approve my ukraine funding or you don't get no disaster aid. why is he not, why is he putting them all together? it'sth like blackmail the republicans. he knows they don't support funding ukraine as much as he does but he's going to throw that disaster aid in with the pier and thin border security? to think joe biden is going to secure the border? what does he need more money for border security for? and then another thing on kevin mccarthy, it republicans can't get rid of kevin mccarthy, we will vote him out. i would rather lose the house then have kevin mccarthy going with republicans and j doing everything -- >> we are leading to. >> a to keep are over 40-year commitment to live coverage of congress. the u.s. senate returning now from the recess for votes.

vote: the clerk:mrs. feinstein.

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 -- bennet, cardin, carper, duckworth, hassan, heinrich, hirono, markey, murphy, padilla, rosen, schatz, smith, tester, van hollen, warnock, and wyden. mr. reed, aye. mr. warner, aye. mr. kaine, aye. mr. blumenthal, aye. ms. warren, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford. senators voting in the negative -- cassidy, coos ton, cramer, graham, hyde-smith, lankford,. mr. mullin:en and paul. -- mullin and paul. isthank you the clerk: mr. peters, aye.

mr. tillis, no. mr. kelly, aye. mr. crapo, no. mr. risch, no. the clerk: mr. rounds, no. ms. baldwin, aye. mr. vance, no.

mr. schmidt, no. mr. schmitt, no. mr. menendez, aye. mr. merkley, aye.

the clerk: mr. wicker, no. the clerk: mr. daines, no. mr. brown, aye.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye. the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye. mr. ossoff, aye. mrs. britt, no. mrs. fischer, no.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no. the clerk: mr. cornyn, no.

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

the clerk: ms. sinema, aye. the clerk: mrs. feinstein, aye. mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no. mr. thune, no. the clerk: mr. hagerty, no. vote:

the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

ms. lummis, no. the clerk: mr. welch, aye. mr. johnson, no. mr. boozman, no. mrs. shaheen, aye. ms. murkowski, aye.

the clerk: ms. ernst, no. mr. moran, no. mr. barrasso, no. mr. king, aye.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no.

the clerk: mr. scott of south carolina, no. mrs. blackburn, no. the presiding officer: mr. sande

rs, aye. ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. mr. sullivan, aye. mrs. capito, no.

vote:

mr. romney no. the clerk: mrs. murray, aye.

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye.

the clerk: mr. braun, no. mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. lujan, aye. r- the clerk: ms. cortez masto, aye.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. budd, no.

the clerk: mr. scott of, florida, no.

the clerk: mr. president manchin, no -- mr. manchin, no.

the clerk: mr. coons, aye. ms. stabenow, aye.

vote: the clerk: mr. hawley, no.

the clerk: mr. kennedy, no.

the presiding officer: have all senators voted? does any senator wish to change his or her vote? if not, the yeas are 51. the nays are 48 and the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 255, lisa denell cook of michigan to be a member of the

board of governors of the federal reserve system signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of lisa denell cook of michigan to be a member of the board of governors of the federal reserve system shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are mandatory under this rule. 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. 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.

the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative -- baldwin, cantsz well, kaine, -- cantwell, kaine, menendez, murkowski, sanders, smith, welch, and wyden. senators voting in the negative -- barrasso, budd, capito, cruz, daines, ernst, grassley, hawley, kennedy, lummis, and romney. the clerk: ms. hirono, aye.

the clerk: ms. warren, aye. ms. cortez masto, aye. mr. coons, aye.

mr. schumer, aye. mr. scott of south carolina, no. mr. vance, no. mr. crapo, no. ms. klobuchar, aye.

the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye. v: vote: the clerk: mr. boozman, no. mr. reed, aye.

the clerk: mr. paul, is no.

the clerk: mrs. murray, aye. mr. durbin, aye.

the clerk: mr. rounds, aye.

the clerk: mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: ms. hassan, aye.

the clerk: mr. carper, aye. mrs. shaheen, aye.

the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no. the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mrs. gillibrand, aye. mr. marshall, no. mr. lujan, aye. ms. sinema, aye. mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mr. fetterman, aye. the clerk: mr. ricketts, no.

the clerk: mr. graham, no. the clerk: mrs. hyde-smith, no.

the clerk: mr. risch, no. mr. tillis, no. mr. cramer, no. mr. padilla, aye.

mr. schatz, aye. the clerk: mr. moran, no. mr. thune, no.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye. mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mr. mullin, no.

the clerk: mr. scott of florida, no. the clerk: mr. rubio, no o -- no.

the clerk: mr. schmitt, no. the clerk: mr. lankford, no. the clerk: mr. merkley, aye.

the clerk: ms. duckworth, aye. mr. cassidy, no.

