skin the code to order your copy orar to spend shop.org. 29.95 plus shipping and handling in the repurchase supports nonprofit operations. >> we take you live to the u.s. capitol where the senate is about to gambling. lawmakers continue work, 2024 defense programs and policies and daa. a handful of the limits of in step 41130 eastern. live coverage of the sudden here on c-span2.r: the chaplain: let us pray. majestic god, you have been our dwelling place in all generations, and we are

sustained by your unfailing love. today, surround our senators with the shield of your favor as they labor to keep our nation strong. lord, teach them to be obedient to your commands, doing your good will as your presence fills them with joy. may they be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. manifest your power throughout their labors so that this nation will be exalted by righteousness. may your angels guard us all in our ways. we pray in your mighty name. amen.

the presiding officer: please join me in reciting the pledge of allegiance to our flag. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. the presiding officer: the clerk will read a communication to the senate. the clerk: washington, d.c, july 27, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable angus king, a senator from the state of maine, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. the senate will resume consideration of s. 2226, which

the clerk will report. the clerk: calendar number 1119, s. 2226, a bill to authorize military activities for the department of defense, and so forth and for other purposes.

not a single general or fly officer has been confirmed you're not one you're all because that senator disagrees designed to ensure safe and reasonable access for all service members to reproductive health care regardless of where the military chooses to assign them last week the defense departments legal advisors and subject matter experts came before the armed services committee to brief us on the policy and to answer our members questions here they laid out clear plain facts that explained the legality and appropriateness of the policy here as i stated publicly after the briefing concluded, no one

with an ounce of intellectual honesty can deny that the departments policy is legal and is, in fact, rooted in decades of precedent through administrations of both parties. until congress passes a law to overturn 40 years of legal precedents the department of defense has the responsibility to manage the health, welfare and readiness of the force. within the legal authorities available to it. the department's legal experts also outlined in detail the long existing statutory authorities that allow the department to provide travel and leave benefits. and that's all they are, travel and leave policies. policies i would note that have been on the books in various fashions for decades. senator ernst the -- recognize

publicly after the briefing the policy is legal. i will note my respect for senator ernst. and like most of her college she states at the end of the briefing and listen to everything the department had to stay informed her opinion accordingly. senator ernst and i have very different views on this issue but we share a common respect for military women and men and an understanding of how congress should treat them. our colleague from alabama however has taken a disrespectful approach but the nominations he is blocking have no objections raised against them and they've all been confirmed by unanimous approval in the committee, including by the senator from alabama. these are not controversial nominations. for many decades of military promotions have been a bipartisan routine piece of civic business. now they have been turned into a political sideshow by the senator for alabama.

he's getting a lot of personal benefit out of this and a bit of fundraising success as well to seek to profit anywhere on the backs of servicemembers is in my view a disgrace. to avoid accountability the senator likes to say we should just vote on these nominations. latinos is a ludicrous idea here but let me explain it again. it is virtually impossible for the senate to process this volume of nominations through floor procedures as the majority leader and i've today the senate will continue to process the national defense authorization act, the ndaa. i believe we've had a really good process so far and i hope this bipartisan work can get us through to finish soon as possible. we've made good progress on amendments last night. it took a while, but we have voted on 19 amendments to the ndaa and have at least eight

more amendment votes lined up for today. we have a lot of votes to get through, so i urge senators, i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to be cooperative, to remain in the senate chamber as the series of votes progresses through the afternoon so we can keep the process moving. last night we ran a hotline that includes a few additional votes and a managers' package of 48 amendments, 23 from democrats, 23 from republicans and two bipartisan. each side of the aisle has amendments they really want in that managers' package and a good number of them were bipartisan. we've had an open and constructive amendment process for the ndaa with both sides working together in good faith. this is exactly how the process for the ndaa should look, bipartisan, cooperative. i want to thank all of my colleagues, particularly senators reed and wicker for

their good work. i'm also proud of our first managers' package that had 51 amendments, 21 from republicans, 21 from democrats and nine bipartisan, and some of the big accomplishments in this bill, i'm proud to say, are broadly bipartisan, like progress on our efforts to outcompete the chinese government. as i've been saying for weeks, passing the ndaa is a chance to show the american people how the senate can productively work. another really important thing that's in this bill is the stop -- is the fend off fentanyl act, which will help the -- give the administration the tools it needs, including emergency powers, to stop the precursor drugs from flowing out of china. the chinese government has virtually done nothing to help us thus far, going to mexico, be made -- being made into fentanyl

and then shipped into the united states and 10,000 people died from -- 100,000 people have died from fentanyl last year. the ndaa is a chance to show the american people that the senate can work productively on significant things they care about as well as on national security matters, which they care about as well. it's a stark contrast. what's happening in the senate is a stark contrast to a bipartisan race to the bottom we saw in the house where house republicans are pushing partisan legislation that has zero chance of passing. house republicans should look to the senate to see how things get done. we are passing important bipartisan legislation. they are throwing on the floor partisan legislation that has no chance of passing. the contrast is glaring, and if house republicans would look to how we're working here in the senate and emulate us a little

more, they could be far more productive. we have every reason today to believe that we can finish the ndaa as soon as possible and i'm hopeful that we can get it done. on appropriations. off the floor our appropriators continue to make good progress on the appropriations bill. this morning the appropriations committee is marking up the remaining four appropriation bills. it's just like the ndaa. both sides, democrats, republicans have been working really well together. this is never an easy process, but i really want to thank chair murray and vice chair collins. they have worked together in a really supremely bipartisan, almost exquisite way to shepherd this through committee with bipartisan sprp. this is not easy when the country is divided. this is a model of how this

process should work, both sides coming together and finding common ground and bills that invest in american families, keep communities safe, drive down our costs, and keep our government open. it's this type of bipartisanship that has prevented any government shutdowns last congress when democrats had majorities in the house and senate, and the american people certainly don't want to see a shutdown now. so there's a lot of work left to do, but i'm pleased that our appropriators are making progress on these markups, and i thank them again. you look at the ndaa bill, you look at the appropriations bill, you compare the house to the senate, the contrast, as i said, is glaring and house republicans should look to the senate for how to really get things done and help the american people instead of just shouting partisan screeds. on the a.i. briefing. yesterday we held our third

