institution. >> brad mccallie with brookings come from the coast guard. thanks for your time. just want to ask as a army aviator and you're getting prepared to step away from a very distinguished career here in the nexta few months what ae your thoughts on army aviation currently and how excited aremy you about someon of the things coming down the pike in the next to your? >> i think, talk about army aviation but i think really military aviation and coast guard and across the front. we have the world's greatest pilots. and that scale, too. i take a look at army aviation. you go to some countries there's a few people who fly night vision goggles shoot at night but we have a force of aviation professionals across all the services that is extremely highly trained and can operate in the worst weather, can operate at night, , they can do the most difficult missions. what i've seen, i see it more as

a commander, command the 120 first airborne division come with two and 50 aircraft and seeing what they would do in combat. and then even the ideas that you can maintain, part of, get to the fueling and rearming and almost type things that i see in aviators across speedy we believe this here to keep are over 40-year commitment to covering congress. you can watch the rest of it if you go to our website c-span.org. senate lawmakers today working on a bill to repeal the authorizations for the use of military force against iraq. a procedural vote is expected at 5:30 p.m. eastern today. now we take you live to the floor of the u.s. senate here c-span2.

the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will now lead the senate in prayer.

the chaplain: let us pray. .o god our sure refuge. teach us how to live this day. give us relaxed attitudes that lengthen life. .make us like trees that bear life-giving fruit. .keep us calm when we feel indignation. grant that our work will bring freedom and not captivity. .look with favor upon the membes of the senate and bless them according to their needs. lord, .move their minds to discover your purposes.

keep alive in each of them the grace of your spirit, lest we loose the awareness of your presence in our lives. we pray in your sovereign name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge f allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c., march 21, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1,

paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the stae of vermont, to perform the dutis of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore.

>> start calling in now, we begin this morning as you're calling in with two opinion pieces from the conservative opinion pages of the washington times. they appear two pages apart. the first is from charles hurt. his column today in the washington times, he says alvin bragg, the manhattan district other than the, is committed, apparently, to getting mr. trump back into the white house. today mr. trump's biggest challenge to reclaiming his outsider status as a constructing marauder even though he technically served four years in the white house, the best way to make sure trump resumes that mantle of outsider, charging the gates would be to arrest him on blatantly partisan, manufactured political charges. charlie hurt saying if, indeed, mr. trump is arrested, voters will protest the at the ballot box next year. godspeed, mr. bragg, he writes, thank you for your service. that's charles hurt in today's washington times.

and as we said, two pages away, it's cal thomas. his columned today, the headline trump should follow lyndon johnson's example. this is what he means and writes: if that seems likely donald trump is indicted for repeatedly paying hush money to stormy daniels and if, as also seems likely, mr. rump is indicted by a georgia -- mr. trump is indicted by a georgia grand jury, then mr. trump should follow the example of lyndon johnson on march 31 1st, 1968, he announced he would not seek the presidency end again. cal thomas writes if trump withdraws from the 2024 race, it would open up the field with less political and personal baggage. a trump withdrawal might partially -- further poison the political waters and divide us in ways not seen since vietnam and the assassinations of martin

luther king jr. and robert kennedy, 1968. for the good of the country, cal thomas writes, mr. trump should quit the race. again, those two pieces from the conservative washington times today. we're asking you if there's an indictment, if there's an arrest, what do you think it would mean for donald trump in his bid to retake the white house in 2024. that discussion plays out over the weekend. it was saturday that mr. trump predicted that he would be arrested today, tuesday. it was on cnn's state of the union that one prominent republican talked about what this all might mean for donald trump. chris sununu, new hampshire's governor, was on state of the union, this was what he had to say. >> again, i think there's a rot of unknowns. i -- a lot of unknowns. i can tell you it's going to get a lot of sympathy for the former president. i was at coffee with some folks, and none of them were big trump supporters, but they all said they felt hike he was being attacked. as you pointed out, likely some

sort of misdemeanor on an issue seven years ago that has nothing to do with january 6th. there's folks that still think this has something to do with january 6th. i think that not just the media, but really a lot of the democrats have misplayed this in terms of building sympathy for the former president, and it does drastically change the paradigm as we go into the '24 the election. >> the former president has also call for, quote, protests, and he's urging supporters to, quote, take our country back. obviously, every american has a right to peaceful protest, but do you think former president trump has a special responsibility here to make sure that his supporters protest peacefully after what happened on january 6th? >> well, sure. look, if someone's calling for protests, you always want to make sure that they're peaceful, and ask we know that that's going to happen as has happened before in long history, in recent history, folks are always out there protesting what they see as an unjustified arrest or indictment, but you want to make sure it's peaceful. we don't want history to repeat itself in overly negative ways,

so that's going to the happen out there. you can't just put it on the former president. it's our responsibility, right, as society and our communities to the make sure we're doing it in the right way and making sure that we're making a positive effect going forward. >> host: chris sununu on cnn's" state of the union" on sunday talking about protests, it was that same saturday post by donald trump, he called on supporters to protest. here's one of the headlines from today's washington times, officials brace for unrest with possible trump indictment. the story there showing -- "the washington post" showing some of the preparations and some of the possible demonstrations that could be happening. the demonstrators, the story notes if they were to show up, would show up at lower manhattan courthouse. signs of preparation there visible outside the building, metal barricades seen unloaded and erect recollected nearby. the story, again, from the washington post today. your phone calls asking you what

an indictment, an arrest would mean for donald trump, do you think it would help or hurt the former president? indian trail, north carolina, a democrat. good morning. >> caller: hi. i was thinking about it while i was listening to you talk and listening to sununu. i don't have any sympathy for trump, and i don't hate trump. that's not the point. we have had so much trouble in this country, and ask january 6th i watched it from daylight til dawn, when it came on til it went off, and i just think the country has lost respect for law. and if he's not held responsible for even just the smallest, you know, what i'm trying to say finishing they don't charge him just with the smallest -- he did it, they have the checks.

the other guy went to jail for it. what did he go to jail for? trump gets away with too much, and if he gets away with this, yes, he might become a martyr. but it's still -- the our young people are being taught certain people can get away with anything. >> host: that's anne. this is melanie out of lawrenceville, georgia, republican line. melanie, good morning. >> caller: good morning, john. thanks for taking my call this morning. i just wanted to say that, you know, we in this country have gone from the point of no one is above the law to find me the man, and i'll find you the crime. that's awful. i think that this is going to split our country. i hate it. the lady that called before asked what michael cohen went to jail for, he went to jail for lying. thanks a lot and have a great day. >> host: melanie out of georgia.

robert in michigan, inget. good morning, you're next -- independent. what do you think? a potential indictment and arrest, what does that mean for donald trump as he continues, as he says he will, to run for president? >> caller: yes. am i on? >> host: yes, sir. >> caller: oh, okay, i'm. i'm sorry. you know, since this whole scenario started when trump supposedly started saying that he was going to be indicted, it's kind of funny because the news just had a frenzy all over the weekend. they had all these scenarios that they talked about what would happen if this, what would happen if that, but they forgot one thing. the scenario of if it always goes through, how are they going to pick the jurors? and, you know, are they going on the asking the jurors if they're republicans or democrats? or are they independents? or i don't even, you know, i mean, and trump will, trump will bring this up too, you know? if there is a jury trial. and also the fact that 2020

election they also, they keep on failing to bring up the subject that we had an overwhelming number of voters on that 2020 the election, more voters than any other election that this country ever had. so that says a lot too. and it's going to happen again. we're going to have another overwhelming number of electiont trump, let trump go because he's going to lose again. he will lose again in 2024. >> host: robert in michigan. kathleen in the windy city, democrat. good morning. >> caller: please don't cut me off until i get my point in. would an indictment help or hurt former president trump? ask that same question about president obama. he's been locked up since day one. see, in this country coas i say, not as i do.

>> host: anything else you want to add, kathleen? >> caller: okay. in this country ask that same question about what president obama had to do with this. see in this country, do as i say, not as i do. >> host: got your point, kathleen. eva in column columbia -- columbia, mississippi. good morning. >> caller: joe biden keeps saying nobody is above the law, and i want him to to remember the bidens aren't east. donald trump is not below the law, and joe biden keeps saying as his honor as a biden, it's worth nothing. i think anybody -- out hunting somebody's because for political reasons, i think everybody's paid off somebody in washington should be investigated and how many politicians do you think have paid off women in washington? why don't you investigate that. thank you. >> host: on what this investigation has looked into and what the charges might be, jeff murdoch takes a look at that today in today's washington

times. he's billion on this program several -- been on this program several times. here's how he tried to break it course, manhattan cricket attorney alvin barack is said on the near -- alvin bragg is said to be nearing a decision on whether to quiet donald trump. if mr. bragg does pull the trigger on an indictment, the former president likely would be charged with false ifying business records. under the new york state law, it could be upgraded to a felony in certain circumstances. a felony conviction would carry a prison sentence of up to four years. although the a payment made to ms. daniels is not a crime, it's possible that a crime was committed when it was documented in the trump organization's books. he goes on to write that mark pom answer, a former prosecutor who worked on the case, alleges that mr. cohen submitted phony invoices referencing a retainer agreement with mr. trump. mr. cohen then received a series of checks hand signed by mr. trump while he was president according to a book authorized

by mr. pom rands. if there was no retainer agreement, it's possible the invoices were forged and documented as legal expenses to cover up hush payments, and if true, he writes that could potentially run afoul of new york's law against falsifying business records. his column today trying to break down what these charges could be. again, we don't the know if it's going to happen, we don't know when or if it would happen, but the former president did predict that he would be arrested today in that post that received a whole lot of attention over the weekend. so we're asking you this morning, would an arrest, would an indictment help or hurt former president trump as he runs in 024 the? republicans it's 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independent cans, 202-748-8002. this is melissa, cleveland, tennessee the. democrat. good morning. >> caller: good morning, how are you this morning?

as far as how it affects mr. trump, i don't think he actually cares at this point. he's lived his entire life acting like he's an orange john gotti that i don't think he's aware -- [inaudible] and, unfortunately, i think he's also -- [inaudible] the legal system ooh the. if you or i or anybody else ran for town council and we had our lawyer doing what his lawyer supposedly kid with a -- did with a porn starring or we'd be serving our time in jail as we speak. as it is now, it's taken eight years for a grand jury to decide whether or not he broke any laws. you know? so, you know, we all can say he's not above the law, he's not above the law. well, yes, he is, because it's taken this long to get this far. and we haven't even started really seriously looking at whether or not he was

responsible for an attempted coup and whether or not, you know, he -- his organization, yeah, his crime boss family, you know, didn't pay taxes in the state of new york. >> host: that's melissa. this is cecil out of washington state, independent. good morning, you're next. >> caller: yeah. hey, good morning. thanks for taking my call. hey, you know, i normal ily don't vote because i've gotten throughout my time, my age, i'm nearing 60, and, you know, i voted republican, i voted for democratic, you know, nominees in the past, and i just got so fed up, you know, as i got older and older with these politicians. they just seem to be just a bunch of foolish, dishonest cartoon characters. and right now all i know is in new york they're looking for congress duck, and it's duck season -- donald duck, and it's duck season.

thank you. >> host: diana, burlington the, kentucky, good morning. your thoughts on this, would an indictment help or hurt donald trump? >> caller: it doesn't matter because president trump is our salvation. and i'd like to ask a question. what is the intent to entrap -- [inaudible] to me, it seems like they're attacking this man nonstop from the first time he stepped off the plane. and it's overwhelming, ugly. thank you. >> host: that's diana in burlington, kentucky. republicans, 202-748-8001. democrats, 202-748-8000. independents, 8002. another headline about the impacts here in our backyard up here on capitol hill.

