>> buckeye broadband supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> the senate getting ready to gavel in on this thursday morning. today lawmakers will vote on the president's nominee for irs commissioner and consider more judicial nominations for u.s. district courts. we take you live now to the floor of the u.s. senate on c-span2. the president pro tempore: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer.

the chaplain: let us pray. almighty god, our rock and fortress, you put the mountains in place and bring silence to roaring waves. we celebrate and sing because you are always with us. you are a strong tower where we find safety. strengthen our faith and forgive us when we doubt your power and providence. thank you for this great land and for the many freedoms we sometimes take for granted. lord, we appreciate your faithfulness and your mercies

that are new each day. today, lead our lawmakers so that your name will be honored. and lord, bless senator mcconnell with a speedy recovery. we pray in your marvelous name. amen. the president pro tempore: please join me in the pledge of allegiance. 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 president pro tempore: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved.

>> this can it is the actions of individuals in your organization, does degrade the public trust and ultimately for them at risk and is congress than his but them at risk, is your organization, these abuses did not happen, somewhere else, inhabited, underneath the leadership of an individuals that are represented come i hade table of that in front of us and some sandbar for the first up and running back this trust, is in the ability there is in fact, problem and they be explained, it is unintentional, and stock mistakes and misunderstandings and it is a problem, that we are

requiring corporation, with clear and open minds. we cannot undertake a clean reauthorization a seven oh two without an acknowledgment, the problem. a concerted effort to gain trust and commitment to, to working with congress, toward any more forms and of the day remember, of this committee is committed, to pursue the renewal of seven those who come up and understand that it is importance of the work that it accomplishes for the national security. >> thank you and thank you to each of our witnesses for appearing today we are grateful for the important work that the intelligence community, reports does every day for her nation and annual worldwide threats open hearing is a unique opportunity for the public to hear directly from intelligence community leaders of about that lays assessments of the mouse doesn't national security threats facing the united states is important for the market people to understand the variety of nationstates and non- nation state actors of remains or is

concerned tour intelligence agency with national security of the united states is threatening behavior, doors the united states south korean islands of the high clip even as a missile programs makes rapid progress in iran's midline critically malign in a threatening behavior, and the region enters the united states, frightens us in the region, are always in the region, i fear that iran's nuclear program has been to a point that we would have little warning if they decided to produce move on to the weaponization's of that uranium. ahead of course russia remains essential threats, when you're into putin's brutal invasion of ukraine. last year chairman turner nine had the opportunity to visit khiv dc first have the courage of ukrainian people were defending their homeland. the assistance and support they provided along with are always frustrated putin's ambitions, but we have clearly a long way to go and some thinking to do about how to make sure that conflict is not continue the

meatgrinder that it is. and la's me to china which is the central i believe of a strategic challenge we face in the world, when marked by a complicated and interdependent economic relationship. last week we lingering with leadership pomposity and policy community at us recently on foreign relations observed bone might characterize with china physical draw technologies with a soviet loan union and they was not integrated into the global economy for all over decoupling unite season shiny china set a new record 2022 between a country totaling $700 billion and china currently holds close to a trillion dollars united states debt pretty soon we responded to increase the aggressive militaristic chinese to world affairs, clearly expires his authoritarian approach to governance,

including a tools that enable the regime to restrict the speech and surveilled their people, how well that we know chinese thinking, and intentions, lines, weaknesses of the policy makers navigate, this difficult path that will be essential test for the intelligence community at a world in technology which i've talked to all of you about, since overtimes of the manhattan project nothing 1940s, rid of the clear technological, leader of asian is happening elsewhere, have course elevation happening in rapid clip in china we no longer live in the rf planes and tanks battleship summa technology to make means artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biosynthesis another those are areas which we wanted to be even a fast follower, we want to be at the point of this innovation on these things, hitting her with the chairman 702 people here today they understand 702 authorities must be

preauthorized, 702 unlike, the section 215 metadata collection program, is a 24/7, day by day essential tool to keeping this country safe of the chairman is not wrong, the congress live a long way to go to educating the congress on precisely with those authorities are pretty that of a note many of the abuses, the chairman made reference to, misbehavior, hundred 702 put under other pfizer authorities i note that just because we've a long way to go in educating the congress and the united states the people united states about exactly what it is were talk about and you have a long way to go to validate my statement that this is a 24/7 day by day essential tool giving the american people safe and so public forwards or conversations occur in the chairman's view that we are committed to pursuing the important work that this community and bipartisan thoughtful constructive way and welcome you again to testimonies here today.

>> we now turn to haines director of national intelligence fizzing the opening statement on behalf of the panel welcome and thank you for your leadership. >> thank you very much, chairman turner hundred turn and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here today, alongside my wonderful colleagues and on behalf of extraordinary public servants we leading the intelligence community the annual threats assessment before i started my just one publicly thank the men and women of the intelligence community, whose work will present today, from the doctor to the analyst everybody between, made it possible for us to bring you annual threat assessment and helps this work will help keep. our country safe and prosperous thank you. this year's assessment i was a during the coming year united states allies will face an international security environment is dominated by strategic challenges that intersect with each other and existing trends princes find

international security implications and first, great powers, arising regional powers and involving a way of nonstate actors and vying for influence, in fact in the international system including over the standards and rules that will shape the global order for decades to come. other next few years some of the critical in this tragic competition with china and russia, identifies particular governor held the world will evolve and whether the rise of authoritarianism can be checked reversed. hello will be staying ahead of manage this competition, will be fundamental to our success in navigating everything else. in the second challenges the transcendent, the borders including climate change and human and health securities, and economic these made worse by energy and security puzzles russia's unprovoked and legal invasion of ukraine are converging it out as it emerges from the covid-19 endemic about the same time, is great powers are challenging, long-standing

norms for transnational cooperation and further compounding and the impact the rapidly emerging technologies, ranking member heinz noted their having a government and business in society intelligence around the world, given the background of the people's republic of china which is increasingly challenging united states economically, technologically, politically, militarily around the world, remains are unparalleled priority and chinese communist party under president xi jinping will make try to the preeminent power, these asia, and a major power on the world stage. the ccp is increasingly convinced they can only help xi jinping efficient at the expense of u.s. power and influence, using or donating all of government tools, to demonstrate strength and compel pavers to his preferences, letting his land see in place in the region and the assertions of sovereignty over taiwan. last october president xi

jinping third five year term as tight as leader of the 20th ready congress as we meet today, china's national legislature, is in session. formally appointing xi jinping and his choice to lead the state council as well as as ministries leaders of the military legend entered legislative and judicial branches after more than a decade serving as top leader xi jinping key leverage power given significant influence over most issues and is surrounding himself with like-minded loyalists at the apex of the party standing committee, china's highest decision-making body that the excess of the third term of xi jinping the pressing taiwan under implication, undercut u.s. influence which they perceive as a threat, and dry villages between washington and its allies and partners and promote certain norms that favor china's authoritarian system and you have seen, xi jinping recent

criticism during his speech of anybody first virtue is america's suppression china reflecting his long-standing distrust of the u.s. calls, as a parent that the unisys seeks to contain china. and xi jinping peace with the public and directed criticism that we have seen from him tonight probably reflects growing testament in beijing much on his relationship with the united states as well as xi jinping going worries about the trajectory of chinese economic development and indigenous technology innovations, and the challenges he now blames on the united states but he also wants to bet sage's populace and regional actors that he was bears responsibility for any coming in christ intentions despite public in direct critical rhetoric however, we assess the they still believe that most by preventing spiraling and intentions and by preserving stability and interrelationship of the united states, specifically beijing was to preserve east asia and avoid triggering additional economic punishment from the sanctions

and partners and showcase a steady relationship with the united states to avoid setbacks as other relationships around the world even while signaling opposition to claim u.s. publications including shoot down the piercy balloons that it was a relative call to china the stability it needs to address domestic difficulties and xi jinping principle focused on the domestic economic development which is not a shortage, the icy because of the china's economic growth will continue to be an excel or because china's elder under eric is her growth is any structural issues such as the demographics and inequality overreliance on investment as a person subject remain that although it may be find ways to overcome instructional challenges over the long-term, short-term, the ccp continues to take an increasingly aggressive approach to external affairs and pursuing the goal of building a world-class military setting nuclear arsenal, person encounter state weapons capable

of targeting u.s. and allied lights, and forcing foreign companies and conversing foreign countries to allow the transfer of technology and intellectual property in order to boost his indigenous capabilities continuing to increase global supply chains on china when the aim of using such dependency to threaten and got off in foreign countries during crisis and expanding cyber pursuits and increasing the threat of aggressive cyber operations because he was: and for partners and expanding influence operations leading to the exported digital repression technology and they will also seek to reshape global governance in line with the preferences and governance standards that support its monopoly power within china beijing is elevating the kennedys policies at the un, attempting to gain the developments in the global initiatives, promoting boxlike the shanghai cooperation organization, as a counterweight to the west is a multi- federally grouping such as the

formally puzzling forum, and eastern europe with mixed success and recover the ccp leading and most consequential threats u.s. national security leadership globally is intelligence ambitious capabilities, or mysterious and consequential intelligence rival. entering the pasture, the threat has been initially obligating collaboration with russia which also remains an area of intense focus for the intelligence community, when we were here, last before the committee before the va, annual threat assessment last year, only a few weeks russia's unprovoked and illegal invasion of ukraine, had ever over a year into the war, which is reshaping not only russia global relationships and strategic standing summa but also our own strengthening our alliances and partnerships wake present putin almost certainly did not anticipate that often, is dictating the very best to

