just call, sometimes democrats are a little more quiet about what we want to my answer the year, thankyou . >> host: she said she want t the answer off the air h. >> guest: she hung up so she could hear your answer. >> yes, i don't think we can say there's cold of president biting in the same way there is a quote unquote calls of president trump. that does perhaps confuse some people who are watching what's going on. i actually don't know whether fox is technically considered an entertainment corporation or fox news eight news organization but we have to assume they have news credentials because they are allowed at the white house

briefings have restaurant rentals to cover -teverything there is a lot of controversy about whether they should be treated. >> we break away to bring you live coverage of the senate you're on c-span2 lawmakers expected to nomination rock plum to the center members continue working on legislation to extend our programs providing me not life to the floor of the u.s. senate you're on c-span2.

[inaudible] [inaudible]

first let me begin by welcoming back our friend leader mcconnell to the senate. it's great to have him back here in this chamber. we're all happy to see he's recovering well. i also want to welcome back our colleague from pennsylvania and friend senator fetterman. we're all glad he got the support he needed and he's sending an important message to millions of americans that asking for and getting help works. now, on the debt ceiling, today is the start of a consequential work period here in congress but instead of getting to work in our nation's capital, house republican leadership took a field trip to new york city. is was sort of a circus. today's big spectacle of course was speaker mccarthy's speech at the new york stock exhange where he recycled the same old talking points but failed to provide anything new or anything of substance. one thing is clear from this morning's theatrics. while democrats want to preserve america's full faith and credit, speaker mccarthy continues to

bumble our country towards default which would cause the economy to crash, jobs -- cause jobs to crater, and drastically raise costs across the board to american families. amazingly, one of the few specifics mccarthy did present was his terrible idea to kick the can down the road for just a year and undergrow the same default crisis all over again a year from now. would anyone agree to undergo this fiasco again next year? give me a break. i'll be blunt. if speaker mccarthy continues in this direction, he is heading us towards default. you know what will avoid default? republicans working with democrats to avert this crisis altogether just as we did under donald trump. speaker mccarthy in his speech invoked president reagan but ronald reagan was never reckless like mccarthy is being. in fact it was reagan who said,

quote, debt ceiling brinksmanship threatens the holders of government bofnedzs and those who rely on social security and veterans benefits. the united states has a special responsibility to itself and the world to meet its obligations. and despite this speaker's stated concerns about costs, nothing, nothing would do more to raise costs for american families than default. now, for months speaker mccarthy has insisted on cuts in exchange for avoiding a default. we all know the best way to avoid default is no brinksmanship, no hostage taking. do it clean. the way president trump did it twice with democrats and republicans working together and president biden did it once with democrats and republicans working together. that's the way to do this. now, mccarthy is incisting on -- insisting on cuts but to boot, he doesn't say what those cuts are. as i've said, there's previously a time and place to discuss cuts but that's not part of this

conversation. it belongs in the discussion about the budget, not as a precondition for avoiding default. again, let me repeat that so they might hear it on the other side in the house chamber. it belongs, the discussion about cuts belongs in the discussion about budget, not as a precondition for avoiding default. the solution here is straightforward. republicans should work with democrats in good faith to avoid default altogether just as we did with donald trump. no blackmail, no brinksmanship, no default. speaker mccarthy, show us your plan. president biden and i are happy to meet with speaker mccarthy when he has something to talk about, a plan. most democratic leaders are but we need to see his plan first so we can start from there and work to avoid catastrophic default altogether. if we go to meetings without

something having a plan, what are we going to do? talk about the furniture, the weather? finally speaker mccarthy today quoted a great yankee, the great babe ruth saying, quote, you just can't beat the person who never gives up. first, speaker mccarthy, don't quote a yankee to me in new york city. second, the speaker is right. he's never given up. however, that's only because he's never started. no plan, no progress, no persistence. so to make sense of today's speech, i think it was another great yankee, the great number eight, yogi berra who hit the nail on the head. it's deja vu all over again, yogi said t. applies exactly to speaker mccarthy's speech today. no plan, no progress, nothing. speaker mccarthy, show us a plan, work to deliver for the american people,. in sum, in sum, sum it all up,

speaker mccarthy plays a risky and dangerous game when insisting on imposing severe cuts which would hurt the american people and threaten our economy before we avoid default. in addition to boot, he can't even reveal what those cuts are. if speaker mccarthy -- this is a sad truth but it's a truth. if speaker mccarthy doesn't change his course, he could well take this country over the cliff to default for the first time. on republican extremism, at the start of the year, i warned that republicans in congress faced a critical choice -- abandon maga extremism for the good of the country or double down on the road to radicalism. four months later, too many republicans have made the choice clear. instead of coming to the middle, they have sprinted to the extreme. instead of abandoning maga, too many republicans have doubled down, especially look at the last few weeks.

look no further than what happened last week in florida, where the republican governor signed one of the most extreme anti-choice bills in the entire country a near total ban on abortion after six weeks. let's not kid ourselves. a six-week ban is practically a total ban. many women don't even know they're pregnant by six weeks. most floridians oppose such a draconian invasion, one that will hurt tens of millions of women across the south, who tragically have fewer and fewer options for accessing reproductive care. lest anyone think republicans oppose abortions because of states' rights. oh, no. the decision by a federal judge in texas, issuing a nationwide suspension of mifepristone should make it clear what this is about, a national ban on abortion. that's where the republicans seem to be. republicans seem to be caught. these two weeks made it clear, in a self-destructive dynamic.

the more americans reject their extreme views at the ballot box, the more these maga republicans seem to double down. we're seeing this played out on choice, but also on gun safety. le me be clear, most person -- let me be clear, most americans support commonsense gun safety. parents are tired of worrying if their kids are safe at school. in nashville, tennessee, republicans voted not to ban gun safety laws, but expelled two members of col lore who -- color who spoke out. that's the road to outright autocracy. even today, republican extremism was on full display in new york city. today, the republican house judiciary chairman held what he claimed was a field hearing about public safety. but to date, chairman jordan and his colleagues have refused to denounce president trump's call to defund the fbi and the doj.

defunding the fbi is truly unhinged, and every single member of the house and senate, democrat and republican alike, should unequivocally condemn former president trump for pushing this idea. very soon, the members of this chamber will have a chance to go on record and denounce the former president's call to cut funding to our federal law enforcement. i hope everyone in the chamber does the right thing. the fbi, many of them risk their lives to protect us from drugs, from guns, from terrorism. defund it? just because president trump in a self-serving moment said so? where are our republican friends? or are they moving so far to the right they can't even reject something as clear as this? so, as i said moments ago, republicans are caught in a self-destructive dynamic. the more that americans reject their extreme views at the ballot box, the more they seem to double down. if they continue down this road,

not only will our country suffer, but the gop themselves will suffer as americans keep rejecting them at the ballot box. if they continue down this road, our country will suffer, so will the gop as americans keep rejecting them at the ballot box. finally, on upcoming senate business, today the senate gavels back in for the star of a busy week -- start of a busy week, very busy work period. there's so much we must do on lowering costs and improving lives of americans families, strengthening health care, lowering prescription drug casts, protecting america's -- drug costs and protecting americans' fundamental rights. we will get to work op these issues, starting with the fire bill which will come before us this week. i yield the floor.