trump's potential arrest hangs over capitol hill. that is story from the hill newspaper. michael shnell is the congressional reporter joining us via zoom this morning. michael, good morning. >> guest: good morning. thanks for having me. >> host: so house republicans commanding that the manhattan district attorney provide testimony, provide documents. they said they're going to get involved in an investigation here of the investigation. what exactly are they demanding here? what do we know about the steps house republicans are taking in reaction to, again, this potential indictment, potential arrest? >> guest: that's exactly right. so to just sort of set the scene a little bit, back on saturday just hours after former president trump had said that he will be arrested on tuesday, speaker ken mccarthy put out a concern kevin mcthink put out a tweet saying he was directing relevant committee to see if federal funds were being used for this investigation. so now fast forward to

yesterday, monday morning, and three committee chairmen came out with a letter inviting alvin bragg, the district attorney in manhattan, to come and testify about this investigation into trump and also requesting documents and communications related to that probe. this letter came from the house judiciary chairman jim jordan, house administration committee chairman brian steel and house cover sight committee chairman james comer. essentially, what this letter is doing is, again, a, it says that they want to look into if any federal funds were being used in manhattan, ask they also want the look into communications between the department of justice and the manhattan district attorney's office in terms of discussing this hush money investigation. another factor of this letter is that it sort of tries to paint the investigation saying that it's politically motivated. the three chairmen have said that this indictment of trump would be a politically motivated indictment. they also tried to cast some caught on the investigation's star witness, michael cohen, who

is former president trump's ex-fixer who was a key witness in this hush money probe, reminding folks that he was, he served jail time for lying to congress and sort of arguing that he's not a credible witness. so this letter had a lot of information, but at the crux of it the house are republicans are requesting testimony from alvining bragg and various documents and communications. >> host: that letter available on the judiciary three bills at the desk due for a second reading en bloc. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the titles of the bills for the second time. the clerk: s. 870, a bill to amend the federal fire prevention and control act of 1974 and so forth. h.r. 502, an act to amend title 38 united states code, and so forth and for other purposes. h.r. 815, an act to amend title 38 united states code to make

certain improvements and so forth and for other purposes. mr. schumer: in order to to place the bills on the calendar, i object to further proceeding en bloc. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bills will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. now, mr. president, today is world downs syndrome awareness day and to honor this day i'm wearing a pair of socks given to me by my friend sheila. sheila's daughter has downs syndrome and the socks come from john's crazy socks, he helps to -- they are not only a wonderful pair of socks, they're also for a great cause. today i'm thinking of my friend sheila and her daughter anna a as well as every family in our

country who has a loved one living with down syndrome. now on the aumf. today the senate begins debate on a resolution formally repealing the iraq aumf. bringing us closer to bringing these conflicts behind us for good. last week's cloture vote was 28 287. i hope republicans will work with us to keep the bill moving forward because aumf repeal in the senate is now a matter of when, not of if. it's my hope that we will finish our work on the aumf as soon as possible. we will have an amendment process. there is no reason to drag this out. i'm encouraged that in the house members from both sides of the aisle seem to be open to taking action once the senate passes this resolution and there are

members of the senate republican leadership who seem very strongly for the bill. that's a very good sign. i thank my colleagues here in the senate on both sides of the aisle for supporting in legislation. particularly senators kaine and young who did an amazing job rounding up support. this has been a dream of senator kaine's for a long time and now it is coming closer to reality and i thank chairman menendez and ranking member risch. there is no justification anymore for allowing these iraq authorizations to remain on the books. every year they remain in place is another year of a future -- is another year a future administration can use them to ensnare us in another conflict in the middle class. the american people don't want that. they're tired of endless wars in the middle class. we owe it to our service members and our veterans as well as their families and communities impacted by the war to repeal these aumf's as soon as we can.

on h.r. 1, over the weekend the u.n. international panel on climate change released their more dyer conscious r -- dire warnings, unless we curb emissions, we will cross a point of no return in the next decade. what awaits us could be near reversible, droughts, storms, crop failures. when hi think of my young grandchildren and i worry about the world they're going to grow up in, this is something that should make every one of us want to do something real about climate change. unfortunately, house republicans seem to think the best solution for our energy needs is not to help america transition to clean energy, but, unfortunately, they think doubling down on more giveaways to big oil is the way to go. i've been clear about two

things. democrats want to see a bipartisan, commonsense energy proposal come together in congress, but republicans h.r. 1 proposal is dead on arrival in the senate. let me just repeat that so they hear it from the other side of the aisle. h.r. 1 is dead on arrival in the senate. so you can do all the hoopla you want in the house, it ain't passing. it's not going to change a thing. no serious proposal would omit, as the house bill does, long overdue reforms for accelerating the construction of transmission to bring clean energy to projects online. you can't have a bill without some transmission. transmission is vital to get clean energy from where it's produced to where people live. but the republican's h.r. 1 proposal leaves it untouched psm no real energy proposal would stuff itself with poison pills in the way that republican

h.r. 1 does as well. house republicans want to repeal everything from the greenhouse gas reduction fund to the methane fee. imagine refeeling the -- repealing the methane fee. democrats passed the oil and --e acclaim throughout the country and throughout the world. so to undo it a few months later is laughable. it's not happening. until republicans recognize that permitting reform is an essential step towards laying the foundation for clean energy and the transmission is essential, no proposal or package they put forward will be taken seriously. fortunately there are some on both sides of the aisle in both houses who are attempting to put together bipartisan legislation and it has -- it has my blessing for them to try to come up with something that would be reasonable, productive and could pass.

on chips. today the administration released a number of proposed guardrails that will enhad sure that the chinese communist party does not benefit from our efforts to increase chib production here at -- chip production here at home. we first put it in the chips and science act. something i'm proud of. we put them in because we didn't want to see companies getting help to expand operations in america and then use our drars to -- dollars to expand operations in countries like china. i am glad the administration is implementing this law with good, strong guidelines, good, strong regulations. specifically, the department of commerce and treasury have proposed new restrictions which the senate approved through the chips and science act on the amount companies can invest in countries that are of concern, that includes russia and china.

abusing chips funding in china-based market would be self defeating. this is what we passed into law in the chips bill and this will implement it in a strong way. if we're serious about investing in domestic chip production, the last thing we should be doing is allowing companies to take chips dollars and use them to build facilities in china that benefit the ccp. i applaud the administration. i applaud our great secretary of commerce for this proposed rule, which i called on them to fast-track weeks ago and i'm glad they're doing it. i'm also glad the administration is rolling out proposed guidance for implementing the chips investment tax credit. the itc. i fought relentlessly to get this tax credit into chips and science. without it, our new factories here in america that will make advanced computer chips would not grow as quickly, i want to

thank those who join he me in this effort. as i said many times, president xi and the chinese communist party are in an all-out campaign to replace the u.s. as a global force in the 21st century. president xi is being wined and dined by vladimir putin leaving no doubt that the ccp is rooting for putin to prevail in ukraine. it's not just on military matters that china wants to dominate. for decades the ccp has stolen american and japanese ideas. we want to bring semiconductor jobs back to our shore. if that's going to happen, we cannot allow taxpayer dollars to expand in china. i applaud the administration for introducing this proposed rule today. on the norfolk southern hearing. the many consequences of norfolk southern's derailment in east

palestinian stn to re -- pal steern continues -- pal -- the reregulation under republican administrations and we've powered the rail industry to put profits over people. tomorrow the ceo of norfolk southern will testify before the commerce committee. he will be joined by the national transportation safety board as well as by two colleagues, senators brown and vance. we've heard norfolk southern ceo say he is sorry for what happened in east palestine, but he is also looking to enhance safety. i hope he follows up his apology with candid answers to some important questions. one, did norfolk southern after

seeing ar record $3.3 billion in profit pursue billions in stock buybacks instead of putting the money toward safety and their workers? two, why did the freight rail industry lobby for deregulation while also cutting the industry's workforce by roughly 20%? and, three, will the chair and will the chair of ntsb, who will testify tomorrow as well, also commit to expanding their investigation into norfolk southern to include as all class one freight rail companies so we can get at heart of the problems. the senate, mr. president needs answers. communities like east palestine need answers and so many other deserve answers as well. i hope we'll hare -- i hope we'l hear some tomorrow. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed.

under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 316, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to calendar number number 25, s. 316, a bill to repeal the authorization for use of military force against iraq. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that will bridges, in my office, be granted floor privileges until may 1, 2023. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tuberville: thank you, mr. president. on a lighter note than the majority leader, i'd like to talk about something a little different. a couple of weeks ago americans across the country lost an your hour of -- an hour of sleep to spring forward and reset their clocks for daylight savings time. i'm willing to bet losing that

hour caused some of my friends in alabama to be late to church that day. but this practice has many more cons conventions -- consequences than running behind. congress should make this year the last time we ever change our clocks by passing the sunshine protection act. over the past two years, i are have received many, many calls from people across alabama to make daylight savings time permanent. many alabamans, including parents, seniors, farmers, citizens, mental health professionals have all reached out to my office in support of the days of more sunshine in the evening, but not just alabamans, millions, i mean millions of americans are ready to end the outdated practice of springing forward and falling back.

the idea of daylight savings time was originally known as war wartime, war. it was first introduced as a temporary measure to conserve energy and better utilize resources during world war i. now nearly 100 years later, americans' energy consumption has rapidly changed. while adjustments to our clocks might have made sense when it first began, it does not make sense for modern times today. that is why i joined with senator marco rubio and a bipartisan group of my colleagues to reduce the sunshine protection act to make daylight savings time permanent. the bill would provide an extra hour of sunlight in the afternoon, which would be most noticeable during the dark and cold winter months.

many studies have proven that extra sunlight in the evening can lead to improvements in mental health, physical fitness, economic growth, and overall well-being. it's a simple way we could positively impact the day-to-day lives of all americans and finally get something done that a lot of people really care about. shifting clocks can disrupt sleep patterns, but a permanent daylight savings time will help americans maintain a consistent sleep schedule. studies have suggested that the disruption of sleep patterns associated with a shift in time have increased the risk of cardiovascular disease and physical injuries. northwestern medical, northwestern university medicine found that the fall back and

spring forward comes with 9% spike in fatal car accidents and a 24% higher risk of heart attacks. additionally, the long-term effects linked to daylight savings time include weight gain, headaches, and depression. the time switch in the fall increases seasonal effective disorder every year. and a study published in 2017 found that the transition from daylight savings time to standard time increased, increased the number of hospital visits for depression by 11%. permanent daylight savings time with extra sunlight in the evening will also encourage more physical activity, allowing more time for people to go on walks, participate in recreational activities, and attend outdoor events. kids will be able to enjoy more

time outdoors after school with friends year round and older americans will have more access to vitamin d. longer daylight hours in the evening have proven to stimulate economic activity as well because people are more likely to shop, dine out, and participate in other activities. covid lockdowns which were very recent, covid lockdowns and their crippling economic effect throughout the country underscore how valuable our small businesses are, for local economies, and our entire nation as a whole. the agriculture industry is also greatly affected by daylight savings time as more sunshine during working hours means more time to work on their crops which could translate into more

profitable bottom line. it could also decrease energy consumption by reducing the need for artificial lighting and heating. it is estimated that the time change costs the united states economy more than $400 million in lost productivity annually. alabama along with 17 other states have already passed legislation to end the outdated practice of changing our clocks, 17. however, the federal government must act to make those laws go into effect. congress should listen, should listen to the people and pass the sunshine protection act to make daylight savings time permanent prf we rea-- before we readjust our clocks again next fall. the change would improve our health, bolster our economy, benefit our farmers, and put

america on the path to a brighter future. it's time for america to move forward and stop falling back. mr. president, i yield the floor floor. i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> caller: it's like they're pushing it because all the newspapers, all the news stations, oh, we got to get security up. we're expecting a riot. we're expecting a riot. so is everybody going to be held accountable for inciting?

now -- and please don't cut me off, i'll make it short. when there is a protest, and i don't care what you're protesting, as long as it remains peaceful, it's fine. but there are those in the protests that are there for the protest, to support the protest. then there are those in these protests that are, that are there to support the friend that's protesting. there is a small percentage in every protest, i watched the black lives matter protests, most of the people there were peaceful, but there were those in those protests that were also inciters. just like there was in january the 6th. >> host: that's carol in west virginia. a few of your comments from social media this morning. real news on twitter saying that

this will only prove to the voters how corrupt the establishment really is and value candidate exactly what president trump has been saying -- validate exactly what president trump has been saying all along. jersey girl saying, frankly, i'm in disbelief that we live in a world where it's even thought an indictment might help a candidate's electoral prospects. what does that say about us as a nation? this from dale saying it definitely will make him the undoubted front-runner. he won't go to jail, probably won't be convicted of anything, but it'll be the topic all the way up to the election instead of, for example, desantis' record as governor or any real issue. and one more from -- [inaudible] saying help or hurt, it doesn't matter, donald trump has one or more indictments coming. your thoughts and you can continue the conversation @c-spanwj or you can call in like patricia did, a republican from minneapolis. patricia, good morning.