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye. the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: ms. collins, no. mrs. fischer, no. mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye.

the clerk: mr. tester, aye. the clerk: mr. king, aye. mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye. mr. brown, aye. mr. hoeven, no. the clerk: mr. cotton, no. mr. cardin, aye.

the clerk: mr. tuberville, no. the clerk: mr. peters, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no. mr. lee, no. mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. hagerty, no.

the clerk: mr. van hollen, aye.

the clerk: mrs. feinstein, aye.

the clerk: mr. johnson, no. ms. britt, no. mr. ossoff, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. mr. mcconnell. mr. mcconnell, no.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, no. the presiding officer: on this vote the yeas are 52. the nays are 47. the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nomination. the clerk: nomination, federal reserve system, lisa denell cook of michigan to be a member of the board of governors.

a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from west virginia. mrs. capito: mr. president, just yesterday all of us returned to the u.s. capitol following a

five-week stretch where we exercised the opportunity to meet with our constituents in our homes, visited updated projects and attend events in our relative -- in our respective states, and some of us traveled across the country and around the world to expand our understanding and gather lessons so that we can apply that to our work here in washington. i was able to accomplish this at home by attending my state's annual economic development summit where i met business leaders from all across west virginia with a variety of -- on a variety of issues from a variety of fields from meetings with individuals in specific industries, i was able to share the landscape that i currently see in washington and hear about the specific policies that are impacting west virginia most directly. i was also able to attend a really great event, a ribbon cutting ceremony for a brand new high school. the school herbert hoover high school had been designated, the former school, in 2016 by

floods. and we all gathered there and celebrated something that was really awful into something very joyful. in our -- and our own home state brad paisley give us a concert to celebrate with. during the ceremony the west virginia spirit was really pallable so that as the community worked hard to remedy the scars from that horrible flood. it was a special occasion, and i think it proved to me and to all of us the resiliency that defines the people of my state and i would say contract as well -- say connecticut as well. the august work period also provided the opportunity for me to lead an all-women congressional delegation of bipartisan, bicameral members to the indo-pacific region. the trip kind of had a dual mission. the first was to discuss national and global security and energy in the indo-pacific region. the second was to explore issues related to the empowerment of women and girls, the status of

women in sports, and building on current momentum in that space. to do both in a week is certainly a tall order. as the two are seemingly disconnected. we went hoping originally, obviously to see the u.s. women's soccer team play in the world cup. we didn't get to quite see them but we did see all of the excitement around the women's world cup and we did get to see a great match between japan and sweden. but the experience we gained prove that these topics are really more related than what meets the eye. the center focus that binds these two missions that we had together are our u.s. values. these values are a tangible power and have tangible power and our ability to lead by our values displays the ininfluence that our nation has in both of these areas. when congress passed title 9 of the education amendments in 1972, sex discrimination and education programs and

activities offered by any entity that receives federal financial assistance was barred. it was monumental legislation for women and wep's sports. -- women's sports. this forever changed the way that women participate in our society. it has paved the way for life changing scholarships, a dramatic change in women's participation in our economy, and the consequent rise of u.s. women's sports. the ascension of women's 1r06789 involvement in sports that has created a ripple effect that is not just felt in our country. we certainly saw it halfway around the world but around the entire globe. american coaches and former players have traveled globally to inspire and encourage the next generation of female athletes. businesses have funded and broadcast women's games as they didn't in the past, and in america, girls' participation in high school sport continues to rise. with 3.3 million girls competing

in high school sports in the 2022 school year. the truth is, the growth of women's sports, both domestically and internationally, is the result of that increased role that women now embody. communities and countries around the world, including our own country, are more likely to be peaceful and successful when women fully participate in society. the world has begun to realize that this kind of support is simply the right thing to do. and is now bracing the values that the united states has led with. our codel saw this directly through our travel in australia and new zealand and our meeting with leaders from the women's world cup. we met with the u.s. leaders and we met with the international leaders. and while the u.s. didn't take home that title this year, our presence alone continues to have an impact in every tournament

