but only at c-span do you get it straight from the source. no matter where you're from or where you stand on the issues, c-span is america's network. unfiltered, unbiased word for word. if it happens here or here or here or anywhere that matters, america is watching on c-span. powered by cable. >> and the senate about to gavel in on this wednesday morning. today lawmakers will debate and vote on a house-passed resolution to repeal a d.c. law reducing criminal penalties. they'll also consider the president's nominee to be irs commissioner. take you live now to the floor of the u.s. senate on c-span2.

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god, who alone spreads out the heavens and rules the raging of the sea, thank you for the gift of life and for the opportunity to invest in freedom. lord, infuse our senators with strength to meet the challenges of our time. remind them that humility precedes honor and that service is the litmus test of greatness.

may our lawmakers look to you throughout this day for guidance. help them to remember that they are doing your work and reward them from the reservoir of your love. we pray in your strong name. 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., march 8, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of health and human services, patrice h. kunesh of minnesota to be commissioner of the administration for native americans.

test.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the

majority leader. mr. schumer: mr. president, last night additional new evidence came to light that rupert murdoch and fox news knew donald trump lied about the 2020 election, yet they allowed the big lie to air on their network all the same. more evidence keeps pouring out that these are the undisputed facts. i've never heard of a news organization push a story with such intensity, while acknowledging very candidly behind the scenes that what they were peddling was total balderdash. in one e-mail, just revealed last night, mr. murdoch admitted sometime after january 6 that, quote, maybe sean and laura went too far, unquote, referred to

shawn han itty and laura ingraham. in another instance published in last night's "washington post," mr. murdoch speculated that after losing the election, donald trump was going, quote, increasingly mad. murdoch says donald trump is going increasingly mad. and then murdoch worried that president trump's allies plan to overturn swing state results that sounds ridiculous and could lead to, quote, riots like never before. murdoch, the head of fox news, allowing these lies to continue, worries that they could lead to riots like never before. but it's not enough for mr. murdoch to express doubt and regret in private, which is continuing to be documented, because today, after he makes these expressions of doubt and

regret and is very pejorative of his own newscasts and newscasters, the big lie still has a home at fox news, mr. murdoch's station, news network. just look at carlson's segments this week. members on the republican side of the aisle should drop the pretenses and say it plainly -- fox news lied to the country about the 2020 elections, and in doing so eroded the public's trust in american democracy. for their own sake, and for the sake of the country, mr. murdoch and fox news leadership should put a halt to the spread of the big lie on their network. this is about preserving trust in our 200-year-old system of government. when enough people believe elections are not on the level, that is the death knell of

democracy. of course, the fault also lies with the person who shared capitol security footage with fox news to begin with, speaker mccarthy. speaker mccarthy has held the gavel for less than three months, and already he has done more than any party leader in congress to enable the spread of donald trump's big lie. while the smeerk can't undo his -- the speaker can't undo his decision to share security footage with fox news, he should denounce them for the way that fox news manipulated that footage to rewrite the history of january 6. the speaker should not delay, because his decision to share sensitive security footage with fox news has made our democracy weaker, because millions, millions of people sadly believe mr. carlson when he says januare protest.

and the more people who believe that january 6 was legitimate, the more they will accept the lie that donald trump won the 2020 election. bewilderingly, bewilderingly, speaker mccarthy said yesterday that he didn't regret his decision to share capitol security footage. he said he didn't see what fox news aired, that people can make their own conclusions, then for some reason he started pointing the finger at cnn. for speaker mccarthy, not even to watch the spoiled fruits of his labor, shows a callousness and unconcern far beneath the dignity of his office. speaker mccarthy, rescue your office from that indignity by finally speaking out. if you're dealing with a burglar, speaker mccarthy, the last thing you should do is give them your house keys. if you're dealing with an arsonist, speaker mccarthy, the last thing you should do is

give them a box of matches. and if you're dealing with fox news, speaker mccarthy, the last thing you should do is give them security footage of januar. because, as we've seen, their host also lie to the american people, balledly lie, about -- baldly lie about what happened. once again, speaker mccarthy can't undo his decision to share security footage with fox, but he should at least denounce fox news for the way they have manipulated the footage to rewrite the history of january 6. now, on the budget, president biden's budget won't be released until midday tomorrow, but we can already draw a couple of big conclusions about the contrast between his vision, the democratic vision, and the republican vision for our country. the president, for instance, is willing to do what republicans are not -- lower the deficit in a realistic, responsible way,

without cutting benefits that tens of millions of people rely on. in fact, democrats have already proved it's possible, with the inflation reduction act not only saved families money, but lowered the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars. republicans like to talk about cutting the debt, but democrats are the ones actually getting it done. unlike republicans, the president is also asking the richest of the rich to pay a little more of their fair share in taxes so that tens of millions of americans will not see their medicare benefits wither away in a few years. under the president's plan, medicare would re-- would remain solvent well beyond 2050. isn't that great? medicare, which we've always worried about, so important to tens of millions of americans, would stay solvent till 2050. republicans, of course, want to go the other way. instead of cutting taxes for the middle class, their priority is tax cuts for billionaires and

large corporations. now, i have no problem with those at the very top, god bless them, they're doing just fine, but i think most americans agree that ceo's should never have a lower tax burden than nurses, teachers, cabdrivers, firefighters, police officers. if my friends on the other side want to call that outlandish or extreme, they can go right ahead, but i warn them they'll bed a odds with the vast majority of americans. -- they'll be at odds with the vast majority of americans. finally, the president's plan will build on the democrats plan, to lower the cost of prescription drugs. for the first time ever, medicare has the authority to negotiate the price of certain drugs, saving taxpayers billions of dollars. the president is right to push further, expanding the list of drugs whose prices medicare can negotiates. let's run through the list one more time. the president's plan is going to continue lowering the cost of prescription drugs. he's going to ensure medicare remains solvent beyond 2050,

without cutting a penny in eases a. going to ask the wealthy to pay pa little more of their fair share without raising taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year. and his plan will cut the deficit by $2 trillion, $2 trillion, over the next ten years. speaker mccarthy what about you? where's your plan? enough with the dodging, enough with the excuses. it's time to level with the american people so they can see the contrast between democrats american people so they can see yesterday on rail, the ntsb announced the investigation into rail safety and culture. when norfolk southern ceo alan shaw comes before the senate tomorrow, i expect him to own up to his company's spotty safety culture, particularly the increasingly apparent pattern of

negligence. because, mr. president, you don't need a full investigation to understand that when rail companies willingly neglect safety upgrades, push for looser regulations and lay off workers, they're asking for disaster. so tomorrow i want to hear from norfolk southern ceo, why they spent year lobbying for looser regulations designed to prevent accidents like this, particularly when trump was president. after seeing a record $3.3 billion in profits last year, i want to hear why norfolk southern chose to prioritize billions in stock buybacks. i also want mr. shaw to lay out precisely what steps norfolk southern is taking to prevent future disasters. how do they plan to address rail safety inspections in the future? will norfolk southern commit to having its conductors and other

rail employees undergo additional safety and response training? and if, god forbid, another accident happens, how will norfolk southern ensure communities get the resources they need to respond to accidents in these are -- respond to accidents? these are questions that mr. shaw must answer tomorrow -- how the railroad addresses say the inspections in the future, whether they'll conduct to having year conductors undergo further response training, how they will help communities if, god forbid, another accident occurs. final lay -- finally, andrew lloyd weber. today it is my honor to pay tribute to one of the world's all-time great composers, sir andrew lloyd weber. this month he will turn 75, just as his latest musical, "bad cinderella" opens at the imperial theater on broadway. and, boy, it takes your breath

away just thinking about his amazing, amissing career. listen to this. the phantom of the opera, "cat;," aveda, requestings "all done by one man. these works stand the test of time already. for those of us in new york, mr. lloyd weber has often been called the backbone of broadway. and, thank god, because new york would not be the same without broadway. it's been a hard time for the performing arts in recent year, and i was proud to work in the? the to pass save our stages, which has provided over a billion dollars to thousands of theaters, musical venues and comedy clubs and more in new york and across the country. allies like mr. lloyd weber has been outstanding to keep the arts going when times have gotten tough. so, sir andrew lloyd, we wish you a happy 75th. thank you for everything you've done. for our great city and for

culture and music in the world, and we just can't wait to see what you have in store for us next. i yield the floor.

