-health through 2024. that's huge, particularly in rural areas. we'll invest new resources to hire and train more doctors, nurses, and other health care workers who have been in high demand over the past couple of years. we're also increasing support for rural and low-income hospitals that very often have to get by with precious little help. so on the health care front, the omnibus is an aggressive, generous, and far-reaching package, and i salute all those, including chairman murray and chairman leahy for their work on this. on the manufacturing and science front, the omnibus secures the first major down payment in building the tech hubs across the country that we have authorized through the chips and science act. this means real dollars to create the silicon valleys, the silicon forests, the silicon heartlands and prairies of tomorrow. again, i want to thank chair cantwell for her steadfast

leadership on this issue, as well as my colleague on the other side of the aisle, todd young. under the omnibus, we'll also secure the largest increase for the national science foundation of all time, including a surge in funds for the new technology directorate, and for stem workforce training that will spur chip growth across the country and give training to millions who have been left out of the increase in jobs in tech. also included are billions to support labs, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and workers with the support necessary for the u.s. to beat back china and remain technologically competitive on the world stage. that's not all. there's much more to celebrate in this package. we will keep our promise to our veterans by funding provisions of the pact act so veterans' ves suffering from burn pit exposure can get the health care they deserve. we'll help veterans with their

mental health needs, reform v.a. long-term health care services and those who struggle with homelessness. for students, we secured the largest increase in pell grants in over a decade, an increase of $500, the maximum pell grant will be $7,305. that is a great thing. for the first time in history, we'll bring indian health services up to all other health care providers. this will provide more resources, health care coverage and the dignity they deserve. we've secured billions for more child care access, billions for homeless, billions for rural housing services, over a billion for home investment partnership programs an over a billion for

housing for the elderly and housing for people with disabilities. from start to finish, from top to bottom, this omnibus is bold, generous, far-reaching and ambitious. it's not everything we would have wanted. when you're dealing in a bipartisan, bicameral way, you have to sit down and get it done and that means each side has to concede some things, but it is something that we can be very proud of, all of us. we must get this done before friday -- well before that if possible. i want to thank every single colleague and staff member who worked relentlessly to put this together, not only senators leahy and shelby, but their subcommittee chairs and ranking members. it was a a big feat. i'm more confident that once we finish our work on this package,

america will be a healthier, more prosperous and more secure country thanks to the work we have done here and now. thanks to my colleagues, let's finish the bill very soon. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

i was the first punishment to demand donald trump's prosecution. try to violently overthrow our democracy. if we fail to hold trump accountable future january 6th will happen with lurch toward authoritarian rule in america. congressman troy neils of texas and virginia six committee is expected to ask the doj to pursue criminal charges. it's always been a partisan witch hunt at the american people are sick of it. marjorie taylor green posting a couple of charge taking a look at from sources that don't know exactly but as far as the president's reelection possibilities, she writes here's the real reason the j6 comments committee is making criminal referrals to the doj on trumpet they can't beat trump and the note. january is coming. those are some of the members of reaction from congress when it comes to the action of the committee yesterday. herb in mississippi on our

oppose line. >> caller: yes. this is a kangaroo committee. -- [inaudible] and that is to criticize and chastise the former president. he's extremely popular in mississippi. he will carry mississippi if he does run for president of the united states. and we've got to stop all this corruption within the fbi and all these folks, and clean up government. clean up everything. trump is the man. he's outside of government. he does have anything to do with the big government. so i'm totally opposed to the kangaroo -- [inaudible] they should've had a committee of equal republicans and equal democrats but they don't want to be fair.

that's sad, sad, sad. thank you for listening to me. >> host: roy is next in florida on our support line. >> caller: yeah, i support because, , number one here's my problem with the situation. trump is not the only one that should be held accountable. the senate republicans who stood up and voted with the, for the overturning of the election should all be thrown also along with him. you know, this is ridiculous. failure to prosecute trump would actually be a a breakdown of w and order if the justice department doesn't do it. and it shows they are very weak. and one man is above the law. but with all trump voters who can't see through this for some reason, the guy is a scum bucket, he's always been, how many trump people, supporters

does it take to screw in a lightbulb? nine because they're all in the dark. my mother included. they just don't understand that what he's doing is not, how can you be a christian if you believe and somebody like this? this guy is the double from all ways. i mean, i'm a republican, to get a used to be but not anymore, and i've seen this party just go all theat way down mr. mcconnell: president biden's proposal for fiscal 2023 was a massive real-dollar increase for liberal domestic spending and a significant real-dollar cut for our national defense. thanks to the tireless work from senator shelby and a number of our colleagues, the government funding bill that we'll be taking up this week does exactly -- exactly the reverse of what the biden administration asked for. this bill will significantly grow the baseline for defense

and significantly cut the baseline for nondefense, nonveterans after inflation. a big real-dollar increase for the defense baseline and a big real-dollar cut for the nondefense, nonveterans baseline. this is is an impressive outcome for the republican negotiators, and more importantly, it is the outcome that our country actually needs to keep helping ukraine and our other friends to keep out innovating and outcompeting russia and china and to keep our brave men and women in uniform equipped with the best training, tools, and technologies the world has ever seen. the administration's original version for the federal budget,

starving defense while shoveling case into miscellaneous domestic spending was so out of whack that democrats in congress actually joined us in rejecting it. then there was some discussion that democrats might only agree to make sufficient investments in our armed forces if they got to jack up domestic spending even higher as compensation. of course that didn't make any sense either. the commander in chief's only political party does not get to take our troops hostage in order to demand even more unrelated goodies. republicans' position all along was quite simple. defending america and outcompeting our rivals is a fundamental government duty. it is the basic business that we're spoafed to take -- supposed to take care of, not something for which democrats get to take special rewards. and that is precisely what is

finally happening compared to where the negotiators started. we transferred huge sums of money away from democrats' spending wish list towards our national defense and armed forces, but without allowing the overall cost of the package to go any higher. now, there's no question that on omnibus spending bill less than one week before christmas is not the right way to run the senate process or the chamber. things should be done differently, more sponsorsably with more -- response responsibh more planning. when republicans controlled the majority, things were done differently, more responsibly with more foresight. when republicans last controlled both chambers, we conducted a more appropriates process. we worked to break administration into multiple

bills and move many buses across the floor before the 11th hour. instead as republicans spent the year calling on the democratic leader to prioritize, like government funding and the ndaa, they spent month after month chasing shiny objects while procrastinating on core duties. i share many of my colleagues' dissatisfaction of how democrats brought us here. after asking the democrats to run the senate more responsibly, it is not an option. from where we stand today, there are literally two options before us. number one, we can pass this bill, give our service members and commanders the resources they need, flip the president's broken budget request on its

head and actually cut baseline, nondefense nondefense spending. or we can fail to pass the bill and give our armed forces uncertainty while the chinese communist party continue to pour money into new research and more weapons. between the actual actual options before us, this is not a close call. the senate should pass this bill. now on a related matter. last week the senate passed the national defense authorization act, be a landmark step forward for our armed forces. this year's bill was named for our distinguished departing colleague, ranking member inhofe. as i discussed at length, this year's ndaa was a step in the

right direction to keep the u.s. the world's reeminent superpower. but -- preeminent superpower. but what doesn't get enough attention is the way that congress rolls in defending america and benefits military communities across each of our home states. my home state of kentucky is home to major army installations like fort campbell and fort knox, the kentucky air and army national guard and indispensable pillars of america's defense industrial base. this year's ndaa provides record resources for those kentuckians who support and serve in our armed forces. of special note in this year's

bill is its full funding of the chemical demilitarization pilot program at the bluegrass army depot in richmond, kentucky. if all goes according to plan, the depot could wrap-up its chemical destruction mission next year, that would be a landmark milestone in kentucky history. when i took office, many of america's most potent chemical munitions were languishing. community activists were concerned about the dangerous weapons in their backyard and asked me to coordinate the massive effort needed to get rid of it. working with these local leaders, i spent the last four decades supplying federal funding for nation and now the end of that project is within sight. this year's ndaa also authorizes