avoid such as sweden and finland petition to join nato. on the battlefield, there's currently, a blind nutritional more there was neither side is definitive military advantage of the day today fighting is over hundreds and parentally focused as russia tries to capture the remainder of the glass and the russians are making incremental progress which is not a particular strategic objective, but the otherwise, facing considerable constraints including personnel and ammunition shortages dominance luncheon then military leadership and exhaustion, and morale challenges and even as a russian offensive continues their experiencing casualty rates, which is likely better understanding the limits of what is military is capable of achieving that it appears to be focused on more modest military objective before now ice for control the sanctions are having russia's war efforts vertically by restricting access to foreign components necessary to prove the weapon systems and if russia does not initiate a mobilization mandatory one and identify

substantial third-party ammunition supplies it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain even the current level offensive operations and coming months and consequently may fully shift calling and defending the territory they occupy is what we do not foresee the russian military recovery enough this year to make major territorial gains but printed most likely calculate the time is on his side and including pauses in the fighting and maybe his best remaining pathway to eventually securing russia's interest in ukraine even if it takes several years and ukraine also faces challenges and prospect for suspect in the visible probably hinge on several factors the president, ukrainian armed forces remain locked in struggle to defend against russian offenses across eastern ukraine white easter roster as it bruschi, the sins which ukrainian forces are having to draw another his arms and coma, as well as these

casualties will all likely factories ukraine's ability go on the offensive later this spring and as he continues to monitor putin's reactions and nuclear rally at rls process that is hers posturing is intended to deter the west from providing additional parts ukraine as he was a further solution of the conflict probably still remains confident that russia can eventually militarily defeat ukraine month to prevent western support groups that i was enforcing the conflict with nato adversely over the considerable human toll of the conflict is only increasing in addition to the many tens of thousands of casualties suffered by the russians and ukrainian military more than a million people have been forced to flee ukraine and widespread reporting the atrocities committed by russian forces including deliberate strikes as nonmilitary targets such as ukraine's civilian population and infrastructure, energy facilities electrical grid, russia and its troops almost certainly are using all

the filtration operations to detain and forcibly deport tens of thousands ukrainian civilians to russian the heisey is engaged with other parts the u.s. government document in whole russia and russian actors accountable for their actions set reaction to the invasion from countries of the world, has been resolute and 30 russia's reputation of the roll of generating an estate and criticism in elven moscow severed positive will require years of rebuilding and left less capable posing conventional military threat to europe and operating in asia and on the global stage and as a result russia will become even more reliance on the options such as nuclear cyber and capabilities and on china in our assessment also covers that run which continues to pursue the ambitions for leadership and authority u.s. persons directly in the proxy attacks around also remains a threat to israel directly and indirectly for

other proxies and proxies most concerning your honest accelerating the expense of nuclear programs, that is no longer constrained by j studio limits and undertaking research and develop activities that would bring it closer to producing materials for completing a nuclear device telling a decision to do so in north korea simile remains proliferation concern is a continues its efforts to steadily expand and enhance nuclear and conventional capabilities targeting the united states and our allies periodically aggressive and potentially destabilizing actions to reshape the regional stability environment is favored reinforcing status as a defective nuclear power asian regional challenges such as interstate complex and stability for governors developments also post for challenges africa, no and developing world hinder economic growth and widespread inequality operating conditions domestic unrest insurgencies impending backsliding

authoritarian seven possible conflicts full of earth as east, will remain plagued by war insurgencies and corruption in the western hemisphere and persistent economic weakness and corruption of fueling public frustration as a status pressures that very likely will present governance challenges to the leaders also sustained a spillover migration criminal and economic challenges for the united states and throughout the world countries are struggling to maintain democratic systems and prevent the rise of the authorities in some case because russia and china helping autocrats to convoke our as i noted the also transnational challenges in iraq with more traditional threats and often reinforcing edge other pretty compelling at cascading risk to u.s. national security and for example climate change remains an urgent threat that will increasingly have the risk to the u.s. national security is a fiscal impact increase, and geopolitical amount over the global response to the challenge

now entering the fourth your cut covid-19 pandemic remains the most significant threats. excuse me, to global public health at a cost more than 6.5 million and trillions of dollars loss of economic output to date and the pandemic result in economic human security political and national security application covid-19 to continue to restrain both known and unperceived challenges and probably it will cripple through society the global economy, during that year and for years to come. russia's aggression against ukraine, has aggravated covid-19 related fragility's in the global economy raised commodities prices and fuel, market volatility intervening to food insecurity and financial instability domination of elevated energy and foods prices has increased the number of the individuals facing extreme poverty and food insecurity and effective countries will

struggling to reverse the trends are 2023, even if. >> first housekeeping and then i'll give remarks prayed adequately china will have to come to terms with as i consider, to what extent they want to continue assisting or enabling russia and climate change has been a big and complex are exasperating these providers. >> provider portion services. proceeding. the president pro tempore: objection having been heard, the bill will be placed on the mr. schumer: now, madam my thoughts this morning are with my good friend, leader mcconnell, who is recovering in in the hospital

after a fall last night. i called the leader this morning and spoke briefly with his staff to extend my prayers and well wishes. my thoughts are also with leader mcconnell's family and his team. i join every single one of my colleagues to wishing senator mcconnell a speedy recovery. now, o the budget -- now, on the budget, today as we all know, president bush will release his budget for fiscal year 20246789 as promised, the president's budget is set to be a bold, optimistic is and serious proposal for strengthening our economy and creating opportunities to climb into the middle class as well as helping people stay there once they get in the middle class. the president's budget succeeds where republicans have failed. by presenting a realistic blueprint for lowering the deficit without cutting benefits tens of millions of americans

rely upon. unlike republicans, the president's plan actually protects social security, medicare, and medicaid while building on democrat's efforts to lower prescription drug costs and save taxpayer dollars. republicans love to talk about it, but democrats are the ones actually getting it done. the president's budget prioritizing a strong defense. it offers robust support for ukraine, which after last night's brutal missile barrages remains as urgent as ever. unlike republicans, the president's plan invests in america instead of starving it. the president's budget investors in -- invests in advanced manufacturing, high-tech jobs and scientific research, job training, apprenticetiesships. and the president's budget asks the wealthiest americans to pay more of their fair share of

taxes so programs like medicare remain solvent for decades. just about all americans think this is just plain fair because there is no justification for the ultra wealthy to have a lower tax burden on a percentage basis than teachers and nurses and cabdrivers and firefighters. i want to thank president biden for laying down an optimistic, forward-thinking vision for our country. this is what americans want. they want real stuff, they want positive thinking about the future and help for those in the middle class to stay there and for those struggling to get to the middle class to make it easier to get there h but i really want to thank my republican colleagues who've done done a great job highlighting all the ways they want to cut programsment.

while democrats want to help average americans, a group of house republicans are working right now with former trump budget director to carry out a budget outline with drastic cuts that would harm tens of millions of people. vought is a hard-right guy. republicans in the house are considering proposals that would cut hundreds of billions from everything from the fbi to things like pell grant eligibility and even medicaid. i recently saw -- catch this, madam president -- i recently saw one house republican spend --ty recently saw one house republican frame spend something cuts as a matter of courage. that's what one house republican said. well, there's nothing courageous about taking snap benefits away

from hungry kids. there is nothing courageous about cutting national security or constricting pell grant eligibility. there is nothing courageous about cutting housing and funding for police and firefighters while doing nothing -- nothing -- to get wealthy americans to pay their fair share. how dare republicans say it's courageous to make those cuts. finally, the ball is now in speaker mccarthy's court. today is march 9 and there is still one big question all of us are asking -- speaker mccarthy, where is your plan? the debt ceiling must be raised soon. house republicans say they won't do it without painful cuts to our country, which democrats fiercely reject. but to this day, americans have no idea where republicans truly stand on federal spending cuts,

whether it's dealing with the debt ceiling or proposing a budget itself. all we have are various proposals like mr. vought's, which would wreck our country and do huge damage to working families. speaker mccarthy, again, where is your plan? where is your plan in regards to the debt ceiling? where is your plan in regards to the budget? the president has done his job by showing where democrats stand. speaker mccarthy needs to come clean with the american people and spell out precisely what cuts he plans and explain how these cuts will put the pain on average families. now, in terms of fox news, most members of this chamber were present the day the insurrectionists attacked the capitol on january 6. we saw it with our own eyes.