sculpt into

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the minority leader. mr. mcconnell: there is an unforgettable, regrettable thread that's been woven throughout the whole biden president. he tries to change the subject by fearmongerring and pretending that we're in the 1950's or 1960's. remember early last year when the full impact of democrats' inflation was coming into focus, that's when president biden flew to georgia, screamed that jim crow was coming back, and our democracy was on death's doorstep and compared republicans -- listen to this -- to bull connor and jefferson

davis. compared us to bull connor and jefferson davis. well, here he goes again. last weekend down in alabama, the president suggested that the right to vote in america is under assault today, on par with bloody sunday on the edmund pettus bridge nearly 60 years ago. nobody believes this. nobody seriously believes that race relations or voting laws or any of these issues are anywhere near -- anywhere near -- where they were back in the 1960's. this is utter nonsense. president biden again referenced the republican state voting laws that he last year called jim crow 2.0 as if all of that hysteria hadn't been completely

disproven in in the meantime. last november the exact same georgia voting law that democrats call evil and racist and the deathnell for democracy, created record-high turnout, lightning-fast voting lines and a supermajority of african american voters reporting that the experience was -- listen top this -- excellent. you know the share of black voters in georgia who describe their voting experience under the new republican law as poor? i'll say that again. do you know the share of black voters in georgia who describe their voting experience under the new republican law as poor? zero. zero. president biden said this law was the second coming of segregation and zero percent of black voters said they had a

poor voting experience. ah, but here he goes again -- the same lies, the same hysteria we're back in this bizarre, bizarre twilight zone where the president of the united states periodically says these utterly absurd apock lip -- apocalyptical things with zero basis in reality. and everybody carries on like it didn't happen. well, there goes the leader of the free world shouting unhinged -- unhinged -- and false things about the end of democracy one more time. , oh, you know, just another day -- oh, you know, just another day. what else is on tv. it is utterly surreal and frankly embarrassing the president walking on stage everything every couple of

months shouting angry things and appearing confused -- confused -- about whether it is 2023 or 1963. utterly confused. and nothing happens. the world keeps turning. republicans keep passing popular, commonsense laws that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. voters of all races continue to have good voting experiences. the president, his advisors, and a few radical activists are the only people stuck -- stuck -- in this fake parallel universe. our democracy is in fine shape. no matter what a few extreme voices are shouting. it's this white house's grip on reality that is truly concerning. now, on an entirely different matter, a man stabbed to death

in a public library, a woman kidnapped and mugged in broad daylight, a construction worker assaulted by suspects who fled in a stolen car. this is just a small sampling of life in washington, d.c., in recent months. carjackings and car shets have become a daily routine, homicides are racking up at a rate of four -- four -- per week. there have been so many attacks on people riding public transportation that civilian volunteers have had to create their own patrols on metrotrains and platte to forms. we're the greatest superpower nation in history. about a this is our -- this is our capital city but local politicians have let it become a danger and an embarrassment. earlier in year local democrats

tried to respond by going even softer on crime and put being violent -- putting violent convicts back on the streets even more rapidly. well, republicans say enough is enough. enough is enough. we've brought forward a resolution here in congress that will overrule the left's effort to make it catastrophe even worse. democrats were not happy. the white house put out a formal statement opposing us. the vast majority of house democrats voted against us. but then president biden had an epiphany. he reversed himself. the public pressure was so great that the president now says he wants to sign the same republican bill that he previously announced he opposed. the headlines tell the story.

biden's about-face on d.c. crime bill shows democrats on the defensive. the democrats' flip-flop is good news for the residents of the district of columbia and the 300-plus million americans who deserve -- deserve -- to be i am an to visit their capitol in peace. our democratic friends are not getting off the hook this easily. they're not going to be able to duck the meet for the violent -- the heat for the violent crime surge for which their political movement have directly contributed. what about all the americans who live in cities and neighborhoods had all across our country? in my hometown of louisville, violent crime has become an unwelcome daily fixture. since the start of the pandemic, over 500 lives have been lost to

homicide. dozens of the victims have been children. last year a car was stolen on an average of every one, every 2.5 hours. minneapolis has seen a 19% more vandalism than at this point last year. san francisco, 18% more robberies. chicago this year's rate of car theft is already 138% higher than last year's, and st. louis, kidnappings are up 113%. over the weekend in atlanta, dozens of rioters attacked and lay siege to the site of the city's future public safety training center, public safety training center. these people lit construction equipment on fire and aimed fireworks and molotov cocktails at police officers.

23 of these radical leftists have been charged with domestic terrorism. this is what happens, this is what happens when the political left spends years, years spotlighting antilaw enforcement rhetoric. this is what happens when democrats at all levels decide we need fewer arrests, shorter sentence, and more generosity to criminals at the expense of less justice for victims and for families. this is what happens when far-left dark money flows to radical candidates for district attorneys offices and the liberal d.a. simply fail to prosecute whole sections of the criminal code. this is what happens after every single senate democrat voted on party lines against additional police funding just last year.

every democratic senator voted in lockstep against senator rubio's amendment that would have redirected some of their massive tax and spending spree to actually fund law enforcement. so, look, nobody will confuse washington democrats' last-minute reversal on this one resolution for a road to damascus moment on the crime issue. the american people are a lot smarter than that. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll.

vote:

vote: vote: vote:

vote: vote:

vote: vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 57, the nays are 35. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 61, daniel i. werfel, of the district of columbia, to be commissioner of the internal revenue. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of daniel i. werfel, of the district of columbia, to

be commissioner of internal revenue, should be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 51. the nays are 44. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department of the treasury, daniel i. werfel of the district of columbia to be commissioner of internal revenue. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session. a senator: mr. president.

the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. a senator: i move to discharge h.j. res. 26 from the committee on homeland security and governmental affairs. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. hagerty: thank you. mr. president. i move to proceed to h.j. res. 26. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the joint resolution. the clerk: h.j. res. 26 disapproving the action of the district of columbia council and approving the revised criminal code act of 2022. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: there are now up to ten hours of debate equally divided between the proponents and opponents.