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. on behalf of the senate, the leader is welcomed back. mr. mcconnell: are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. mcconnell: mr. president -- the presiding officer: you're recognized. mr. mcconnell: it's good to be back. i want to thank all my colleagues for their warm wishes shared over the past few weeks. suffice it to say, this wasn't the first time that being

hardheaded has served me very well. we're truly lucky and blessed that we get to serve in this remarkable institution, represent our home states, and serve our country, and needless to say i'm very happy to be back. there's important business for congress to tackle. we should be working to undo this administration's mistakes. we need to secure the border, reduce crime, fight inflation, and invest in america's strengths and our security. on an even more basic level, president biden and his administration are literally on the clock to negotiate a debt ceiling solution with speaker mccarthy and the republican

majority over in the house. the president's economic advisors say the deadline for a solution is not far off, but his political advisers apparently think the white house position should be -- listen to this -- no talks and no reforms. this extreme position is not even holding up in their own party. even washington democrats are breaking ranks from the administration's position of no talks and no reforms. one of our senate democratic colleagues wrote an entire "washington post" op-ed calling on the president to sit down with congress and reform spending. reports indicate that a whole group of house democrats are already talking about

negotiations and about compromise. just a few years ago, the democratic leader, leader schumer, said this about the debt ceiling, it gives another ample opportunity for bipartisanship, not for one party jamming its choices down the throats of the other, end quote. so president biden does not get to stick his fingers in his ears and refuse to listen, talk, or negotiate. and the american people know that. the white house needs to stop wasting time and start negotiating with the speaker of the house. mr. durbin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from illinois.

mr. durbin: i welcome back my self-described hardheaded republican leader in the senate. it's good to see you, mitch. glad you're back. i want to welcome senator mcconnell as well as senator fetterman, who will be here today as well. i spoke to him by zoom simple weeks ago -- several weeks ago. i was really heartened by his message. he had the courage to step up and ask for help when he faced depression, to seek professional medical advice, and i could tell by his responses and the tone of his voice that that decision had already made the difference in his life for the better. i told him at the time i was so happy to speak to him personally, that what he had done publicly to address the issue of his own personal depressionened at overall -- depression and the overall issue

of mental health would save lives across america. i believe people will ininspired to follow his example and seek help. we're fortunately living in a time, age, and generation where the attitude towards mental health is much different than it was many years ago. there was a time when mental illness was considered not just an illness but a curse, and people didn't speak about it. i know i had similar examples in my own family of people who were speaking in whispers about the issues that related to my relatives. that's changing for the better. our honesty and openness in dealing with mental health makes us a better nation, and people will have better lives as a result of it. i thank my colleague, senator fetterman, for stepping up and making the right decision in his life, and i'm looking forward to his return. on another topic, mr. president, today a russian puppet court sentenced opposition leader

vladimir karamurza to 25 years in prison. for what? what did he do to merit a 25-year sentence in russia? he had the nerve to criticize vladimir putin's envision in ukraine. this sentencing comes on the heels -- this is his photograph, incidentally. he visited my office several times before he made the incredible decision to go back to russia and confront the putin administration. now he is facing a 25-year sentence. it comes on the heels of reports that russian authorities may be trying to slowly poison another opposition leader, alexey navalny, after a failed attempt on his life in 2020. previously, vladimir putin tried twice to poison mr. kara-murza. this extra judicial, extra legal process is all too common in russia. apparently, putin's fear of

russian patriots like navalny and kara-murza who advocated for an open and democratic russia knows how to end. vladimir kara-murza, alexey navalny and many other russians are courageously pursuing a better russia. they deserve our support and solidarity. speaking on a different topic, i would like to ask consent this be placed in a separate part of the report. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: this weeks, the fate of women's health care rests with the supreme court of the united states. in the coming days, one single judge can single hand ily create chaos for doctors and women seeking abortion and cut off access to reproductive health care

nationwide. remember when justice alley to announced that the -- -- remember when justice alito announced that the dobbs decision would just give each state the authority to regulate abortion? it sounded so simple. 50 different standards for abortion, but each state can make the decision. well, it's been less than a year since the court's right-wing majority issued that decision overruling roe v. wade. here we are faced with the very feel possibility that mifepristone, a pill, a drug, a medicine the food and drug administration approved more than 20 years ago could be banned or severely restricted all across the nation. so much for each state's experiment on the issue. this decision would affect the medication nationwide. even in states where abortion has been judged legal. so how do we -- so how did we reach this insistent it starts

with one -- it starts with one judge in texas, judge kacsmaryk and his attempt to ban mifepristone. you see, this drug has been on the market for over 20 years, approved by the food and drug administration. this story really reveals the fallacy at the heart of the dobbs decision. justice alito and the right-wing majority claim that they were just going to settle the controversy over abortion by returning the issue to each state. but in truth they just replaced controversy with chaos. the dobbs ruling didn't resolve anything. it merely paved the way for activist judges, like judge kacsmaryk, to impose their radical agenda on everyone else, even in states which have voted to protect the right to abortion. earlier this month that's what happened. judge kacsmaryk in amarillo, texas, defied decades of

scientific evidence to revoke the fda's approval of the drug mifepristone. the medication is used in more than half of the abortions in america. it is safe, it is extremely effective. in fact, studies show that it's safer than tylenol and presents fewer risks than routine medical procedures like colonoscopy. in in the past 20 years, millions of american women have used this drug to terminate an early pregnancy or to help manage a miscarriage with minimal complications. so this attempt to ban this medication isn't grounded in science, and it certainly isn't grounded in any concern about the safety of women. you see, judge kacsmaryk is a long-standing, outspoken critic of abortion. just this weekend "the washington post" revealed that this very same judge in amarillo, texas, failed to disclose to the senate judiciary committee an article that he had

cowritten criticizing abortion rights when he was nominated to the federal bench. so why exactly did this judge, a known antichoice radical, end up deciding this case with implications in the entire united states of america? well, it wasn't a coincidence, believe me. on the contrary, it was a classic case of judge shopping. that's when plaintiffs game the legal system to bring their case before a favorable judge. in this case, the plaintiffs -- a group of right-wing maga activists -- filed a lawsuit challenging the fda's approval of mifepristone in the amarillo division of the northern district of texas. under the district court's rules, all cases filed in the amarillo division are assigned to one judge. you can guess his name -- judge kacsmaryk. so these right-wing activists knew if they filed an antiabortion lawsuit in

amarillo, their case would be decided by a judge that shares their views and it would impact the entire united states of america. judge kacsmaryk delivered. he delivered the biggest blow to the rights. his decision didn't return this issue to the states, it replaced the will of the people in the states with this judge's point of view. by attempting to ban mifepristone nationwide, the judge tried to impose new national restrictions on abortion that have no basis in science and are extremely dangerous. now there have been a number of developments in this case over the past week, and, as a result, the supreme court will take up the issue of abortion again -- twice in less than one year. this lawsuit against mifepristone is only the latest example of the never-ending

chaos and confusion women and medical professionals have experienced since the supreme court threw out roe v. wade. all across america, activist judges and right-wing lawmakers are working hand in hand to impose increasingly onerous restrictions on reproductive care, and they won't stop until abortion is banned in every form in every part of the country. it's not about each state deciding it at all. of course, there's only one reason this relentless assault has accelerated -- the dobbs decision. by erasing the constitutional right that had been on on the pooh books for 50 -- on the books for 50 years, the ruling opened up the floodgates. the laws seem to be changing almost every week. doctors have no idea if the care they provide today will be legal tomorrow. recently, florida decided that they would not allow pregnancies to be terminated after six weeks of pregnancy.