all-senate briefing on a.i. this was our final briefing. it focused on u.s. innovation and american leadership in a.i. technology that will continue to shape our world over the next decade and beyond. the presentation was informative, our briefers did a superb job of highlighting how quickly a.i. technology is developing. i want to thank our briefers, rick stevens from the department of energy, dr. jerry richmond from the department of energy, dr. panchanthan, head of the national science foundation and our moderator dr. jose griffith. we had great attendance. both democrats and republicans were engaged and asked a lot of great questions. there is bipartisan interests in a.i. which is necessary if we

want to make progress that is an imperative in this country, putting together a.i. technology that has innovation but has safeguards to prevent the liabilities that a.i. could bring about. these forums will bring the top a.i. developers, executives, experts together to lay a foundation for action on a.i. i want to thank my colleagues who attended the briefings, including senators heinrich, rounds, and young, part of our little group that helped organize them. finally, mr. president, on a great, great american icon, anthony dominick beneddo, more affectionately and widely known as tony bennet. we lost an american icon last week a son of a story of queens, and one of the most beloved singers of our time, the

incomparable, wonderful, caring, tony bennett. tuesday i introduced a resolution declaring tony bennettt's birthday as tony bennett day. it didn't matter if you were old or young, a close friend or new fan, everyone loved tony. to hear him sing a few bars, you knew he cared about you and he really cared about the words of the song. he wasn't just getting up there to make money. he wanted to show his love for music and money. tony bennett leaves behind a tremendous legacy that will inspire artists to come, and i look forward to passing this resolution honoring him today a little bit later. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin.

quorum call:

debating and $886 billion defense authorization bill. unless there are major changes to that bill, i intend to vote against it. and let me take a few minutes to explain why. i think everybody in our country knows that we face economic crises as a result of climate change our plan is experiencing unprecedented and rising temperatures, along with the rest of the world we need to make major investments to

transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and into energy efficiency and sustainable energies. if, and if we do not do that, not only in america, but china, countries all over the world, the planet that we are leaving our kids and future generations will become increasingly unhealthy and precarious. and, in fact, there are some who wonder whether the planet will continue to exist in years to come, unless we, unless we move aggressively on this existential threat. but it's not only climate change. our healthcare system is broken, and it is dysfunctional peer not a secret to most americans know that. welding insurance companies and

the drug companies make hundreds of billions of dollars in profit, 85 million americans are uninsured or underinsured. unbelievably, our life expectancy which is already lower than most major countries, is declining. entity we have a massive shortage of doctors, nurses, mental health practitioners and dentists, something that the committee that i chair, h.e.l.p. committee congress trying to address but it is a reality today. healthcare system broken and dysfunctional. our education system is teetering. while we have one of the highest rates of childhood poverty of almost any major country, millions of parents in vermont, nevada, all over this country are unable to find affordable and quality childcare.

major, major crisis which is only going to become worse as a result of the cliff that the childcare folks are going to be experiencing in a few months. but it's not just a child care here we talk about education, we should appreciate that the number of our young people who graduate from college today is falling further and further behind other countries. in other words, we need to have the best educated country on earth in order to complete internationally, yet other countries are seeing a greater percentage of the young people graduating college. and one of the reasons is the high cost of college debt to get a college or graduate school degree. and today we have a 45 million americans who are struggling under the weight of student debt, something that president biden, i and others have been trying to deal with.

but it is not only climate here it is not only healthcare, it is not only education. today all over this country we are seeing a massive crisis in terms of low income and affordable housing. while gentrification is causing rents do so in many parts of our country, some 600,000 americans are homeless a few blocks away from right here writs capital, people sleeping out on the streets. and we have some 18 million people who are spending more than half of their limited incomes on housing. so that's what the country faces. we have a planetary crisis in terms of climate change. our healthcare system is broken and dysfunctional. our educational system is teetering. our housing stock is totally

inadequate. and these are just some of the crises facing our country. and what is very clear i think to the american people, too many people here in the senate and those in the house, we are not addressing those crisis peer we are not addressing those crisis, madam president completed the last time you heard a series that they care about how we address climate change collects how we build the affordable housing, it is not taking place. we are not addressing those issues appear so that is one political reality that exists here in the nation's capital. but there is another reality, and that is reality of the pentagon and military spending peer and that, madam president is a whole other story. every year with seemingly little regard for the strategic picture

facing our country, this body, house and the senate, vote to increase the military budget. just happens. we don't worry about people were entered sleeping on the street, we don't worry about people who can't afford prescriptions peer every year military budget, pay, more money. or that iraq and afghanistan desperate wars and iraq and afghanistan are over tens of thousands of american troops entered home yet the pentagon budget continues to go up. every year despite partisan, sometimes very contentious partisan fights on all manners of things, you name it, fights going on, congress, comes together very quietly, little debate, to vote for the one thing that they agree on, and that is more and more money for the pentagon. and right now despite all of the

enormous needs facing working families in this country, over half of the federal discretionary budget goes to the military. got it? over half of the budget discretionary budget goes to the military. trip entered madam president, i support a strong military picked people don't need to convince me why we need a strong military but i will oppose this legislation, this defense authorization bill before major reasons. first, more military spending right now is unnecessary. the united states remains the worlds dominant military power and is in no danger of losing that position. alone, we account for roughly 40% of global military spending.

discount despite the end of the war in afghanistan and despite the fact that the united states now spends more on the military than the next ten countries combined, most of them are our allies. we spent more than the next ten countries combined, most of whom are our allies. last year we spent more than three times what china is spending on the military, and more than ten times what russia is spending peer and while this year, this year's defense authorization act would merely match the pentagon's record-breaking request, in most recent years congress has seen fit to give the department of defense more money that it even asks for. imagine that. 85 million people uninsured, don't help them.