where the stars and stripes are represented. now, the question remains how is women's empowerment a metaphor, sports i'm talking about, too, a metaphor for global security? well, here in congress we have supported ukraine, not just in defense of democratic values and territorial sovereignty but also because it advances u.s. security interests and deterrence. the united states has led the push to bring together allies from europe and across the world to not just understand the threat created by putin but to respond to it with strength. we have made that progress by leading with our values, and with our interests to stop aggression in its track, whether it's in europe or elsewhere. the u.s. has shown the way through significant bipartisan military support. our global leadership against aggression and autocratic land

grabs has built a formidable opposition that russia simply did not anticipate and that china can see clearly every single day. for example, our codel witnessed joint exercises in the australian seas that were the first of their kind between india, new zealand, australia, and the united states. japan has for the first time committed more than 2% of its gross domestic product to defense. sweden and finland have just recently joined nato. the e.u. is buying more crude oil from the united states as they divest from russia. and new economic partnerships are cropping up globally as a result of our u.s. leadership. the tie between women's empowerment and global security is an american values-based leadership. the members of our bipartisan

and bicameral codel, we saw that firsthand. as our leadership and values inspire nations across the globe, we must respect are, encourage, and celebrate those that exemplify it. you know, you don't have power if you don't use it. but by working together, our strong leadership here in the u.s. can continue to change the world. i really cherished the opportunity to gain experience, knowledge, and perspective from our leaders at the headquarters of the u.s. indo-pacific command. as well as leaders throughout the region when it came time to domestic and international security matters and energy issues in the indo-pacific. i'm also thankful for the company and counsel from the other members of our codel, senator cindy hyde-smith from miption, krissy houlihan from pennsylvania, representative kathy caster from florida, and representative nicole malitoukis

from new york as well as their steadfast entire as we all shared together to engage on these topics and issues. there is no doubt that congress has an extensive list of challenges facing us in the coming month, but i am really confident in our ability to meet the needs of our country, both domestically and abroad and to exemplify that value-based leadership that was evident throughout our trip. with that i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from nebraska. mr. ricketts: boys and men should not be allowed to participate in girls' sports. this used to be common sense. apparently it's controversial. when i was back home in nebraska in the august recess -- thank you very much. may i begin again, mr.

president p we had the august rather, soy i forgot to put on my microphone. men and boys should not be allowed to participate in women's and girls sports. this used to be common sense. but today apparently it's controversial. when i was back in february for the august recess, two events highlighted this for me. the first was volleyball day. volleyball day in nebraska saw four of our women's volleyball teams showconveys their talent. over 92,000 fans crammed into lincoln's memorial stadium to watch the event. it was a world-record event, the most attendees for a woman's sports event in history. it was a great day for title 9, to demonstrate how much success is that has had. in fact oklahoma world columnist

wrote volleyball day in nebraska may be the biggest title 9 statement simplify all time. and certainly it demonstrated the progress that the we have seen creating equal opportunity for our daughters, granddaughters, and sisters. and it's not just about athletics. it's about scholarships, about educational opportunities, and of course those career opportunities as well. but sadly, today title 9 is under attack from bad policies that are undermining what has been so successful for a half a century. and that brings me to my second event. i along with 1,100 other nebraskans had the honor to listen to reilly yangs. she was a woman's swimmer forethe university of kentucky. she described her experience

competing against lia thomas. lia was william thomas, a montana mo created against other men for three years of his career. he was mediocre. after a year of tess tossster yellowstone-suppressing therapy, under ncaa rules, he was allowed to compete against women and went from being rankinged 462nd nationally to being top-rankinged. and reilly described how unfair this experience was. we also heard from dr. craig brown, a physiologist and professor at the university of nebraska carney. he described the differences between men and women. it is crazy that we need to talk about the differences between men and women. he described that men produce ten to 20 times more

testosterone than women on average and that this testosterone-suppression therapy that i mentioned, well, it reduces it. but according to ncaa rules and ioc rule, you only have to get below the normal range and that level is still five to ten times more testosterone than what women produce. and here's the kicker -- there is no research, none whatsoever, that shows that by reducing testosterone you eliminate the male sex-based athletic advantages. none. it's bogus. it's arbitrary. that's part of the unfairness. when we support policies that undermine title 9, we are potentially robbing women of the

opportunity to be able to have those sports careers and to have the opportunity to get those scholarships. as school starts back up again, let's celebrate the differences between boys and girls, between men and women. let's not support policies that are driving them off the court or the playing field or out of the pool. i'm a proud cosponsor of the protection of women and girls sports act. it would require title 9 to be interpreted based upon your biological sex. this will preserve title 9 and those opportunities for young women all across this country. let's make sure bad policy is not undermining title 9. i urge all my senate colleagues to support this commonsense act.