>> caller: good morning. god bless you, president trump, the greatest president america has ever had. it's a witch hunt. the media, c-span, you, you sound so excited, john, about this. a distraction from the awful, awful leadership of biden. energy crisis, can sky high. food shortages, high gas prices. our cities are going down hill. it's a nightmare. and the election was stolen, and you notice when they went for the classified documents they had cmn there -- cnn. they went and raided it in the middle of the night with a bunch of guns and everything. this is a shame. this is like the soviet union. >> host: that's patricia in minnesota. this is paulette in louisville, texas.

democrat. good morning. >> caller: everybody take a step back. donald trump is 76 years old. nobody told him to commit these crimes. nobody told him to take the documents, nobody told him to cheat on his wife. nobody told him to incite a riot at the capitol. he did it on his own. and, republicans, you need to look at him. he's eating his own. he's tearing up the people that though how to run the government that are republican. he's not -- [inaudible] he's saying he's -- the. [inaudible] donald trump is no good. >> host: that's paulette in,. speaking of the form former, he has been posting frequently on his social account in response to various is aspects of this potential indictment, of what's come out about this

investigation saying that there was no misdemeanor, there was no felony, there was no bookkeeping error. those are a few of his tweets from just the past hour -- i'm sorry, the past 24 hours or so. he also says that we're many years beyond the statute of limitations which in this instance is two years and then saying, more importantly, there was no crime. just a look at some of his truth social accounts. coming back to statute of limitations, it's jonathan turley who is a board contributor for "usa today," he a appeared at a witness testifying before congress in one of the two impeachments of donald trump. he wrote odd the a column -- today a column about various aspects of this investigation, but this is huh how he begins his column, again, in "usa today." if former president trump is indicted, manhattan district attorney alvin bragg would be

prosecuting a case that is long on politics and short on the law. the courts would have to the address a controversial case in the which a sitting prosecutor attempts to prove a federal crime long ago declined by the u.s. department of justice. they also would have to deal with a charge brought seven years after the alleged offense despite a two-year statute of limitations for the underplying misdemeanor or five-years for a felony. and bragg, he writes, would have an even more unpalatable prospect in putting two key witnesses on the stand embodying a case that borders on the legally indecent, a former porn star and a disbarred lawyer are. jonathan turley writing in today's "usa today." lauren's next, sunnyvale, california, independent. good morning. >> caller: good morning, yes. i don't think the will hurt trump at all, this first file they're going to take to him. but the other three trials are

going to hurt him the worst. and i don't -- if it's 20% of the population believes trump's really good. he's the only president who's raised the national debt by 25%. he did it all many four years. he raised it 8.7. 8.7. and he took -- stealing money. okay. and he felt a that taking money from the -- oh -- >> host: we'll take your point. this is misty in tallahassee, republican. good morning. >> caller: i think it's all rubbish and also, you know, they spent, what, 40, 50 million trying to burn him with russia and and that, and none of it was true. it was all a lie. and i really think, i was an

independent and registered as a republican because it's forcing us the make a choice between, you know, pretty much marxism and america. and so i'm native american, i choose america, and i really think this will -- [inaudible] and actually there's a book out there that's called how the democrats are going to steal the election in 2024. i suggest people read that, because it's very interesting. and mr. turley, by the way, is a lifelong democrat. so if he says it, -- [inaudible] then i'll believe what he says. >> host: that's misty. this is vivian, collierville, tennessee. democrat. good morning. >> caller: good morning. everything, actually, i've been listening to the program this morning and hearing those republicans getting out there saying that that man was a great man. he was a great man for himself. donald trump don't care about anybody else but donald trump. and i tell you something, if you

put that man back in that office, we're going to be worse off than what we was before with him because he agreed with putin. anybody stand up and say putin is a great person, we see what putin is doing over will in ukraine. and he said up here, he -- [inaudible] number one. he went with a person -- while he was married. if he was such a good man, he wouldn't have done that. wasn't his wife enough for him in that's telling america his wife wasn't enough for him. >> host: from the phone lines to the white house briefing room, it was questioned that white house press secretary karine jean-pierre was asked about this potential indictment, about investigation. here's some of what he -- she had to say. >> reporter: what does the white house make of former president trump calling on supporters to protest his potential indictment? if. >> so as you know, it's an ongoing investigation. we do not comment on any any ongoing investigations from here. we've been very consistent on that so, certainly, am not going

to the break that that, kind of break our protocol here. so i i won't comment -- >> [inaudible] >> reporter: i'm asking about the former president calling on supporters to protest. the possibility. >> understood. understood. wanted to say that at the top. so, look, the president has been very clear when it comes to americans who want to protest, they should do it peacefully, and that is something that is incredibly important that the president has always continued to say, but i don't want to get into, you know, hypotheticals from here, and so i'll just leave it there. >> reporter: there's one other thing related to this. it isn't hypothetical because now house republicans are requesting to speak with the manhattan district attorney the, alvin bragg, about his ongoing investigation into former president trump. is that a proper use of federal tax dollars to investigate -- >> again, i'm just not going to speak to that. that is an underlying connection to the investigation, just not

going to comment from here. .. with reporters during the retreat taking place in orlando.

you can watch it on c-span2 c-span.org and free suzanne now back join us on the washington general was done and when you're done. as we ask you, would and indictment or hurt former president trump 2024? arizona independent, good morning. >> good morning, how are you? >> doing well. >> good. it's hard to tell with trump, i'm use attendant. i saw this yesterday you have so many democrats and couple independence, boy the vitriol they spew and bad language hand the filth that came out of their mouths. he's not accused of anything yet. in convicted i should say they are complaining about the economy. trump didn't do anything.

he did 122 things. look up. they have africa mind you, we have 6% gdp and one half, what did pulled on the economy right now, i can't think. lost my train of thought but we went 9.1 hunter biden. what biden is doing. no one is talking on media what's going on with him or what clinton did or anything but they jump on this poor guy. >> this is heather in bel air mayor, good morning. >> good morning. i think this will help donald trump i agree with robin, it's part of political agenda. unfortunately what incidents

leading up the 2024 election this coming out of the woodwork. i agree with him one 100% and also, i don't know what person, after all that he's been through time and time again that he still stands and keeps fighting. he's not all about himself as the previous caller said. he stands for america and will fight for us and i totally support him. >> las vegas, democrat. running. >> good morning. i do think this would help his prospects becoming president again but it's funny listening to the rhetoric of some of the people on the other side of the

spectrum. it is disheartening because as a democrat you want the base to be more savvy as far as you realize with media outlets fox news isn't going to show some of the bad moments of donald trump and you hear people reiterating certain percentages and cracks but don't even stand inside of today's current economy so it's one of those things worse like it's going to be the same thing over and over again so appreciate your time. thank you. >> james in las vegas. five minutes left, time for a few more calls. a few more tweets as the conversation has been happening this morning on social media. twitter, this is paul from florida who said it would help trump everyone with insight to easily see through this obvious smokescreen to divert attention against biden's corruption.

it's a waste of time, trump would be arrested and anyone will protest to stop it. it's another stunt pulled that's doomed to fail and mlb saying to answer the question, i don't care. never had the majority of american voters supporting him and 2016, 8 million plus 2020 and lost a quarter since then. it's math, not politics when it comes to the vote. tony in virginia, good morning. >> crowd but said, i would guarantee the colors saying donald trump should be invited couldn't explain articulate her crime he will be indicted for. nobody knows they face these against him and fabricating these not to be true. all the stuff we heard about george bush committee war crimes

be arrested, ronald reagan bringing crack cocaine into the black community, he should be arrested so where we indicting donald trump as a proud moment for america? it is shameful and don't agree with it and i wasn't going to vote again but i think i will this time. >> this is robert, democrat. good morning. >> good morning. two things i can't understand why you keep referring to newspaper clips. art knows most newspapers like left-wing liberal donald trump calls them big news media? you keep referring to news clips but here's the big part, alvin bragg emma alvin bragg. does anybody know alvin bragg recently indicted or arrested a rapist in manhattan and alvin bragg set the guy free, let him go when he should have been locked up and you know what he

did as soon as he got out? murdered a woman. that's alvin bragg for you. i don't understand chasing donald trump but okay for biden to tell the prosecutor in ukraine you better fire this guy to cover up for his corrupt son, that's all i have to say. donald trump was the greatest thing that ever happened to america. >> and ask, where did you read the story about a person who came out and murdered the woman? what is your news source you trust? >> my news source, locally and the tri-state area, new york new jersey, connecticut, it was all over the radio but now will make me say it, it was fox news, tucker carlson so let's check the facts. this guy was a rapist, alvin bragg, let them go and immediately out of jail he murders a woman. that's the prosecutor and indictment doesn't mean convicted so let's wait and see

the courts spell this out. >> this is charlotte north carolina. for money. >> i am not a republican, i dialed the wrong number, i still? >> it works better if people calling on the phone like because it's not fair to other folks so let's try to stick with the phone lines we identify with. jim, independent, good morning. >> i am an independent and i usually look for somebody, vote for them because of the person they are represent the country especially the presidency not because they are democrat or republican or anything but if they've committed crimes, they should have to attend to the and in this case, i don't care what he did, i don't care what happened but if legal system is going to go after him, that should happen will it affect how

people feel about him? sure but he deserves it just like we do, just like i do, like anybody else does so we need to get over the democrat republican side and say how would we feel as citizens of the country if we committed a crime or somebody committed a crime against us, how would we feel? that's what i have to say. >> this is kevin, democrat. >> thank you. mr. cruz: mr. president, i rise today to discuss phil washington, president biden's nominee to serve as the administrator of the federal aviation administration. the top job at the faa. the faa has been in the news far too often lately, from the software meltdown of a critical safety system in january that resulted in the first u.s.

groundstop of aircraft since september 11 to recent numerous near misses of airliners on runways. these incidents are a stark reminder of why it's essential to have an faa administrator with decades of deep and real aviation experience. especially experience in aviation safety. after all, the faa's primary mission is to keep the flying public safe. this mission is so important that congress has explicitly mandated by statute that the faa administrator must -- quote -- have experience in a field directly related to aviation. this is not a patronage job. this is an aviation safety job. and it is frankly irresponsible

to entrust the role of protecting the lives of millions of americans who fly in the hands of a person who needs on-the-job training. unfortunately, that's exactly what we have with president biden's faa nominee, phil washington. i'm deeply disappointed that the biden white house decided to treat a critical safety position as a political spoil system to reward a political ally rather than to ensure an experienced safety professional to keep us all safe. and as a result of the biden white house playing politics with this critically important position, the faa has lacked a senate-confirmed leader for a year now. phil washington is objectively,

indisputably unqualified to lead the faa. for two decades, he worked at mass tran sis agencies, where he was in charge of buses and trains -- not planes. that experience might qualify him to serve at the federal transit administration or on the board amtrak. those would be reasonable nominations. -- given mr. washington's experience. but buses and trains have nothing to do with airplanes. the indisputable fact is that mr. washington has zero aviation experience. and, in particular, zero aviation safety experience. mr. washington has never flown an airplane. he's never been a military

pilot. he's never been a commercial airline pilot. he's never worked at an airline. he's never worked at an airline manufacturer. he's never served is as an air traffic controller. he's never worked for a company that repairs airplanes. the only aviation experience that mr. washington has is limited for the last 20 months to working at the denver airport as the ceo. however, in that job, his primary responsibility is the physical plant there. it's the airport's dining, parking, buildings. he doesn't have responsibility for aviation and aviation safety. in particular, as mr. washington admitted at his confirmation hearing, the pilots don't work for him, the mechanics don't work for him, the air traffic controllers don't work for him.

his job is not an aviation safety -- his job is not in aviation safety. aviation is a field involving highly technical issues. to understand these issues to lead the faa, the head of the federal aviation administration needs to have extensive knowledge, experience, and expertise in aviation. this shouldn't be a controversial statement. and historically, the head of the faa has had decades of real serious experience in aviation safety. the faa administrator is supposed to be a nonpartisan position for an aviation expert. i don't want a democrat faa administrator or a republican faa administrator. i want someone that has some idea how to keep the damn planes in the sky. that's why the term

-- term of office is five years for this position, because it's not a position that is suitable to partisan patron age, but rather you need nonpartisan experts. faa administrators typically stay on the job even when the white house changes hands. this is a job for someone with specialized knowledge needed to ensure the safety of the flying public. i'll readily admit i'm wildly unqualified to be faa administrator. no one in their right mind would put me in charge of this agency because i don't have any idea how to fly a plane. i certainly don't know what needs to be done to ensure that they're flying safely. the sad thing is mr. washington doesn't know any more than i do when it comes to this critical

specialized role. mr. washington's nomination hearing confirmed what is abundantly clear in his resume, that he lacks any aviation experience. at his hearing, he was unable to answer basic aviation questions, including safety questions about aircraft certification, about pilot licensing, about airports. i asked mr. washington about what caused the two tragic accidents with the 737 max. he was forced to answer and to say he didn't know. mr. president, sadly, i believe it. but that's an enormous problem given that 346 souls were lost in those two horrific crashes. an faa administrator who doesn't know what happened is not qualified to do the job. one of the newest members of the

committee, senator ted budd, is a pilot. i would commend you, mr. president, i would commend anyone go watch senator budd's questioning of phil washington. senator budd asked him basic questions a pilot should know, basic questions such as how close airplanes are allowed to get on runways. i'll be honest, i have no idea. i'm not a pilot, i'm not an air traffic controller, and i'm not running the faa. but it's pretty stunning that the person nominated to run the faa has no idea either. that person should know how to do his job. and i will point out it wasn't just republicans who raised these questions. at the confirmation hearing, multiple democrats raised serious questions about mr. washington's lack of qualifications to lead the faa.