people can't afford the high cost of prescription drugs come hardly do anything about their people slipping sleepie street, character that. kids can't afford college, get to that. but we have year after year given the pentagon more money than they have even requested. requiring them to submit quote-unquote wish lists of items to congress to in other words, tillis what more you need. the pentagon is routinely given so much taxpayer money that it literally doesn't know what to do with all the money congress has thrown out of the. according to the government accountability office, the gao, over an 11 year period that the pentagon returned an astonishing $128 billion in excess funds to the treasury. in other words, we gave them so much money, they couldn't even spend it and have to return some of that.

thus reason number one. why i oppose this legislation. number two, the pentagon cannot keep track of the dollars it already has, leading to massive waste, fraud, and abuse in the sprawling military industrial complex peer the pentagon accounts for about two-thirds of all federal contracting activity, obligating more money every year that all civilian federal agencies combined. yet the department of defense remains the only ontana. mr. daines: i ask we dispense with the quorum call. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. daines: mr. president, i'd like to use my time today to raise awareness about an important issue. actually, it's about an important person. and his name is mark fogle. mark is a beloved father and

husband. he's also a son, a brother, an uncle. over the course of his life he's been a formative mentor to many young minds. you see, mark fogle spent 35 years teaching american history at american international schools around the world and most recently in moscow. but after dedicating so much of his life to the service of others, he is currently detained in a russian labor camp. on august 14, 2021, as mark returned to russia for one final year of teaching before a much-deserved retirement, he was arrested in a moscow airport for carrying about half an ounce of

medical marijuana in his luggage. marc had been prescribed the medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids to manage his chronic pain after undergoing multiple back surgeries, including a spinal fusion and various other challenging and painful procedures. marc did not think that this health care decision would cost him his freedom and maybe even his life. but following his arrest, a russian court convicted marc of, quote, large-scale drug smuggling and sentenced him to 14 years in a maximum security penal colony. and he's been there ever since. in 2021, the same year as marc's

arrest, the u.s. state department described the conditions in russian prisons and detention centers as, quote, often harsh and life threatening. they reported overcrowding abuse by guards and inmates, food shortages, inadequate sanitation as common occurrences. many practices that most americans can't even imagine. considering the inhumane and harsh treatment in these senators, and given the challenges marc was already facing upon his arrest, marc -- marc's family fears he will not survive. this must not be tolerated by our government. it is important to recognize

that marc is not the only american illegally detained abroad. u.s. marine paul whelan and "wall street journal" reporter evan gers vich is trapped in russian prisons as well, while both of these men are both detained in russia, but only marc and evan have been recognized as wrongfully detained by the state department. the state department considers a formal wrongful detention status one of the first steps to get an american detained abroad back home. this determination mobilizes multiple u.s. agencies to work with the state department and the family of the detained to

secure the prisoner's release. there are currently over 50 american citizens the state department lists as wrongfully detained in russia, china, iran, and venezuela. however, despite being unjustly detained for the last nearly two years with no end in sight, marc is still not designated as wrongfully detained by the u.s. state department. you may recall the biden administration's high profile negotiation to bring wnba star brittany griner home after she was detained in russia just after fogel over a similar drug-related offense. ms. griner is thankfully home. one of the differences between brittany griner and marc fogel's

cases, less than three months after griner's arrest, the state department classified her as wrongfully detained. fogel deserves the same justice and we should be using every tool at our disposal to bring him home. i had the privilege of getting to know some of marc's family, some of whom are montanans, they have been fierce advocates here state tide, but -- stateside, but they fear they will never see their brother's face again or hear their father's voice, and we can't let that happen. working alongside the fogel family, i've also teamed up with president obama's u.s. ambassador to russia mike mcfall. mike mcfaul was my former boisen

debate partner. mike mcfall and i are working together to imfloor the state department to finally declare marc as wrongfully detained. this week i also worked with colleagues across the aisle to introduce a resolution highlighting the unjust and disproportionate criminal sentence by russia in calling for the immediate release of mr. time is of the essence. tomorrow is mark's 62nd birthday. but instead of celebrating with his friends and family, he'll be spending it illegally detained in a russian labor camp. no american should ever have to

endure this type of injustice. it's time the country and the world know about mr. fogel's case, and i urge the administration to help bring this american back home once again. thank you, mr. president. and i notice the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

mr. mcconnell: mr. president. the presiding officer: the republican leader. mr. mcconnell: i ask consent that further proceedings under the quorum call be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. without objection, sir. mr. mcconnell: yesterday, senate democrats celebrated the approaching anniversary of their reckless taxing-and-spending spree as the democratic leader put it, quote, this legislation is paying huge dividends.

well, he's right about that. the windfalls from the deluge of liberal spending are headed to all the wrong directions. last year senate republicans warned anyone who would listen about the dangers of our colleagues' plan. we splaipped how -- explained how green slush funds, dreamed up by left-wing act vipses, wouldn't bring on the -- activists wouldn't bring on the american industrial renaissance that democrats were claiming that it would. how half-baked climate schemes that relied on chinese components and raw materials would give american workers and job creators the short end of the stick. and how crucial industries would face even heavier reliance on foreign supply chains. but washington democrats paid

these warnings no mind. they rammed through their radical spending on a party line basis. afterwards, the senior senators for west virginia boasted that he, quote, did it to help america. the senior senator from montana said, quote, looks forward to seeing the benefits of that bill. and president biden summed up their action by saying, quote, we're going to invest in america again. that's been my economic vision. well, it's now crystal clear -- either democrats didn't know what their own bill was actually designed to do or they knew exactly what it would do and decided to sell out american workers and job creators.