i was within 20-30 feet of these hooligans. one of them allegedly screamed out, let's get him, pointing at me. thousands of trump supporters broke through police barricades, assaults officers, smashed through windows to enter the building, our offices were ransacked, staffers hid behind closed doors and beneath conference tables in fear, trembling in fear for their safety. my point is this -- those of us who were here on january 6 know the attack was a violent insurrection the speaker has now had multiple chances he doesn't even take tio

watch the segment? that's unacceptable. it is outrageous. for speaker mccarthy not even to watch the spoiled fruits of his labor shows a callousness and unconcern far beneath the dignity of the speaker's office. senators from both sides of the aisle -- thankfully, both side ooze of the aisle -- have called out fox news for lying. leader mcconnell has acknowledged fox news is lying. the capitol police chief sticking up for his own officers has cald -- called out fox news for lying. every leader on capitol hill has done the right thing except for speaker mccarthy. by remaining silent, speaker

mccarthy is empowering tucker carlson's lies. the speaker is outing himself as a january 6 denier in complete accord and in line with tucker carlson. it's a shame. on the railroads, this morning norfolk southern's ceo alan shaw will testify before the environment and public works committee, where he'll be held to account for his company's pattern of negligence when it comes to safety regulations. my questions to mr. shaw remain the same -- why did norfolk southern spends years lobbying for looser regulations to prevent accidents like this? particularly when donald trump was president. despite seeing a record $3.3 billion in profits last year, why did norfolk southern prioritize billions in stock buybacks instead of investing in safety equipment or in their

workers? what is norfolk southern doing to prevent future accidents like the one in east palestine, and god forbid another one happens, how will norfolk southern ensure communities get the resources they need to respond to it? i expect mr. shaw to answer these questions. the american people expect mr. shaw is answer these -- to answer these questions, and we expect a candid, frank, and honest discussion about the dangers of rail companies like norfolk southern maximizing profits at the expense of everything else, even people's safety. now, on nominations -- finally, madam president, on nominations, today will be a busy day on the senate floor. later this morning we'll confirm daniel werfel to serve as commissioner for the irs. mr. werfel's confirmation will bring important benefits to the american people because when the

irs is better staffed, more americans can benefit from the tax credits -- significant tax credits we approved last year through legislation like chips and science and ira and other legislation as well. first, republicans wanted to cut irs agents, which hurts the american people because they have to wait longer in line to help filing their taxes -- to get help filing their taxes. and it lets the rich get away with without paying their fair share of taxes. no wealthy american should ever pay more on a percentage basis -- should ever have to pay -- no ultra wealthy american should ever pay less on a percentage basis than a nurse or a cabdriver. this nomination, plus the addition of irs antiquities in the bill -- irs agents in the bill, will make it far more likely the wealthy will pay their fair share.

under donald trump, auditing the ultra wealthy went way down while people on the earned income tax credit making about $40,000 a year were being audited over and over again. it also makes it more likely that when americans need more help, they won't have to wait hours or days or weeks to get in touch with an irs agent. we'll also confirm today two more exceptional judges -- james edward simmons jr. to serve as district judge for the southern district of california and maria araujo kahn to serve on on the second circuit court of appeals. both are remainable legal minds. their confirmations are strengthen our federal courts and help restore america's interest in an independent and impartial judiciary. i look forward toest going these three nominees confirmed and thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan support. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: 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 the treasury. daniel i. werfel of the district of columbia to be commissioner of internal revenue.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska is recognized. mr. sullivan: madam president, is the senate in a quorum call? the president pro tempore: we are not. mr. sullivan: thank you, madam president. madam president, i am honored, so honored to say a few words this morning about judge james buckley, a statesman, a patriot, a member of the world war ii greatest generation, a senior reagan state department official, a d.c. court of appeals judge, a former member of this body, the u.s. senate, a friend and a shining example of

a good, meaningful life lived in full. madam president, it's not very often that you get to say happy birthday to your hundred-year-old mentor on the senate floor. but today i get to do that to one of my mentors. judge buckley has been a mentor and role model to me and so many other people who worked for him or worked with him over the past century. so judge i hope you're watching. i hope some of your family memberrers watching. i want to wish you -- members are watching. i want to wish you a happy 100th birthday from the united states senate. we have this wonderful card here signed by dozens of u.s. senators, republicans,

democrats, independents here on the senate floor on your 100th birthday, right now. we're going to deliver this to you soon. so for those watching, who is this remarkable american statesman? well, there's a wonderful "wall street journal" op-ed in this morning's journal entitled jim buckley's century of service. i encourage all of my senate colleagues to read it. he was from a very large and famous connecticut family. many prominent brothers and sisters, ten of them, quite large. his younger brother was the conservative intellectual william f. buckley. but james buckley, judge buckley i like to call him, served his country in so many ways.

as i noted, first heroically as a world war ii naval officer, service in many battles including the battle of okinawa which was the bloodiest battle in u.s. navy history. he served as a u.s. senator from new york and under secretary of state in the reagan administration. a judge on the federal court of appeals for the d.c. circuit right down the road commonly referred to as the second most important court in the land. think about that. that's service at the highest levels of three different branches of government, the only living american to do that and the oldest member of the u.s. senate, former member.

madam president, in every position judge buckley brought integrity, a fierce intellect and a compelling commitment to american exceptionalism. i've known judge buckley for 30 years. he is a man of faith, class, dignity, and humility. and he has never stopped serving his country, even into his late 90 he's was still at work writing a book on public policy just a few years ago called saving congress from itself. now, a few years back i suggested that he present his book to us at one of our republican lunches.

and in so doing, i explained to the judge the way in which we have lunches here in the senate. three times a week we get together. there's the tuesday policy lunch. there's the wednesday what we call steering committee lunch. and then there's the thursday lunch, more informal hosted by a member of our conference who can brag a little bit about their state and feed us great food from their state. so i suggested to the judge come bip the wednesday steering -- come by the wednesday steering committee lunch and share with us your new book. and i noted that, you know, you might know -- you may know, judge, the steering committee was initially set up a long time ago by a group of more conservative senators, but it's now pretty much attended by all republican senators for lunch. was he familiar with the

steering committee, i asked the judge. in typical james buckley humble fashion he said quietly, well, dan, yes, i believe i was one of the cofounders of the steering committee. of course you were, judge. of course you were. well, anyway, we all had a great, very memorable lumpleg here in the senate -- memorable lunch here in the senate with jim buckley where so many of my colleagues learned so much from him which is would he's been doing all his life. i got to know judge buckley when i caught a lucky break 30 years ago and was hired by him as his fourth law clerk, law clerk intern, when he was a d.c. circuit court of appeals judge right down the road and i was in my final year at georgetown law school. this was an incredible

experience for me. as most know, and i already mentioned, the d.c. sir sirica - circuit is considered the second most important court in the country and of course is known as a feeder court into the u.s. supreme court for law clerks but particularly for judges. just look at all the former d.c. circuit judges who went on to be supreme court justices. berger, scalia, ginsburg, thomas, roberts, kavanaugh, jackson. so as a georgetown law student, this internship was a very exciting opportunity for me, and i saw up close in judge buckley an example of principled jurisprudence that was anchored in the text of federal statutes in the constitution that recognize and emphasize the limits on federal judiciary and agency powers, and that

understood the importance of federalism and the separation of powers in our constitutional system of ordered liberty. these were lifelong lessons for me and i continue to use them daily right here in the u.s. senate. now, i enjoyed this job so much and was learning so much that i pretty much quit going to many of my law school classes. follow any young people watching, especially law students, don't do that. that was a dumb idea. my very low grade in my evidence class was evidence of this. now, judge buckley back then tolerated me in his chambers 30 years ago, but he really developed a special bond with my then girlfriend julie who is now my wife of over 28 years. julie and the judge had a small

world connection concerning the great state of alaska that was quite remarkable. in 1971 there was a very important bill being debated right here in the u.s. senate called the alaskan native claims settlement act, what we call ancsa. that bill became the world's largest land settlement for indigenous people ever, anywhere in the world, right here in america. 44 million acres of federal land went to the native people of alaska. and jim buckley, then a first-term u.s. senator in his first year became a big supporter of native rights in alaska. curious, interesting, what was going on there? well, he was a conservative

republican and believed in property rights and ownership and free enterprise and fee simple lands for the native people, which is what ancsa was all about. much different than the lower 48 where the system of reservations and land held in trust by the federal government does not work well. madam president, there was something else going on there. the alaskan native leaders went to washington in force to lobby different senators. and senator buckley was lobbied by a beautiful 36-year-old brilliant alaskan native leader named mayy jane fate -- mary jane fate would just so happened to be my wife's, then my girlfriend's mom. so the judge and my girlfriend julie figured that out. put two and two together. and her mom was one of the big

reasons in terms of lobbying that he got interested in the ancsa legislation and was a strong supporter of that. of course that cemented their relationship and our relationship, and julie and i and the judge have been great friends ever since, and i do want to thank him again on behalf of the people of alaska for being such a strong supporter of that legislation which literally changed the history traject rill of our state -- trajectory of our state for the better 51 years ago. now, mr. president, a few years ago i was asked by the outstanding organization, the fund for american studies, to give an address about honorable leadership, honorable leadership. and i made my entire speech about the life and example of

james buckley. honorable leadership and upholding the highest values of ethical service which is what the life of judge buckley epitomizes is not always easy. for example, as a u.s. senator judge buckley was one of the first members of the senate republican caucus to call on president nixon to resign in the wake of the watergate scandal. that certainly was not easy. he was also an early republican leader on issues of environmental stewardship and responsible commonsense conservationism in the spirit of republican president teddy roosevelt that has the support from local communities. he cosponsored legislation that created the gateway national recreation area which stretches along the northeast atlantic

coast from new york to new jersey and is home to one of the most significant bird sanctuaries in the northeast part of the united states. and as an avid birder himself, i'm sure this is one of the many proud aspects of the judge's important legacy to new york and to the rest of the country. mr. president, i think without a doubt the most important legacy jim buckley has left all of us in the past 100 years has been his commitment to freedom and american liberty in both words and deeds. you feat for american freedom in the pacific in world war ii -- he fought for american freedom in the pacific in world war ii. like so many from his greatest generation, he literally saved

the world from tyranny. he spoke eloquently of american freedom throughout his life. in another one of his books, titled "if men were angels," he wrote the following -- i believe that in the last analysis, the most important thing in social and political life is freedom, and i believe that it is because of the safeguards written into the constitution and the character of the american people that we have enjoyed freedom in such great measure more than any other country. mr. president, this great american patriot has left his mark on the american soul, and american history, and american heritage, at the highest levels of our federal government in all

three branches of service. thank you for your exceptional service to our great nation, judge buckley. all of the u.s. senate and all of america wish you a happy and healthy 100th birthday. mr. president, i yield the floor.

