view of government we are funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> are you thinking this is just a committee center? it's way more than that. >> comcast is partnering with 1000 community centers to create wi-fi enabled lift zones so students can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. >> comcast supports c-span is a public service along with these other television providers giving you a front-row seat to democracy. >> the u.s. senate is about to gavel in on this thursday morning to continue work on legislation that extends federal programs providing local fire departments with grants for training, equipment and staffing. 1:45 p.m. eastern senators hold a confirmation the confirmation vote on the nomination of assistant defense secretary for industrial base policy. and live now to the floor of the u.s. senate here on c-span2.

the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. savior, lead us today as a shepherd. guide our lives and inspire our hearts. may the talents gathered here on capitol hill help in the awesome task of bringing healing to our nation and world. strengthen our lawmakers as they deal with unattended needs and unsolved problems. make them eager to

lift burdens and ready to respond in service to humanity. help each of us to feel a bit of the responsibility for the challenges that hang heavy over our land. in your unfailing love, give us the wisdom to follow the leading of your powerful providence. we pray in your holy name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of 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 30, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable raphael warnock, a senator from the state of georgia, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership previous order, the leadership

the ending of america energy production. at a key point that many people forget is the renewable energy we rely on petrochemicals and the vast majority are derived from oil and natural gas. ev, wind turbine, solar panels, batteries just to name a few are

all made possible by petrochemicals. nearly every component require these chemicals. wind turbines are made out of wind, solar panels out of son. this is possible through petrochemicals. using petrochemicals provide the opportunity to extend the life cycle and new end-of-life pieces for new technologies. without we would not have today's roads and bridges, current aviation and aerospace technology and advanced lifesaving medical equipment such as hearing aids, pacemakers that make life better and help people live longer. some people may not realize it. our iphones. some of my colleagues and those that oppose fossil fuels use every day to push out their message on social media.

innovation not overregulation is where we need to focus and should be. the recycling space of technologies that have been developed or under development. to recycle plastic waste, one in particular is advanced recycling advanced recycling burns plastic. to scare you away. if advanced recyclers burned their materials, they would have nothing to recycle. nothing to sell to their customers. and 2021 walking towards the important role of advance recycling and 23 other states have done the same thing. if our goal is to recycle more material supporting more technology and innovations that do just that. instead of just trying to ban one of the most important innovations in the last 100 years that we know that a modern society needs, i am hopeful in

future hearings this committee can focus innovation and how we can legislate as legislators and support these ideas a continue to advance society with realistic perspective spirit if i mess up on it, it is just because my country accent. i want to thank you. and all of our panelists for taking the opportunity once again for being here. with that i yield back. >> thank you. we will turn to our witnesses. >> thank you for the opportunity i am codirector of the energy admissions monitoring and data led. over the last decade i have led several campaigns in the u.s. for gas emissions. throughout my research i've worked in collaboration with the

oil and gas industry and nongovernmental organizations. i want to make three key points in my testimony. the impact on plastics come from the chain the chemicals manufacturing. second, geographic variation associated with the stocks have differences in lifecycle admissions of plastics. accounting and allocation methods is a key driver of the lifecycle emissions of plastics. they are upstream admission from combustion admission for manufacturing and other city use. these are to include emissions associated with end-of-life management such as chemical recycling methods which can be a significant source of emissions. the chemicals in hydrocarbon that the byproducts processing. in the context of plastics i've

seen greenhouse gas emissions associated. >> 66-30. that is the final count of yesterday's vote in 1991. a bipartisan success years in the making. that was a very good moment here on the floor yesterday. a sign that senators on both sides want to see bipartisanship continue in this chamber. issuet americans care about, like lowering costs, preserving america's competitiveness and in yesterday's case, stopping endless wars in the middle east. it's my hope -- mr. president, it is my hope that the aumf repeal can be a model, a blew

print for -- blueprint for how the senate operates in the coming years. it's not easy, but it's very much possible. and i thank my republican colleagues, particularly senator young, for their cooperation. aumf repeal was the conclusion of a successful, busy work period, five-week work period, that we just completed in the senate. a busy and successful five-week work period on and off the floor. we confirmed another 14 highly qualified judicial nominees to lifetime nominations to the bench, 13 districts and one circuit court judge, bringing our total to 119 new judges. that makes us proud under president biden. i want to recognize our committee chairs for their good work offense the past month or so. holding a number of hearing after hearing, day after day, on important issues that americans care about, like rail safety, the health of our banks, the rights of working americans, the

president's budget, and more. the senate will hit the ground running when we return from the april state work period by taking up much-needed fire grants and safety act. it's my hope that yesterday's 96-0 vote in favor of moving forward portends for swift action, and argues very strongly against dilatory tactics. let's do the same thing we did on aumf. we're willing to allow some amendments, but we've got to move forward. this is something supported broadly, as shown by the 96-0 vote. just this week, 29 fire and emergency service groups warned congress that with summer around the corner, local fire departments of all kinds are woefully understaffed, underfunded and underequipped to keep people safe. when we return, the senate must move quickly to pass fire grants legislation, without unnecessary delays to this overwhelmingly

bipartisan legislation. now, on the senator from alabama's holding up military nominations, the senator from alabama continues to hold -- continues his hold on more than 180 now promotions, military promotions, blatantly ignoring many warnings of the harm he is causing to our national security. it's reckless. it's just reckless. yesterday, secretary of domestic lloyd austin warned that blocking these promotions, quote, creates a ripple effect through the force that makes us far less ready than we need to be. do you hear that, senator from alabama? the secretary of defense is saying that what you do makes us far less ready than we need to be, at a time when china and iran and russia are all causing all kinds of security problems and threats. but secretary austin also emphasized another point, very important one, the senator's

stonewalling is having consequences, bad consequences, heartwrenching consequences for our military families. by blocking these promotions, the senator from alabama is blocking pay raises for these officers and their families. by blocking these promotions, the senator from alabama is blocking military kids from starting new schools, setting them back in their education. when a member of the military serves, their family serves too. does the senator from alabama understand the disruption and chaos he is causing to military families? these are people serving us. they're not political. they've worked hard. they've done a good job. they got a promotion. a promotion means moving, changes of venue, changes of school. it means a career path, how long you've been at one rank, then to another. the senator from alabama is playing havoc with so many

military families who are nonpolitical, who have served our country well, who thought they were ready for promotion, until this cruel act of the senator from alabama stopped them. these military families have done nothing, nothing to deserve the disrespect and disdain shown by the senator from alabama. it's insulting to our servicemembers that one senator, just one, is holding up what has long been a routine and nonpartisan process. again, i urge my colleague from alabama to think this through and stand down. we understand he has passion on the issue. we disagree with it vehemently, so do most americans. but passion on the issue is not an excuse for causing havoc in the military in terms of force and in terms of the lives of the families. i would again plead with my republican colleagues, whether it's public or private, to go to the senator from alabama and

dissuade him from his folly. on the budget, and dead ceiling and show us your plan, house republicans are starting to see why they, themselves are starting to see why their attempts to threaten default to secure spending cuts was a terrible idea from the start. it's not only reckless, it's not only dangerous, it turns out they can't even follow through on it. this week, the chairman of the house financial services committeed a midded that -- admitted that he doesn't even see a path to the agreement for lifting the debt ceiling. at least 16 republicans have never voted to raise the debt ceiling the a all, even under president trump. that's true. the problem isn't that there isn't a path. of course there's a path. it's staring republicans in the face. the solution is what we democrats have said from the start. instead of threatening default, instead of brinksmanship, republicans should work with us

on a clean extension of the debt ceiling. we did it three times under donald trump. we've already done it under president biden. and we should do it again. if republicans want to push a separate discussion on the budget, that's their prerogative, and in fact did has been -- it has been done many times by both parties in the past. the republicans would be reckless to take the full faith and credit of the united states hostage in order to force a conversation on the budget, particularly when there's an alternative tried-and-true path that has been used before. separate debt ceiling and raising the ability of us to pay our debts and discussions on the budget, on taxes and spending, which we always do. it's tying the two together that's reckless. and so it's becoming clearer and clearer, to republicans themselves, even those in the house, that the only legitimate path forward is this -- let's have a bipartisan and clean extension of the debt

ceiling as we've done many times before, and then republicans can push a separate discussion on the budget. the american people have listened to us. a month and a half ago, i started telling the republican leader show us your plan. president biden, hakeem jeffries and many others joined in on that call. it's resonating from one end of america to the other. of course, you can't sit down and discuss something if you don't have a plan. leader mccarthy says let's meet. what are they going to do, discuss the weather? the rearrangement of the furniture? come on. do it the right way. you're beginning to see what we have said all along -- that the best way to do this is no hostage-taking, no brinksmanship on the debt ceiling, and a strong, avid, and passionate discussion on the

spending issues, one separate from the other. the house republicans cannot show us their plan, and as we said they're going to have -- i predicted two months ago, month and a half ago, it's going to be very hard for them to get 218 votes on any plan. come on -- look in the mirror, see what's going on, and do it the right way. senator mccarthy, today is march 30. it's been long enough. you still haven't come up with a single specific cut that makes any difference in debt that you want to do. show us your plan. drop the birchtionmanship. join -- drop the brinksmanship. join democrats on a clean extension of the debt ceiling. finally, on h.r. 1, the house is expected today to vote on republicans' partisan, unserious, and so-called energy package that they call h.r. 1. first, once again, i want to

make it clear, h.r. 1 is dead on arrival in the senate. not because of politics, but because it's so ridiculous. and it has been drawn up by a bunch of pro-oil senators of no regard for anything else, no democrat has been consulted. obviously, the republicans knew that in the house when they passed it. they want to seem to go back in h.r. 1, they go back to the maga supporters back home, the big oil companies, the oil wildcatters and so many of the oil states, who don't want to pay any taxes, who don't want anything to do with moving us forward as the climate gets worse and worse. the senate is not going to waste our time on a bill that sets america back decades in our transition to clean energy. all it takes is a brief dplanls at h.r. 1 -- glance at h.r. 1 to

realize it's a giveaway to big oil. house republicans so-called energy package guts important safeguards, environmental safeguards on fossil fuel projects, it would lock america into expensive, erratic, and dirty energy sources, while setting us back more than a decade on our decision to move forward on clean energy, with i this nation fully supports -- which this nation fully supports. transmission is hugely important to increasing access on clean energy, but the republican plan hardly open mentions it -- hardly even mentions it. so again, the way to do this, republicans in the house, is in a bipartisan way. we have a republican house. we have a democratic senate. no party is going to be able to jam its way through without consulting the other side. that's true on debt ceiling, that's true on budget, and certainly true on h.r. 1. there are republicans in the house, and democrats in the house, there are republicans in the senate, and democrats in the senate, who want to sit down and

do a serious energy package. we need to do it. let's stop this brinksmanship. let's stop this political game playing. let's stop this throwing bones to the maga hard right, which represents maybe 5% of america. let's roll up our sleeves. let's get down to work and get something done on energy and on so many other issues. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to s. 870, which the clerk will report. the clerk: motion to proceed to s. 870, a bill to amend the federal fire prevention and control act of 1974 and so forth. the presiding officer: under the previous order, all postcloture time is expired. the question is on the motion to proceed. all in favor say aye.

those opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the bill. the clerk: calendar number 28, s. 870, a bill to amend the federal fire prevention and control act of 1974 and so forth. mr. schumer: i send an amendment to the desk and i ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from new york, mr. schumer, proposes an amendment numbered 58. mr. schumer: mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that at 11:45 a.m. the senate proceed to executive session to consider calendar 69, richard v. verma, to be deputy secretary of state for management rand resources, that there be five minutes of don't equally divided in the usual form on the nomination, upon the use or yielding of time, the senate vote without intervening action or deenlt on the nom -- or debate on the nomination, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the

president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions, and the senate resume legislative business. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mr. schumer: i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority whip. mr. durbin: i ask consent the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: mr. president, when i took the chair as gavel of the senate judiciary committee, one of my first goals and objectives was to restore the committee's oversight role. since the beginning of the 117th congress, we've kept close watch on those agencies in the executive branch, which are within our jurisdiction. we've held oversight hearings on

the justice department, fbi, and the federal bureau of prisons, to mention a few. this last tuesday we continued that tradition with a second oversight hearing on the department of homeland security. it's worth noting that under the previous administration, the previous president, the homeland security secretary only appeared before our committee one time in four years. so we're glad to welcome secretary mayorkas back to the hearing room and learn about the work he is undertaking to keep america safe. as i mentioned on tuesday, i think secretary mayorkas has one of the hardest jobs in washington. department of homeland security is responsible for defending our nation from a wide range of threats, from domestic terrorism, narcotics trafficking, climate crisis, even cyber attacks. but despite this broad mandate, our discussion kept returning to one subject last tuesday, america's broken immigration

system. it was interesting to hear the republican senators on my committee critical of the job that mr. mayorkas is doing as head of the dhs, while at the same time it has been over 30 years since this body, the united states senate, has enacted legislation to upgrade and modernize our immigration system. 30 years. trust me, the world has changed dramatically in that period. the senate has refused to keep pace. it's easy to criticize secretary mayorkas about our border situation, and he faces some amazing challenges, but let's face it, we share in the responsibility for this situation and we certainly share in the burden of coming up with solutions that help. for years i tried my best to pass appropriations reform. there was a bipartisan moment ten years ago when the so-called gang of eight senators, four democrats, four republicans, and

i was included in that group, sat down and wrote a comprehensive immigration reform package. i think it was pretty good. in fact, it was so good that it passed on the floor of the united states senate with over 60 votes in favor of it. we had our fingers crossed and crossed the rotunda to the republican-controlled house and for two years they refused to even consider it, even call it for a debate, either offer amendments. they did nothing, nothing. and we are paying the price for that today. so here's the question after this week's hearing. are we going to keep pointing our fingers and mugging for the cameras or are we going to come together to fix the immigration system? i'm ready. i certainly hope the members of the house are ready. but we need a bipartisan consensus to get that done. on another topic, mr. president, it's a problem i'm going to discuss that affects roughly a hundred million americans. in the wealthiest nation in the

world, nearly one in three people in this nation live in an area with two few doctors. you know the story in your home state of georgia. i know is in illinois. i've seen it. whenever i visit a clinic or hospital outside of chicago, i hear the same thing. our health care system is understaffed, underfunded, and underequipped to address the health needs of american families. the greatest health care system in the world is suffering from serious shortages and deficiencies. the pandemic brought this to light. it may not have broken us but it showed us where our health system is broken. over the past three years, our doctors, nurses, and other health care providers have been pushed to the brink, and as a result, nearly one out of every five health care workers has quit their jobs. think about that. 20% quit their jobs. these departures have taken a massive toll on health care in

america. and in the years ahead as our population ages, our needs grow, and more providers leave the profession, those challenges will get worse unless we in congress do something. in the next decade, america is expected to face a shortage of more than 120,000 doctors. by 2025 we may fay a -- may face a deficit of nearly half a million nurses. and that's on top of our current shortage. a hundred thousand dentists that we need now, hundreds of thousands of mental health care professionals. this is a ticking time bomb for every community in america, especially rural communities and communities of color who are already -- who already have less access to affordable care. here in congress we need to prevent these looming shortages from becoming a crisis. earlier this month senator marco rubio, republican of florida and i, joined in introducing the restoring america's health care workforce and readiness act.

it's a bipartisan measure to address the health care work shortage in america. over the next three years our bill would provide hundreds of millions of dollars to the national health service corp. scholarship and loan repayment program, more than doubling the current funding level. this program is vital to pay for the education and training and recruitment of the next generation of doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health specialists. now why is this program in particular so important? well, let me tell you one of the biggest drivers of american health care worker shortage is the cost of medical education. doctors graduating medical school with 200,000 or $300,000 in student loan debt or more can hardly consider taking posts in rural and underserved areas. they have to pay off those loans. because of those debts they may not be able to do what they want

to do. give care and professional treatment to some of the most needy people in america. we take our best and brightest, we educate them so well, but we heap debt unimaginable that makes a real difference in their career choices. so with the national health service corps and nurse corps, aspiring health professionals have another option. if they will serve in areas of need, we will forgive student loans. in fact, in some cases providing scholarships for those who are in medical training. the national health service corps was created 50 years ago. more recently we have seen the difference it with make. and the american rescue plan that congress passed in 2021, i included a one-time $1 billion funding increase for scholarships and loan repayments in the national health service corps. it was the largest single-year appropriation for our health workforce in history. and at this very moment, that

funding is supporting thousands, thousands of doctors, nurses, dentists, and other professionals across america. today 21 million americans receive health care from national health service corps personnel. i recently received a letter from one of those who provide that kind of health care. her name is shannon. she's a licensed clinical social worker in illinois, first generation college student from a working class family. tells me her lifelong dream was to have a professional career in social work. but her ambitions were limited because of the cost of graduate school. she just couldn't imagine taking on that debt. then in july 2022, she found a path forward. she was accepted into the program i described. in shannon's words, quote, being accepted into this program has changed my life. it's given me a chance at financial freedom and professionally this program allowed me to grow into my career. today shannon is working as a

behavioral health care presiding officer in carbondale, illinois, wonderful jackson county. in shannon's words, this role allows her to, quote, come into contact with those in rural southern illinois would are in great need of behavioral services such as counsel lynn. it's hard to imagine a better investment in america's future than programs like the national health service corps and nurse corps. in shannon's case, this program enabled her to pursue her lifelong passion. the community's winning. shannon's winning. it's a win-win situation. we need to make more stories like shannon's possible and we have a chance to do it with the bipartisan bill that senator rubio and i have. if you go home to your state as a united states senator and you visit and ask local health care providers, they're going to tell you the same thing from one corner of america to the other corner. we are in desperate need of medical professionals to care for people who are underserved now. what are we going to do about

it? what is the senate going to do about it? what will our generation do about it? can we put together the resources now to meet these shortages and needs in the health care workforce? that's the challenge that we face. the national health service corps is up for reauthorization this fall. i'll be working with the help chair, bernie sanders, ranking member bill cassidy to pass our legislation. one last point i'd like to make. it was several years ago that i was visited by a couple emergency medical service personnel from illinois. mark and mavik kennedy. they're e. m -- emt's in the historic town on the western part of downstate illinois. and they told us about trying to provide ambulance and emergency health services in a rural county, in this case hancock county where navoh is located. they talked about the expense of

upgrading the equipment and their ambulances so that they can make sure that the person that they're trying to help gets all of the necessary medical care on the way to the hospital. we dreamed up an idea and i want to credit the kennedys as well as andrew jackson, the fire chief in magnolia, and many others who said why don't we have a grant program specifically for equipment in these ambulances and for the training of emergency medical personnel. so at the time we were debating the farm bill. i think it was about four or five years ago. i went to the chairman of the agricultural committee, senator pat roberts of rural kansas, and said to him, pat, i think we've got an idea here that's going to help communities not only in our states but across the nation. he generously agreed to serve as my cosponsor on a bill that we called the siren act. and the siren act said to these ambulance services and emergency

medical responders, you can apply for assistance and help to the federal government, and we will try to help you buy the new equipment you need to make sure that your ambulance is right where it needs to be. you have to understand if you don't live in a rural area, that some of these ambulance services are really the difference between life and death. they are the first responders. in fact, they be the only responders. they come to scenes across small-town america and provide the kind of medical services to keep people alive for those precious minutes on the way to a hospital. and so the idea of giving them the best and the most modern equipment makes all the difference in the world. well, thanks to senator roberts who has since retired from the state of kansas, we included the siren act in the farm bill several years ago. i've talked to senator debbie stabenow of michigan who is now the chairman of the agriculture committee and told her that i hope we can reauthorize this program in the next farm bill. she supports it.

i'm going to talk to the republicans on the committee as well. i hope that we can do that. what we've done is been able to make gants available -- grants available, first $5 million in fiscal year 2020 and we hope to go higher in the years to come. does it make any difference? well, just a few minutes ago mark and mavis kennedy were in my office. they're in uniform and are very proud of the work they do in hancock county. because of the assistance that we provided to them in one of their applications, they've been able to extend their emergency medical services to virtually all the towns in hancock county. what it means is further ambulance service instead of 140 calls a year, they're now receiving 361, virtually a call every single day for services. and they have the equipment and the personnel well trained by the same siren act to respond and save lives as they're

transporting people that live in that county to nearby hospitals. if it's someone you love in your family who is in desperate medical need, if it's your child or your grandchild or your parents and you have that one phone call to make, you want that ambulance there as quickly as possible and the people on board as well trained as possible. the siren act does that. it's small by federal standards. i hope it will increase in the years ahead. but it just proves that when people are willing to sacrifice, volunteer and help in local communities and we stand by them and give them a helping hand, it is the difference between life and death. so i hope all my colleagues will join us in this effort to reauthorize the siren act as part of our commitment to increase health care personnel and their qualifications across the united states. mr. president, i yield the floor.

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mr. thune: mr. president. the presiding officer: the

republican whip. mr. thune: is the senate in a quorum call. the presiding officer: we are not. mr. thune: mr. president, january of this year a former democrat senator penned an op-ed urging democrats to do away with the senate tradition of blue slips. this was filed within weeks by an editorial in "the new york times" making a similar argument. while the democrat chair of the senate judiciary committee maintains his desire the blue slip option, abandoning it is concerning, especially given the attempt of democrats to do away last year with the -- minority party representation. mr. president, blue slips, the so-called -- they're so-called because they are literally blue slips of paper requesting perspective on judicial nominees from their home state senators

are a long-time senate tradition. they serve the important function of ensuring that senators are consulted by judicial appointments from their state. that is particularly relevant when it comes to nominees to serve as federal district court judges. the founders set up in the -- up the senate in such a way as to provide a voice in the national legislature and senators continue to provide a voice for a state in the way that the house of representatives does not. because he or she only represents a single district. the state representation is of particular relevance when it comes to the federal district court judges. unlike circuit court judges or supreme court judges, federal district court judges are responsible for a limited jurisdiction that is entirely contained within a single state. and they are regularly required

to interpret state laws as well as federal law. given that fact, senators, as the representatives of their states, should have a particular say in who will receive a lifetime appointment to interpret their state laws. the constitution gives the president the power to appoint judges by and with the advice and consent of the senate. and this encourages presidents to seek that advice, not just to send a nominee over to the senate for consideration and vote, but to discuss a nominee with the relevant home state senators before signing that name over. blue slips also serve as a check on more extreme or problematic nominees. first, by encouraging the president not to nominate excessively controversial candidates and second by providing a way for home state senators to find a way to block a nomination for their state if

the president nominates someone problematic. senators regularly return blue slips for nominees. in other words, they would sign off on nominees who would not be their first choice but would recognize as suitable to sit on the bench. when the nominee in question has a problem beyond not being a home state senator's preference, blue slips have provided a way for senators of both parties to stop a nomination. for those who support abolishing the blue slip process, i noticed two strands of thought in particular. one that things have got enso partisan that we should just do away with things that are meant to foster bipartisanship. and, two, that doing away with blue slips is worth it for the political goal to be achieved, and that is getting more democratic judicial nominees confirmed. when it comes to the first, mr. president, the idea that things have gotten so partisan that we should gif up and

embrace it, i would -- give up and embrace it, i would say the last solution to increase partisanship is to abolish measures that promote collaboration and comity. we've seen a lot of partisanship here lately, but the truth is bipartisanship still exists even though it may not receive the same kind of coverage that major disputes between the parties receive. and anything that promotes bipartisanship, that encourages members of both parties to work together to listen to each other's concerns and compromise when possible is a good thing. but while i may not agree that the solution to increased partisanship is to just give into it, i am really troubled by the second idea put forward by those who want to abolish blue slips, that's it's worth abandoning a senate tradition, a

tradition that promotes compromise, checks unfettered majority power and serves as a critical check on the president for the sake of temporary political gain. this is hardly the first time we have seen this attitude during the biden administration. we have seen it with democrats' attempt to abolish the legislative filibuster. the senate rule that today almost unquestionably does more than anything else to -- as a place of deliberation and the check on the power of faction. mr. president, i'll be frank. the legislative filibuster can be frustrating in the extreme. when republicans were control of the senate, we took multiple votes on the born-alive abortion survivors protection act. a piece of legislation that would enshrine what should be the most commonsense thing imaginable, and that is a living, breathing child born

after a botched abortion should be granted protection. and the born alive survivors protection act would have passed without the legislative filibuster. there's no question that a filibuster can stop good legislation from getting passed, just as a blue slip could prevent a good judge from being confirmed. but that is not al reason to do away with -- that is not a reason to do away with either of these senate procedures. and above all, it's not a way to do away with the legislative filibuster. yes, the filibuster can be frustrating and it can be used to stop good bills like the born alive survivors protection act. but it is a powerful protection against bad legislation. without the legislative filibuster, there is very little, if anything, to prevent terrible legislation from getting passed by an extremely

narrow or even merely technical senate majority. and the legislative filibuster offers a host of other benefits, encourages compromise, it discourages extremism, and it provides a voice for americans represented by whatever party is in the minority who also deserve representation. mr. president, the founders knew that tyranny didn't just come in the form of individual despots and dictators, they knew newt majority could be tyrants as well as trample on the rights of americans and the minority. and the legislative filibuster helps guard against that. and so, mr. president, i believe very firmly in the senate rules and traditions that preserve the founders vision of the senate as a place of consensus and deliberation and that help