a feasibility study for the depot after the chemical disruption mission wraps up. that study will identify studies to enhance richmond's mission for its world-class facilities once chemical weapons are gone. and diswhraws one of the many important initiatives this year's ndaa will support in the commonwealth. kentucky service members and military installations stand ready to protect america from its enemies. the defense bill also impacts a huge number of america's efforts for good around the world that don't always make the headlines. for example, i'm glad this ndaa makes headway on behalf of the people of burma and the decades-long struggle for democracy nbltions country,

which i've been proud to support throughout my career. since burma's military junta launched a cue in 2021, the country launched deeper into catastrophe. more than one million people displaced, sham trials and summary executions, the extrajudicial torture and many more. indiscriminate shelling and air strikes against ethnic villages. burma's former leader and my good friend aung san suu kyi is reportedly being held in solitary confiebment following a sham trial at the hands of her deposers. in the absence of strong international condemnation, the junta is literally getting away with murder. when secretary blinken visited southeast asia this summer, i called for less talk and more action. the people of burma don't have the luxury of waiting around for american assistance. now with the passage of the burma act as part of this year's

ndaa, congress is stepping up where the administration has dithered. this landmark bill mandates sharp sanctions against senior tat man dau officials. it compels the administration to make decisions about whether and how to unravel the lucrative grip on burma's energy sector. it codifies u.s. support for organizations that actually represent burma's people and authorizes new engagement with ethnic organizations that are defending the people against the brutal hand of the tatmadaw as well as new nonlee that many and humanitarian assistance for society organizations. it directs the president to improve coordination for america's allies and partners to increase pressure on burma's illegal, illegitimate leaders and direct support for the people. but congress can only do so much

through the legislative process. the ball is now in the biden administration's court, and time is ticking away. russia and other bad actors are actively courting the junta, the ongoing humanitarian disaster in burma is already spilling over into neighboring countries. congress has given president biden the tools to institute sweeping sanctions against our adversaries and generous aids for our friends. it's now up to the president to use them. mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. durbin: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i come to the floor very briefly to make note

of an article that appeared this morning in the "chicago sun-times." the article relates to a opportunity that terrence duffey, who is currently the chairman of the chicago-based exchange cme group, chicago mercantile exchange, that mr. dpufey in his testimony before congress and since has commented on the situation with the cryptocurrency exchange known as ftx and its former head, sam bankman-fried. we are all aware of what happened here. this is a situation where an individual capitalized on the cryptocurrency craze and became a billionaire. he was a young man who struck a different pose than most finance financiers and spent his time

wearing t-shirts and playing video games when he wasn't making millions of dollars with his crypto investment. many people were unfortunately drawn into his portrayal of what cryptocurrency could result in and lost their shirts. mr. bankman-fried went from billionaire to bankrupt in a matter of 72 hours. the question is should america have seen this coming? should we have done more? that raises serious questions. but the purpose of entering this article into the record is to make note of the fact that terrence duffy with the chicago mercantile exchange forewarned us of this possibility. chicago mercantile exchange is a major part of the economy, illinois and of the midwest. it is an industry that has been established over decades, and it is a regulated industry.

one might get the expwretion -- impression that regulation and success in business are antithetical but in this circumstance the federal regulation of the chicago mercantile exchange not only gives assurance of its integrity but also enhances its reputation around the world, a lesson that the cryptocurrency world might learn. if we are going to lead the world when it comes to financial investment, we have to assure the world that it's on the square, and the commodity futures trading commission for one, which has the regulatory authority over the chicago mercantile exchange, is set out on that mission successfully for decades. i wanted to note the fact that when he appeared before the u.s. house agriculture committee in may, mr. did you have -- mr. duffy warned us about the dangers that were inherent to

the ftx enterprise. he said at one point that he believed that the proposal that mr. bankman-fried was making to create his business model was fraught with dangers. mr. duffy called it at the time in may, quote, a risk management light, close quote, that could destabilize financial markets involved in cryptocurrency. i'm a member of the agriculture committee, and we may have some element of jurisdiction over this cryptocurrency industry as it relates to commodities. we have had one hearing where the chairman of the commodities futures trading commission came before us and made a presentation as to why he believes we have an opportunity and an obligation to regulate. i agree with him. if this cryptocurrency world is to continue with any credibility, it needs adequate

authorization and regulation to make sure that the people who are investing in it are protected. i have written two separate letters to fidelity, a major financial house in massachusetts, raising questions as to their assertions that people should be allowed to include cryptocurrency in their retirement accounts. i am skeptical that an account where you should be making conservative investments for your future should be entering this high-flying cryptocurrency world which, as we see is fraught with danger from the experience of ftx. there was a great effort underway by the cryptocurrency world to become major players in american politics. i discovered much to my surprise weeks after i raised questions about the future of cryptocurrency that ftx and mr. bankman-fried had in fact

contributed to me. i was asked by a reporter have you received any contributions from this enterprise or industry, and i said of course not. then i looked to find i had. they had sent money unsolicited to me and unknown to me until two weeks ago. that money of course is going to be redirected to charitable enterprises and not to any political purpose for me or any of my staff. it's an indication, though, that they have more money than friends in the cryptocurrency world, and they are trying to make sure they have plenty of friends in congress and on capitol hill. it is the nature of our political campaigns that massive amounts of money is invested and spent and oftentimes candidates can't keep up with the blur of contributions and expenditures. well, that happened to me when it came to ftx and sam bankman-fried and i think it might have happened to others. so let's take care. it we are going to do our duty for the american people, we have to regulate this industry

in a way to protect them from the disastrous results which we recently saw with ftx. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that at a time to be determined by the majority leader, in consultation with the republican leader, the senate proceed to executive session to consider calendar item number 12 -- 1194 to be department director of the office of personnel management, that there be ten minutes for debate equally divided in the usual form on the nomination, that upon the use or yielding back of time, the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and 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,so ordered. mr. peters: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, shortly i will ask unanimous consent to confirm richard revesz to be the administrator of the office of information and regulatory affairs or oira within the office of management and budget. and while oira is a small, relatively unknown office in the federal government, it manages federal rules and regulations that have very real impact on americans' daily lives. the decisions of oira makes, can affect everything from repairing roads and bridges, funding k-12 schools and protecting our air and drinking water. mr. revesz is a nationally recognized expert in environmental and regulatory policy and is well qualified to lead oira.

he currently serves as the ann bryce professor fers of law and dean emeritus at the new york university school of law and his scholarship has focused on regulatory policy, modernizing the regulatory process, improving cost-benefit analysis and ensuring greater transparency and participation in the rulemaking process. as an administrator, mr. revesz will be responsible for ensuring the office provides transparency , interregulatory decisions and promoting public participation in the rulemaking process. mr. revesz received bipartisan support in committee and has the support of former oira administrators who served under presidents of both parties. i urge my colleagues to join me in confirming mr. revesz to this important role today, and i ask unanimous consent that the senate consider the following

nomination and calendar number 1195, richard revesz to be the administrator of the office of information and regulatory affairs, office of management and budget, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion be reconsidered, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, mr. president. reserving the right to object, i rise today to speak on the nomination of richard revesz to serve as administrator of the office office of information and regulatory affairs at the office of management and budget. mr. revezs has expressed support for the clean power plan by the obama administration. it was designed to shut down the coal industry by shifting power generation away from reliable energy sources. the regulation was part of the

obama administration's war on coal. that war devastated many communities in my state of west virginia. this year the supreme court held it was unlawful in the landmark case west virginia vz -- v. epa. mr. revesz submitted an amicus brief. mr. revesz's well documented approach to regulation including his support for the clean power plan demonstrates he is not the right person to get the administration's policies on a reasonable track. therefore, i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate vote on the confirmation of the rumbaugh nomination at 12:15 p.m. today, and that if confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. finally, that following the vote, the senate recess until 2:15 p.m. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. peters: mr. president, for the information of senators in addition to the 12:15 p.m. vote, we expect a roll call vote on going to the omnibus message at approximately 2:30 p.m. today. mr. president, i yield.