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. yesterday, i joined leader schumer, senators baldwin, blumenthal, and murray and a number of my colleagues in introducing a piece of legislation that is urgently needed. it's entitled the women's health protect action of 2023. this bill would protect the right to obtain and provide reproductive health care, as basic as anything in america. as well as the freedom of

americans to seek this care free of medically unnecessary restrictions or limitations as to where a patient can receive it. it's been about nine months since the thomas-alito court ripped away this fundamental right in america and put a target on the backs of women and health care providers across the country. since then we've heard one horror story after another, stories of rape victims as young as 10 years old who've been forced to travel across state lines to receive critical health care. stories of women who are suffering miscarriages but still have been denied care by doctors in red states where the doctors are afraid of being charged with a crime. stories of women who've been

abandoned by their state's leaders, many of whom have found refuge in the state of illinois. despite these stories of girls and women who've been denied critical health care because of partisan politics, republicans are continuing to push dangerous abortion bans and restrictions. these politicians think they know better than the women who are affected by these decisions and their doctors. beware of the moment when legislators start playing doctor. they're doing it all across america on this issue. they're wrong. we need to respect the freedom and right of women and the expertise of their medical professionals, period. and we need to recognize that politicians have no business in the hospital room on the doctor's office. there should be a -- it should be a matter of privacy and respect that should be guiding our policy. if we want to defend freedom and

fundamental rights in america, we need to pass the women's health protection act. the debate has even gone so far as to affect the corner drugstore. this week i was on the phone with the ceo of walgreens, an illinois-based company, one of the largest pharmacy companies in the united states of america. they are torn currently by an announcement of policy earlier this week which generated a lot of controversy. whether or not they will dispense medications which are used to end a pregnancy. i begged of them to at least wait until this issue has become clearer in the courts before taking a corporate position. the other major pharmacy chains are making the same decisions themselves. we'll find out what they conclude. but it's an indication that this debate has gone far beyond the floor of the united states senate in washington. it's on your street corner. it's in your mall.

it's in the shopping center that you've been going to all your life, as to whether or not you can have access to a drug that was judged safe and effective 20 years ago by the federal government. that's what happens when legislators decide to be doctors. mr. president, on another topic, when you stop by the grocery store to pick up your favorite box of cereal or chicken breast for dinner, would you ever guess you're buying a product that had been produced by exploited children? not in america. not in 2023. sorry, i'm i frayed it's -- i'm afraid it's so. last week, the "new york times" ran an extremely important article about an investigation on what it deemed the new economy of exploitation. that economy is powered by young migrant children who arrived in this country without their

parents and are working at unthinkably dangerous jobs in the american economy. but the exploitation is not limited to migrant children. in factories across the country, from north carolina to south dakota, children as young as 12 years of age -- that's right, 12 years of age -- are working in the dead of night, in some of the most grueling environments imaginable, freezing cold slaughterhouses and auto part assembly plants. 12 years old. these children work as long as 12 hours per shift, and for migrant children many are under pressure to send money back home or to pay back the criminals who smuggled them across the border. often, these children go to school in the morning because they're drying trying to lek english and get an's. how can you learn when you're running on no sleep?

mr. president, i have some personal familiarity with some of these working conditions. when i was a college student, i worked two or three summers to pay my way through college. one of the jobs was on a railroad, a tradition in my family. fortunately for me, i only have a minor scar to show from my time switching in the switch yard. but many others were not so lucky. the other job i had while i worked in college, my way through college, was in a meat-packing facility. i spent four summers there. i saw almost every aspect of that type of environment. i cannot imagine a 12-year-old in that dangerous environment. so when i hear young children are working long hours in meat packing plants and slaughterhouses, it is beyond horrifying. it is beyond unconscionable, and it has to end. these accounts of children working in slaughterhouses and factories are not only shocking, they're blatantly unlawful in america.

our nation outlawed oppressive child labor almost 100 years ago. this is a problem that should be relegated to shift books or novels by dickens. but it's not. in fact, since 2018 there has been a nearly 70% increase in illegally employed children. when the number of children being forced to work dangerous and potentially deadly jobs it on the rise, it's clear that our child labor laws are not up to speed. let me add the obvious -- this is another condemnation of the failure of our immigration policy in america. consider the fact that people desperately need workers, desperately. every corner of my state of illinois, they tell me, one after the other, we need more police, we need more firefighters, we need more ambulance drivers, we need more health care workers, we need more workers in our nursing home, on and on and on. and why are we facing these

shortages? we're facing them because for four years under president trump we stopped allowing legal migration into the united states as we had in previous years. so fewer and fewer of these immigrant workers were available to take on jobs that americans are not waiting in line to fill. behind the swinging doors of most of the restaurants and some of the hotels in the city of chicago are undocumented workers, filling jobs which no one on the other side of that door would be interested in. so when we don't have a legal system to allow migration to come to this country and fill the jobs, this is what happens. yesterday i had a meeting with the illinois farm bureau. i meet with them every year. they're about a dozen farmers from all across my state. i know politically who they are. they're great people. they're not necessarily of my political party or my political faith, but they all have the same thing -- senator, we need workers on our

farms, dairy farms, live livk operations, orchards, farms that need workers every single day, and they don't have them. and they said don't tell us we've got to go into town and get the heads in the high school to be the -- get the kids in the high school to be the next yen jaition of workers. they're not -- the next generation of workers. they're not interested. if we don't fill these jobs, these politically conservative farmers will find their farming operations paying a heavy price. why can't we acknowledge the obvious? if we have an orderly process of screening people to come to work in the united states from various countries, we can stop seeing the onslaught of thousands coming to our border. we've already seen this happening in specific instances through the department of homeland security. we ought to be enhancing it and increasing it. i joined senator schatz last week when it came to the issue of child exploitation. he introduced a bill to significantly expand and

strengthen companies for -- penalties for companies violating child labor laws. let the word go out clear from the floor of the senate -- if you have a business and are exploiting business, you're in trouble. you're breaking the law, and you're going to pay a price for it. it's just not acceptable. don't use the excuse that you didn't know. find out. its it would apply -- it would also apply these penalties to independent contractors. that's important, because some employers exploit children by hiring them through staffing agencies to avoid finals. our -- to avoid fines. our bill ends this despicable practice. when a company hires little kids to work on a fast-paced assembly line, where these kids can be injured or endanger their lives, or a company hires children to debone chickens or inhale toxic chemicals in an auto factory, a small fine and slap on the wrist won't do. we need to impose serious penalties on these companies so they'll never hire exploited children again.

that's what this bill wants to do. importantly, the investigation from "the new york times" ill straights that a hiewrm -- illustrates that a hiewrm crisis is rooted in the -- that a humanitarian crisis is rooted in the system. there are millions of people living in the shadows of this country and being exploited right under our noses. for those who enter the united states and are allowed to legally stay until their hearing date, there's a loophole in the law which makes life for them in a legal way almost impossible. many of these people, though legally in the united states waiting for their asylum hearing, cannot legally work in the united states depending on their circumstances for six months to a year can. what what are that he supposed to do? the "times" reporting made it clear that unaccompanied migrant

children are -- and our federal agents need to do more to protect them. it's no secret that employers throughout the country are struggling to find workers in illinois and new mexico, everywhere. there are 11 million job openings in america. not nearly enough workers to fill them. it's disturbing that some republican state lawmakers have suggested loosening the child labor laws to fill these openings. to them, i would suggest read that "new york times" piece and imagine if it was wu'er child or grandchild. do we want kids skipping school to sit? a factory for 12 hours sewing socks? is that any way to care for kids wherever they may be or to prepare the next generation of leaders in our country, the doctors, the educators and the citizens? of course not. the fact is, the quickest and most sensible way to address the

labor shortage in our country is to fix the broken immigration system. let's stop dancing around it. let's face the music. we need to give undocumented immigrants living in the shadows a chance to be legal and we should decrease the number of working-age immigrants in this country by establishing new, thoughtful pathways for workers to enter america. we should pair this with new funding to bring workers to the border. i share it with our republican colleagues who talk about that almost exclusively, the fact that american companies are turning to children is a national disgrace. we bear responsibility right here in the united states senate. we were elected to solve problems just like this. how many years have we been sitting back and saying the immigration system is broken, we've got to change the law? i'll tell you, more than 30 years. employers are counting on us to fix the immigration laws.

employers of both political parties. so more workers can enter the market in a legal and safe way. unless congress comes together to reform immigration in a bipartisan manner, these human rights abuses and bear as -- embarrassments to our nation will continue. what what are we waiting for? the let's get it done. mr. president, i yield the floor.

mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican whip. mr. thune: is the senate in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. thune: mr. president, before i begin, i just want to say that, along with all of my colleagues, that my thoughts and prayers are with leader mcconnell this morning, with his family, with his team, and that along with our colleagues, i look forward to his speedy return to the united states senate.

