and informing and supporting a very well done local responses that are faster, more informed and, therefore, more effective. >> thank you. thank you all for joining us. we will end on that note. and hopefully i think that we have a series of ideas and policy principles for a bipartisan way forward, , and hopefully the next time we run into a pandemic may be 30, 40 years from now -- >> may be sooner. >> may be sooner, we will be in a better place. >> thank you. [applause] >> [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

>> the u.s. senate is gaveling in on this monday or more work on president biden's executive and judicial nominations. including former new mexico democratic congresswoman torres small to serve as deputy agriculture secretary it's the number two leadership post at the usda. lawmakers will consider rosemarie to be director of the justice department's violence against women office. and live now to the senate floor here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. father of love, as we live this

day, give us wisdom, strength, and commitment to serve you in all we do. we acknowledge you, lord, as the creator and sustainer of our destinies, so show us how to do your will. lord, guide our senators. lead them by your wisdom, as they seek to know and obey your precepts. illuminate their path with the lied of your truth -- with the light of your truth and keep them from sin, which is a reproach to any people. help them to overcome the temptation of trying to make it on their own strength.

instead, guide them until they yield to the inflow of your wisdom, insight and vision. we pray in your powerful 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., july 10, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of

rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tammy duckworth, a senator from the state of illinois, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leaner time is reserved. -- the leadership time is reserved.

relatively new outlook, what is it about? >> we are eight weeks in, we cover everything from politics to general news, sports entertainment. our mission is timely, accurate, objective news. you can find us on the

messenger, original reporting, we have a great team and politics. >> can you describe how much time is left before the summer break is scheduled to happen? >> not much. we were coming against august, we got to get to the august recess and there's a lot to do in the next two or three weeks so we are up against a deadline, i think july 28. >> the key thing this week is spending bill. can you describe the process going on and what we should be watching for next. >> it's very interesting right now what's going on in where this is playing out, this was agreed on in the debt limit

deal, a mandatory 1% across the board so they need to pass this. the issue is house republicans agreed with the white house to conservatives in the house of representatives with the budget numbers are even lower and leadership has agreed to that so they will take up a couple of spending bills must've got to get them done this week and they need to go through this process but the difference between conservatives and the house of representatives are versus senate democrats are. >> elaborate, if the agreement set, what gives them gumption to

lower the number? >> different caucus, a small enough majority, a smaller number of conservatives, we seen this process play out in one concession speaker mccarthy has been able to function a little easier to allow these spending bills so this is the friction between the two but also they have a lot of pull with the speaker because it's a small majority in the house of representatives that they can derail projects in the chamber that gives them the ability to do that.

>> if there are 12 spending bills, have any of those? >> no. >> was the deadline for passage before they shut down? >> september 30. we got until july 28 and august and it will come back and number other than dealing with spending bill so september 30, they need to pass these bills and get them through the house and senate so that's the time. >> is there plan be in place, should the bills not happen? >> they haven't talked about a plan b because it's adamant, it's one thing mccarthy wanted to do, he wanted a more robust, transparent funding process. they can always bring a package

together all in at the same time, mccarthy said he's not doing that and senate democrats would probably do that but that is plan b and plan c is the mandatory 1% across the board for spending. >> spending is one aspect going on this week to ask questions about that, call 2-027-488-0004 democrats 2-027-488-0001 republicans 202-74-88004 defendants. text at 8003. i'm in the house, i passed appropriations bills lower than agreed on and it goes to the senate controlled by democrat. what are the scenarios there? >> they will have to come together and after the debt limit fight happened, there was

going to be a need, the chambers will have to talk and hash out where they can agree to get these spending bills across the finish line so that is the track we are heading to, democrats and senate with republican and figure this out. >> what degree are they willing to accept a number to begin with? >> they are not sure. they marking up at the levels they been given, maximum level which is what has happened and whatever is customary so we are unsure, we haven't gotten past that yet so we need to see how it plays out. >> one thing scheduled to be discussed data this week is the

national authorization act, can you explain what that is when it comes to defense spending? >> congress needs to pass the authorization act, one of the only things, one of the few things annually so it's the defense department and what is interesting is it's usually a vehicle in a political fight attached to that. the funding for ukraine, we will get an idea how much republicans in the house support ukraine how much money they are willing to fork out. another thing is the abortion policy and paid leave and paid travel and abortion access.

republicans in the house, they want to kill that plan so that's another thing aside from spending, there other fights that will make it more comfortable. >> how much did they get attached? >> reporting this morning, we have a fantastic support that's much better and it's the lead story, hundreds have been filed in the rules committee so they will have to assist through those amendments and figure out what they bring forward. >> with that in mind, those are the major things, the house and senate people also be watching? >> looking for republican oversight of the white house, this is one of when republicans took the house, they promised

figures oversight of the white house biden administration and they have been doing that, the fbi director christopher wray is testifying on congress, judiciary committee and he's getting it from all sides and the drugs found in the white house last week, the oversight committee james, requested a briefing from the secret service so they will continue on the oversight of the white house. >> 10:00 wednesday is the scheduled hearing in front of the house judiciary committee, c-span three, follow along on our app at c-span now and follow along on the website at

c-span.org. he talked about cocaine of the white house and jim, sending a letter and it's unacceptable the white house history the secret service responsibility to maintain on particles. the level of security maintain at the white house and the oversight jurisdiction for uss operations and i look forward to the information but tell us what's going on as far as their concern or interest in the story. >> i talked with sources and it's unclear what they want to understand from the secret service situation. what i got was the letter sent

to the secret service. anything that has to do -- it's politics in their legitimate concerns cocaine was found in the white house and drag the biden white house so they will probably get behind this closed doors briefing and we will see how james, and republicans and democrats come out of that meeting given what was said. >> you saw it on social media and a little more explicit and

hunter biden and senate republicans of presidential candidates has stated public drug abuse issues and struggles so when the pop up at the white house, i don't think it's something but it was something that was said to put it out there. >> independent line, the messenger congressional reporters. go ahead. >> this is an issue they recently made concerning affirmative action.

it's going to be permanent or is it still incomplete? -- mr. schumer: madam president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: first, madam president, i'd like to welcome back my colleagues, including our acting senate pro tem president, back to the senate after a sell breting -- after celebrating the july 4 holiday. today, my thoughts are with all new yorkers impacted by the flash floods that barraged the hudson valley, particularly orange county where the west point military academy is located, as well as other parts of upstate new york, particularly ontario county. the situation on the ground remains dangerous. streets have been turned into rivers. houses have been swept away in their entirety. and sadly, at least one person has lost her life.

i've been in contact with the local first responders on the ground to ensure we're doing everything we can in my office to help. today i also called on fema to be ready to grant any requests from the state for a major disaster declaration. and i urge everyone in new york, and across the northeast, to exercise caution in the coming days. the danger is not over. i will continue to monitor this situation and bring the long arm of the federal government to help in every way that we can and that it can. now, when people think about the july 4 holiday, they think about fireworks, barbecues, family. but last week, many americans saw something else too. they saw more construction workers hard at work in their communities. they saw more hardhats and shovels and cranes and cement trucks operating day and night. they saw, in other words,

democratic -- democrats' agenda in action, an agenda that created over 35,000 new infrastructure projects over the last two years. these projects will mean millions of new, good-paying jobs across the country, for yeerls to come. new york -- for years to come. no, is a terrific example. last week i was proud to announce nearly $7 billion in federal dollars has been approved for the gateway tunnel project in what will be the largest federal transportation grant in history for the most important infrastructure project in america. gateway has been a true passion of mine for more than a decade. a labor of love that i've been focused on for a long time. it's critical for our economy in the northeast and, in fact, in the entire country. should the tunnels under the hudson not be usable, the northeast and probably the country would go into recession.

