also here today. here one day in january in harlem they responded to a 911 call from a distressed woman. her grownup son was threatening her and his brother. when they arrived, detectives mora and detective checked on the man and detective sulan still a rookie, was assigned to observe stayed back with the mom and other son. suddenly the door opened and a man started firing from the back room, a stolen glock, magazine capable of 40 wounds. detective mora and rivera were hit and detective rivera died later age 22, one of the youngest killed on duty. detective mora died four days later, just 27 years old. they are the who and the what law enforcement in this country should be. you know, their families are here today, including detective

mora's mom, sister and detective mora's childhood sweetheart married just months before he was killed, she's expecting their child any day now. i told the story-- >> and we do have to leave the president's remarks here. but you can continue watching live at c-span now and c-span.org as we honor our commitment to live coverage of congress. the senate about to jacksonville in working on judicial nominations and measure to repeal the biden administration rule allowing entry to noncitizens likely to be dependent on government benefits. votes are expected throughout the senate throughout the day. you're watching live coverage here on c-span2. senate will come to order. the chaplain dr. barry black will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. eternal lord god, we're reminded

of your mercies that have been of old. you have been our dwelling place in all generations. before the mountains were brought forth, from everlasting to everlasting, you are god. guard and guide our senators. provide them with a sense of purposeful direction. lord, give your enabling grace to our legislative leaders that they may unite their best efforts for the health and strength of the nation and for peace and justice in our world. cleanse anything in them that

would block the flow of your power. may gratitude to you be the motive for their work, as they strive to live worthy of your grace. we pray in your majestic name. amen. the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to the flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington d.c.,

may 17, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable peter welch, a senator from the state of vermont, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, jeremy c. daniel of illinois to be united states district judge for the northern district of illinois.

test:

mr. schumer: mr. president.

the presiding officer:le majority leader. mr. schumer: yesterday, i joined congressional leaders to meet with president biden for a good meeting about this year's spending priorities. while also affirming the need to protect the full faith and credit of the united states. the meeting was the most positive we've had. there was goodwill, an open net to work together, and it was a promising step forward. everyone agreed to a few important points. we must work to take default off the table, and a bipartisan bill in each chamber that can get enough votes to pass in each chamber is the best solution for averting default. bipartisanship is needed. it's the only way to go. it's the only way we've solved these problems in the past. no bill premised on brinksmanship or hostage-taking can pass through both the house and senate, and the other side recognized that today. instead, we must focus on a

bipartisan bill that can get the votes to actually become law. we still have a lot more work to do between now and the day we bring the legislation to the floor, but yesterday's meeting was a promising step in the right direction. now, i asked the speaker if he agreed this needed to be a bipartisan process, and he said yes. again, this i believe is a promising step in the right direction. nobody will get everything they want in these discussions, and i hope nobody, nobody draws red lines in the sand. nobody should ever use default as hostage, where they say unless you do this, we will default, because the consequences would be disastrous. bipartisanship was the key to averting default under president trump, it has been the key to averting default under president biden, and it had will be the -- it will be the key to averting default before june 16789 i'm hopeful we -- before june 16789 i'm hopeful we reach an agreement as soon as possible. defaulting on the debt would be the worst outcome for this

country, as i outlined repeatedly in speeches in this body. there is no need, none, to subject the american people to the anguish of default, and i'm glad both sides are making a good effort for now of removing default from the table. now, on nominations and judges, today will be a very busy day here on the senate floor. this morning we'll vote to advance, then confirm, the nomination of jeremy daniel to serve as district judge for the northern district of illinois. we'll also vote to advance the nomination of darrel james papillion to serve as the district judge for the eastern district of louisiana. mr. daniel and mr. papillion are highly regarded and skilled litigators, with impressive credentials, and both received a bipartisan vote out of the judiciary committee. so i expect both nominees to move through this chamber with bipartisan support, and i thank my republican colleagues for working with us. finally, we'll vote to proceed with nancy abude yu, to serve as

circuit judge for the 11th circuit. if confirm, miss abudu would be the first black woman to serve on the 11th circuit. another critical step to breaking down the barriers in the halt of justice. the 11th circuit covers alabama, florida, and georgia, home to nearly eight million black americans, and she will be only the third black jurist ever, the first black woman jurist ever, to preside on that cord. the daughter of ghananian immigrants po worked up to become -- who worked up to become one of the leading civil rights attorneys, she is the embodiment of the american dream and dedicated her career to ensuring that dream is alive and well for everyone in this country. throughout her career, miss abudu ensured our laws and institutions work for all of us. she dedicated her sever to the cause of democracy, protect -- herself to the cause of democracy and fought back against the attempts to shut americans out of the democratic

process. i am certain miss abudu will apply the law equally and impartially from the federal bench, and i look forward to advancing her nomination today. i am proud of the historic progress this senate majority has made in advancing and confirming highly qualified, diverse judicial appointments to lifetime appointments to the bench, and you can be sure we're going to keep going. i yield the floor, and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

>> so just finish our meeting with the president p. i do i think this one was a little more product you have. we are a long way apart, but what what changed in this meeting is president has now selected two people are if his

administration to correct doily negotiate with us -- directly negotiate with us, steve and the omb director. i will have garrett graves and my staff meet with them the, and we've got a short time frame here to try to find out how we can come to the a agreement but, look, i wish we had done this back in february. i requested then let's sit down and meet. it took the president 97 days. he and schumer thought people just want to just raise the debt the ceiling without looking at it. but we all know, you've heard me saying this, this is giving your child a credit card, but hay keep reaching the limit, and you have every year after year just raised the limit to a point that now you can't afford it. shouldn't you look at how you spend your money? expect great thing about this it this in our bill not only are we able to grow you are our economy, we get more people into the work force by work requirements, lift people out of

poverty the, it helps our supply chain, makes us less dependent upon china, lower the energy costs, that helps with the environment around the world, lowers the co2 the emissions globally. then when you look at permitting reform, that the in itself will help america build things again, help us to compete around the world as well. cut that red tape so we can build the things that we desire. limits spending into the future. we know government has pent too much. has spent too much. and the savings. only in america, only in congress would with it be up for debate of whether with the pandemic over billions of dollars you already appropriated that people have not spent for two years, to pull that that back and give it back9 to the harde working taxpayer of america? i don't see how that's even debatable. only in congress do democrats think they have of a hard time doing that. that doesn't mean we are going to get to an agreement, all it means is i thinks process is a mbetter process, it's manager i've beening requesting for a

long i'm -- been requesting for a long time that gives us a structure to be more productive but a short time frame to get it done. >>be [inaudible] >> we did. we went round and round giving our different perspectives. when it finally same -- came, i said, mr. president, these are all good discussions but, frankly, they're things we discussed on february 1st. had we been able to talk for those 97 days, we could have talk about broader things. but unfortunately, you narrowed what we could talk about, you made mischaracterizations of what -- [audio difficulty] n it's encouraging that the white house is now engaging seriously with the only counterpart that can help deliver an actual solution, but because it took the president three months to start dealing in reality, we now have a time problem.

so i'm hopeful the president's team will join us republicans to produce a responsible spending agreement to raise the debt ceiling. and i'll continue to support speaker mccarthy 100%. now, on another matter, yesterday, at my urging, biden administration officials held a briefing for our colleagues on the growing challenge iran poses to america's allies, our interests, and our own personnel. the list of threats from tehran is long and growing. the irgc continues to harass commercial vessels in the

arabian gulf. they arm and equip the houthi rebels in yemen who terrorize america's gulf partners. they back the terrorist proxies in iraq and syria who killed an american and wounded two dozen others in march. they fund, train, equip, and facilitate hezbollah, hamas, and palestinian islamic jihad's proxy war against israel. all the while, iran has developed closer ties with china, expanded its nuclear and missile programs, suppressed peaceful nationwide protests, and continued its efforts to assassinate current and former

u.s. officials as well as dissidents here on american soil. the administration recognizes iran as, quote, russia's top military backer, end quote, and describes iran's two-way arms trade with russia as a full- scale defense partnership. tehran is not deterred from terror at home and abroad. look at this administration's record of retreat, it's little wonder why. president biden began his term by relaxing pressure on tehran's proxies in yemen and turning his back on america's partners in the gulf. this administration spent two years fruitlessly chasing the iranians around the negotiating table, and they signaled weakness and incompetence with their reckless withdrawal from

afghanistan. and while iran and its proxies have conducted more than 80 -- 80 -- attacks against u.s. forces in iraq and syria since the president took office, america has responded with force four times -- four times. iran does not fear serious consequences for such aggression. we cannot be surprised when they attack again and again all across the region. unfortunately, the middle east is not the only place where the biden administration has met serious threats with a timid and halting response. just look at the president president's ukraine policy -- just look at the president's

ukraine policy, doing the right thing only after weeks or months after -- weeks or months of self-deterrence. but today president biden has an opportunity to change course. this week he'll meet with america's closest allies and trading partners overseas in the shadow of global challenges. he could start rallying our partners to help ukraine defeat russian aggression and to deter iran's violence at home and abroad with new and effective international sanctions, and to meet chinese manipulation and maligned influence resolve and with strength. i hope the president will seize the opportunity.