here's the inconvenient and dangerous truth -- of the $110 billion this scheme spent on green projects so far, foreign companies are involved in over 60% of it. in fact, foreign entities have their hand in 15 of the 20 biggest projects receiving money from the bill. and a full $8 billion is benefiting companies either based in or with significant ties tore the people's republic -- to the people's republic of china. over $100 billion in left wing spending the majority has some ties to foreign countries, including america's biggest strategic adversary. so, our democratic colleagues sold their reckless spending spree as a made-in-america

investment. but the only thing it appears to be making in america is a mess. now, on another matter, almost two years ago the united states took an important step toward deeper cooperation with two of our closest friends, australia and the united kingdom. aukus agreement promises to equip our australian allies with cutting-edge u.s. attack submarines to help deter in the indo-pacific and clear the way for closer collaboration between all three nations on advanced defense technologies. like ranking member wicker, vice chair collins, and many other colleagues on both sides of the aisle, i've been supportive of this important effort.

outcompeting china is going to take a coalings of committed -- a coalition of committed alyietion and partners. some -- allies and some partners. some republicans want the aukus to be more than just a talking point or a one-time summit deliverable. we want it to be an enduring contribution to our collective security and a major expansion of defense cooperation with our closest allies. but standing in the way of the historic opportunity, aukus is the same persistent roadblock holding back other our -- our other efforts. president biden's defense budget requests grossly underestimate what's required to meet the challenges his own national defense strategy identifies. if we're serious about deterring conflict in the indo-pacific, we must address america's aging

attack submarine fleet. senior military leaders say they need 66 attack submarines to carry out necessary missions. the navy currently has 49. right now, our defense industrial base produces 1.2 new submarines a year, but the department of defense will need to double production capacity just to avoid further reductions in the fleet. our allies' significant investments in shipbuilding are welcome steps that will improve our mutual security, but if the united states doesn't increase our own shipbuilding capacity and production rate we'll both fall behind as china erodes our key advantage in the undersea domain. as ranking member wicker has pointed out, that means funding for more attack submarines and concrete investments in the

production lines that will help us meet our goals. if the administration is serious about making aukus a success, it should work with congress this fall to make urgent suckmental investments -- supplemental investments in meeting requirements in the indo-pacific. importantly, the administration should also prioritize removing barriers in the technology transfer process that prevent more effective long-term cooperation with our closest allies. the reforms laid out in pillar 2 of aukus are essential, not just for putting more cutting-edge u.s. technology in the endo pacific, but also for tapping into our allies' own technical advances and industrial basis -- industrial bases. if we're serious about building secure high-tech ply chains, we should go further to shore up

aukus and lower barriers to cooperation with our closest allies. as i've said before, for the purposes of defense technology cooperation, is we should treat australia and united kingdom like we treat canada. so today, i joined ranking member wicker, vice chair collins, and several colleagues in making the case to president biden. i hope and expect that the administration will recognize the need to invest further in our capacity to counter growing threats in the indo-pacific. for our part, i expect the senate to continue our work to provide for the common defense in ernest. -- for the common defense in earnest.

mr. padilla: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from california. mr. padilla: thank you, mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to executive session to consider the following nomination, executive calendar number 266, tyra k. mcgrath to be attorney for the southern district of california, that the senate vote without intervening action or debate. if confirmed, the motion be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately note fied of the senate's action and the senate resume legislative session. the presiding officer: is there an objection? mr. vance: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ohio. mr. vance: reserving the right to objection. the biden administration is not sending its best to the department of justice. many are unqualified, some seem

actively corrupt, and some i assume are good people. the problem is not this specific nominee, but the fact that the department of justice has been corrupted under the biden administration and there needs to be some reckoning with the american people and with this body and with the nominations process before we allow these nominees to glide path to the confirmation process. let's talk about a tale of two leaders in this country right now. one a democrat and one a republican. of course, the president of the united states, his son, hunter biden administration, has a -- hunter biden has multiple federal charges and investigations that implicate directly on the president's business dealings, may very well implicate the president directly and plausibly could lead to some significant problems for the president in the presidential election. yesterday, the plea deal that the department of justice cut with hunter biden fell apart under minimal scrutiny from the federal judge in that case. if that is how the department of justice treats the democratic

leadership in this country, with kid gloves, even in the face of very serious corruption. now, let's ask ourselves how they treat the former republican president in the face of a classified documents scandal where literally the claim is that the president of the united states mishandled the documents of his own administration. now, nobody doubts that president trump had the right to declassify the documents at issue in this case. the argument is that he didn't, therefore they want to throw him in jail. is that really what we're doing at the height of a presidential campaign, trying to throw the former president in jail, the likely leader of the opposition in prison, because he didn't cross the t's and dot the i's on the classification or declassification process? this is a ridiculous scandal in our entire country. look, whether these nominees are qualified or not, we should have the vote, make that determination as a body. it's not, as i've learned in eight months, all that difficult and hard to vote, but we have to stop giving these nominees the glide path until merrick garland

commits to using the department of justice for justice and not for politics as it's being used today. so mr. president, i on. the presiding officer: the objection is heard. mr. padilla: mr. president, let me add -- the presiding officer: the senator from california. mr. padilla: let me just add, mr. president, that it is beyond disappointing and beyond frustrating that our colleague from ohio continues to hold the senate process hostage for political gain. i won't get into the credentials and stellar qualifications that ms. mcgrath has to serve in this capacity. we'll reserve that for a more constructive day relative to her confirmation, you about i will note this for the sense of urgency, in the southern district of california the current acting u.s. attorney is due to step down on august 4. so interest's an -- so there's an urgency to this particular

confirmation, a confirmation which was approved by senate judiciary committee, by the way. but has not been voted on by the entire senate. it's not just this confirmation. i'm not going to talk about federal judges. i'm not going to talk about military promotions that are on hold because of politics being played on the other side of the aisle. i will leave the american peopln people deserve to know that when even u.s. attorneys are being held up, confirmation of u.s. attorneys are being held up, it is impeding the investigation of crimes. it is impeding the enforcement of our nation's laws. it is impeding the cooperation and coordination between various prosecutors' offices throughout the country. that is the job of a u.s. attorney and it's shameful that our republican colleagues are