it's just a fact of life, and every person knows it, that it usually takes much more than six weeks for a woman to be certain that she's pregnant. so instead of ending the debate a abortion, the dobbs decision has really opened a different debate -- how far will we let this brand of political radicalism go? look at how these attacks on reproductive health care have he is can a i think la add. first -- have escalated. first the supreme court overturned decades of legal precedent to revoke a constitutional right. that's the first time it's ever happened in the history of this supreme court, revoking an established constitutional right. now less than one year later, one judge in texas has decided to escalate the situation. he wants to take drug approval decisions out of the hands a of doctors and scientific experts at the fda and violate deducts of agency precedent. so naturally the american people are wondering what's next? how far will the right-wing

extremists go in destabilizing our lives ant the the -- and the rule of law? what's next? birth control? vaccines? medicine for hiv-aids? it's a genuine question. just ask health care providers in illinois who are wondering if they're going to face criminal charges for providing vital and potentially lifesaving care. let p pete tell you about one of them, andrea gallegos. she operates a clinic in carbondale. she opened her clinic after the dobbs decision. she wanted to provide a resources to women traveling from other states. today, roughly 95% of her patient patients travel from outside of illinois. she tells us that the recent rulings ons mifepristone have created chaos. every day she receives calls from terrified parents who are wondering if they will be able to receive care. the question she is hears the most is will someone come after me if i offer assistance? and while she tries her best to

the reassure patients, she struggling to understand the state state of law in america. chaos and confusion are putting women even more at risk. andrea and her patients are living with the real-world consequence oz of antichoice radicalism and it shows how the dobbs decision is entirely detached from reality. andrea said the dobbs decision did not resolve any controversy. it forced women to flee their homes for health care, it has caused women to become political refugees in their own states. it has put patients in dangerous, potentially life-threatening situations. she says the dobbs decision goes against what we usually stand for -- a person's fundamental right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. these are the words of a health care professional trying to operate within the law and -- operate within the law and wondering if as it changes

during the week. what about my state? what about their elected leaders? our viewers spoke, our leaders took action to reflect their will to strengthen access to abortion. so why is one judge in amarillo, texas have the last word when it comes to medical abortions in my state or any other state? this war on women's health care has gone too far. that's why the senate needs to do its job -- stop the chaos. return and establish the roe v. wade woman's right to choose once and for all by passing a the women's health protection act. in the meantime, here's what senate democrats are doing -- i joined 49 of my senate colleagues in filing an amicus brief to the supreme court urging them to overturn the amarillo decision. additionally you in the coming weeks, the senate judiciary committee will hold a hearing on the state of abortion rights. this will be a follow-up to it

the hearing we held last year immediately after the dobbs decision. we've learned what happens when you revoke a constitutional right from the american people. we can never let this happen again. we need to respect the rights of women to make this choice, 20 make their own -- to make their own health care decisions and do it in consultation with medical professionals, doctors and medical professionals who are not living in fear that they're going to be imprisoned by making the right medical decision. and democrats won't rest until we're able to restore access to these constitutional rights nationwide. mr. president, i yield the floor.

:

thank you for joining us. congress is that, they been gone for two weeks and it's funny because i think they have a list but there's so much news that happened while they were gone

that they will be forced to address. let's start with the to do list. what you think, what do you want to accomplish up to the august recess? >> top priority for congress will be to address but there will be some development on the front. kevin mccarthy is going to be giving on the debt limit and economy of the stock exchange in manhattan and is a couple events some of the later so president biden has been pretty firm saying he will not entertain spending cuts, he wants a clean debt ceiling increase and it's been his position and what he has said in their limited

conversation has been if you want spending cuts, republicans want spending cuts with the debt limit increase then show me what those are. saying nancy pelosi show me project, show me your values and so far we have not seen concrete plans out of the house republicans in the majority in the chamber. in the new york stock exchange we could see some not concrete ideas but you get the gist of what republicans want. >> i want to note we will be carrying both the hearing this morning as well as speaker mccarthy's comments here on c-span so stationed and walked back. he mentioned she don't many

specifics about what republicans want to do. can you start by explaining, why has it been so hard for republicans to say what they want to do and do we have any indication if they are coalescing over the ideas thrown out there? >> the biggest challenge is the fact that they have such a narrow majority. the speaker battle a few months ago when kevin mccarthy struggled to than 218 number on the speaker's gavel while he is struggling to write republicans around a spending cut blame so some of the specifics we are hearing about that they would spend the debt limit for about

one year. that would be about may of 2024 right before the election so they would not extend the debt limit pasi for election and they want tens of billions in unspent covid country. it's an idea washington for several months and he. in addition they want to create work requirement he for certain types of medications to as well as other recipients of federal aid programs so these are some of the early 19 can see revealed this week, there was most republicans her howl removed from the book more details to

come will only do because you viewers all in will you will comments about head for congress or in and you can call in now. republican 2-027-488-0001202748800020274880 02. start coming to your calls in a moment. until things that could be put out sometime this week and not just for her apartment for medicaid and they are not likely to support that and recouping

come with state and local governments will probably be with unspent covid money i think the federal government might try to call back. my question is, how serious of an offer is this or is this kind of republicans starting the conversation knowing it's not going to go far? >> i think this is the start republicans, we've not seen any proposal the last several months. it also speaks to kevin mccarthy and republican finance, he pointed out democrats are the ones who control the white house as well as the united states senate so joe biden and the white house believes they are in a stronger negotiating position and this is why we haven't seen much negotiation take place at all between the white house and kevin mccarthy much to kevin mccarthy's frustration which

he's been expressing repeatedly on capitol hill so joe biden, the stance has been were not going to negotiate until you show us something and the cuts you think or until then we are going to take this position that we want a clean debt ceiling increase. >> before we move on to other topics, what is become mccarthy's standing with his actions but one of the many topics speaker mccarthy trying to these different segments of the gop all going? >> enjoys going to be a challenge given the fragile majority, if you remember during the speaker fight he negotiated with the freedom caucus and allows it to have a list of

demands which mccarthy agreed to and one was to restore the motion to vacate where the lawmakers to bring a resolution to the floor to call to the speaker of the house so it dangling above his head at any moment so if they don't like what they see with the negotiations and if they don't go far enough, there's a real threat they could try to remove mccarthy months into his speakership. >> we will definitely be watching for that. i want to bring up a color now, joshua in texas. what is your question or comment this morning? turned on your tv and go ahead. >> i'm wondering --

>> i don't think joshua was serious this morning. let's try north of derosa in north carolina. >> i was wondering, there was a lady on the today show with the different prices coming down but i see gasoline going down instead of going up, can anybody tell me why? >> is something that is still a challenge for the biden administration. what are your comments? >> the caller touched on something i experienced myself over the weekend, consumer prices overall have been coming down and inflation coming down but for some reason the gas prices were kicking back up, it

could be related to spring break travel or folks getting ready for summer travel but it's been a summer issue for the biden white house. obviously they want to see prices come back down especially as they head into 2024 and the president what we assume will be his reelection campaign. >> you mentioned today the house judiciary committee is holding a hearing in new york city separate the speaker mccarthy's new york stock exchange, can you talk about what they say is the purpose of what people say is the real purpose this morning? >> this hearing led by jim jordan, one of donald trump's foremost allies on capitol hill is a field hearing looking into what republicans say is ramp and crime issue, victims of violent

crime in manhattan itself. of course there are no coincidences in politics and these republicans find themselves in manhattan because of the investigation, prosecution of the former president, donald trump led by alvin bragg, manhattan district attorney. it's related as we have been following hush money related to payments to the adult film, actress stormy daniels so in other the public is trying to make the case today, there are a few minutes alvin bragg is taking his eye off the ball. he is in progress to return donald trump is not enough on prosecuting crime in new york city and specifically manhattan. >> i know you've been writing on the issue on nbc news.com, an

article titled take the fight to bragg's backyard hearing on new york city, we will be streaming the hearing online starting mining and eastern. you can go to c-span.org or the c-span now app to stream the house judiciary committee during so democrats have taken the stance and other field hearings, political participation but they are taking a different posture on this hearing, they said they are going to go try to push back and challenge this narrative not just about da bragg but crime. what do you expect to hear from democrats? >> jerry nasser, pop democrat on

the judiciary committee probably as we speak is holding a press conference at that very federal building. ...