now, one final matter, just in time for police week, senate democrats are moving to confirm an antipolice activist to the federal bench. nancy abudu is the president's nominee to the 11th circuit. her record falls far -- far -- outside the mainstream. let's begin with the nominee's tenure as director at the southern poverty law center. half a century ago, the splc focused on fighting actual -- actual -- white supremacy. today it's better known for labeling political opponents as hate groups. here's how left-wing commentary summed up the so-called hate map a few years ago. quote, the whole thing is a

willful deception designed to scare older liberals into writing checks. the whole thing is a willful deception designed to scare older liberals into writing checks. over the years, ms. abudu has been happy to join the fearmongering. she described victims of poll voting as practically the same system as during slavery. she said her biggest concern about voter suppression was states passing laws requiring voters to have photo i.d. she claimed that at state of alabama, which posted the nation's second-highest turnout among black voters in 2018, was trying to establish white supremacy. and one of her employers latest by thes of legal jeopardy occurred on ms. abudu's watch.

in her area of professional responsibility, several splc lawyers are under investigation by a panel of federal judges in alabama for judge-shopping a case. in other words, these activists filed and refiled their litigation in the hopes of getting a sympathetic judge. conveniently, ms. abudu has claimed that even as director of strategic litigation, she was not involved in directing this particular litigative strategy. nevertheless, the nominee's affiliations speak for themselves. we're talking about a a former state leader of the national lawyers guild, a group that claims, quote, policing is the true threat to our collective safety. policing is the true threat to our collective safety.

and as a senior leader at splc, which recently defended a staff attorney after he was charged with domestic terrorism after participating in an attack ton a police training facility near atlanta. so, mr. president, disregard for the rule of law should be immediately disqualifying for anyone seeking a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. after a year and a half of considerations, i hope our completion will recognize that -- i hope our colleagues will recognize that this nominee is unfit for judicial service and reject her nomination. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.

quorum call:

quorum call:

>> guest: thanks for having me this morning, pedro. >> host: one of the issues is a debt ceiling but if you would because our audience doesn't know, tells about how you got to congress. >> guest: i i previously in te new york state assembly. prior to that i served as a registered lobbyist in new york and a consultant and privacy

executive director of the state republican party but i ran last year in district joe joe bin by ten points, defeating sean patrick maloney picture of the dccc i just under 1. in what was one of the most competitive races in the country. it's a district that is pretty suburban. there's about 70,000 more democrats than republicans that lived there, , about 90% is latino. there's large i risk unity, haitian community come orthodox jewish unity so pretty diverse district. certainly interestingly about 50% of households have law enforcement officer or firefighter or a veteran living in it. a lot of people committed to public service and it's a great district just north of new york city, lower hudson valley westchester putnam. >> host: when you get the congress did you expect one of the first issues you had to deal

with was concerning the current debt ceiling talks? >> guest: yes. obviously it was not dealt with at the end of the last congress. i certainly anticipated we would be dealing with it pretty early and certainly serving on the financial services committee, it's of great interest to me. obvious you to make we do not default and that we do lift the debt ceiling. >> host: talk about that. from your perspective on that committee what's the potential outcome if a default does happen particularly on those people and those topics you represent on that committee? >> guest: i have about 30,000 financial service sector employees employs that live in my district. obviously wall street located just south the new york city. our financial services industry is rather robust in new york. certainly i've met with the rating agencies and bank ceos and others, and then expressed their concerns and the

consequences of what a default would mean with respect to our ratings and the full faith and credit of the united states. so certainly i think everybody understands the significance of that and the importance of avoiding default at all costs. but as i have said throughout this entire discussion, i have had three parameters. the president and senate majority leader must negotiate with the speaker. we must cut spending. we cannot continue to borrow and print new money at these levels going forward. and we cannot default. most americans agree with that. when you see where we are with nearly $32 trillion national debt, that's unsustainable. 15 years ago we were at about 9 trillion. we have added a lot of debt in the last decade and a half, and both parties are responsible for it. and both parties need to work

together to solve this. >> host: the debt ceiling bill that was passed in the house going back to 20222 those levels cutting future spending as well, is that aggressive and do you think that is a realistic expectation that the white house would concede to? >> guest: fiscal year 22 spending was just in effect five months ago and every democrat voted for it. i'm not sure why they're so outraged by returning to a spending level that we had just had an effect five months ago. the reality is the biden administration is increased spending by over $5 trillion in just just two years. that's unsustainable. we cannot continue to accrue debt in the manner that we have to pay for it. we need to be realistic. everybody needs to be an adult year, put their big boy pence on and negotiate. i think, unfortunately, the politics of this gets in the way

sometimes. but we have to look at the reality of it, and cbo came in and had a bipartisan meeting with all members of the house and walked through where we are over the next ten years if we do nothing. and it's cataclysmic. we all need to recognize that the long-term debt is one of the biggest challenges that we face. we need to bring down our debt. we need to close our deficit spending. and we need to get ourselves on a good fiscal path. obviously part of that includes growing the economy, increasing revenues. so there's a lot, of opportuniy here if people are willing to work together and negotiate. and i think finally we saw some progress officers. to show appreciation for the sacrifices they make to keep our communities safe. and to pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice

in the line of duty. being a police officer is no easy task, mr. president. an ordinary day for the men and women in blue takes extraordinary character. it takes courage to run toward danger, to take on the unknown. but if you ask a police officer, he or she will usually say it's just part of the job. that job, mr. president, is a vital one. and i'm poe foundly grateful to the brave americans who step up to protect and serve in my state of south dakota, in washington, d.c., where the u.s. capitol police work to keep us, our staff, and our constituents safe, and around the country. mr. president, there's no denying that law enforcement is a dangerous job. police officers face threats and confront suffering on a daily basis and many officers bear the visible and invisible wounds of their job. some officers make the ultimate sacrifice laying down their lives to protect their fellow citizens. this year's national police week resolution honors the memory of the 443 law enforcement officers

who were killed in the line of duty last year. as well as the 32 lost to date this year. my thoughts and prayers go out to their families and to their fellow officers. mr. president, being a police officer has never been easy. over the last few years, however, steady criticism and vilification and the enduring defund the police movement have made the job a lot harder and taken a noticeable toll on morale. police retirements and resignations are up around the country. and there aren't enough applicants to fill available openings. the police department in nashville, north carolina, is down 40% of its budgeted positions. cleveland, ohio, has the smallers police academy class in 25 years. just nine recruits. and here in washington, d.c., the metropolitan police department has fewer officers than at any time in the last 25 years. meanwhile, crime continues to

surge around the country. here in d.c., violent crime is up 13% from the same time last year, and property crime is up 30% over the same period. in philadelphia retail and auto theft are surging as one article recently noted, small business business owners are hoping the next mayor will make public safety a top priority. meanwhile, in chicago crime is up 42% compared to the same time last year driven in part by a staggering 131% increase in motor vehicle theft. and the list goes on. and surging crime is almost unquestionably being aggravated by the rise of big city prosecutors who seem uninterested in actually prosecuting crimes. philadelphia's district attorney, for example, actually campaigned on a platform of prosecuting fewer crimes. and then there's the u.s. attorney for washington, d.c. who declined to prosecute