the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i want to begin this morning by congratulating the south dakota state university football team on an incredible win saturday in brooking, south dakota. i was on hand. thanks to the great performances, which included five scores in the first five possessions, the jack rabbits are headed to the fcs national championship for the second time in three seasons. saturday's win is the latest in a banner season for the jacks, who have gone 13-1 and won the missouri valley conference to become the number one seed in the fcs playoffs. of course, saturday's game would not have been possible without the men and women who worked to clear the roads around brookings and the volunteers and staff who cleared the field and seats after a major snowstorm last week, when the game got under way temperatures were in the single digits, not including the

windchill. when you add in the windchill, it was well below zero. i'm grateful for the hard work of all the staff who made it possible, which allowed, by the way, literally thousands of people, thousands of jacks fans like me to be there to cheer on our team. and remarkably, in spite of the conditions, it was a great crowd on hand to see this historic win. mr. president, i'm looking forward to rooting for the jacks next month when they take on the north dakota state university bison in the championship game in frisco, texas, where, hopefully, it will be a little warmer than 9 degrees. mr. president, december 22 will mark the fifth anniversary of the signing of the tax cuts and jobs acts. it's been five years since republicans reformed the tax code to allow americans to keep more of their hard-earned money. five years since we modernized the tax code to encourage businesses to invest in america and create good-paying jobs here. after five years since our

economy started to rebound, after years of stagnant wages and growth. mr. president, republicans know that government doesn't create jobs, and that washington can't legislate prosperity. but government can certainly get in the way of prosperity, and before tax reform too often our tax code was getting in the way. it was taking too much money from americans' paychecks. it was making it difficult for businesses, large and small, to create jobs, increase wages, and grow. and it contained perverse incentives for companies to park profits abroad and avoid manufacturing things here in the united states. mr. president, republicans knew things needed to change, and so we set to work to reform our tax code to put more money in american families' pockets, and to help growth our economy. we lowered tax rates across the board and simplified the tax code so that hardworking americans would pay less in taxes and spend less time filling them out, their forms

out, every april. we lowered tax rates for owners of small and medium-sized businesses, farms, and ranches and made it easier for them to recover the cost of investing in their businesses, which freed up cash to invest in their operations and their workers. we lowered our nation's sky-high corporate tax rate, which prior to the tax cuts and jobs act was the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world, to make american businesses more competitive in the global economy and empower them to invest in wages and benefits for their workers. we modernized our international tax system, so that american businesses would no longer operate at a disadvantage next to their foreign counterparts. mr. president, it worked. it worked. in the wake of the tax cuts and jobs act, wages and incomes for american workers grew. unemployment fell to a 50-year low. the poverty rate fell to the

lowest level ever recorded. african americans and hispanic americans saw record low rates of poverty and unemployment. the income gap narrowed, business investment increased, companies created new jobs, and they invested in their employees. and they opened new opportunities for american workers by moving production and capital into the united states. tax reform also spelled an end to the wave of companies moving their headquarters out of the united states. prior tax reform there was a growing trend of corporate inversions, which is tax speak for companies picking up and moving their legal headquarters offshore, and that was due to our dysfunctional tax code. since tax reform there hasn't been a single u.s. corporate inversion. let me repeat that, mr. president. since tax reform there hasn't been a single u.s. corporate inversion, which means more jobs and opportunities for workers

here at home. mr. president, contrary to claims that tax reform mostly benefited the wealthily, it was actually lower and middle-income americans who saw the greatest benefits. in fact, the top 1% of taxpayers are paying a greater share of taxes today than they were before tax reform, and i haven't even mentioned the fact that tax reform has helped result in record-high revenues for the federal government. mr. president, fortunately, we were not able to make all the tax reform the tax cuts and job act permanent, and some provisions have already begun to expire. one important provision on its way to phase-out is bonus depreciation. manufacturers, farmers and ranchers, and several other industries relied on the tax cut and jobs act bonus depreciation provision which allows them to immediately deduct the full cost of investment in short-term assets, such as machinery and

equipment. but bonus depreciation will soon begin to phase down, making new equipment and more expensive for all businesses. extending the bonus depreciation provision, or better yet making it permanent, would not only provide certainly to american businesses, it would create tens of thousands of new jobs, increase wages and grow our economy by making it easier for businesses to invest and expand. and it would have even more of an impact in today's high-inflation environment where investment dollars are going a lot less far than they used to. in addition, under the tax cuts and jobs act this year businesses lost their ability to fully expanse research and development costs in the year they incur them. full r&d expending is -- expensing is beneficial to many businesses, but especially important for manufacturers and high-tech industries where cutting-edge research and development is critical for

innovation and continued leadership in these fields. for the sake of american workers and american industry, we should restore full r&d expensing. mr. president, the end of 2025 many of the lower tax rates for working families and small businesses will expire. middle-income families who received a tax cut the year following tax reform will see a tax hike in 2026, if middle-income tax cuts are not extended or made permanent. also at the end of 2025 the increased death tax exemption level is set to expire, leaving more family farms and small businesses subject to this punitive tax. i've seen the consequences of the death tax when a family has to sell their farm, ranch, or small business because they don't have enough cash to pay this massive tax on their loved once' life's work. i -- loved ones' life's work. i hope we not only extend the increased death tax exemption

level but will permanentsly eliminate this unfair tax. mr. president, tax reform worked. it worked for american families. it worked for farmers and ranchers, and it worked for american businesses. allowing key elements of tax reform to expire would reduce opportunity and raise taxes far hardworking americans at a time when their pocketbooks are already strained, thanks to the historic inflation crisis democrats helped to create. i hope my colleagues across the aisle will recognize this and work with republicans to permanently extend the expiring provisions of the tax cuts and jobs act and continue efforts to make the tax code simpler, fairer, and more competitive. the president likes to talk about giving families, quote, a little breathing room, end quote. well, there's no better way to give families breathing room than by allowing them to keep more of their hard-earned money.

i hope the president will take an honest look at the success of the tax cuts and jobs act and come out in support of making these pro-growth policies permanent. i'm disappointed that my democrat colleagues recently chose to forgo the chance to extend full r&d expensing and 100% bonus depreciation in the year-end funding bill. extending this should be a no-brainer, and democrats should not be holding these essential business credits hostage to a partisan agenda. mr. president, tax reform helped create an economic environment that encouraged growth and set the american people up for new opportunities, higher wages, and a more secure future. it's time to build on these successes and extend the benefits of the tax cuts and jobs act for the long term. mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. mrs. hyde-smith: mr. president, i come to the floor today to pay tribute to a very special man who was held dear by many it mississippians, mississippi state university head coach mike lee, who passed away on decembe. today thousands of mississippians and people from across the country will gather in starkville to celebrate the life of mike leach, who began his coaching at mississippi state in 2020. coach leak's quirkiness, youthful spirit, and dynamic

coaching style immediately endeared him to football fans across my state. his likable and unique personality broke barriers amongst schools. whether you were cheering for mississippi state, jackson state, ole miss, southern, or any other school, you couldn't help but chuckle at the entertaining sideline interviews or admire how his air raid offense was changing the game. coach leach was an attorney. he started his coaching career shortly after graduating from law school. mike leach made a lasting impact on the game of football, to be sure, but more importantly his extraordinary leadership and passion for the game made a lasting impact on his players, his colleagues, and his loved ones. these remarks can't fully encompass mike leach's life as a husband, father, grandfather, scholar, mentor and charitable man. still, mississippi is blessed to have been able to call mike leach one of our own these past

years, and while our state mourns we remain grateful for the memories and the stories his legacy leaves. my heart goes out to his family and the entire bulldog family. hail state, and rest in peace, coach. i yield the floor.