prevent tyrannical majorities from trampling on the rights from members -- for members of the minority. while the this may prevent a good legislation from getting passed or a good nominee from getting confirmed, the alternative -- the alternative, which is a system without meaningful -- meaningful representation for the minority party and the americans it represents threatens our constitutional rights is, in fact, much, much worse. and so before democrats think about abolishing key senate protections against extremism or the tyranny of the majority, i hope they will consider what things might look like when they are once again in the minority and they want to stop a nominee or piece of legislation that they view as dangerous or

extreme. and i hope that they will decide in favor of checks and balances and senate institutions. mr. president, i yield the floor, and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call: mr. tester: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from mobility. mr. tester: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are. mr. tester: i ask the quorum call be evips rated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tester: i ask that tim van reeken be granted floor privileges for the remainder of the 118th congress. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tester: i suggest the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the senator from montana montana. mr. tester: i ask the quorum call be eviscerated. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. tester: montanans proudly serve in our armed forces at the highest rates in the nation. these veterans put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms every day. their families make sacrifices too. these veterans and survivors, who depend upon v.a. benefits, deserve certainty when it comes to providing for their families. as chairman of the veteran affairs committee, i'm proud to introduce bipartisan legislation with my good friend jerry moran to ensure these veterans keep pace with the cost of living. this bill, the veterans cost of living adjustment act, is legislation that must past. each year, millions of disabled veterans, surviving spouses and their children rely on tax-free compensation for disabilities sustained during their military service. this income helps cover

groceries and prescription medications, rent, lorl bills. it also helps veterans replace clothing damaged by prosthetic or orthopedic devices. our bill directs the v.a. to increase compensation so folks crools the country, including 30,000 veterans in montana, get the support they need to stay afloat. at a time many montanans are struggling with rising costs from housing to health care to groceries, this cost-of-living increase helps give veterans a little more peace of mind. today, we have the opportunity to put, political differences aside and come together for the men and women who risk their lives for this country. let's pass this bill. with that, i turn it over to my friend, senator jerry moran. morgan morgan mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator -- mr. moran: mr. president. i rise to join the chairman in asking that the senate pass the veterans compensation cost-of-living adjustment, cola

act, of 2023, this is not the first time we've done this. this is an annual occurrence, and it is good to be back and suggesting to my colleagues that this nonpartisan bill, we once again come together to pass in this year, 2023. this legislation makes certain that the v.a.'s compensation benefits, which millions of americans, thousands of kansans receive, and that their survivors rely upon. that it keeps pace with social security and is adjusted to match the consumer price index. as we enter another year of crushing inflation, as we unfortunately enter another year of crushing inflation, this commonsense legislation is necessary so that veterans and survivors are able to keep pace with rising costs, make ends meet, and continue to receive the support they have earned and deserve. yesterday, march 29, was national vietnam war veterans day, and the 50th anniversary of the last combat troops

leaving vietnam. this is an opportune time for us as a senate, as a congress, as a country to one against commit to making certain veterans and their survivors receive the due support, their due respect, and the due recognition they deserve. i want to take a moment to address a concern that veterans have brought to me regarding a december 22 report from the congressional budget office and proposal put forth to means test veterans' disability benefits. i do not support this ideas, nor am i aware of any member of congress who is pursuing that idea, but it's running around on social media. if we can assure our veterans that that is not a likelihood, that is a valuable thing to do and provide them certainty and eliminate some fear they and their families may have. let me assure veterans and their loved ones, right now, i would oppose any legislation to enact that proposal. as ranking member of the senate

committee on veterans affairs, i know it is our responsibility not only in our committee but within this senate chamber to take care of our veterans, many who rely upon the department of veteran affairs for financial support. this bill, once again this year, will help do that. i appreciate the cooperation of the chairman from the committee. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. tester: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: senator moran, i appreciate your comments on means testing. it is absolutely a nonstarter. that information is revolving around on the hill. it's best to nip it in the bud. thank you for that. mr. president, i would ask concept that the committee on veterans affairs be discharged from and the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 777. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 777, a bill to increase, effective as of december 1, 2023, the rates of

compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: is there objection to proceeding to the measure? without objection. mr. tester: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: i further ask the bill be considered read a third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. tester: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. tester: thank you. the senate has just come together to do our job by passing the vitt rance cola act. -- the veterans cola act. we urge house colleagues to quickly follow suit. let's continue to show our fighting men and women that when you get sent off to war, it's with the promise that we will be cared for when you return home, not through words, but by action. with that, i yield the floor. i suggest the absence is of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

>> a bipartisan success years in the making. that was a very good moment here on the floor yesterday, a sign that sent on both sides want to

continue in this chamber. we can see it again if members work together on issues that americans care about like lowering costs, reserving america's competitiveness and in yesterdays case, stopping endless wars in the middle east. it's my hope >> mr. president, it is my hope that the aumf repeal can be a model, a blueprint for how this and operates in coming years. it's not easy but it's very much possible and i think my republican colleagues, particularly senator young for their cooperation. aumf repeal was the conclusion of a successful busywork period five work week period which is completed in the senate. a busy and successful five-week

work period on and off the floor. we can from another 14 highly qualified judicial nominees the lifetime appointments to the bench, 13 district and one circuit court judge, bring our total to 119 new judges. 119 new judges. that new judges. that makes us proud under president biden. i also want to recognize our committee chairs for the good work over the past month or so, holding a number of hearing after hearing day after day on important issues that americans care about, like rail safety, the health of our thanks, the rights of working americans, the president's budget, and more. the senate will hit the ground running when we return rm the april state work period by taking up much-needed fire grants and safety act. it's my hope that yesterdays 96-0 vote vote in favor of moving forward portends for swift action, argued very strongly and argues very strongly against dilatory

tactics. let's do the same thing we did on aumf. we're willing to allow some amendments. we got to move forward. this is something that is supported broadly as shown by the 96-0 vote. just this week 29 fire and emergency service groups warned congress that with some around the corner local fire departments of all kinds are woefully understaffed and underfunded and under equipped to meet their obligations to keep people safe. so when we return the senate must move quickly to pass fire grants legislation without unnecessary delays to this overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation. now, on the senate from alabama's holding up military nominations. the senator from alabama continues to hold and continues his hold on more than 180 now promotions military promotions, politely ignoring many warnings of the harm is causing to our national security. it's reckless. it's just reckless.

yesterday, secretary of defense boyd austin wore the blocking his promotions, quote, creates a ripple effect through the force that makes us far less ready then we need to be. did you hear that, sanded for alabama? the secretary of defense is saying that what you do makes as far less ready then we need to be added time when china and iran and russia are all causing all kinds of security problems and threats. but secretary austin also emphasized another point, very important one. the senators stonewalling is having consequences, bad consequences, heart wrenching consequences for our military families. by blocking these promotions the senator from alabama is blocking pay races for the officers and their families, by blocking these promotions the senator from alabama is blocking military kids from starting you schools, setting them back in their education.

when a member of the military service, their family serves, too. does the senator from alabama understand that destruction and chaos is causing to military families? these are people serving us. they are not political. they worked hard, than a good job. they got a promotion. promotion means moving, changes of venue, changes the school. it means a career path, how long do a bit and one frank and into another. -- one rank. >> the senator from how alabama is creating have make for nonpolitical, but served our country well, who thought they were ready for promotion and till this cruel act of the senator from vitiated. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: i come to the floor today to discuss a key constitutional duty to provide for the common defense. mr. wicker: the constitution

lays this weighty task at the feet of congress. we hold the purse strings and today our task is to provide for sustained growth in the capacity capability of our armed forces. for 30 years we've lived off the military investments of the 1980's. and these investments have kept china and russia and others from attacking us. they have kept us safe. today those investments have largely expired and both beijing and moscow are acting increasingly adversarial. in particular china's military is growing so quickly that we will not long deter them unless we invest more in our military, too. it will cost a lot to deter beijing, but it will cost a lot more if we do not. in february i delivered a speech on our most dire national security challenge, preventing the chinese aggression against

taiwan. defending our security and prosperity means defending taiwan. if the island falls, the global balance of power tilts for decades. our children and grandchildren would then not live in an american-led 21st century. today i will focus on the chinese communist party's rapid military buildup and the united states' opportunities to boost our military capability. i will show how both demand, sustained real growth in our defense budget alongside increase reform and prioritization. inexplicably in the face of these facts, the president has proposed another military cut. twice now he has proposed cuts and twice congress has replied with an emphatic and bipartisan no. instead congress has added over the last two fiscal years $70 billion of targeted investments

to our military to help us catch up with china. i am confident on a bipartisan basis again, mr. president, we will do this for the next fiscal year. so let's begin by outlining the rising threat of the chinese communist party. as congress considers this year's military spending commitments, we need to consider what we're up against. u.s. military investment must counter chinese military investment. if we do not, history may one day bestow on our moment, on this time the ig nan mouse title of prewar period. i hope we're not in a prewar period. we are prepared, there's a much greater chance we can avoid a war in the future. we know china intends to dominate the pacific. they boast about it in public speeches and they're building a military capable of turning their rhetoric into reality.

we have debated what year we should be worried about. some say 2023, 2025, 2027. some say 2035. secretary blinken says china wants to seize taiwan on a much faster timeline than we had previously thought. the 2027 date what some call the davidson window is based on xi jinping's orders of his military of when he expects them to be ready. we would do well to remember that dictators often start wars of aggression before their militaries are ready. look no further than germany and japan and world war ii and look at putin's russia today. if putin's invasion of ukraine taught us anything, it is that the plans of dictators are often driven as much by delusions of

grandeur as by honest assessments of relative military capabilities. this is what makes the next few years so dangerous. last year xi jinping fully consolidated his control over the chinese communist party. beginning a historic third term which lasts through 2028 with very few restraints on his power. and it shows. as the people's liberation army grows more capable and the chinese communist party faces growing domestic turmoil, beijing may soon decide that its power is peaking, that may prompt them to act sooner rather than later. china is certainly signaling a sinister intent. last august they concluded unprecedented military drills around taiwan's most trafficked waterways and flight routes. they did so arguably to project

strength in response to nancy pelosi's visit to the island when she was then speaker of the house. they built replicas of u.s. navy ships, aircraft, and air defense systems. they regularly practice striking these replicas. their military buildup is the strongest signal of their intent to dominate the pacific. i along with many other senators have seen the sobering classified reports. but the public picture is grim enough. the chinese communist party just announced the expansion of its defense budget by 7.2% for this year, about six times the increase the biden administration proposed. beijing has increased its military spending every year for more than 20 years, and we know, mr. president, that they actually hide many portions of their defense budget. by simply looking at beijing's

quantitative and qualitative improvements, we see beijing spends freely on its military. china has expanded its nuclear forces faster than anyone thought possible. already they have more ground-base nuclear weapon launchers than we do. this changes our entire nuclear readiness calculous. for seven decades we focused on matching the russian nuclear arsenal, but we experienced a new sputnik moment when we watched the chinese hypersonic glide vehicle perform maneuvers we had never contemplated. china has also rapidly expanded its conventional c air and rocket forces. their navy outnumbers ours. they will have more than 460 ships by 2023. u.s. naval intelligence indicates these ships may already be as high quality as our own, yet our senior navy

leadership continues to underestimate chinese capabilities. china's civilian fleet is expanding also and the peoples liberation army has used it in knock amphibious invasions -- in mock amphibious invasions. the air force has air fighters and built an impressive fourth generation fighter force. they are building fifth generation fighters at scale today. just like we are. and their air-to-air missiles have greater range than u.s. missiles. china's air warfare training has advanced beyond anything we thought possible five years ago. the chinese rocket force points thousands of short range ballistic missiles at taiwan. and hundreds of long range missiles at u.s. bases in japan. r, qualm, and -- japan, guam,

and elsewhere. china has not restricted its advances to traditional military -- it's a major player on the cyber battlefield. top commander general says the increase in chinese cyber warfare capabilities has been unlike anything he's ever seen, unlike the general has ever seen. earlier this year, our top military cyber official told us the chinese would combine an attack on taiwan. if that occurs with broad attacks on u.s. cyber infrastructure and that certainly makes sense. beijing has also overtaken russia in space. russia is now the junior partner to communist china. not only in space communications and intelligence satellites but also in space war fighting capabilities. finally, china is building a multinational sunday cat of bad actor nation -- syndicate of bad

actor nations. it is the central character in an antiu.s. collision that includes junior partner russia as well as north korea. xi jinping took a significant step in that direction last week when he visited vladimir putin, a man he has described as his best, most intimate friend. as china's military rises, regrettably the united states military has treaded water. i will identify five areas of improvement to help our military catch china. first, we have not focused nearly enough on honing our capabilities in a set of key areas we need to win. our efforts to build a series of modern and flexible command and control networks are just now gaining steam. we still possess no relevant mind warfare capabilities. after three decades of neglect,

we are just beginning to rebuild core competencies in electronic warfare. we have finally begun to build the right bases in the right locations in the western pacific and we have senators reed and inhofe, the authors of last year's ndaa to thank for that. so i issue my thanks to this bipartisan team, mr. president. our munitions industrial base is in woeful shape and we've only begun to scratch the surface of our production capacity. i'm pleased to see the pentagon moving in the right direction, but it remains clear to me that congress can take additional action -- should take additional action this year to accelerate and expand production. secondly, we should rapidly work to expand our naval fleet. as i said china's fleet has has eclipsed ours and yet the department of defense proposes ship decommissionings.