as a result, state and local aviation groups from all across the country, including pilot groups from arizona, from montana, from new mexico, from minnesota, from new hampshire, all are opposeed to this nomination. one of them, the montana pilots association, has said that mr. washington is, quote, singularly unqualified to serve as faa administrator. and unfortunately, the problems with mr. washington's nomination don't end with his lack of aviation experience. there are also serious concerns regarding outstanding allegations that mr. washington engaged in misconduct during his time as the head of the los angeles metro. he has been named in multiple search warrants in an ongoing

criminal public corruption investigation, and he's been the subject of multiple whistleblower complaints. one search warrant was executed just last september, not very long ago. it contained allegations that mr. washington pushed forward lucrative no-bid contracts to a politically connected nonprofit to run a sexual harassment hotline that was hardly ever used. and that he did so in order to stay in the good graces of a powerful politician on l.a. metro's board. the allegations are the kind of local corruption sadly we see far too often across this country in both parties. but a whistleblower who exposed the details of this alleged pay-to-play contracting scheme claims to have been retaliated against by mr. washington after mr. washington left the l.a. metro.

the agency settled these claims with the whistleblower for $625 ,000. i practiced law for a long time. you did as well. a $625,000 check is not a nuisance check. it's not a go-away check. it is indicative that there's real there there. whistleblowers don't get settlements for more than a half million dollars if their claim is baseless. during my 11 years in the senate, i've seen lots of nominees. i cannot recall seeing even a single other nominee who was currently entangled in an ongoing public corruption criminal investigation while his nomination was pending. the week before his confirmation

hearings, my staff contacted the california attorney general's office about the status of this investigation. despite mr. washington's insistence that he has done nothing wrong, the attorney general's office stated, number one, that there is an ongoing criminal investigation into this public corruption scheme. number two, that mr. washington has a, quote, material involvement in the case. and, number three, that the legislation is months from -- that the investigation is months from being completed. it's important to note that the law enforcement officers involved in this investigation from the l.a. county sheriff to the california attorney general are all democrats. there's no issue of partisan targeting. there's no republican who has it out for phil washington. this is a democrat sheriff and a democrat attorney general in

california who are investigating mr. washington right now for public corruption. even more amazingly, when my staff spoke with the california attorney general's office, the a.g.'s office told us that at the time they spoke, they were not aware of anybody from the white house, from the fbi, or from the senate who had even contacted them to ask about mr. washington's ongoing involvement in the investigation. that's truly stunning. that is, frankly, just not caring. it's inexplicable to me that a president, that a white house would choose to nominate someone who is materially involved in a current ongoing public corruption investigation. just imagine how damaging it would be to the faib if mr. --

how damaging it would be to the faa if mr. washington were confirmed and months later he were to find himself indicted for public corruption. that would do real damage to an agency that needs serious trust and leadership. the faa's mission to keep the flying public safe is far too important to have anyone other than a highly experienced aviation expert at the helm. fortunately the faa right now is being run by acting administrator billy nolan, who unlike mr. washington, has decades of aviation experience. mr. nolan has worked as a pilot. he's a seasoned aviation safety executive, and he's been in senior leadership roles at the faa.

at the nomination hearing, and at the hearing that followed the next week with acting administrator nolan, i suggested an obvious solution. president biden has already named an acting administrator who is qualified and knows how to do the job. for those that are concerned about racial diversity, both mr. washington and mr. nolan are both african american. the difference is mr. nolan has decades of experience in aviation safety and mr. washington has none. mr. president, you serve with me on the commerce committee. you're the newest member to join the committee. welcome to the committee. we're glad to have you. i don't believe mr. washington's nomination is going to go forward successfully. i do not believe the votes are there. i would suggest,

mr. president, to you and to every democrat on the committee and in this chamber if you agr with me, pick up the phone and call the white house. say hey look, don't spend time on a nomination when the votes aren't there. let's go with someone who knows how to do the job, who's qualified. i stated at the last hearing if mr. nolan were nominated -- and to be clear i don't know mr. nolan. i don't have a dog in the fight other than i would like to have someone who knows how to do this job but i stated clearly in the hearing that if mr. nolan were nominated i assumed he would be confirmed quickly and with bipartisan support. that should be our objective for a job like this. and let me say this finally. you know, mr. president, all

100 of us get on an airplane a lot. it's part of the job serving in the united states senate. i was on a plane this morning. i suspect you were either this morning or yesterday on a plane. we have millions of americans who fly every year, who get on planes, who get on planes with their husbands or their wives, get on planes with their children. and tragically one of the inevitable realities with that many people flying is that safety is always an issue, and there will be at some point a catastrophic crash. we don't know when. we want to do everything we can to prevent it, but we know at some point another plane will crash. let me suggest to the members of the senate, if god forbid that were to happen in the next two

years -- and i pray that it does not -- i can tell you i certainly wouldn't want to be a senator who voted to confirm an administrator of the faa who's never flown a plane, who doesn't know anything about aviation safety, and has no idea why the plane crashed. i don't know how i'd go home and explain to 30 million texans that, well, you know, my political party nominated him and so i just, i went with party loyalty and voted to confirm the guy even though he didn't have the experience to do the job. i don't believe mr. washington's going to be confirmed. i personally, i respect his military service. when he testified before the committee, he seemed like a decent and capable man. but he's also a man who doesn't know anything about airplanes.

and if there's any job in the entire federal government where you need to know not just something about airplanes, a lot about airplanes, it is to be the administrator of the faa. we need a senate-confirmed leader in this job quickly. and i would urge the president withdraw this nomination and nominate either acting administrator nolan. or if not him, somebody like him with decades of real experience so that we can have a senate-confirmed leader with the knowledge and judgment and expertise to do everything humanly possible to keep your family safe and my family safe and to keep the flying public safe. we have a responsibility. we have a responsibility to do this right. i yield the floor.

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joining us to talk about that is the director of education freedom center of the independent women's forum. first on the independent women's forum for viewers who aren't familiar, what is your mission? >> we started our 30th anniversary last year, is an organization that's conservative leaning that addresses all policies andid issues -- : that's correct. mr. cornyn: mr. president, my state, the great state of texas shares 1,200 miles of border with its southern neighbor, you will see southern towns and rural farms and ranches and you will find businesses, and you

will meet countless people who are proud of the strong ties our country has with mexico and many who have relatives on both sides of the border. these influences can be seen throughout our state from the names of cities like san antonio to to the food we eat and the music and the diversity of people in our communities. a strong u.s.-mexico relationship has been a boon to texas, but it's also vital to the rest of the country. mexico is our second-largest trading partner for both imports and exports. it's a major market for american energy, machinery, chemicals, and agricultural products and we import everything from transportation equipment to af af -- af kado -- avocados.

it's is not unusual for products to cross the border before making its way to consumers in the united states. a strong relationship to mexico is important to our economy, but mexico isn't just a trading partner, it's not just about the economic between our countries, mexico is also a necessary and vital security partner. because our countries share in total a 2,000 mile border and work together to protect the safety of our communities on both sides of the border, it is critical we work in a complementary fashion. the government has countered cartel violence an root out injustice and they have worked with the united states in order to ensure orderly migration and

stop illicit drugs from coming into our country. obviously what we're doing is not nearly enough on either side of the border. but over the years we have provided safety and security in both countries and as the mexican people are seeing every day, the mexican government is unfortunately failing to meet its side of the responsibilities. we can see that because people coming through mexico, coming to the united states have come in unprecedented numbers, which is a devastating humanitarian and public safety crisis. and then there are things like fentanyl and other dangerous drugs that are being manufactured in clan clandestins and smuggled across the border and these criminal organizations are terrorizing law-abiding citizens in mexico through violence and territorial

disputes. earlier this month, an out of control cartel violence incident harmed american citizens who were visiting mexico. four americans were caught in a deadly shootout and kidnapped and two of those individuals were killed. in the face of these growing problems, the mexican government has not shown, in my view, enough willingness to work together to address these problems. and make no mistake, this is not something that we can do or they can do alone. we have to do it together. the government of mexico hasn't expressed adequate concern, in my opinion, over the cartel violence, the drug trafficking, or the migration crisis. unfortunately in trouble, mexican president has underplayed the security problems in his own country. i believe he knows differently

based on the conversations we had when the tv cameras were not present. always true. and he said that mexico is not responsible for the fentanyl coming into our country. we know that's also not true. it's a well-known fact that the vast majority of illicit fentanyl comes to the united states from mexico manufactured by precursor chemicals coming from china. well, here's the disparity between what you see in public to the tv cameras and what actually happens on the ground. just weeks before claiming mexico doesn't have a fentanyl problem, the mexican government raided what its army described as, quote, the highest capacity synthetic drug production lab on record, close quote. that's what the mexican army

said. it sees -- seized nearly 630,000 fentanyl pills, along with hundreds of pounds of powdered fentanyl and methamphetamines. at that time the president of mexico said the lab seized by elements of the mexican army that that lab had a value of roughly $80 million. but just a few weeks later, the same government said it had no record of fentanyl production in mexico. it doesn't take a detective or an investigative journalist to see the mexican government is not taking these problems seriously enough. and it's to the detriment of their own citizens. throughout mexico, law-abiding citizens are being terrorredizey these cartels.

people are being extorted. and we know that communities across this country are experiencing waves of drug overdose or what some call fentanyl poisoning from the drugs that are smuggled from mexico into the united states. and, frankly, the lopez obrador administration is not doing enough to work with us with this problem we share. there is a clear need for action, but we've got to proceed carefully. because while mexico ultimately has many problems, it is our southern neighbor and our economies are connected -- inner connected through the u.s.-mexico trade agreement, the successor to nafta. and we know that its success, mexico's success, will

ultimately benefit the united states in terms of a better economy, more prosperity, more trade, more jobs. our countries are inextricably linked together in terms of security and prosperity and we need to find a productive path forward. countering cartel violence will require more cooperation with the mexican government. stopping the fentanyl epidemic will require mexico's cooperation, addressing the border crisis will require mexico's cooperation. now, although it may make us feel good at times, we can't just simply lash out in anger or say we're going to do this knowing that maybe it might get you ahead on tv but it doesn't actually solve any problems. we need to make strategic decisions together with mexico that will lead to real change.

as the presiding officer knows, we had a bipartisan congressional delegation to mexico this weekend to learn more about the ongoing security challenges so we can figure out with our mexican counterparts what kind of changes need to be made and what exactly those changes would look like. we had 12 members of congress, house and senate, join the trip. from the senate we had senators moran, senator lee, senator capito, senate murphy, senate sinema, senator well much and myself. from the -- well much and myself. we had congressman kay cuellar d others join us. suffice it to say between the 12 of us, democrats and republicans, house and senate, we have varying political views

and many differences of opinion on a host of top ition, but on this -- topics, but on this weekend trip to mexico, we all agreed the ongoing crisis in mexico is unsustainable and something needs to change. we wanted to visit mexico so we could intern for ourselves -- could learn for ourselves what the facts are, not what's spun by officials or the media. before you understand the problem, you have to understand the full scale of what you're up against and that was the goal of this trip. we got briefings from american intelligence officials, leaders from the drug enforcement administration and others about their work in mexico. the u.s. embassy in mexico is the largest embassy in the world and employs 3,400 people and nine consulates and.

we spent some time with our outstanding ambassador, ken salazar, former colleague of ours in the senate who went on to be secretary of interior and now serves as our representative in mexico. ambassador salazar was delighted we could come visit because he knows first hand the challenges that mexico faces and the challenges that the u.s.-mexico relationship create and the importance of finding solutions to those differences and those challenges. i want to thank president obador even though i mentioned about the security situation between mexico and the united states. i want to thank him publicly for meeting with us for a total of four hours many we not only met with the president of mexico, we met with the entire cabinet.