test.

the presiding officer: the distinguished president pro tempore of the united states senate. mr. leahy: i thank the presiding officer for the recognition and i thank all who are here. you know -- excuse me. there are some things we experience in life that we can

never prepare for, no matter how hard we try. embarking on a life with the person you love is one, having, raising, and loving a child is another, and then there's this one today. i've bean here 48 -- i've been here 48 years. perhaps to the dismay of hundreds of distinguished presiding officers, i've delivered more floor statements. some were more eloquent than others, some less, but i've never delivered a speech like this, and i so appreciate all of you indulging me. my friends and colleagues, marcelle and i have such warm and lasting memories of so many who served in this chamber, now and through many years.

including mentors. from the first day i arrived here like republican senator bob stafford. he was our state's senior senator when i arrived here, and i watched him in awe, but he was a person who looked me in the eye and say to this 34-year-old freshman, patrick, you're not my junior senator. from here on, you're my senate partner. and what a difference that made. and in the last 48 years the senate has become a family to both marcelle and me. here we've found friends, some of our best friends, and relationships that will last throughout our lifetime. it's also the place where i had the privilege of fighting for vermont, a place where i was born, where i met marcelle, the

place where we started our family, and the place to which early in the new year we will return together, the state of our birth. ii have a reverence for this place and its history, its constitutional role as people i know we all share. i've had this sense of awe about the senate from an early age. i used to walk to the capitol in my time here as a law student at georgetown university law center. i'd sit in the gallery. i watched transfixed as the senate debated the most pressing issues of the day. back then i could have never imagined that i would one day etch my name into one of these desks, let alone that i'd have the opportunity to cast well over 17,000,000 votes, that i wd

serve with 400 senators during my time here. eight times the voters of vermont, my neighbors, my friends, my family, gave me the great gift of their faith in sending me here to be their voice in the united states senate. but what propelled me to run was a belief that i understood the needs and values of vermont and thought it was time for a new generation to address it. dublin-born parliamentarian edmond burke's speech to the electors of bristol served as my north star. he said your representative owes you not his industry only but his judgment. burke also said that a representative ought not to sacrifice to you his conscience.

after what many described at that time as an improbable win in a state that never elected a democrat, never elected anybody as young as i was, i began my time in the senate in the aftermath of a constitutional crisis. we faced a nation broken by the watergate scandal, the resignation of president nixon and an endless war in vietnam. and, as i leave in a few days, the nation is coping with strange -- strange and -- challenges of other kinds, including very real threats of a whole concept of working democracy, the sanctity of our constitution, our elections, and the strength of the rule of law.

and another thing i could never have imagined, as that young law student sitting up there in the gallery, is that one day this chamber and itself and the capitol would be stormed by a lawless and violent mob. the senate can be the conscience of the nation. being elected three times as press pro tem, -- as president pro tem, i was part of the time-honored norms and traditions that have been passed on over the years which helped build trust, which helped the senate, when possible, to work through problems to get difficult things done and to

allow the senate, at its best, to rise to the occasion and serve as the collective conscience of the nation. i've seen the importance of acts of grace and political self-restraint that make the senate work. now, when i arrived here, bipartisan cooperation was the norm, not the exception. it was ingrained in the fabric of what it means to be a united states senator. now, make no mistake, the senate of yesterday was far from perfect. i came here in 1975, and i realized several of you were not old enough to vote at that time. in that body there were still senators who signed the southern manifesto, that filibustered landmark civil rights laws.

it was a senate of 99 people because there had been a tied race in new hampshire. so i was sworn in to serve alongside 98 other men, all men, not a single woman out of 100. and i thought, boy, progress was a long way away. but the senate i entered had one remarkable redeeming quality, the overwhelming majority of senators, of both parties, believed they were here to do a job, not just score political points or reduce debate speecheo bumper sticker slogans. there were bills that had nothing to do with whether you were a republican or democrat. it was all about the nature of

our home states, no one would accuse howard baker, paul axel or anyone else of being closet democrats or closet republicans, but each understood to do our jobs the right way we had to work together. and we did. the republican leader, senator mcconnell,, and i worked together on the appropriations committee. we passed that gavel whack backd forth, depending on who was in the majority. and we worked together passing complex bills. but we worked with a sense of common purpose and respect and incredible productivity because we had that common purpose. now, of course, there were times when both sides fought like cats and dogs on the senate floor in

an election campaign. that was understood. but there are unwritten rules that apply, quite different than they are today. senators didn't engage in scorch-earthed politics because they knew they would return the day after the election to a senate that only worked if you found and stood on common ground. a person you battled today might be someone you need to work with on a different issue tomorrow. now, i'll share something easily forgotten, but willing i searnd -- but something i learned on the agriculture committee. i once overheard someone say in the cloakroom that they had been out driving in the middle of nowhere. i thought, if you're one of the people who live there, you know it is the middle of somewhere. that was a bit of a brainstorm. for years i've been traveling

when the senate recesses to try to understand the world a little better. traveled to build some relationships with other leaders from other countries, allies and adversaries alike. and from that very first codel onward, i found that almost without fail when senators of both parties traveled together, their partisan differences dull and their shared perspective grows. you see a country and you see each other -- you see the country through each other's eyes, not just your own. so dick lugar and i came up with a new idea. let's have a codel here at home in the united states to help senators understand the rural states, whether, north, south, east or west, to make it clear that everywhere was somewhere and nowhere was just a place on

a map you hadn't experienced yet. so we explored those states together having codels in each of those states, republican states an democratic states. and hear from the people there. but more importantly, we got to know each other. we all became invested in each other's success, legislative and personal. i fear those days may be gone, but i pray just temporarily, because if we don't start working together more, if we don't know and respect each other, the world's greatest deliberative body will sink slowly into irrelevance and, heaven forbid, become our own version of the house of lords. now, mr. president, i'm especially proud of the work i've been able to do for vermont and for americans across the

nation. our distinguished leader here, senator schumer, has heard more about vermont than anybody from new york ever has. and i thank him. i thank him, as a lifelong vermonter, for listening. and among them, the things that came from vermont, organic standards and labeling act, first blocked because it would be crunchy granola. well, it's a $60 billion industry in this country now. some crunch, some granola. but we also enacted in this body the world's first ban on anti-personnel landmines. i started off having three votes back -- three or four votes. when it came to a vote, every desk carrying a publication i

helped write. the vote was 100-0. across the political spectrum. i'm very, very proud of that. decades of work here to protect our beloved lake champlain and supporting our farmers, forging new markets, revitalizing historic town centers across our state, greatly expanding the green mountain national forest by more than 140,000 acres that protect one of vermont's, actually, one of america's greatest treasures. and bringing resources to rebuild after disasters from the devastation of tropical storm irene to the ravage of covid pandemic. and i can never thank enough the senators of both parties who joined with me on that. and the leahy war veterans fund,

that's helped innocent victims of war across the global, the innocence protection act, the curt bluntworth program to facilitate dna evidence to convict the guilty and exonerate the innocent. and human rights protections of the leahy law. i'm forever grateful that i had the opportunity to be here to put those laws in place. and then we strengthened and extended the violence against women act, and i was joined in that by colleagues on both sides of the aisle, so we could do it, making it the act it is today. working on the voting rights act, and the freedom of information act, where i joined with a prominent republican, and i as the democrat, saying americans have a right to know what their government is doing, no matter which party is in control of the government.

and a longtime effort to restore diplomatic relations with cuba. and a landmark program to remediate toxic sites in vietnam, left over from the use of agent orange in the vietnam war. and to care for those who were exposed. i thank the presidents of both peats who backed me on doing that -- of both parties who backed me on doing that, and brought relief to a country that so desperately needed it. then we made our copyright laws more effective. the bill we were able to write, updated the copyright laws for the first time in 50 years, protecting americans' privacy from government overreach. i do think, i've mentioned the strengthening of the freedom of information act, several times in several ways.