two-thirds of arrests last year. two-thirds. d.c. police data say the average homicide suspect has been arrested 11 times before he or she commits a murder. 11 times. think about that, mr. president. congress has the legal authority to block d.c. ordinances thanks to the federal resolutions rooted in the constitution which gives jurisdiction over the seat of the u.s. government. and when in the face of a crime surge the d.c. city council passed a law weakening penalties for a number of crimes, congress intervened and successfully blocked the bill. and yesterday the senate successfully passed senator vance's legislation to block another d.c. city council measure, a measure that would make it more difficult for police officers to do their jbs -- jobs and could lead to targeting of individual officers. mr. president, between soft on crime policies and prosecutors and antipolice rhetoric, too

often amplified or accommodated by members of the democrat party, it's been a difficult few years for police officers. and the biden administration has presented yet another challenge for law enforcement. the crisis at our southern border that has rained for the past two years thanks to the president's refusal to take border security seriously. there have been a staggering five million attempted illegal crossings of our southern border during the biden administration. an average of 6300 something individuals per day. and that doesn't even count the so-called got-aways which are individuals the border patrol saw but was unable to apprehend. and those numbers got even worse last week as the biden administration prepared to lift pandemic-era title 42 authorities which allowed u.s. customs and border protection to quickly turn back at least some individuals at the border. our border patrol agents and our nation's border communities are overwhelmed. border patrol agents in san

diego last week arrested an afghan national on the f.b.i.'s terror watch list underscoring that the immigration crisis directly affects our national security and public safety. and across -- and cross bored legal activity is making life difficult for law enforcement agencies around the country. i talked to sheriffs in south dakota about as far from our southern border as you can get, who are dealing with fentanyl that has been trafficked across the border from mexico. one sheriff stimed that 90% of fentanyl and meth comes from mexico, and that traffic something undoubtedly being facilitated by the chaos at our southern border. mr. president, despite the many challenges they face, particularly over the past few years, law enforcement officials and officers continue working around the clock to keep our communities and our country safe. this week and every week we need

to honor their service and remember their sacrifices, and this week and every week we need to do the work of ensuring that our laws and policies support our nation's law enforcement officers and their jobs, that our men and women in blue have the tools and resources they need to enforce the law, and that misguided policies don't endanger our officers and stand in the way of public safety. mr. president, i yeelgd -- e floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. budd: it is my honor to rise to speak op behalf of the citizens of the great state of north carolina. i wouldn't be here without some very special people, the love of my life, amy kate, our three kids, joshua, katherine, and macy aened my wonderful -- and my wonderful parents, richard and be sylvia budd.

i wouldn't be who i am or where i am today without all of your love, your support, and your strength. also i want to thank the dedicated members of my team, both my official staff and campaign staff who have helped me along this journey. as this voyage unfolded, i was always grateful for my fellow senators, whose presence was a constant source of encouragement and advice. i want to thank senators richard burr did senator thom tillis, for their service to this institution and to our state. i was also inspired by the senators who are no longer with us, whose lasting imprints are signatures in these desks. as i open this desk, i see the signature of the late great senator jesse helms. he was one of our state's most legendary leaders, and i can only hope to be as fine a

senator for north carolina as he was. i also look to senator james broi hill -- broyhill who we lost just this year. he was a great friend to our family for decades. his commitment to public service is one i will try to emulate as long as i hold this office. as one who was born and raised in north carolina, i want you to know that it's a part of me, it's in my bones, but you really don't know your state until you have visited every corner of it. our state, it has 100 counties, and during our campaign i visited each and every one of those counties, some of them multiple times. not just the ones with the high populations or the ones with the big tv markets. it was that 100-county tour that helped me fall deeper in love with my home state. i'm going to be a better senator for having done it.

but of all north carolina's counties, one is near and dear to my heart, and that's davey county. i was told a while back i was the first u.s. senator to come from davey county. i owe a lot to the place that i call home. it's the values of small north carolina counties like mine that are my values too. those aren't just another set of policies issues. north carolina values are about somebody -- how somebody goes about their daily life. it's about faith, it's about loyalty to our family and to your friends, it's about being a man of your word, it's about being honest, it's about being reliable, it's about working hard, and it's about serving others. our state's motto, in english, to be rather than to seem. to put it another way, we tend

to walk the walk more than talk the talk. that's the sort of spirit that i want to endeavor with me during my time here in office. you know, in that relatively short time here in the senate, i've been to 11 countries, i met with ambassadors, foreign leaders, and i've been able to visit and thank american troops stationed overseas. one of the big lessons i learned is this -- for as much importance as we place on our international standing, and believe me we should, what's most important is that we don't lose our way here at home. we need to be an america that is worth defending, in everything we do here should be about creating a strong nation. we should not seek strength without purpose, and our purpose is clearly laid out in our founding documents, and it's been taught the hard way for nearly 250 years of lived

history, witnessing what works and what doesn't. you know, winston churchill once famously observed that americans will always do the right thing, only after they've tried everything else. in the last few years, it seems like, well, we've tried everything else. a lot of bad ideas and there are some big things that aren't working. we live in a culture that, unfortunately, accentuates all the ways each and every one of us is different, instead of all the things that we have in common. it's these differences that are used by some to drive us apart. drawing lines based on race or gender or bank accounts. in recent years, far too many members of america's next generation are being indoctrinated with a sense of victimhood and despair, instead of being encouraged with vision and with hope. that indoctrination has

real-world consequences, and we've seen it borne out in disturbing national trends. less than 40% of our country says they're extremely proud to be an american. the rate of church-going and belief in god now sits at historic lows. one in ten americans suffers from depression. depression among young adults is particularly acute. one cdc study revealed 42% of high school students felt so sad or hopeless for the last two weeks they could not go about their daily business. among young adults, substance abuse is at an all-time high, rates of suicide have increased, and more than one in five high school students has seriously considered attempting suicide. these numbers should shock our national conscience, and it should serve as a wake-up call for change. instead of -- or despite these

discouraging statistics, we don't have to reinvent the wheel to know how to get back on the right track. instead of teaching the next generation of americans to wallow in all the things their country has done wrong, we need to be celebrating, we need to be learning, and building on all the things we've done right. simply put, we need to teach our kids to love our country, not to hate it, to have a spirit of gratitude and not one of disdain. great nations succeed when their citizens not only have a focus on what makes them great, but also when we collectively keep our eyes on what creates prosperity and human flourishing. when we give our government too much power, the less freedom each individual has over their own life, less freedom means you have less money and less opportunity to achieve your god-given destiny. when the government stops us from responsibly producing energy, for instance, and then attempts to dictate our

consumption habits, well, it makes life harder and more difficult for hardworking citizens, and it stifles our nation's strength. you know, the apostle paul, when he wrote to young timothy, he warned him to watch out for the love of money, for it is the root of all sorts of evil. but in this town, the root of modern monetary theory, thebe supposition that the national debt doesn't matter and government spending should be the driving force behind the economy, instead of individuals and private businesses. the problem with this is that a bigger government, with endless spending, creates economic stagnation. it convinces people to accept financial mediocrity instead of incentivizing innovative and creative members of society to take risks, to fail, and to get back up and try again for a better tomorrow. we need to be creating an

economy that rewards risk taking and allows people to be working towards their american dream. but it is government that too often stands in the way of that dream. you know, it was the trillions of pandemic spending that caused the inflation that now eats away at the buying power of each and every consumer, and it was the limitless spending of the last quarter century that created a federal budget so out of whack that the basic goal of balancing our country's checkbook is politically toxic to consider. looking to a government as our economic savior is simply not the solution. capitalism, open markets, a free and moral people, that's the formula for success. success that our country saw not too long ago, and we can surely re-create it, if we have the right leadership that lightens the regulatory burden on america's job creators, and the stronger that we are here at home, the more leadership that

we can exert on the world stage. that's what's missing today, a strong and confident america. the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan in august of 2021 was nothing short of a national trablg i did and dis-- tragedy and disgrace. not only did it result in the devastating loss of 13 servicemembers and the abandonment of countless citizens, but it put american weakness on full display. we were seen by our enemies as hapless, short-sighted, and not willing to change course when the facts on the ground called for a change. in speaking with allies and international leaders, i heard over and over again it was the afghanistan debacle that caused our allies to wonder if they can even count on us anymore. they wonder if when the going gets tough, if we'll be more likely to cut and run than stand by their side. as they've stood with us.