mr. hagerty: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. hagerty: thank you, mr. president. i am looking forward to a robust debate today. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, mr. president. i'm so glad the senator from tennessee is on the floor with h.j. res. 26. i want to thank him for being insightful to know how important this is going to be to this congress, to this city, to this country. and so thank you for your steadfast work on this issue and we look forward to supporting your res. but we're also going to be talking a lot on the floor about this. so thank you very much. i rise today to talk about an issue that i actually came to the floor on three weeks ago, and that's just very, very relevant, especially today. and that is out-of-control crime and a disregard for law and order that unfortunately

president biden has enabled in his own backyard. under the biden administration's soft-on-crime agenda and rhetoric, washington, d.c., the capital of our beautiful country, has seen a 25% increase in crime, a 33% increase in homicides, 121% increase in sexual abuse, and 108% increase in motor vehicle theft just this year. and we're just starting. to make matters worse, in the midst of ongoing crime, the d.c. city council thought that now was an appropriate time to rewrite the criminal code instead of enforcing law and order in light of all of these statistics and supporting our police officers and making residents and visitors of the district feel safe, the d.c. council found it fitting to lessen the punishment for violent criminal offenses. hard to believe, isn't it? and emboldened those who dare to

break the law instead of heeding local calls for increased safety and policing from their residents. really doesn't get any more tone deaf than that. believe it or not, when the d.c. council originally passed their irresponsible criminal code overhaul, mayor muriel bowser vetoed the bill. the mayor of the city of d.c., claiming that, quote, this bill does not make us safer. she knows. she sees these statistics every single day and talks to her police officers every single day. well, mayor bowser, my colleagues and i could not agree with you more. it's obvious the d.c. council's legislation is the complete opposite of what is needed to control the out-of-control crime. i'm sure you've seen that in the face of an eminent bipartisan and bicameral rejection of the policy, the d.c. council attempted to withdraw their criminal code revision legislation. that is a glaring admission by

the council that they knew what they were doing is absolutely wrong. but you know what -- it's simply too little, too late. regardless of this unprecedented and potentially unlawful move, the senate is poised to reject the d.c. council's sweeping and irresponsible, quote-unquote, revised criminal code of 2022 on a bipartisan basis. we certainly saw that in the house. this vote, led by my colleague, senator hagerty, of tennessee, gives every member of the u.s. senate the chance to stand with law and order, the chance to stand with our law enforcement officers, the chance to stand with the people of our nation's capital whose call for safety has fallen on deaf ears. think of all the visitors, springtime, cherry blossom festival, this is the time everybody is coming to this beautiful, gorgeous city we're lucky to serve in. our constituents are here, many of us have families here, we're here, all the staff that work in

and around these buildings, every day, in and out of their cars and restaurants, we hope, getting that revival postcovid, and certainly we see many, many more visitors. while residents and visitors are living with what could happen, what kind of crimes can they see, there's a multitude of additional negative factors that impact a city when crime runs out of control and leaders are not held accountable. that often these issues go unseen, but they're just as impactful. factors like the education of our children. factors like the health of our residents, our d.c. residents. and the strength of the economy. according to research led by the professors at the university. illinois, and syracuse and nyu, students face decline in standardized test scores following exposure to violent crime. what's that doing to the children of d.c.? they have to face this every day. the same decline was observed for students who attend schools perceived to be unsafe or schools that lack a sense of

community. this study suggests that schools with stronger community bonds can shield students from the negative effects of neighborhood violence and directly show the disadvantages impacting our young people who are coming of age in dangerous communities. when it comes to health, research at the university of pennsylvania has linked violent crime to negative health outcomes. makes sense. finding that decreased violent crime in communities was significantly associated with the decrease in mortality rates, from cardiovascular disease or corn nary -- coronary artery disease. community areas that experienced a similar decrease in crime saw smaller improvements in cardiovascular mortality. the study also noted that the stress created by exposure to violent crime is tied to a lower intake of healthy foodsened a

high rates of -- foods and high rates of substance abuse. these aren't thinking i'm making up, but validated by the university of pennsylvania. the study noted that continued exposure to high rates of violent crime is associated with several additional health factors, like higher body mass index, even elevated blood pressure. let's look at the economics of this and crime. a study by the urban institute found that surges in violent crime, especially gun violence, reduced the growth of new retail and service businesses. we see that all over washington. you see that all over washington. you hear -- it further notes increases in violent crime slow home value value appreciation be associated with fewer jobs and lower home values. makes sense. in washington, d.c., this means surging crime leads to fewer job opportunities, fewer businesses opening, and more businesses closing.

we just saw that at union station. i think the starbucks pulled up there because of the crime issue. the economic indicators of violent crimes are obvious. walmart just announced it's closing all of its store in portland, oregon locations. the wall street just over here in d.c., on -- the wall walmr here on h street is closing as well. these come slowly after walmart's ceo warned that stores could close and prices could increase due to specifically rocketing retail crimes affecting stores across the nation. each of these aspects pile on the obvious humanitarian effects of violent crime. the destruction and loss and sorrow, and actually i think with your subject -- when you're subject to a violent crime and manage to live through it, it doesn't just affect you that day. you carry it with you the rest of your life. how each of these offenses further rips apart the delicate fabric of you're communities.

residents of our states and cities will not stand for the continuing devastation. we saw crime play a major part in chicago's maral election last week. it was also center of debate of the new york city elections in 2021. mr. president, i'm glad our nation's capital and complex -- capitol and complex are open to the public. it's great to see the halls filled and young people coming back. i've enjoyed welcoming many west virginians to the capitol. questions have been raised about the safety of the streets in washington, d.c. today's vote puts every member on record. as some of my republican colleagues highlighted last night, and continue to highlight today, we intend to stand on the right side of this issue, and we will continue to heed the calls

for increased safety that local officials in washington are attempting to ignore or reshape and protect the communities that we serve. with that, i yield the floor. mrs. hyde-smith: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from mississippi. mrs. hyde-smith: mr. president, i rise to express my support also for the resolution of disapproval of the new soft-on-crime law approved by the district of columbia city council. the resolution represents my chance to say enough is enough. today, americans feel increasingly unsafe.

it's not hard to understand why. since it has become impossible to disregard or dismiss the unraveling of law and order across the country over the past few years. whether it's the lack of law enforcement on the border, anti-police rhetoric, or weakened punishments for the violent crimes, americans know the shift away from law and order, right and wrong, is tearing all the fabric of the communities. crime is at a 25-year high across the entire country. unfortunately, my home state of mississippi is not immune from this trend. our capital, jackson, has recorded more than 100 homicides for the three-year, consecutive years. it's the same song, difference verse, in our nation's very own capital, where overall crime is up 25% since last year. in fact, washington, d.c.'s

murder rate is 34% higher today than this time last year. auto thefts are up 110% in this city. what has the response been from the democratic leadership? well, it certainly has not made public safety a priority. there's a good reason the senate is considering a resolution of disapproval against the d.c. council's revised criminal code act of 2022. with d.c.'s growing record of lawlessness, the city council voted to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences and reduce penalties for crimes like robbery, carjacking, home invasion, burglary, and more. these are violent crimes that lead victims -- leave victims traumatized, injured, or worse, dead. why is the instincts to protect the criminal to signal that the

penalties for violating the law are being eased? this law will put residents, constituents, tourists, federal workers, and elected officials directly in harm's way. rather than holding them accountable for their own actions, the d.c. council would prefer to let these violent criminals go back to the streets and commit the same violent crimes. is it any wonder washington, d.c. has a police recruitment and retention problem? at the same time, those responsible for enforcing our justice system seem more interested in carrying out justice based on politics. the biden administration's justice department, for example, appears to be laser-focused on parents at local school board meetings, pro-life americans exercising their right to protest, and spying on catholic americans while taking a nothing-to-see-here approach to

threats of violence against sitting justices of the supreme court or attacks on pregnancy centers. if things continue this way, americans will start to wonder if their safety and protection is determined by their political affiliation. mr. president, public safety should not be a political issue. it is not virtue signaling to lessen punishments for violent criminals. it is just dangerous. it's not progressive to pretend the breakdown in border security and subsequent flood of fentanyl aren't contributing to the surges in the crime and debt. it is nonsense. americans who live in the greatest nation in the world, at the very least deserve to feel safe. we deserve to live in a country of law and order. yes, it is time to say enough is

enough to the radical policies embraced by the democratic party that have only resulted in more crime, more fear, and more tragedies. i yield the floor. mr. tillis: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. tillis: i ask unanimous consent that parker done -- parker duncan, a staff assistant in my office, be granted floor privileges throughout the term of this congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tillis: i rise to express my support for the resolution we're talking about on the public safety in d.c. this code act is another example of how the far left is so out of touch they want to reduce penalties for violent crime in