holding these confirmations up, particularly of candidates for these positions that are far and above the qualifications necessary to serve in these capacities. mr. president, i also rise to speak today on this hot summer day in washington, d.c. where the forecast, as i was on the way in, showed that it was going to be 99 degrees today. well, 35 years ago on a scorching 98-degree summer day here in washington, nasa scientists dr. james henson testified in the senate energy and natural resources committee to share an alarming conclusion. 35 years ago he said this. manmade pollution was causing our climate to change. the earliest scientific warnings

that without action one day our planet would be at risk of catastrophic climate events. so colleagues, i'm here to say that day has come. this past may in a report in the environmental research letters journal, researchers found a direct correlation between increased carbon emissions and wildfires in the western united states. eight of the last ten largest wildfires in california history have occurred in just the last six years. in june, last month, new york city experienced the worst air pollution recorded or the planet he he -- on the plan net while washington, d.c. was blanketed in smoke, not because of wildfires in california but because of wildfires in canada. and over the last several weeks, a heat wave has brought record

breaking temperatures from coast to coast and put over 140 million americans under heat alerts. and just today we learned that this july is set to be the hottest month in recorded history. so the question is no longer hypothetical. the question is real. how viable of a planet are we going to leave to our children and our grandchildren? we must act, colleagues. yet even in the year 2023, with indisputable proof and many scientific studies, too many of our republican colleagues remain defiant. now, i'll acknowledge that the deliberate attempts to distract from the problem at hand has evolved over time. what was once climate change is a hoax has become defensive

industry or market-based solutions. once republican chair of the senate environmental public works committee bring a snowball on the u.s. senate floor to somehow disprove the dynamic of a warming planet has been replaced with press conferences, promising energy independence if we only allow continued polluting. it's a new kind of climate denial, a sophisticated campaign to create delays and undermine climate progress in order to enrich major corporations' bottom lines. but make no mistake. the ruts is -- the results is the same. republicans continuing to obstruct desperately-needed solutions. they vilify president biden and all of us democrats for having the courage to fight for bold action. and all too often they hold

california as the punching bag for enacting lifesaving policies that they disagree with. that's right. they bash california for having the audacity to lead. so today i want to set the record straight. yes, in california we have long accepted the truth about climate change, and as a result, we've been trailblazers for enacting environmental protections and leading our clean energy transition. as far back as 1966, california established the first tailpipe emissions standards for passenger vehicles in the nation. three years later after a catastrophic oil spill off the coast of santa barbara, californians rows up and demanded environmental protections, the birmt of a modern day environmental

movement and eventually creating the first earth day which we now celebrate every year. flash forward to 2006 when california passed ab-32 also known as the global warning solutions act, legislation with the bold goal of reducing emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. i was elected to the state senate that year, eager to part of implementation of that measure, and i went out to serve for six years as chair of the state senate committee on energy. now since then california has continued to lead the nation with increasingly ambitious goals for cutting emissions, conserving public lands, becoming the first state committed to conserving 30% of our lands and water by the year 2030, a goal that president biden has called for nationally. and just this month, california's environmental leadership came in the form of the nation's heavy duty truck

manufacturers agreeing to comply with california's first in the nation zero emission truck standards which will advance the adoption of 100% zero emission trucks by 2036, a truly historic achievement. and i think it's important to repeat and emphasize here i'm talking about a considered that struck manufacturers have agreed to. but let me make another point, mr. president. just to demonstrate just how partisan this conversation ought not to be, it has not just been democrats in california that have led the way. as president former california senator richard nixon signed into law landmark legislation including the national environmental policy act, the

clean air act of 1970, the endangered species act, and the creation of the epa. that's right, a republican president did that. as president former california governor ronald reagan built on california's leadership when he signed the first national energy efficiency standards for appliances into law. that's right, a republican president did that. it was republican governor pete wilson who established the california epa. and it was republican governor arnold schwarzenegger who signed the 2006 global warming solutions act that i referenced earlier. the net result in california's efforts is that in 2023, our state has a diverse portfolio of clean energy resources, not

hypothetical, operational, solar, wind, and geothermal energy. all while fostering a growing economy that's on its way to becoming the fourth largest economy in the world. it is that long-term vision and commitment to clean energy and a transition to it that will bring the first ever transition to cal caltran's all new electric fleet. it will result in the first transition from diesel trains in the west. it's the same vision that diverse fighter energy sources said after a winter of extreme storms like we saw this last year, we can take advantage of torrential rains with hydropower capabilities or reap the benefits of our expanded solar capacity and battery storage. i raise these examples, colleagues, not just to showcase california's leadership but to

prove that these aren't just lofty climate aspirations. california is proving that a clean energy transition is not only possible, it is actually good for our economy. and today the federal government is smart to follow california's lead. over the last two years we've made huge strides towards transitioning our nation's energy sector to clean, renewable sources and adopting california's clean vehicle emissions starreds. with -- standards. we passed the bipartisan infrastructure law. we also chose to invest in clean school buses, to invest in electrifying public transit across the country. we chose to expand electric vehicle charging stations to make the switch to electric vehicles that much more convenient for americans. last summer we passed the inflation reduction act which is

jump-starting clean energy and clean transportation projects, providing tax credits for americans to upgrade their appliances and their homes, and making electric vehicle ownership more affordable. and more reentsdzly we were -- and more recently we were able to defend our hard fought gains during the debt ceiling negotiations from republicans who wanted to undercut our progress. part of making sure we fully realize the investments in the ira is speeding up the permitting process for transmission lines that are needed to deliver the renewable energy from where it occurs as a natural resource to the communities where it's needed. it also means pushing agencies like the epa to embark on am birgs regulatory efforts on -- ambitious regulatory efforts on light and heavy duty vehicles, trains, and ships thanks to investments in the ira. so when we hear the defeatist

attitude of republicans who say this is going to hurt jobs, we can slow them the millions of good-paying jobs being created by the inflation reduction act. when we hear about alleged overreliance on foreign imports, we'll show them badly-needed investments in domestic manufacturing and a new generation of american solar, wind, geothermal, and green hydrogen. and when we hear cynics who prefer inaction to intervention, a planet burning to congress acting, we'll show them that the audacity to lead has paid off before and it can pay off again. now, i'm willing to forgive all that's been said, all the misinformation about climate change, all the ranting about california if my republican

colleagues were just willing to do what's right. in the end i wouldn't even ask my republican colleagues to reverse their positions and have the courage to lead. i'll settle for their courage to follow or at least get out of the way because california has already shown us the path forward. have the courage, colleagues, have the courage for the sake of our children and future generations. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor.

test. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: mrs. baldwin.

quorum call:

the presiding officer: the senator from wyoming. mr. barrasso: i ask unanimous consent that the. quorum call: be vitiated . the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: i ask that a detailee, in my office be granted floor privileges. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. barrasso: i ask to call up my amendment numbered 999 and

ask it be reported by number. the clerk: senator barasso, for himself and others, reports amendment 999. mr. barrasso: for decades russia has flooded america's uranium market. russia now supplies 24% of our enriched uranium imports. russia is our third largest supplier. we spend nearly $1 billion each year on russia and uranium. russia uses these revenues to fund its invasion of ukraine. here in america, we have the resources to fuel our own reactors. my amendment authorizes the department of energy to take the steps necessary to expand u.s. nuclear fuel production. the energy committee passed this legislation by a voice vote in may. the senate passed this legislation by a voice vote last

december. it was included in last year's senate defense bill. now, i'd like to thank senator manchin, senator risch, senator mark warner, senator budd and senator coons for their effort and cosponsor in this critical issue. i urge you to support this bipartisan amendment. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. i yield back all time. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. mr. barrasso: i ask for the yeas and nays. the presiding officer: is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso.

the clerk: mr. bennet.

the clerk: mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin.

the clerk: mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mrs. feinstein. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan.

mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina.

mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

vote: vote:

the clerk: mr. cornyn, aye. senators voting in the affirmative, barrasso, cornyn, crapo, grassley, lee, lujan, ricketts, romney, sinema, whitehouse. mr. tester, aye. no senator voted in the negative. mr. kelly, aye. mr. reed, aye. mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. tuberville, aye. mr. kaine, aye.

mrs. gillibrand, aye. the clerk: mr. johnson, aye.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye. mr. cardin, aye. the clerk: mr. budd, aye.

the clerk: mr. wicker, aye. mr. carper, aye. mr. welch, aye. the clerk: mr. wyden, aye.

mr. rounds, aye. ms. stabenow, aye. mr. king, aye. the clerk: ms. warren, no.

the clerk: mr. sanders, no. mr. warner, aye.

the clerk: ms. lummis, aye. mr. schmitt, aye.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, aye. ms. smith, aye. mr. cotton, aye. mr. schumer, aye. mr. peters, aye.

mr. cramer, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mr. menendez, aye.

mr. young, aye. mr. booker, aye. ms. ernst, aye. ms. duckworth, aye.

ms. hassan, aye. the clerk: mr. padilla, no. mr. mcconnell, aye.

mrs. feinstein, aye. mrs. blackburn, aye. mr. tillis, aye.

the clerk: mr. vance, aye.

the clerk: mr. manchin, aye. mr. ossoff, aye. ms. cantwell, aye. the clerk: mr. lankford, aye.

mr. schatz, aye. mr. cassidy, aye.

the clerk: mr. markey, no. the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, aye. ms. cortez masto, aye.

the clerk: mr. marshall, aye mrs. fischer, aye.

the clerk: mr. kennedy, aye.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye.

mr. shaheen, aye.. mrs. britt, aye. mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye. mr. risch, aye. mr. hawley, aye. mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. thune, aye.

the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, aye.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye. ms. rosen, aye. the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye.

mr. graham, aye.

the clerk: mr. merkley, aye. the clerk: ms. murkowski, aye. mr. daines, -- mr. deigns, eye

eye -- mr. daines, aye. mr. braun, aye. ms. klobuchar, aye.

the clerk: mr. padilla, aye. ms. hirono, aye.

vote:

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye.

the clerk: ms. capito, aye. mr. cruz, aye. the clerk: mr. rubio, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, aye. the clerk: mr. moran, aye.

mr. boozman, aye. mr. hoven, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. mullin, aye.

qlrk mr. hagerty -- the clerk: mr. hagerty, aye. the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. murray, aye. ms. collins, aye. the presiding officer: on this

vote the yeas are 96. the nays are 3. under the previous order requiring 60 votes for the adoption of this amendment, the amendment is agreed to. the senator from west virginia mr. manchin: i ask unanimous consent to speak for one minute. the presiding officer: without objection. a senator: i want to take time for recognizing a gentleman that has been given ten years of service, being the nuclear expert on the energy committee, roy stanley. he's leaving us but not far. he's going to the department of energy, department of nuclear increase. thank you for the service you've given us. next of all, i want to thank everyone for voting for this amendment. finally the united states is going to start taking care of its own and producing the enriched uranium we need. it's long past due. mr. manchin: finally with this amendment we'll get started in the right direction. i want to thank all of my colleagues for voting for that. again, roy, thank you for your service.

the presiding officer: the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: i call up my amendment 1030 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: senator from vermont, mr. sanders and others proposes amendment numbered 1030. the presiding officer: under the previous order, there will be two minutes. the senate will come to order. under the previous order, there will be two minutes for debate equally divided before a vote on the sanders amendment 1030. the senator from vermont. mr. sanders: thank you. mr. president, our health care system is broken. 85 million americans are uninsured or underinsured. our child care system is disfinancialal. millions of parents unable to find affordable sites force their kids. we have a major housing crisis.