>> i also wanted to knowwhat you think, there have been several recent high-profile mass shootings , louisville kentucky and twoin a series of the week . there is this mass shooting sweet 16. i can show aol.com, where people were killed, 28injured . and the list goes on and on as we know is relatively common in america. democrats the opportunity to say if you want to drive about it. might be something democrats push english back on

narratives writing agencies? >> absolutely and you heard from joe biden. every time one of these mass shootings but are they are doing it seems every other day that it's been pull pulling on republicans to pass a hand on assault weapons. that has been a response. we also see that a number of politicians, high-profile politicians, tennessee and friends in these mass shootings in their own states. these are red states of course and now we have high-profile politicians who have lost personal family and friends in these mass shootings. there was a study that showed a high number of americans

have been impacted in some way by gun violence whether that was the victim of violence themselves were no only a or suicide so that seems to be more and more. i think we all know people who either have been impacted themselves or we ourselves have been impacted in some way that number seems to be growing and growing class more of our viewers west and comments. for scott wong of nbc news. john in your born heights michigan,what's your question or comments ? >> caller: i think it's outrageous they have these two week vacations and it seems like every other two weeks we are on a two week vacation to congress in a district work period at my

local representatives are making books to kids on the school doing and take practice with 80-year-old veterans. that's not really work @icy day out all of the rings, crown him in on tuesday evening with agency and want to fund. obviously the pentagon, that used to be in the domain of the progressives but we heard during the mccarthy that i know, all the bad people were trying to be surprised there. i think we could eliminate a two israel and ukraine. >> host: before you respond i have statistics. we're mid april, there's theoretically the next day

long recess is in august 3 months away. the house as you legislative days will between now and august. the senate has to eat for legislative days between today and the start of the august recess . it does on the outside looking in equals a web really doing with their time what is your response to people don't know how this works. >> i think this particular congress is going to be a pretty unproductive one for a number of reasons. it is government. we saw where democrats control all of the house and senate as well as the white house and we saw a lot of things get done in congress now we all integration form oregon for theirs is in those areas so there's not a lot of

activity or legislation on capitol hill. i pointed to the 222 votes republicans have in the house that a known injury makes things harder for publicans to push things through that chamber a number of challenges that makes this particularly and unproductive congress. i know over the weekend one area where we can see some agreements and there appears to be this window of opportunity with not a lot going on capital hill efforts to regulate the tech. we've seen bipartisan efforts to crack down on tiktok over national security concerns. we've seen high level of concern and wanting to regulate artificial intelligence with the rise

chatgpt and his other checkbox and technologies. and finally there are a number of privacy and data protection bills that are preparing to move through the congress, ro khanna told me he thinks the low hanging fruit for the congress in the attack realm is to protect children and their data. so online child privacy legislation. he thinks that is the real sweet spot where democrats and republicans can get behind and that's the low hanging fruit he thinks congress can have first and the easiest. >> host: the caller mentioned pentagon spending as part of

what that eventually republicans oppose as far as cost cutting measures to coupled with increasing the debt limit. do you think that's going to be something they on their list and it does, it is a shift in the stereotypes of which party is more likely to want to defense spending. >> we haven't seen spending cut very often in washington dc republicans want to focus on the non-defense discretionary spending. that will be i think of some of the proposals we see role perhaps today or throughout the rest of this week as mccarthy speaks the members of his conference and basement try to coalesce around what possible cuts they want to present to the president. >> let's go back to the phone lines, robbers in california. on this morning robbers.

>> i wonder about catalytic converters on a nationwide requirement for the us were just california? i'm hearing those in thelobby desert here and i just wondered . >> a little beyond my scope. >> i think let's run it a little bit. we've heard a lot about green energy, boosting electric vehicles, that was something when democrats control do the chips in science i think the inflation reduction. the biden administration keeps putting out new regulations but do you think more will inthis congress on green energy ? >> i will say this week represents 100 days of

republicans controlling that house majority their first legislation hr one which means that it is their top priority focused on energy. they made a conscious decision to make sure that was their priority and they passed that bill recently. which aims to expand energy production and try to bring some of the energy sources that to american soil. you will hear kevin mccarthy this week and steve scalise and republican leadership talk about their accomplishments in the first 100 days of their majority course will be there are a handful of items particularly the dc crime bill that republicans were successfully

overturned with the help of one president joe lying much to the consternation some house democrats who have been proposed to overturning so there are a handful of success stories for republicans. the energy of course i referred to will never become law because as i mentioned democrats control the united states senate white house and will like that from happening so there in lies the challenges will. >> john is in connolly springs north carolina, good morning. >> like to add on earlier about abortion but abortion is terrible you know, biden is letting all this fentanyl or whatever. it's killing thousands of people.

a lot more than guns or anything else nobody's saying anything about it's okay the way they talk about sex, can anybody stand in front of the american people that say something about the fact that the mayor of new york said it's the sickness city in the united states. i don't understand how people are talking about square out. people that know better, have a good day. >> the caller brought up to issues. fentanyl, immigration and a little bit about concerns about crime which we already covered any possibility anything can get aggression? >> i think so. this has been an issue has vexed the congress for a generation. the scene no movement on that

. people have tried to tackle it, in a comprehensive way, the joint pc away withthe agreement . nothing has been successful. this is an issue that is extremely complicated. there's a tremendous need for immigration because we've seen worker shortage in key areas of the economy. reese hill hotel and hospitality work but this has been an issue that the two sides have not been able to agree on forquite some time . >> this caller is ed from maine, what's your question or comments. >> thank goodness for c-span the only thing i've never been able to understand is how the appropriate a defense budget, congress can approve

money for a defense budget but we've never completed a full financial audit of the department of defense. how do you appropriate money not knowing where my soy? >> tough question, i'm not the budget expert. what i will say is there is, there are hearings underway each agency does need to come to capitol hill each year and request money for their agencies including as well as all the other agencies so that is obvious caller asked whiners sony hearings with people coming to capitol hill askingfor money . this is a normal part of the budget appropriations process in washington and people have to make their case for why their agency deserves the money they're asking for.

>> we've been chatting with scott wong, senior national nbc. >>

senate floor for a vote. to get around the issue, senator schumer has come up with a unique proposal. he wants to temporarily replace senator feinstein on the judiciary committee. the idea is to remove her from the committee for an unspecified period of time, name a replacement, and then reinstate

senator feinstein when she returns. this is, it turns out, unprecedented. over the years senators from both sides, as i indicated a moment ago, have needed time away due to various health issues. never, not once have we allowed temporary substitutes on committees, and now is not the time to start. republicans are not going to break this precedent in order to bail out senator schumer or the biden administration's most controversial nominees. yesterday evening the majority leader said he spoke with senator feinstein, and she hopes she will be back soon. we all hope that she comes back soon. but it's another reason not to go along with senator schumer's ploy for temporary appointment to a member of the judiciary committee. senator feinstein has been a mainstay of this body for more than three decades, and i hope

to see her back in these halls soon. but until then, president biden's most controversial partisan judicial nominees will have to wait. as i said, this chamber has a lot to do. the hundred of us who serve in this claim better. one of the most critical tasks we have is to avoid a debt crisis. back in january the u.s. hit its debt limit, and the u.s. treasury department has begun using what they call extraordinary measures to prevent the government from defaulting on its debt. since then we've been operating literally on borrowed time. we don't know exactly when those measures will be exhausted. it depends in part on tax returns or tax revenue being generated, and that can be a little bit unpredictable. but experts have said that it could occur as soon as june, which is a little less than two months away.

as we know nothing happens very quickly here in the senate. it takes time to negotiate, to write, debate, and pass legislation, meaning it's time to get serious about preventing a fiscal crisis. from the get-go, president biden screw outrageous red lines and ruled out any negotiations over spending reforms. clearly that was not a realistic nor a responsible position to take. president biden has signed partisan spending bills totaling $2.7 trillion just in the last year or so alone, and now he says it's up to the republicans in the house to deal with the debt ceiling, and he's not going to negotiate. that's not a responsible position for the president of the united states to take. moreover, the national debt is now $31.6 trillion and counting.

