projected cost and schedule overruns. as i was giving the projections of when things were open -- would open, we're very concerned because we feel we've given the architect of the capitol needed information to start some of their preconstruction and construction work. and we haven't increased the the scope or complexity of any of the designs in any way. and so when we were given, for instance, cost estimate on the aoc side last month and it's changed significantly this in one month, we're really looking forward to working even more closely to find out what the details are. on the library side, we are on or near budget, and so this is the a major -- major concern,

sometimes frustration that we're having. but we are pleased that the acting architect of the capitol has taken hold of it. >> great. i hope that you will feel that you can discuss some of the challenges that -- >> we're leaving this here to keep our over 40-year commitment to live gavel to gavel coverage of congress. the u.s. senate is coming back in to consider the nomination of bradley garcia as a judge for the d.c. sir caught -- circuit court. live to the floor of the9 senate here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. all time is yielded back.

the clerk -- 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 bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 4, bradley nars, of maryland, -- garcia, of maryland, to be united states district judge. the presiding officer: by mandatory consent, the -- is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of bradley n. garcia, to be district judge for the district of columbia, shall be brought to a close? the clerk will call the roll. displ vote:

vote:

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test: vote: jenniferósb-20icap@svc10

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the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 54. the nays are 41. the motion is agreed to.

the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: plop, are we in a quorum call? the presiding officer: we are not. mr. cornyn: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, as the whole nation knows by now, title 42, the covid-19 public health law used by the border patrol to expel people at the southern border, will expire at midnight tonight, and our border communities in the 1,200 miles of our border with mexico and texas, they are bracing for a tsunami of humanity. as we know, over the last couple of years, title 42 has been one

of the tools in the border patrol's toolbox to prevent the biden border crisis from becoming the biden border catastrophe. or calamity. to give you a sense of the impact of title 42, which will go away tonight, since president biden took office, u.s. customs and border protection have logged more than five million illegal border crossings, five million. because of title 42, the united states hasn't been required to detain, identify, and process every single person who crossed the border illegally. in fact, nearly half of those five million were removed under title 42, a total of almost 2.4 million people. consider the countless stories we've heard over the last two years about overcrowded detention facilities. i've seen them myself. we've all seen them on

television or in the print media. we've seen these shelters bursting at the seams. that was the case when border patrol was detaining only roughly half of the individuals who illegally crossed the southern border because they were able to use title 42. starting tomorrow, agents will have to apprehend every single person under dhs's -- department of homeland security's title 8 authorities. the problem is is that law enforcement doesn't have the space to hold those individuals, not even close. last spring secretary mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, said customs and border protection detention facilities could hold approximately 18,000 people. it sounds like a large number until you begin to look at the number of people who are

crossing the border every day. this week we've already seen an average of about 10,000 border crossings a day. and he says we can detain 18,000? and you're getting 10,000 a day? well, once title 42 is lifted, that number will climb even higher. detention facilities, which are already overcapacity, will become even more crowded, and once they're fully maxed out, the biden administration will simply release people into the united states, using what they call parole. now, parole -- we're perhaps familiar with parole in the criminal context. but pa control in the immigration context means that they were be released -- they will be released into the interior of the united states, whether or not they can prove a legal -- satisfy the legal requirements to be granted

asylum. and they'll be told to go to an immigration and customs enforcement office in the interior of the united states -- in chicago, in new york, here in washington, d.c., or wherever they may end up. unfortunately, immigration court backlogs, because of the vast numbers of people coming in, if you show up in new york and you have been paroled in the united states assuming you even will show up -- which many don't -- you could wait as many as ten years to begin the process of being heard in immigration court. and here's the real unfairness -- consider the people, although it's a small minority, maybe 15% or so of these migrants who claim asylum will have a valid claim, they have to wait in line with the 85% or more who we know will not have a valid claim.

how unfair is it to those people who leave them in legal limbo because of the uncontrolled numbers coming across the border? well, anyone who thinks this is somehow a scare tactic or a made-up story is in for a rude awakening. over the last several weeks, as the title 42 end date has crept closer, we've seen migrants gathering in larger and larger numbers along the border in mexico. it's currently estimated that more than 100,000 migrants are already waiting. with this deadline just around the corner, the secretary of homeland security traveled to brownsville, texas, last friday to talk about what's to come. brownsville, texas, which is at the very tip of the rio grande valley, right across from mexico, brownsville is one of three texas cities to declare a state of emergency already --

already anticipating the end of title 42. laredo and el paso were the other two, because they're preparing, as best they can, for an unprecedented surge of migrants. over the last couple of weeks, more than 15,000 migrants have arrived in brownsville. law enforcement and city officials have been overwhelmed by the arrival of so many people, and they're bracing for an even larger surge on friday. with this as a backdrop, secretary mayo i don't remember cass -- secretary mayorkas made an absolutely dumbfounded statement last week, one of many that he's made in the past. he said the border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to may the 11th. it is beyond my comprehension how someone can see what we are