so this affects everybody. the funding i announce sd -- announced is a direct result of the terrific work we did in congress to pass generational infrastructure legislation. i will work -- our work is paying off. the gateway project alone will create 72,000 new jobs, good-paying jobs, and generate 19, over $19 pl in ancillary -- over $19 billion in ancillary economic activity, in addition to the dollars being spent. and our infrastructure agenda is not just about bridges and tunnels, either. the administration announced it recently over $42 billion in broadband funding is heading to the states across the nation. more money so kids can access high-speed internet at home and so more families in urban and rurls communities can stay connected across the country. i thank my colleagues who worked over the july 4 weekend to

announce all the great projects happening around the country. implementation will remain a top democratic priority. now, on the senate july work period. as the senate gavels back in our north star remains unchanged, to build on our historic work over the past few years to strengthen our economy, make life better for the american people, and do it in a bipartisan manner whenever possible. a little over a month ago, both parties came together to avert a catastrophic default on the national debt. while agreeing on spending levels that will keep our country and our economy strong. this month the work of funding the government will continue. it won't be easy, but must get done with good faith and bipartisan work. i am pleased so far that this process is moving along in the senate, through the appropriations committee, through regular order, in a

bipartisan way, and we will do everything we can to remain -- to ensure that it remains that way. in another act of bipartisanship, on something equally significant, the senate will move forward on the annual national defense authorization act so we can keep our country safe, support our friends in ukraine, outcompete china, and give our troops the pay raise they rightfully deserve. i thank chairman reed and ranking member wicker for moving the ndaa through the armed services committee last month, and i hope that we can move quickly on it here on the floor in july. these two areas, appropriations and the ndaa, the defense act, are prime examples of the kind of bipartisan work we want to see in the senate, and which i've worked with my colleagues to foster. we also need that bipartisanship on other issues too, to reduce the cost of insulin and

prescription drugs, to hold bank executives accountable, to modernize federal aviation programs, to reauthorize the farm bill, to make progress on safe banking and outcompete the chinese government. every one of these issues requires bipartisan cooperation. getting there won't be easy, but we're going to do everything we can to make them happen, because every one of them will benefit the american people. and of course, wheeling also -- we'll also need bipartisanship to prepare for the radical transformations a.i. will unleash in the coming years. tomorrow, the senate will have the every first ever classified all-senators briefing from the department of defense and community community on a.i. and how it affects our national security. our breefers will -- briefers will include avril haines, kathleen hicks, deputy secretary of defense, and other top experts from our defense and

intelligence agencies. we're still in the early stages, madam president, of understanding a.i.'s role in our national security, so this briefing will be critical for senators to learn more about how we're using a. i to protect our country. also -- a.i. to protect our country, how it's being used by adversaries and what what we can do to maintain our advantages. we have to time to waste. our adversaries won't wait to deploy this technology against us. congress cannot behave like ostriches when it comes to artificial intelligence. we need to learn as much as we can about a.i., as quickly as we can, so we can play our part to ensure the a.i. revolution brings prosperity, safety, and unparalleled voichtion. i thank all -- innovation. i thank all of my colleagues on both sides who attended the previous briefing and encourage them to attend this. i thank senators heinrich, rounds, and young for their bipartisan work on our little group that is steering a.i. in

the senate. finally, this work period we must continue to confirm president biden's nominees and rebalance the federal bench with judges who respect the rule of law. sadly, americans' faith in the judiciary is at an all-time low after the extreme maga right captured the supreme court. in the last few weeks, this maga majority has gutted affirmative action, blocked student debt relief and green-lit discrimination again the lgbtq community. what we're seeing at the supreme court is a sickening hypocrisy, as some justices feel free to accept lavish gifts and vacations from billionaire friends, they're refusing to help everyday americans trying to get a fair shake. and the billionaires who provided these trips and emoll yuments are no ordinary,

run-of-the-mill billionaires. they're ideological extremists who bankroll hard-right maga causes and bring those cases before the same judges they patronized. congress has clear authority to oversee the federal judiciary, and that includes making sure that the highest court in the land is held to equally high ethical standards. i support chairman durbin and the judiciary committee's efforts to advance scotus ethics reformed and look forward to working with them on this issue. in the meantime, senate democrats will continue to help restore faith and balance to the federal judiciary by keeping up our historic pace of confirming president biden's judicial nominees. on voting rights, john lewis said democracy is not a state, it's an act and each l generation must do its part to help build what we call the beloved community. we should heed these words in our day and age because today

house republicans introduced their latest broadside against the fundamental right to vote, a sweeping bill that one lawmaker called, quote, the most substantive and conservative election integrity legislation that will come before the house in over a generation. let me say it again. the most substantive and be conservative election integrity legislation that will come before the house in over a generation. democrats here in the senate will never allow such a terrible proposal to become law, and very soon we will once again move to bring real much-needed voting rights legislation before congress. people think that the attacks against democracy came and went on january 6. unfortunately, sadly, that is not true. in states as diverse as georgia, texas, iowa, florida and arizona, partisans have rewritten the rules of our

elections in broad daylight to make it harder to vote, harder to vote in a democracy that it of course has hailed the right to vote and advanced it. today's bill from republicans is the latest example of the giant step backward the republicans these days are taking when it comes to voting rights, and democrats will fiercely oppose it. i yield the floor. i do not yet yield the floor. madam president, i understand that there is a bill at the desk due for a second reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the second time. the clerk: s. 2178; a bill to extend the chemical facility antiterrorism standards program, and so forth and for other purposes. mr. schumer: in order to place the bill on the calendar under the provisions of rule 14, i would object to further proceeding. the presiding officer: objection having been heard, the bill

will be placed on the calendar. mr. schumer: i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: madam president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be withdrawn. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. mcconnell: over 25 years ago america made a noble and necessary commitment. never again to deploy or produce chemical weapons and to destroy our remaining stockpiles.

the u.s. army depot in my home state of kentucky has been home to the bulk of our nation's legacy chemical weapons for dbdz, and on friday the depot safely destroyed the last rocket in the u.s. arsenal. last week marks a major milestone in an effort that dates back to president reagan's call for global prohibition on chemical weaponry altogether it. after a decade of bilateral negotiations, the united states made an international commitment to ban their use, production, and stockpile for good.

at that time bluegrass army depot stored over 500 tons of lethal chemical agents. the army's initial plan for eliminate nateing the depot -- for eeliminating the depot stockpile was incineration, literally burning the rockets. understandably, local residents were concerned about the potential for poisonous leaks into the community with schools and family homes literally in spitting distance. when i joined the senate in 1985, our first victory was putting a stop to new munitions entering the commonwealth. the second came when i passed legislation forcing the army to explore more advanced disposal

options that ensured the safety of local residents. over the years i've been proud to call greater national attention to this important local issue. i fought to bring home nearly $7 billion in federal funding to support the responsible destruction of these munitions. and i'll continue to fight for kentuckians until the mission is complete. it's been the honor of a lifetime to lead this charge in the senate and to push for the safety of madison county families each step of the way. we wouldn't be here today without the singular focus and determination of community leaders like craig williams, an extremely effective local advocate who devoted much of his career to seeing this project through. and of course we owe a debt of gratitude to the operators,

technicians, construction workers, and other staff for their work on the ground. today is as much a story of local success as a reminder of worldwide significance. the united states is firmly planted in a wide international coalition that recognizes the moral imperative to reject chemical weapons, and unfortunately that coalition is more important today than ever. the authoritarian regime in moscow that escalated a brutal war in europe last year is the same one that repeatedly and brazenly ignores the chemical weapons convention that governs our efforts. vladimir putin has repeatedly used deadly nerve agents on foreign soil and supported the assad's regime's use of

devastating sarin and chlorine against syrian civilians. as we condemn this horror, the american people can be proud that our nation stands squarely on the right side of history. families in my home state of kentucky can rest a little easier thanks to the dedication of so many in the united states has shown the world that our commitment to the global prohibition on chemical weapons is ironclad as ever. now on another matter, last month the supreme court wrapped up its productive term by deciding some especially consequential decisions in favor of equal protection and executive restraint. in response, washington democrats offered a fresh example of just how profoundly they misunderstand the court and its role in our government.

the president who has flirted with calls for court-packing warned ominously that a coequal branchl was not a normal court. the democratic leader who threatened justices by name from the steps of the court branded it as maga. and this month the judiciary committee will attempt to force the court to restructure itself in the name of ethics. but for all the democrats' breathless fearmongering, the record of the supreme court's latest term tells a very different story. by the numbers, the court remains as ideological diverse and unpredictable as even passing students of our constitution know it was designed to be. nearly half of the cases the court heard this term produced a

unanimous outcome. it ruled overwhelmingly in both directions, striking down union thuggery and declining to stop the biden administration's open borders policy. by contrast, just 9% of cases were decided 6-3, with each of the republican-appointed justices in the majority. 99% of the cases. the exact margin liberal commentators used to claim the supreme court is irredeemably polarized actually decided fewer than one in ten cases this term. just one in ten. this is the institution our colleague from new york likes to call a maga court. really? here's the reality. in case after case, the exceptionally qualified justices

washington democrats have spent years vilifying continue to approve their restraint and independent jurisprudence. justice barrett was just as likely this term to vote with justice kagan as with justice thomas. let me say that again. justice barrett was just as likely this term to vote with justice kagan as with justice thomas. justice kavanaugh was more likely to vote with justice kagan, and the court's two most conservative justices -- thomas and alito -- voted together less frequently than liberal justices sotomayor and jackson. the supreme court is not in crisis when it refuses to reliably and predictably advance democrats' priorities. the court is not in crisis when it puts the text of our law above politics.