congress cannot just raise the debt limit and continue to borrow and spend like there's no tomorrow. yes, this is like your child maxing out their credit limit and then asking you or the bank perhaps to raise the credit limit without regard to repaying the debt or at least some of the debt that they owe. no responsible actor acts that way, and the president knows it. so president biden needs to get off his high horse. he needs to come to the negotiating table. and i'm sure speaker mccarthy will more than meet him halfway. yes, we all agree we need to avoid a debt crisis. no one wants the u.s. to default on its debts. but we also need to enact broader reforms to rein in spending. and that's traditionally what happens when the debt ceiling is increased. we just can't slap a band aid on

the problem and call it a day. we can't just continue to indefinitely raise the debt limit and burden more and more of future generations with the responsibility that we ourselves should embrace. because it is our responsibility and not those future generations. it's time for congress to buckle down and get government spending in check, and this is a prime opportunity to have that debate and those votes. of course, this is just one piece of the senate's work toll promote financial responsibility. we also need to pass regular appropriations bills on time and through the regular order. move them out of committee, across the floor, give senators a chance to offer amendments, and then vote. that's what we call regular order around here. instead, what we've gotten, at least last year, was a -- was a $1.7 trillion bill. i think that was the final price

tag. an omnibus bill which denied the opportunity for any member of congress or of the senate to offer amendments or debate different portions of it, to either add to or reprioritize some of the spending or heaven forbid, to cut some of the wasteful spending. instead, we were given a choice of an up-or-down vote, and that of course is the way the leadership likes it. that's the way speaker pelosi and senator schumer, the senate majority leader, likes it because it maximizes their authority while it casts the rest of us who have been independently elected to this body on the sidelines as spectators only to be called into action once the final vote is called. well, unfortunately congress hasn't had much of a success record when it comes to regular order for appropriations bills.

the senate and house appropriations committees, as we know, are charged with writing 12 separate bills to fund different components of the federal government. they're supposed to pass, as i indicated, both chambers, the house and the senate, and then those differences reconciled and then signed into law before september 30 of every year. but that didn't happen last year, as i said. the democratic-led senate did not pass a single regular appropriation bill, and again, that's not by accident. that's by design. but it doesn't serve the interests of our sits. it doesn't serve -- our constituents. it doesn't serve the interests of rank and file members of the senate to be regulated for the sidelines like a potted plant. and it doesn't give the american people what they are entitled to which is the kind of robust debate, prioritization, and, yes, some spending restraint and cuts, particularly in areas where we can all agree that that

spending is not a high priority or is indeed wasteful. instead of that regular order, we saw a temporary continuing resolution which doesn't help the pentagon or any other element of the federal government actually make plans for a year yearlong spending appropriation but has to deal with stopgap spending bills. of course all of this happens in a rushed fashion completely out of the public's view. we simply cannot accept this as the new normal. we need to abandon this habit of continuing resolutions and last-minute omnibuses and return to regular on-time appropriations bills. in order to plan and prepare for the future, federal agencies and certainly our military looking at daunting challenges all across the globe, whether it's

in europe or in asia, in north korea, or in the middle east, we have daunting national security challenges facing us. and this kind of inappropriate power play frankly by the leadership of the house and the senate we saw demonstrated last december does not serve the interests of our military, our national security, or the public interest. and it results in big, bloated spending bills that congress simply doesn't have the opportunity to parse. well, we know that it takes time to do that so it shouldn't be put on the back burner until we're approaching the end of the fiscal year which is coming at the end of september. we need to get that process moving now. it's not just financial problems that need to be addressed. there's also big security issues on our plate. in the coming months we need to pass an annual defense authorization bill to strengthen our military and our security

around the world and hopefully to maintain the peace. but we also have big security issues here at home that need to be addressed. as the presiding officer has heard me say many times from this position, the border crisis is still raging. thousands of migrants are crossing the border every single day and completely overwhelming our capacity to respond. it's honestly not a question of capacity. it's really a matter of will. and so far the biden administration has demonstrated no will to deal with this border crisis of its own making. law enforcement, border communities, nonprofits, and local businesses along the border region are feeling the strain. our immigration system is now so backlogged that some migrants have to wait as long as ten years before they can even begin immigration court proceedings. and then we know from the track

record of successful claims for asylum, that only, let's say generously,le 8 -- 85% of those cases will be acknowledged. only 15% will be granted because only 15% of that huge backlog of cases that ultimately end up in front of an immigration judge qualify for the very high legal standard for asylum. over the last couple of years, the administration has shattered every record when it comes to border crossings because there is a welcome mat out and a green light on for anybody and everybody to wants to come to the united states from literally anywhere around the word. but as bad as the crisis has been the last two years, i'm afraid the administration is about to break their own very bad record. title 42 which is the public health law which says we can limit immigration to the united

states in the interest of protecting our population against a public health crisis like covid-19, that title is going to end in less than a month. and the border patrol will lose its authority to quickly expel migrants who simply have no legal basis to remain in the united states. in february alone, more than 72,000 migrants were removed under title 42. admittedly, a small number but it's a significant number when you consider what happens when title 42 goes away. because once it disappears, we'll have to process, house, and care for every single one of those individuals. when we inevitably run out of space which will happen quickly, i expect the administration will start releasing migrants into the interior of the country at an unprecedented pace. and once that happens, even more migration will follow. this is simply one of the pull

factors or the things that -- the message that's sent that if you violate our immigration laws, as long as you make it to the border because the cartels, the transnational criminal organizations have figured out if they can overwhelm our border controls, that they can make more money and more and more people will be able to illegally migrate into the united states. the transnational criminal organizations who continue to get rich because of the biden border policies, they know that frontline officers and agents are busy processing and caring for migrants, in many cases unaccompanied children which creates a golden opportunity for cartels to then move dangerous drugs into the country. and they're moving drugs like fentanyl, synthetic opioids, other dangerous drugs across the border and communities all acrows the country, interests maine, to texas, to california,

to new york, all across the country. we lost about 70,000 americans last year alone to fentanyl, and the u.s.-mexico border is the primary gateway for fentanyl and these other illicit drugs. securing the border is the key to stopping this overdose epidemic and restoring some sense of order when it comes to migration. this needs to be a top priority here in the senate and, as i said a moment ago, with the expiration of title 42, a bad situation is getting ready to get worse. these are just a few of the major tasks on the senate's to-do list and, unfortunately, this chamber has wasted a lot of time. but since the beginning of this year, the majority leader hasn't allowed the? the to actually spent -- hasn't allowed the senate to spend

time. we unanimously passed a resolution designating january as national trafficking and modern slavery prevention month, and then the senate passed a bill bill to repeal the iraq war authorization. as if president biden can be expected to use that authorization to declare some sort of military conflict or war someplace in the middle east or elsewhere, is being -- something i doubt he would do. so given congress' long to-do list and the fact that we're three and a half months into the year, what i just recounted is a very slim accomplishments. i hoped this work period would prompt a change and we could start working on important, time-sensitive tasks that need to be completed. unfortunately, here again we're not off to great start. rather than bringing up legislation to address the debt ceiling or the border crisis or

any one of a number of other problems facing american families, senator schumer has announced that this week we will vote on a partisan resolution. the majority leader tried to frame this resolution as a way to defend the rule of law, but it's a nonbinding resolution. it fails to do anything other than send a political message. the majority leader has been a fierce critic of similar resolutions in the past. during the summer of 2020 our colleague from arkansas, senator cotton, offered a straightforward resolution to clarify that the senate called for justice for george floyd and opposed efforts to defund the police, both simple and straightforward points of, i would think, nearly unanimous agreement. but unfortunately the resolution didn't pass because it was -- get what? -- blocked by senator schumer. at the time he said the