mr. president, later today the president of the united states will release his budget. we haven't seen the details of it yet, so i'm not prepared. i'll have more to say about that next week when we've an opportunity -- when we have an opportunity to drill down. but i can predict this because it's pretty easy to predict, that the president's budget will include a lot more spending, a lot more taxing, and that, after the last two years here where through a budget reconciliation process the president and the democrats here in congress passed almost another $3 trillion in spending, in taxing, and debt outside of the normal appropriations process. and that at a time when revenue last year -- revenue -- was at a 20-year high. in fact, the you revenue coming into the federal government in the last fiscal year as a percentage of our entire economy

was higher than it's been with three exceptions in history. one was in the late 1990's at the end of the dotcom bubble and two times in world war ii. so regarded level of revenue as a percentage of gdp, and yet the president and his budget is going to propose a whole lot more spending and a whole lot more taxing and a whole lot more government, expanding, growing government. that's what we expect his budget to do, and like i said, i'll have more to say about that next week. mr. president, agriculture may well be among the world's oldest ways of life, but it's never been stagnant. farmers and ranchers have always looked for better ways to increase crop yields and keep their land and livestock healthy and productive. today's agricultural producers explore practices and adopt new

technologies to produce more and use less. and the resilience of our food supply and america's ability to feed our world is in no small measure thanks to these farmer-driven advances. as i said, farmers and ranchers are always looking for ways to improve their operations but they can face challenges when looking for data. while the u.s. department of agriculture collects a lot of data, little has been done to organize and analyze it so it is useful to farmers. right now many producers have to rely on anecdotal data to determine production practices and decide what to adopt on their farms and ranchers. better data would make it easier for farmers to decide what practices are the best option for them. a recent study of department of agriculture data from farms in several states confirmed anecdotal reports about certain practices. it demonstrated that farmers who use them are more likely to be

able to plant during an exceptionally wet spring. and we need to see more of this kind of analysis. that's why earlier this year i introduced my bipartisan agriculture innovation act with senator klobuchar. our bill would make it easier for producers and trusted researchers to use usda data to assess the impact of various practices so that producers can choose the right practices for their farm and ranch operations. and i will work to get the agricultural innovation act included in in this year's farm bill. while the macro-level data that usda collects can provide valuable information, farmers are already beginning to look to the next frontier collecting real-time, microlevel data from their own fields. imagine when a farmer could do with real time information about soil quality, water uptake and plant health. imagine knowing whether you need

more nitrogen or less water in a section of your field. imagine having real time data about your land or livestock at your fingerprints. this is the promise of precision agriculture, harnessing the power of technology. gps can allow farmers to map out irrigation and optimize crop production on their fields. soil monitors can allow farmers to react to conditions as they change and apply fertilizers more precisely. and remote monitoring can help farmers keep tabs on everything from resource usage to livestock health and feed consumption. mr. president, precision agriculture represents a significant leap forward in farmer's long advance towards producing more and using less. it presents an opportunity to increase profitability by cutting down on inputs, the prius of which have spiked amidst our inflation crisis. and it is a step towards the use of broader conservation

practices that will keep farm lined in productive use for years to come. but for americans to reap all of the benefits of precision agriculture, more work needs to be done. and today i'm introducing the bipartisan promoting precision agriculture act with senator warnock to help facilitate widespread adoption of precision agriculture technology. my bill would establish a partnership between government and the private sector to develop voluntary interconnectivity standards and prioritize cybersecurity for precision agricultural technologies. these standards are help enhance precision agriculture uptake and ensure reliability, usability, and security for producers and their data. it's an important element of ensuring these new technologies deliver the advances they promise and to make sure farmers and ranchers can trust that they're worth chill investments. as farmers look to the future, mr. president, the one thing that could still hold them back

is the continued digital divide. without a reliable internet connection, precise agriculture doesn't work. connecting unserved areas to reliable broadband has long been a priority of mine. and we've made a good deal of progress through federal investments and policies like my act that removed regulatory barriers to broadband expansion. but we still have a lot of work to do. this year i reintroduced my rural internet improvement act to streamline usda's broadband authorities and ensure that broadband funding goes to areas where at least 90% of households lack broadband access. mr. president, we also need to enshould you are that broadband investments we've already made are actually going to their intended goal and that's expand ing broadband access to areas that currently lack it. in the last three years, the federal government as the has allocated $79 billion to broadband programs but all the money in the world is useless if

it's not being spent properly, which is why i launched a broadband oversight initiative in december to ensure that funding is going toward delivering broadband to the americans who need it most. mr. president, it's been clear for a long time how critical an internet connection is to the future of everything from education to health care to business and everyday life. and connectivity has the potential to truly revolutionize how we grow food in earthquake america. and i'm proud that south dakota has been a leader in precision agriculture. south dakota state university was the first in the country to offer a four-year precision agriculture degree. in 2021, the university opened the raven precision agriculture sector where the next generation of farmers will work to advance the next generation of farming. since opening, sdsu has also opened a program with daca state university, a leaderring

cybersecurity institution. mr. president, as i've said numerous times, agriculture is the lifeblood of south dakota. anything we can do to make agriculture more efficient and more productive is not only good for our nation's food supply, it's good for south dakota farmers and their families. precision agriculture is one of those things. it has the potential to deliver the same kind of advance that crop rotation, the farmers almanac and crop engineering delivered for farming. it can make farming more efficient and environmentally friendly than it already is and it can help our farms produce more food for more people with fewer resources and on less land. i'll be working hard to ensure south dakota farmers and ranchers and farmers and ranchers around the country have the resources they need to innovate and that this year's farm bill advances the next generation of farming. farm something a lot of things -- a scientist and a laborer, an

innovator and accountant, and engineer and a conservationist. i'm proud to serve the extraordinary men and women to keep our rich agricultural heritage alive and thriving and i'll continue working to help them as they move it into the future. mr. president, i would ask unanimous consent that the following senators be permitted to speak prior to scheduled roll call vote, senator lee for five minutes, senator cornyn for 15 minutes and senator wyden for up to five minutes. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. thune: mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. lee: mr. president. officer sper the senator from utah. mr. lee: mr. president, today we celebrate the 100th birthday of a true hero of the united states senate, former senator james buckley. born in 1923, james l. buckley was raised in rural connecticut. he went to college at yale,

graduated from yale with a degree in english. after enlisting in the navy, he served in world war ii, where he fought in the battles of leihei, langian gulf and okinawa. he was discharged from 1946 with the ranking of lieutenant and received his law degree from yale in 1949. after working for a number of years in the private sector, james was elected to the united states senate in 1970. as a candidate of new york's conservative party. becoming the only candidate in the history of that state to win a major party election, running against both a republican and a democrat. in fact, senator buckley was the first and only third-party candidate to be elected to the u.s. senate in the 20th century. during his

time he championed many causes. he was a member of the pro-life movement following the decision of roe v. wade. senator buckley proposed and fought for a human life amendment which would have recognized embryos as persons for purposes of that term's use in the 14th amendment. along with the late senator jesse helms he was a key player in passing the hyde amendment named after henry hyde which prevents tax dollars from funding elective abortions. the republican, senator buckley was also one of the senate's first true environmental conservationists. nixon established the epa in 1970, he said, but he added i actually proposed it during my 68 campaign, close quote. he's responsible for major

revisions to the clean air act which passed in 1977. james buckley would later serve as an under secretary of state for security assistance in the reagan administration in 1981. and then from 1982 to 1985, he served as president of radio-free europe, radio liberty, which was a contributing force in defeating the soviet union in the cold war. buckley used radio to deliver raw fact-based news and messages to millions stuck behind the iron curtain. in 1985, president reagan nominated buckley to serve on the u.s. court of appeals for the district of columbia circuit. the senate confirmed him. once confirmed to this position, buckley became the only american to have served in a major position in all three branches of the federal government as a u.s. senator, as under secretary of state, and then as a judge sitting on the d.c. circuit. he retired in 2000.

my own interactions with james buckley have helped me understand why he remains a hero to this day not just in the senate, but really throughout the united states. i invited him to address the senate republican conference at our steering lunchl just a few years ago in which he provided observations that were timely, relevant, compelling, and delivered with incredible enthusiasm. on each occasion when i've met senator buckley, he's always struck me as someone who is friendly, who is kind, those thoughtful and considerate and who deeply loves his country and is willing to work hard to make it a better place. today mr. buckley is the oldest living former u.s. senator. to this day, he remains an advocate for a constitutional government, for federalism, separation of powers, and for conservatism at large.

in his twist -- 25 -- in his 2015 book, emancipating the people, he wrote congress' current disif much is rooted in assumption over the years of more responsibilities than it can handle. its members now live in a treadmill existence that no longer allows them time to study, learn and think things through. instead they substitute political reflex for thought, close quote. the senate would serve america well by he sexually assaulting mr. buckley -- by he sexually assaulting mr. buckley's words -- it is a reminder of the power, joy, and honor of being an american. on this, his 100th birthday, the senate recognizes and pays tribute to our former colleague, senator james l. buckley and his important

legacy. thank you, mr. president. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: mr. president, the overdose epidemic is ravaging communities all across this country and leaving a trail of death and destruction. the latest data shows we lost nearly 107,000 americans last year alone. the majority of those deaths were attributed to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid made from precursors shipped from china mainly to mexico where they're then manufactured. fentanyl alone is killing 70,000 americans a year. on average, we're talking about more than 190 people dying each

day due to fentanyl. that's more people than a commercial 737 airliner can hold. so imagine the public outrage of day after day commercial airliners fell out of the sky, killing everyone aboard. you can imagine what the reaction would be. social media would erupt. people would pro protest, and our constituents wouldn't just ask us to intervene. they would demand it. unfortunately -- and this is a mystery to me -- the fentanyl epidemic and the drug overdose deaths that we've seen in the last year doesn't get the same sort of response. it's as though our threshold for outrage now is so high that even the death of 107,000 americans would not achieve that threshold

we know this epidemic does not discriminate. it kills people of all ages and backgrounds, from major cities and small towns all across america. but one of the most alarming trends that we see is the appalling trend of fentanyl-related deaths among teenagers. these teens frequently think they're buying something else such as a percocet or oxycontin or xanax, and unknowingly they end up with a counterfeit pill contaminated with a deadly dose of fentanyl. this was the case for students in haz e county, southwest of austin from where i live. the independent school district has lost five students since

august. in october i had the chance to meet with the parents of one of those students, shannon mcconville who lost her 17-year-old son kevin to fentanyl poisoning. she told me that kevin was full of promise, a talented person and artist. and after graduating, he wanted to join the navy and become an underwater welder. but sadly, kevin was never able to realize his dream. he died just a few weeks before the beginning of his senior year. a couple of weeks ago i traveled to hays county to speak with more families who have lost their children to fentanyl poisoning as well as law enforcement personnel, school officials, and medical professionals trying to figure out what do we need to do. i saw shannon and her husband darren as well as the parents of another young victim,