the supreme court is a coequal branch of government, and it should continue to do its job. the presiding officer: 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, 2ke79 of agriculture. xochitl torres small of new mexico to be deputy secretary. quorum call:

the impact of this higher education matters, thank you for joining us. a little bit about the expression project, what is your role in it? >> we work with democrats to get ideas from both parties, immigration but we know we will continue to do that in the future if we don't have new leaders graduating with a

commitment the skills should be brought to the table, what you think they need to do in your opinion? >> need to prepare people to be pathetic listeners in this to both sides of the case and the skills they are growing up in the neighborhood and the viewpoints and social economic status and students zooming in so it's the most diverse community if ever been part of they talk with people who have different scenarios. >> i imagine in light of all you said, the affirmative action decision of the supreme court on a legal matter affects the

community as well. what you see happening? >> i know you had the "wall street journal" and one of the things is the feelings were running high in court so if that was the case the court, imagine what it's like, it will have an actual impact students are going to bring their ideas to college campuses and they are not always skilled and it makes it feel they don't necessarily belong some african american students may hear have heard and for asian american students, they

have the international publication, asian americans are being used and on social media in media and public opinion, they have stayed in that direction, too. it's going to be important for resident advisors and student affairs leaders to break into those conversations so that may happen in social media, it's not how we connect ourselves. >> let's start at the top, what are best practices as far as not only faculty but the students impacted? >> it is a question, they have to show their leadership and they would do that. looking for three things from college presidents. number one, a statement about

this decision to work with their admissions teams revising policies and working with student affairs. a college president, a college president is most critical in, especially true today when people distrust colleges and they are worried and college presidents have been looking to make sure they stay in touch with their public feelings. >> work on clarifying the process at their individual campuses. >> i do think it will have an eye on the public. we know the public opinion is divided. researchers at stanford, harvard

and university of texas found 59% of the public including majority of democrats, or publicans and didn't independent made a decision so it will critical to say they are committed to diversity and they will comply with a decision. if you presidents have made this decision and they will communicate and comply with this. >> form to ask questions especially students and faculty, 227-48-8000. democrats 24474 republicans. independence 202-8002. if you are a student or educator college, 202-74-8200. what are you hearing from

colleges and universities and to what level does it give you comfort as far as these discussions about take place? >> pretty confident, this is a widely and dissipated decision and thinking about the admissions fees for example, we have a lot of experience to launch 25 years or so or its been a requirement no submissions, red states like oklahoma and nebraska, a blue state like california and washington state and they have a lot of experience trying to cross policies that build a diverse class while operating under this. >> on embassy recently, the incoming president was asked about what to expect on campus

especially this one. i want to play her response maybe what you've heard or,. >> i think what she pointed out was simply that the race is still an important part of life and many people it plays a negative part in life. significant resegregation of public schools and lack of resources and lived experience of those students. there is significant negative impact from those experiences on the potential to compete in places like harvard university jesse jackson's saying is this reality the united states becoming president of the college, tomorrow i start and

this will cause major disruption in terms of admissions and a feeling of belonging for students on our campuses in. >> a feeling of belonging let's start with that. >> i do congratulate the president on her new role the general public the fourth and agrees that it's important to have diverse college campus in the washington post and university pull, they found 63% of the public and 25% say they hope the decision would be affirmative action to be overturned. 64% said they support programs that increase diversity of

student body and the justices who wrote the decision justice roberts and three justices all wrote and ways to support a diverse student body and the justices in the majority and the public thinks they are achieving a diverse student body, i think that justice recognizes that the student body is important. >> thank you. our first call comes from denver, democrat line. good morning. >> good morning. you are a bipartisan policy analyst the most who has been the primary beneficiary of

affirmative action so far? you should know is the training of the court was benefiting from this and being a negative, it will admitted in this program at harvard and unc so that was a reason the ways in which the policies were informative and they were used as a negative stereotype. >> taught in ohio, hi. >> hi pedro, hi jackie. the previous color talked overall benefit of the greatest

but my own question is this -- i thought it showed significant, believe that race was significant when john roberts majority decision opinion rather, where he wrote his opinion you could address raise you talk about how it affected you, i know what he wrote and i wanted to know, did you think that showed the belief that it is significant and should be part of what qualifies as a diverse population? the decision overall -- when i read that part about okay, they are not lost and it is an important thing, race.

>> in the broader context, admissions are going to change going forward and recommending the "wall street journal", i think we will see colleges and universities, i think they will widen and find ways in which they can recruit students in the university of virginia will be targeting schools, some schools will use a program developed to identify students in neighborhoods and schools that have high populations represented on campus. i think that is 80 policies, but will see those.

think there will be increasing questions about whether colleges should continue admissions or for example, john hopkins. the question of essays, colleges can have individual essays how students background have shaped them and there's a lot of focus on colleges and universities and justice roberts did write but it can be written in such a way to achieve what was unlawful today. that is a question will be a focus of admissions officers.

white kids and black kids are discriminated against based on this law that was passed in 1984. if a child, english is the second language, they are not to be discriminated against, which they are not. it discriminates against black students and white students. if a child is in esl student, they are not allowed for the first eight years that they are

in america. but, black kids and white kids can be failed for the same type of knowledge which means that the els student gets to go on for the first eight years of their life and be given special consideration where if the other kids are held back and not given that consideration. now, the person on this line that is talking right now, i'm sorry, the speaker, is she aware that black kids into white kids in grades one-eight are held back and the other kids are moving on. >> okay. thank you for the perspective. >> thanks so much for the call. i am not familiar with this particular line. the decision we are discussing

today. you point to that equality of k-12 education in addressing equity and access for all students. i know that some of your viewers may have tuned in last week when you had jared and michael on. even though they disagreed about quite a few things, they need to do more on k-12. they came out relatively recently and found out that math and reading scores fell during the pandemic and the racial gap which already existed between black students and white students increased in mathematics in particular. today we are talking about college admission. one moment in the k-12 to college to postgraduate studies to employment, trajectory for

students and i think addressing that k-12 quality and achievement is an important part of what happens in higher ed. >> the decision in the los angeles times and it quotes a student, a student at cal state long beach. a senior at cal state. one of a few black students in her political science classes and she feels extra pressure so people do not question her place at the university. she plans to apply for a doctorate in law school programs she is now considering historic black universities where she will be welcome. how does that play out as far as other students that may be grappling with this? >> i think you already raise this question of belonging. affirmative action has raised all these kinds of questions about belonging and will

continue to do so. this students experience reflects having the qualifications questioned. there are other students that will feel that they belong less and they are likely to see fewer students that look like this because of that decision. that is why it is so important for colleges and universities this summer to get their faculty, to get the student affairs, professionals and staff ready for when the conversation will come up. they definitely will come up. doing programming in advance and being ready for when these conversations go sideways which they often may well do to say, look, i'm in college, we engage with one another respectfully. >> are there best practices that other colleges and universities have used in this discussion? >> one thing that i have seen at

a number of colleges and universities is talking about an open inquiry from the time students arrive on college campuses. perdue university, depaul university, they have orientation programs around freedom of expression and they say, look, you may have been told only impolite people raise politics and religion, but that is why we are here about college campus. you will hear things that are deeply challenging for you. that is the expectation. our purpose is to make you genuinely independent speakers. >> one practice that i think is a very good one is orientation programs. >> joyce on our republican line from georgia. >> i am not certain about the number of graduations that

harvard has had this spring or another years. >> are you still there? >> yes. >> how does it relate to the topic at hand? >> they had celebrated graduations. correct? >> i don't know if that is the case. alumni associations separate celebrations, for a variety of affinity groups. >> in california we will hear from cliff. >> hello. go ahead.