we, no matter what party we belong to, we ought to know what our government is doing. i've often asked for the formula that i've used to get laws like these across the finish line. well, i must admit, i allow a little bit of humor this morning at 1:00 or 1:30 when we brought out the omnibus bill. i should probably release what i told chairman schumer. i do it very fairly. i treat every state the same alphabetically, starting with the letter v -- no, let me be serious for a moment, in case anybody thinks that's what we do. we do it because democrats and republicans learn to work together, and each side knows they don't get every single thing they want, but they can

get most of the things the american people need. that's far more important that the american people are helped than any one of us individually. you know, it feels like yesterday i walked into my first meeting with the person that would become my first majority leader, iron mike mansfield. the majority leader put a fundamental question to every new senator -- why do you want to be here? for the title, or to make a difference, to make lives better? and though he was a soft spoken man who listened more than he spoke, rarely gave speeches on the senate floor, leader mansfield dispensed one piece of advice that made as enduring an impression as the question he left to each senator to answer for themselves. he said, senators should always keep their word. and i think of that every single

time i look at his portrait in the mansfield room. and it struck me that across all those weighty debates navigating the complicated and contradicted things in the senate, the caucus, including everything when i came in from social conservatives to segregationists to civil rights icon and prairie populists, mansfield succeeded because he understood the currency in the institution was actually trust, not ideology. senators should always keep their word. it's a simple formula, but it worked. if you knew what commitments colleagues made to each other, you could count the votes. if you could count the votes, you could set the agenda. if you knew the agenda, you could set the schedule. if you could set the schedule, you could pass legislation, and still send the senators home to be present in their states when it counted. and if 100 senators were

invested in keeping their word to one another, then together we could keep our word to this institution and to the constitution. so mr. president, i'm going to leave here with the satisfaction of knowing that i answered leader mansfield's question the best way i could, in keeping with my conscience, and i did what i could to make a difference. and i leave here knowing, above all, that right or wrong, difficult or easy, i kept my word to vermont and to each of you. but i want to thank my current staff. my staff throughout those 48 years. they've steadfastly stood by me,

and our shared goals to deliver for vermonters, for vermont, and for all our country. and i want to thank my family, our children, their spouses, our grandchildren, my parents who were here with me to start this journey in my first senate election, who i know watch over the entire leahy family today, as do marcelle's parents, who were also there. what a gift. what a gift i have. i've had a mother and father who passed down to their children and grandchildren not privilege but a powerful example.

one of the problems of being half irish and half italian, sometimes your emotions key in on you. and of course, marcelle. i was 19, she was 17 when we met. i took one look at marcelle and i knew i wanted to go on every journey together. 363 -- 63 years later, we're still on that journey. she's still my closest friend, my partner, and my anchor. i've been uniquely blessed to serve with fellow vermonters who share my deep love and commitment to vermont. senator bob stafford, senator jim jeffords, senator bernie sanders, representative peter smith, and of course, representative, and now senator-elect, peter welch. i couldn't be more grateful that

congressman and senator-elect peter welch will be carrying on after me in his own agenda. i might mention, you're going to like and respect the new fellow senator. i think people will on both sides of the aisle. our collective efforts are why, in so many ways, vermont continues to set an example for the thatition to follow -- for the nation to follow. but marcelle and i leave with the same conviction that brought us to washington in the first place, that the brighter horizons of tomorrow hold the hope of the future. i am still carrying that same sense of reverence about the place i felt as a law student, i've had it and still have, so many pinch-me moments. one of the last ones will be etching my name inside my desk. and i'll forever carry with me the enduring bond of my fellow vermonters, their common sense and goodness when i tried to represent as their

representative. what a place this is. i wrote those words in the margin of my legal pad as i wrote back to -- rode back to our house late one evening, after a very full senate session last year, as we were working out covid relief for people who were still hurting. but what a place this is still. and i wonder what this 82-year-old president pro tempore of the united states would love to say to a 33-year-old version of myself, nervously walking for the first time onto the senate floor. the 82-year-old president pro tem would say to the 33-year-old brand-new senator from vermont, don't lose that sense of awe, kid. hold on to it. treasure it. don't even, for a minute, forget what a privilege and responsibility it is to serve here.

i've never forgotten. sometimes when i drive past the jefferson memorial, i look at jefferson in the marble rotunda and am reminded of the tension that was and is america, imperfect people struggling to make reality out of ideals. always, always keep on trying. i think about -- i think of my father, the self-taught historian. he loved to share with me the twists and turns of times gone by, not to lift up heroes as idols or point out their feet of clay, but to find meaning and purpose in the journey. only first-generation immigrants like my mother, whose parents had left homes where such journeys had changed and redemption were not possible, could have such a gleeful appreciation that america wasn't a place, but an idea, an idea of

unmatched possibilities, ever in search of its own perfection for new and next generations to write. i've so loved the privilege of being even a small part of this story, america's story, and i've loved the privilege of working with giants and heroes here in this chamber. i think of john glenn and the senate he represented. we came in together. i wonder how he'd think of how we carried the baton he passed on to the next generation. then my mind flashes back to john's interment at arlington national cemetery. in the chapel we gathered, and at the end the marine bugler played taps. imagine the somber feeling. he paused. and then, completing a request that senator glenn had made

himself but kept as a surprise, burst into reveille. the mood in that chapel, because that was john glenn. there was a time to mourn and remember what was lost, but there was always another mission, another call to serve, another day. that's how it has to be for every one of us, every one of us in this chamber. yes, the senate is broken in too many places, no, the institution is not what hubert humphrey, jerald ford, ted kennedy, barry goldwater knew them to be. some of that change is good. a lot is tragic, and all of it is simply what it is. and i tell my colleagues you can point fingers or you can point the way forward to something better, and that's america, isn't it? so i don't leave here today with a recognize -- requim for the

senate. i leave with a request for its renewal. not taps, but reveille. never retreating, never retiring from the journey. america doesn't stop. the the senate keeps turning, if we're lucky. all of us get a chance to help tilt the trajectory. remember what mike mansfield said -- keep your word. 30 years ago i visited a refugee camp after a war in that country. i brought my cameras. i do everywhere, so i can show people back in washington the human toll of this issue. always on visits like this i'd ask if it's okay to take someone's picture. to be a displaced person is to have endured enough that and then to have somebody invade your privacy. on this trip, a man encouraged me to take his picture.

i looked at his worn, his weary face. we sat and talked afterwards, and he said simply don't forget people like me. that black and white picture has hung above my desk for 30 years since. every day i come to work, he's looking at me. he's saying you don't know my name, you don't speak my language, there's nothing i can do to help you, but what are you doing to help people like me? conscience, that's what people are hungry for governments to stand for. so now i'm taking my conscience home with me, but i know that man's eyes will keep watching all of us and all of you. what a journey. what an abiding hope that someday after i'm gone the senate in both parties will come back together to be the conscience of the nation.

you can build a senate defined not by sound bites but one's strength in women and men with a sense of history and insist that our republic move forward. for the sake of all those children and their children and all children and all americans, it not only can be done, it has to be done. serving with 400 different senators has been an honor, but representing vermonters has been the greatest honor. i'm humbled and always will be by their support. i'm confident in what the future holds. i'll submit the rest of the staff that made it possible over the years, the people who

deserve the credit for my accomplishments. i end with telling every one of my colleagues, thank you. the presiding officer: leader schumer.

mr. schumer: well, it's never easy to bid farewell to a retiring colleague, but, boy, this one's hard. it's even harder to bid farewell to a friend, and everyone is pat's friend. but today we say thank you not to just a colleague and not just a dear friend, but to an institution all his own. pat, we're here to say we honor you. we're here to say we'll miss you. and most of all, we're here to say we're happy for you on your well-earned retirement. we've all just heard pat speaking so eloquently, so beautifully, from the heart, from his good soul, and it took a lot of strength for all of us to keep this together.