the marine corps was unable to assist victims of the earthquakes in turkey just a few months ago because the navy lacked enough amphibious ships. yet president biden's budget proposes to end an entire amphibious ship production line, an entire production line. i do not believe this congress will allow that to happen. our navy secretary recently noted that one chinese shipyard has more capacity than all of ours combined. for many years we've tried to ring more -- wring more efficiency out are our shipbuilding industrial base and for many years we have largely failed. without a massive change in direction and an infusion of funds, we are unlikely to grow the fleet beyond 300 ships over the next decade. and i would remind my colleagues that the statutory minimum requirement enacted by this

congress and signed by the president of the united states is 355 ships at a minimum. it's time for the u.s. congress to lead the nation in expanding these shipbuilding industrial base. for years we've known we need to purchase 72 tactical aircraft each year to have a healthy fleet. 72 each year. for years we've failed to do so, mr. president. our next generation fighters are still nearly a decade away as are significant numbers of autonomous wingmen for them and the air force remains almost 2,000 pilots short this year. fourth, we are on the leading edge of recruitment crisis. by the end of this year, the army could be 40,000 soldiers smaller than it was just 18 months ago. 40,000 soldiers short. even as its missions continue to

increase. the navy and air force are not far behind. the recruiting crisis is a complex problem that will require a multifaceted solution and we had the chief of staff of the army before the armed services committee along with the secretary of the army just this morning, mr. president, to discuss this and other important issues. however, the budget can right away provide one solution. we should set aside funds for barracks and facilities improvements, potential recruits have frequently cited poor living conditions as one reason not to enlist. fifth, we must boost our defense infrastructure. almost two years ago i led an amendment on the infrastructure bill, not the defense bill, the infrastructure bill, along with senators shelby and inhofe that would have devoted $50 billion to begin boosting this foundational infrastructure.

we never got a vote, unfortunately that amendment was blocked. our shipyards, hypersonic test ranges, ammo and other sites are enabling our military to be ready and capable. perhaps such an amendment would pass today with broad bipartisan support. the facts certainly call for it. and finally, we must link increased investment with accelerated reform in the pentagon. the department of defense's audit championed by former secretary david norquist -- deputy secretary david norquist addressed more in the last five years than in the last 25 years before that. the marines may become the first service to earn a clean financial bill of health this year. that's good news. deputy secretary hix has also embraced and accelerated efforts begun by deputy secretary

norquist to bring 21st century data-driven management practices to dod. this work has already saved us tens of billions of dollars. congress will continue to lead and partner with the pentagon in ongoing and new reform efforts. this year experts with the pentagon budgeting commission will help congress find ways to innovate more quickly and improve the relationship between congress and the department of defense. i also believe the office of strategic capital will help us partner with american private capital. american capital is an advantage we have, yet we do not leverage it often enough in the national security space. the office of strategic capital can help diversify our defense industrial base to compete with the people's republic of china in a cost-effective manner. cost of this saving measures, though necessary, will not be

enough. counterintuitively, many reforms cost money up front. senator inhofe, my predecessor, as ranking member of the committee, was correct when he said we cannot spend our way out of the challenges we face, but we can spend too little to give ourselves a chance. mr. president, the united states has not faced national security challenges on this scale, scope, and complexity since world war ii. this moment is a fork in the road. neither the peace we've enjoyed nor the war some predict are inevitable. decisions we make will determine whether that occurs. effective deterrence will be a complex operation, but its starting place is simple. we must once again for the third year increase the military budget, and as we grow the

budget, we will save where we can, prioritize the most effective purchases, and share the load with our allies and partners and insist that they do their share. again, it will cost a lot to deter china, but it will cost a lot more if we do not. and thank you, mr. president. i don't know if there are other speakers. mr. peters: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from michigan. mr. peters: mr. president, five years ago i stood in this chamber and condemned saudi military campaign in yemen.

today i rise once again to condemn the egregious violence that continues to haunt the yemeni people. last weekend marked the eighth year anniversary of the start of the conflict, eight years of families being torn apart by war, eight years of children going without access to food, health care, and quality education; eight years of destruction that has caused one. greatest humanitarian crises since world war ii. the republic of yemen has been torn apart by multiple armed conflicts and, as a result is the yemeni people have been caught in between an internal power struggle as well as a regional proxy conflict. saudi arabia has taken advantage of yemen's strife and led a military campaign that has only heightened the conflict and caused further destruction.

the previous conflicts along with the current war have collectively eroded central governance in yemen and left more than 24 million of yemen's 31 million citizens in dire need of assistance and protection. i am proud that michigan is home to the largest yemeni population outside of yemen. the diaspora community is vibrant and has endured harms that no community should have to. the circumstances under which many have immigrated to the united states is truly devastating. it is estimated that there are roughly 4.5 million displaced yemenies as a result of this conflict, with the majority of those displaced in yemen. those that remaintain to face food and housing insecurity, with over half of the total population requiring humanitarian assistance.

we have failed the yemeni people with our long-standing military support for the saudi arabian military coalition in yemen, and i applaud -- i applaud president biden's decision to end all u.s. support for offensive operations in yemen. we must continue to build on this measure and ensure that the united states is in no way -- in no way -- involved in the continuation of this war. the failure of warring parties to come to an agreement to extend the u.n.-backed truce demonstrates that this conflict is you, -- is, unfortunately, far from over. the united states must continue to leverage all diplomatic tools available to assist in the peace process. and as we enter into the ninth year of this conflict, i encourage all of my colleagues to reflect on the lives lost, the children who never got to grow up, and the communities

that never be the same. the yemeni people have remained resilient in the face of extreme adversity, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we continue to be strong partners in providing aid and security peace. thank you, mr. president. ms. ernst: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, earlier this week, myself, senator cassidy, and senator cornyn, along with 35 of our republican colleagues, introduced an effort to block president biden's plan to transfer student loan debt onto the backs of hardworking americans. this includes ending the pause on student loan payments, which has been extended six times since the start of the pandemic.

what might seem like a free pass in making payments on student loans is actually a scheme orchestrated by the biden administration that could cost taxpayers an estimated $900 billion. let's break it down. $400 billion to cancel student loan debt, $195 billion to pause loan payments and interest accrued during the pandemic, and $200 billion to implement president biden's loan-repayment rule. folks, $900 billion is more than the federal government has ever

spent on higher education in our nation's history. to give you some additional perspective, this radical proposal costs -- get this, folks -- three times more than what the government will spend on pell grants in this decade. in this decade. a program designed to help our neediest students. mr. president, this is not debt cancellation. it's socialism. president biden is rewarding those who chose the path of higher education by strapping their debt onto the backs of those who did not. this is a personal issue to me.

my brother chose to enter the workforce directly out of high school. my brother is a hardworking union laborer. my sister worked to put herself through community college. she received an associate's degree in southwest iowa. she works for a trucking company and farms. their stories are similar to many iowans across my home state. why should countless americans who made responsible financial planning decisions be forced to take on the debts of others? biden's plan is unfair and unaffordable. it is fanning the flames of inflation and is a driving factor in our growing federal debt.

most importantly, this transfer of student loan debt does nothing to address and may actually be contributing to the real issue of rising costs to attend college. what message does this send to veterans who pursue higher education through the g.i. bill or medical professionals who join the national health service corps? i was able to cover a portion of my college tuition at iowa state university through an rotc scholarship. joining the army after graduation was a privilege and an honor. i made a commitment to my country, and, in return, they made a commitment to me to help me receive my college degree.

president biden's radical proposal invalidates many other successful loan-forgiveness and repayment programs designed to incentivize participation in critical fields, including the military, public service, and medicine. instead of putting a band-aid on the problem and passing the buck, we should be giving students and their families a clear picture up front about the true costs associated with their education. that's why i'm working in a bipartisan way to ensure students know before they take out a loan the estimated total interest amount based on their repayment plan. folks, we've warned for years that the left is on the march towards socialism.

look no further than biden's student debt transfer plan. i'm proud to join my republican colleagues in working to stop this scheme. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. menendez: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. menendez: mr. president, i am extremely pleased that the senate will be voting shortly to confirm ambassador richard verma to be the deputy secretary of state for management and resources at the department of state. this role is one of the most critical positions at the department of state. dmr, as it's known, has wide-ranging responsibility for overseeing personnel, ensuring the department is sufficiently resourced to carry out effective u.s. diplomacy, and there are no shortages of challenges. as we reorient our foreign

policy towards strategic competition with china, as we counter-malign influence by russia across the globe, as we work to address global health, food insecurity, and the climate crisis, it is imperative that our democratic -- i'm sorry, diplomatic corps has the tools they need to address the challenges ahead. ambassador verma is superbly qualified to lead this part of the department in confronting these challenges. his long public-sector career, which includes service in the air force, the senate, and the state department, will help him be an effective leader who can advance the department's modernization agenda. and as our first ever indian american ambassador to new delhi, he has major experience over a major u.s. embassy and a deep understanding of the strategic advantage of cultivating and retaining a diverse and diverse

workforce. i have full confidence that he will make to make sure the department has the support, the resources and the leadership it needs to succeed. given the challenges ahead, i am pleased that we are finally voting to confirm ambassador verma today, and i urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this nomination. and with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of state, richard r. verma of maryland to be deputy secretary of state for management and resources. the presiding officer: there will now be five minutes equally divided on the nomination. the presiding officer: without objection, the question is on the nomination. is there a sufficient second?

there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:into vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 67, the nays are 26, and the nomination is confirmed. under the prefers order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid pond the table, -- laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's actions. under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session.

mr. cruz: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: mr. president, i wish we were not here facing these issues yet again. in recent days, our nation has seen yet another horrific school shooting. in september of last year, i stood on the senate floor and tried to pass legislation to

stop these school shootings. there have been too damn many of them. i've been there on the ground at too damn many of them. santa fe high school in texas, about 45 minutes away from my house, the morning of that shooting i got the call within minutes of the shooting. i was down on campus, just over an hour after it occurred. i saw the tragedy, the tears, the grieving parents, the children in shock. uvalde, i was there shortly after that shooting as well. the horror, the mayhem. too many of our children have been murdered by deranged lunatics.

mr. president, when you and i were kids this wasn't a thing. when you went to school, when i went to school, there wasn't a single day that i woke up going to school worried that some idiot, some sociopath was going to shoot up the school. you might worry about getting punched at recess, but this didn't happen 30, 40, 50 years ago. now it is a brutal reality over and over again. there are lots of causes that we could debate for a long time, causes in our culture, causes of disconnected, emotionally discushed young men -- disturbed young men who want to become famous. i think columbine may have

started this whole tragic cycle, where an angry young person seeks to lash out by murdering little kids. with respect to becoming famous, one rule i try to follow is that i will never say the names of these mass murderers. if they want to be well-known, i hope everyone in elected office, i'd like everyone in the news media to follow that role as well. they deserve to be forgotten in utter obscurity. but we also have an obligation to stop this. every time there's a mass murder, there's a pattern that plays out. number one, there's an expression of grief, of love for the community. there are millions of us who lift the community up in prayer.