>> yes. i think that there is an 8020 situation going on. talking about 20% of the problem the guest speaks about harvard, stanford, usc, et cetera. the preponderance of college students are going to state colleges. state-funded universities. they are a different animal than the private colleges. i think some of the problem could be solved if other states would do what california and i believe what texas have done, for over 100 years. we have a great system of junior or community colleges. they are just about absolutely free.

anybody can go. and it does not cost anything and then you just pay for your second two years of another college it is somewhat of a conundrum when we talk about having a so society based on merit a meritocracy, and then on the other hand we are talking about giving somebody an extra boost. the two are not compatible. >> thank you very much for that call. i will respond in two parts. you are exactly right it's not an 80/20 problem, only 60% attend schools is what we think as prettily hundred highly

selective. a small fraction, 4500 higher education institutions. an affirmative-action case will have any impact. the higher education research institute at the university of california los angeles, more than half of students who attend public universities attend a university with an hours drive of their home. one thing that can be done if we are concerned about equity in the long run is that employers can do more, not just use a shortcut of putting students only for the top 10 or 25 schools, but to recruit very broadly from a wide range of colleges and universities where students are attending. you also make a very important point about community colleges. they either are at a community

college today or started their education not one. we recently had a symposium for leaders of community colleges. i was able to see really up close what a terrific job they are doing for preparing students for conversations. our host was austin community college. they offer first-year success seminars based on great books. they bring together students to discuss and learn how to have really open test conversations that they then take those skills into the rest of their education and back into their community. >> sharon from virginia. democrats line. you are on with the guest. >> real quick to my sister talking about esl students. funny thing, esl students can be black, too. they are not blocking black students from having opportunities.

they can be failed. i would know. number two, if uva will be reaching out to diverse students or whatever, will they fix their policies and address all their history in the past, including thomas jefferson? i think it is really ironic we have a white cast on here, especially a white woman talking about affirmative action. have a good day. >> thank you very much for that. we have seen schools from, you know, for example, georgetown here in washington, d.c. think about the ways in which slavery has had an impact on their history and tried to adjust that through conversations and scholarships. it is a really hard, hard question. i think it is why this

particular topic and affirmative action in this case has feelings that are running so high and why it is important for colleges to be ready when students come back in the fall. >> at the time of the decision, the new york times put out a survey on where the public stands on these types of issues. they were asked about private colleges and universities saying they should not be able to use as race as a factor. i suppose that translates out to how these discussions will take place on campus come fall. >> it certainly does. it was a majority republicans and a majority of independence. so, there is broad support across the public. coming onto college campuses, i think it may be the case that there was more support in general on college campuses

among admissions officers. be ready for people to say all kinds of things. there was a washington post quoted in georgia tech student last fall who was speaking about decisions, students are afraid of being canceled. we will make sure the number one job of a college is to have really open conversations. we want students to be able to express support for the decision, opposition for the decision. i think the justices themselves really model that. it was deeply personal. it was deeply personal the day the decisions were read. students who agree with justice roberts. a way to eliminate discrimination as a way to eliminate all of it. all of this demands constitutional principle.

i think one thing is you could organize a reading group, discuss these particular decisions and show how the justices themselves model how deep disagreement, certainly, no name calling, but scylla hundred philosophical, moral, legal argument, an issue that is deeply personal. >> what is the best way to have these tense conversations? >> i think that there are a lot of strategies to do that. leadership starts at the top. baylor university or elsewhere, they have president senior speakers series where they bring in conversations where they may

have different points of views. i think it is also important to have channels with lots of different points of view. also to begin in classrooms where we get to have a little bit of historical moves on these conversations. we read about the constitutional debate or we can read frederick douglass or we can read any number, any of the federalists and learn about the principal still informing this decision today. >> let's go to charles. you are online with our guest. go ahead. >> thank you. good morning to all. american graduates of a state school, a graduate school.

who benefits the most from these types of affirmative-action programs. i believe that everybody does. you are exposed to different cultures, different people. in my college experience, i will tell you, it informed how i managed to navigate the corporate world. in addition to that, i think the private schools, the affirmative-action decisions in respect to private schools is a lot of our great leaders that manage the country, that lead the country corporately and politically come from these organizations. or these colleges, rather. if we are not in the room, there is less diversity and what will be represented in the future.

and those were my comments. thank you. >> charles, i could not agree with you more. i was a college professor for 11 years. i know diversity is what makes a college classroom successful. that means having students with all political points of view. and students who are black, who are latino, who are white, who are immigrants to this country. i think about what justice powell said in the original decision, the first of these affirmative-action cases. he cited a brief from harvard university. that brief said it may be more important to harvard to bring in a farm boy from idaho and likewise a black student would be able to bring a perspective

that a white student will not be able to bring in. having a diverse group of students is mission-critical. that is how we are able to have a wide range of viewpoints on a college campus and in our discussion. >> sergio and pompano beach florida. >> how are you, sir. >> fine. go ahead, please. good morning, how are you. >> i am good, thank you. >> i have a couple of questions. how does the affirmative-action higher education impact upon on different universities in florida like the university of florida and so forth that african americans want to improve upon their education. do you think that this is a good move by president biden also to do this property as well? how do you think the democrats and republicans assist on that?

>> i believe that florida is one of the nine states where there are rules. this is a question where we will see how the state's intimacy are for students. they will have to study the case. what i know is some schools have already decided, they have read the case to mean that race conscious scholarship decisions will no longer be possible. the university of missouri which includes four public universities in its system, on their reading of the case, and the decision that race will no longer be a factor in the awarding of scholarships. on the question of president

biden, on his way in, it is important for the university to be able to think about how it is that they will build a college class. the courts have said things are unconstitutional but it takes a college leaders to build and think about how it is they should design a college class. >> what do you think the decision will do as far as campus discussions? how do you think that that conversation will take place? >> i think it is really hard to say. we did not hear many colleges say, now we will really revisit our legacy admissions. the justice was exactly right. legacy students is race neutral in its face but it overwhelmingly benefits white students. there are some schools that have given up legacy admissions.

johns hopkins has done so. it was tied to a very large gift from michael bloomberg who gave that gift, continued upon this. more pressure to give them. just like we did not hear them say now we will admit many more students. now we will really scrutinize legacy admissions. when you asked the public deal favorite overwhelmingly unpopular. >> pittsburgh pennsylvania democrats line. you are on with our guest. hi. >> i am actually in college right now. i have spent some time in a state school and i have transferred to another private university. i feel like i've been able to kind of see a little bit of what a modern university is going through. i don't even know, sorry, it is

always tough, growing up in high school before i was going to college, you know, it is like we are very aware of what schools are looking for. what is crazy about race conscious admissions, it is literally this conscious admission that your race matters in the same way that volunteering, i kind of watch, at least my generation of kids going to college, conscious expectation that you are doing volunteering work that looks better on your application. a bunch of students that are doing volunteering work. they don't really care that much. they are doing it because they think it will help them. it is incentivized so they will follow through. i think we have seen the same thing happen with race, actually. i think part of our cultural divide is we have really been asking kids to just be very

aware of their divisions with each other. and, you know, schools matter a lot to people. for some, more than others. when you make something matter that much and then you also tell them, hey, by the way, i had a conversation in high school with a teacher of mine and i will finish up soon. he is hispanic and he asked me straight. we were having a conversation about race conscious admissions. he said, would you give up your spot to someone, you have the same credentials, you know, but they were black or whatever. you know, would you give up your spot? when i was 16, it kind of shook me a little bit. because, you know, i kinda felt like why should i consciously be like sort of stepping down.

that should not be my choice. i don't think it's fair to be determined by the color of our skin. it should be determined by the color of our merit. >> i wish you the best in your studies. i know how high ceilings run when applying for college. my eldest child just went through that last year. i know really personally how intense those feelings can be. it is hard because college admissions are a constant game. somebody gets in, somebody else does not get in. on this particular case, what we saw in the arguments was that there are intellectually and morally serious arguments on both sides of the case.

i love that your teacher asked you to think about that question and really deeply engage in that. that is what we will see. how it will be implemented. d.how they will incorporate tha. the senator from alabama strongly objects to an entirely legal and appropriate travel regulation implemented under a department of defense long-established authority which ensures that all servicemen and their families have equal access to medical care. to show his disagreement with the legal civilian crafted regulation, the the senator from alabama has held up the

apolitical nominations of 251 senior military officers for over four months. my colleague from alabama has made it clear that he will continue his hold on these military officers unless and until he gets his way. he does so despite precedent and, again, with a less-than-meritorious case -- in fact, to legal case at all, i would argue and the fact that members of his own party have objected to this blockade, including the republican leader. this blockade weakens our national security. every day it goes on, it has a more significant impact on operations within our military, all branches of the military. while our military will always do whatever is necessary to get the job done, they'll always be ready, they'll tell you, and they'll give their all, this

hold is unnecessary, unprecedented, and is driving the united states military at a critical time in national security to a potential breaking point. it is also an affront to the military and their families who so many of us just lauded for their sacrifices during the 4th of july festivities. thanked them profusely. but do not recognize that they are professional officers who deserve consideration not as political chips but as men and women of our services. those of my colleagues who support this unprecedented delay are themselves politicizing the military by the very nature of their actions. these promotions have always been confirmed by unanimous consent very soon after being reported to the floor or on the rarity occasion a single -- the