seeing on our tv screens or in the media and to have a public official like the secretary of homeland security tell us a lie repeatedly about the border not being open. i don't know what he calls five million people coming across the border -- well, about half of them have been expelled, so let's say roughly 2.5 million, after he consider those who were repatriated as a result of title 42. he said this in brownsville, which is a city that has absorbed less than 15,000 migrants in less than two weeks. in some of the newspapers they have a pinocchio test where they will give you one pinocchio, two pinocchios, three pinocchios, four pinocchios based on how outrageous the lie is. i don't think you can count

enough pinocchios to award secretary mayorkas for his outright falsehood that he continues to spew sitting in the critical position to do something about this. the border has clearly been open, and president biden and his administration have laid out the welcome mat, and that's why there's been absolutely no deterrence. you know, law enforcement including border patrol doesn't just -- doesn't just enforce the law. they -- by enforcing the law and by people knowing that they are hoping the law, they hope to deter other people from violating the law. but when people see an open border with no enforcement, there is no deterrence, and so people do what we can expect they will continue to do, and that is continue to come. well, at midnight tonight, title 42 expires. secretary mayorkas must really

think that the american people are stupid or dumb, but they're not. they're smart. they can see what's going on. they know he's not telling the truth. and for some reason, president biden continues to keep him on the payroll. you would think at some point somebody should get fired for this as doeser -- for this disaster, which is about ready to get worse. there needs to be some sort of accountability. if you did something like this in the private sector, what do you think would happen to you? you'd be held accountable. but apparently not in the biden administration. you can lie to the american people, you can fail to do your job until it gets so bad that presumably something has to give. we know -- all of us can see

photos and videos of the chaos at the southern border. we see it on our social media feeds and on the nightly news. we understand what's happening, and we know who's responsible. so the administration is being dishonest when they say the border is not open, and they've made it painfully obvious that nothing is is going to change -- is going to change until they're forced to do so. so after a couple of years, i've been writing to the secretary of homeland security for at least the last two years saying, when title 42 ends, as we know it will at some point, what is your plan? what is your plan? well, on the eve of this looming crisis and catastrophe, after the end of title 42, the administration has rolled out something they call the circumvention of lawful pathways

rule. the problem is, the constitution does not give the executive branch, the president of the united states, the power to write immigration laws or to stand up new pathways for legal status. if young people who were given deferred action for childhood arrivals have learned one thing, it's that. it's that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally change immigration laws. that's something he has to do in conjunction with the congress. but the biden administration seems eager to repeat history with this rule, which funnels migrants into new unconstitutional so-called lawful pathways that were unilaterally created by the executive branch. you know, there's got to be a little office somewhere -- i haven't found it yet here in washington, d.c. -- that generates these names for legislation or new rules and

regulations which actually are the opposite of what they do. that was true with the inflation reduction act, which didn't reduce inflation, and it's true of this so-called circumvention of lawful pathways act. it's not lawful. it's not constitutional. -- for the president to do it by himself. unfortunately, that's just one of many problems with this rule. the broad goal plainly is to ensure a more orderly asylum process by reducing the number of border crossings between ports of entry and encouraging migrants to seek asylum at ports. well, if that were actually what was going to happen, that would be improvement. those who fail to present themselves at a port of entry would theoretically be ineligible for asylum, and it purports to regulate the flow of

asylum seekers into land ports of entry so they don't become dangerously overcrowded. as i said, as face value, these seem like constructive ideas, but this rule is brimming with flaws and exceptions and loopholes that were explicitly designed to ensure that migrants will be released into the united states en masse. i learned as a law student what the front page giveth, the back page can taketh away. and so while the biden administration may want to put on this happy face that, yes, we've learned our lesson, we're changing the rules, we're going to restrict the pathways by which people can seek asylum in the united states, the truth is they have no commitment to an orderly, lawful, and humane system of immigration.

the biden plan includes broad exemptions for migrants who show up without an appointment and are illiterate, or at least claim to be. it provides exceptions for migrants who can't access the dhs scheduling system or who experience technical issues with the notoriously glitchy cbp-one app. the department all but admits that these migrants will be paroled -- remember what i said about parole, it's just releasing these migrants into the united states and quickly being given employment authorization documents. the exceptions swallow the rule by outlining broad exceptions that can't be objectively evaluated and are easily gamed, if they can be gamed, they will be gamed, the biden administration has provided the cartels with a road map or a

playbook. the administration is saying, instruct migrants to use one of these excuses. coach them to use one of these excuses, and they will be eligible for asylum, and they'll be wriewsed into the interior of the -- they will be released into the interior of the united states. migrants can make the dangerous journey to the border, show up without an appointment and say the magic words and still be paroled into the united states. and as the administration has made clear, it plans to expeditiously process migrants who arrive at the southwest border. title 42 is set to stwier and 100 -- is set to expire and 100 ,000 immigrants gathering across the border. this is president biden's plan. it's called expedited catch and

release. the circumvention of lawful pathways rule is dangerous and unconstitutional, and i'm in the process of introducing a congressional review act resolution to disapprove of it. this rule would rapidly increase the number of migrants being paroled in the united states while doing nothing, zero, to deter migrants with weak asylum claims. immigration groups on the left and the right interestingly oppose this rule, and some of our colleagues in the democratic caucus have expressed that they are deeply disappointed with the administration and that it has chosen to move forward in publishing this proposed rule. that's from a democratic member of the senate. so i urge senator schumer, the majority leader, who sets the schedule around here, to allow us to vote on my resolution as