600,000 americans are homeless and, oh, yes, the planet is on fire and the world we are leaving future generations will be increasingly unhealthy. but somehow we never have enough money to address those crises. mr. president, if we have learned anything about the covid -- from the covid pandemic, with where we have lost over one million americans, and climate change, which is causing massive destruction thought the world, it is that national security is not just about nuclear weapons, submarines, and fighter planes. it's about making sure that all americans have decent health care, education, housing, and other necessities of life. i ask for -- unanimous consent for 30 more seconds. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. sanders: year after year, with very little debate, we pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the military industrial

complex. this year it's about $900 billion. while defense contractors make huge contracts, while the pentagon remains unaudited with massive waste and fraud, we now spend more than the next ten nations combined. it is time to change our national priorities and cutting military spending by 10% is a good way to begin. thank you. mr. reed: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: mr. reed: i rise in opposition. a 10% cut makes no sense for those programs that are absolutely vital and necessary and those programs that may be subject to reduction based on an evaluation of the program. the senator's amendment excludes the defense health program, military personnel accounts and assistance to ukraine, but that means the actual cuts on every other function will be much greater than 10%. the other point i think should ,

inaccurate description of issues facing us domestically. we are now involved in an existential conflict helping ukrainians defend democracy. we're in a situation where china has increased their military dramatically and we must be prepared to react to such a change. this world is more dangerous perhaps today than at any time, and to simply walk away from adequately funding our defense department would be, i this i, in -- i think, in error. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. the clerk will call the roll. , oh, the yeas and nays? is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. vote:

the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso. mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd. ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto.

mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mrs. feinstein. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly.

mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez. mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul.

mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester. mr. thune. mr. tillis.

mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

senators voting in the affirmative -- baldwin, markey, murphy, sanders, and smith. senators voting in the negative -- budd, carper, casey, collins, daines, king, manchin, menendez, murkowski, murray, peters, reed, ricketts, romney, schmitt, schumer, scott of south carolina, stabenow, and thune. mr. cassie, no.

mr. schatz, no. -- mr. cassidy, no. mr. schatz, no. ms. warren, aye. mrs. shaheen, no. mrs. fischer, no. mr. wicker, no. mr. bennet, no.

mr. tillis, no. mrs. feinstein, no.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, no. mr. hickenlooper, no. the clerk: mrs. hassan, no. mr. tester, no. mr. backer, no. -- mr. booker, no.

the clerk: mr. vance, no. mr. heinrich, no. mrs. hyde-smith, no. mr. cardin, no. mr. coons, no. mrs. blackburn, no.

mr. rounds, no.

the clerk: mr. panhandle, no. -- mr. panhandle, no. -- mr. mcconnell, no. mr. cotton, no. vote: the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, no.

. the clerk: mr. wyden, aye. mr. brown, no.

ms. cortez masto, no. the clerk: mr. kaine, no.

mr. ossoff, no. the clerk: mr. grassley, no. ms. klobuchar, no. mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. briewm that you will the clerk: mr. blumenthal, no.

the clerk: mr. padilla, no. ms. sinema, no. the clerk: mrs. capito, no.

the clerk: mr. boozman, no.

the clerk: mr. young, no. mr. moran, no. mr. lee, no. mr. hagerty, no.

the clerk: mr. kelly, no.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no. mr. cramer, no. mr. merrickically, aye. the clerk: mr. merkley, aye.

the clerk: mr. risch, no. mr. barrasso, no.

the clerk: ms. hirono, no.

the clerk: mr. tuberville, no. the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

mr. mullin, no. the clerk: mr. lujan, no.

the clerk: mr. marshall, no.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, no. mr. welch, aye. ms. cantwell, no.

the clerk: mr. crapo, no. ms. lummis, no.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no. the clerk: mr. kennedy, no.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, no. the clerk: mr. cornyn, no. mr. graham, no.

the clerk: ms. rosen, no.

the clerk: mr. johnson, no. the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye.

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, no.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no.

the clerk: mr. braun, no..

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no. mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: mr. warner, no.

the clerk: mr. warnock, no. vot:

vote: the clerk: mr. paul, aye.

the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 11, the nays are 88. under the previous requiring 60 votes for the akoption of this amendment -- adoption of this amendment, the amendment is not agreed to. there will now -- mr. reed: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: i ask unanimous

consent that following the disposition of the menendez amendment, under the previous order, it be in order to call up the follow amendments, schatz 1078, scott 944, further, that respect to the amendments listed above, the senate vote on the amendments in the order listed with no further amendments or motions in order and with 06 affirmative votes in order required for adoption and there be two minutes provided before each vote. the presiding officer: is there objection? seeing no objection, so ordered. mr. warnock: mr. president. the presiding officer: -- a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from maryland. mr. cardin: i call up my amendment, 705 and ask it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from maryland, for himself an

mr. young, call up amendment number 075. -- 705. mr. cardin: this deals with our democrat value to fight corruption. i thank are senator wicker for his help, particularly in the helsinki commission where this issue was debated. i thank senator menendez and senator risch. this bill has been reported out by their committee at least twice by near unanimous or unanimous votes. i think we all recognize that corruption provides fuel for mrt leaders to do their nefarious actions, including the war in ukraine. it is in our core national security interest to fight corruption, as declared by president biden. this patterns the effort we made in the trafficking of persons to have the state department combat corruption using standards,

evaluations such as criminalizing corruption, investigating and prosecuting, adopting measures to prevent corruption, adequate resources and protecting victims of corruption. this amendment will continue the united states' leadership in fighting corruption globally. i ask my colleagues to support the amendment. mr. president, it's my understanding that we can do this by a voice vote. if that's the case, i ask unanimous consent that the 06-vote threshold with respect to this amendment be vindicated. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. the question is on the amendment. all those in favor say aye. opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it, the ayes do have it. the amendment is agreed to. mr. reed: mr. president. i ask unanimous consent that the previous amendment be amended so that the scott amendment occur immediately with all previous provisions remaining in effect.

are. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. scott: mr. president. i call up my amendment, number 944. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from section -- south carolina, mr. scott, proposes amendment 944. mr. scott: this directs the treasury department to have transparency from the chinese military donations to u.s. yiforts, every year undisclosed sources within the people's republic of china sends gifts and grants and other financial means to colleges and universities. we know too little about that. my amendment would be the first step in understanding their impact. i ask unanimous consent that the 60-vote threshold with respect to this amendment be vitiated. the presiding officer: is there

objection? without objection. mr. scott: i understand we can do this by a voice vote. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment. all those in favor say aye. opposed, say no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the amendment is agreed to. the presiding officer: the

marshall amendment is next.