that undercuts america's standing in the world. as we see the results of weakness across the globe, a russian dictator blatantly invading his neighbor or unleashing an unspeakable chaos and suffering on innocent civilians, or we see china, led by a brutal communist government, is growing more aggressive, not only towards taiwan but blatantly launching spy crafts over the u.s. mainland, buying up critical infrastructure inside the united states, and stealing the intellectual property of u.s. citizens. iran and north korea are spinning centrifuges, cracking down on their people and making threats in their regions. at our southern border we have a historic hiewmple and -- humanitarian and national security crisis. instead of pursuing what used to be a nonpartisan imperative to secure the border, the current administration is retreating from their responsibility to protect and defend this country.

all this chaos is the result of america being a diminished country, all too willing to cede the stage and let others lead. that's no the way that the world will find peace and security. peace is achieved through american strength and it is american weakness instead that provokes evil. our country must return to the principles of clarity and purpose, a willingness to act when the situation calls for it, and the strength to follow through when we face obstacles. as a country, we can have anything that we want, as long as we act with wisdom and conviction. and ladies and gentlemen, we know what works. we've done it before, and you can bet that we can do it again. despite all the things that are broken right now, none of them can overshadow the uniquely american ability to overcome a challenge. each and every day, i am filled

with the tremendous sense of gratitude that i live in the united states of america. i believe that millions of people out there, they feel the exact same way. in the final analysis, it's our shores that welcome one million legal immigrants every year. it's our country that is viewed by millions as a place where they can shed an old life and start again. you know, people vote with their feet in the united states of america, we're still the last, best beacon of hope on this planet. all we have to do is keep it that way. at the end of the day, we must seek to be a nation that empowers every citizen, ensures human flourishing and preserves freedom for each and every individual to pursue their american dream. i'm going to leave you with thil during my time in the u.s. senate is to create a strong

nation, both strong -- build strong families, it's to be of service to others, to make other people's lives better, to do just what i said that i was going to do. that's how i've lived throughout my life, and that's the kind of senator that i want to be. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north carolina. mr. tillis: thank you, mr. president. i want to speak briefly on senator budd, how thrilled i am to have him as a colleague in the u.s. senate. if you heard his speech, he mentioned our state motto. what you saw her was a rationale, respectful member of the senate. i've observed that for years. when he was in congress, ted budd and i met back in 2013. i have watched him serve the state of north carolina before

he was elected to congress. i admire the wait he carried himself when he was in the house, and i have been thrilled to see how well he has hit the ground running here in the senate. but i will tell you, much like my campaigns, they're not necessarily easy in north carolina and truthfully ted was running in a primary. i had two friends running in a primary. the wait he conducted himself there was also very rationale, very reasonable, very respectful. that's why i think he's a u.s. senator today. that's the second reason. the primary reason relates to a woman named amy kate. if it wasn't for the rules, i would look up to the gallery and thank amy kate and her family directly. but that's a violation of the rules. i want to let everyone know in north carolina, you picked a

great partner for me to have in the u.s. senate p thank you, mr. president. mr. mcconnell: i just wanted to say to our new colleague, welcome to the senate. an outstanding opening speech. i look forward to serving with you for many years to come.

share. 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, do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 175, jeremy c. daniel of illinois, to be united states district judge for the northern district of illinois, 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 jeremy c. daniel of illinois to be united states district judge for the northern district of illinois 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:

the presiding officer: the yeas be 57. the nays 39. the nomination is confirmed. the motion is agreed to.

mr. booker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: i have 15 requests for committees to meet during today's session of the senate. they have the approval of the majority leader, chuck schumer, and the minority leader, mitch mcconnell. the presiding officer: duly noted. mr. booker: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. booker: less than a mile from where we are right now, just a 15-minute walk away are two curving blue/gray limestone walls, about 304 feet long. they curve their way through the

center of judiciary square under the shadow of neatly organized trees adjacent to the national law enforcement museum. built and dedicated in 1991, these walls were inscribed with nearly 12,000 names at the time they were built. each year since then, more names have been added. in fact, just this weekend families, loved ones, americans of all backgrounds, americans of all beliefs, a tapestry of our humanity gathered under the night sky for a candlelight vigil, and very solemnly additional names were read aloud and inscribed into that limestone adding yet once again to the total. these are hallowed names engraved into those walls,

etched forever into our nation's memory. these are names that belong to our fallen heroes. the names are of brave, loyal, patriotic law enforcement officers, our great citizens who answered the call, who sacrificed for their communities communities. no greater love for man than this than to give his life for his friends, for his nation. these are men and women who every day knew when they suited up, they could face danger, potentially even the ultimate call. they are the names of police officers who had tragedy visited upon them and their families and their loved ones. they're also police officers who took their own lives and names of officers who fell toll covid

-- fell to covid. officers who in the midst of the pandemic, when we were sheltering in place, they were out doing their duty. each one of these names are sons. each one of these people are daughters. they are husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues. they are parents who have perished. in short they are the names of public servant, men and women, public servants who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. it pains me to say that i am familiar with some of these names listed on the walls, familiar from my time as mayor when i oversaw a city, including a mighty police department. i remember vividly those times when i would receive that call.

one of our officers had been injured in the line of duty or had been shot or in two cases, where they were tragically killed. i remember those phone calls. i remember the visits with loved ones, with their fellow officers, with friends. i remember the pain and the hurt and the agony. i remember the eulogies and the funerals, grief that lingers still. families and communities shattered then and still feeling the loss now. it first happened in march of 2007, just months after i had become mayor. sergeant tamoso papalizio was the youngest of seven siblings, an avid paint ballplayer. his family immigrated from italy back in the 1960's and settled

in the city why he attended high school. police work, you could say, was in his dna. two of his older brothers were newark officers and the sergeant was following in his family's footsteps. he had been a newark police officer for 12 years when he responded to a call on a late night of dangerous drag racing going on. he pursued a subject in a high-speed chase during which his sov crashed into a pole, rolled several times, and he succumbed to head injuries two hours later. i remember vividly that day speaking to news media at the hospital. i remember speaking to his heroism. i remember speaking to his dedication, his commitment. and those words are as true

today as they were then. and those words of heroism ring true also for detective michael morgan, a six-year veteran of the newark police force who was tragically taken from us november of 2011. it was said that detective morgan was destined to be a cop. when he was a young boy he would sit by his window and make siren noticeses when police cars went past his new jersey homes. two of his cousins were police officers. his uncle was a police officer, retired deputy chief no less. he was an athlete. played linebacker and fullback for new jersey city university and during his years on the force, he helped take hundreds of guns off the street protecting people from gun violence. and he was more than just a new weekend police officer. he was a community leader from new weekend, serving new weekend, involved in the

community, loving his city in every way. on that november day, detective morgan was off-duty when he attempted to stop an armed robbery suspect, just as he was about to pull his weapon, he was shot in the torso. other officers there tried to save his life, rushed him it a nearby hospital, but he was pronounced dead. today these stories cut even deeper. they weigh even heavier. jers has lost two -- new jersey has lost too many police officers. new jersey grieves recently the loss of deputy -- loss of robert bobby sheisler. he tragically passed away this sunday from a gunshot wound he suffered two months ago following a pedestrian stop. a four-year veteran of the force. and the first depford police

officer killed in the line of duty. he was just 27 years old. mr. president, these stories, these officers, sergeant popolisio, detective morgan, officer sheisler, they are just three individuals amidst the hundreds and hundreds of stories of fallen officers whose names are on that wall. photographer emblazoned on the -- forever emblazoned on the heart and soul of this country. they show duty and honor, stories of duty, self-less service and the ultimate sacrifice. stories that remind us of the dangers that every single day law enforcement officers face. most importantly, they