inevitably, that produces a response from the political left, where they scream in unison thoughts and prayers aren't enough. i'll tell you, mr. president, i believe in the power of prayer, and i will continue praying for communities that are hurting, whether from a natural disaster or horrific crime or anything else. but i agree with the sentiment sentiment -- that's and prayers are not enough. that is exactly right. we need action. and what is so infuriating is every time there's a mass shooting, democrats in this chamber stand up and they don't actually want to do something to stop the murderers. instead, they want another gun control bill to disarm law-abiding citizens that won't actually stop the murders, that

won't actually protect our kids. in september of last year, i introduced legislation that would be the most far-reaching school-safety legislation ever enacted. it would double the number of police officers on campuses, devoting $15 billion to putting armed police officers on campus to protect our kids, the single most important step we can do. it would also devote $10 billion for mental health professionals on campuses, because so many of these troubled murderers had warning signs leaping off the page. it also devotes $2.56 billion for physical security at schools. to help enhance the security at

schools. when i introduced this bill, it first came up as an amendment on the much-touted bipartisan gun-control bill last year that did nothing to stop violent crime! but it satisfied the left-wing donors of the democrat party. when my amendment was voted on in the senate floor, i'm sorry to say every single democrat in this chamber voted no. all of them. every one. afterwards i went to this floor, i stood on this floor, and i tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent. and when that happened the senator from connecticut stood up and objected. now, i have to say, leading up

to that unanimous consent request, numerous reporters had asked me in the hallway why are the democrats objecting to this? and i was forced to say i do not know. because to date, they have not articulated any reason. they have not explained why they oppose more police officers in schools. they have not explained why they oppose more mental health counselors in schools. they have not explained why they oppose more funding for enhanced physical security in schools. so i was quite interested to hear the senator from connecticut give his reasons. i was disappointed that day. the senator from connecticut stood up and uttered two words, i object, and he sat down. that was it. his answer was just no.

mr. president, i stood on this floor then, and i said something that i said god forbid, there is going to be another school shooting. i pray to god there isn't. but we're going to find a day when another one of these happens, another deranged lunatic commits this kind of mass murder, and if there is not a police officer at the front door, i said remember this moment, remember this moment. because if the senator from connecticut had not stood up and said i object, this bill would have passed the senate unanimously. if this bill had passed into law, $15 billion to double the number of police officers on campus, and that was available at public schools, at private

schools, at parochial schools, what that would have meant is that there's a very real possibility an armed police officer would have been at the front door of the covenant school in nashville. now, as we look at what happened, every one of us, every one of us that's a parent or grandparent, is beyond horrified at what sort of deranked person murders little -- deranged person murders little children. but we also know that that shooter came to the front door and shot the front door open. this bill -- if this bill had passed, funding for school security, that front door could have been made more secure. so the shooter couldn't have blasted in. but even more importantly, like many of us

have watched the body cam footage, it's deeply disturbing but it's also awe-inspiring. you saw the nashville police officers arrive on campus about 15 minutes after the shooting began. they enter the campus. they're scared. they don't know what's going on. but they're looking for the shooter. they're wearing bullet proof vests. they're searching for the shooter. they're going up the stairs and they hear the sound of gunshots and the police officers do what police officers should do. they head towards the shot. they risk their lives and they encounter the shooter and shoot the shooter dead. the heroism of those officers saved lives that day. if this bill had passed, those officers might not have been 15 minutes away. they might have been standing at the front door. the purpose of this bill was to

have those officers at the front door so that when the deranged shooter showed up and tried to shoot in the door, the officers could stop the shooter right there and then which would have meant that not a single child needed to die. i told this body if we didn't act, the consequences would be horrific. and yet the sad reality, i do not understand why our democrat colleagues in this body do not support having police officers keep our kids safe. why when it comes to this issue, the only thing that interests them is disarming the people at home who pose no threat rather than protecting our kids.

as i said, mr. president, i wish i wasn't back here today. i wish this had passed last year. i wish democrats were willing to work together on really solving this problem, but sadly this pattern replays over and over again. i have two different bills that i'm going to put before this body, but i'm going to start with the first one, the one i just described. $15 billion for police officers to double the number of police officers on campus to protect our kids. you know, when you go to the bank and you deposit money in the bank, there are armed police officers at the bank. why? because we want to protect the money we save. why on earth do we protect a stupid deposit more than our

children? if there are parents that don't want police officers protecting their kids, i don't know those parents. we have the opportunity right now to double the police officers on campus and keep kids safe. therefore, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 1082 which is at the desk. further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. murphy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: thank you, mr. president. reserving the right to object. as i understand it, the senator has two unanimous consent requests. i will object to both and i will make my comments when the senator makes his second unanimous consent request. so for now on this first objection -- on this first

request, so as to save time, i'll wait for my comments on the second and simply object to this one. i object. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. cruz: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: so history is repeated. we still don't have an explanation as to why police officers on campus is not a good thing. maybe we'll get it. we were told we'll get a speech. so we'll see what that is. that's what happened last time. all right. the democrats don't like that. let me give you a simpler bill. a simpler bill that would spend unused covid education funds. there are over a hundred billion dollars in funds that congress

has appropriated to the schools. that under the restrictions put in place from the democrats, that money cannot be used for school safety. that money cannot be used to make our kids safer. in september i introduced this bill as well. it's a one-page bill. it's a very simple bill. it says the schools can choose to use that money to enhance school safety. it says if a school wants to use some of that money to hire a police officer, the school can do so. if the school wants to use some of that money to enhance their physical security, the school can do so. it gives flexibility to the schools. in september when i attempted to pass this, i asked why would anyone possibly oppose this. i don't know how a democrat

senator goes home to your state, i don't know how you go home to connecticut or new jersey or michigan and look in the eyes of a superintendent, look in the eyes of a teacher and say no, i will not let you spend the money on school security. doesn't matter if your kids are afraid. doesn't matter if your teachers are afraid. we, the democrats in congress, know better than you, and you may not spend a dollar of this on school security. and let me be clear. this would have passed in september except for two magic words uttered by the senator from connecticut. i object. now, last time he went on a discourse about how this was not the full legislative process, that we hadn't negotiated with him. and goodness, that must be comfort to the patients who are scared at home that we hadn't

sat there in a detailed negotiation. every year this body passes bill after bill after bill by unanimous consent. every senator here knows how to do that. the reason it doesn't go through a committee process, by the way, is because the democrats control the committees and they don't want to debate this. so if you hear a bunch of process arguments from the senator from connecticut, gosh, what he said last time, this isn't real. it is only not real because the democrats are objecting. that's what makes it not real because they are blocking it. but to say it's not passing because i'm objecting is like the arsonist complaining there's

a fire. i ask you in all seriousness, mr. president, how do you explain to a parent back home, how do you explain to a superintendent, how do you explain to a teacher? there's something wrong with you having the ability to spend this money on school safety. i don't know how to articulate that. i am looking forward to hearing it. we'll see if we do. therefore, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 1081 which is at the desk. further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? mr. murphy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from connecticut. mr. murphy: thank you, mr.

president. the senator is right. i have very little interest in engaging on the merits of these proposals in a dialogue on the floor of the senate because they are not serious attempts to make our kids safer. these unanimous consent requests that senator cruz makes, they're going to get a lot of clicks online. the confrontation that he's looking for will probably lead to a bunch of cable news appearances being booked, but it's not going to save any kids' lives. the senator knows this is not how the senate works. this isn't an autocracy. it's not a dictatorship. you don't come down here and introduce a piece of legislation

and two mains later -- two minutes later demand that the entirety of the senate agree to it without any debate, any negotiation. the senator says these are the same bills he introduced last year. but as far as i can tell, he introduced the bills he's making unanimous consent requests on minutes ago. they're not even fully formed pieces of legislation. this thing is so ham-handed, one of the bills, that there's literally brackets and question marks in the text. the legislative drafters, at least in the version that i see, haven't made decisions on when the money is being spent. the senator says that there's this pattern that plays out after these shootings in which democrats make demands about taking people's guns away but

aren't serious about making our kids safer. is that how it played out after the shooting in uvalde? is that what happened last summer? no, that's not what happened. what happened last summer after the shooting in the senator's state is that serious members of this body, members of this body who are more interested in legislating than enacting political theater, sat down together and negotiated a bill to save children's lives. didn't solve all of the problems in this country. didn't guarantee every child's safety. no, it did not. but let's be clear. senator cruz never expressed one iota of interest in being part of those negotiations. other republican senators did.

and while i understand he objects to the gun provisions in that bill, guess what? that bill also put $15 billion into school safety, into mental health, into hardening our schools, into community antigun violence programs. i can't speak about the other members of the group that authored that bill, but i never got a single phone call from senator cruz during the month of negotiations suggesting that we add the language he's talking about to that proposal. last summer there were serious legislators who come to this floor to enact legislation to set aside our differences and pass legislation that makes our kids safe, willing to make compromise. senator cruz didn't even sniff that room.

he references the unanimous consent request he made later last year that i objected to. i think i suggested then as i suggest now that the result of that unanimous consent request was to create political theater and book cable news hits. the result was not going to be a piece of legislation being enacted. and i figured that if i was wrong about that, if the senator's purpose was to pass a piece of legislation, that the result of my objection would have been to get outreach from the senator's office to try to figure out a way forward, to try to find a compromise. and i waited and i waited and i waited and i waited and i waited. but not once did senator cruz reach out and say let's work together to get this done.

which confirmed my suspicions. that these unanimous consent requests are not about passing legislation. they're just about creating conflict for the sake of conflict. this legislation was introduced minutes ago so i'm not able to debate the merits of it on the floor of the senate right now. it appears to make a whole bunch of changes to the not-for-profit security grant program that the presiding officer knows very well, changes that have little to do with school safety. it seems there's a bunch of processes changes to the not-for-profit security grant program. that's probably something worth having a conversation with the chairman of the committee about before we pass it by unanimous consent. it makes broad structural

changes to title 4 which is a very important program to schools. they use that motion to proceed for school security, but they also use that money for a host of other important programs. that's probably worth having a conversation with the members of the education committee about. a very quick look at this bill suggests that it likely opens up the use of those funds to arming teachers in our school. i think that's a terrible idea. this is all to say that this isn't how the process works. you don't drop a piece of legislation on the floor of the senate and two minutes later demand that the whole senate pass it. you do that if you're intent -- if your intent is to create conflict for the purposes of publicity. i don't know what the senator's interceptions are, but if that was your intention, this is what you would do. if you were interested in actually passing something, you

would have dialed up the authors of the bipartisan safer communities act and asked to be part of that negotiation. you'd have reached out to my office after the objection last year and said, what's your objections? let's sit down and do something together. that's how legislation gets passed in this place. i know because i've done it on this topic, and i am at no -- and i am not saying that the bipartisan safer community act solved all the problems. i spend time with those families every single week. i live in a dangerous neighborhood in south hartford. i talk to those kids when they fear for their life when they go to school. that's why my purpose in the senate is to work like hell across the aisle through compromise, not by coming down here, dropping a bill on the floor understand, a then immediately demanding that the entire senate vote for it. that's not how we save kids'

lives, h. compromising, working towards compromise behind the scenes, not always in front of the cameras. i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. cruz: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cruz: as the senator from connecticut walks away because he's unwilling to debate the topic, i will note several things he said not a word about. but let's focus on, oh, he said this bill is very hard to figure out, it's very complicated. well, the second bill, the one he just objected to, is all of one page long. i'm going to read you the statutory text. the senator from new jersey here is a learned senator. it says the unobligated balance of funds made available in the covid funding -- and i won't read the actual cry takers but the covid funding -- the unoctoberred funds mated available shall be made available to local education agencies to keep elementary

schools and secondary schools served by such agencies physically secure. that is the entirety of the bill. you can use the $100-plus billion that congress has appropriated to make schools safer. now, not a word from the senator from connecticut addressed that bill. he just said, i object. and as for his caterwauling that the first bill -- gosh, he can't figure out what's in it, you don't do it this way. the first time i introduced it it was cruz-barrasso and every senator voted on it because i introduced it as an amendment to the bill the senator from connecticut introduced. now, mind you, in the wake of uvalde, with great fanfare, a the senator from connecticut passed a meaningless gun control bill that did nothing to prevent what happened in nashville, that's not going to prevent the next mass murder.

why? because it doesn't target criminals. it doesn't go after the bad guys. it doesn't put police officers in a position to protect our kids. i find some rich irony that the senator from connecticut suggested, gosh, the purpose of this is to get on cable news. i don't know if the senator from connecticut has difficulty getting on the news, but i can assure you that i don't. what i do know is this is about stopping these damn murders. the senator from connecticut suggests this is about conflict with him. i can assure him, very few people outside of connecticut have any awareness of what he says. why is that? well, for one thing, we did this

last time, there were zero reporters in the gallery. now there are to. the corporate media doesn't report on this. you turn on cable news, they won't tell you that the reason there wasn't a police officer at the covenant school is because every democrat in the senate voted against it. corporate media conte tell you the reason -- corporate media won't tell you the reason the covenant school couldn't spend these funds by hiring a police officer and hardening the front door so you couldn't shoot through you is because the senator from connecticut objected. he knows that a dishonest press corps will not tell anybody. he made great fanfare of saying, well, the legislative text has a bracket. what he didn't tell you is his staff gave him an old version of the bill, not the one that is filed. and he was focused in particular on the one edit that was made,

which was to change the fiscal year because we're now one year later. so it was to alter the date from the appropriate date last year to the appropriate date this year. that was the amendment, and he purr -- purported, well, gosh, no one knows what's in this. you've all voted on it. you know what he didn't say once? why having police officers, more police officers in schools is a bad thing. he didn't talk at all about $010 billion for mental health counsel letters. -- counselors. mr. president, i'm tired of these games. i told you that he would give you process arguments and, oh, boy, did he. he said, gosh, cruz didn't call me. i guess his feelings were hurt. i've also done this a long time. i've seen the political

posturing that too many democrats do on this issue. the senator from connecticut suggests that this is a newfound interest. i have served 11 years on the senate judiciary committee. i have fought for 11 years, i've introduced legislation after legislation after legislation to lock up gun criminals. if you commit a crime with a gun, you should be prosecuted and go to jail. if you are a felon or fugitive or someone with serious mental illness and you too -- and you try to buy guns, you should be prosecuted and go to jail. repeatedly, the democrats block those bills. the sad relately of this body is that if you're a mom at home wants to protect your kids, the democrats are eager to disarm you. but if you are a gang banger in chicago, they're not interested in a gun task force to lock you up and take the murderers off the street.