d.c., while residents, federal employees, members of congress, or visiting constituents, even visiting diplomats face greater risk. there are a number of concerns i have with the crime bill that the d.c. council passed over the objections of the d.c. mayor, many ofpy have been discussed an discussed at length by my colleagues. one of the most puzzling to me, why you would reduce penalties for carjacking? d.c. city officials saw in 2019, from 2019 to 2020, the number of carjackings in d.c. more than doubled, from 152 to 300 60. they're not following trends, either. in 2021, it went up to 425. in 202 2, up to 485. despite the fact that

carjackings have more than tripled in the last four years, far-left radicals on the d.c. city council thought now was time to reduce penalties for carjacking. that's one of only several examples we can go to, that my colleagues have talked about. that tells me that the d.c. city council was blind to crime happening right in front of them, right outside their front door. the carjacking industry must have really good lobbyists here in washington. to make it worse, only a month ago president biden's office of management and budget issued a statement opposing this resolution and in support of letting radical d.c. activists on the exoinl let the bill go into -- on the exoinl let the -- on the council let the bill go into effect. president biden's u.s. attorney in washington, d.c. expressed

support for letting the radical proposal proceed. even while raising concerns about how extreme the policies were. i'm appealing directly to president biden. first, i want to thank him for agreeing to sign this resolution when we sent it to the president's desk after a successful vote. but i'm also asking the president to prove his commitment to public safety by working with my colleagues and me on commonsense, bipartisan proposals that keep communities safe. i think i have a track record of bipartisanship here that the president shul take as a good-faith -- should take as a good-faith offer. one of the bills that i filed that i'm going to file again is the protect and serve act. it creates penalties for those who assault or dill a police officer -- or kill a police officer, the brave men and women in law enforcement. we need to show our commitment to law enforcement and to law

and order in in this country, and i believe the protect and serve -- the protect and serve act will send a clear signal to friends and foes alike that we care about law enforcement, we need the thousands of law enforcement jobs that are not being filled today because law enforcement fills like at least policymakers, i don't believe the american people are working against themment. but now i also with aens to talk a little bit about how crime is getting worse. and, mr. president, i consider you a friend. you're on the other side of the aisle, but i see us having a lot in common. but, mr. president, i have toy tell you -- i have to tell you, for those of you watching this speak, my mother and maybe a few others, i think it's important to understand how campaign finance works here. both the republicans and democrats have national organizations that work on supporting candidates. i think that that's fine. here's what i don't think is fine. it's actually something that i

just made sure the sub-page is still up -- it is. i can't look at my phone and show you all. it is a violation of the senate rules. but if you google actblue and all cops are bastard, you will go to a fund-raising page on google. i know most of my democratic colleagues do not embrace that as anything that they would support or contribute to. but it's out there. if you go to their website, you are a going to see the -- you're going to see the 13.12 mile run, and they go on to explain why they specifically picked that distance. because 13. 12 translates into acab. and you know what acab translates into? all cops are bastards. all. we know that in any area where you have tens of thousands of

people, not all of them are angels, but all of them? our law enforcement folks here on capitol hill, all of them, the ones that protected us on january 6? they're raising money to convince people that all cops are bastards a. it would be interesting to see if anybody on on the city council in d.c. has actually provided a contribution. now, more recently, i think that this sort of rhetoric is at least in part what occurred in atlanta just about a week ago, where violent activists attacked a construction site for atlanta public safety training. at least 23 of the agitators were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism after conducting what the atlanta police department is calling, in quotes, a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers. now, here's

what's ironic about that. police -- i've been to several police officer training facilities, and you know what they train there? well, they train them to protect themselves and protect innocent victims, but they also train them how to de-escalate. they train them thousand take a dangerous situation and let someone who may be a criminal able to go and face justice but not die at a crime scene. they're teaching police officers to be better, and in atlanta, because of this sort of rhetoric, they're attacking the very people that we all want to see at our doorstep when we dial 911. the violent activities destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment. thankfully, no police officers were harmed. these are not your run-of-the-mill police activists. these are radicals, like the radicals who are raising money on it, who are willing to use violence to achieve their ends of abolishing the police.

this d.c. crime bill that we're going to overturn today is another step in that direction, enabling and encouraging unsafe communities at the expense of the vast majority of police officers and citizens who simply want to live in peace. it's long past time for the federal government to say, enough is enough when it comes to crime in this country. i was proud to join president trump in supporting the first step act, by the way. if you want to talk to me about criminal justice reform, if you want to talk to me about reducing sentences for nonviolent offenders, if you want to talk to me about early release, those who look like they have an opportunity to reform and get back and be active members of society, count me in. you know why? because i've already done it. i've done it at the state level and i've done it up here. that is criminal justice policy. this is dangerous.

so, mr. president, i want to thank my friend and colleague from a one-time home of mine in tennessee for moving this resolution. you should be congratulated. you've done great work, and i think you've opened the eyes of several members on the other side of the aisle here to why this is a sound bill, and i'm glad to see you carry it all the way to the president's desk and us be successful. so thank you, senator hagerty. but let's not end with this vote. go out to that website and see what we're up against. talk to your local law enforcement and talk about how many unfilled positions there are. and how morale is how low. and do your part to thank every man and woman in uniform that are their service. thank you, mr. president.

mr. thune: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican which. mr. thune: madam president, i, too, with aens to acknowledge the great work of the senator from tennessee, senator hagerty on this matter which we'll be voting this afternoon. that has to do with the issue of d.c. crime. i think he has touched a nerve in a way that i think is going to lead to a very big bipartisan outcome on this bus it is a -- because it is a recognition that the issue that he addresses with this resolution is one that the american people, i think, feel deeply about, one that is affecting our cities, both large and small, all across this country, and one independent which i think this united states -- and one in which i think this united states needs to be heard. eight men were fatalitily shot in washington, d.c. eight men on a single weekend. it was a tragic illustration of

the current crime situation in our nation's capital. homicides in washington, d.c., which had already reached heights in 2021 and 2022, are up 33% so far this year compared to this point a year ago. now, we're just 20 -- or i should say, we're just 67 days into 2023, but so far this year there have been 101 carjackings, and that's a motor vehicle theft where the victim is actually present. 66% of those involving guns. there have been a staggering 1,2 58 motor vehicle thefts to date this year. 1,258. that's an average of roughly 19 vehicle thefts every single day. 19 thefts every day. madam president, in the face of the crime surge d.c. has been

experiencing for a while now, the d.c. city council recently decided to pass legislation weakening penalties for a number of crimes. the bill the council passed late last year would reduce the maximum penalty for crimes like carjacking, robbery and firearm offenses, remove mandatory minimum sentences for all crimes except first-degree murder, clog up the court system by expanding access to trial-by-jury to individuals charged with misdemeanors, and more. madam president, later today we will be taking up legislation here in the united states senate to block the bill. congress, of course, has the legal authority to block d.c. ordinances thanks to federal legislation rooted in the constitution, which gives congress legislative jurisdiction over the seat of the u.s. government -- namely, washington, d.c.,. and it looks like today's vote will receive strong support from both parties. now, madam president, that certainly was not looking like it would have been the case a week ago.