soon as possible. the white house has claimed that this is the only option available to address the looming catastrophe, but that's false too. in the 1990's president clinton signed a law establishing something called expedited removal. in short, it allows border patrols to detain and quickly remove people who cannot prove their legal requirement in order to stay. expedited removals have been used by republicans and democrats over the years. it's a part of that powerful deterrent that we need to reestablish, so those who have no legitimate claim to legal status will make that dangerous journey having paid thousands of dollars to a coyote or a cartel

to get here. if a person is likely to be removed from the united states within a few days of crossing, fewer and fewer of them will even attempt to make the dangerous journey in the first place. that's the power of expedited removal. send a clear message that america's immigration laws will be enforced, something that has not happened during president biden's watch. president biden has the authority today to conduct expedited removals. he's had that authority since day one but refuses to fully utilize it. i've heard the press secretary for the president say, well, it's up to congress to deal with this. well, congress has already dealt with this, and president clinton signed it into law. it is because president biden has unilaterally surrendered to the cartels that continue to make billions of dollars and

whose poison kills tens of thousands of americans each year because it continues to flow across the border. president biden has the tools he needs today, so don't believe this, well, it's their fault. it's the blame game which is an olympic sport here in washington, d.c., trying to blame somebody else, denying personal responsibility. but this one sits at the feet of the president of the united states. rather than stand up new facilities or hire more personnel to make the expedited removal process function, the biden administration has instead chosen to release people into the interior of the country at an unprecedented pace. where the expedited removal serves as a deterrent, president biden's wide scale

catch and release is a magnet. people are being released to await immigration court dates that are years down the road, if they show up. and many of them won't. some migrants aren't scheduled to appear before an immigration judge until 2032, nine years from now. believe me, when that happens, word traflts fast -- travels fast and more people are sure to follow suit. why wouldn't they? president biden has effectively said keep coming, we're going to waive -- wave you on through the turnstile at the border and maybe to be never heard from again and never to appear in front of an immigration judge. again, how unfair is it to those who do have legitimate claims to have to wait in line nine or ten years with the vast majority of people who we know will not qualify?

well, this is what we've seen since president biden took office and decided to undo everything the previous president had done, and the pace is going to do nothing but accelerate once title 42 goes away at midnight tonight. this administration needs to get serious about expedited removals, about using the tools that are already available. it needs to make sure that those with invalid claims are quickly removed from the united states. and, yes, people with valid claims need to be welcomed for following the lawful process. that's what i mean when i say we need a legal, humane, and orderly immigration system. legal immigration has been one of the greatest things our country has ever embraceed.

virtually all of us, or at least our ancestors, came from somewhere else. and we've always tended to attract people who are leaving dire circumstances, perhaps economic, perhaps otherwise, in their home country who want to come to the united states and to pursue their dreams. i believe that's the secret sauce that has made our country what it is today, the powerhouse that it is today economically and otherwise. but it's lawful immigration, it's orderly immigration, it's humane immigration. it's not the chaos and the criminality that we see at the border today. sometimes i ask myself how bad does this have to get before the politicians in washington, d.c. wake up and decide to do something. i hope we're at that point. i hope it doesn't have to get

worse, because it can get worse if we simply do nothing. but the first step is for the president to use the tools available to him already signed into law. in order to do that, they need to increase detention space so frontline personnel will have the capacity to actually carry out these and he do ited -- these expedited removals. the biden administration also needs to stop waving or paroling people into the country in order to wait for an appointment with immigration enforcement that is years in the future. again, that's for the ones that show up. these are just a few of the ways that the president can deal with this crisis today. those options have been available since the day he took office. he just refuses to use them and

tries to shift the blame to others. mr. president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. welch: mr. president, the most consequential question now before congress, the one that most impacts the most people we all represent is whether the united states of america will do what it has always done. pay its bills in full and on time. and it was alexander hamilton

who established the precedent that's become an enduring principle. america pays its bills. but in order to preserve that principle, congress must raise the debt limit. mr. president, it's important to remind ourselves that raising the debt ceiling does not allow any additional spending, nor does it include new obligations for our taxpayers. it allows congress to continue to pay for the spending that's already been improved, approved by this and prior congresses. the debt ceiling is an anomaly in the united states other countries recognize the obvious when it comes to approve spending whether for the health of a nation, health care of citizens, support for its farmers. it is then that the legislative body incurs the obligation. and it's really no different than when a family takes out a mortgage or a car loan.

when that bill becomes due each month, you pay the mortgage and you pay the car loan. otherwise, things end very badly for that family, as they will for our country if we allow the united states to default on its debt. mr. president, the debt limit debate in the past was accompanied by political grand stangt from both parties -- grand standing from both parties. the party out of power used it to recognize the incumbent party but grand standing was always set aside and the president and the majority party in congress, republican or democrat, accepted the burden of raising the debt ceiling to make sure the country did not default. this time the house's default threat is different. it's far more dangerous and far more extreme even than in 2011. let me explain.