mr. president, why is it an unreasonable question to ask what's wrong with having more police officers to protect our kids? and i want to show you how little interest the democrats have. the senator from connecticut is gone. he gave his little speech and ran away. this is supposed to be the world's greatest deliberative body. but as long as the press doesn't do its job, the senator from connecticut can send sought a fund-raising e-mail tonight to all the gun control groups saying, guess what? we're coming after the second amendment. please click here. that's cold comfort to the parents who are scared at home right now, to the kids who are scared at home right now.

the solutions put forth by the democrats in this body are not designed to stop crime. this bill is. you know, for a long time, in the weeks and months following uvalde there's been a talking point raised by the left on twitter and echoed just moments ago by the senator from connecticut that says, well, we don't want more police. because the police don't stop these crimes. and they point to uvalde. now, i will say, having been in uvalde right after this shooting, what the police officers did there was tragic.

hundreds of officers showed up at that school and for an hour and 14 minutes they did nothing, they didn't go in and take out the shooter. that was true as shots rang out repeatedly. that was true as little children were calling 911 begging for help. for over and hour -- for over an hour, they didn't go in. i agree the conduct of law enforcement that day was inexplicable and indefensible. i will say when i withent to uvalde -- when i went to uvalde, senior officials sat there in the room and lied to me and lied to john cornyn and greg abbott about what happened. the story they described was utterly false, as would come out in the days to follow. onen this they said was, oh, an

officer was there when the shooter arrived. that was not true. you want to know why having an officer there matters? watch the body cam footage. in nashville, those heroic officers who heard the sound of gunshots is and ran towards them risking their lives, there are children who are, thank god, alive because of the heroism of those officers. is it too much to ask how things would have been different if the officers could have been at the front door to begin with? they could have been. if not for senate democrats. now, the senator from connecticut said, gosh, he hasn't had time to read this bill that if he's voted on before, that he's objected to before. but, you know, it really did make his head hurt to have to read this legislative language. well, i tell you what, we're getting ready to go on a

two-week recess. when we come back, we can do this again. the senator from connecticut can take two weeks to read the bill. it's not complicated. and then i look forward to the senator from connecticut telling me why, on behalf of the democrat party, he thinks having police officers on school campuses is a bad idea. and, by the way, i would note, even though it's just the senator from connecticut objected, every democrat in this body objected -- voted against this bill. when he stands up and does this objection, he's doing it on behalf of the whole democrat party. i'll make an invitation to any one of you, if there is a democrat member in this body that actually believes that having police officers protect our kids would be a good thing, that actually believes having

mental health counselors in our schools would be a good thing, that actually believes that providing funding to enhance physical security in schools would be a good thing, then come join me. i don't have a whole love the optimism that's going to happen. -- at that whole lot of optimism that's going to a but if it doesn't, this is all going to happen again. the bill passed last fall. nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody thinks it is going to do anything to stop mass murders. wasn't designed to do that. it was designed to assuage gun control activists. you want to stop mass murders, go after the murderers. you want to stop murders, protect our kids.

we can do this. but to do it we've got to have someone from the democrat party willing to stand up and say, let's actually get it done. right now today the answer from democrats is thoughts and prayers. i agree, thoughts and prayers are not enough. how about action? and by the way, if they do want action, they'd be happy to confiscate all the law-abiding citizens' firearms which doesn't work and wouldn't have kept anyone safe. how about action to keep our kids safe? the presiding officer: if the democrats hadn't objected -- if the. mr. cruz: if the democrats hadn't objected in 2002, this

could have been prevented. it should have been prevented and we have every responsibility to prevent the next one. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from utah. mr. lee: mr. president, i'm back again seeking unanimous consent for the passage of my free bird act. previously my request for unanimous consent was met with an objection, an objection on the grounds that we're still in the midst of a public health emergency. it was object educated -- it was observe educate -- this objection, this unanimous consent request was objected to on the grounds that if we were going to do this, we should end the vaccine requirement for foreign travelers and the public health emergency at the same time, to do this, in the words of the objecter, to make it clean. well, mr. president, just last

night the senate voted to terminate covid-19 pandemic national emergency order. that makes this as clean as it gets. we passed this now, and early this morning the white house announced that the president will be signing that measure, which had previously been passed by the house, into law. that's happening now. that means that this is as clean as it gets. these things would go out at the same time with a bang, as well they should. now, that also means there's no reason why we shouldn't end this particular restriction. the restriction on unvaccinated foreign travelers coming into the united states today. to those who might think that the senate passed something last night that might somehow make it unnecessary to pass the free bird act, make it unnecessary separately to enact legislation ending the foreign traveler vaccine requirement, they're

mistaken. and they're mistaken because those two legal documents, a proclamation issued by president trump in 2020 declaring a national public health emergency, and the october 2021 executive order issued by president biden putting in place the foreign traveler vaccine requirement, they are separate things. neither depends on the other. and so the fact that the public health emergency executive order is now on its way out the door, it will be no more in a matter of hours or days, makes no difference as to this one. this one remains in effect unless or until it's undone. so to paraphrase the words of the member of the senate from the democratic party who objected to this just a few days ago, we can make it clean. we should make it clean, in fact. we should make it clean by

getting rid of this just as the other expires. now look, so it begs the question, why does this matter so much? why do we care about the fact that we're requiring foreign travelers to prove that they have been vaccinated prior to entering the united states? well, we care, and we should care because it's levying a really heavy cost on state and local economies and on the american economy and on american relationships across this country. continuing to keep this mandate in place at a time when president biden himself has declared that the pandemic is over and is prepared apparently to sign into law legislation passed by both houses officially ending the order declaring the existence of the public health emergency over covid doesn't make any sense to continue this, especially at a time when this body has voted and the president is prepared to sign

the other measure. look, those who oppose this really are unjustified in what they're trying to do, especially because they're ignoring the new risk calculus that is affording americans a new sense of normalcy, much-needed normalcy after three years of chaos. this policy has separated loved ones for far too long. it's time to end the covid-19 vaccination requirement for foreign travelers, prohibit using federal funds to carry out the requirement, and prevent the cdc from ordering future covid-19 vaccine mandates for foreign travelers. it's costing us too much. mr. president, in 2021 alone, utah visitors, travelers coming into utah spent nearly $11 billion generating over 130,000

jobs and almost $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. now look, utah's tourism sector experienced so much decline during covid, particularly during 2020, by 2021 and even more so by today, it really has recovered quite well, except in one area. we still haven't recovered, much less made any gains, with regard to foreign visitors to the state of utah. why? well, i think a lot of it has to do with this unnecessary draconian requirement, a requirement that the developed world no longer recognizes the need for. we're outliers in the free world for keeping this in place. but by lifting the vaccine mandate, utah and the united states stand to benefit tremendously from increased international travel.

look, it's not just that it's costing us tourism. it's costing us meaningful connections, connections that enrich and promote our shared humanity. right now foreign travelers, including family members, including friends, business relations, and even international sports figures, are being kept off of u.s. soil arbitrarily due to this draconian vaccine mandate. right now today, this very moment we have the opportunity to reverse course. in fact, the house of representatives has already passed this very bill ending the vaccine mandate, and has passed it with bipartisan support. today we can restore our personal and business relationships, boost our tourism not just in utah, but across america, and reengage in the competitive spirit that brings nations together. it's time, mr. president, to end this mandate. it's time to join the rest of

the developed and the free world. it's time to free the bird and to pass the free bird act. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of calendar number 14, h.r. 185. further that the lee substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to, that the bill as amended be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: mr. president, reserving the right to object. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: mr. president, i am here on behalf of senator sanders, who was pulled away from the floor on an important matter. he asked me to object on this matter. he gave me some documentation and some points. i don't want to burden the senate with reading everything that i was given, but i would

like to ask permission to enter into the record the objection on behalf of mr. sanders. there is no objection to that, sir? the presiding officer: without objection. mr. booker: and i will say i really feel so blessed to be a senator, and one of the great blessings for me has been getting to know my colleagues. i know folks on both sides of the aisle and have sincere friendships and admiration. senator lee is one of the people i respect in this body the most. he's learned. i have learned from him. my positions on issues have evolved from taking the time to actually listen to my colleague speak. he's passionately -- i see both colleagues from utah here. i need to get menendez down to this floor and get some firepower here. i've also learned a lot about utah itself. when he talks about the reasons for getting rid of this, they're very compelling to me. the reality is tourism is one of our greatest industries.

it creates jobs and opportunities. when he talks about sports teams, i'm not sure it's because he's a sports fan. i think he understands that sports teams help create economic growth and economic opportunity. and even more than that, what i've learned from my colleague and my friend is that utah is a very special place. i remember you told me, the senator from utah told me that i think one of the cities in utah is one of the places in america that most foreign languages are spoken and mastered in all of our country. and i imagine because of the extensive foreign travel, there's real connections. and he said something that resonated with my spirit, which is the idea that it's affecting families that we might have blended families. americans do often marry people from outside of our country. all those reasons, i feel, are very compelling. when i read senator sanders' remarks, i found them compelling as well. one of the things i found most compelling -- i don't know about the senator from utah -- i actually have a science

degree, a political science degree, so i tend to rely on health professionals. senator sanders remarks, all of which i'll put in the record, talk to the point about the fact that people are still dying in the united states from covid. but they also point that covid didn't originate here. we know it came from another country. we know that a zootonnic disease spread from wet markets into other countries and spread to our nation and spread to us. we know variants are still happening, many which come from outside of our country. there are many health professionals that believe that doing the right thing, ensuring people are vaccinated, may help us to stop a future variant. again, there are reasonable objections on the other side on this, and my hope is that perhaps we as a body can come together and find a just way

forward. we are indeed a body where a lot more happens in a bipartisan way than i think most of the public understands. i know from my experience of nine years in the senate that a lot of bipartisan legislation i respected most, senator lee, especially on our judiciary committee, has been involved in those. i on behalf of senator sanders am objecting because of his reasons, but i do hope to continue my personal conversations with senator lee on that. officially, mr. president, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the senator from utah. mr. lee: if i can respond very quickly because i know the floor is backed up and i want to help people get back on schedule. first of all, i really appreciate the kind remarks from the senator from new jersey, who is a dear friend. i'm a former resident of his state. i first heard his name when i lived there about 25 years ago. i've always enjoyed working with him, and i appreciate the dignified manner in which he responded to this request today.

he drew the short stick. you've got a job to do, i get it. i do look forward to working with you on this. i suspect you and i can get to the point where we agree on this. i would love nothing more than to add you as a cosponsor. the bottom line is i haven't reviewed what senator sanders has submitted through senator booker, but i look forward to doing that. i surmise, based on the summary, that these are relying on certain experts, some of the same experts who have given phenomenally bad advice, much of which turned out to be wrong, the same experts that told us it didn't leak from a lab, the same experts that told us it wouldn't spread among the vaccinated, the same experts that told us that we should have to mask 2-year-old children when getting on a plane, there would be no adverse consequences from sending children to school during covid and it was absolutely necessary and imperative to do so. some of the same experts who tell us to vaccinate young children, sometimes infants,

with this particular vaccine. i have great reluctance to defer to those same experts when especially, especially considering the fact that even though some of those very same experts are telling us not to end the public health emergency, we've now done so. and president biden is going to sign that into law. let's end the madness of deference to experts who have proven time and time again to be wrong. thank you, mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that i be allowed ten minutes before our vote. the presiding officer: is there objection? objection is heard.