rarity occasion a single vote without cloture. but now in refusing to confirm these promotions, the uniformed military previously and appropriately shielded from partisan politics is now thrust into the midst of politics. this behavior was once reserved only for individual political appointees -- civilian political appointees -- on specific matters of despite, usually with some reasonable or negotiable outcome. no more. it seems it's my way or no way at all. and that's a sad demonstration. the senator from alabama often says if we really wanted these generals and admirals, we would just vote. but i would like to explain that. the senator has is not allowing -- the senator is not allowing a simple vote. he is demanding cloture vote on every nomination. so we asked the congressional research service what it would

take to process 251 nominations with cloture. they estimate to file cloture on all the nominations being held would take approximately five hours. then two days later the senate could start voting. it would take aadvocacy 668 hours to confirm all of these military knocks. that's 27 days if the senate works around the clock. if the senate just did military nominations for eight hours day, it would take 84 days. so to just vote is not an answer. this is not a feasible solution to this issue. now, let me now let me be clear, we have offered the senator from alabama opportunities to voice his opinion on this policy matter which he opposes. for example, before recess, we marked up the fiscal year 2024 national defense authorization act. during that markup, we had a

separate debate and vote on senator ernst's bill s. 822 entitled modification to department of defense travel authorities for abortion related expenses act. we then had a debate and vote a second time when the ernst bill p was offered to the chairman's markup of the ndaa. and i expect we'd likely be debating this issue on the ndaa as it comes to the floor next week. this is yet another opportunity to vote on the policy my colleagues find objectionable, and as long as i've been here the essence of this body is when you have a difficult issue, you debate it, you discuss it, and then you take a vote. we've already taken several votes and still this unprecedented hold goes on. i don't think we can continue to

allow 251 men and women who have served and sacrificed, and their families, which makes this impact thousands -- not just 251 -- i don't think we can let them fester any longer, wondering if they're going to get their promotion or not. but today let me speak about one specific position who i do not think we can ignore, and that is the position of the commandant of the united states marine corps. by law, the present commandant of the marine cor, general david berger must end his service tomorrow, the 11th of july. his replacement, generic smith who had a -- general eric smith who had a hearing and was voted out unanimously on june 21 awaits our action. general berger does not require further congressional action to retire, but general smith needs

the senate to act to become the next commandant. i can guarantee you that general berger takes no comfort in ending his career with his successor unsettled. i went this morning to a relinquishment of office ceremony for general berger. anyone with any experience with the military knows that the typical ceremony is a change of command, but that could not be accomplished today because his commander has not been confirmed, the new commandant. to the military in particular, ceremony matters. the visual of the outgoing leader passing the guide on or battle color to the incoming leaders shows the continuation of the organization. in this case the whole of the marine corps, in 2019 general berger received it from general

robert miller. this morning it will not pass from one commandant to another. they will relinquished, relinquished -- a word that is seldom associated with the military. they were relinquished from a retiring commandant to an acting commandant, and that is embarrassing not for the u.s. marine corps alone, but for the united states senate. to hear a retiring commandant publicly ask the senate to do its job is an indication of how misguided this approach has been. we need to act, but because of the senator from alabama and those who support him, we are unable to do so. general berger has faithfully served our nation for 42 years, fought our nation's war,

selflessly served and done so how we expect our militaries to serve. in the past four years he led the marine corps through a difficult transition on the way marines fight so that they are ready for the challenge of the indo-pacific. but tomorrow he leaves the marines without a confirmed leader because of the inability of this body to do its job. general berger's successor, general eric smith, is cut from the same cloth. general smith was born in kansas city, missouri and raised in plano, texas. he entered commission in 1987 through the naval reserve training corps at texas a&m university. like every other servicemember, he has served our nation wherever it has sent him. he has served in peace and he has served in multiple wars. so for those who say this current hold only impacts the generals and the admirals, tell that to the marine's general

smith commander, including weapons company, second battalion during operation assured response in monrovia, liberia. tell that to the marine of the first battle yon, fifth mearnl regular -- regiment. tell that to marine 8 he led during operation enduring freedom. in general smith we have a purple heart recipient. this man shed his blood for his country. and with 36 years of service, he's achieved the rank of four stars. he stands ready to continue his service to our nation and the marines he will lead for four more years. it's simply -- our action and inaction matter. and more than generals are watching. some argue this dlail impacts only the -- delay impacts only the nominees. they are wrong. this ripples through the ranks.

young officers and noncommissioned officers are watching how we treat their leaders will influence the decisions of future generations about whether the military is worth the sacrifice asked of them and their families. right now a number of military officers who are planning to retire are on an indefinite hold because they have no one confirmed to take their jobs. others want to go to new commands, but cannot for the same reason. their families cannot move to their new homes. their children cannot get ready for a new school. their spouses cannot take new jobs. this is not a game. these are real lives that have been upended due to the pure obstinacy of the senator from alabama. the senator is holding thousands of loyal members of the military and their families in limbo. i believe we owe them more than that. we are one day from enacting commandant of the united states

marine corps. according to marine corps history division, there have been four acting commandants in the history of the marine corps which was established in 1775, for those who are counting. the last acting commandant served over a century ago in 1910 and three of the four acting commandants, the result of the previous commandant dying in the position of commandant, an unexpected development. could general smith, the current assistant commandant serve as the acting commandant? yes, of course he can. but we must ask ourselves why we would allow it. why would the senate allow that to happen, with not only our competitors watching, but the eyes of all who serve watching. we have the ability and the responsibility to act. we should do so. semper fidelis, always faithful, is the marine corps

motto. let congress, this congress show a modicum of this phase today and confirm general eric smith as the next commandant. with that, madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of the following nomination, executive calendar number 249, general eric m. smith to be commandant of the marine corps, that the senate vote on the nomination without intervening action or debate, that if confirmed the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: is there objection? a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. tuberville: reserving the right to object. madam president, the senate has a lot of very important work to do. we've been out a couple of weeks, and it's time to get back to work. senator schumer yesterday, or this past week sent the democrat caucus a long to-do list, that

includes keeping the government open, which is very important. our annual defense bill, which is very important. addressing prescription drugs, which we're all very concerned about. the farm bill. there are a lot of other things that we've got to address in this caucus in this room. missing from that list was military nominations. this is my 11th time to stand up here and keep harping on the fact that we need to do something about this new policy that the secretary of defense has passed down and passed to the military. so far this year dozens of lower-level military nominations have passed through unanimous consent, but a number of important nominations are

pending or will soon be pending. general smith, as the senator just brought up, is one of the most important. i've got a great deal of admiration for general smith. earlier today general smith became the acting head of the marine corps. he is doing the same exact job which he has been doing for several years. the only difference is today he is an acting official. this has minimal affect of the ability to lead. there may be a delay in his planning guidance, and yet he cannot move into the commandant's residence, but there is little doubt about general smith's ability to lead effectively. even now. there is little doubt about soon that he will be confirmed. i met with general smith.

i've got great respect and admiration for what he's done. general smith has dedicated nearly four decades to the marine corps. he's got a record to be very proud of. during our meeting, general smith assured me that he was committed to keeping politics out of the military. and for me to vote for somebody, that's exactly what i'm looking for. keep politics out of the military. the marine corps has done an excellent job of staying mission focused. one result because of that, the marines are the only branch that is meeting its recruiting goals. i believe that the marine corps is in good hands now with general smith. if chairman reed and the democrats are so concerned, let's vote. that's all i keep asking for. let's vote on these nominees. this week the senate will

consider a doj nomination for an office that has around 20 employees. 20 employees. i agree that this as important nomination, but surely the commandant of the marine corps is more important. so if the democrats are so worried about general smith being an acting official, then let's vote. let's vote and clear this up. and with that, i be 0. -- and with that, i object. the presiding officer: objection is heard. mr. reed: reclaiming my time. first of all, the senator from alabama made a compelling case about the demands upon this senate. they range from cybersecurity issues to a host of other important issues that we have to deal with. yet he insists we have a vote. now he has very subtly made a distinction between four or five

senior officers and forgotten the 245 other officers who play very critical roles in the military. and if one respects the marine corps and one respects the proposed commandant, the first thing i believe you should do is allow a vote very quickly so that there is no period of time that he is an acting commandant. and an acting commandant is different than a commandant. their policies cannot be firmly established because they're just acting. he's capable but he's just acting. if we want leadership that is confirmed, that has not only the trappings of authority but every bit of influence generated by such authority, then we have to vote for him. that's why the congress is

required to confirm military officers. we are in a situation where just pure obstinacy is inhibiting our soldiers. and i am amazed that someone would stand up and say the quality i look for in military officers is not political, but what i do is make these officers political pawns in a game i am playing with national leadership, civilian leadership, who proclaims these policies which are illegal and consistent with the history of the armed forces. this is a -- this is a very unsatisfying end. we will continue to come back and urge our colleagues, and i particularly hope my colleagues on the other side, many of whom