a default looms as early as the first of june. in -- and congressional leaders met this week with president biden. the president and all of the leaders pledged that default was not an option, all except one leader. speaker mccarthy continues to champion the house bill that will lead us to default unless the -- unless -- their budget would cut veterans' benefits, furlough thousands of border patrol agents, even as title 42 expires and -- thousands of jobs, many of which are in republican districts that it has created. and the speaker's demands that president biden relinquish his primary legislative achievement, the ira, it would be comparable

to the democrats' demanding when president trump, he repeal what he regarded as his signature legislative accomplishment, tax cuts, which were vehemently opposed by democrats. speaker mccarthy's posture reflects the posture of his conference and the reality within his own conference. he won't take default off the table because he can't. the most extreme members of his caucus have extracted numerous concessions to lend their support and it took 15 votes for him to get elected to the speakership. what we're seeing now is the result. they will default unless they get their way. and former president trump, who, as president, raised the debt ceiling multiple times is still a leading voice for many of the republicans in the caucus. last night on cnn at a town hall

heating encouraged default, adding fuel to the fire and even more peril for our country. mr. president, i think we all know, in all candor, that the default threat would be catastrophic, and we're being propelled over the brink. all responsible people know that default, number one, it would destroy america's reputation and jeopardize the value of the dollar as the world's currency. number two, it would really delight our russian and chinese adversaries who would promote our default for what it is, economic chaos and disunity. the default, in all likelihood, would plunge our fragile economy into a recession, hurting americans across the entire country, regardless of what their political persuasion was. in a very cruel irony, according

to moody's, a default could increase our deficit by as much as $850 billion, not reduce it, as default advocates claim. we can't allow default. we can't allow self-inflicted harm to befall americans with the speaker's very reckless gambit. i thank majority leader schumer, minority leader mcconnell, minority leader jefferies and president biden for taking default off the table. speaker mccarthy, before it's too late, do the same. mr. president, i'm willing, as i believe the vast majority of our colleagues are, to engage in a serious budget discussion to bring down america's debt. but what i'm not willing to do, not now, not ever, is abandon

america's historic commitment to paying its bills. i'm not willing to inflict the damage to our economy and the pain a catastrophic default would impose to our people, nor is president biden. while leadership talks continue, all of us must be mindful of the real peril we face, and we must take the precaution ri step of reviewing -- precautionariy step of reviewing the 14th amendment and its requirement. section 4 of the 14th amendment states, the validity of the public debt of the united states authorized by law shall not be questioned. the constitution is saying what we all know. a debt incurred is a debt that must be paid. in every obligation tied to our debt is a result of a law that

this or a previous congress has passed. to renege on that obligation that law required, whether to our veterans, our seniors, our farmers or military is for congress to tell the president to break that law and disobey the constitution. mr. president, we cannot do this. mr. president, we must not do this. mr. president, we must, as america has always done, pay our bills in full and on time. i yield back.

mr. cardin: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senior senator from maryland. mr. cardin: thank you, mr. president. i have seven requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority and minority leaders.

the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. cardin: mr. president, this week is public service recognition week, a week we have set aside each year since 1985, to recognize and honor public servants. i would like to take this opportunity to express my deep, heartfelt gratitude to local, state public servants. detectives to doctors, soldiers to superintendents, teachers to transit workers. america's public servants come prize one of the -- comprise one of the most critical and often maligned assets. public servants teach our children, deliver our mail, keep our streets and community safe and clean guide aircraft, and

respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, conduct pioneering basic research, provide health care, interpret and enforce our laws, ensure that seniors an veterans receive the benefits they earned and represent our nation's interest in foreign posts. i could go on and on. the work that public servants perform affects each and every one of us on a daily basis, making our lives so much better. the public sector workforce, particularly at the federal level, tends to be older, better educated, and more experienced than the private sector workforce. so many public servants can earn higher salaries in private sector jobs, but their motivation is more than pe kiewn ri gain, it is -- it is a sense of duty and love of community that compels them. president biden issued a proclamation that says at a time when public servants are facing threats and hostility simply for

doing their jobs, they continue willingness to serve even more meaningful and important. we have an obligation to support them and recognize annual ewe their commit -- value their commitment. our nation needs -- it's lls depends on the next generation of smart, dedicated people answering the call of public service and joining the ranks, helping deliver the promise of america to more of our citizens. i couldn't agree with the president more. just 7% of america's federal workers are under the age of 30. i join president biden in urging young americans to consider careers in public service. we need our talent, your energy, your ideas to ensure that america remains prosperous, secure, and a beacon of liberty for all of human tif.

each year in conjunction with public service recognition week, we have the finalist force the samuel j.hammond service. it is named after the benefactor and highly excellent in our federal workforce. i'm proud that maryland is home to 12 finalists. they are in the field of science, technology, and environment, dr. adam filipe, dr. gordon and dr. ryan. investigator associated -- associate investigator at national institutes of health, national human genome research institute and the telemara consortium, which dr. felipe cofounded having cracked 8% of human genetic code.