resolution by my friend will do nothing, nothing. it's rhetoric. well, that was senator schumer less than three years ago when he blocked a nonbinding resolution that denounced efforts to defund the police. now that he has the power to set the schedule in the senate, senator schumer could bring any bill to the floor that he wanted. that's the prerogative of the majority leader. he could schedule votes on actual bills. we could actually have votes on amendments to those bills and a fulsome debate. and we could make real action to support our law enforcement officers and defend the rule of law. but he refuses to bring that sort of bill to the floor. instead, just an empty statement or political message. if the majority leader wants to issue statements on his own time, that's his prerogative. but he shouldn't continue to waste valuable floor time on

purely partisan messaging that does absolutely nothing. the american people sent us here to work on their behalf, and it's high time the majority leader decided to take that responsibility seriously and bring important legislation that will solve real problems to the floor of the united states senate. as our friend, lamar alexander, a the former senator from tennessee, liked to say, it's not easy to get here. and it's not easy to stay here because we have elections every six years. but while you are here, you might as well do something important. you might as well make a difference. i fear we are not doing that, mr. president, by the sort of agenda-setting and political messaging that the majority leader is endorsing. but it's something that i would dare say the vast majority of senators would relish in doing exactly that kind of work and solving real problems for the american people.

mr. president, i yield the floor. and i'd note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: >> welcoming back our friend

leader mcconnell. we're all happy to see he's recovering well. i want to welcome our colleague from pennsylvania center fetterman. p sending a message that asking for and getting help works. now on the debt ceiling is the start of a consequential work period in, but instead of getting to work in our nations capital house republican leadership took a field trip to new york city . today's big spectacle was speaker mccarthy's speech at

the new york stock exchange where you recycle disabled was but call failed to provide anything anything of substance. one thing is clear from this year while the press want to preserve full credit speaker mccarthy continues to bubble our country towards which would cause jobs to crater and drastically raise costs across the board to american families. amazingly one of the few specifics party did present was a terrible idea to year was this default crisis all over again a year from now agree to undergo this fiasco again next year? a b+. if speaker mccarthy continues in this direction he is

sending us towards default. you know what will avoid default? is working with democrats to this crisis all you need to your who was mike mccarthy. was' that since you the holders of government bonds on social security united states meet its obligations and despite the speakers concerned about cost, nothing will do more to raise costs for american families and default for months speaker mccarthy insisted on cox in exchange for a way default. we know the best way to what default is associate hostage taking do is clean the way president trump did it twice

and president biden did it was with democrats and will working to mccarthy is insisting on top to boot, he doesn't say what those costs are. as i said there should be a time and place to discuss this but that's not part of this conversation. it belongs in the discussion about the budget, not as a precondition for avoiding the fall. let me so they might here is on the other side of the house to. it belongs, the discussion about cuts belongs in the discussion about budget, not as a precondition for avoidingdefault . the solution is straightforward. republicans work with democrats in the avoid default just as we did with donaldtrump . no blackmail, no brinksmanship people. your show us your president

biden and i are happy to see the something. most credit leaders are we need to see our plan is so you from there what has people all the money goes to meetings what will you, there ? speaker quoted a great yankee, babe ruth saying you just can't be never. speaker mccarthy identity in new york city. second, the speaker is right, he's never given up but that's only because he's never started. no, no progress, no persistence. so to make sense of today's speech, it was another great yankee yogi barrow who hit the nailon the head . it's dcjc vu all over again yogi said exactly the parties

each. no plan, no progress, nothing . the mccarthy plan, or to deliver the american people but to sum it all up speaker mccarthy plays a risky and dangerous game when insisting on imposing severe cuts which would our economy before we avoid default. in addition he can't even reveal what those costs are. peter mccarthy, this is the sad truth. the if speaker mccarthy doesn't change his course you could take this country over the cliff to default for the first time. on republican extremism. at the start of the year i want republicans face a critical choice.

maga extremism or double down on the road to destruction . instead of coming to the middle, they sprinted to the extreme . instead of having maga, too many publicans have ã especially the last few weeks . over the last week in florida sign extreme! those in country. when your total abortion six weeks. is not ourselves, a six-week matter is people and don't you know that six weeks. most audience close this draconian decision one that will endanger not only the way across the entire south who tragically have fewer and fewer options for accessing reproductive care lest anyone think republicans oppose abortion because of states rights, visited by a federal judge in texas nationwide suspension of matt accustomed

to make clear what this is about. national and working, the republicans came to the republicans seem to be caught if these two weeks made clear in a self-destructive dynamic more americans reject their extreme views at half the more these republicans seem to double down. this is the next played out on twice overseeing it play out on gunsafety . most americans support done, since gun safety parents are tired of worrying about whether their kids are safe at school but when tragedy struck in school in nashville tennessee is reacted not by voting for new onset the loss installing representatives of color who dared commit this in speaking out against this interaction a road to outright autocracy.

today extremism was on call display in new york city house judiciary chairman of hell what he claimed was a field hearing on public safety but today german jordan and his colleagues have refused to denounce president trump's call to define the fbi and doj . every single member of the house and senate democrats and republicans alike should condemn former president trump. very soon members of this will have the chance to go on record the events of our residents call to cut spending to our law enforcement. we hope to initiate or does the right thing the fbi missed their lives to perfect us from jobs, from the from terrorism just because president trump says so? where are our republican friends or are they just moving so far to the right

they can't even project something as sane as this. republicans are caught in a self-destructive dynamic and the more that americans reject their extreme views at the ballot box more than double that not only will it decrease suffering, the gop themselves will suffer urgency rejecting. continue down this road will suffer as well the gop is box . finally on the phone state of business, data center gavels back in for the start of the busy week, very busy work. there's so much we must do. lowering cost in lives place, lowering costs, america's fundamental rights.we will get to work on these issues particularly off with the

fire final bill which will come before us next week. >> the republican leader on behalf of the senate. we are all you recognize. >> i want to thank all my colleagues for their vigilance shared over the past few weeks. suffice to say this wasn't the first time that being hard headed as served me very well . we're truly lucky and blessed to get to serve in this remarkable institution. to represent our home state and serve our country. and needless to say i'm very happy to be back. it is important business for congress to tackle.

we should be working to undo this and indications mistakes . we need to secure the border, reduce crime, fight inflation and invest in america's strengths and our security. on an even more basic level president biden and his administration are literally on the clock to negotiate a debt ceiling solution with speaker mccarthy and the republican majority in the president's economic advisers say the deadline for a solution is not far off. but his political advisers rethink the white house position should be, listens this, no talks and no reforms . this extreme position is not even in their own party.

washington democrats are breaking ranks on the indecision position of no talks . no reforms was the senate democratic colleagues and fire washington post op-ed calling on the president to sit down with thomas and reforms spending. reports indicate that old house are already talking about negotiations. and about compromise just a few years ago, democratic leader schumer said this about the debt ceiling. it gives another ample opportunity for bipartisanship not for one party jamming his choices down the throats of the other. ". so president biden does not get to stick his fingers

in his years and refuse to listen to talk or negotiate. and the american people know that. the white house needs to stop wasting time and start negotiating with the speaker of the house. >> i welcome back my self-described hard headed republican leader, good to have you back . want to work with him as well as senator will be here as well to him by zoom several weeks ago and i was quiet his message. he had the courage to step up and ask for help when he faced depression to see professional medical advice and i could tell by his

responses in the tone of his voice that decision already made adifference in his life . he got a design so happy to see him. and that what he had done need to address the issue of his own personal depression and the overall issue of mental with save lives across america. i believe the inspire to follow his example. see help. we are unfortunately living in a time that age and generation due to his mental health is that was many years ago. it was the time when ellis was considered not just in a list curse. and people didn't speak about their example; family of people who were just speaking in whispers about the issues that related to my relatives. it's changing for the better.

with honesty and openness in dealing with mental health makes us a better nation people will have better lives as a result. i think that my colleague were stepping up and making a decision and i'm looking forward tohis return . on another topic today eight russian court sentenced and opposition leader vladimir commerce of 225 years in prison for what? what did he do to merit a 25 year sentence in russia, he had to criticize longer invasions in ukraine. the sentencing comes on the heels of this photograph intimately using my office several times before he made a decision to go back to russia confronts the virginia ministration. now these decisions a 25 year sentence. it comes on the heels of reports of these would be returning another opposition

leader saint not only in elections usually tried twice to listen mister characters off as well. this after usual extralegal process has become all too common in russia. they didn't fear of russian patriots like them who have only advocated for open democratic russia that is peace with its neighbors knows no end . vladimir and alexi and many other russians are courageously pursuing a better future for their country . a user art support. mister president speaking on a different topic i would like to ask consent for this to be placed in record. >> without objection.