do appreciate the fact that these officers must be confirmed for the good of our nation and the safety of the world. i have just one example that comes to mind. the president of the naval war college, a remarkable woman, changed command a few weeks ago. she is nominated to be a three-star admiral and be our representative in brussels at nato at a time when nato and the united states are engaged and supporting the ukranian people and save the country and indeed probably save the world the but the admiral cannot go to brewsles, -- brussels. and meanwhile the general officer in brussels had other

plans obviously because he knew, or hoped, that admiral chatsfield would be arriving soon. that's the kind of disorder disorganization and i would say disrespect that is being generated by these holds. i yield the floor. a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: madam president, it's actually good to be back in the senate this week after two weeks back home. and we certainly have a busy schedule ahead of us. the fact is that unfortunately this was a product of the -- of the inattention or lack of urgency that the majority leader

has had to deal with the senate's necessary work so far. we're a quarter of the way of the 118th congress and we frankly don't have a lot to show for it. under our colleague's leadership, this chamber's developed an embarrassingly short list of accomplishments. despite the chaos at the southern border, we haven't voted on legislation to address this humanitarian and security crisis either in the senate judiciary committee or here on the floor. they simply ignore it. five million border encounters since president biden took office. last year alone 108,000 americans died of drug overdose dose. 100,000 were from synthetic opioid, having been imported

from china. would that be enough to get the attention of the president and the majority leader to actually do something in that area? well, apparently not. yesterday i was interested to see that the senator from new york, the majority leader, sent a letter to our senate colleagues highlighting his plans for the next three weeks. actually we only have about ten work days in these next three weeks before now the regularly scheduled august recess. again, more of the same that we've seen so far this year. not much time and a lot to do. senator schumer mentioned his desire move forward on bills relating to drug pricing, fentanyl, permitting reform, rail safety, marijuana banking, china competition, artificial intelligence and a number of other top topics -- other topics in the next three weeks.

to be clear, i don't believe the majority leader thinks that we will approve legislation in these areas. maybe you would call this a wish list, but it's only wishful thinking to believe that in the united states senate you will be able to get all of these necessary items addressed in the next ten working days. and, of course, that ignores the fact that we have a bicameral legislature, we have the senate and the house. has he prevetted any of this legislation -- prevetted this legislation with the house, that the house would actually take it up and pass it and the president would sign it into law? that's how we legislate around here. it's not performance art. it's not show business. this is actually about doing the people's business and passing legislation through an

admittedly difficult process, but this is where we find ourselves having waited until this late moment to deal with so much important legislation. the democratic-controlled senate has been down right sleepy for the last six months, and i have no reason this letter, this wish list, will prompt some miraculous turn around. the lack of productivity in this congress has created a major backlog of important bills which must be our top focus. we have a lot to do and not much time to do it, but that's by design. that's not the way the senate should be praying -- operating. we heard from the previous speakers a lot about the national defense authorization act, which is our annual defense bill which we passed for the

last 61 years in a row -- 61 years in a row. before this last break, the senate armed service committee completed its work on that bill and passed it out of commit by a vote of 24-1. a bipartisan bill out of the armed services committee demonstrating an overwhelming bipartisan support. this legislation, as we all know, is about supporting our servicemembers, modernizing our military and addressing our biggest security challenges, including china. senator wicker, from mississippi, the ranking member, has shared his disappointment over the fact that this year's defense bill doesn't adequately seek to fund our defense needs. now, of course this is an authorization in in the jargon of the senate, it's not an appropriation, but typically what happens is the authorizing

committees will set a level of funding and then the appropriations committee will come behind that and fund it presumably at that level. but i know many of us are committed to working in the coming weeks to increase these funding levels so ensure our military has the resources it needs to protect the american people, especially in the face of 40-year high inflation. i don't have to tell anybody within the sound of my voice what inflation has done to their standard of living and their purchasing power over the last couple of years. basically this is like a silent tax where you have less and less to spend for the necessary expenditures in your life, whether it's your transportation, your food, your clothing, your child care, your health care or the like. the military is experiencing the ill effects of this 40-year high inflation too and its purchasing

power has been decreased dramatically. well, i hope that we will have a turn around of sorts and that the defense authorization bill will get off to a strong start, but it's a long way from the finish line. while this bill did pass the committee, it still needs to be brought to the floor. there needs to be an opportunity for senators to offer amendments and debate the bill, hopefully improve it, and vote on it by the full senate, and that takes time. under the regular procedures of the senate, to bring a bill like that to the floor and to account for all of the potential procedural obstacles that would be encountered would take you more than a week to process the bill. and we have three weeks before august, ten days of actual working time. and this is where the majority leader has -- what the majority

leader has presented us with. so we know that we need to get to work, the ndaa should pass before the end of the fiscal year, which is september 30, and the senate's only scheduled to be in session for seven weeks before then. so even after we come back from the august recess, in order to meet the deadline of the ebbed r- -- of the end of the fiscal year, september 30, we only have four more weeks after we get back before the ndaa essentially lapses, the national defense authorization act, absent our action in the meantime. i don't have to tell my colleagues that providing for the common defense is one of our most important responsibilities and the national defense authorization act is the foundation for that. so i hope the majority leader will allow the senate to take up the bill soon. i think i heard the chairman of

the senate armed services committee just now suggest that perhaps the ndaa will come to the floor next week, and i hope that's true. but certainly in order to give senators an opportunity to participate and hopefully debate and offer amendments and improve the bill, it's going to take time, and that's something we don't have a lot of. every member of this chamber has the right to offer their ideas to strengthen and improve this legislation just like we should on any piece of legislation. and the majority leader should not try to jam the process by saying, oh, now we don't have enough time so we're going to have to -- we're going to have to do away with the opportunity to have full debates and amendment process because we're running up against a deadline. well, that deadline is of his

own making because he failed to deal with this in a timely manner. but september 30 isn't the only deadline that we have for the defense authorization bill, it's also the farm bill. every five years congress passes a farm bill to support everything from crop insurance to nutrition programs to rural broadband. the impact of the farm bill is felt in communities across america, including those in my home state of texas. texas is home to nearly a quarter of a million farms and ranches, more than any other state in the country. and one out of every seven working texans actually works in an ag-related job. these hardworking men and women raise cattle, chick ernst, they -- chickens and they produce food for the world.

texas farmers and ranchers provide food and fiber for america and for export as well. they are facing inincreasingly strong headwinds. i mentioned inflation, which is at a 40-year high, it increased the input of everything farmers and ranchers have, from diesel to fertilizer, you name it, it's eroded their purchasing power, their operating costs have skyrocketed for everything. i mentioned fertilizer, fuel, and pesticides is another major expense and so their profit margins continue to get slimmer and slimmer. i was what is the amused to hear that president biden during our two-week period away from washington, d.c., began to tout something he calls bidenomics,

he said it's like rake -- it's like raig reagan nomics, but i was amused when i looked at the clear politics average of the president's approval rating, it stands at a whopping 38.7%. 38.7% approve of president biden's comoac policies -- economic policies. bidenomics is like putting lipstick on a pig to dress it up to make it look better than it really is. but in addition to the economic woes, we have natural disasters that caused nearly $21 billion in crop losses nationwide, today texas is experiencing a hot and

dry summer. we're used to that. it's july. we're used to hot and dry summers, but farmers are also battling very little rainfall and they're praying that their crop loss will not be more than minimal. the farm bill includes farm net safety programs which are a lifeline for countless producers, they're critical to managing the risks inherent with this critical industry. everyone knows that farming and ranching is risky for the reasons i mentioned and others, but this year i hope we can build on the progress we made in the lass farm bill to ensure that the agriculture sector is as resilient as possible. this sectors not only feeds and fuels america, it also drives our economy and feeds the world. in texas alone in 2021, ag exports totaled more than $7.2

billion. in 2019, texas a&m's agrilife extension service estimated the economic impact of the ag sector estimated to be $160 billion which is more than 8% of my state's gdp. so a strong on-time farm bill is essential to the health and well-being of this important sector of the economy. but it's also important beyond that. it's important to the american people and it's important to our economy. our colleague senator boozman from arkansas is ranking member and our colleagues on the ag committee, i know have been working hard to draft this year's farm bill. and i appreciate the hard work that they put into it, but i'm eager to work with our colleagues to get this bill across the finish line on time. again, before it lapses at the end of this fiscal year.