their research into understanding the most difficult parts of our dna has enabled scientists to discover two new variants in our genetic makeup. we will understand cancer and other diseases. dr. felipe said, it's really easy to get up and go to work in the morning because our work is making such a difference. what a dedicated public servant. in management excellence, megan meech ann, allison hutch inns and sarah o donald at the -- at the department of health and human services under the health resources and services administration, created the rural communities opioid response program to provide grant funding for a wide array of innovative and effective

opioid use prevention treatment and recovery services. the program which they established five years ago has served more than two million people each year and more than 1800 rural counties across 47 states and two territories as megan meecham has stated, we are happy to serve. we know the challenges of opioid addition. our -- addiction. our public servants are managing the challenge, executive director of the highway trans, is one of the three d.o.t. senior managers to implement the bipartisan infrastructure and jobs act. we were proud to pass that bill. it wasn't so easy to improblem it and dedicated public servants at the department of transportation are making sure our legislation carries out its

intended purpose. d.o.t. issued 8,700 projects last year and awarded nearly $10 billion in discretionary fund including formula funding that will help modernize the highways, shipping pors, railroads and airports. gloria and her colleagues implemented 76 new or expanded grant programs and initiated bridge programs and a host of safety initiatives. that's what we intended. our public servants at d.o.t. are care iying that. the direct of director of noah's marine and aviation -- noaa's

operations, has -- she has created a safer workplace and changing the organization's culture. admiral hamm, who has been with noaa for 26 years said it is important for everyone to have a voice and to feel comfortable in the workplace. i have the responsibility to be the voice of the person who -- who don't feel like they have a voice or too scared. i take that responsibility very seriously. we are all better off because of admiral hamm's work. the career achievement award, dr. eric j. rocky fuir, chief statistic research program, division of cancer control and population science, national cancer institute, national institute of health, has a new method to estimate the chances of an individual being diagnosed

of cancer at different times during their career. over the past four decades, he has designed a sophisticated system using statistical analysis to understand national cancer trends better leading to treatment options that have benefited millions of americans. in 2000, he created the model network, allowing statitions and scientists to address critical cancer-related questions collaboratively. he has stated that the analysis he engaged in over his career is back-bencher type work, but added it has helped move people to action and improved health care. yes, we are dealing with the cancer challenges in our community, and people like dr. geuer are making a -- feuer are making a huge different. lisa chail, consumer protection branch, department of justice, protected the public from the

harmful trade practices by businesses across a wide range of industries, including ultria, r.cxfing j. reynolds, facebook and dish network, securing some of the largest fines in history with the disclosure of important information. dr. chow said i'm proud that we have created law that can be built upon. as a lawyer, it's pretty rare to make precedent that both protects the public and affects good public policy. protecting consumers, protecting the public. that's what public servants do. management excellence, robert gorman, senior trial attorney, department of transportation. one of three dot officials in the office of aviation consumer protection who has led an aggressive campaign to require airlines to compensate air travelers for airfare and other related costs for canceled flights due to circumstances within the airline's control.

the campaign produced a record $8.4 million in fines and more than $1 billion in passenger refunds. robert gorman and colleagues look to determine if an airline is repeatedly unresponsive and nonimlient with respect to consumer complaints, leading the office to issue two regulatory notices, launch investigations, bring enforcement action and reach settlement for travelers to be reimbursed. thanks to robert gorman and colleagues, the sky -- the skies are finally friendlier for fliers. in science, technology and environment, dr. sarah nelson, director of defense programs, office of experimental services, national nuclear security administration, department of energy. she's played a leading role in overseeing scientists who, for the first time in history, produced ar fusion reaction that produced more energy than it required, a breakthrough with number implications for abundant

clean energy and national defense. when handwritten eppsed and -- handwritten esed and explained, harnessed, it will produce energy without radioactive waste or greenhouse gasses. she started as an intern, and she has said it was tremendously influential experience for me, but i had no idea that i would be sitting in this chair 20 years later when a scientific break-through would be accomplished. if we're able to use this technology someday to enable clean energy, it would be a game changer. is she right on that. mr. president, we can don't the proper role and size of our government, but i hope we can all agree we want the best and brightest to serve. these individuals and their fellow honorees represent the best of our federal workforce. but we should be grateful for all public servants who go to work each day determined to make a positive difference for their

fellow americans, and we should be grateful all year long. mr. president, i yield the floor. mr. sullivan: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from alaska is recognized. mr. sullivan: thank you, mr. president. for that heartfelt welcome here on the senate floor. i know you're excited. i know the pages are excited. heck, half of america is excited, because once again it's thursday afternoon, and i'm back on the floor giving probably my favorite speech of the week, the alaskan of the week. as many of you know, it's an opportunity when i love to come to the senate floor and brag about somebody in my state who

makes it such a great state, usually somebody doing something good for their local community, maybe the state, maybe the country, maybe the world. boy, we've had so many famous alaskans of the week. but this one, this one, my colleagues, is really special. it's about real special heroism that we see in alaska a lot, but it's about a young man named andrew chapatan. i'm going to talk a lot about andrew. he's an army sergeant in alaska, and how his bravery and heroism saved some lives in a way that is just remarkable. i always like to begin the speech talking a little about what's going on in alaska. i try to get home with my wife, julie -- hi, julie -- she's up in the gallery. am i allowed to do that? i'm doing it anyways.