that would be as if a delegation, let's say, of house of deputy members sat down with joe biden in his cabinet for four hours. it was an unprecedented exchange of information and points of view and i think demonstrated the mexican government's desire to have a closer working relationship with the united states congress and the united states of america. at the top of the list that we talked about were the ongoing security challenges which have had a deadly impact on both countries. members of our delegation didn't pull any punches. we did it respectfully, but we forcefully presented our frustration with the ongoing cartel violence, the drug trafficking, and unchecked migration. that's what friends do, mr. president.

we have frank exchanges, even when we disagree, but we are friends with mexico and we have to work this out together and we have to start with a common understanding of what the facts and the challenges are. we told president lopez obrador that his administration must do more to address these challenges, and we emphasized that the failure to do so will have a negative impact on our historically strong and important partnership. there are many ways to improve the security cooperation between our countries and our delegation stressed our willingness to work with president lopez obrador's administration and the government of mexico to support their efforts to defeat the cartels. overall, our conversations with the mexican president were extremely candid and tough, but they were respectful, respectful not only the high office of president lopez obrador holds

but also of the fact we were dealing with the head of a sovereign country. we've seen the positive impact in my state of a strong relationship with mexico, but it also is the benefit of the nation and the better, as i said earlier the better mexico does by defeating the cartels, by interdicting the drugs, and the precursors that come from other parts of the world, the better the quality of life, the safety and security will be for the people who live in mexico, the people. and it will also be to our benefit here in the united states because ultimately what i believe both countries want are a safe and prosperous country. and we can do this together. our close ties are extremely beneficial to both countries, and i hope president lopez obrador took our good faith and

candid comments about the failures to deal with security and migration to heart. we certainly expressed our view,s, as i said, in a candid, civil and respectful way but i think we delivered the message clearly, and i hope he will take that to heart. mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. i rise to recognize the 36th annual women's history month. this year in maryland we have some special advancements to celebrate. in maryland voters chose brook leerman as the first woman independently elected to a statewide office as our new controller. maryland's also elected

ms. miller as first female lieutenant governor and immigrant elected to statewide office in maryland. here in the united states congress, we have the highest percentage of women serving in history, 28% across both the house of representatives and here in the senate. they build on the legacy of pioneers like former maryland senator barbara mikulski. she was the first democratic woman to win a seat in the house and senate and recently held the record for longest serving female surpassed now by senator mikulski. as was said, women belong in all places where decisions are being made. i was proud to testify recently at the senate judiciary committee's hearing regarding the equal rights amendment, the era. at the most basic level, the era is a continuation of centuries-long process of expanding what is meant by we the people. the main clause of the amendment

simply states, equality of rights under the law shall not be a bridge by the united states or by any state on account of sex. the vast majority of americans will hear this and think of course this should be part of our constitution. in fact, many americans believe that it's already part of our constitution. it has been overwhelmingly supported by the american public regardless of political affiliation. a poll conducted by the few research center in the spring of 2020 found that 78% support the equal rights amendment being added to the constitution. separate poll from the ap new nw york found americans in support of the era with large majorities of both democrats and republicans in favor of the equal rights amendment. in addition, 22 states including my home state of maryland have established state level era's.

six more have some form of explicit prohibition against sex discrimination in their constitution. other states are actively in the process of adding the era. for example, in january the new york state legislature sent a state level era to the voters for consideration on their 2024 ballot. so we already have it in the majority of the constitutions among states. it's time that it be added to the united states constitution. indeed, 85% of countries have explicit prohibitions against governmental discrimination on the basis of sex. the united states is the only, the only industrial democracy that does not include an explicit prohibition in their -- provision in their constitution. we want the united states to continue to be the gold standard when it comes to women's equality opportunity and protection against discrimination. our inaction on this issue is an outdated barrier to our credibility on the global stage. when congress passed the equal

rights amendment and sent it to the states for ratification, it included a seven-year time limit for states to ratify in the preamble of the resolution proposing the equal rights amendment to the states. this deadline was later extended for three years until 1982, a total of 35 of the 38 states ratified the amendment by the extended date of 1982. mr. president, there's nothing in the constitution that provides for a time limit on ratification of a constitutional amendment. in 2017 nevada activists led by state senator pat spearman reunited the push for the era for the first ratification since 1977. illinois followed in 2019. virginia became the 38th and final state to ratify the era in 2020. since then only a majority remaining barrier -- the only major remaining barrier has been the ambiguity caused by the fact that the three final ratifications occurred after the time set in the original

resolution passed by congress. with senator lisa murkowski of alaska, i introduced a joint resolution to resolve that ambiguity. to remove that last barrier. 38 states have ratified. it should be part of our constitution. i would remove the arbitrary deadline that congress once set and to recognize the era as ratified as required by the 38 states. it's cosponsored by 52 united states senators including senator collins and all senate democrats and independents. this action is well within the congress broad power of the amendment process laid out in article 5 of our constitution. as the era coalition put it, this is the first time in our history that an amendment has fulfilled all ratification requirements under article 5 and has not been recognized. there is precedent both for constitutional amendments to be rt identified after ratified

after significant periods and congress to pass resolutions to recognize amendments as validly ratified. there is simply no constitutional reason nor court ruling that bars us from taking this step. i point out for my colleagues that the 27th amendment to the constitution which deals with congressional pay increases was ratified took over 200 years to ratify it and it's now part of the constitution of the united states. there are many reasons why it's important that we do act. the reality is that women still face serious challenges on account of sex. and that our existing legal framework does not always provide a sufficient remedy. as the 28th amendments the era would serve as a neutral for congress, federal agencies and in the courts to advance equality in the fields of workforce and pay, pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, and violence, reproductive autonomy and protection of the lgbtq-plus

individuals. the era would serve as a constitutional backstop for existing and new legislation. it would also signal to the courts that they should apply a more rigorous level of review to laws and governmental policies that discriminate on the basis of sex. it also ensures that enduring protection for all americans across the country. through this action we can finish the work started by the generations before us in order to secure the future of the generations to come. our strength is in our values and no value is more american than equality. there should be no time limit on equality. mr. president, i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

before we get there though dr. joseph reminder what your mission is. and the robert wood johnson foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy dedicated to health. along with others to recognize health is about the conditions of where we live work and play. we work to eliminate, address structural barriers to health including racism and other forms of -- and with partners we fund research to develop data and analysis to help reform systems and policy changes and work individually and the cross sector to draw health equity. our mission is that everyone in america has a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being no matter where they live work or play. >> medicaid certainly fits into that mission.

we are talking about central changes to the medicaid program and a writer for viewers and enrollment in this country 48 million adults on medicaid, 35 million children. remind viewers who qualifies for the program. >> medicaid is the nation's largest public health insurance program for low and no income americans. average ability for who is enrolled in medicaid varies from state to state. generally low income children, seniors, pregnant women and people with disabilities qualify for medicaid. medicaid is very tightly connected to income level and the threshold for low enough income to be medicaid varies from state to state that as you said it's a very popular program. over 85 million people are enrolled in medicaid today. that's one in five americans. >> those numbers jumped

significantly during covid. why? >> primarily because the federal government has a law requirement for states to maintain continuous coverage which means that when income levels in individuals or families are at minute levels during the year it doesn't take a person off of medicaid. people after main enrolled in order to make this happen. that meant that about 18 million americans got coverage during the pandemic and it's probably a bit of the silver lining. we are now the lowest uninsurance rate in the country. >> and continuous coverage, that is coming to an end. why? >> congress passed a law and the president signed it that decoupled it from the public health emergency and on april 1 u.s. coverage requirement begins and states can do several people from medicaid if they have up to

a year to do that so there's no rush. there is lots of support that the federal government is providing to states to do this and then at the core -- equitable and thoughtful matter. >> did they want to do that? >> is part of the medicaid program and they need to figure out who is eligible and who remains on medicaid versus who had other insurance options that would be a more affordable for them to generally working adults enrolled in medicaid are people who are working in positions or employers that aren't offering affordable option for health care coverage. so these people are on medicaid. if their situation has changed which determines whether or not they are eligible for medicaid they can get other insurance. >> who gets flagged for disenrolling and what are the options for someone who does get flagged? >> it varies from state to state. kansas. mr. moran: mr. president, thank you. i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be lifted.

the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. moran: mr. president, this month during this year's first open hearing for the senate select committee on intelligence, national security, and military leaders gave a worldwide threat assessment of our country and of our way of life. they described threats to our homeland, to our key allies, to our trading routes, to data privacy, and to our infrastructure, including crucial space assets. there was a common theme in this -- the concerns that we heard from our military and national security leaders, but also from what i've heard, these things are confirmed by kansans and americans. the people's republic of china is our greatest foreign threat to democracy, to our peace, and to our prosperity. at no time -- this is not just a

throughway line -- at no time in my life have i been more concerned about the enormity of the challenges our country faces. the chinese communist party led by president xi jinping, the most powerful leader of the ccp since chairman moo, is on a determined, calculated mission to overtake the united states in fields that will shape the 21st century. beijing is intent that rather than the united states influencing world events in a way that favors and bends toward our principles of free and open world, they want china's -- excuse me. they want china's authoritarian model and they want the world bent their way. china and its supporters would have the world move away from the principles that advance global prosperity toward the basic belief that underwrite an

autocratic authority toward the weaker are destined to be ruled by the stronger. we have seen this with china's political, economic, and direct provision of nonlethal support to russia as russia wages an unprovoked war on ukraine. china operates the world's most advanced technosurveillance state that consolidates its power by monitoring, controlling, and subjecting their people. and china is engaged in an ambitious, expansive plan to export this model and the means of accomplishing it beyond their borders. the threat is to us and to those like us and to the rest of the world. they want media, big tech, sports teams and businesses to you to the ccp line, to be ignorant of or at least silent on the gross violations of basic

human decency against the uighurs, against hong kong, and elsewhere across their country in response to covid. the ccp pursues a world, including america, under the thumb of their power. in a speech in april of 2020, xi noted his intentions to increase global supply chain dependencies on china with an aim of controlling key supply chains and then be able to use that's supply chain dependencies to threaten and to ultimately cut off more than countries during a crisis. as of the latest worldwide threat assessment, china produces 40% of the world's key vaccines and medical ingredients, and by 2025, it is estimated that it is on track to control 65% of the import lithium ion battery market and

fabrication of one in five semiconductors in the world. china does not want the 21st century to be another american-led century. they want the century to be one that witnesses the replacement of american leadership with the leadership of the chinese communist party. two-thirds of global trade flows by ocean through the regions around the south pacific, what the department of defense calls the indo-pacific. the goods that americans export and the imports that we depend upon requires a safe and reliable trade zone. for decades the united states military, at great expense, have kept the oceans and airways safe and open. by those means, americans have

kept the global commons safe for the benefit of our own peace and prosperity and for the benefit of the world. when america is militarily strong and our sovereignty secure, we can shape and influence the terms of international commerce had international behavior -- international commerce, international behavior. the way we do business is the standard, and that reflects our principles and leaves our fingerprints on the world. maintaining a strong u.s. economy requires trade agreements with partners who adhere to agreed-upon rules ranging from market access to the protection of intellectual property. our failure to participate in such agreements or update them to meet the realities of the 21st century opens the door to greater chinese influence. this is a call for this administration and this congress to react and respond differently than we have done to date on

trade and trade agreements. it is our benefit -- it is to our benefit and that of our trading partners to tie more of the tworltd u.s. and its economy and reap the benefits of a vibrant international commerce. and a stable europe in which we coordinate closely with our partners on military and economic challenges is necessary to thwart china's rising influence. america remains a coalescing force in europe. yes, i want europeans to do more in europe, but america remains a coalescing force, and our contributions have been essential to supporting ukraine in its defense against russian aggression. with our continued assistance and an increasing european leadership and resources, ukraine will be able to continue to push back russian forces and preserve its sovereignty.

a defeat of ukraine by russia further emboldens china. separately, our commitment to nato. that commitment is, it remains and must remain resolute, and any threat to nato territory must be met and will be met decisively. our intelligence community assesses that it will take years for russia to rebuild its conventional military capabilities. nato allies must use this window, this opportunity to strengthen their defenses and assume more responsibility for their security as we necessarily increase support for allies and partners in the indo-pacific. it is important for us to be able to pay attention to the pacific, and we expect and hope our european allies to be able to take a closer look and watch

on the issues facing europe today and in the future. despite its failures, ukraine -- despite its failures in ukraine, we cannot ignore that russia remains a threat, russia possesses a massive nuclear arsenal, and moscow has significant cyber, antisatellite and underwater capabilities. strikingly, china views russia as an essential partner in the struggle against democratic values. as i speak now, president xi is in moscow meeting with president putin strengthening the relationship in pursuit of offering an alternative to american leadership. and by american, i mean something more than just the country of the united states of america. american values, american's care and concern for people around the globe.