>> this week the fate of women's healthcare rest with the supreme court of the united states. in the coming days the justices are expected to decide one judge in texas can single-handedly disregard the medical professional consensus. whether he can create chaos for doctors and women seeking abortions. cut off access to reproductive health care nationwide. remember when justice alito announced that the dos decision would just give each state the authority to regulate abortion? it sounded so simple, 50 different standards for abortion whether each state can make the decision. it's been less than a year since the court overall role versus weight and here we are , faced with the very real possibility of mefiprestone,

a drug the fda approved 20 years ago could be banned or severely restricted across the nation, so for each state experiment on the issue. this is what the medication nationwide even in the states where abortion has been judged legal so how did we reach this point? it starts with one federal judge in texas, judge matthew kasczmarek and his bid to ban mefiprestone. it's been approved by the food and drug administration but the story lies at the heart of the job dos decision. justice alito and the right wing majority claimed they would settle the issue on each state. but in truth they just replaced controversy with chaos. the dogs ruling and resolve

anything. it merely the way for activist judges like judge kasczmarek to impose their radical agenda on everyone else , even in states which have voted to protect the right to abortion. earlier, judge kasczmarek in amarillo texas. the five decades of evidence to revoke approval of the medical abortion drug mefiprestone. the medication is used in half the abortionsin america . it say, and extremely effective in fact studies showed it's safer than tylenol. it presents fewer risks than routine medical procedures like colonoscopy. in the past years millions of american women have used this . >>

plan for every contingency, the

biden white house should be allowed to wash its hands of the mess that they've made. now you would think that anyone who witnessed mothers throwing their children over barbed wire fences into the arms of our soldiers would at least hesitate before making excuses for the terrible decision making that led to those images. biden and his team are kidding themselves if they think we've forgotten what happened, but the american people are not fooled. they remember that it was joe biden who chose to close bagram airfield, that it was joe biden who set an arbitrary evacuation deadline even though his military generals begged him not to do will-this.

and handed over the names of american citizens, green card holders and our afghan partners. handed this information over to the taliban. we saw the catastrophes unfold at the airfield and in the cities and we've seen what the biden administration has done. they have ignored it ever since. afghanistan fell back into the dark ages, 4 million people are going hungry, 12 million afghan women are sub ju gated under the taliban boot. there were americans left behind in afghanistan and today our best guess is that there are

around 175 still stranded there. some of them are being held captive by the taliban. 78,000 of our afghan partners remain in hiding, many being hunted by the taliban. yes, madam president, that is the mess that this administration that joe biden made, and on his way out the door, biden also left behind at least $7.2 billion of american weaponry, including aircraft, vehicles, and guns. some of which has cropped up in the hands militants in other countries. that is $7.2 billion of equipment, part of the

$80 billion investment there at the airfield. what did joe biden do? there you go -- there you go, te investment in the troops, in the infrastructure and all of that equipment. now, just imagine for a moment that you are one of our allies watching all of this unfold. it would cause you to be worried, and rightfully so. biden's disastrous withdrawal from afghanistan damaged america's image on the world stage and sent once-strong alliances into a tailspin. some of our most important allies now believe that the united states is weak, that we're unreliable, that we're

undependable. now, this is what has embold inned what i term the new ax -- emboldened the new axis of evil, china, russia, iran, north korea. they think they've got running room because of the way the afghan withdrawal was conducted. beijing wasted no time normalizing relations with the taliban by offering multimillion dollar investments through the chinese belt-and-road initiative. the ccp knows what it's doing here. afghanistan has $1 trillion in untapped resources that communist china has already signed a deal to extract. since then, they have increased their aggression against taiwan and elsewhere around the globe

and the biden administration has had very little to say about it. an emboldened china going after the $1 trillion, lithium, afghanistan, rare earth minerals, afghanistan. that is why the chinese communist party has inked that deal. oh, what did they do with it? let's make chips, let's make batteries. oh, what are we making those batteries for? electric vehicles. how about that? how about that? this is what has emboldened the ccp. afghanistan was a disaster. it was based on the decision-making of this administration. so the ccp is encouraging russia, iran, north korea to

join them in that axis of evil and push to global dominance. the ccp even let a spy balloon float all the way across this country. we know it went across much of our critical infrastructure. what do my colleagues across the aisle have to say? not much. not much. they don't want tole -- they dot want to challenge the ccp and communist china and russia and iran and north korea. it makes you wonder. meanwhile, north korea has leaned into their ballistic missle program and iran has openly celebrated a dangerous milestone. they are now technically cable

of building multiple nuclear weapons. that's right. they are pushing their nuclear development program, not to be outdone just six months after biden surrendered to the taliban, vladimir putin attacked ukraine and launched the biggest land war in europe since world war ii. this is not a coincidence. biden knows he has no one to blame but himself and his officials for this. this is the mess that they have made because of the decisions that they have made. but there's been no accountability. there has been no justice for the 13 servicemembers murdered by terrorists during those final chaotics days in kabul. and, madam president, i think it's clear if things keep going

the way they are, there won't be accountability because this administration will not admit they made a mistake. if there's any truth to be gleaned from the administration's report, it's that joe biden hasn't learned any lessons from what will certainly remember as one of the worst foreign policy disasters in our nation's history. the biden administration will go down in history for failing our allies and our partners. they're questioning -- they're questioning if they should be our ally and partner. the biden administration will be remembered for destroying what was a robust economy for kowtowing to social justice warriors and, of course, committing to outrageous policy

proposals that insult the intelligence of the american people. the department of homeland security's recent budget request is no exception to the rule. this year instead of asking for more money to equip law enforcement and secure our southern border, joe biden and secretary mayorkas decided to undercut that mission by $600 million. that is right. the bored's wide open -- the border's wide open. we have a secretary of homeland security that does not believe in securing the homeland. so what does the secretary and the president do? they cut the budget for securing the border by $600 million.

this is something that is so unfair to our border patrol. we're only halfway through the fiscal year and already customs and border protection has recorded more than one million t encounters, that's right one million, that's not counting the gottaways, the ones they see but can't get to, or the ones later where they find where they've been but they could not get to them. didn't know about them. this is one one million encounters on that border. now, they have also seized 105,000 pounds of drugs, including enough fentanyl to

kill several cities. almost 11,000 pounds of fentanyl in five short months. and, get this, they caught 268 gang members, more than 11,000 criminal noncitizens and almost 300 terrorists trying to sneak into this country. now, this those are not my numbers. those are not some pundit's numbers. those are the stats that are coming from the department of homeland security and the border patrol. that's their numbers. they're telling us this. do people agree with this? do they think this is secure border policy?