anyways, pretty much every weekend we've been home. boy, last couple weekends i was on an epic kodiak hunting trip, once in a lifetime opportunity to par tyke in one of our state's most cherished traditions. it was an experience i won't forget. never forget, kristin wilson, if you're watching, i know you love bears, i love bears, too. she's a big fan of the alaskan of the week. i like to talk about what's going on in the weather. still pretty cold in a lot of places, but the sun is higher in the sky. actually, getting real high. days are getting longer and longer. today in anchorage, the sun rose at 5:30:00 a.m. and will set -- 5:30 a.m. and will set at 10:30 p.m. gaining more than ten minutes since yesterday.

birds are migrating by the tens of thousands. the excitement of spring is in the air. winter is finally retreating. we love winter in alaska, but boy, we had a long, cold winter in most places. if you're watching, by the way, in the gallery, on tv, come up to alaska. it will be the trip of a lifetime. guarantee you it will be the trip of a lifetime! so now, let's get to our alaskan of the week. sergeant first class andrew chapoton. in the heroic actions that he took last may, about a year ago, that earned him the united states army soldier's medal. that is the highest honor a soldier can receive for an act of heroism in a noncombat situation. andrew was born and raised in the township of clinton,

michigan, but he knew that he was always going to join the military. being in the military, from his perspective, his family's perspective, was a good, honorable thing to do, which of course he's right. his father fought in vietnam. his grandfather fought in world war ii. both of his sisters are in the army. he enlisted when he got out of high school, and did a number of deployments -- three tours to iraq, a deployment to haiti, then was stationed in alaska from 2015 to 2018 as part of the fourth brigade of the 25th infantry division, what we call in alaska the 425. i'm a marine, but the 425 sure is one of my favorite units in the entire u.s. military. that's a story for another day, mr. president. i love the 425. andrew and his wife loved

alaska, the hiking, camping. he said, quote, everything available, right outside my front door. they were determined to come back to alaska. they bought a house in beautiful eagle river, outside of anchorage, and they did come back, in 2021. he came back to alaska, where we now have the storied u.s. 11th airborne division. a lot of people don't know that. we stood up an airborne division in alaska, just last year. now we have the 82nd airborne division on the east coast, and the 11th airborne division in alaska. andrew and his wife now with two children and another one on the way, love alaska. what did andrew do to win the army soldier's medal? here's how the army described it in the summary of that medal -- sergeant first class andrew

chapoton voluntarily risked his own life in the heroic pursuit of saving others at a deadly car wreck near seward, alaska. his extraordinary act of valor exemplified the highest standard of selfless service and character as he repeatedly put himself in mortal danger to save others trapped in a horrific car wreck. sergeant first class chapoton dived into two burning vehicles, again and again, to save three trapped occupants, without any regard for his own life or his own safety. so, mr. president, that's the summary. here's the longer version of why this great american, great alaskan, is today's alaskan of the week.

last may andrew and his wife had an out-of-town visitor who wanted to go whale watching. okay, that's something we do in alaska. it's amazing. a great thing to do in our state. and so, one of the great places to watch whale watching is out of seward. a few hours south of anchorage. he almost didn't go. he had done that tour often. in his words, he caved and said let's go do it. so they all went, their friend, spouse, two kids, got in the car, headed to seward, had a great time. by the way, another great thing to do in alaska, whale watching. saw a lot of whales. they were celebrating the trip. on the way back, something tragic, horrible happened. on the seward highway, two cars collided -- a jeep and a dodge dakota. almost right in front of his car. he had to swerve to miss them. it was a nasty, horrible crash. debris went flying.

smoke was billowing from both cars. gasoline was dripping out of these cars. but andrew didn't continue to drive. he pulled over on the shoulder, jumped out of his car without thinking, in his words, quote, a cliche, i know it sounds corny, but 18 years of training kicked in. and i ran toward the scene of the accident. that's what andrew said. as a result, mr. president, he saved the lives, literally, of three people. now, he doesn't even have a memory of how he got from his car to the accident. training, bravery, heroism. but he does remember approaching the first car, the dakota, flagging people down, yemg for a medic. there were -- yelling for a medic. there were three people in the dakota. none of them were moving, and the car was bursting into flames. he tried to smash the driver's

door open. he had to move the camping equipment that had fallen on the driver, and he was able to get her safely out of the car. at this point the car was den gulfed -- engulfed in flames. but he went back in and got another person out of the car, into safety, which was so difficult because the car door had been smashed and crushed. unfortunately, we know this is hard for andrew, i hope he's watching, by the way, and his family, he went back again, but could not save the third person the door was also crushed and he couldn't open it, he couldn't find a pulse. he says this haunts him to this day. again, andrew's instincts and training kicked in, and he transitioned to get thing -- to getting the driver out of the other burning car, the burning jeep. after he got that passenger out, he performed combat life saver

triage and lifesaving medical care for these three very seriously wounded americans. mr. president, the story of heroism doesn't end there. both cars by now had turned into raging infernos. flaming liquid was flowing down the road toward one of the injured passengers. with the help of another good samaritan, andrew moved one of the grateful injured passengers away from the impending explosion of this car. then he shielded her body when the car did explode. debris and shrapnel flying everywhere. even after the fire department arrived, andrew continued to take the lead in performing lifesaving medical treatment. eventually, a life flight helicopter arrived to take the seriously injured individuals to the hospital.