last month the biden administration issued a statement opposing the move to block d.c.'s crime bill. when the house took up the measure, 82% of house democrats voted against blocking the d.c. bill. but last week the president changed his tune. he announced that he would not veto the attempt to block the d.c. bill. since then, senate democrats have been lining up to announce that they will vote to block d.c.'s measure. madam president, i'm pleased that democrats have recognized that weakening criminal penalties is not the way to address d.c.'s crime surge. blocking d.c.'s crime bill will be a victory for common sense and for the people of d.c. who serve a safe -- who deserve a safe city in which to live. while i'm pleased that the expected outcome of today's vote, i remain deeply concerned about how we got here in the first place. how have we gotten to the point where some people think that an

appropriate response to a surge in crime is to weaken criminal penalties? to appoint a point where -- to a point where ideology is overtaken -- overtaking common sense? part of the answer lies in the deeply troubling surge in antipolice rhetoric over the years. there's been talk of defunding our most essential public servants, the police. the characterization of our justice system is fundamentally unjust, an attitude that the answer to crime is not to try to stop it from taking place but to stop punishing criminals. the democrat party has been deeply complicit in this. one leading democrat senator and democrat presidential candidate had this to say a few years ago, and i quote -- let's just start with the hard truth about our criminal justice

system. it's racist. it is. and when i say our system, i mean all the way. i mean front to back, end quote. that from a leading democrat senator and democrat presidential candidate. and she's not the only prominent democrat who's spoken that way. many other democrats, of course, have not been that explicit, but they've tried to have it both ways, attempting to say they support the police on one hand while also accommodating the radical elements of their party that want to tear down our justice system and demonize not just a few bad police officers but a whole community of public servants who put their lives on the line for us every single day. president biden is a striking example of this. as his about-face on the d.c. crime bill makes clear, he's eager tow portray himself as a leader of law and order,

especially since a poll has shown americans are deeply concerned about crime. but at the same time he's trying to portray himself as anticrime, he is nominate being individuals to serve in his administration who have engaged in antipolice rhetoric of of the president can't have it both ways. and his attempt and democrats' attempt to do so has helped a troubling anti-law enforcement, anti-justice system narrative to gain hold in our communities. madam president, one thing i always think about when i hear anti-law enforcement rhetoric is how little attention is paid to the victim. people speak negatively about criminal penalties or over-policing, but they don't talk about the victims of violent crimes and what it's like to live in a place where you fear, where you literally fear for your safety. as d.c.'s mayor recently said, and i quote, we have to think about victims of crime as much as we think about perpetrators, end quote.

and i would argue, more. more than we think about perpetrators. but too often the focus of discussions is almost entirely on perpetrators, with little attention paid to the victims of crime or the consequences of tolerating criminal activity. as the d.c. police chief recently said of d.c.'s bill, and i quote, where's the victim in all of this? who does this actually help? is the victim being helped or is it the person who victimizes? i don't think victims win in that space and, again, that's a nonstarter for me, end quote. that, madam president, from the d.c. police chief speaking of the very bill that we're going to block today. madam president, bills like the d.c. city council's bill should be a nonstarter for everyone. and democrat politicians need to

stop accommodating the kind of ideology that will thinks reducing criminal penalties is an appropriate response to crime. i'm thankful, as i said, for the senator from tennessee's leadership and that later today we're going to vote to block legislation that would endanger d.c. residents and visitors to our nation's capital. i hope -- i sincerely hope that this vote will mark a return to common sense, as we work to battle crime in d.c. and around the country. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. hagerty: i just want to convey my thanks and deep respect to our republican whip for his thoughtful comments and to my other colleagues that have been here today to speak on this serious matter. thank you all.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota.

a senator: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: no, we are not. join --. a senator: i join my colleagues today. mr. hoeven: crimes, specifically violent crimes are at a high nationwide. connected to the rise in crime is the biden administration's open border policy which is resulting in increased drug and human trafficking. at the same time radical proposals to, quote, defund the police, end quote, are the exact opposite of what we should be doing right now, which is supporting our men and women in law enforcement. we need to do that by giving them the resources, tools and training needed to do their job and protect our communities. we must strive to protect our communities, enforce our laws, support our men and women in blue and keep criminals off the street. our nation's capital is unfortunately a prime example of

the problem that we're having with crime right now in our cities. crime's up 25% since march of 2022. in that same time frame, homicides are up 35%, and motor vehicle theft is up 110%. as the center of our government and symbol of our country, this is simply unacceptable. and instead of working to protect our nation's capital and all of our constituents who visit here -- and there's many of them here today -- the d.c. council has voted to ease violent crime penalties. last fall the d.c. council passed the revised criminal code act which greatly weakens the criminal justice system here in the district of columbia. this bill is so problematic that the mayor of d.c. vetoed the bill, stating that it, quote, does not make us safe, end quote. d.c.'s law enforcement community is also deeply alarmed by the

bill, raising concerns of overwhelming the court system and exploding the already high violent crime rate here in the district of columbia. we must get serious about protecting safety and addressing the nationwide rise in crime by supporting our law enforcement and ensuring they have the resources and training they need to protect our communities. that is why i helped introduce the resolution of disapproval to prevent such a reckless rewrite of the d.c. criminal code from taking effect, and i thank the good senator from tennessee for taking a lead in this very, very important matter. as legislators, we should focus on keeping criminals off our streets instead of attempting to weaken sentences for violent crimes and criminals. let's get back to the basics and support our law enforcement, ensure they have the tools they need to keep our communities safe. again, we have people visiting here from all over the country. this isn't just the district of

columbia where people live like another city. this is our nation's capital. people come here from all over the country. they should feel safe. they should feel safe in our nation's capital. with that, madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: madam president, crime is surging across this nation. murder rates have risen over the last three years. carjackings are rising, robberies are rising. today i want to discuss the resolution disapproving of the d.c. city council's decision to eliminate mandatory minimums and to reduce maximum sentences for

violent crimes, including robbery, carjacking, and burglary. the d.c. city council made this decision to lower penalties late last year despite the fact that crime has been skyrocketing in this city. in the past 12 months overall crime is up 25% in d.c. car theft has increased 110% in d.c. and homicide have increased 30%. who in their right mind looks to those rising crime rates and says the answer is to lower the penalties for violent crime? and d.c.'s spike in crime is hardly confined to the last 12 months. in 2021, the number of murders in d.c. was the highest it's

been since 2003. the mayor of d.c., a democrat, vetoed the city council's decision to rewrite the criminal code saying, quote, any time there's a policy that reduces penalties, i think it sends the wrong message. unfortunately the democrats on the city council in d.c. overrode her veto. time and time again we've seen democrats in major cities reducing penalties for crime, and we've seen as a result crime spiking. we've seen this in san francisco. we've seen this in los angeles. we've seen this in portland. we've seen this in boston. we've seen this in philadelphia. we've seen this in new york. we've seen this in st. louis. we've seen this in chicago. crime is spiking in d.c., and it is incredibly harmful to the

men and women and children who live in d.c. to be lowering the penalties for violent crime. that's why i'm proud to support the resolution to disapprove of the d.c. city council's decision, and i thank my friend from tennessee for his leadership in bringing this resolution. this has already passed the house, and i believe it will pass the senate as well. and despite being soft on crime his entire presidency, president biden has said he will sign it if it passes the senate. now that's remarkable given biden's record on crime. that's remarkable given that biden has nominated not one, not two, but three of the leading advocates of abolishing the police to senior positions of the department of justice. and i'm sorry to say every democrat in this chamber voted to confirm not one, not two,

but all three of those advocates of abolishing the police to senior positions in the department of justice. one of those was a george soros-backed prosecutor in massachusetts who, like the d.c. city council, put out a list of crimes that she would not allow her prosecutors to prosecute, endangering the citizens she was charged to protect. what was her reward for refusing to prosecute violent criminals? president biden nominated her to be the u.s. attorney for the commonwealth of massachusetts, and every single democrat voted to confirm her as the u.s. attorney, the chief federal prosecutor in the commonwealth of massachusetts. now, once president biden said he would sign this bill, the political pressure it has put on

the d.c. city council has had enormous impact. this week the council tried to withdraw the legislation. never mind, was their response. but simply withdrawing a bill doesn't permanently get rid of it under the home rule act, which allows congress to review legislation that comes out of the d.c. city council. to permanently stop the d.c. council's harmful bill, congress should proceed and pass the resolution of disapproval, and president biden should follow through on his commitment to sign it. a recent poll found that 77% of americans believe that violent crime is a major problem. democrats, tragically, have been soft on crime for years, and crime has surged as a result. at the end of the day it's not complicated. if you let violent criminals go, they commit more and more

violent crimes. we have seen patterns all over the country of mass murders carried out by violent criminals who democrat d.a.'s have let out of jail only to see them turn around and commit more violent crimes. congress right now has an opportunity to come together and to speak in a bipartisan way and to say enough is enough is enough. stop letting violent criminals out of jail. let's protect our citizens. let's do our job. i urge every senator, republican and democrat, to support this resolution. and i yield the floor.