i saw lots of misty eyes in different parts of the speech. lots of misty eyes. it's the conclusion for an era here in the senate. we will call this the leahy era for all you have done. it's an era that began in the aftermath of watergate and now concludes nearly 50 years and eight tellers later, a -- legacy that includes so much. appropriations chair, judiciary chair, president pro tempore. and to be sure, he's finishing his tenure precisely the way we'd all expect him to, by being up at 1:30 a.m. this morning to file the omnibus. now if you looked up the word senator in the dictionary, it wouldn't be crazy to expect a

picture of pat included alongside that name, that word. his name is synonymous with everything good, dignified and admirable in the upper chamber. so, pat learned so much in the years he has been here, and pat was everything. one accomplishment that he mentioned that just shows the mettle of the man was the work he did on land mines, antipersonal land mines. he did an amazing job. there are thousands and thousands of people across the world, children, old people, and everyone in between who are not maimed, who are alive because of his persistence, his dedication. it took all of his skills, his not believing of policy, his bipartisan chops, his eloquence on the floor, his stubborn

relentlessness, and most of all, his sense of duty to the people of the world he so aptly concluded with about the picture we've all seen in his office over his desk. of course pat will be the first to shun these accomplishments as his alone. after all, he's just one half of the equation. the other half, of course, is marcelle, an amazing, amazing person. and we love you, marcelle. we love you. so, folks, it is the end of an era. pat has done an amazing job in so many different ways. he would have sat here all day and all knight if -- and all night if he were to delineate everything he has done for us and the american people. so, folks, in closing, let me return to a serious thought on

duty, from a source i suspect is near and dear to pat's heart, the great poet robert frost. for those unfamiliar, the title of pat's new memoir is "the road taken" a play on frost's famous poem the road not taken. like frost, pat lived in vermont, a great lover of nature, confounded by war and disruptions of modernity. but there's another frost poem i want to cite today. stopping by the woods on a snowy evening, about a man torn between his sense of duty to get home to his family and stopping to bask in the beauty of the countryside. whose woods these are i think i know. his house is in the village, though. he will not see me stopping here to watch his woods fill up with snow.

the woods are lovely, dark and deep. but i have promises to keep and miles to go before i sleep and miles to go before i sleep. pat, you've walked the miles. you've kept your promises. and when you get home to your beautiful tree farm up in northern vermont, you've earned more than a few extra hours of sleep. but i have no doubt when you get up each morning, you'll be going, striving, finding new ways to make vermont a better place just as you have made the senate a better place for all of us. so thank you, dear friend. we love you. we love you. we're going to miss you and marcelle so very, very much.

the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: as the other senator from our small state of 630,000 people, i want to thank senator leahy on behalf of all vermonters and people throughout this country for his 48 years of service here in the united states senate. and on a personal note, obviously senator leahy and i have worked together for many, many decades. he was very helpful to me when i was mayor of the city of burlington. we worked together when i was a member of the house. and obviously we have worked together for vermont since i've been in the senate. and i think if you drive around our beautiful state -- and we want you all to visit us maybe not this weekend where there's a snowstorm, but come in the spring -- you will see many of the impacts that senator leahy

has had on our state, from literally one end of the state to the other. but it's not only the impacts he's had on vermont, it's the impacts he's had on the nation and in fact, as senator schumer said, on the entire world. as a united states senator, senator leahy has been a great chairman of the judiciary committee, dealing with some of the major issues that that committee has dealt with over the decades. been a great chairman of the agriculture committee. and now as we all know, he has done an outstanding job as chairman of the appropriations committee along with senator shelby in the -- in the middle of the night, i gather they finally finished this omnibus bill, and we thank them very much for that. as i think we have heard, senator leahy is known internationally for his efforts to ban the export and the use of

land mines. and that in fact has saved the lives of god knows how many people and prevented the maiming of many, many more. we thank senator leahy for that. we thank him for the work that he has accomplished and ending the use of these terrible weapons and also the creation of the leahy war victims fund to get relief for those harmed by these terrible weapons. beyond that, senator leahy very importantly worked to pass what has become known as the leahy law, a human rights law to prohibit the u.s. from providing equipment and training to foreign military suspected of gross human rights violations. nbltions sense, he is -- in that sebs he is standing up for the values of this country. these international accomplishments are impressive but in vermont our constituents know senator leahy for working on issues much closer to home like his support for agriculture, dairy and

organics. in 1990 as chairman of the senate agriculture committee senator leahy championed the organics food production act. at that time organics was not understood to be what it is today. but senator leahy understood that farmers in vermont and around this country deserved to have standards in place to ensure a fair playing field. and as a result of that, the organics industry has exploded. today in our rural agricultural state of vermont, as small farmers struggle to compete against corporate agriculture, organic production and organic standards have helped many stay afloat to this day in no small part thanks to senator leahy. beyond organic agriculture, vermont dairy producers have also benefited from senator leahy's efforts to enact the northeast interstate dairy compact and establish the milk

income loss compensation program. all of us from agricultural states know how important it is to maintain family-based agriculture, and senator leahy has certainly been a leader on that. just as important as his work on agricultural issues in vermont has been senator leahy's work supporting vermont's rural landscape and our beautiful environment. senator leahy fought to protect wildlife refuges across the u.s. including a wildlife refuge in vermont as well as green mountain national forest. perhaps the environmental work senator leahy is best known for in vermont is his work as a champion of our beautiful lake, lake champlain. we consider it one of the great lakes. is that right, senator leahy? through his work on the appropriations committee, senator leahy secured funding for cleaning up and protecting lake champlain and how to protect it for our kids and future generations.

throughout these last 48 years, senator leahy has had dozens of staff who worked by his side, both in vermont and washington, who have been dedicated to all of the many efforts he has championed. all of us who served in the senate know we cannot do this work alone, and senator leahy's staff deserves the sincere thanks of all of us, including all vermonters, for their hard work and dedication over these last many years. but as we have heard this morning, staff may come and go, but there has been one person by senator leahy's side every single day of his 48 years of service to vermont, and that is his wife marcelle. and i have had the privilege of knowing marcelle for many of those 48 years, and jane and i wish marcelle and pat the very best on their retirement years. much has been said today about senator leahy's time in the senate. those words cannot be said without adding the important

role that marcelle has played in his life. this year senator and marcelle celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and i can tell you that just as all vermonters know the same pat leahey, they also know marcelle, and if there's such a thing as a first lady of vermont, marcelle, that is you, and we thank you very much for all you have done for our state. so, with that, mr. president, let me once again thank senator leahy so much for his years of service to vermont and the country. we wish him and marcelle the very best in the future. mr. shelby: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. shelby: i along with many others want to thank pat leahey for a remarkable 48 years of service here in the senate. as chairman of the appropriations, judiciary, and agricultural committees, and president pro tem of the senate, i believe it's more than fair to

say that pat has had a profound impact on this institution. first elected to the senate in 1974, senator leahy has served vermont for eight terms and ranked first in seniority as we know in the u.s. senate. there are not many people in history who can say that about, as it requires a great deal of hard work, patience, and commitment. before coming to washington, senator leahy served for eight years as the state's attorney in vermont. in 1974 he was selected as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the united states. clearly, mr. president, his degree from georgetown law school has served him well over the years. senator leahy has beautifully served on the committee on appropriations for more than 40 years, and i've had the honor of serving alongside him for 28 years. we've gone back and forth, as

chairman and vice chairman in recent years. while it's never easy to relinquish the title of chairman, i would not wish to do so with anyone other than pat leahey. i'm deeply proud of that -- that senator leahy and what we've been able to accomplish together on the appropriations committee. just last night, as all of you know, we reached an agreement and filed the 2023 omnibus appropriations package containing all 12 appropriation measures. this would not have been possible, mr. president, had senator leahy not been at the table. pat has several passions outside of the senate, all of you probably know. he's an accomplished photographer and avid family man. he also has a deep appreciation for the batman movies, even garnering a few cameos on the big screen, as we know. everything senator leahy does, in my judgment, he does well.