demonstrate what it takes in this democracy, the greatest nation on the planet still, the call of duty, the challenge of what it takes to preserve peace. without officers that put themselves in harm's way, i struggle to think of how the challenges we face would be all the deeper. mr. president, this week as we commemorate national police week, the purpose of these days is to pay tribute. police week is about paying tribute to the law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice to our country. let's not forget that. it is a chance for all of us to pause and reflect on how we can continue to work together to ensure that police officers have the support that they deserve in doing some of the most difficult

jobs in america. every day, law enforcement officers are on the front lines of mainly crimes. they're there in our crises. they're there when we're' frayed. they're there when we're under assault. they're there in our communities and our fraibhoods, with a -- neighborhoods with a noble purpose to serve, to keep us safe, to make yours strong. they respond to mash shootings, to domestic violence, to horrible accidents, and to painful crimes. they have to confront the scourge of the rising rates of gun violence in our country, walking into a situation where they face individuals sometimes with weapons that belong not in our streets or our neighborhoods, but in theaters of war. i have seen situations, active shooter situations, where other

people are running out, they're running in. other people are ducking for cover, they stand strong to protect us. in the past few years, during the pandemic, i began to hear the stories of officers with little regard for their own safety, still going out and doing their job. when the fear and unknown of this pandemic was hitting, you still had officers showing up for duty, going into dangerous situation, and i began to worry about their well-being. it's why working with senator grassley i was proud, in the depth of the pandemic, to introduce legislation with other colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, to expand the psob program, so that death benefits are given to survivors of police officers and first responders who lose their lives to covid-19, that the presumption

if an officer dies, it was a line-of-duty death. today, i introduced bipartisan legislation to ensure officers across the federal government receive their full retirement benefits. they're there for us for their whole career. we can make sure that we are there for them when they retire. yet all these bills are introduced and debated in this body, i know that it is a shadow of the work being done by the law enforcement officers in this nation. but many of us on this body were reminded of their heroism when this chamber was attacked on january 6, and we saw officer after officer put their lives on the line, indeed as a result of that attack we lost capitol police officers, including brian sick -- including brian sickk

from new jersey. we stand here and debate and legislate, but out on the walls, just yards from where i stand, are the officers who showed that every single day they face a danger that we will never know. so this week, a week in which we remember our police officers, law enforcement themselves are still out there serving our community, law enforcement officers are still, with little regard for their safety, running into situations of great danger, whether it is a rookie cop on their first day or a seasoned veteran who has been on the job for decades, police officers put on their uniform, head outside, and their families and their children and their loved ones know the challenges and the dangers of the job. most of them will come home. most of them will raise their kids. most of them will see retirement. but tragically, some of them

will not. and so this week we call it police week, but it is a bit of a divergence from the understanding why this week came to be. mr. president, this week is here to remember the sacrifice and the service and the patriotism. my country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee i sing. land where fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers died who wear the uniform. land of patriotism and pride. let us not forget those who have fallen, and let us continue in a bipartisan way to protect them, to serve them who so nobly serve us, protect us, and advance this nation forward each and every day. mr. president, thank you.

ms. rosen: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. rosen: i want to express how deeply concerned i am about the senior senator from alabama's blockade of senior military promotions which threatens to leave hundreds of nonpolitical, routine military positions unfilled. all because he wants to repeal the department of defense's policy that allows servicemembers to be able to seek and travel for reproductive care. this is a move that risks our national security in order to rob our servicemembers of their ability to make their own family-planning decisions. servicemembers who, frankly, are sacrificing so much to keep our country safe. and so failure, failure to fill these positions poses a risk to our nation's military readiness and our ability to ensure that these critical roles are filled with the personnel that we need.

don't just take my word for it. seven, seven former secretaries of defense, from both democratic and republican administrations, have voiced their concerns in opposition to these holds. secretary austin and general milley have also repeatedly stated that these delays pose a clear risk, a clear risk to america's military readiness. in a moment, i'll be asking the senate to confirm by unanimous consent calendar number 110. included in this batch of 23 routine military promotions is the current vice commander of the air force warfare center at nellis air force base. this is the home of our air force fighter pilots right in nevada, where america's air combat tactics are developed, where they're refined, and where they are perfected to ensure that we keep pace with current

and emerging threats. and training and instruction takes place right at the nevada test and training range, which provides the largest air and ground military training space in the continental united states, for testing and evaluation of weapons systems and advanced air combat training. because of one senator's anti-choice blockade, the vice commander of the air force warfare center in my great state of nevada, which oversees more than 13,000 military and civilian personnel, is unable to receive the promotion and the pay increase that he deserves. he's unable to transition to his next duty assignment, and his next duty assignment, and his in

doing our job that a lot of people spent a lot that a lot of people spent a lot .. .. ob. we ought to be voting on every one of these nominees, as i've got these holds. i'm not against voting for them. i'm against for voting for all of them at one time. it would be better use of our time if we would come here, vote, and go back to our office like we norm legal alien do -- normally do. if the democrats were actually concerned about these nominations -- and i'm going to say is it for the 100th time.

if they were actually concerned about our national security and the things that are going on around the world, we would be taking these nominees one at a time, one at a time, and getting them knocked out instead of worrying about coming here and doing this debate, complaining to each other about what's going on when the executive branch is doing our job and we're not doing ours. today i saw some discussion from senator shaheen. i saw her talking about it on msnbc today. her bill that she's throwing out would simply change the law to make this memo legal. i do not support this legislation. but we ought to take a vote on

it. that's what we do here. she wants to put a bill on the floor. let's take a vote on it. and if the house and the senate pass it and joe biden signs it, then, you know, it's into law. but if the bill fails, then congress has spoken. so if senator shaheen's bill fails, secretary austin then should accept the consequences and the sense of congress, follow the law and suspend the policy. so if democrats want me to drop my hold, then the answer is very simple -- i have laid out two conditions for me end to the holds. either follow the law or change the law. i'll drop my holds as soon as secretary austin suspends the memo. the burden is not on me to end this illegal policy. the burden is on the biden administration to follow the law. democrats have mentioned that we've got some very important nominees coming up, and we do. that includes the chairman of

the joint chiefs of staff. i agree -- very much agree -- that this is very important, very important situation where we need a new joint chiefs of staff. but we need to vote on some of these nominees, anyway. these roles are too important to put everybody in one group and send them here and nobody knows who they are and run them through. but i'll have proper to say on that later. but to this point -- but i'll have more to say on that later. but to this point, i hope i've been clear. i've laid out otoconditions on which i'll drop my holds. these conditions have not been met and i will not drop this hold until they are met. so is, mr. president, that's the reason i object. ms. rosen: mr. president. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the senator from nevada. ms. rosen: oh, and, mr. president, thank you so much for saying the pronunciation of nevada properly.

i urge my colleagues to earn the pronunciation of our great state of nevada. with that, i will respond to my senator, senator tuberville. he is preventing this body from confirming dozens of key promotions. we do know who these military promotions are. they have been serving proudly, distinguishingly in our military. they are not unknown to us. they deserve their promotion, and you are threatening our military readiness and our national security and we can confirm these nominations right now if the senator ends this blockade. and every day, every day these thresholds persist, every day that you persist, you risk the u.s. national security, and you risk our military readiness. and so because we lack officials in key posts across the military at this critical time, we know

that we need to do this en bloc. it is what we have been doing. these men and women, serving proudly, ready for their promotions, ready to take their next duty step. and i just want to make one point before i go. make no mistake, our adversaries, they are watching this very closely. russia, china, iran, and others -- they understand how this hurts our military, and they will look and find a way to take advantage of this. so i deeply am disappointed that you're continuing to object. we hope that tom a reconsider. -- we hope that you'll reconsider. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. cortez masto: mr. president, i come here today to talk about police week. but before i do, i had the opportunity to listen to my colleague from nevada push an important point here, and it's not lost on me, the general public watching this, thinking how crazy this argument is at the end of the day. i just heard my good end colleague, senator tuberville, basic basically say ssess a not -- say he's not opposed and actually would vote for the individual that senator rosen just said she was asking him to support for promotion. he said he would do it. the only thing that is holding him up is that instead of what we have traditionally done in this body through unanimous consent for promotions for for the in our military, which is a procedure that we do all the time, he's forcing it to go to a floor vote. is it makes no sense.