and there's another big one. federal aviation administration reauthorization, as though we needed another big, heavy lift before the end of the fiscal year. it's also the deadline to reauthorize the federal aviation administration. over the last couple of years, travelers have dealt with widespread flight cancellations paralyzing staffing shortages, and rising prices. we've also witnessed some jarring safety issues, including near collisions on airport runways in minneapolis and new york. last month senators cantwell, cruz, duckworth, and moran introduced the faa reauthorization act to address these and other issues. but like the national defense authorization act and the farm bill, the faa needs to be reauthorized by september 30. again, all of these deadlines are well known by the majority

leader, but here we are finding ourselves with very little time and a lot to do. and last but not least is likely the biggest lift before us, before september 30. that is to fund the government. as part of the debt limit agreement, senator schumer vowed to bring all 12 appropriations bills to the senate floor by september 30. how he's going to be able to keep his promise is not clear to me given the traffic jam that we are going to experience because this includes funding for our military, veterans services, border security, and so much more. senator collins and senator murray and all of our colleagues on the appropriations committee are determined to restore some regular order and common sense to the funding process. i hope the majority leader will stick by his word and put all 12 appropriations bills on the

senate floor before the end of the fiscal year. we don't need and the country does not want another omnibus spending bill like we saw at the end of last year, which of course was by design because it empowers the leadership to the detriment of rank and file members of the congress. when you're presented with a shut down the government, take it or leave it proposition at the end of the year having bypassed all of this normal process, the question is are you going to keep the government open, you going to fund the government? you going to fund defense, veterans, border security or not? and that is simply an abomination we do not need to repeat again. so i do hope the majority leader will keep his word. none of these bills are an easy lift. they require a lot of hard work, cooperation, and time. and we only have seven weeks of

legislation -- legislative session to pass them all. so far the 118th congress hasn't been a productive one. the democratic majority has struggled to complete even the most basic tasks, and now we have a lot of work to do. maybe an impossible amount of work to do by design. the clock is ticking and we can't let these critical responsibilities slip through the cracks. madam president, i yield the floor.

a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. a senator: madam president, thank you. mr. moran: i was sitting at home reading the newspaper, something i still do, and last month i read an article that captured my attention. national test scores of american students showed an alarming decline in the education of our children. reading scores in america have continued to worsen since the height of covid-19 pandemic, dropping to the lowest scores in decades. the troubling deterioration in american education was demonstrated by average scores on the 2023 national assessment of educational progress known as the nation's report card. the report showed that

13-year-olds declined nine points in math compared to 2020. this was the largest drop for 13-year-olds seen in 50 years. when 13-year-olds are struggling, it portends even worse problems ahead because mastery in seventh and eighth grade is necessary to progress to more complex knowledge and analytical abilities required in high school and beyond. we know that failures in early childhood education and early education have a long lasting consequence. we must turn these test scores around and accelerate the education of america's young as though our future depends on it. because it absolutely does. america's strength is a global power. let me say that the education of our children is hugely important to our students and their families, but also america's

strength as a global power doesn't just depend upon a strong military or possessing the latest weapons. those things are important, but it also depends upon our economy and our ability to maintain a technological edge over adversaries. and that all begins in the classroom. equipping our students to read, multiply, divide, and succeed. the mental health confidence and contributions of young americans cannot be thought of as a secondary issue. it is not a secondary issue to other national security imperatives. what that means is that the well-being, health, confidence, contribution, the capabilities, knowledge and intellect and intelligence of our children have consequences to our security, our national security. one of those greatest threats in our national security is china. china understands that to force

their way into being a global super power, they must be able to challenge the u.s. militarily and economically. this can be done by dislodging the u.s. as a leader in key technology areas that will dictate the success of nations in coming decades. those technologies include semiconductor design and manufacture, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, aerospace engineering, advanced manufacturing, and biotechnology. if china were to overtake the u.s. in any of these areas nrks any of these areas, the u.s. would lose out on trillions of dollars in economic value. our military edge would erode. and the chinese global influence would increase dramatically. as we grabble with the implications of a new cold war with china and as we take stock of the many associated challenges, more complex than the old cold war, the fact that our youth remain graifds behind in math -- grades behind in math

poses a concerning obstacle to future competitiveness. advances in science and technology will build on basic math. right now our children are unprepared and therefore we are unprepared to meet this challenge. while we work to regain this ground in education, particularly in these stem fields, we also need to create more opportunities for others that have gained a stem education here in the u.s. to practice their profession in this country and contribute to the u.s. economy. educating people only to send them back to strengthen their own home country at a time in which the demand, the u.s. demand for stem talent is through the roof defies logic. only 11% of foreign born recipients of a bachelor's degree and only 23% of those who earn a master's degree manage to find a way to stay and work in the united states. the u.s. semiconductor industry

alone could face a shortage of 70,000 to 90,000 workers over the next few years, and there is a projected shortfall of 300,000 engineers and 90,000 skilled technicians by 2030. it would be naive that believe these would solely be filled by american students. the former working in tech, quote, isn't taking an american job. they are helping to keep that job in the u.s. foreign born scientists have been integral to our preeminence as a scientific and military power. most famously, nuclear physicists from europe were the intellectual forces that propelled the manhattan project. and today more than half of the silicon valley start-ups are led by foreign-born entrepreneurs. this is why we've worked to pass the start-up act in each congress since i arrived in the senate. this bill would ensure that those with advanced stem degrees

would be able to stay in this country while they're engaged in stem-related professions. this would fill the immediate increasing need for stem educated professionals while we work to improve stem education for america's youth. there is no one-size-fits-all approach to solving the challenges in the classroom. regaining ground after schools were closed during the pandemic will take hard work and ingenuity. but the success of our nation depends -- again the success of our children depends but because that's the case, the success of our nation, our country depends on young minds grappling and mastering the basics of math and reading and writing and science. we must make certain we are taking an all-of-the-above-long-term approach to national security and that means making strides in the classroom and investing in our students. our schools are there to take care of our children and their

future. but failure to do so means that we are damaging our nation's future. for the sake of our country, its national defense, its economy, and for the sake of all american families, we need to make certain that we reverse course in making certain that our students are learning and are achieving at a rate that allows us to be successful. madam president, i yield the floor. mrs. blackburn: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from tennessee. mrs. blackburn: i ask unanimous consent the following senator, be allowed to speak prior to the scheduled roll call vote. myself for up to 20 minutes, senator carper for up to five minutes, senator boozman for up to 30 seconds, leader schumer for as much time as he may consume. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. blackburn: thank you, madam president. back in may, i was in shelby county to visit with 1 huj member -- 100 members of the tennessee national guard.

they were heading off on yet another deployment to the southern border. these are some of the bravest and most capable people that you will ever meet. tennesseans depend on them to keep us safe during natural disasters, to rescue lost hikers in the great smoky mountain national park, and to defend the country from our adversaries overseas. yet there they were on their way to what many would call a war zone in their own country to do the job that joe biden refuses to do. they shouldn't have had to go but they went because they knew that no matter who was to blame for all this chaos, our border patrol agents and local law enforcement needed help controlling it. when i think back on my conversations with those servicemembers, i can't help but notice the stark contrast

between their focus on service and sacrifice and the biden administration's lack of regard for the welfare of this country. over the past several years, the relationship between the american people and their government has changed, but not for the better. at the beginning of biden's term, they were just baffled by what they were seeing. all they could do was shake their heads in disbelief. but as the months wore on, that disbelief gave way to genuine fear that this president was digging a hole that they wouldn't be able to claw their way out of no matter how hard they worked. aces it turns out, those -- as it turns out, those fears were well-founded. now, three years in this administration, that fear has given way to outrage because this president has made it

abundantly clear that when it comes to pursuing his radical agenda, he simply doesn't care who it hurts. the president may be happy to ignore the mess he's made, but tennesseans don't have that luxury. if they ignore the problems they see, they suffer real consequences. if local law enforcement officers just ignored the drugs flooding their communities, even more people would die from fentanyl overdoses and drug-related crime. every year i meet with local leaders in each of our state's 95 counties and the conversation turns to the border crisis every single time. it's an unmitigated disaster, and they just don't understand why the president refuses to do something about it. if you talk to law enforcement

in east tennessee, they'll tell you that they're recording record levels of drug seizures. what they once apprehended, they now measure in pounds. chief jason owens at the border patrol gave a weekend review from june 22 through 29. here is some of what they apprehended. they know they had 28,339 apprehensions. they also had an additional 6,1 should getaways. they apprehended 116 pounds of marijuana, 256 pounds of cocaine. where does much of the drugs that are coming across with those got-aways end up? it is ends up in our communities.