the threats to american freedom, to world freedom and world security and prosperity are not all challenges we face from foreign militaries. we require vigilance on our border. all states really are border states, and when we fail to enforce this nation's geographic sovereignty, we harm our nation. there is no nation, in fact, without borders. and perhaps there is no greater tragic effect of our current failed border policies than the fentanyl and other drugs sent from china to mexico, coming across our borders. we also must produce and we must manufacture goods here in the united states of america. the united states cannot be relying upon our adversaries. we cannot hope for something that will be delivered in the future in times of crisis. we have to be reliant on ourselves for our critical supplies of medicine, of food,

of technology, and energy. we have to learn from our earlier areas discovered during the covid pandemic. this includes prioritizing american manufacturing and educating a technically skilled resource, and that is why we must fully and faithfully implement the chips and science act signed into law last year. a democratically and economically stronger america will be a more respected america. it's not enough to enlist and maintain the support of wealthy democracies in our vision of a free and open world. our diplomats must be able to compete to convince countries that have grown skeptical of american leadership that we have not lost our way. as former secretary of defense robert gates, a kansan, he wrote, quote, we must better communicate the good that we do. this includes the generosity to

countries after natural disasters and our support in fighting global hunger. we know, each of us here and americans across the country know that our nation faces many challenges. but if we can have the eyes to see the thread that runs through those challenges, we will recognize that we have a determined adversary who is waging a new cold war. our domestic disagreements run deep, but the myriad of challenges we face from abroad should help us see the need to work together in this senate, in this congress, with this administration, across the country, to work together to urgently address the threats we face. we need to be the democracy that remains the shining light on the hill. we need to send and be the role model nation, and our divisions among ourselves and allegations

that divide us only harm our ability to lead in this world, to meet the challenges that we face from our adversaries. we have a great inheritance. this country remains the best place on earth to live. we live in a nation founded on principles, and those principles are of human equality, of the rights of men and women. we understand that the basic rights come from god, not from government, but that government is here and is instituted for the purpose to secure and preserve those rights. we ought to debate, argue, and discuss everything that our country faces together. but the ultimate outcome has to be one of common purpose, of preserving the freedoms that were created by our founding

fathers in a constitution that is sacred and making certain that those who have foregone their lives on behalf of us in previous battles, that their honor is preserved and their life that they lost was not lost in vain. when america is strong and secure, we ensure americans are free and prosperous and that the entire world has a greater chance to join us, to remain with us in the pursuit of those freedoms and that prosperity. i have a personally renewed determination to work with all of my colleagues to steward the privilege and responsibility that's been bestowed upon me by kansans and all of us by our fellow citizens so that this century remains an american century with liberty and human well-being better secured for

all around the globe. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. moran: i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. menendez: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senate is in a quorum call. mr. menendez: i ask that the quorum call be vitiated . the presiding officer: without objection. mr. menendez: i ask unanimous consent that i be able to completely remarks in full before the vote. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. menendez: mr. president, 20 years ago in the early overcast hours of march 19, 2003, american stealth bombers and navy cruisers hit baghdad in the first strikes of the iraq war. when i think about that war today, i think about the costs, the cost to the iraqi people who suffered so terribly, including the families of the hundreds of thousands killed in the insurgency and the section tearian and ethnic violence that followed the u.s. invasion.

think of the -- i think of the costs to the brave american service members who answered the call, didn't ask whether it was right or wrong, they just answered the call, almost 5,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice, to the tens of thousands more who were wounded, to the countless mothers an and fathers and who had lost their loved ones and those who were changed by combat forever. i think about the financial cost. almost $2 trillion that could have gone to rebuilding america's infrastructure, caring for america's sick and aging, educating the next generation. i also think about the cost of something very close to my heart, which is the cause of freedom and the fight for democratic values. our nation of democracy, as ronald reagan said, was a shinning city on a hill, an

example to the world of something to aspire to. but the iraq war undermined our credibility with our partners and allies, with our enemies and with millions of american citizens who were against it. for too many around the world, the iraq war made a mockery of u.s. support for democracy and freedom. so today i proudly remember my vote on the floor of the house of representatives back in 2002. life in america was tense in the wake of 9/11. everything we stood for had been attacked on our own soil just miles from where i still live. those of us who resisted the march to war were called naive or worse. but some of us knew what we had to do. we felt the weight of history on our shoulders and voted against the war. i spent a lot of time in reviewing the documents that were available to members of the house. i saw no clear and present

danger, no imminent threat, and above all, no evidence of weapons of mass destruction. i have a standard, mr. president, if the cause is right and america needs it, i will send my son and daughter, but if the cause is not right, i won't send my son or daughter nor will i vote to send anyone else's sons or daughters into harm's way. two decades later we have the chance to make history again, but this time for the better. we have a chance to repeal the 2002 aumf, and to end a war we are no longer waging, to exercise congress's war powers, the most solemn duty of this body because disad disam saddamd

for 20 years and because iraq has been a committed partner for over three decades and because the threats no longer exist. the united states is no longer an occupying force. iraq is now a strategic partner. it is time to confront the challenges of the region and of the world together. repealing these authorizations is an important step forward. it removes an irritant in the bilateral relationship and it cements our partnership and it helps iraq move forward independent and more integrated with its arab neighbors. so, mr. president, i come to the floor today to support in the strongest terms possible the repeal of the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force against iraq once and for all. let's mark the 20th anniversary this week of the iraq war by paying tribute to the iraqis who suffered, to the americans we lost, it on the

american families -- and to the american families that provided unconditional support for those who served every day for the last 20 years. we will never forget the sacrifices they made and the values we hold most dear. let's honor those values by doing what congress is supposed to do. when there is a need, it declares war, and when that's over, it's time to end the declaration and authorization. that's what we have the power to do today. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion to proceed. mr. menendez: i i ask for the ys and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be a second. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 67, the nays are 28, and the

motion is agreed to. the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 25, s. 16, a bill to -- 316, a bill to repeal the authorizations for use of military force against iraq. mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i call up amendment

number 15. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes an amendment numbered 15. mr. schumer: i ask that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask that the senate be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointment at the desk appear separately in the record as go made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 116, which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 116, supporting the goals and ideals of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism awareness month. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no interveeng action or debate.

the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, in one minute i'll ask unanimous consent on number 24 s. 30, i'm proud to say there are a good number of major facilities for veterans affairs to go forward, including the final installation on the canon facility near rochester to complete its modernization. we've been working a long time on this, this finally completes that action. now, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar 24, s. 30. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: 24 s. 30, a bill to authorize mainly medical facility -- major medical facilities for the department of veterans affairs for fiscal year 2023 and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i further ask the committee reported subjects tuity be agreed to, the bill be considered read a third time and passed, mr. president, i ask

unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it stand adjourned until 11:00 a.m., wednesday, march 22. 11:00 a.m. that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the journal -- following the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the gallagher nomination. further, at 12:00 noon, the senate vote on confirmation. following the disposition of the gallagher nomination, the senate recess until 215 for the weekly caucus immediatings. further, the senate resume consideration of 25, s. 316 nchts finally, if any nominations are confirmed wednesday, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous

order following the remarks of my democratic colleagues. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: four of my colleagues will come to the floor to discuss the success of the aca. this is the anniversary of the aca. millions and millions of americans have gotten good, reasonably priced medical coverage because of the aca. it's one of the hallmarks this congress passed in this century. it's doing more good every year. more people are covered. the costs are going down. medical care is so essential to the american people and here we are. despite all the naysayerers early on, it's a successful, popular program that's making americans more healthy. i want to thank my colleagues led by the senators from pennsylvania, new jersey. i know the senator from oregon is coming as well to discuss the benefits and beauty of the aca. i yield the floor. mr. casey: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from pennsylvania.

mr. casey: mr. president, i rise to talk about the affordable care act passed some 13 years ago and in particular to talk about the medicaid part of that taking the medicaid program and allowing states to sign up for an expansion of medicaid. but the best place to start as any health care discussion should start is to talk about one family. this happens to be a pennsylvania family. and i'll start with for sisters, and i'll start with the older sister. her name is haleigh. haleigh wrote me a letter about two and a half years ago talking about her sister. here's what haleigh wrote to me. talked about where her family lives in pennsylvania and her sister. my sister is my best friend. she has down syndrome so sometimes things are harder for her. it took her a long time to walk and she is still learning to talk.

her therapists help her and sometimes i help her, too. then she goes on to talk about how she, haleigh, introduces her sister sienna to her classmates. she said that she shares her sister with her friends and i'm quoting directly when haleigh says, quote, mommy and me read a story at my school to explain sienna's muscles work differently than ours. our muscles are like rubber bands but hers are more like plato. now my friends understand why things are harder for her and they all love her. they think she is the cutest and so do i, unquote. so said an older sister about her younger sister. and of course her mom wrote a much longer letter to me about what that family is facing every day. i won't go through all of it tonight, but when this family

received that diagnosis of down syndrome, sienna's mom said, quote, sienna's diagnosis came as a surprise to us after enduring four miscarriages, she was our miracle baby, our miracle baby surprised us on the day of her birth with a diagnosis and a heart condition. we were completely unprepared to raise a child with a disability. after i delivered her, a kind nurse explained to me how lucky i was that -- how lucky we were to have sienna here in pennsylvania after the passage of the affordable care act. and then her mom goes on to describe all the benefits that she received because of the affordable care act and because of her residence in pennsylvania. so that's what we're talking about here when we talk about health care. this isn't a budget question only. this isn't just a policy discussion. this is about real people's lives. and the further away you get from real people's lives, the

easier it is to make the calculation as some have made around here. some members of congress whose health care is made available to them because of the federal government, that's why they have health care, because of the federal government. whether they're in the exchange or they have it some other way, most members of the united states senate and house have that health care because of the federal government. so those with health care provided by the federal government seek relentlessly, too many seek relentlessly to use federal power to cut people off of health care. and so this is about real people's lives, not some abstraction, not some remote discussion about policy and about budgets and deficits and appropriations. this is about real people's lives, like haleigh's little

sister. and i know there's been a lot of discussion of late about social security and medicare and how we hope that they're off the table. and that's good. those two earned benefit programs being off the table. but there is a third program that is not an earned benefit, but i would argue that medicaid tells us who we are as a nation. it's as if we look into a mirror when we consider the medicaid program and we -- it tells us what kind of a nation we are or what kind of a nation we will be if we slash it the way that so many people around here proposed in budget after budget, year after year talking about slashing medicaid. arbitrarily and outrageously and obnoxiously. and we're going to stop them

from doing that once again. but i think it's important to remind people what we're talking about here. medicaid is a program basically about three americans. children from low-income families and not just in urban communities, but there's certainly a high number of children in our cities that benefit from medicaid. and thank god we haved medicaid program. -- have the medicaid program all these decades later. but the utilization rate is actually higher among rural children or children that live in rural communities. has a higher utilization of medicaid in the health insurance program than urban kids by percentage. that is a fact. and we need to remind people of that. medicaid is the program that also helps people with disabilities. so you can't march around here every day or year after year and say you really care about people with disabilities. you fight for people with disabilities and then go and cut the medicaid program like some have proposed. and the proposes to cut it haven't just been in the tens of

billions of dollars. that's just the annual cut they want to propose. it has often been hundreds of billions of dollars over the ten years within which we talk about budgets around here and appropriations. hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts. that's what some want to do. so we have to remind ourselves again that this is a program about children, about people with disabilities, and the third group of americans are, of course, older americans, our seniors. a lot of middle-class families may not know it but their mom or their dad or their loved one is in a nursing home solely because of medicaid. can't get into the nursing home unless you can pay out of your own pocket without the medicaid program. we could actually call the medicaid program the senior long-term care program or we could call it the program that provides health care to kids or we could call it the program that helps children with

disabilities. now, we're told that the house republican study commission fiscal year 2023 budget plans to cut medicaid, the children's health insurance program, and the affordable affordable care l three -- affordable care act, all three. they want to cut the affordable care subsidy spending over the -- about half over the next decade. when it comes to medicaid, we're talking about a program that provides almost -- the funding for almost half of the births in america. so everyone who claims to care about children and babies and still wants to cut medicaid have some explaining to do. when you want to cut substantially a program that provides the funding for half of the births in the united states of america. it also provides almost half of the funding and support for

long-term care services and services and supports, i should say, for older adults and people with disabilities. so that's what the program is. and this republican study committee goes on to say, their budget plan, converting medicaid to a block grant program where funding would be capped and states would receive a fixed amount regardless of their actual costs. here's what that means in real life. a state gets a block of money, a block grant. and when the state's costs go up for children or people with disabilities or seniors and they hit the cap of that, those americans are on their own, on their own because the state is out of money. that's what that means in the real world. but it gets worse. this plan also, thirdly, wants to cut the federal so-called fmap. the federal medical assistance percentage. the percentage that the federal government pays for medicaid. they want to cut that all the way down to 50% instead of the