15-year-old noah rodriguez noah's parents, brandon and janelle, told me that noah was a genuine, kind young man and something of a jokester. he was an athlete, a devoted friend, and a big brother to his three siblings, the youngest of whom was only two weeks old when noah died. despite their profound loss, these parents and countless others are committed to raising awareness. you can imagine the courage it takes to overcome your grief and pain to try to share your story with others so that others might live. i had the opportunity to learn about the fighting fentanyl public awareness campaign in hays county as well as the work being done by school leaders and law enforcement. we all acknowledge that there is no single action that will end this epidemic. we can't just focus on

prevention or treatment or dprug diversion, a successful strategy will involve all three of those. we need buy-in from leaders at every level of government as well as health care providers, schools, nonprofits, law enforcement, and of course the general public, just like the approach that we're seeing in hays county. this has to be an all-in effort. but during our discussion, there was broad agreement that the starting point should be the source of these drugs, which is our southern border. all four parents stressed the importance of securing the border and preventing fentanyl from ever reaching our communities. sharon mcconville said that when it comes to the border, that the biden administration is failing. i agree. last week five of my republican colleagues joined me for a

series of tours and meetings in the rio grande valley where they got to see the administration's security failures firsthand. by my calculation, that's about the tenth delegation that either i or senator cruz or both of us have hosted colleagues coming to the border in texas. broarm agents told -- border patrol agents told us about the tactics the cartel use to traffic fentanyl and other dangerous drugs in the country, first, they coordinate a surge of migrants which provides a golden opportunity to sneak across the border undetected, overwhelm the border patrol with a swarm of migrants and distract them while the drugs make their way north. this isn't news, of course, to the biden administration. it's a well-known maneuver used by the cartels, acknowledged by

the attorney general of the united states last week when he came before the senate judiciary committee. but for some reason the administration seems determined to just simply look the other way. president biden's apathetic approach to the southern border must change in order for us to have a chance at addressing this public health crisis. just think about a burst pipe in your home. if water is pouring from the ceiling, what do you do first? well, you aren't going to go grab buckets and towels to start cleaning the water. you're going to turn the main water supply off and stop the leak at its source. and that's what we need to do here. cut off the supply. until that happens, we're going to be fighting a losing battle, and more people will die. it's well known that the southern border is a major

gateway for illegal drugs. in the last 12 months customs and border protection seized 23,000 pounds of fentanyl at the southern border, enough to wipe out the entire u.s. population many times over. that's a daunting statistic. but we know this number isn't the full story. it only includes the drugs that our law enforcement officials were able to stop. and we know from all the deaths and the wide availability of fentanyl and other illegal drugs in america that much more than that makes its way into the interior of our country. so there's no exact way to know how much fentanyl has slipped through the cracks, but the fact that we're losing 70,000 americans a year to fentanyl is proof that we aren't batting a perfect game. far from it. let's not forget the fact that

law enforcement at every level is also encountering and attempting to stop the fentanyl proliferation. last year -- last month the colin county sheriff's office and north texas sheriffs crime interdiction unit arrested a dallas man with about 6,000 fentanyl pills in his vehicle during a traffic stop. last year the drug enforcement administration seized more than 379 million lethal doses of fentanyl, enough to kill every american. drug trafficking is obviously a lucrative business, and cartels take the advantage of every security gap in order to make money. there's no question that the ongoing border crisis has provided the perfect opportunity for these cartels, who care nothing about people. all they care about is the money. if border patrol agents are

changing diapers and passing out meals, as they have had to do to manage the volume of migrants coming across the border, they can't patrol the front lines and stop cartels from trafficking these dangerous drugs into the interior. i want to be clear, i'm not suggesting that every migrant that comes across is responsible for the drugs coming across the border. far from it. but the mass movement of people orchestrated by these transnational criminal organizations, even including people with legitimate asylum claims, opens the opportunity, gateways, if you will, for truly dangerous criminals and substances to come across the border. and unless something changes, it's going to get worse. in order to save lives, we've got to secure the border and stop fentanyl from reaching our

communities. that should be the first step. as a matter of fact, the president in his state of the union last month said that he wanted members of congress to pass his plan to provide the officers and equipment needed to secure the border. now, that surprised me because i wasn't aware the president had a plan. but there's no question that border security legislation is needed, and those resources are necessary. we need to strengthen this combination of technology, boots on the ground and infrastructure that border patrol tells me is the key to successfully securing the border, and that's the only way to stop dangerous drugs and criminals who mingle in with economic migrants and other asylum seekers to make their way across the border into the interior of the united states. but there's no doubt we need to

reform the asylum structure so that we can focus on interdicting narcotics and contraband. anyone who questions the need for these measures should talk to the parents who had to bury their children, the brothers and sisters who have lost a sibling, the teenagers who are grieving at the unexpected loss of healthy and vibrant friends. we owe it to them and to the countless people who are terrified by this looming threat to stop these drugs at the source. and obviously what we are doing now is not sufficient. it's not working. i heard, again, attorney general garland say, well we're doing everything we can, and that's not true. he may think he's doing everything he can, but obviously it isn't working and we want accept failure.

we've got to come up with a formula to address this, as we did yesterday during an open hearing in the intelligence committee where i asked the leaders of our national security agencies, what else can you offer? what other resources, what other thoirts do you need -- authorities do you need to stop this dying of people taking fentanyl and other illegal drugs coming across the border? but it starts with securing the border, and we'll be fighting a continuing losing battle until that's done. i yield the floor.

mr. wyden: mr. president. the presiding officer: the the senate from oregon. mr. wyden: in a few minutes the senate will vote on daniel werfel's nomination to be commissioner of of the internal revenue service. he told the finance committee that he will make his priorities delivering fairness and building trust. we know that he's going to do just that because he's done it before. president obama asked mr. werfel, during a very challenging time, to serve as acting commissioner in 2013. then the internal revenue service was under intense scrutiny for intense --

mr. werfel did his job in a way that improved trust in the internal revenue service. he worked with both sides of the senate finance committee. our investigation found that both left-leaning and right-leaning groups were affected. the late senator orrin hatch, a friend to many in this chamber, told me on a number of occasions how much he appreciated danny werfel's professionalism and his open door for all sides. mr. president, it is time to rebalance the american system of tax enforcement. audits today too often are a burden that fall heavily on working families, on nurses, firefighters, and teachers, and the middle class. it's far too easy for the very wealthy and the multinational corporations that have armies of

acat ants to -- account antsanto get away with cheating. now, i understand everybody in the chamber shares those priorities, however, mr. werfel -- and i'll close with this -- has committed to the finance committee that he is going to work with both sides of the aisle and bring transparency to the job. that includes how the irs will spend funding to improve taxpayers -- to improve taxpayer services, upgrade technology, and crack down on those wealthy tax cheats. and he's going to protect confidential taxpayer data. that is an enormous priority for both sides, and i think i'm about as big a privacy hawk as there is here in this body and it's certainly a priority of mine.

danny werfel is a highly qualified noism he has agreed to take on one of the toughest and most scrutinized jobs in public public service. i ask my colleagues to support danny werfel's nomination to head the internal revenue service, and i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. mr. wyden: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

switch yard.blank

vote: vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 54, the nays are 42.

the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the clerk will report the simmons nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, james edward simmons, jr., of california, to be united states district judge for the southern district of california. the presiding officer: the question is on the nomination. yeas and nays have been requested. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. there is. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote.

: vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the ayes are 51, the nays are 43. the nomation is confirmed. under e previous order, the motion t reconsider is the table and the president will

be immediately notified ofhe senate's action. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the kahn nomination, which the crk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, maria araujo kahn, of connectit, to be united states circuit judge for the second circuit.

the presiding officer: unr the previous order, the question is on the nomination.

the yeas and nays have been requested. is tre a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vo:

vo:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 51, the nays are 42, and the nomination is confirmed. yurd, the motion to reconsider

is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mrs. fischer: thank you, mr. esident. i'm sure you've seen news reports about a group of four americans who were recently the u.s.-mexico border. across this week two were tragically found dead. my heart goes out to the families affecte by this devastating developnt. this is the latest in a string of incidents that underscore just how chaotic the situation is at our southern border.