the state of vermont has benefited from his service in the senate, and so has the nation. by no means do we agree on everything, but we respect each other and our constitutional duty a great deal. the senate will not be the same without you, pat, without your leadership, effectiveness and kindness. i will miss working together with him for the betterment of the country. i want to thank again senator leahy for his many contributions to this body, as well as to his wonderful wife, marcelle. they've built an incredible life together, and they're pillars in our senate community. my wife annette and i enjoyed their friendship over the years. we wish them every happiness in their next chapter. they've certainly earned their retirement. i yield the floor. ms. stabenow: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. ms. stabenow: thank you, mr. president. i rise today to honor, as all of

my colleagues do, someone who i've had the good fortune to work with my entire time in the united states senate, 22 years, hard for me to believe that. but senator pat leahey really is more than a friend, he really is more than a leader, as my colleagues have said. he's an institution, and it's really hard to picture the united states senate without him. i was thinking that maybe the only time we have disagreed was when he wanted to name lake champlain a great lake. it made be a big lake, it may be a beautiful lake, it is not a great lake. senator leahy has late litere our nation and world a freer and fairer place. through his leadership on the judiciary committee, senator leahy has fought, as we know, for a fair criminal justice system and a greater civil rights protections. one example is his tireless work that he spoke about, to restore

the landmark voting rights act after the horrific shelby county decision in 2013. and he hasn't limited his fight for justice to the united states. pat pat leahey is a champion fr human rights around the world, and i've had the great fortune to travel with him and see this up close. some of my fondest memories of senator leahy and marcelle when we traveled to cuba in 2013, then again in 2015, what an adventure that was. we met with cuban officials to discuss opportunities for greater cooperation, and reformers and activists who had bravely pushed back against the castro regime. and in 2019, senator leahy led a large congressional delegation, bipartisan delegation, to south korea and vietnam.

it was so incredibly moving to see the people. of vietnam honor my friend for his long legacy of leadership on landmines and the effort to clean up areas con contaminated with dioxine during the vietnam war. they actually have a plaque, there was this huge ceremony, mr. president, literally rolling out the red carpet on a military base, where they were announcing their efforts on cleanup, and a plaque that was set up primarily for senator leahy, but all of us on the trip had the good fortune of having our names on it with him as well. but the reverence shown for senator leahy was really inspiring. senator leahy is also a legend on the agriculture committee, as everyone has said. he was chairman and ranking member of the committee. his work was guided by the same

bipartisan principles that guide senator boozman and me today. we have learned from his leadership and his being a role model to us. he is the father of the organic farm bill created over 30 years ago, with i now has created a 60 billion-dollar industry, $60 billion industry. he's been a leader on conservation initiatives. he's the author of the farm-to-school program, which has been an overwhelming success, showing children that actually food doesn't come from the grocery store, that you actually plant it, harvest it, and grow it and creating so much excitement for children in school. and anyone familiar with dairy policy knows our nation's family dairy farms have had no greater champion than senator leahy. of course, you can't talk about senator leahy without mentioning his love of everything batman.

i understand he started reading batman comics as a young boy and grew up to voice a character in an animated series, and appeared in five batman movies. he looked like he was having so much fun that i decided to join him in the last one, which was filmed in michigan, and i might say his character got blown up, mr. president, mine didn't. so maybe there's a sequel. pat, we're going to miss you so much, so much. i hope you enjoy many wonderful days and years ahead with marcelle and your grandkids and your camera. thank you for a job well done. you've made vermont, our country, and our world a better place. i yield the floor.

ms. collins: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maine. ms. collins: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the following senators be permitted to complete their remarks prior to the scheduled vote -- senator collins, senator reed, senator cardin, and senator coons. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. collins: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i rise to pay tribute to a fellow new englander and a truly extraordinary senator, our friend patrick leahy. in his memoir, senator leahy said that one word came to him time and again as he prepared to announce his retirement. that word is conscience. the senate at its best, he wrote, has been the nation's conscience, a place where members keep their word and work

together for the good of our country. we heard him expound upon that today when he talked about the currency of the senate being trust. he went on to say it has been a place where the minority have not just had a seat at the table but a voice as well. it has been a place where leaders join together across party lines to protect and strengthen our precious democracy. for 48 years, mr. president, patrick leahy has been such a leader. as we celebrate the fact that he's the longest-serving current senator and the longest-serving in vermont's history, we know that this remarkable longevity is the consequence of his character.

it has been such a pleasure to learn from patrick leahy during many years, and to work with him. the legislation that we introduced in 2013 to end straw purchasing and the illegal trafficking of firearms was incorporated into the bipartisan safer communities act that was signed into law this year. we have worked together to better protect runaway and homeless youth, with legislation to help thousands of homeless young people nationwide. we stood together at the signing ceremony for the reauthorization of the violence against women act. my fellow new englander has been a champion for the northern border regional commission, which supports job creation and economic growth in the rural

areas of the northeast. as the former chairman and current member of the senate agriculture committee, pat has been such an effective advocate for our family farms. i've had the pleasure of working with senator leahy on many agricultural issues, including support for our dairy industries and vital nutrition programs. and while vermont and maine may disagree on which state produces the best maple syrup, pat has worked hard to protect an industry that is part of our region's heritage. above all, as we have heard today, pat has been a stalwart champion of human rights. he has said that the accomplishment of which he is most proud is the leahy law of

1997 that works to prevent egregious human rights violations by american allies. his determination, which we also heard about today, to end the deployment of anti-personnel landmines around the world has saved innocent lives. patrick has many talents, and he is endlessly curious. many of us have been the beneficiaries of his wonderful forced, but this -- photographs, but this shows that curiosity started at a very early age. after all, who else but a 6-year-old pat leahy would have pedaled his bicycle into the vermont governor's office simply

because the door was open and he had to see what was inside. as a photographer, he is both an artist and chronicler of history and as has also been mentioned, his recurring roles in "batman" movies suggests that this former state prosecutor has a bit of the dark knight within him. in his memoir, and again this morning, pat laments that the senate too often has descended into harper partisanship, but he has faith, as we were inspired by his remarks today that the senate can once again be what it once was. he writes, because it is the people, not rules, to give the senate its conscience.

the title of pat's memoir, "the road taken" is a twist on the famous poet robert lawrence, you have taken the road less traveled by and it has truly made the difference not just for your beloved vermont but for our nation. it has been such an honor and privilege to serve with you and to learn from you, and i wish you and your wonderful wif marcelle all the best in the years to come. thank you, mr. president. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: well, mr. president, let me start with the obvious. i've always looked up to pat leahy. but we all know and we've all heard what an extraordinary

legislator and public servant he has been for 48 years, but the most impressive and the most enduring aspect of pat leahy is that he is a gentleman of decency and dignity and selfless dedication to this nation, and in doing that he has inspired and sustained all of us who have known him, who have had that privilege. his legislation has been extraordinary. he's filled every moment of his service dedicated to helping the american people, helping those who need a chance, and helping particularly the people of vermont and globally reaching out to project from this country our best values and transform

those values into action across the globe. he helped lead the effort to correct the -- and fund the bulletproof vest act, which bears his name, which allows police to purchase bulletproof vests. he authored the innocence protection act which ensures that law enforcement officials have the dna testing tools to -- at the heart of what he's done and what he does every day is justice. he's been a champion for the second chance act which helps individuals returning from incarceration to transition successfully into society. as a chairman of the judiciary

committee, he shepherded critical reauthorization of violence against women reauthorization act. as pat commented when he arrived here, there were no women in the senate. there are, fortunately now, many of our colleagues who are women, but there is one gentleman that it's understood what this country has to do to ensure that women receive all the rights and opportunities that they deserve. as chairman of the agriculture committee, he helped new england agriculture significant, promoting small local farms, organic crops. he championed important agriculture conservation programs, including the forest legacy program. and in his own backyard, as many have said, he has done more to protect lake champlain than lake champlain. he's an extraordinary gentleman. he's translated his local