mr. marshall: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. mr. marshall: i call up my amendment number 874 and ask that it be reported by number. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from

kansas, mr. marshall, proposes amendment numbered 874 to amendment number 935. mr. marshall: i ask unanimous consent for up to four minutes equally divided prior to the roll call vote. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. marshall: mr. president, every time our flags -- flag's unfurled, i ask you what emotion is stirred in your heart? old glory means many things to many people. some stand and some kneel. some saluters while others burn her. but regardless of your sentiments, what no one can deny is hundreds of thousands of americans have died for this one flag that gives you the freedoms we all enjoy. few if any americans have died for any other flag. as for me every time this flag is unfurled, i think about my own family members who have served. my family has had someone from every generation serve under this one flag since the civil

war. four of my grandfathers' grandfathers enlisted in the union to preserve this republic, three of whom died in a bloody battlefield. my uncles -- my mom's uncle served in world war i exposed to mustard gas and two of my dad's uncles stormed the beaches of normandy. my own uncles and cousins served. my brothers served. i serve. my son is serving and we all serve under one flag. my family who served -- that's what i think of whether this flag is unfurled. look, many americans have died to give you the freedom to honor or disgrace the flag as you see it fit for your own home. wouldn't you think that to honor america and those who served, especially for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and the gold star families that our country should honor our one american flag. i hope you agree with me as

patriots it would be right and proper that buildings and grounds owned by we the people, that only one flag with reasonable exceptions, that this one flag, the flag so many americans fought and died for, the one flag that represents this idea of america should be unfurled. and this is exactly what our amendment does. a vote against this amendment is a slap in the face of those of us who have served and disrespectful to the families whose loved ones have died defending this one flag. and the republic -- the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. mr. marshall: i yield. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from ways ways. ms. baldwin: mr. president, i rise in opposition to this amendment. the author has not truly revealed what the amendment does. in all of our federal buildings, we often see many different flags. the u.s. flag that we all join in pledging in this body but

also in certain states we see the state flag. we see the m.i.a. flag. in madison, wisconsin, the state capital during the month of june, adorns the pride flag. this really is a thinly veiled -- let's be clear, that this is about not being able to fly the pride flag. i was so proud last year to work across the aisle with both democrats and republicans to pass the respect for marriage act. it was a milestone for equal rights for all americans. but like so many other americans leading this march towards equality, i'm reminded of how much work we have yet to do. lgbtq plus americans are our neighbors, our loved ones, our constituents and our colleagues. they serve in our armed forces

and federal government making sacrifices every day for their country. they work in our federal buildings, our post offices, and in our own offices. they search in our military and put their lives at risk for our country. and these federal buildings connect americans to their government, a government of, by, and for the people, but for too long lgbtq+ americans have felt unwelcomed and sometimes unsafe in these spaces, these spaces that are meant to serve them, too. i think the american people are getting tired of politicians who make their support for our military servicemembers and their families contingent upon pushing a discriminatory agenda, whether that be about women's rights or lgbtq+ rights. the presiding officer: the senator's time has expired. ms. baldwin: i urge opposition. the presiding officer: the question is on the amendment.

the senator from rhode island. mr. reed: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the previous order be amended so that consideration of the kennedy amendment occur immediately preceding the gillibrand amendment with all previous provisions remaining in effect. the presiding officer: without objection. the question is on the marshall amendment. is there a sufficient second? there appears to be. the clerk will call the roll. the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. barrasso.

mr. bennet. mrs. blackburn. mr. blumenthal. mr. booker. mr. boozman. mr. braun. mrs. britt. mr. brown. mr. budd.

ms. cantwell. mrs. capito. mr. cardin. mr. carper. mr. carper. mr. casey. mr. cassidy. ms. collins. mr. coons. mr. cornyn. ms. cortez masto. mr. cotton. mr. cramer. mr. crapo. mr. cruz.

mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mrs. feinstein. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer. mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham. mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper.

ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar. mr. lankford. mr. lee. mr. lujan. ms. lummis. mr. manchin. mr. markey. mr. marshall. mr. mcconnell. mr. menendez.

mr. merkley. mr. moran. mr. mullin. ms. murkowski. mr. murphy. mrs. murray. mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch.

mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio. mr. sanders. mr. schatz. mr. schmitt. mr. schumer. mr. scott of florida. mr. scott of south carolina. mrs. shaheen. ms. sinema. ms. smith. ms. stabenow. mr. sullivan. mr. tester.

mr. thune. mr. tillis. mr. tuberville. mr. van hollen. mr. vance. mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. ms. warren. mr. welch.

mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young. senators voting in the affirmative -- barrasso, boozman, budd, cassidy, cornyn, cotton, cramer, crapo, cruz, daines, ernst,

fischer, graham, grassley, hawley, hoeven, hyde-smith, johnson, lee, lummis, marshall, paul, schmitt, scott of south carolina, tillis, wicker, and young. mr. ricketts, aye. mr. braun, aye. senators voting in the negative -- baldwin, bennet, blumenthal, brown, cantwell, cardin, casey, coons, cortez masto, gillibrand, hassan, heinrich, hirono, kaine, kelly, lujan, menendez, murphy, murray, peters, reed, rosen,

sanders, schatz, schumer, shaheen, sinema, smith, tester, van hollen, warren, and welch. mr. merkley, no. mr. rounds, aye. mr. lankford, aye. mr. moran, aye. mr. mullin, aye. mr. fetterman, no. mrs. capito, aye.

the clerk: mr. kennedy, aye. the clerk: ms. collins, aye. mrs. blackburn, aye. mr. wyden, no. mr. markey, no. mr. romney, aye.

the clerk: mr. carper, no.

the clerk: mr. king, no.

the clerk: mr. ossoff, no. mr. risch, aye. the clerk: mr. hagerty, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, aye. the clerk: mr. manchin, aye.

mr. rubio, aye.

the clerk: mr. thune, aye. the clerk: ms. klobuchar, no.