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the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of defense, laura taylor-kale, of california, to be assistant secretary. the presiding officer: the question's on the nomination. mr. booker: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote:

vote:

the presiding officer: the yeas are 63, the nays are 27. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. under the previous order, the senate will resume legislative session. mr. cornyn: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from texas. mr. cornyn: thank you, mr. president. earlier this week the secretary of the department of homeland security testified before the senate judiciary committee. under secretary mallorca' leadership -- mallorca's -- mayorkas' leadership, we've seen

deadly drugs pouring into our country, killing more than 108,000 americans in a single year. and there's no question but that the transnational criminal organizations known as the cartels are fueling the chaos and the destruction. when attorney general merrick garland testified before the judiciary committee just a few weeks earlier, i brought up the role that the cartels were playing in this ongoing crisis. i asked the attorney general if he was familiar with the business model of the cartels e flood the border with migrants, overwhelm law enforcement, and then allow the movement of the illegal drugs across the border and into the interior of the united states. attorney general garland said yes, he was aware. not only that he highlighted actions that he had taken at the

department of justice to crack down on these operations. earlier this week when i posed the same question to secretary mayorkas, i asked if he was familiar with this tried-and-true strategy. -- of the cartels. and he was clueless. he said, i'm not aware of any such strategy. well, mr. president, i don't know how that could possibly be true. this is a well-known tactic that's been used throughout secretary mayorkas' tenure. one of the most notable examples was in 2021 when the small small town -- the small town of del rio, texas, all of a sudden was flooded with 15,000 migrants from haiti. 35,000 people live in that small town, and they were overwhelmed by the huge volume of people from -- i know it's hard to imagine, a but from haiti.

to state the obvious, the del rio border patrol secster doesn't have the capacity to process or care for that number of individuals at any one time. in an attempt to help, the administration moved agents from other checkpoints to the sector where the surge was happening african american but, after all, that's exactly what the cartels had hoped for. as there was a surge of agents to del rio, that left other portions of the border unprotected. administration officials later told congressional staff that this massive courage of -- massive surge of migrants was a coordinated effort by the cartels. they directed. the president pro tempore: a single location so that other -- mr. cornyn: they directed them to a single location so that other locations would be open.

the biden administrationicaided this was coordinated by the cartels but yet the secretary of homeland security is unaware? how could that possibly be? well, secretary mayorkas is either trying to deceive the senate or he's completely unaware of the reality on the ground. i think both of those are facial offenses -- are fireable offenses. either you're lying or you're completely oblivious to the threat to public safety posed by the current crisis, which is singularly of the making of the biden administration and their unwillingness to use the tools that they have, the laws that are already are on the books, in order to deal with this crisis, this humanitarian crisis, this public health crisis. so every day the united states is getting played, and criminal

organizations whose illegal businesses are making them a lot of money are getting richer. these groups are what i like to call commodity agnostic because they deal in any product or service that makes them money. they really don't care. they certainly don't care about the migrants who are frequently abused and many of whom, unfortunately, are left to die on that long and dangerous adjourn -- dangerous journey from their home. we're well aware of their drug trafficking operation. and over the years law enforcement has interdicted everything from methamphetamine to cocaine and heroin. but recently we've seen an alarming rise of fentanyl. when i was in mexico city just a couple of weeks ago visiting with the drug enforcement

agency, they said fentanyl is made from chemicals that are imported from china to mexico, where the cartels simply mix them up and then put them through an industrial-sized pill press and make it look like regular prescription drugs, although these are laced with fentanyl. it is a deadly drug in very, very small amounts. we know a lot of communities throughout texas and throughout the country have experienced waves of deaths caused by unintentional fentanyl poisoning. in other words, the person taking the pill -- usually a teenager -- thinks they're taking something innocuous that won't kill them certainly. they may think they're taking anything from a painkiller or other sorts of prescription drugs and then they unknowingly

ingest a lethal dose of fentanyl. and, of course, the cartels continue to get rich, and the destruction cause add by these overdoses and drug abuse continue. but we no he that these cartels -- but we know that these cartels, again, also prey on vulnerable people who want to come to the united states. they spin a web of lies and false promises to convince migrants to make the journey to our border under their care. but, like all other things that the cartel deals in, it comes at a price. and there are a lot of factors that determine how much it costs somebody to make their way to our front doorstep on our southern border. typically it's thousands of dollars ahead. but really it just depends on where you're coming from. because recently in yuma,

arizona, a sleepy little agricultural community, the border patrol chief welcomed a bipartisan delegation of senators there and said, we've encountered people who speak 200 longs from 176 countries in this sleepy little ag community. senator mark kelly from arizona said, well, in all likelihood, people are flying into mechanics i cali, which is a city -- into mexicali, which is a city in northern mexico, and then simply calling an uber and making their way to the border and then claiming asylum, only to be released by the biden administration into the interior of the country. those are the lucky ones. those who turn themselves over to the coyotes, the human smugglers, frequently end up dead. we all remember last june when a

tractor-trailer rig smuggled migrants in san antonio or, which was found abandoned in sweltering conditions. 53 people died trapped in the back of that truck. those that did survive often arrived malnourished or abused. many women and men are injured or otherwise abused. many women and girls are raped along the way. some arrive pregnant. as we know, the customers of these criminal organizations aren't limited to mexican or central american citizens. these are international criminal networks. last year, consistent with what the yuma border patrol chief told us, last year customs and border protection encountered migrants from 174 countries,

people from every corner of the globe are traveling to mexico and crossing the u.s. southern border. all in the tender care of these transnational criminal organizations. of course, given the nature of this business, it's tough to estimate just how much the cartels are making from their human smuggling operations. but last year homeland security investigations estimated that they were making roughly $13 billion a year just from migrant smuggling alone. and there's no question that their success is built on a breakdown of enforcement by the biden administration. if our border was truly secure, if people knew that they would not be able to just enter our country willy-nilly but had to follow legal pathways, the cartels wouldn't be able to flood the zone with migrants to clear the way for their

smuggling operations. unfortunately, instead of making the cartels' job harder, the biden administration's policy of open borders just keeps making it easier. rather than secure the border and he force our laws, the biden administration continues to send a message loud and clear that our border is open for anyone to come across. for more than two years the administration has refused to enforce the law, a ensuring that the cartels' illicit gateways remain wide open. they've released hundreds of thousands of immigrants into the united states, some of whom will wait as long as ten years before they can even begin the immigration court process. talk about a major pull factor. if someone is on the fence about making the dangerous journey to the united states but these virtually anybody that shows up

is able to stay in the united states for a decade at least, even before facing an immigration judge, their decision is far easier. as though the cartels don't have enough business already, they're about to be given the gift of a lifetime when title 42 ends in six weeks on may 11. title 42, of course, is a public health law which has given the border patrol one tool to deter and to return migrants out of the country. it has given the department of homeland security the ability to quickly expel migrants and prevent our border facilities and local communities from becoming even more overwhelmed than they already are. but once it disappears in may, the flood debates gates -- the floodgates will be wide open. law enforcement and border communities have been bracing for the border surge that's sure

to come once title 42 goes away. they're worried that they don't have the people, the facilities or the resources to manage this flood of humanity, and the administration has done zero to inspire confidence. this last week secretary mayorkas visited el paso, which has been at the epicenter of this crisis since late last year. the streets and the shelters have been filled with vulnerable migrants with nowhere else to go, and its leaders are very anxious about what will happen on may 11. during his visit, secretary mayorkas met with border patrol agents and customs and border protection office operate -- operations officers to thing them for their hard work. these men and women have been on the front lines for two years and they deserve our thanks for the sacrifices they made. but they deserve more than our

thanks. they deserve our help. so that they can do the law enforcement and do the job that they have pledged to do. but we've designed the system to fail because we've made it impossible for them to do their job the way they're trained to do. well, secretary mayorkas couldn't be bothered to meet with other stakeholders in el paso. he might have actually learned. when i visited is the city in january with a bipartisan group, we took the time to meet with law enforcement, local elected officials, business owners, nongovernmental organizations, and many others, and they told -- they told us about the strain this crisis placed on the entire community. they shared their fears about what might happen once title 42 is lifted, if there's no alternative plan put in place. unfortunately, during his most recent trip, secretary mayorkas

didn't take the time to hear from a full range of stakeholders who were on the front lines. he didn't sit down with those elected officials to discuss the caravans of migrants forming just across the border in juarez, across from el paso. he didn't offer advice about how the community should prepare for what happens when title 42 is eliminated or what the federal government was prepared to do to help. once again, our border communities in texas are doing the back-breaking work of managing this crisis, with little or no support from the biden administration. the end of title 42 in sight, the administration needs to prepare for what's to come, and they need to help get ready to deter this huge flood of humanity. they simply can't ignore the problem and hope it goes away. that hadn't worked for the last two years, and it certainly

won't work now. march is quickly coming to a close and the challenges are only going to grow from there. as the spring months are typically some of the busiest for migration, that's because mild temperatures make the journey a little less dangerous, and folks want to come to the united states, many to work during the summertime. our border communities are bracing for this perfect storm, of policies and circumstances that will hurt everybody except the cartels. their drug trafficking and human smuggling have never been more profitable, and they're gearing up for an even bigger windfall thanks to the biden administration and the end of title 42. these criminal organizations will continue to extort and profit off the backs of vulnerable migrants. they'll coordinate migration surges to distract and overwhelm law enforcement. and they'll smuggle fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into every

corner of this country. and they'll get richer while migrants and communities throughout america suffer. the administration has six weeks to come up with a plan. they know the clock is ticking, and they'd better get to work, and even more significantly they ought to work with us on a bipartisan basis to come up with a solution. senator sinema from arizona and i, henry cuellar, a democrat from larado, tony gonzales, a republican from the largest border district in the country, we introduced the bipartisan border safety act. we did that almost two years ago, and yet our democratic colleagues, even though they've had the majority for two years preceding this last election, did nothing to have hearings on that proposed legislation or to offer a markup or vote on that

bill. certainly, we were happy if somebody had a better idea to come forward, but all we heard were crickets. well, the clock is ticking, and we know what's going to happen in may unless something changes, and i hope it will. i yield the floor. mr. kaine: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from virginia. mr. kaine: mr. president, i take the floor because of a letter that i received in my office a few days ago. this was a letter that was mailed to our office via e-mail on march 23, and i just want to read it. hello, senator. my name is, i'm going to omit the name. my name is, and i am terrified to go to school. i've lived in your state for

almost six years, and never have i been more scared than i am when i go to school every day. my father was in the army. my mother works with wear blue, run to remember, a military nonprofit for gold star families. i am no stranger to death. and yet, i am scared that one day that may be waiting for me at school. i lived in lakewood, washington. i went to saint francis cabrini. we once had a lockdown because a car ran down our fence while children were at recess. i was present during the shooting at fort mood in 2013 -- fort hood in twitter. my sister -- fort hood. my sister can't remember, but she was close to the perpetrator. i still have nightmares from these incidents. i'm supposed to be safe at school, but today when it was rumored someone was targeting our school out of revenge on an

ex-partner, i was reminded of another day huddled under a desk in our class, feverishly reciting the hail mary. something needs to change. i'm not the only kid who feels this way. why should i be scared to go to school? this letter came to my office on march 23, a few days later this student and all america woke up to the story of the shooting in nashville. why should i be scared to go to school? in january of this year, just a few months ago, there was an incident that also attracted significant attention in virginia and around the country, where a teacher, first-grade teacher at the rich neck elementary school in newport news, virginia, saw a 6-year-old pointing a gun at her, and she acted heroically to come toward the student to try to take the gun, and she was shot and badly,

badly wounded, but she was able to protect the lives of her students and others in the school building. she is recovering slowly from that, just starting to talk about that. mr. president, i went to newport news about a month after that incident, in early february, to meet with a number of the parents and teachers, and they wanted it off the record, no press, just let's sit down and talk. i'm going to respect their privacy by not talking about their names, the names of their kids or particulars of their story, but i can summarize it. these parents are afraid when they drop their kids off at school, and they're afraid that when they come at the end of the day something might have happened to their children. they're afraid they may get a call in the middle of the day that something has happened to their kids. the teachers who were with me that day, they have that same fear. they go into these classrooms every day because they love children, but they are afraid now to do that job.

lord knows we've got teacher shortages all over this country, and we're working our best to try to attract people to the profession, but these teachers, many of whom had been in the profession for decades, they're now afraid for the first time in their lives to go to school. emergency room visits for gun-related injuries in virginia increased by 72% from 2018 to 221. in an average year, about 1,020 people die in virginia and another 2,050 or so are wounded by guns. among young people guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in virginia, an average of 85 children and teens die by guns every year, 55% of these deaths are homicides, others are accidental shootings or death by suicide.