andrew stayed, gave his statement to the troopers, handed his keys to his wife, got back in his car, and drove back home, several miles, couple hours, to anchorage. it was a quiet ride, he said, quote, i used up every single ounce of adrenaline that was in my 38-year-old body. his children saw much of what happened and they're proud of their father. and andrew is proud and so deserving to receive the army soldier's medal. but he did say, mr. president, he would trade that in a thousand times over if only all the passengers had survived. mr. president, these are the kind of people who live in alaska. brave, selfless, heroic. and these are the kind of military, by the way, america who make up our military.

not every american citizen would have done what andrew just did. as a matter of fact, i would say most people probably wouldn't. people who risk their lives, their own lives whether it's protecting americans at home or people abroad so that others could live. that's what our military members do. mr. president, this is how the army summed up this heroic action. sergeant first class chapoton's ability to perform these heroic acts under extreme pressure while simultaneously taking control of the scene of this horrific crash is a testament to his u.s. army values. fundamentally understanding the extreme personal risk to his own life, sergeant first class chapoton selflessly endangered

himself again and again to save american lives. he risked his own safety to help avert a catastrophic outcome. without his selfless courage in the face of grave danger, more lives would have been lost. so thank you, andrew, for your bravery, your heroism, your example not just to your friends and family and alaskans but to all americans and all veterans. thank you for protecting our nation. thank you for volunteering to serve. thank you for making your home in alaska. thank you for your heroic actions on that day. we want to congratulate you for being awarded the united states army soldier's medal, one of the highest honors a soldier can achieve, and certainly, andrew, one of the highest honors you can achieve in the u.s. senate

being our alaskan of the week. great job. i yield the floor.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader is recognized. mr. schumer: thank you. and, mr. president, before i do the wrap-up and lay down some stuff we're doing next week, i'd like to talk about the week we just had. now, as senate -- as democrats here in the senate work to continue to avoid default, the number one issue affecting our country has also been a very productive week in the senate. so much has happened around the country over the past few days that it may have overshadowed just how busy things have been in the senate this week and the kind of productive week that we have had on many important issues that affect the american people. very proud of what we were able to accomplish. on the floor with the return of

senator feinstein, the senate today advanced bradley garcia to serve as circuit court judge for the d.c. circuit, one of the most important federal courts in the country and members should be ready to vote on confirmation come monday. that's probably the second most important court in the country, and we're appointing a very good person as circuit court judge there. off the floor, the judiciary committee was busy as well. the judiciary committee just reported out six more judicial nominees for lifetime appointments to the federal bench. judges were a top priority last congress, and they remain a top priority in this congress. we're hoping to move forward on many more judges. also, yesterday the commerce committee under the able leadership of maria cantwell also reported out the rail safety act sponsored by senators

brown and vance of ohio with bipartisan support. this is vanity. after -- significant. after the derailment of east palestine, the need for the rail safety reform became clear as day. and americans are demanding that the senate take action. the railway safety act is a major step forward for avoiding accidents similar to the one in east palestine and improving rail safety across the country. it's going to make all our railroads safer. we've all seen so many of these derailments often because the railroads weren't doing what they were supposed to do. and this act is a big step forward in requiring them to do so. i look forward to working with both sides to bring the rail safety act to the floor. and today the senate banking committee also held a hearing, a big step on our bipartisan safe banking act that we have worked on together, mr. president. safe banking would ensure

cannabis businesses have equal access to critical banking infrastructure in states that have legalized cannabis. we've all heard the tales of small businesses and even larger ones walking around with a huge amount of cash because they can't do banking. safe banking would change that and allow them to bank as other businesses because they are legal in many -- it is legal in many states. and i am working to ensure we include criminal justice provisions in safe banking plus. most importantly, the expungement of criminal records for certain low marijuana offenses. we've made a lot of good bipartisan progress on safe banking last congress, and after today's hearing, we hope there will be a markup on this bill in the near future. we're really moving forward in a record way on a very important issue. and finally, last but certainly not least, the help committee also advanced ppm and generic drug pricing reform.