a judge in ray county told mow that 80% of the crime he sees is drug-related. if they could get a handle on the drugs, they could take care of much of the court cases and the prison population. but they can't get a handle on it because the local dealers are not the root of the problem. for every drug smug s&lar,the border patrol manages to catch and every pound of drugs that they apprehended, you have that handful of got-aways who escape into the country with drugs and contraband. in overton county, they said they haven't busted a local meth lab in five years. and here is why. the drug dealers have outsourced their entire supply to the cartels because it's easier and cheaper to smuggle it in than it is to make it themselves. the police can trace that supply chain down i-75 to atlanta and

then right across the border into mexico, and now when they respond to an overdose death, local officials have to implement fentanyl protocols because they know it's the likely culprit. the cartels add to it -- to the drugs to make them that much more addictive. everything is laced with fentanyl. it's also very lethal in small amounts. in marion county, they're spending an atrow senator from cal amount of money on appears -- on appears because of this. as of may, they have spent $80 now and almost all those deaths fentanyl-related. these local officials are desperate for help. they know that this is this administration's fault because the situation escalated when the

biden administration moved into the white house. here's what the president did. he terminated remain in mexico, terminated title 42, he terminated dna testing at the border, and his rhetoric made it clear that he would rather pander to the left than admit that trump-era border policies were working. and then he left local law enforcement to fend for themselves. they need our support, madam president. when title 42 ended, i introduced the make the migrant protection protocols mandatory act. that would reinstate the successful remain in mexico policy. i've also introduced the end child trafficking now act, which would reinstate dna testing at the border and thwart the child trafficking rings that president biden has allowed to flourish.

if we passed these two bills, we could give border patrol and local law enforcement a fighting chance against the cartels. but the problem goes much deeper than just preventing illegal entry into the country. when joe biden took office, he threw the rule of law out the window. since then, we have watched biden and his supporters ignore the constitution. attack our most important institutions, ignore the law, enable corruption, and slander their fellow countrymen as violent racists. tennesseans take issue with that and with the judges and the bureaucrats that president biden has nominated to write this partisan rhetoric into law. over the past several years, this body has considered nominees to some of the most

critical positions in our government who were little more than political activists, and that's putting it mildly. we've questioned judicial nominees who are unfamiliar with the constitution, potential agency heads with almost no experience in the industries they seek to regulate, and cabinet nominees who have demonstrated their commitment to burning down institutions and norms that conflict with their radical views. but the one thing they all have in common is that they have agreed to rubber stamp the biden agenda. the local leaders i meet with on my county tours see the chaos that this is causing. they see two tiers of justice at works understand, and -- and the very concerned about it especially when they see stressing officials egging on leftist fanatics seeking to

undermine the rule of law at any cost. for example, federal law makes it clear that it is illegal to protest outside of a judge's home with the intent of influencing a ruling. it's common sense. but after the supreme court's dobbs opinion leaked, far-left protesters immediately began to demonstrating outside of the justices' homes. the biden doj has yet to arrest a single protester, which means that the biden doj has, in effect, endorsed the intimidation of supreme court justices who refuse to rubber stamp the biden agenda. earlier this year, i introduced the protecting our supreme court justices act which significantly

increases the maximum jail time for any individual who violates this law. and i'm sure under a future administration it will serve as an effective deterrent to this disgusting behavior. but imagine being a law enforcement officer in tennessee and seeing this complete breakdown of law and order in our nation's capital at the highest levels of government. how much faith do you think they have in this administration to help them control the flow of drugs and violent criminals into their communities? how seriously do you think they take the democrats' promises to fight for safe streets when this body continues to confirm judicial nominees who promise to undermine the rule of law? unlike the biden administration,

they can't changes rules whenever they feel like it. they can't use the bureaucracy to stack the deck in their favor, and they can't put their fingers and their friends in charge to cover for them if they get caught breaking the law. our local law enforcement officials deserve better. tennesseans deserve better. the american people deserve better. but right now they have to do the best they can fighting a losing battle on two fronts -- against criminals trying to exploit them and against a president who knows exactly what's happening but just doesn't care enough to do something about it. i yield the floor. i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

the presiding officer: mr. majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask that the quorumming dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask to proceed to helpingive session. -- to legislative session. the presiding officer: question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to.

mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 34. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary. myong j. youn of massachusetts to be united states district judge for the district of massachusetts. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 34, myong g j. joun of massachusetts to be united states district july for the district of massachusetts, signed by 17 senators as follows

-- schumer -- mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent that the reading of the names be waived. officer certificate without objection. -- the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislate tough session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 114. the presiding officer: question is on the motion. all those in favor, say aye. those opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, equal employment opportunity commission, kalpana kotagal of ohio to be a member. the presiding mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to haves desk.

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 114, kalpana kotagal of ohio to be a member of the equal employment opportunity commission signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 141. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination; environmental protection agency, david m. uhlmann of michigan to be an assistant

administrator. mr. schumer: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 141, david m. uhlmann of michigan to be an assistant administrator of the environmental protection agency, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to legislative session. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to. mr. schumer: i move to proceed to executive session to consider calendar 21. the presiding officer: the question is on the motion. all those in favor say aye. all opposed nay. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the motion is agreed to.

the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, rachel bloomekatz of ohio to be united states circuit judge for the sixth circuit. the clerk: i send a cloture motion to the desk. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 21, rachel bloomekatz of ohio, to be united states circuit judge for the sixth circuit, signed by 17 senators as follows. mr. schumer: i ask consent the reading of the names be waived. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the mandatory quorum calls foss -- for the cloture motions filed today be waived. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered.

the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: a senator: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland.

mr. cardin: i'd ask consent that the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cardin: madam president, i ask unanimous consent that the following interns in senator boozman's office be granted floor privileges until july 31, 2023. keith brant, mary eckenberger and ryan runly. the presiding officer: without objection. the presiding officer: the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close the debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 178, xochitl torres small of new mexico to be deputy secretary of agriculture, signed by 17 senators.

the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory it quorum call has been waived. the question is is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of xochitl torres small of new mexico to be deputy secretary of agriculture 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: on this vote the yeas are 79, the nays are 8. the motion is agreed to.

mr. schumer: mr. president. the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: first a few words on just a good recent development. we just heard that sweden will be allowed to join nato, that mr.ered erdon released his hold. this will strengthen the western alliance significantly and and it shows mr. putin that the u.s. is strong and growing stronger against his aggression in ukraine. any thought that the west is giving up, any thought that the west is divided is shown to be false by today's development of

sweden joining nato and of turkey relenting. this is good news against the forces of autocracy and it's very good news for a strong western alliance. i want to salute president biden who has worked so much in the foreign policy sphere as well as the domestic but speaking about the foreign policy sphere, he has done so much to advance united states interests. he has a real grasp of it, a real handle on it and is very effective and this is a victory for america, for the west, for freedom, and for president biden. now, wrap-up. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the appointment at the desk appear separately in the record as if

made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: and finally, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on tuesday, july 11. that following the prayer and pledge, the journal of proceedings be approved to date, the morning hour be deemed expired, the time for the two leaders westbound reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. following the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the small business nomination postcloture. further, that all time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and following the cloture vote on the hidalgo nomination, the senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings. further, notwithstanding rule 22, at 2:15, the senate vote on cloture on the evanson nomination, that the senate recess from 3:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. to allow for the all-senators briefing. that at 4:30 p.m. if cloture has been invoked on the hidalgo or

evanson nominations all time be considered expired achts the ?aft vote on confirmation of the nominations inned order of which cloture was invoked. if any nominations are confirmed during tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's action. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until senate stands adjourned until one today the senate worked on president biden's nomination for the number two leadership post at the agriculture department. later this big lawmakers will consider more executive and judicial nominations. they are also expected to begin work on the defense program and policy bill. when the senate returns, watch live here on cspan2. >> tonight on cspan2 a look at

voting rights and election laws with legal scholars, journalists and community activists. posted by jews united for democracy and justice. is at 8:00 p.m. eastern on cspan2, online at c-span.org and on our cspan2 now cap. watch live coverage of the national governors association annual summer meeting from atlantic city. on thursday beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern live on c-span three, governors will address issues around youth mental health, maternal and infant health and public health along with disaster response. first lady dr. jill biden will also speak. then on friday beginning at 10:00 a.m. eastern live on cspan2 governors address political polarization, watch the national governors association summer meeting live thursday on c-span three and friday on cspan2. c-span now a free mobile video app and online@c-span.org. ♪ c-span as your unfiltered view

of governments. funded by these television companies and more including charter communication. >> charter is project be recognized as one of the best internet providers. and we are just getting started. building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communicati support c-span as a public service appeared along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. >> president biden traveled to the united kingdom he met with british prime minister at 10 downing street in london. later in the day the president visited king charles iii at windsor castle where the two took part in a climate engagement event. following his uk visit the president heads to lithuania for the nato summit. hugs all the flowers bloomed