i don't know what to do with this. i don't know what to do with this. i react negatively when, in the aftermath of shootings, it sometimes seems like all members of congress can say is they're heart broken and they send thoughts and prayers to the family. that starts to sound very hollow. of course, thoughts and prayers are meaningful, but it starts to sound hollow when that is the response and nothing more. but let me be self-critical. i'm not into offering hollow thoughts and prayers. i tend to say i'm heartbroken for the families and i think we need to do things in the senate, like an assault weapons ban or other meaningful legislation to keep kids safe. some of the things we ought to do in congress we have done in virginia in recent years, and that made our state safer, but there's nothing you can do to completely eliminate this problem. i was challenging my staff, if

we think thoughts and prayers and nothing else is hollow, then saying we should do an assaults weapons ban, when we know that's not going to get 60 votes on the floor of the senate. i do think we should do abe assaults weapon -- an assaults weapon ban. in the 1990's it worked. in the near future, there is zero chance this body will get to 60 votes for an assault weapons ban or other gun safety regulations that would take a student and make her less afraid to go to school or a parent and teacher and reduce their fear. what i'm challenging people around me, including my own staff, and myself, have we allowed this tough issue, the debate about this tough issue, to get a little stale? thoughts and prayers, assault weapons ban. thoughts and prayers don't do anything to help people, but assault weapons ban might. are there solutions and

strategies that we're not talking about, that we might be able to find common ground on? if anything, if anything should cry out to us and demand we find common ground is that we not do nothing, that we not listen to the fears of students and parents and teachers and just say, well, that's the way life is in america. that's just american life. we can't be complacent about it. mr. president, i'm thinking about our differences in age. my children are out of high school now, my understanding youngest is ten years out of high school. you still have school-age kids and are grappling with the reality of safety at schools, the pickup and dropoff. this has gotten so much worse, and in the last ten years. my children all went to the richmond public schools, in a community that had some

significant problems with violent crime. but my wife and i were never nervous when we took them to school, and never worried about getting a text in the middle of the day, and never were afraid at the end of the day something would happen. that was just a little bit over ten years ago. my children finished high school, my youngest right before the sandy hook shooting. they were not in the k-12 system in virginia when there has been this steady drumbeat of one school shooting after the next. they weren't terrorized or afraid. their teachers weren't, my wife and i weren't, and that was just ten years ago. how much more devastating the problem of school shootings has become in the last ten years. i take the floor to say i need to write something back to this youngster. her question, why should i be scared to go to school? i've got to write her and

respond in some way, and i don't really know now what to say. i've challenged my team, and i challenge my colleagues, that we're in a recess period, we're back in our states, talking to people, hopefully getting ideas there them -- from them and listening to them. let's ask young people who go to school, ask some teachers and parents of school kids, if they have ideas for us that are new or different. let's ask whether our political debate about solutions has grown stale and whether there are solutions that we haven't yet contemplated that could respond to the question that this student has raised. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. and i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. yowrk: quorum call: mr. kaine: might i ask that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: the

senator from virginia. the quorum is suspended without objection. mr. kaine: i have six requests from committees to meet during today's session. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. kaine: i now ask for the quorum call. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. carper: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from the state of delaware. mr. carper: mr. president, i really didn't have anything to say. the presiding officer: i apologize for interrupting. mr. carper: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be

lifted. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. carper: thank you, sir. i'm standing next to a woman from new jersey, who is our communication director and somehow handles delaware and raise a family in new jersey at the same time. delighted to have the two of you on the floor at the same time. it's a wonderful coincidence. i rise to talk about something that unites all of us, and that's support for our firefighters across the country. i don't care if you're from new jersey, delaware, or new mexico, there's a great appreciation for our firefighters. our firefighters are every day people who do extraordinary things with their lives. they put their lives on the line to protect us. they are willing to have to lay down their lives to save ours

and the lives of our families. for that we owe it to them to make sure they are fuely equipped with the -- fully equipped and the training and education need to get their job done. that's why i'm very proud to colead the fire grants and safety act with my colleague on the congressional fire services caucus, and one of them would be our chairman, and that would be gary peters of michigan, and susan collins, of maine, a long-time supporter of firefighters and lisa murkowski, also a leader in the congressional firefighter caucus. i was pleased that homeland security and governmental affairs has passed this important bill out of committee earlier this month, mr. president. the fire grants and safety act authorizes critical federal

programs that support local fire departments, namely among those fema's staffing for adequate fire and safer -- the safer grant program and the assistance to firefighters grant program. these programs are not just incidental, they are vital. they're critical. they're essential to local firefighting departments to help recruit staff, to purchase lifesaving equipment like fire trucks and protective gear and provide education to current firefighters and also to new firefighters and improve medical services to our communities. in delaware, our fire departments rely on these programs to protect our community. in fact, in 2021, and i think in 2022, the safer program and the so-called afg program provided

almost $3 million in funding to delaware fire departments. that may not sound like a lot of money in new jersey or california or some other places, $3 million is real money to a state the size of delaware and it's put to good use every year. so, mr. president, we know these threats from fire, they're in our homes, those threats are in our businesses, and wildfires. we know they're not going away. alaska, last year, three million acres burned in a wildfire -- a wildfire, three million acres burned in one wildfire. that's nearly half of the entire acreage -- high winds spread a fire in my home state of delaware that left 16 people homeless and cost over a million

dollars in damage. we've got to ensure that firefighters have what they need when they wake up each morning to bravely respond to the calls that come their way. without action, authorize of both the safer and afg programs would expire later this year. and the report for our local firefighters that brings us together. a lot of issues divide us, there are some issues that unite us and this is one of those issues. the senate voted to begin consideration of the fire grants and safety act. that vote passed by 96-0. that doesn't happen every day. so the -- as the presiding officer knows, let me repeat that, 96-0. we're happy to see that kind of unanimity and it bodes well when we come back in the next recess, i look forward to finishing the

job we've gone and look forward to pass, again, this important legislation. i strongly encourage our friends over in the house of representatives to do their part and to send the fire grants and safety act to the president's desk. we owe that to our first responders, and with that, mr. president, i thank you for the chance to speak on the floor today and wish and your family a safe recess and see you in two weeks. with that, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> better president, i wish we were not here facing these issues yet again. in recent days, our nation has seen another horrific school shooting. in september of last year, i stood on the senate floor and tried to pass legislation to stop these school shootings. there have been too damn many of them. i have been on the ground at too damn many of them. santa fe high school in texas, 45 minutes away from my house, the morning of that shooting, i was down on campus just over an hour after it occurred.

i saw the tragedy, the grieving parents, children in shock. uvalde. i was thereafter that shooting as well. the horror, the mayhem. too many children were murdered by deranged lunatics. when you and i were kids this wasn't a thing. when you went to school, when i went to school there wasn't a single day i woke up going to school worried that some idiot, some sociopath was going to shoot up the school. you might worry about getting punched at recess, but this didn't happen. 30, 40, 50 years ago.

now, it is a brutal reality over and over again. there are lots of causes that we could debate for a long time, causes in our culture, causes of disconnect emotionally disturbed young men who want to become famous, columbine may have started this whole tragic cycle. and angry young person seeks to lash out by murdering young kids. with respect to becoming famous, one rule i try to follow as i will never say the names of these mass murderers. if they want to be well-known i hope everyone in elected office will follow that rule as well. they deserve to be forgotten, in

order obscurity but we also have an obligation to stop this. every time there's a mass murderer there's a pattern that plays out. number one, there is an expression of grief, of love for the community, there are millions of us who lift the community up in prayer. inevitably that produces a response from the political left where they scream in unison, thoughts and prayers aren't enough. i tell you, mister president, i believe in the power of prayer, and i will continue praying for community turning from a national disaster or horrific crime or anything else. but i agree with the sentiment thoughts and prayers are not enough. that is exactly right. we need action.

what is so infuriating is every time there is a mass shooting, democrats in this chamber stand up and they don't actually want to do something to stop the murderers. instead they want another gun control bill to disarm law-abiding citizens that won't actually stop the murders, that won't actually protect our kids. in september of last year i introduced legislation that would be the most far reaching school safety legislation ever enacted. it would double the number of police officers on campus is devoting $15 billion to putting armed police officers on campus to protect our kids, the most important step we could do. it would also od vote $10

billion for mental health professionals on campuses because so many of these troubled murderers had warning signs leaping off the page. it also devotes $2.56 billion for physical security at schools. to help and hence the security at schools. when i introduced this bill, it first came up as an amendment on the much touted bipartisan gun control bill the did nothing to stop violent crime. but it satisfied the left-wing donors of the democrat party. when my amendment was voted on on the senate floor, i'm sorry

to say every democrat in this chamber voted no. all of them. everyone. "after words" i went to this floor, stood on this floor and tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent. and when that happened, the senator from connecticut stood up and objected. i have to say, leading up to that unanimous consent request, numerous reporters asked me in the hallway, why are the democrats objecting to this? and i was forced to say i do not know. to date, they've not articulated any reason. they've not explained why they oppose more police officers in the schools, they've not explained why they oppose mental

health counselors in schools, they've not explained why they oppose more funding for enhanced physical security in schools. i was interested to hear the senator from connecticut give his reasons. i was disappointed that day. the senator from connecticut hundred two words, i object. then he sat down. that was it. his answer was just no. i stood on this floor than and i said something, i said god forbid, there is going to be another school shooting, i pray to god there isn't. mr. schumer: mr. president. . the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 19. the presiding officer: excuse me, sir. we are in a quorum call. mr. schumer: and i am in a hurry the presiding officer: okay. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be dispensed with.

i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar number 19. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. the ayes have it. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the department of defense. radha iyengar plumb of new york to be a deputy under secretary. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motions to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 19, radha iyengar plumb of new york to be a deputy under secretary of defense, signed by 18 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider

calendar number 57. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, department of justice, amy solomon of the district of columbia to be an assistant attorney general. the presiding officer: i send a the clerk will report. the clerk: , we, the undersigned senators seasoned, do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of amy solomon of the district of columbia. --. mr. schumer: i ask consent the debate be waived. the presiding officer: all those in favor say aye. the ayes have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk

will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on calendar number number 28 s. 870, a bill to prevent the fire and prevention and control act of 19 4 for firefighter assistance grant programs signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the mandatory quorum calls for the cloture motions filed today, march 30, be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nominations all nominations placed on the secretary's desk for the army, the air force, the marine corps, the navy, the space force, that the nominations be confirmed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate, that further motions be in order to any of the nominations, that the president be immediately

notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection, sir. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration, the senate now proceed to senate res. 120. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 120 designating march 23, 2022 as national women in agriculture day. the presiding officer: the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the resolution combgget, the preamble -- the be agreed to, around -- and that motions to reconsider be considered made and lbl. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the senate agree to senate res. 149 submitted earlier today. 148 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report, 148. the clerk: senate resolution 148 recognizing the heritage, culture and contributions of

american indian, alaska native and native hawaiian women in the united states. 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 without intervening action or debate or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to consideration of senate res. 149 submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 149 designating the first week of april 2023, as national asbestos awareness week. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed. of. the clerk: i ask unanimous consent that the --. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of s. res. 150 which is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. mr. schumer: senate resolution 150 honoring the member --.

the clerk: hoon norg the memories of the shims of the senseless attack. 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 and the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the judiciary committee be discharged from further consideration of s. 659 the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 659, a bill to amend chapter 38 of title 31 united states code relating to civil remedies and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged. and the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: finally, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today it stand adjourned to convene for pro forma sessions

with no business conducted ofnt following dates and time. monday april 3 at 12:30, thursday april 6, 10 a.m., monday april 10 at 111:30 a.m., and thursday, april 13 at 8:45 a.m. further that when the senate adjourns on thursday, april 13 it next convene at 3:00 p.m. on monday, april 17. that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour deemed expired, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for use lairtd in the day and morning business be closed. upon the conclusion of morning business the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the plum nomination and cloture vote motions ripen at 5:30 p.m. further that the filing deadline for the first degree amendments to s. 870 be at 3:30 p.m. on monday, april 17. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

the presiding officer: the united states senate stands adjourned until noon on monday. also confirmed severa executive nominees including richard burma to be secretary of state for management and resources at laura taylor cawley as secretary of defense policy. the senate will be in a work period for the next two weeks with lawmakers returning april 17th for legislative work. 17 for legislativwo. live coverage of the senate here on c-span2. >> former new jersey governor chris christie spoke in mahester, new hampshire discussing his relationship

with donald trump, us support of ukraine in its war against russia and the biden administration's economic policy. watch it tonightt 00 eastern on c-span2 and our free mobileideo apps c-span now or online, c-span.org. earlier today a house panel considered whether the biden administration tried to influence or censor social media companies during the covid 19 pandemic, as violation of the first amendment. eric schmidt and jeff landry were among the witnesses. you can watch the hearing tonight at 9:00 eastern on c-span. it is also available on c-span now or online, c-span.org. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more including comcast. >> you think this is just the

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