test.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. madama mr. marshall: i rise to overturn the recent law passed by the d.c. council. i was pleased to join senator hagerty of the bill he introduced in february. americathe capitol was establisd under the united states constitution in order to host the federal government. separate from the authority of any one single state. founded in 1790, tt city has grown immensely and with a population of nearly 700,000, it is one of the largest cities in

the region. in addition to the residents of the city and those who couple ce from maryland and virginia, washington, d.c., hosts nearly 20 million visitors on an annual basis. as americans from all 50 states, including my home of kansas, come to the seed of their government to meet with elected officials and visit the national mall, memorials and museums their tax dollars go to maintaining them every year. as the capitol city expanded so have the politicians who serve as members of the consle has gone full tilt to giving the keys to the criminals and vague rants. this -- vague rents -- we learnd

yesterday two of the four americans kidnapped by the cartel were brutally murdered. that this was a product of efforts to defund the police. in d.c. this has come in the form of major cuts to the city's police department. in 2020 there was a $15 million cut to their own police force. $15 million. since then, the number of sworn officers has decreased steadily year over year and predictably crime has been running rampant ever since. in 2021 over 200 200 homicides e committed, the most since 2003. in 2022, d.c. topped topped itsk again. crime is up 25% from this time last year, murders are up 33%, sexual abuse crimes are up 22%

and motor vehicle thefts are up 108%. shockingly, despite the numbers, the d.c. council moved to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences and reduce maximum penalties for these crimes. thankfully, the same constitution that established the capitol city gave congress the authority over the district. while i'm a supporter of local control, republicans in congress have taken an important stand to not stand by and watch the radical d.c. council inflaming the crime wave. i'm afraid for my wife to walk from our own apartment to the capitol. i'm worried about my staff walking home. this past christmas i gave every woman on my staff a special device to defend herself should

she be attacked. we see this every day in the city. we see the crime everywhere we go. this city is no longer safe. the city no longer belongs to the people. the city now belongs to the criminals. i know the democrats did not get the memo from the president in time that he would sign our legislation into law overturning the d.c. council's overhaul. i'm glad that -- victimizing the residents and visitors of the city to return the district of columbia back to the murder capitol of america. this is a politically motivated move to protect it their reelection changes. lawlessness runs deep in the democratic party and we need to turn back the harm in our cities and at our southern border. i yield back.

the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. a senator: madam president. can you hear me. the center from nebraska, you're recognized. a ricketts mr. ricketts: some may wonder why the congress has a say in the d.c. criminal code. mr. ricketts: and the reason goes back to the founding documents for our country. d.c.'s very existence is in our

constitution which calls for the district to be the seat for the government of the united states. while d.c. is a place where people live and work, it belongs to the entire nation. citizens from all across this country come here. students, for example, to learn about american history. in fact, i was meeting with students earlier today. citizens come here to interact with their elected officials. we're here today because the d.c. city council is trying to make this district, this constitutionally mandate seat of government a less safe place to be able to come and live, work and conduct business. in rewriting the d.c. criminal code, d.c. is trying to make things such as first-degree murder, carjackings, robberies, home invasions, car car jackings

reduced for all of to those cri. for the first time in a couple of decades, d.c. has seen two years of 200 or more homicides. last year, or the last five years, carjackings have increased every year. in the first 67 days of this year, reported carjackings have been at 100. crime year over year in d.c. is up 200%, and the d.c. police chief said when they arrest a homicide suspect, they say that person has been arrested seven times previously. there are smart ways to think of criminal reform. that's what we did in nebraska back in 2015. but reducing the penalties is not the approach.

the city of d.c. should look at what omaha, nebraska, has done and how they used community engagement to reduce homicides. they reduced homicides in each of the last two years. this is common sense. we need to stand with law enforcement and respect their work to put criminals behind bars. we need to stand with the law-abiding victims and get them the justice they deserve. and we need to make sure the government is fulfilling its obligation to keep people safe. that's exactly what we've done in nebraska. we've rejected the woke politics of the soft on crime policies that reduce penalties. and in nebraska, we backed the blue. we stand with law enforcement officers as they work to identify, investigate, and arrest criminals. as the seat of government, d.c.'s crime is a threat to all americans and to nebraskans.

which is why the house and senate have an obligation to act. i'm grateful to my esteemed colleague from the great state of tennessee for introducing this resolution, and for his leadership on this issue, and i urge all my colleagues to vote in favor of this as well. thank you, madam president. i yield back. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. a senator: i understand that this was the first opportunity for my colleague from nebraska to speak before the senate. i commend him and thank him for supporting my legislation today. mr. hagerty: thank you. i yield back.

mr. hagerty: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. hagerty: just to set the stage before a few more of my colleagues come to speak on this resolution, just moments ago over at union station where there's a protest going on right now, protesting our actions here. people protesting in favor of this soft-on-crime position that the d.c. council has taken. those protesters just witnessed an attempted carjacking. the assailant who was attempting in

n mandatory minimums for at least the last decade. the new d.c. law would also

reduce maximum sentences for violent criminals, like car jackers. for some gun charges, the maximum sentence would go from 15 years down to less than five. the new crime law in the district of columbia would mean more violent criminals free to roam the streets of our nation's capital and prey on innocent people. even the liberal "washington post" has said that the bill that passed the d.c. city council is a bad idea. carjackings already are a major problem in washington. we're seeing it in liberal cities all across the nation. carjackings in d.c. have tripled since 2019, and we just heard on the floor of the senate today that a carjacking has recently taken place right down the street from the capitol building. that's today. under the new criminal code, the maximum sentence for armed carjacking would be cut almost

in half. why would the d.c. city council reward the criminals, the criminals who are creating this chaos in our nation's capital? these criminals and the liberal d.c. city councilmembers are driving away tourists from my home state of wyoming who want to see their nation's capital. it's a part of education for so many young people. democrats in the house got behind the d.c. soft-on-crime policies when over 170 democrats in the house voted to protect the criminals, not the citizens. so joe biden is now trying to hide his soft on crime record. he just announced that he will now support our republican position. this resolution we will soon be voting on will be a victory for every american who wants to feel safe when they visit their nation's capital.