i know first hand because i visited the border last week, along with a delegation of republans, led my my you know, we can read about border,e can watch the news, t until you travel south and see the chaos there with your own eye you really can't fully understand the gravity of the situation. the numbers we hear reportedre overwhelming migrant encounters this fiscal year have already stretched past 770,000. december hit a record for monthly encounters at over 251,000. surely, you kw, we talk about ese numbe, but what really brings home what a crisis this is is walking past an unfinished

border wall, boating up and down the rio rio grandee river, and e th path migrants use to sneak into our country. 's touring a raided stash house where a weapon was found, an illegal immigrant was detained and a human smuggler was arrested. the fas and the voices of the people on the ground in texas who are directly hurt by border insecurity, that's what really brings hom what a crisis this is. my colleagues and i talked to border patrol officers, illegal immigrants, south texas landowners. each of these conversations unveiled a new side of the

tragic situation at the border. our agent are doing good and honorable work to protect migrants, to defend o national security, and to stop criminals in their tracks, but it is all with little support from this administration. along the border wall, we spoke with illegal immigrants. some of them single men and women and some of them with families. we met a 6onth-old baby. all had been detained by border patrol and they were being identified before being sent to a processing center. this is a sad situation, not just what theseigrants face to get here, dealing with the

coyotes and t cartels, but then what they will face in their future. these migrants will head north and they will be fced to work for getting them across oures border. many of them will be funneled intoives of indentured servitude, some of them into human trafficking and sex trafficking. but, mr. president, this is not only an enormous humanitarian crisis and a drug crisis, this is a nationalecurity crisis. i'm a senior member on the senate armed services committee. our trip to the rio grande valley reaffirmed the frenzy at our southern border is nothing short of a national security

disaster. the united states does not have control of the southwest border. do you know who does? the mexican cartels. when we cannot control who is entering our country, when we cannot control what they are bringing into our country or where they're going, that is a serious national security risk. in fiscal year 2022, border agents arrested 98 suspected terrorists who were trying to enter the country illegally between our ports of entry. during the previous administration this number was never higher than six. since october, border agents

have arrested another 53 people on the terror watch list many president biden's mismanagement of the border has created a total catastrophe,nd thanks to him we are experiencing not own a homeland security crisis, but also a homeland defense crisis. thisisit to the border was so frustrating because we know that the dangerous criminal activity going on there is preventable, but the president's refusal to enforce our country's laws are current -- our current laws means that trafficking of people, drugs, weapons occurs unabated at our borr. in the senate, we are trying to find solutions to the border crisis i introduced a resolution with

senator britt who joined us on last wk's border trip, which simply acknowledges the crisis at the southern border. let's st say there's a crisis that exists. it should be simple. i joined senator britt to introduce theeep our community safe act, which would close the gaping cat and release loophole allowing illegal immigrants to escape into our country. i helped introduce sarah's law, sponsored by my colleague senator ernst to require mandatory detention of illegal immigrants charged with violent crimes in our country and in turn better protect the public.p urging my colleagues to join these bills, but there is a limit to what we can do while the president and his border czar vice president harris

continue to turn a blind eye to what's going on in texas. throwing taxpayer dollars at a smartphone app that facilitates border crossing appntments for migrants, that's not going to cut it. we need the president and vice president to do their jobs and enforce the laws that keep our country safe. step out of the white house, president biden, a take a look at what's happening. when you say you travel to the border, go to the border. the administration continues to release thousands of migrants into the united states each and every month holding on to the pipe dre that they'll voluntarily show up in court next yr. and there are thousands more got-aways who continue evading

borderatrol and entering this country illegally. the president needed to deal with this mess yesterday. it is far past time for this administration to show us some recognition that the president understands how dangerous this is. time is up for president biden to move past the photo ops and to reach across the aisle to find serious solutions. intaining our national security should not be a partisan goal. it should be an american goal. neglecting our border means more drugs brought into our country, more women and children facing am life of sex trafficking, and more threats to the security of our nation.

let's get our border security bills passed and deal with the situation once and for all. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

it's clear it's lon and hard on the great proposal biden to protect the social security while improving the program. th customer service of the with every one of us when you call social security to check for the wrong steps. yo have to wait hours and hours

before someone answers the so now we know where the president stand, worng families of america. now the bl close to senators, speaker mccarthy. today is march 9 and there's still one the question all of us are asking, speer mccarthy, where is your pn on deficit reduction? which we have talked about here. where is your plan, speaker mccarthy? ere is your plan, making sure we pay our debt. where is your plan? puing together a budget or avoiding theall. no plan for speaker mccarthy. president has shown where he stands until we stand, where

does your republican caucus stand? americans have no idea proponentsruly stand on federal spending. all we have are various proposals in the republican study committee, donald trump's omb director which if passed, would wreck ourountry and damage working families. my colleagues wil speak about the specifics but this is a roadmap that wl lead our country to a better more optimistic a happier future, something america really wants. >> always say president budgets shows his values are where they alwaysave been and that's with working people, not billionaires or giant corporations. theresident is laying out strong roadmap make americans stnger and safer and more competitive for dades to come.

he showing henderstands keeping our country secure means maintaining a strong investment, not just in defense but the programs and familie lives everyday. if you want strongerconomy and united states staying ahead of chin and this is not the time for the peoe who keep this country running like our republican part. yes tchers and firefighters should be able to afford rent or mortgage and the community in which they work. good paying jobs, lower utility bills and we are not counting on saudi arabia for oil or natur gas he knows we need sustained investment in public health so we can stop the next pandemic before it becomes another economic and health catastrophe.

he knows an investment in education is an invesent in our economy as well and why so many times that includes strong investment in chicare so i'm thrilled to see president biden proposed big investment to tackle our nations childcare crisis had o i've been saying again and ain we can't talk about strengening our economy to get the affordable childre they need so they can go to work. this budget shows president bin is on the same page is working bears and employers who want itn childcare now. this budget moves our count forward and even while lowering the deficit by simply asking billionaires and the wealthiest corporatio in america to finally pay their fair share. now that we have the president's budget, chair of the apprriations committee, i can say we are moving forrd in a

bipartisan way. ipokeith senator collins about this and i believe we have real opportunity and respoibly to work togher to make our country safer and more competitive for the people we all represent. we will be full steam ahead and return to order and remove t spending bill biptisan and timely and responsible way that meets theeeds of our families and communities. not a wk in the park but i know cleagues on both sides of the aisle he in the senate believe it i the right thing to do. betterelieve we are going to be busy in our committee with hearings and bills. this budget offers a strong start and a clear vision for how we build a stronger country. let me turnt over. >> i will be brief. with this budget, you cannot get

more clear, the democrats are ready to fight for the proposition that billiaires and multinationalorporations have to pay a fair sha in taxes. this budget sws the white house understands there are two tax codes inmerica. one for nurses and fefighters and teachers, they pay taxes th every paycheck. another for billionaires and they don't take an income this year, little or nothingor years on end. the american people who work for a living know they are getting ripped off by the billionaires figure out how to not just doug paying fair sha, it's little or nothing for years on end and

nce my colleagues touched on it goes, i want to give an assessment where we are right now in terms of the budget. th first bill passed was $114 billion handout to wealt tax to use. speaking of lookingut for wealthy tax cheats, you can mk the first bill down from the house republicans as evident it's still donald trump party. you need more evidence considering the fact that dalton terms budget is writing tir economic plan. he wants to/and burn and more than the budget proposal under donald trump so examples abound in respect to the contrast. a lot of you say what is

different? in your view with the other side. medicaid is a good example, it's health coverage for more amicans than any other car programn the country. republics will be in ameri where medicare as it exist today is no longer. that means there's no guarantee of nursing home care. since myays now isirectorf the great panthers, i've always been done so many middle-class folks believe medice is going to cover their parents nursing homes. not the way it works. even if you se for retirement, so often go thrgh your retirement savgs and you are literally out of money and you are on medicaid medicaidor essentia nursing home care and

with this budget,edicaid no longer exists as we know it. guaranty medicaid nursing homes provided is at risk. obously we are going to have a big debate coming up and before we wrap up, a quick, on the republican ideas the las couple of day the debt ceiling. apparently ty are back to discusng the idea of prioritizing debt payments. i want you to know chairman of the senate finance committee, we are n going to sit around and enteain the idea that you could hav foreign creditors and wall street g priority over the folks i will be meeting in central oregon in a few hours.

that'sot the way it's going to work. we'v always said america pay our bills. when donald trump was president, senior democrat on the senate finance committee, we do what is ght for america, pay our bills and go on t future debate. the idea of prioritizing debate, this is wha people ought to be thinking about, provide opportunity, theeople who have political muscle, foreign creditors and wall street. i appreciate my colleague, distinguished chair of the committee and also agree on the senate finance committee. >> thank you. president biden's bget honest visi for a stronger and fairer and more stable america that was lower cost for households in medicare and protectocial

security and grow our economy as he likes to sayrom the bottom of and middle out. we will reduce tha and restore some integrity to a tax code to favor the weloff and well-connected. few things make a diffence in chilare. e president's budget increased without childcare options for 60 million more kids and lowerost for parents, pre-k access for all four euros and restore full child tax credit which we saw so well with covid. the president's budget lowers presiption drug and healthcare costs, wteful subsidies to big pharma, hundreds of billions of dollars. republicans but big campaign donors in the most profitable corporations dog using trips like offshe loopholes to pay

lower tax rates for teachs and fireghters. president's budget put a stop to at and breaks the grip of big oil which brings in record-breaking profits with vironmental and economic pull of climate change. ending tens of billions in tax breaks long overdue. that result budget proposal nearly $3 trillion in deficit reduction. derate republicans want to increase the defic by $3 trillion in tax cuts for their campaign dors and democrats want to invest i childcare, healthcare and housing and reduce the deficit by 3 trillion all while not raising them by making less than $400,000. asf today, our cards on the table. unke maga republicans hiding their bget plan, it's time for them to level with the amerin

people. then the american people c choose between budget for american filies by and for republicans big donors. >>hank you senator whitehouse, looking forward to working with you on the budget committee getting off to a good start. let me say something about the debt ceiling, the housing coittee, we had a hearing and there's o thing both t democratic witnesses and republican witnesses agreed on which was itould be absolutely reckless and irresponsible for the u.s. to pay on that. i found it interesting there was a census above democrats and republicans. as m colleagues have said, this is a budge you can see was put forward by a guy who grew up in

a middle-class household in scranton, pennsylvania. this is audget put forward by a guy w want to grow our onomy by expanding theiddle class and providing more families opportuty to climb the ladder to the middle class. is t end of the trump era a other eras of google down economic because invest in the success of every single american. it not only protects medicare and social security as the president said he wouldo at the state of the union aress, it puts the care on a sound foing solvency for 25 years. it's fiscally responsible, it will reduce the deficit by $3 trillion over ten years. as senator whitehouse and others pointed out, republicans keep saying they care about the

deficit, they don't carebout the defic. they are n willing to close one single tax break for big corporations for the sup wealthy in order to reduce the deficit. ask them. what they do want to do is cut important investments for the suess of the country, success of our kids education, investments in places lik nih to make sure we do the research to help develop life-saving drugs and treatment, they want to/across t board but the president sayinge want to ask theolks who have de super well just to pay a little more of their fair share. we are going to put increase tax on stock buybacks, they a breaking record profit and ceos are bucketing even more of the profits.