numbers that it's been at for years, so much higher. that's also a bad idea. so when we get back to this on what it means for families, we also have to consider what -- not just sienna's sister said in her letter to me but what about sienna's mom that i quoted from just a little bit a moment ago. here's what sienna's mom said. quote, as i enter this new world, because she just had a daughter diagnosed with down syndrome, as i enter this new world of early interventions, therapies, i begin to realize how much of a financial toll this would take on us if it weren't for the protections of the affordable care act and medicaid. she goes on to describe that. she said, sienna received seven weekly therapies. the cost of those alone are $3,400 per week. $3,400 per week for those seven

therapies. without the aca, her therapies and medical care would have quickly exceeded the lifetime cap which was addressed in the aca and sienna would be uninsurable for the rest of her life and left without access to lifesaving care. uninsurable. i can't tell you the number of times that's been in letters that i receive from parents worried about their child who has a disability in the united states of america, the most powerful country in the history of the world, and these families are worried about their child with a disability not having access to services, not having access to those therapies, not having access to what they need to live their lives and becoming, quote, uninsurable. that's an abomination. we're not the greatest country in the world if we do that. we're nowhere near the greatest country in the world if we do that. that would be a stain on

america. every one of us should be ashamed of that if that were to transpire. if that america transpired, it would diminish all of us. it doesn't matter what else we do around here if that happens. that's not the america that i think most people believe we are and should be. but some want to go there and i no he they have this -- -- know they have this -- all this talk about oh, well, the cost of medicaid is getting so great and it's, quote, unsustainable. that's watching gobbledygook for people who do not have the gut, the political guts to say, you know what? when you pass a tax bill in 2017 that gave away the store and that much else to big corporations for permanent, permanent corporate tax relief and those same people who voted to that bill -- for that bill that gave permanent corporate tax relief to the biggest companies in the world, the biggest countries -- copies in

the history of the world owe ecompanies in the history of the world are the same people who are saying we've got to cut back on medicaid because it's unsustainable. that is just a big -- well, it's throwing sand in the eyes of the people. that's what it is. blinding them with falsehoods. that's what that is. so we have work to do to prevent this from happening. now, mr. president, i'm getting close to my time, and i'm over already. but i wanted to make maybe to final points. we've had a concern, many of us, over the last number of years about access to medicaid not being as stable as it should be. and that stability was enhanced by a provision that was called continued coverage. that's the term of art, continuous terms of coverage. across the country medicaid enrollment has increased since

the beginning deficit pandemic. for example, pennsylvania's number went unto about 3.6 million currently enrolled in medicaid to keep their health care coverage uninterrupted. states were prevented from disenrolling people with medicaid if not the for the legislation passed in february of 2020 at the very beginning of the pandemic, just before the cares act, people would have had to re reapply for medicaid on an annual basis. studies have shown that this annual enrollment process can lead to administrative and procedural issues. this can be another barrier to ensuring that people with medicaid continue to receive the coverage that they need. now, here's the problem. here's the challenge ahead of us. the ppropriations bill passed in december, set an end for the medicaid -- quote -- continuous coverage requirement, because we're not in the pandemic anymore. and that was passed -- enacted during the pandemic. and that appropriations bill provided guidance to mitigate

coverage losses as this requirement ends. so now medicaid -- this kind of unwinding of some parts of medicaid is set to begin april 1. states can start to disenroll people from medicaid at the start of next month. so here comes our responsibility. both parties in the senate, both parties in the house -- i should say all three parties -- democrat, republican, independent. we have an obligation, a legal duty, a moral obligation that is inescapable to make sure that people know what they need to do to maintain that coverage. the centers for medicaid and medicare services working with states to provide information, to promote continuous coverage and tired shall -- thirdly to -- in pennsylvania, the state i represent, the state is working diligently to clarify coverage and formulas -- i should say and

formats and languages accessible to enrollees to own sure that everyone understands their eligibility and can access the coverage that they're entitled to. my constituents are fortunate because pennsylvania expanded medicaid years ago, yet there are still states that have chosen not to expand medicaid. we know that the expansion of medicaid became easier with the passage of the american rescue plan. so we have to continue to encourage states to expand to make sure that more and more people get coverage. but let me end with this, mr. president. ace outlined before, this is not just something nice to have. this is about life and death. it's about quality of life for families and for children especially. but it's also about the risk of death, if you don't have coverage. that is as true as any statement we can make, that this is about life and death. here's what sienna's mom -- you heard from her sister.

but here's what is sienna's mom said. i'll end with this. towards the end of her letter, she said is i a. proud to be sienna's mom. the journey is full of wonder, joy, and unimaginable love. it changes life's most ordinary moments into the extraordinary, but with constant attacks on our health care, it's also agonizing work, hard decisions, and constant advocacy. it gets exhausting fighting for your child, having to prove their value to the world. this is a mother talking about her child and having to live almost a separate life as an advocate because people in this town year after year are proposing cuts that would badly damage the life of her daughter, sienna. she goes on to say, once again, we as parents are forced to suit

up for battle and prove that our children are worthy of health care. in america? is that what we're asking parents to do? parents who've had a reliance upon this program for years and in some cases decades and decades, we're asking them to suit up again -- as she said -- to suit up for battle, to make the case to washington as to why they shouldn't cut the medicaid program in america? that's an insult to all of us. she shouldn't have to suit up for legislative or policy battles. she should -- she should have the opportunity to not worry about that and to just live her life and take care of her children and to live a life that she is been able to live with the help that we've provided through medicaid and other supports. so we have some work to do here to stop -- not to talk about and hold hands and compromise -- to

stop them from cutting what they want to cut in medicaid, at all costs. so that's what i'm going to be doing. we're going to stop this from happening. we can compromise on a lot of things around here, but not on that. not on cuts of hundreds of billions of dollars over ten years to medicaid. not in this america. thank you, mr. president. i would yield the floor. mr. booker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. being boo book i am grateful to -- mr. booker: i am grateful to the presiding officer for recognizing me. i want to say that i'm excited to be standing up tonight and talking along with senator wyden, senator hassan and you just heard from senator casey who is marking this 1 13th -- this 13th anniversary celebration with extraordinary determination not to see these great programs cut. i was not in congress when the aca was passed into law, but in an an affirmation of that old

adage about politics being local, i saw in my local community of newark, new jersey, the powerful difference that the aca made, the difference that health reform had on my community. folks would come up to me immediately in the months and years afterwards and talk about how they were finally able to get the health care that they needed, not only for themselves but for their loved ones. how they moved from anxiety and fear to security and strength. you had folks with preexisting conditions who were discriminated against in the united states of america before the law's passage. but now they had a pathway for quality, affordable health care. folks who had to choose often between putting food on the table, paying rent, or just visiting a doctor.

a choice between buying school supplies and getting their prescription drugs, choices that in this nation, the richest nation on the plannest earth, are outrageous and unacceptable and fiscally irresponsible because what i saw as newark's mayor is often people would let their health care needs go until they ended up in the emergency room, which was a cost then borne by them and their family for unnecessary illness but also to all of us. this should not be the nation we live in, and we are celebrating the fact that 13 years ago this body made a difference. i've seen this passion for the affordable care act echoed in my nine years as united states senator. one of my constituents told me, as a registered nurse from nother, she sent beneficiary from new jersey, she spent her

entire professional life caring for patients. before the aca, she witnessed those in need delay or simply refuse health care until it was too late. soon, though, she almost became one of those patients herself after she retired and confronted her own health challenges and their accompanying costs. it was only thanks to the affordable care act that she didn't have to resort to emptying her retirement accounts in order to afford the health care. she said it best herself. the affordable care act, she said, simply, quote, saved my life. another constituent of mine, a recent widow, wrote to me a few years ago after losing her husband. she relied on the marketplace to get insurance, the affordable care act's manipulator. she was diabetic, had preexisting conditions. and told me, quote, i am afraid of having no coverage. i could lose my home and

everything i've saved during my 35 35 35-year -- 35-year parental. despite the partisan attacks that you her against the affordable care act, despite the challenges in the courts, we know the affordable care act has worked. the data is clear. from 2010 to 2021, the number of uninsured, non-elderly individuals has decreased substantially in the united states of america from 46.5 million to 27.5 million. that number has been nearly cut in half. we also know that the aca has been invaluable in the fight to retrieve just greater health care justice by dramatically decreasing the uninsured rate for many ethnic minorities in our country. for example, those rates have gone from 20% uninsured in 2010 to just 11% in 2021. for black folks, 33% to 19%.

for latino folks, 17% to 6%. we have seen a dramatic decrease for asian americans, latino americans black americans, and more. the law has saved lives, unequivocally. a 2014 study showed that the aca prevented an estimated 50,000 preventable patient deaths in just three years from 2010 to 2013 and in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, the aca marketplace was a lifeline to folks who were laid off and had to insurance. -- and had no insurance. one of the most important things this law has done is to get people insured, to lower deaths, to lower health care costs and expand access to medicaid to people who were previously ineligible. i live in a state that was one of the first to extend medicaid to more of our citizens.

we did it under a republican governor who recognized just how important it was that we expand medicaid. how lifesaving it was. how good for the empowerment of families and children it was. it's helped so many more people in new jersey obtain health insurance and that is helped my state fight the opioid crisis by providing us the vital resources to do so. new jersey is one of 39 states, plus the district of columbia, that has chosen to expand medicaid. by all accounts, these 39 states with medicaid expansion are outperforming those who have inexplicitly -- you might say outrageously -- chosen to reject medicaid expansion despite the overwhelming evidence that it helps countless americans stay healthier and better access quality, affordable care. perhaps that's one reason why

the state of north carolina, with a republican-led legislature and a democrat governor, are in the middle of a bipartisan process to medicaid -- to expand medicaid in their state right now as we seek. -- as we speak. states that expanded medicaid have continuously shown to lower uninsured rates, to lower premiums on exchange policies, to have lower mortality rates at the haste of expanded medicaid, better live up to it the ideals of this country that fundamentally we are about life -- life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. expanding health care access lowers death rates. it is about life. expanding health care access is about liberty, freeing people from fear and anxiety, from being chained to the worry that comes from not being able to afford even an ambulance ride and ultimately it's about

happiness. people in these states are going to the doctor more often for preventive screening, visiting the dentist for dental care, getting mental health treatment. they have seen an increase in early-stage cancer diagnosis when cancer is more treatable. people in those states have lower medical debt than in states that have neglected to expand medicaid. it's actually a positive effect on the overall economy. and i've led the charge to make sure that those states which expand medicaid also provide coverage for birthing people, for moms, for a year postpartum. we live in a country that shamefully has a maternal mortality rate that is far higher than our peer nations, and especially higher for marginalized communities. new data was recently released showing a significant increase in the maternal mortality rate

in 2021. this problem is getting worse with maternal mortality rates nearly doubling in the united states since 2018. the maternal mortality rate is bad for all americans, and it's even worse for african americans. given that medicaid coverage covers half the births in the united states, the continuing expansion of coverage and care will help address these concerning trends. and help ep sure more women get ac -- ensure more women get access to the health care they need to have more healthy births with healthy moms. medicaid is integral to helping americans get the care they need and to affirm our common values. we love our children in this nation and the data for their births for the children and

their mothers should reflect that love. what does love like like in public? it looks like justice. it looks like healthy children being born. it looks like lowering the death rates for women giving birth. look, we have much work to do. we should note the progress on this 13th anniversary. we should stop the politicization of health care in this country when we make strides that belie all the outrageous claims that were made about what the affordable care act would turn into. all the lies that were said about this legislation, all the dire predictions have not come true. look, when i think about the aca i think back to the night i sat with my dear friend john lewis. a hero to people on both sides of the aisle in this chamber. a truly great american. when the affordable care act was

in crisis and threatened to be repealed, we sat on the capitol steps, opened up a facebook live and started having a conversation. i'll never forget, hundreds ever people came to join us on the steps of the capitol. i'll never forget that john lewis made it clear, to this large crowd of people and to a live online audience, he said affordable health care is the birthright of every american. birthright of every american. >> but the character, the character of our country. think about that for a second. the character of our country. who are we? what are we stand for? not just those unbelievable words on those founding documents. not just the spirit of america. but in truth, you can judge the greatness of a country by the well being of its people.