but washington, d.c. is just one city. shouldn't stop here. democrats' soft-on-crime policies remain in effect in liberal-led cities all across america. democrat lawmakers, and especially democrat mayors, need to take notice of this action by the united states senate today. it is time to start enforcing the law. it's time to get rid of prosecutors who are weak and prosecutors who are woke. they are not helping our country. we need to stand with law enforcement. we need to ensure police officers have the resources that they need to protect our communities. the american people overwhelmingly reject the soft-on-crime policies of democrats in washington. america is based on the rule of law. lawlessness should have no place

in this nation. it's time to stop the crime. time to stop the chaos. chaos that we're seeing in cities all across our country. republicans are united by solutions, solutions to make american communities safer. that is what this body is going to vote on today, to improve the security and the safety of those in our nation's capital. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. i'm so pleased to come to the floor today in support of senator hagerty's legislation. it is so appropriate that we take this up, and i look forward to supporting the legislation as we vote later today, and seeing this move to passage, seeing

this become law and seeing this add to protection for the citizens that live here in d.c. over the past few years, our nation has certainly witnessed a devastating increase in violent crime. compared to mid 2019, america's largest sit jis have experienced a -- largest cities have experienced a 50% increase in homicides and 36% increase in aggravated assaults. it's unimaginable that, given the rise in violence in this country, the elected officials of the d.c. city council think it's a good idea to reduce the amount of jail time for violent and deadly crimes. this includes carjackings, and senator hagerty referenced one that was taking place in front of the protestors that were out

there because they oppose this bill. now, these crimes are rampant here in our nation's capital. in fact, as of this morning the metropolitan police department tells us that motor vehicles theft is up more than 100% compared to last year. homicides are up 33%. and if you look at the direction those stats have gone over the past ten years, it is not encouraging. incidences of sex abuse up 120%. property crime up 30%. you don't have to live in the district to know that something has taken hold here, and reducing penalties for terrorizing innocent civilians is not the way to break free. citizens should not feel unsafe in their communities, no matter where they live.

today's vote is about protecting the people from this failed leadership, but it's also about holding the d.c. city council accountable for prioritizing a cynical political mann -- maneuver over the safety of the very people they represent. this body has made a name for itself. this d.c. city council, this legislative body for the district of columbia. they have made a name for themselves, because they've been cherry-picking. they have cherry-picked some violations and have chosen to impose some truly ridiculous restrictions on what district residents can and cannot do. they don't deserve the benefit of the doubt here.

right now the council is ready to retreat, but it would be a darrell ex -- dereliction of our duty as senators to allow them to do that. that's why we are supporting senator hagerty in his resolution of disapproval and in his work to stop this foolishness from the d.c. council. we also have a duty to update and improve existing laws to combat criminals as their tactics evolve. earlier this year, i introduced the report act, which will go a long way in helping law enforcement tackle child exploitation online. the past few years of hearings with the consumer protection subcommittee have made it clear that we need to modernize our child safety laws. the explosion of social media and the expansion of underage

users is making these children vulnerable to predators, and law enforcement simply cannot keep up with what's happening online, while they're out trying also to find the burglaries, the robberies, the carjackings. once the senate passes the report act, online platforms are going to be required to report all child sexual abuse material found on their sites to the national center for missing and exploited children's cyber tip line. current law makes that step voluntary. but that standard is not working. we have to change it, and we have to make violating that new standard really hurt. the bill significantly increases fines imposed on platforms that refuse to do this bare minimum.

it also requires platforms to report child sex trafficking and enticement crimes. current law imposes no obligation, none, zero, on platforms to report those materials, which means that most of these crimes are, unfortunately, going undetected. the last two pieces of the bill will help law enforcement and advocates work together to bring down predators. it includes my end child exploitation act, which extends the retention period for possession of abusive material to one year. this will ensure that law enforcement has enough time to access the evidence held by these companies and then prosecute the offenders. it also makes it clear that the vendors working with minors and parents who report to the cyber tip line won't be held liable

for possessing child sexual abuse material. i'm so pleased that so many of my colleagues have come to the floor today to talk about the rise in crime. the backlash against the d.c. crime bill highlights the fundamental difference between the left's priorities and the priorities of the american people. anyone, anybody with a bit of common sense would look at the d.c. city council's proposal and ask why would they even consider sending such a weak-on-crime message? it is an invitation to criminals to come and carry out their crimes. it's time for the left to revisit their priorities and start paying attention to what the crime stats are telling them. the status quo isn't working but

surrendering violence, lawlessness, despair isn't the answer either. on the federal level, my democratic colleagues need to support federal, state, and local law enforcement and demand that this president nominate experienced judges. here in the senate, we can help by making sure that police departments are able to hire, train, and equip officers with tools that they need to do their job. last congress, senator hagerty and i introduced the restoring law and order act, which would have repurposed the billions of dollars the democrats handed to the irs and use that money to support law enforcement and eliminate the rape kit backlog. we can also modernize existing laws that are no longer working. i welcome my democratic colleagues to come talk with me about how the report act will help catch child predators who

are taking advantage of new technology to find their victims. i encourage them to join senator hagerty and i in the restoring law and order, and i encourage each of them to stand today with senator hagerty, vote for his resolution, and take a stand against the warped priorities of the d.c. city council. i yield the floor. mr. lee: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: madam president, washington, d.c., is our nation's capital. there is perhaps no city in america more capable of demonstrating the idea of the united states as a melting pot than is the district of columbia. here you find people from every walk of life. it's the seat of our national government where people from across the country come to work, seek an education, engage with history, and witness what goes

on here, take a look at our nation's monuments and historical venues that can be found here. washington, d.c.,, in short, belongs to all americans. tragically, a visible increase in crime has plagued d.c. it's backed by numbers, felt by residents, and seen by millions of visitors. since march of last year, crime in being d. is is up 25% -- crime in d.c. is up 25%. homicides are up 30%, and motor vehicle theft is up 110%. 110%, madam president. despite being in the midst of a crime wave, the d.c. city council passed a bill that reduced criminal penalties for violent crimes, including homicide, robbery, and carjacking. now, what message does that send?

it is such poor logic that mayor bowser opposed the bill, admitting, quote that this bill doesn't make us safer. and she's absolutely right. it doesn't make us safer. and yet the d.c. city council chose to override her veto and force this through to make it the law of the land, even though it doesn't make us safer. it makes things much, much worse. it makes things worse in many of the same ways that d.c. residents are already suffering. when the d.c. city council is to the left of mayor bowser, we have a serious problem. when carjackings are up 110%, this shouldn't be a partisan issue. even president biden telegraphed in a recent tweet that, quote, i don't support some of the changes d.c. council put forward

over the mayor's objections, such as lower penalties for carjackings. if the senate votes to overturn what d.c. council did, i'll sign it. president biden is right. now is not the time to get soft on crime. and this is, by the way, a good time to demonstrate that this is not or should not be a partisan issue. how fitting is it that this bill, once it's passed by the senate, is expected to be the first piece of legislation signed into law by president biden during this congress? it's also fitting that the house sponsor of this bill is none other than second-term congressman andrew clyde, a republican and a member of the house freedom caucus. he house freedom caucusable to and president biden, it's doing

something right. now, it's not often that i find myself in the company of president biden and mayor bowser. we've already seen this play out with the campaign to defund the police. cities with this disposition quickly discovered that lawlessness begets anarchist since the campaign began, crime has skyrocketed and police resignations have soared. what started as a series of calls for justice, culminated in a 25-year high in the national crime rate. let's not make the same mistake twice. not here, not now. we can't afford to make such a mistake. voting for this resolution presents an opportunity for my democratic colleagues to make a

distinction. will you join us in a bipartisan recognition that we cannot endanger the lives of d.c. residents by allowing this soft-on-crime bill to go into effect or will you stand with the d.c. city council and put politics above public safety? i emphatically support senator hagerty's resolution of disapproval because the residents and visitors of this city have a reasonable expectation of safety. i encourage my friends across the aisle to support this commonsense resolution and send a message that the democratic party is not beholden to its fringes, particularly where, as here, its fringes would lead to increased crime rate and additional unnecessary suffering. thank you, madam president.

mr. hagerty: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mr. hagerty: thank you. i would just like to say thank you to all of my colleagues today who've joined me. senator lee, thank you for your thoughtful remarks. i'm looking forward to a very robust showing this evening as we vote on my resolution. thank you. i yield the floor.

mr. booker: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: i appreciate the recognition more than you now. i'd like to ask that douglas miller be granted privileges, specifically is floor privileges, for the remainder of the 118th congress. i appreciate that a i think you said without objection. the presiding officer: oh, yeah. without objection. mr. booker: nobody can silence the presiding officer. i'm surprised they turned off your mike. i think we should file a formal complaint about that. madam president, i have one more issue, if i may be recognized. thank you very much. i have 16 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they actually have approval in a bipartisan fashion from the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. booker: thank you, very much.