makes no sense to committee. makes no sense to the american public who is watching this t and it clearly is san abuse of the use -- and it clearly is an abuse of the powers that we have as senators in this body. and so i just -- i have to point that out because this is what we're dealing with, unfortunately, at times when the american public just wants us to work together and move forward. men and women in the military seeking promotions. that's what this is about. and we should be supporting them because they are the ones that are standing guard protecting us and our national security. i i just have to point that out or, the craziness sometimes in this body that i see is nonsensable. so let me talk about another thing that is important that is happening this week and across the country, but particularly here in washington, d.c., is police week. if you have not been to the police memorial and judiciary square, you should.

because every single law enforcement agency in this country is recognized, unfortunately, at this memorial by a death. and it is the only way we as the american public can stand up and say, we see you, we hear you, and we know you are standing guard, and we care, and we want to show respect, not only for you, who made the ultimate sacrifice, but for your family and your friends and everyone else to have the ability to come together to recognize the men and women who serve in our military and make that ultimate sacrifice. as we go about our daily lives, our police officers are the ones protecting us and our families. they know that their job puts their lives in danger, and their families know that every day when their loved one leaves for work, they may not come home. it is a sacrifice for the individual getting up and

leaving that house, and it is a sacrifice for the loved ones who watch that individual leave. why do i know that? because i'm married 25 years to a federal law enforcement officer, not retired. and i remember in the middle of the night when he was on call and he got that call and his boots are by the side of the bed, slips his feet into them and walks out that door, and every spouse, every loved one who sees them leave has always in the back of their mind, are they going to come home? and so this is important that we recognize the men and women who are representing and he can prosecuting our communities every single day. i am -- representing and protecting our communities every single day. i have worked with police departments across my state to crack down on crime, to prosecute offenders and to keep nevadans safe. not only have i worked in my

state as a prosecutor, i have worked here in the district of columbia. -- in the united states attorneys office as a prosecutor. i have witnessed the hard work and dedication of our police officers firsthand. whether you're a state police officer, a local, city, our county police officer, or a federal officer, i have worked alongside them. i know what they do day in and day out. and that's why my role in the senate will always be to fight for our law enforcement. it has been my priority to listen to the needs of police departments throughout nevada, both big and small, throughout our federal law enforcement agencies, to ensure that i'm doing everything i can to get them what they need to protect our communities. and that includes securing funding for more resources, for improved technology and, yes, better training for our officers.

last year, along side senator grassley, i was proud to make sure that congress passed the biggest increase in byrne-jag rent funding in the last ten years, and to help put an end to tragic law enforcement suicides, i introduced and passed legislation to increase data collection on suicide and support peer counseling programs a -- that can improve police officers' mental health. now, while these investments are so crucial to ensuring our officers are prepared for the job, far too many smaller police departments just can't compete with their larger counterparts for resources. i know this. i know in from our law enforcement agencies in my rural community in nevada. madam chair, you know this as well. madam president, our law enforcement communities in our rural areas, which are much smaller, have to really fight for resources that they need.

over 90% of police departments nationally, including several in nevada, have fewer than 200 full-time officers. that's why i've worked with senator grassley to introduce the invest to protect act. this legislation would set aside grant funding specifically for smaller local police departments, including our tribal law enforcement to ensure they can access the resources they need to keep our families safe. police officers in northern and southern nevada have told me about how hard it is to do their jobs when they are short on personnel. they're stretched too thin and that makes it harder for them to protect our communities and their own lives. the invest to protect act will keep these police departments with recruitment and retention so they have enough officers to serve their communities. these are important jobs that make good careers in public service. so in honor of police week and the sacrifices our officers have made to protect us, i urge my

colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me and senator grassley in supporting the invest to protect act. and with that, madam president, i yield the floor. .

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from nevada. ms. rosen: madam president this, week marks national police week, a time to recognize and honor the courageous work of men and women who keep our communities safe. these heroes, you know these heroes, they put their lives on the line to protect our communities, and i want to give special thanks to law enforcement officers across nevada who serve every day with honor and integrity. and i want nevada police officers to know i have your back, we have your back, madam president, the presiding officer from -- my senior senator from nevada. we have your back. that means working to see that our law enforcement officers have access to resources, training, and recruitment support, the kinds of things they need to do their job safely.

and we should also honor the men and women who have fallen in the line of duty protecting our communities. these men and women, they were heroes. they left behind family and friends and colleagues and communities they served and helped to protect. men and women like las vegas metro police department officer truong thai, right behind immediate considerations tragically shot and killed this past october while responding to a domestic disturbance call. officer thai who came to this country as a child from vietnam. he was a pillar of our community, he was deeply devoted to his family. he was an experienced patrol officer who trained new recruits over the course of his career, and officer thai has been described as a mentor to his colleagues, one who, quote, said he did the job, he did the job for all the right reasons. officer thai was also a friend to so many, a consummate family

man. and when he wasn't directly serving the community in uniform, he was often coaching volleyball or out in the water boating with his family and friends. and seven months since he was murdered, officer thai continues to be missed by his loved ones and the entire las vegas community, and no one will forget him and his service and his kindness. and unfortunately officer thai is not the only one. far too many officers, far too many officers have been killed in the line of duty. so today i am also thinking of these fallen officers and all those who died in the line of duty in nevada. so, madam president, to honor their lives and bravery, i ask unanimous consent to submit a list of names of nevada police officers who recently passed away and whose names have been

added to the nevada law enforcement officers memorial and the james d. hof peace officer memorial for printing in the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. ms. rosen: thank you. these officers, these brave officers made the ultimate sacrifice for our communities, and they deserve our eternal gratitude. i will continue to work with my colleagues here in the senate on solutions that support our police departments, the officers they serve, and always their families. thank you, madam president. i yield back. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from colorado. mr. hickenlooper: space command --. the presiding officer: excuse me, senator. we are in a quorum call. if you would like it to be vitiated --. mr. hickenlooper: that's the word i was searching for.

if i could vitiate the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. hickenlooper: space command has been in the news lately. a final decision may be forthcoming soon. but the reported rationale behind that decision is misguided. there are rumors out there that the fact that this spacing process is about a variety of issues, but really there's only one thing. what is in the best interest of our national security in the reports focus on the draconian laws of alabama and senator tuberville's decision to bar military promotions. i've always been a strong advocate for reproductive rights, especially among servicemembers, and i vehemently disagree with senator tuberville and his decision to hold nearly 200 general and flag officer nominations hostage, a hold that directly affects military readiness. these nominees are waiting to

take their new commands, move their families and carry out their missions that they were trained to lead. they need to sell, leave the homes they're in. they can't buy new homes. they can't do anything until their promotion is confirmed. these are important issues, but we can't conflate these issues with space command for the simple reason that our military should never be politicized. senator tuberville wants to make this about politics. senator bennet and i want to make it about national security, and space capabilities are absolutely essential to our national security. whether you're talking about gps for ground-based operations or secure communications systems, for maritime navigation, every

single domain in which the u.s. acts in the name of national defense, be it on land, air, cyber, maritime, you name it, depends on our ability to operate in space. the entity responsible for coordinating these operations is u.s. space command, which was first established in colorado springs back in 1985 and formerly stood up as a full combat and command in 2019. over the past three and a half years, the brilliant team at space command headquarters in colorado has set the standard for sucht expertise in space. they're building out our understanding of the global threat landscape, investing in our response capabilities, and hitting key readiness milestones, including reaching initial operating capability back in august of 2021.