i believe it when we talk about health care, we aren't just talking about policy and legislation and politics. but we're talking about the very fabricer of moral fabric of this nation. we cannot a nation that stands for life liberty and pursuit of happiness if people don't have access to what is fundamental to those ideals which is quality health care. we are a nation that should be a beacon to the world i believe we are. we are a nation of promise a nation of hope and infinite potential. but there are still too many people in this country where that potential and that possibility is undermined by the mere fact that they cannot access a doctor preventive care, birthing care, that is wrong. i am endlessly grateful for the

affordable care act for helping us to make a stride towards our ideals. t for bending the ark of the more universe towards justice to making this a more perfect union yes tonight is a 13th year anniversary but we should commit ourselves to going from doing good work for making progress to ultimately, doing what we are called to be. which is a nation that is a light on to all nations. it's at the highest standards for health care and health outcomes that we are not a nation that proclaims nation of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness but demonstrates it relative to other nations in the trueat fabric of our living. that is a cause that calls this body and the house of representatives and our federal government that should call us not just to celebrate a 13th

year anniversary but to continue to improve upon the good work that was done. mr. president, i'm concluding with my remarks i am just a warmup act a for this senator tt is coming right now from my second favorite new state after new jersey. the grate state of new hampshire i yield. >> mr. president -- >> senator from new hampshire. >> thank you mr. president and thank you mr. booker for that kind introduction as if not definitely more important for his great h comments about the importance ofbo the affordable care angt to our stwengts, to our communities to our state, to our country to cause of human dignity. i rise today to join my colleagues in commemorating the passage of the affordable care act 13 years t ago and i'm grateful to be here not wonl

senator booker but senator wyden and casey and for their efforts to really help people understand the difference that this law has made for the people of our country. i want to take a moment to discuss the difference that this law has made for the people in new hampshire. and i also want to build on what senator booker just talked about by talking about the growing bipartisan support for medicaid expansion. and how that shows just how much we can accomplish when we put politics aside, and we work together.we it also shows the urgent need that we have for remaining states to follow new hampshire's bipartisan example and adopt medicaid expansion. thean affordable care act and medicaid expansion in particular hason done more to improve the

health of the people of our country than any law passed in the last 50 years. this law was based on a simple proposition that when everyone has access to quality affordable care, our country is stronger and our people are more free. our people are more free because as adage goes when you have your health, you have everything. we do not fully appreciate these words until we or someone we love false ill. fashion health challenges is never easy but it is easy to forget how much more daunting they used to be before the affordable care act. thanks to the affordable care act, millions of americans now have the n freedom and peace of mind of knowing that they will not be denied access to affordable health care even they lose their job -- or have a preexisting condition. for too long many americans had

to pay painfully high premiums or were even denied coverage altogether just because they had a preexisting condition. theseng conditions range from diseases like cancer and diabetes to pregnancy. oran asthma, often people with these conditions are the very people who need care the most. no matter your political party, all of us should be united in celebrating that the days of denying someone coverage on account of a preexisting condition have ended. know the difference of the affordablean care act has made s governor i led the effort to get medicaid expansion done. signing it into law in march of 2014. only a handful of months later, the plan was implemented thanks to extraordinary work by the employees of our states department of health and human services. heand medicaid expansion has mae

an incredible difference for tens of thousands of staters medicaid expansion made our country healthier and work force stronger since 2014 the uninsured rate in new hampshire fell by over 40%. more than 200 thousand grapghted state verse participated in expanded medicaid. all of us in this chamber have entered public service with the hope that we'll help our communities and our country. makeou no mistake, behind these statistics, and similar statistics for other states are countless stories of people whose lives were transformed or even saved by the law. for many, it made their families more financially secure for others itan allowed them to have long standing health challenges that prevented them from participating in the work force.

i want to share one of these stories. the affordable care act has made a greatad difference for people struggling with addiction and substance misuse. some may not know this, but in many states medicaid expansion marked firsthe time that substae misuse treatment was covered by medicaid. this is particularly important for a state like new hampshire which has been hit hard by the substance misuse crisis. whenever i talk about expanding medicaid one of the first people i think of is a woman i met in manchester named ashley. for nearly a decade, ashley struggled with heroin addiction. at one point she was arresteds and eventually her then husband overdosed. but that was not the end of ashley's story. in 2016 she became one of the tens of thousands of granted staters who have received substance misuse or mental health treatment covered by new

hampshire's medicaid expansion. she went into recovery. found work and rebuilt her life, ashley now works for recovery community organization helping others get the help and support that they need. none of this would have been possibleee without ashley's strength a and perseverance or f we failed to expand medicaid. ashley's story is a reminder of why i medicaid expansion matters for so many americans. it's helped countless people get the care that they need to be healthy have a c job, and participate in their communities. the benefits of expanded medicaid for people like ashley have in part by medicaid expansion gained bipartisan support over the last decade. even when partisan politicians have been slow to act, voters from both parties have come together and pushed medicaid expansion forward just like november voters in south dakota

voted to expand medicaid. they were the latest in a long line of republican led states whose voters went to the polls and passed medicaid expansion including new hampshire, oklahoma, idaho, and utah. these ballot initiatives only passed because voters from both parties stood together and we we can learn from their example. thisle growing bipartisan consensus is an example of our capacity to solve problems when we work together.em this is certainly been true in myta own state, it was not that long ago that medicaid expafntion at the center of our most polarizing partisan debate. i know -- because i was in the middle of them as governor. theno debates were long, and negotiations talk with divided state legislature, but ultimately we adopted bipartisan medicaid expansion in new

hampshire. by listening to each other and finding ways to wok together we were able to put people's health ahead of politics. a and get it done -- and just recently, the new hampshire republican controlled state senate voted unanimously to support reauthorizing the expanded medicaid program. what was once a political lightning rod is now an essential part of our health care system it's also strengthen economy and our work force work reverse more secure in seeking new and better jobs knowing if they have to switch insurance plans, they'll -- they will not been denied coverage on preexisting who couldn't get medical for a condition and couldn't work because of their condition can now get health insurance. get the treatment that they need and join the work force.

in short this law has become a fundamental part of our state's promise to do right by granted. new hampshire is bipartisan medicaid expansion as well as the bipartisan effort in other states are an important reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together. when we take politics out of an issue and care about whether or not an idea is good or red or blue we can accomplish tremendous things. we can make our country a better place because ultimately the affordable careim act was nothig less than a step forward for the cause of human dignity and freedom. to be sure there's much more work we need to do to improve the quality and affordability of health care and i welcome my colleagues to join me in bipartisan efforts to do just that.n and having listened to my colleagues senator casey just a

few minutes ago, i want to note my agreement with him that cutting medicaid or repealing the aca are not measures that will meet that goal. i also urge governors and legislators in the remaining states that have not expanded medicaid to follow the bipartisan example that new hampshire and other states have set. look at the difference it has made in my state and in states across the country. this is an effort that has the support of majorities in both parties and should unite all americans. thank you to everyone in this body and in legislatures across the country who made the affordable care act and medicaid expansion a reality. i sincerely hope that we bring the same bipartisan commitment thatsa medicaid expansion enjoys now to tackle future challenges. because today is a reminder that when we leave partisan debates in the past and find ways to

work together we can build a country that is stronger, and more free. and with that mr. president, i'm very proud and grateful to yield the floor to my colleague, senator wyden who has been such an extraordinary leader in improving and expanding access to health care and dignity to all americans. thank you, i yield the floor. >> president within senator from oregon. before she leaves the floor, i just want everyone to note that what the senate just heard with senator vintage senator saying repeatedly let us find a way to move forward you know in a bipartisan way and through example after example she cited the progress. and it's always been that. even before the affordable care act i was the author of the healthy americans act. the first bipartisan, universal

coverage bill in the history of the senate. 14 senators 7 democrats 7 republicans because weor learn e lesson senator hasen described so i thank colleagues for remarks and peopleeo paying attention this is what we get in the senate finance committee every time senator hassen is in the house. mr. president the landscape of american health care has shifted dramatically in the 13 years since affordable care act was signed into law. i believe many find it hard to even recall the day when an american could be denied health insurance because of a preexisting medical condition. those were the days when health care was for the healthy and the wealthy.

insurance companies under the law could just clobber, clobber somebody with a preexisting condition you're basically on your own. and a are of the implication ofe senate i talked about encouraging innovation intrpgz when we discriminate against people with preexisting conditions you saw job lock and when somebody had the opportunity to be mobile and to move somewhere else. weren't able to do it because they were tethered to their position because they had coverage and they couldn't get it if they moved on. now ten of thousands of americans have helped in financial security thanks to 39 states. 39 states that have moved beyond just ending discrimination against those with preexisting conditions but expanding

medicaid kofnlg. the affordable care act was also we should remember a in a recession cause massive economic damage. layoffs across the country, millions lost the employer provided health insurance they had more than 50 million americans lack any form of health insurance coverage and there was no backstop for them. at that time you basically were literally on your own. if you were sick, and you were faced with providing for your family, you could lose virtually everything in those tragic kind of days when people didn't realize the importance of the changes that needed to be made. it's now clear, for example, how

important the medicaid safety net truly is. the number uninsured americans has been cut in half in addition to medicaid, individual marketplace hit record enrollment with 16 million people buying plans. and reagan that amounts to 140,000 getting high quality affordable health insurance. and this was particularly obvious when the pandemic hit in 2020. not only was the individual marketplace there to help the millions who h lost their jobs. but medicaid was the lifeline to help families get health care. by the way, it's clear now that medicaid can be a leader when it comes to innovative health care i was particularly proud that in the rescue plan, in 2021 we were able to bring together mr. president for the first time, mental health leaders and law enforcement leaders to develop a

multidiscipline their swm mental health and federal government with crises service qhs someone on the streets of this country is struggling. at the end of last year passed a nationwide guarantee of a full year of continuous health coverage for kids up to 19 years of age who were enrolled in medicaid and i a permanent optin for states to provide a full year of post-partum coverage for new moms. i'm proud that oregon pioneered this continuous coverage policy for kids before it was adopted nationwide. it's just common sense that kids need reliable health coverage if even their parents' ?k changing from month to month and all of the research, all of the health care research about brain development makes that very clear.

we understand there's ad lot moe to do, tomorrow we'll hear from the administration and senate finance committee about some of the next steps. affordable care act, move forward significantly to resolve the crisis of health coverage. but there's still gap, mr. president i also mentioned for a lot of us we now recognize that it's not just a question of expanding coverage. it's a question of controlling cost and we're going to be focusing on that in the days ahead as well. like the officials are often pretty good at talking about expanding coverage not so good at controlling cost. and with respect to that, inflation reduction act, made a significant down payment on cost containment by finally lifting that holy grail guarded zealously by pharma the

prohibition on negotiating now medicare with negotiate lower drug prices and implement what we wrote w in the senate finance committee in 2019. the price gouging penalty in 2019, mr. president, with bipartisan supportde in the finance committee, we said a big far ma raises prices more than inflation there'sts finally accountability fornf high pharmaceutical prices and they're going pay penalties. improvement to the affable health care system is still in progress. last week the north carolina state senate passed a medicaid expansion bill buying astounding 44-2 margin. that is a very obvious indication that senator hassan talked about there could be bipartisan support here. medicaid expansion save lives that's a good deal for states and it's wonderful to see states across the political spectrum

following the example of north carolina. finally, we took additional steps recently to help improve coverage particularly with the advance premium tax credits increasing the amount of financial help for middle class families trying to balance healthfa expenses against food, rent, and other costs. it also expanded eligibility for these tax credits to more middle class americans. the president's budget supports making these kind of enhancements and coverage permanent and so do i. mr. president i'll close with this. one of the dividing lines in american government is whether you think health care is a basic human right. my experience having specialized in this for a lot of years since the day when i was director of

the great panthers is there are a variety of ways you can get there. and that is what we do in the congress we debate ideas. but i feel right to the core of my time in public service and those days at the great panthers that health care is a basic human right. the affordable care angt was a monumental step towards that longside goal and as long as i have the honor the prief throaj chair the senate finance committee i will do everything i possibly can to work with senators of both political parties to make crucial goal a reality. i yield the floor. >> the senate stands adjourned until 11 a.m. tomorrow. the senate closing out the day now after working on a bill to repeal the authorization for the use of military force against iraq.

you can watch live coverage of senate proceedings here on c-span2 also available online at c-span.org or mobile up a c-span now. ♪ ♪ c-span is your unfiltered view of government, for funded by these television companies and more including charter communication. charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers. and we're just getting started -- building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communication support c-span as a public service. along with these other television providers, giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> hello and welcome to washington post live i'm david j. lynch nick correspondent at the post. today we have two segments on american competitiveness, the future of