it will reform the ppm -- pbm system which we know is one of the reasons the cost of drugs is so hi and hopefully -- so high. and hopefully with the reform, the cost of prescription drugs like insulin for non-medicare americans will come down. we reduced insulin to $35 for those on medicare but we need to work on insulin -- reducing insulin costs for everybody. this bill is a major step forward in that direction. so, mr. president, it's been a busy week. significant progress on many issues. judicial nominees, rail safety, safe banking reform, pbm reform which can lower insulin costs for millions of americans. it's been a good, strong week. and i thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for moving forward. i yield the floor. oh, no. wrap-up. this was the fun part. now i've got to do this. mr. president, i ask unanimous

consent that the senate consider the following nominations. all nominations placed on the secretary's desk in the coast guard, 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 no further motions be in order to any of the nominations and that the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of h. h. con. res. 35 which was received from the house and is at the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: h. con. res. 35, concurrent resolution authorizing the use of emancipation hall in the capitol visitors center and so forth. the presiding officer: without

objection, the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the committee on health, education, labor, and pensions be discharged from further consideration and the senate now proceed to s. res. 195. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senate resolution 195 congratulating the students, parents, teachers and leaders of charter schools across the united states and so forth. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed. mr. schumer: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to be considered be considered made and laid upon the table. the presiding officer: there are no objections. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the en bloc consideration of

the following resolutions. s. res. 210, 211, s. res. 212. the presiding officer: without objection, the senate will proceed en bloc. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the resolutions be agreed to, the preambles be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table all en bloc. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: finally, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 3:00 p.m. on monday, may 15, that the -- following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning business be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day and morning business be closed. following the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the garcia nomination postcloture, that all time be considered expired at 5:30 p.m. further, that if any nominations are confirmed, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's

actions. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: and if there's no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order following the remarks of senator stabenow and knowing her, i'm sure they will be excellent remarks. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: without objection. the senior senator from michigan is recognized. ms. stabenow: well thank you so much, mr. president. thank you to our leader for all of his wonderful work all the time. i rise today to pay tribute to a phenomenal member of my staff, a leader who has played a key role in so many things. i've been able to accomplish here in the senate. emily carwell is leaving the upper chamber for a new leadership challenge across the rotunda. dare i say the lower chamber. after more than eight years in my office and honestly, it feels

like emily has been with me forever. to speak in senate terms, emily has been my legislative director for 2,383 votes. it's actually quite fitting that she's returning to the house, though, because it's where she started, sort of. when i first interviewed her, i loved her right away. her midwestern sensibilities, her enthusiasm, her eagerness to work for the people of michigan. anyone who's met emily knows exactly what i mean. as somewhat of an afterthought, i asked her, you have house experience, right? she said, yes. turns out that her house experience was an unpaid fellowship. but, you know what? didn't even matter. she joined my office as a legislative assistant. she hit the ground running. and she simply has not stopped.

she organized the first ever bipartisan delegation to tour all of our michigan military installations which was very significant for us to do. and as legislative director, emily has played a key role in so many areas that i couldn't even list them all. but i have to say at the top of the list is our work on mental health. her passion and tenacity is a major reason why we were able to get certified community behavioral health clinics signed into law. the largest the largest medicaid expansion since the be be affordable care act and it was a wonderful bipartisan effort. you will bet i will keep her number on speed dial as these clinics are expanded across the country. emily has also served at policy director of our democratic

policy and communications committee, a job she has excelled at, mr. president, as vice chair of the dcp, i know you know that well. she's led amazing efforts to modernize the committee, including launching the dppc floo apps to bring us into the 21st century which features everything from floor alerts to hearing videos. if you had to describe emily in one word, although there are so many words, but if you had to describe her in one word, relentless would be a good choice. during vote-a-ramas when everyone else was collapsed at their desks in the middle of the night, emily was still typing away on amendments to make sure our caucus members had the information they needed. and she was tireless during the earliest days of the pandemic when we had to figure out how to

run a senate office remotely while helping the people of michigan in every way we could. she's been a wonderful partner on codels, and we've traveled the world together. i'll never forget the time when we were in jordan at a refugee camp meeting with syrian refugees. emily speaks fluent arabic, so she was able to connect with these people who had been through so much and in such a special, incredible way. i was listening, but i wasn't able to speak to them in their language, and it was very powerful. on a lighter note, emily, i know about the time -- and you neglected to tell me that you were accidentally given the hotel swiewt i was decrease --

given the hotel suite and i was given a small room. just as important is the positive energy she brought to the office. emily has a way of bringing people together whether it's for an office happy hour around her desk, an impromptu lunch outing or costco pizzas in the conference room. her family is very important to her, and i'm so glad her sister is here with us today. and she treats her coworkers like she treats her own family. just one example, hand delivering a tin of two kinds of home made cookies to the home of a coworker who was sick. emily is an amazing team player, a skill she likely learned on the basketball court. she played on her college team, and she's also played against u.s. senators who are at least twice her size.

and all i'm going to say is you'll have to ask senator tester how that game went. emily, thank you so much for everything, for your hard work, your talent, your dedication, your service to the people of michigan and our country. and most importantly, i'm so grateful for your friendship. you will always be a part of my family. i have no doubt that you will excel in your new position, and the house is so lucky to get you back, this time in a paid position. and i'm also very happy that you'll be only seven minutes away. we actually timed it. so, godspeed, and again all the best always. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

the presiding officer: the united states senate stands adjourned until 3:00 p.m. on monday. ♪♪ spin is the unfiltered view of government funded by these television companies and more including while