this april, space command took another giant step forward when general dickinson, who is in charge of leading these efforts, an announced that u.s. space command will reach full operational capability by the end of the year at its current location in colorado springs. full operational capability. in other words, space command is on the verge of achieving full mission readiness in record time. that's an incredible achievement , and full credit goes to general dickinson and the men and women on the front lines of u.s. space leadership. general dickinson's announcement underscores just how dangerous it would be to rubber stamp former president trump's reckless political decision to move space command from its

current location in colorado. moving headquarters requires that we build new facilities, install secure communications, infrastructure, relocate or rehire our existing resource. congress has never received an estimate for how much this would cost, even before factoring in the impact on national security. that's neither efficient nor strategic. it would take years, years to replicate the milestone of full operational capability, and every single member of this body knows that we simply don't have that luxury. we don't have that kind of time. we don't have years while russia is raging, is waging a brutal and ruthless war in ukraine. we don't have years while china is developing advanced hypersonic weapons and threatening to invade taiwan.

we don't have years while iran and north korea are attempting to undermine our cybersecurity. right now the united states is being challenged from every angle. now is not the time to tie our hands and an announce to our rivals that we're intentionally stepping back from being fully operational in space. it is not the time to announce to the world that we'll let partisan politics interfere with our military decision-making. the arrival of u.s. space command on the cusp of reaching full operational capability in colorado springs should be received by the entire senate as a remarkable achievement, one that strengthens our national security and one that expands our military might. space command's formal establishment as a full combat

and command in 2019 came not a moment two as soon as. over two years later russia directed a direct did i sent anti?riet -- anti satellite test. a few months later information gathered by u.s. satellites helped the intelligence community to sound the alarm that putin was amassing thousands of troops on russia's border with ukraine. satellites have spotted the massive construction of suspected nuclear missile silos while china's people's liberation army as well as the gleel build-up -- illegal build-up in the south china sea, a brazen breach of international law and proof positive that ccp's threat to taiwan is real. satellites directly facilitate our communications, our

critical infrastructure navigation and banking systems as well as count lts other technologies that we use every single day without even thinking twice. there's no question president trump's decision to move space command to alabama was political. no question. don't take my word for it. president trump said so himself on live radio. take it from republican mayor john sothers, the former republican attorney general of the state of colorado who personally heard trump say in the presence of a four-star general that he wanted to see how the 2020 election turned out before making a final decision on the location on space command. that's politics interfering with military positions. take it from a senior military official judgment that led them to recommend colorado. colorado springs is the best

place for space command because it's already at work here with tangible results about which all of us should be proud. we shouldn't risk our national security. we should keep space command in colorado springs where it belongs. madam president, i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: thank you, madam president. i rise today to again speak on the multifaceted crisis that has defined our southern border and how the inaction by president biden and his administration has only exacerbated and continued the fallout our country is experiencing. since the beginning of his tenure in the white house, president biden's trademark has

been border chaos. actions do speak louder than words and president biden continues to prove that his priorities are miles and miles away from the southern border. he is only -- he has only visited the southern border once since becoming president and he has supported funding cuts to the department of homeland security and that department is charged with securing the border. our border patrol agents service needed support from the administration who has left the crisis they face at their feet. in the past week, according to the u.s. border patrol, there have been 67,759 apprehensions, 15,780 approximate getaways, 17f fentanyl and 34 pounds of

cocaine. all seized at our southern border in justice 168 hours. with our border patrol stretched inconceivably thin with little support from the administration, it's hard to fathom the true amount of illegal crossings, human trafficking and illegal drugs currently entering our country through the southern border. on top of all this, on sunday a portion of the u.s. -- excuse me. on sunday a person on the u.s. terror watch list was arrested at the u.s.-mexico border crossing in san diego. this further proves the national security implications regarding this border crisis and the message displayed to the world about the state of our ports of entry. the impact of the unprecedented amount of drugs entering through our southern border is certainly not lost on me either, nor

anyone in this body. my state of west virginia has seen the impact of this crisis directly and it has created irreversible scars on our communities. i just mentioned 56 pounds of fentanyl has been seized just last week alone. that's enough fentanyl to kill 12 million americans. recent data from the c.d.c. shows that he between 2016 and the 2021, fentanyl overdoses have risen 27 the% in this country -- 379%, those in this the ages 22 to 24 have the highest overdose rate from fentanyl. through conversations i had on this topic with the biden administration officials, i have found their answers to be highly insufficient. this is a crisis killing a generation and we know that

these drugs are flowing across our southern border. the administration needs a better answer and they must swiftly act to stop this killer. now is the -- now as the title 42 has expired, it has added to the confusion on the southern border. the biden administration is trying to reset a new normal, based on fail policies as an attempt to redefine and hide their border failures. trust me, the american people are not fooled by the recent victory lap taken by the biden administration or their effort to increase progress. to the biden administration, what they consider low numbers still far exceed the daily average of the prior administration. in fact, if illegal crossings continue at the levels that the administration is touting, this white house is on track to break the previous record they set

last year with the number of illegal immigrants caught at the border. this is not lost on the american people many unfortunately, this is a habit we have kind of seen from this president. we saw similar messaging antics from the administration regarding gas prices when they touted decrease that's still put us above the average before president biden even took office. the same goes for inflation, which saw record increases only after democrats' supercharged spending. mitigating the border crisis is an ongoing effort and one that we have to monitor closely. will the administration's actions of the past week create a massive backlog of asylum claims? what does that do to our system? this only adds to the issue of interior enforcement, something that the biden administration clearly has never prioritized.

despite the president's too little, too late action, our border remains open. i know with certainty that once someone enters our country, the chances of them being expelled are very, very low. as we move forward, the situation of the border needs to be tightly watched and it needs to be tracked over time. if it deviates based on many different factors and different policies we are currently experiencing, but above all else, we have to remain committed to policies that do secure the border, policies that protect our communities. i don't know how the border communities are doing it. policies that support our patrol officers and policies that prevent the humanitarian tragedy that has become the custom over the past several years, whether it's the drug influx, the human trafficking and just the human sorrow that we see that this is generating.

my republican colleagues and i remain committed to this mission and i encourage the administration to do the same. with that, madam president. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. a senator: madam president, i'm here today to join my colleague from west virginia and others in, again, calling on the administration to secure our southern border. mr. hoeven: last thursday i traveled to brownsville, texas

to see first hand the situation. i traveled repeatedly to the southern border and each time i go, i see more and more people coming across illegally. i've been to mcallen, i've been to del rio, i've been to mexico, ecuador, guatemala, and colombia, both sides of the border. as i go each time, more and more people are crossing the border illegally. in the three days leading up to the end of title 42, border patrol reported 10,000-plus encounters each day and almost 83,000 for the week. in the first six months of fiscal year 2023, cbp encountered more than

1.6 million individuals in six months, that compares to about 2.5 million crossing illegally last year. that means that the pace we're on, it will be more than three million coming illegally this year. this truly is a crisis and it's one that has been caused by the biden administration's unwillingness to enforce the law and reinstate policies that have been shown very clearly to work in the last administration. in brownsville, we saw the crisis first hand and we met with border patrol professionals who told us what needs to happen to stop the flow of illegal immigration. and we can get a handle on this right now if the biden administration will simply enforce the law. we know this from our border

patrol professionals, the experts on the front line. they're the ones telling us this. that includes enforcing the migrant protection protocols, mpp, or the remain in mexico policy, which would require people seeking asylum at the southern border to wait in mexico while their case is adjudicated and enforcing the third safe country protocols, again, as the prior administration did, so that individuals seeking asylum from el salvador, hon -- honduras, guatemala and other countries must wait for their claims to be adjudicated before they come into the country. but instead of requiring individuals seeking asylum to remain in mexico or to submit an asylum claim in the first safe country they cross into, the biden administration is creating a demand poll for these individuals.

because they not only allow them to cross illegally and come into the country, but they allow them to stay in the country illegally and they provide a work permit an benefits. so when secretary mayorkas says, oh, the border is closed, that's not the message that goes to south america, and now actually more than 100 countries where people are coming across the border illegally from 100 different countries. the message that coyotes and others tell people trafficking across the border, oh, we'll get you into the country, you will be able to stay, you will get a work permit and you will get benefits. so of course they're going to come and they continue to come. and what the biden administration is doing is they just process them faster. they just process them faster. with the expiration of

title 42,ings secretary mayorkas -- secretary mayorkas says he is enforcing title 8. he's not here's what he's doing. when illegals come across the border illegally, he says you have to have an asylum claim and it has to be adjudicated and you can't stay and they say, i can't do that. they don't have to go to a hearing. they are given a phone number, they call the courts and say i'm appealing the claim, i'm here for asylum, and they're given a work permit, an alien identification number, a work permit and benefits. they don't have to go to court. their hearing is on the phone. they're scheduled for a court date three years, five years down the line while they're in the country. that's not enforcing title 8.