: commissioner of the internal

revenue is senator carter and express my gratitude to the clearing my and one president by his decision is in my family need is one really is a through every step of my

life, my life test, my sean in raleigh is a young age is on serving others is on her grandfather, who, a social worker who helped place people with disabilities into gainful employment. i see that honor in my anything who has spent 25 years working asa psychologist . examples inspired to pursue a career in public service. i'll try that is not at the office of management and budget my first day of work in the 1990s. even more pride 13 years later when i last confirmation hearing is the nominee for comptroller. while asked and the hazards under nine doctors, and this

experience reinforced the importance of having a true north for how to best serve and evil. as omb is public trust. public trust requires transparency, collaboration with the adherence to the rule of law, surgical taxpayer dollars, liquidity and fairness. in 2013 with these lessons now part of my professional dna i was selected to serve as acting commissioner of the eye and i is the variation in terms of the irs symbols ceis. since leaving i must of our >> tt

this -- in this case even president biden got

skittish about the political price they pay for being this weak on crime, so they broke ranks and headed for the hills. when house republicans voted to disapprove washington's soft-on-crime bill, 31 democrats voted with them. i suspect something similar will play out later here today. president biden says he'll sign the resolution of disapproval once it passes because -- and these are his words -- i don't support some of the changes the d.c. council put forward over the mayor's objections, such as lowering penalties for carjack ings. those are the president's words. so i welcome the democrats' rebuke of the washington, d.c., city council. i hope it's more than a passing moment of sanity, but i do have my doubts. so let's put their new tough-on- crime attitude to the test. it's really not enough to stop carjackings just here in washington, d.c. because carjacking is not a washington, d.c. disproblem alone.

many citizens are suffering from carjacking crime waves as well just as they're suffering from increases in the murder rate and in other terrible crimes. according to a recent report, carjackings rose an astonishing 29% in seven major cities between 2020 and 2022. why the increase? well, one reason is the first step act, a soft-on-crime bill that congress passed in the final days of 2018. that bill let criminals out of jail early for even serious violent offenses, like child molestation, bank robbery, assaulting a police officer, and yes, carjacking. the first step act wasn't the only effort to coddle violent criminals, but it is an egregious law that made clear too many of our elected officials no longer take serious

crime seriously. the first step act increased by about 15% the amount of time that federal criminals, even carjackers, can get off their sentences for so-called good behavior. this is in addition to the extensive sentencing reductions in internal release -- early release programs for other crimes in the bill. the result is that if a carjacker say got six years in prison, he could be back on the street to offend again in as few as five years. it's time to rectify this mistake and keep carjackers behind bars. that why i'm offering my bill the no early release for carjackers act. the bill is as simple as its title. if you go to jail for violently hijacking someone's car you should serve your time sentence, not time off for good behavior. if president biden and congressional democrats are really committed to getting tough on carjackers not just

here in washington, d.c., where they drive around a lot, they should support this effort. i know that some defenders of the first step act will say, yes, carjackers should get out of jail early for good behavior. these criminals will, after all, get out of jail one day, or so the argument goes. so shouldn't we rehabilitate them by rewarding them and encouraging their good behavior? to which i answer, sure, we can reward good behavior for carjackers in prison. we can encourage good behavior. but we shouldn't reward it in a way that endangers the public. and letting dangerous criminals out of jail early endangers the public. but the members of this -- if the members of this senate are truly concerned with rewarding good behavior, we can offer well-based inmates other incentives, greater access to prison phones or transfers to other facilities. carjackers will remain eligible for other incentive programs

that are so beloved by the soft-on-crime set like gardening classes or whatever else liberals think will turn supposedly hardened criminals into model citizens. but there's simply no good reason to release dangerous criminals from prison early, especially not in the middle of a violent carjacking crime wave. crime is a policy choice, and the choice is simple. if we put criminals behind bars, crime goes down. if we let criminals run amok, crime goes up. we've seen the consequences of letting carjackers run amok. now we have a choice to fix that terrible mistake. and, therefore, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. res. 713, which is at the desk. i further ask that the bill be considered and read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. durbin: reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois. mr. durbin: madam president, last year as chairman of the senate judiciary committee, i convened a bipartisan hearing on carjacking. it was the first ever judiciary committee hearing on the subject. we heard from experts in law enforcement and the automobile industry, and since then i've been working with senator chuck grassley, republican from iowa, on a bill that we're going to introduce soon on the subject. the senator from arkansas is a member of the judiciary committee. he did not attend our hearing, and he's never raised this issue with me. in fact, he introduced the bill we're considering at this moment yesterday. why now? well, he's very open in what he said on the floor and what he said in his press release. later this afternoon there will be a vote on the d.c. criminal code. one of the issues is carjacking. he's trying to hitch a ride on

this train in terms of the discussion of the penalties for crime. it's no coincidence, senator cotton has brought this bill to the floor because today we are voting on that resolution. the opponents of the resolution have focused on the bill's new sentence for carjacking, reducing the penalty from 40 years to 24, and ignored the fact that the resolution increases sentences for a host of other violent offenses, and goes after crime guns, a source of gun crimes in many cities, including washington and those i represent. don't take my word for it, the senator's own press release explicitly links his new bill to today's vote. the senator knows this bill is not going to pass today. he wants a democrat to object so he can falsely claim we don't care about carjacking. the reality is that the senator's bill would not help prevent carjacking and it would make our federal prisons less safe.

let me explain. the senator from arkansas' bill is called no early release for carjackers act. catchy title. but it fails to recognize one basic fact. carjackers cannot get early release from federal system. like every other federal sentence that's measured in years, carjacking sentences have a full-term release state and a good conduct release state. if you go to federal prison, you earn 54 days a year of good conduct credit if you follow the rules. if you break the rules, they take away your good conduct time. that has been the standard in the sentencing reform act of 1984 which abolished federal parole. every federal judge knows about good conduct time when they impose a sentence. earning good conduct time isn't getting released early. it's getting released when you really expected to so long as you behave and follow the rules.

i made it a point of visiting prisons regularly as a member of congress and a member of the united states senate. i commend it to all of my colleagues. we spent a lot of time talking about criminal sentencing and criminals themselves, and very little time actually visiting prisons to see what life is like behind bars. it's an educational experience. and i can tell you one thing you'll come to realize right off the bat. it is a dangerous place. the men and women who are corrections officers in the federal system literally risk their lives every single day to keep those incarcerated who have been sentenced by the courts. they ask us for very little, enough people to do the job right, safety in the workplace, and those few incentives that make it possible for them to have a decent day at work and go home alive at the end of the day. one of those things is good conduct. if they can incentivize prisoners not to beat up other prisoners or the corrections

officers themselves with the promise of good conduct reductions in their sentences, that's a very important thing to do. we want these men and women, these law enforcement professionals to have the respect and to also have the law on their side. there are no federal offenses that disqualify you from good conduct time, not a single one. and for good reason. good conduct time is an incentive to follow the rules in prison. that's what we want people who have broken the law to do while they're in prison. learn to follow the rules. the threat of losing good conduct time is also a deterrent against breaking the rules. that helps prevent violence in prison, protects correction officerses and protects the other incarcerated people. it is a critical tool to maintain order. that's why we don't disqualify anyone from good conduct time based on their offense of conviction. this -- this bill would be the ver