we want the funds to help make every family, not just the fks already doing very well so that's the bottom line of the president's bget, a budget there for every day working people, protecting important secuties that people have put into social security and medicare but also making investments we need to see both individual families but also as a country when we are competing -- >> majority leader sion. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all in favor say aye. all opposed sa no. the ayes appear to have it nied nied -- the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendars number 62. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no.

the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do ve it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, department department of the treasury, brent neiman. illinois to be under secretary. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to theesk. the presiding officer: the clerk the clerk: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the with no intervening action or debate of executive calendar number 62, brent neiman of illinois, to be deputy under secretary of the treasury, signed by 17 senators as followed. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. gread -- gread theotion is ao gread. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to calendar number 65. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye.

all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will repor the nomination. the clerk: nomination, departmentf state, eric m. ambassador of the united states of america to the republic of india. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to e desk. the priding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motio we, the undersigned senators, in accordce with the provisions of the senate, with noding rules intervening action or debate -- eric m. garcetti, of california, to being ambassador exaordinary and plep of the united states of ameri -- and plerp of the uted states of america of the rehe --he republic of india, signed by 17 senators as followed. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move toroceed to legislative session. the presiding office the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to he it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to the executive calendar to

consider calendar number 2. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. the ayes do have it. hop oppose. the ayes appear to hav it. the ayes do have it. the clerk: ravi chadry to be an assistant secretary of the air force. oture motion: we, the undersigned senators, in acrdance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rul of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate onhe nomination ofxecutive calendar number 23 is ravi chaudhary of virgia. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the namese waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed toegislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to pceed to executive session to consider calendar number 18. the presiding officer: the questions on the motion. all those in favor, say aye.

those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motions agreed to. nomination.ill reporthe the clerk: nomination, department of defense. laur taylor-kal california to be an assistant secretary. mr. schum: i sen a cloture moon to the desk. the presiding offer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion: we, the undersign senators, in accordance with the provisions of rul 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move nomination of executive calendar mber 18, laura taylor-kale of california to be an assistant secretary of defse, signed by 17 senators follows -- mr. schumer: i ask consenthe reading of the names be waived. the presiding oicer: without objection. mr. schumer: finally, isk unanimous consent that the mandatory quorumalls for the cloture motions filed today, march 9, be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection u. mr. schumer: madam president, i have six requests for committees to meet during

today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent tha the appointments at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. e presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 758, which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 758, a bill to amend the tariff act of 1930 to protect personally identifiable information and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and pass and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding offic: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i ask unanimous consent the senateroceed to the consideration of s. res. 101 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clk will report. the clerk: senate resolution

101, designatingarch the, 2023, as national slam the scam day and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous const the resolution be agreed , the preamble be agreed to, d that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon theable, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i as unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of senate res. 102 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 102,bserving the 100th anniversary of the birth of john lesley wes montgomery and commemorating his contributions to jazz music. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed to the measure. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.

the presiding officer: without jection. mr. schumer: and, madam president, i ask unanimous consenthat when th senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned to convene far pro forma session with no business be conducted at 9:30 a.m. on fry die march 10. when the senate adjourns on friday, it stand adjourned until 3:00 on tuesday, march 14. following the prayer -- that on tuesday, following t prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, e journal of proceedings be approved to date, the me for the two leaders be reserved for their use later i the day, a that morning business be closed. following the conclusion of morning busins, the senate proceed to executive seson and resume consideration of the neiman nominion. furthering that the cloture motions filed during today's session ripen at 5:30 p.m. on tuesday, march 14. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there is to further business to come before the senat i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of senator cardin. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i yield the

floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call theoll. quorum call:

mr. cardin: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: madam president, many cities and towns acros america have the story a segment of a highway or a railroad track that cuts ruthlessly throu

neighborhoods. these neighborhoods may not have supported vibrant, tight-knit supportiveommunities with cherished homes, and small businesses. backed with federal funding these highways and other massive infrastructure projects tore these neighborhoods apart and left them an enduring legacy of clusion and diminished opportunity. to be sure, these infstructure projects were intended to serve a purse, and they did serve a purpose -- tnsportation of a particular sort. for families that could affora car and a housen the suburbs, highways were built to whk people in and out of our urban down to you, with regd to the people remaining in tse downtowns. in the most benign cases, these projects were designed whout care or sensitivity to the people the left behind and excluded in. worst cases, the outcome of suppression and exclusion of people of color was in fact deliberate.

it is time to confront our legacy of racism and excsion in infrastructure development d promote the next generation ofnfrastructure that heals, unifies and reconnects. thankfully, under presidenton, biden's leadership an the direction of congress, were doing jus that. president biden has affirmed and reaffirmed his comtment to adncing equity and combating systemic racism through two executiverders. first exetive order which was signed theirst day in his office said the federal govement should pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginale and adversely affect add by the persistent poverty and inequality. affirmively advancingquity, civil rights, racial justice and equal opportunity i the responsibility of the whole of government. the executive order he signed just last month acknowledges

that we have so much work to do. it says, members of underserved communities, many of whom have endured generations of discrimination and disinvestment still face significant barriers to realize ago the full promise of our great nation and the federal government has a responsibility to remove these barriers. how to remove these barriers -- these barriers competents in a met foric sense but sometimes their concrete, literally. baltimore city has dealt with the enduring legacy of its own highway to nowhere. this project is one of the franklin mulberry coulter in west baltimore and started as a way to get drivers out of the city quickly. although the city never completed the project, a 1.4-mile stretch of highway contained with a concrete canyon was built and do irreparable harm to the surrounding communities. 971 homes and 61 businesses were

destroyed. the project displaced approximately 1,500 people, most of them black. and for decades the city has lived with this eyesore. let me be clear, removing barriers like highways is not simply about demolishing and removing infstructure. it is about building the kind of infrastructure our cities need. the infrastructure of connectivity and inclusion. this means instead of a highway for fast-moving cars or, worse, an unused highway in the case of baltimore's highway to nowhere, we need to restore neighborhoods, street grids, parks, sidewalks and bike trails. the infrastructure we need businesses and education an health care. i'm proud that under president biden's leadership under equity the bipartisan infrastructure law that the committee on environment and public works negotiated, we now have a

federal program specifically aimed at addressing the legacy of division and exclusion from the past infrastructure projects and supporting a new and better communities.urt or marginalized the legislation that was reported unanimously in may of 2021, includes the program later included in the final inastructure and jobs act. i was proud of the role that our presiding officer played in the development of that law, the infrastructure law as well as reconnecting people, i was proud to serve on the committee of our presiding officer and we are pleased to be an integral part of making sure the legislation got to the president's desk. when we negotiated the transportation reauthorization bill, it wasn't easy to convince everyone it was a worthy program, but just look at the need across the country and thee

than 350 applications nationwe that far outpaced the amount of funding available. there are so many worthy projects aoss the country. they -- they never receive enough planning and consideration through the framework that existed prior to president biden's focus on equity, the bipartisan infrastructure bill and reconnecting communities. i think the overwhelming need we are seeing across the country will strongly support the program's continuation and expansion into one of department of transportation's signature legislations. after all the work, the department of transportation awarded the very first round of reconnecting communities' grants. i'm proud after all of the work on the bipartisan infrastructure law, baltimore city was one of the first recipients of the federal funding under the reconnecting communities

program. baltimore will receive dz tdz 2 million grant for planning which the state for planning under governor more is anding $200,000. the people of baltimore will develop a proposal and one that will support the construction of a project that is of great significance for baltimore and its future. this award for baltimore is an important milestone in the history of of our nation's approach to infrastructure. far too long our national infrastructure policies contributed to tearing down communities while we built our transportation networks. with the reconnecting communities program, our federal infrastructure policy will no longer tear our communities apart, rather it must build up, reconnect and support them. withhat, madam president, i would yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the

previous order, the senate watch live coverage of the senate when lawmakers return . >> alan shaw testified on the company's recent train derailment in east palestine, ohio that led to massive chemical spill and evacuation of local residents. watch the senate environment and public works hearing tonight 9:00 eastern on c-span. it's available on the greek c-span now video at or online at c-span.org. friday friday janet yellen testified on the president's

2024 budget request held by the house ways and means committee -- the hearing live 9:00 a.m. eastern on c-span2 on our free mobile video app, c-spanow or online at c-span.org. ♪♪ >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more including cost. >> homework can be hard but squatting in a diner for internet work is even harder that's why we provide low income students aess to affordable internet so homework can just be homework. cox connects to complete. ♪♪ >> cox supports c-span as a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. next, pennsylvania governor shapiro delivering his first letter addressed for the state