and that's why more and more people are coming. that's why two and a half million came last year and 3 million -- three million plus coming this year. what do you see in this country? now in new york they are putting migrants who come here illegally in gitmos in schools -- in gyms in schools. and the governor complains. the white house has set up ten times as many people as governor abbott has. maybe he's complaining about the wrong person, but that's what's going on. how about fentanyl? how about the drugs that are pouring into our country illegally affecting every state? how about human trafficking? how about human trafficking? how about all of the things happening to these people as

they are coming up here at the hands of the coyotes and how about the people who don't have the $8,000 to pay the kay quoteys? -- coyotes? what do you think they do? that's fine, don't pay back the $8,000 or dz tdz 12 -- or -- or $12,000 or maybe they're indentured servants until they can pay off that debt. how do they pay off the debt? what are they bound to when they're up here? that's the kind of suffering that's being created by this border policy. the reality is it can end right notice. it can end right now. well, congress needs to pass a law. what good does it do for congress to pass the law if the biden administration won't enforce the laws they have right now? we are a compassionate country. we allow a million people, a million people to come here

every year legally. but we've got to enforce our border. and that's not being done. and every american needs to understand that the bide:administration doesn't need more -- biden administration doesn't need more tools or laws to secure the border. they have the laws to do it. they just won't. they want an open border. border security is national security. you're seeing that impact. you're seeing people come from more than a hundred different countries. a lot of those people aren't vetted. that doesn't even count the got-aways, the people that cross between the ports of entry that our border patrol professionals don't have time to stop because they're so busy processing more and more and. mr. moran: grants that come other -- more and more and more migrants that come here illegally under the biden policies. mr. hoeven: it's time to end the

situation. border security is national security. with that, madam president, i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from can sasse. a senator: madam president, the border is not open. mr. marshall: the border is not open. that's what dhs secretary mayorkas told the american people repeatedly. i guess that's pretty easy to say when you're sitting in your office in washington, d.c., but i rise to tell the truth to the american people. just recently i led a group of senators to the epicenter of this crisis in brownsville, texas, on the eve title 42 was being lifted. why brownsville, you might ask. because that's where the cartel had moved the mass migration to. i reckon that was the easiest way to get all the people from

venezuela that they'd recruited to come to america. that was the easiest, most economical route to get them to the border was from venezuela to brownsville, texas. i have to tell you it's worse than i expected. the scene was bleak. the morale was at an all-time low. and there was no sign of this crisis ending any time soon. at least that's what was going on on our side of the border. on the other side of the border, these migrants were celebrating. they were having a party. the worst party of their journey was over. we toured example monument -- we toured camp monument. camp monument was a park just weeks before, but the border patrol had come in there and set up an emergency command post. now, again, the dhs secretary is telling us the border is open, but this is what the border patrol told us. just the day before, 11,000

illegal migrants had been recorded at this location alone. and more than 3,000 got-aways the same day. 3,000 got-aways. you put those two together, that's the size of my hometown, great bend, america. we saw this week with the arrest of the afghani on the terrace watch list in california these got-aways undoubtedly include terrorists, convicted criminals, and the cartels' drug smugglers. in fact, something again new on this trip, this was my fourth trip to the border, something new. they were averaging 90 chinese military nationalists crossing in the rio grande valley every day. 90 chinese nationalists every day crossing our border. probably the saddest thing i heard about from the border patrol is they shared the horrific situation and the repeated sexual assault young women are enduring to come here. they compared it to a never ending cycle of sex clairvegry.

that -- slavery. that was their term. the cartel made $13 billion last year in the sex slavery industry. and they told us that these young ladies enter a lifetime of debt to their criminal traffickers. so many other people turned into inten tured servant -- indentured servants. the smugglers are also bringing in lethal fentanyl that is poisoning our children. 300 adults dying every day. the data we received in the briefing given to us by the border patrol, by local law enforcement, and the cbp did not reflect a border that's closed. far, far from being closed. it's a border that's been erased by failed leadership in the white house. under the current circumstances, only 10% of the border patrol agents are actually tasked with securing the border. only 10% of them are doing the job they were hired to do.

the other officers, they're tasked with running the refugee camp, acting as nurses and social workers. but it didn't have to be this way. it doesn't have to be this way. on every trip i've asked the border patrol what do you need. and in past trips they talked about we need more doctors. we need more dentists. we need more help, more cooks. but this time they didn't ask for more officers or resources. what they specifically asked for was policy changes from this administration. they asked for policy changes from this administration. these are people on the ground. these are the people that have been doing it again multigenerational officers whose fathers and grand parents had patrolled the same borders. they asked for policy changers. secretary mayorkas has -- the tools they need to secure our border. what they asked was to reinstate the remain in mexico policy and end catch and release.

it's that simple. this could be all accomplished with the president's pen. he created this crisis. he can end it. thank you. i yield back. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from indiana. mr. young: much better than you all expected. that's what president biden said when asked about the conditions at the border after the expiration of title 42. much better than you all expected. at the end of a week that saw a record 10,000 illegal crossings

al day, he says much better than you all expected. those were just the ones that were stopped by the u.s. customs and border protection. but the president's statement is clearly disconnected from the on-the-ground reality at our border. everyone knows that. and as far as i can tell, the biden administration's policy when it comes to the southern border is largely to do the opposite of what the previous administration did. this is the come stanza policy of costanza policy of the border security. whatever the previous president did, do the opposite. within his first 100 days in office, president biden stopped construction of the border wall, but he didn't stop there. he halted deportations, but he

didn't stop there. he suspended the remain in mexico policy. as a result of these and other actions, there had been at least 6.4 million, 6.4 million illegal border crossings at the southern border since the president assumed office. now, to put that in perspective -- and this is just the number of people who we've seen and been able to track come across the border illegally. so we know there are far more. but i represent a state, the great state of indiana, where the population is 6.8 million. it's a whole lot of people. since 2021, hundreds of thousands of children have been

trafficked across the southern border. 85,000 unaccompanied children are now missing, madam president. last year overworked and underappreciated border patrol agents apprehended more than 12,000 illegal immigrants who had already been convicted of a crime. again, just the ones we've been able to apprehend. this year, this year so far, those agents have stopped 82 people according to my most recent count, from crossing the border and they are on the terror watch list. fentanyl smuggled across the

border from mexico is now the leading cause of death for americans between ages 18 and 49 49. record numbers of migrants are dying, swept away in the currents of the rio grande. so many in fact that law enforcement has to keep refrigerated trucks at the ready to store the drowned bodies. the administration pretends that its lax border policy is somehow humane. it's the benighted, ultramaga conservatives, the mean republicans in this vision that

are inhumane. i have to say swamping or law enforcement officers, overwhelming our resources, allowing lethal drugs to spread through our communities, not discouraging migrants from a deadly journey to the border, this is inhumane. and saying so and demanding a measure of border security is not anti-immigrant. it's pro-american. these are not republican talking points. these are the sentimentses of regular americans. the failure to plan for the end of title 42 to enforce our immigration laws, to secure the southern border is a disaster. americans no matter their

political party know it. but the president of the united states does not seem to understand. in new york city where illegal migrants have displaced homeless veterans in hotels, mayor eric adams said, quote, the president and the white house have failed this city. the truth is when it comes to the border, the president and the white house have failed this country. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: madam president, i'm pleased to join with my colleagues to talk about a topic that i've talked about many times before on the floor of the united states senate.

obviously coming from a border state, the humanitarian, the public safety crisis occurring at our border which has rained for the last two years under this president has final made every state a border state, every city a border city. because they are all feeling the impact because migrants are being shipped to places like chicago, new york, washington, d.c., and so the mayors are saying whoa, we can't take this, even though border communities in texas have encountered five million migrants during the biden administration. i'm sympathetic. but there's no sympathy and