listen to these numbers again. 105,000 pounds of drugs, 11,000 pounds of fentanyl, 268 gang members, 11,000 criminal noncitizens. these are people that have been convicted of crimes. madam president, these are the people that are being turned out of the jails in countries. last year 176 different countries had people present at that southern border. this year so far you've got 11,000 criminal noncitizens and almost 300 terrorists trying to come in this country. now, ask yourself a question. what in heaven's name do you think they are coming here for? why are they sneaking in the country? do you think it's because they

know they wouldn't be able to come in? do you think they're coming for a job or are they coming to do us harm? we should be outraged -- outraged and concerned. alarms should be blaring at the department of homeland security. right now the biden administration is just rolling out the red carpet. they are issuing an open invitation. indeed, they said we've got an app to make it easy for you to come. go on your i money, -- i phone, sign in on the app, we'll be waiting for you when you get here. does that sound like securing the country? criminal noncitizens, terrorists, gang members. these are the people that are coming in.

cartel smugglers who will taking this administration up on their invitation. come on in. now, every year in tennessee, i visit with each one of our 95 counties. i'm on the ground in every county in the state. and this year, without exception, the mayors and the sheriffs, and the other officials that i'm speaking with, talking with principals, talking with citizens. and you know what? border security comes up in every single one of these meetings. and the reason it comes up, madam president, is because of this administration's policies turning every town into a border town and every state into a border state. and now it is the local officials and local law

enforcement officers who are left to deal with the broken policies of this administration. if you ask them what the biggest problem is, they're going to tell you, well, marsha, it connects back to the border because the drugs we're apprehending are coming across the southern border and 95% of those drugs, they're fentanyl, and it drives crime in our communities. there are gang members coming into these communities. now, here's a great example of this. hamilton county, tennessee, that is chattanooga, a great city. and their district attorney and

sheriff garrett, there in hamilton county, they were showing me some pictures from one of their drug busts. these rainbow fentanyl pills that were specifically manufactured to look like oxycontin. rainbow fentanyl. now, officers therein -- there in chattanooga found more than 1,000 of these pills in a single search. that is enough to take out the entire city of chattanooga, tennessee. they weren't expecting to find fentanyl when they were executing that warrant, but that doesn't mean they were surprised. this is a persistent problem in chattanooga. thank goodness a great sheriff, a great d.a. working together,

great officers, and they conducted this bust. this is what they found. and we have great local law enforcement all across the state of tennessee. and they will tell you fentanyl overdose deaths are occurring at such a rate that law enforcement does not have all the resources they need to investigate all the cases. now, this is just one story from one law enforcement entity in one city. but, madam president, the danger is this is occurring in every city, in every county, in each of our states. and it is happening because president biden and my democratic colleagues have refused to support securing the

border. and they refuse to hold themselves accountable for the humanitarian crisis that this has created. when secretary bah sayry testified before the finance committee about the department of health and human services budget request, he be-- pore taked the same disregard for basic human decency as secretary mayorkas had. he used the opportunity to push his woke agenda items rather than focus on core operations of the agency. frankly, it's sad that even a question about whether a senate-confirmed secretary is familiar with his own job description, especially when he can't answer basic questions about what's happening at the agency he supposedly controls. at the end of february, "the new york times" reported that over the course of joe biden's

presidency, his administration has lost -- that's right, lost more than 85,000 children who were under the care of the office of refugee resettlement. you heard me right. this administration has lost 85,000 children who were under the care of the office of refugee resettlement. to be clear, this is the office within the department of health and human services that is directly responsible for unaccompanied children who come across the border. and now we know that this agency has lost immediate contact with one-third of the children they're responsible for. the "times" also reported that the office of refugee

resettlement may have approved sponsors who were under investigation for labor abuses and that case management officers may have been aware of children in dangerous situations, but they chose to do nothing. during his hearing, i asked secretary becerra about this frankly horrifying revelation. and he did exactly what his compatriots have done when confronted with their failures. he feigned ig ranls. he claimed he never heard of those 85,000 missing children. joe biden and the democrats may be happy to pretent that we don't have a problem down on the border but the american people are not pretending that this not a problem. they watched president biden throw away a border security -- away border security policies

that were working in favor of an open border's agenda that benefits no one except the drug cartels, the sex trafficking rings that are abusing women and girls. the human traffickers that are smuggling people, preying on people, and physically, mentally, emotionally, drug, sexually abusing them as they make their journey. it's time to put politics aside and get serious about securing this border, and i encourage my colleagues, please join us in securing this border. join us in saying let's enforce the laws we have on the books. join us in saying lets eliminate the policies that incentivize

breaking the law. let's stand for the rule of law. earlier this year, i introduced the stop taxpayer funding of traffickers act which would prohibit anyone charged with drug or human trafficking from receiving federal government benefits while they await trial. we could pass this bill today and we should pass it because it would make a difference. when i talk to local law enforcement, when i say what would be a way to help, this is the idea they gave me. it's a problem that they have because many of these traffickers are getting government benefits. and we need to stop that today.

we should also return to the remain in mexico policy. we should end catch and release. and last but not least, let's get back to building that barrier. border patrol has told us for 30 years they need a physical barrier where they can have a barrier and where they can't, they need better technology. they need more officers, more agents, more manpower, and resources so that they can do their job, so they can protect this nation's sovereignty, so they can protect our citizens. that's it. these are the things that would be a solution to helping rid this country of this fentanyl

crisis, to helping rid this country of the gangs, the terrorists that are flooding into our country, thena coming into this country. this is something that should have bipartisan agreement. we should do this. now, the biden administration has touted its various white house staff and cabinet nominees as being the most diverse in our nation's history. but they also have one thing in common. their priorities are at odds with what the american people are saying they want. secretary mayorkas refuses to do his job and secure the border, even though local law enforcement officials are begging him for help.

secretary becerra can't be bothered to offer so much as a talking point on behalf of 85,000 missing children. attorney general garland has weaponized the law against conservatives and created two tiers of justice, one for the liberal elite and one for everybody else. biden's nominee to lead the faa withdrew in disgrace. his most recent nominee to the fcc has dedicated her career to violating the first amendment. his transportation secretary is perpetually missing in action. and the pentagon has yet to hold anyone accountable for one of the worst foreign policy disasters in american history. and, yes, that would be afghanistan. the mainstream media loves to complain that the american people have lost all faith in

institutions. but i would ask that media to just stop, look at what joe biden's government has done to the country, and ask themselves are we safer and more secure than we were four years ago. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to

bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number to be a deputy secretary of defense. signed by 18 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of radha iyengar plumb of new york to be a deputy under secretary of defense shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under the rule. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

vote:

vote: vote:

vote:

of the u.s. senate advance and not nomination of plumb to be deputy defense undersecretary. later this week senate lawmakers will continue working on

legislation to extend federal programs providing local fire departments with a grant for training come to a limited staff and great live coverage of the senate when they return here on cspan2. earlier today a look at the flow of u.s. firearms to mexico and central america and efforts to holding the gun industry accountable for related violence. hosted by the center for american progress watch this event in its entirety tonight at eight eastern on cspan2 pretty could also watch the freight mobile video app c-span now or online at c-span.org. >> the very first president to attend the white house correspondents center's calvin coolidge in 1974. i just been elected denied state senate. [background noises] likes the white house correspondents dinner washington's premier black tie event is saturday april 29, watch c-span live coverage of the washington hilton hotel including a red carpet arrivals of journalists, politicians and

celebrities. this year's headliner is the daily show's junior. president biden is expected to speak. the white house correspondents dinner at leiva saturday april 29, on c-span, c-span now our free mobile video app or online at c-span.org. ♪ c-span is your unfiltered view of government. funded by these television companies and more including charter communications. >> charter is proud to be recognized on the best internet providers. we are just getting started. holding a 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reachhose who need it most. >> charter communications support c-span as a public service. along with these other television providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. senate majority leader chuck schumer briefed reporters are