values, his concern for average people and his innate sense of justice to the international arena. he worked across the world to safeguard human rights and human dignity. he fought to enact the leahy law, which requires the united states to withhold assistance to agencies of foreign government that's violate the human rights of their own people. he's worked to repair the damage of the vietnam war, the hazardous legacy of agent orange and land mines and he has worked tirelessly to end the use and production of land mines around the world and worked to support demining operations in former war zones. he's also been at the center of efforts to improve relations with cuba, and as a new senator in 1990, it was my privilege to travel with senator leahy as one of the first trips in an effort

to engage that nation and, of course, i acted as his translator and we had an extremely successful trip. i must add. now, as the top democrat on the senate appropriations committee, chairman leahy led the effort to get us out of the budget control act, back on a path much of muce astute and smarter investment for the nation in the future and he fought to put back into congress the power of the earmark with the sense that individual senators and members of congress know just as well, in fact better, the needs of their district or state than a washington administrator. well, let me conclude with the obvious too. pat leahy's okay, but marcelle is great. i mean, there has never been a more remarkable combination of

friendship and love and commitment which is manifested every time you see them. that too inspires us all. so we will miss you, patrick and marcelle, but you have left us with so much. you've given us so much that we will carry on for you. thank you. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: when i left home this morning, mirna, i told her i was going to be speaking in regards to patrick's speech on the floor. she wanted to make sure that i expressed our deep love and appreciation to marcelle and to you, patrick, for your friendship and genuine concern. we call this the senate family, and i can tell you for the cardin family, the leahy family

is part of our family. and your deep concern about our challenges really help us get through some very difficult moments. so first, i just want to express my appreciation to the leahys for what they have meant to the cardins. it was 16 years ago when i came to the united states senate. i knew of patrick leahy from my service in the house. i knew he was an incredible leader on the judiciary committee, and i asked then-majority leader reid if i could serve on the judiciary committee because of patrick leahy's leadership. what i didn't expect as a chairman embracing a first-year member of the committee with responsibility and resources to make a difference. he brought every member of the judiciary committee into the process. he gave us an opportunity to be senators, and my first year was so rewarding because of senator leahy's confidence in each of us

contributing and giving us the resources to do that. i have sought senator leahy's advice over my 16 years in the senate with him and our friendship has grown stronger each year. senator leahy is special for many reasons. yes, the longevity, 48 years is an incredible record to serve in this crazy place to put up with this schedule and to put up with all we have to, but it is what senator leahy has done during those 48 years that makes him so special to all of us. his love and respect for our democratic institutions, his love and respect for the united states senate is the hallmark of his service. you heard him speak about that today on the floor of the united states senate. he has encouraged us to stick by our convictions and debate the issues and, yes, to disagree with each other, but to do it in

a collegial way. at the end of the day we have the results to reflect the work that we're doing. that's the patrick leahy legacy for our democracy in the united states senate. his values, we talked a great deal about that. you know a person by his values. i know what he meant in his international crew side of human rights. we -- crusades of human rights. the leahy law is important for america's foreign policy to be embraced in our values, the leahy law. i've seen it work first hand in protecting the rights of individuals. the land mine legislation we talked about frequently, which has been the model for the world. and, yes, i had a chance to travel with senator leahy to cuba, and it's amazing to be in cuba with him because he embraces america's values as making a difference by engagement, which is what senator leahy believes in. and, yes, the one thing he said,

which is not exactly accurate that he treats all states equally. i don't think any of us will ever believe that. what he's done for vermont is incredible, and we all respect that because there's so many things you've done, senator leahy, for the economy and for -- but what you've done for the environment in environment s really a model for the entire country. yes, lake champlain is a great lake, the check chesapeake bay a great water body and we have championed the efforts you is have done and it is better off due to your environmental championship. senator leahy has used every opportunity whether as chairman of the judiciary committee or president pro tempore of this distinguished body or chairman of the cultural committee or chairman of the association subcommittee dealing with

foreign policy, he has used every one of those opportunities to advance the right values. he's also an actor, as we've heard and he used that to express emotion. he's' photograph. i say that because a photograph doesn't just take pictures. a photograph looks at people and places and captures emotion. and you see in senator leahy's photography the hope for our future, his vision that we can do better in all communities around the world. he has strengthened by his service in this body in the united states senate, he leaves us with a great legacy. he has a great love for this united states senate. he has a great love for the state of vermont, and his life partner, marcelle, that incredible relationship has strengthened not only the two of

you, but all of us. you might not be surprised to learn that patrick talks frequently about his family -- all of his family -- because he finds strength in his family and that strength is shown here in the united states senate. so we say not only thank you, patrick, for what you've done but your public service will be a model that you have established that will guide us for generations to come. job well done. thank you for your service to our nation. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. coons: mr. president, on behalf of the 400 senators with whom senator chairman has served, i want to express my gratitude for what i has done for so many of his colleagues as a mentor, role model and a

friend. amy and i are so grateful to you and marcelle for the warm welcome you gave us when we arrived a dozen years ago and i will never forget our first encounter, some know when i was elected in 2010, i was nicknamed the accidental senator because i had an opponent who said something being a wawrd on television -- awkward al awkwart being a witch. and so when i've been here just a few weeks, i was summoned to the office of the judiciary committee, the president pro tempore, and as i sat there, he had a fire burning in the fire place. he thundered at me for a few minutes. i'm thinking of an object sciewrp county elected official, someone no one thought could win, someone 99th in seniority. who am i thinking about?

i shrank back in my chair and said why, mr. chairman, clearly you're thinking of me. he goes, no. me. when i first got here as a 33-year-old former county prosecutor, everyone said i was an accidentallal senator. today you call me chairman and president pro tempore. don't ever forget this moment and how it feels, your awe at this place. and every election promise me you will go find someone who is a long shot, an unexpected winner, and invest some time and effort in them. and then to make the meeting more memorable, he handed me a generous check with which to hire staff counsel for my judiciary subcommittee. patrick, i will never forget that first encounter. and it would be enough if that was the only time you showed me jeb rossty and kindness, but there are dozens more. a codel where we went to haiti, cuba and columbia. we got to go to a mountain top

and see the remarkable kogi people who are pre-colombian and witnessed to us about the impact of climate change in a moment i will never forget. you took me along with you to visit alan gross in a cuban prison. you showed me what this place can do and what an american dedicated to leading with our values can accomplish. as your successor chairing the state and foreign operations subcommittee, i am passionate about continuing your work to ban land mines and to fund the victims of war, to ensure that our commitment to clean up the legacy we left behind in vietnam is carried out, and to ensure the leahy law, one of the many things you've done that bear your name, is justifiably moved forward. in those first six amongst you gave me a chance to do a field hearing in delaware with you as a new member of the judiciary committee. and in some of these last weeks together you've shown us yet

again what it means to be committed to your state, to leave a legacy of deseb is i, kindness, persistence, thoughtfulness, and to en -- insist on a senate where senators keep their word. used an incredible staff who have been wonderful to work with. you have honored your family and your service and you have inspired a younger generation of senators to continue in the way that you led. while i know i will never cast 17,000 votes, it is only my hope that someday many years from now i can thunder at some very junior senator and share with him the story of this most seasoned and most admirable president pro tempore, my friend. thank you, patrick. thank you, marcelle. you are wonderful colleagues and friends. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the question occurs on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the khweis are 80, the face a 10, the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the senator from hawaii. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that at 2:15 the senate consider the shreve nomination and at 2:30, the senate vote on confirmation of the nomination as provided under the previous order. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schatz: as if in legislative session, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on indian affairs be

discharged from further consideration of s. 5087 and that the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 5087, a bill to amend the not invisible act 2019 and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged. the senate will proceed. mr. schatz: i ask unanimous consent that the schatz substitute amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. under the previous order, the senate stands in recess until 2:15 p.m.

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