it's pro-science, pro-women, and pro-common sense. we need to push back against these bad policies that are undermining the important title 9 work for the last 50 years. and that way we can ensure that our daughters, granddaughters, and sisters have that equal opportunity that they've had over all these years. thank you, mr. president. i yield back. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from missouri. mr. bud. mr. schmitt: thank you, mr. president. i'm here to talk about my time back from my state in august. americans and missourians can feel safe at their pocketbooks. we're not at risks floor at least a month.

but i was able to get around our four corners of our state and to a couple of our critical military installations that we have. we've got whiteman air force base. it is home to the b-2 stealth bomber. spent some time talking to leadership and also getting up to the rose kranz international guard base up in the northwest corner of the state which plays a critical role not just in crit cat disasters but in wartime. they're in desperate need of the new cj-181 aircraft. it also reaffirmed one of my great passions right now is to root out this divisive dei training that we have in our military. the united states military has been one of the great mayor

toocracies in the history. planet. people can rise from the lowest running of the socioeconomic ladder to ticket-tape parades. what weigh don't need to be doing is separating peoplely race, this divisive ideology is hurting recruitment and we have real recruitment challenges when we should be focusing on readiness and the threat that china poses. sowed we're able to get around and focus on some of those issues as well. as long as getting around and talking to some of the business leaders. we talked to job producers in springfield and in kansas city and how they're dealing with some of the challenges they have in the labor market and also making sure we have great jobs in the show me state and a ready workforce. i had the opportunity also on a lighter note to have some ribs at the world-famous arthur bryant's in kansas city. to all those who may think they have better barbecue in texas texas or carolina, i've got news

for you. we've got the best barbecue. arthur bryant's is home to mt. rushmore. i got to the sykesdone rodeo. i got to the national fair. bidenomics isn't working. regardless of how they try to sell it, missourians understand what the truth is is that everything has gotten way more expensive. the spending spree has been made it tougher for american families to make ends meet. that's continually reflected in some of the more recent economic reports. rapidly rising inflation has hollowed out savings, skyrocketing interest rates have made it more difficult to afford things and since biden took office, overall prices have increased 16.6%. 16.8%. grocery prices have risen over

20%. electricity prices have risen over 24%. gasoline prices haveriesening a staggering 54% p awed owe loan rates are at a 17-year high. credit card interest rates atst are at all-time highs. bidenomics isn't working, but it's making working families put in more overtime. lastly, i had a chance to catch up with some of the great farmers and ranchers and agricultural leaders at the missouri state fair. it is a great state fair, spent time at the cattlemen's beef house or, the pork place, the datary center, saw the butter cow, met with folks from the missouri soybean association, missouri corn. the farmers and ranchers are essential to the nation's good supply. times have been immensely tough for them as they deal with rising inflation that has raised priced on everything from diesel to basic operating court costs.

from regulators who have never stepped foot on a farm, these officials are implementing harsher regulations on farmers and designee so? the name of climate alarmism telling these farmers who know how to care for their land -- they're great stewards of the land -- things that they have no business telling them. congress never voted on any of this. it is some deputy under secretary in some department you've never heard of. the best thing they can do is -- the best thing the government can do is get out of the way. it is always great to get around the state, one of the great joys of being in the office is visiting with real people, listening to what their concerns are. i had a chance to do that. and i promised them that i would always come and fight for them and visiting for that month in particular as we always do but certainly that amount of block of time only inspires me to fight harder.

thank you, mr. president. i yield being.

now we are glad and eager to be back to get the work done. be quiet. i want to thank senator durbin for being here. over the past few months, the senate appropriations process has been a shining example of what to get done in washington. these are times when people are divided. this closely divided chamber but nevertheless, we can summarize the senate's work funding the government in one word -- bipartisan. bipartisan. thanks to the phenomenal work of the appropriations chair we will hear from a minute and i share susan collins and numerous colleagues on both sides. all 12 appropriations bills out of the committee with bipartisan

support majority with unanimous support, it's incredible how a time when the country is so divided and became and a great example in the house of representatives. this month one of the top priorities will be to keep the government open on the september 30 deadline. both parties in both chambers will have to work together if we are to avoid a shutdown so when the house returns next week, i beg my house republicans colleagues to follow the senate leave and recognize time is short and the only way to avoid a shutdown is bipartisanship in both the house and senate. house republicans have the first chance to show their commitment to bipartisanship when they return next week.

last thing americans need is a government shutdown. a shutdown will hurt just about every american get there are some on the hard right say they actually want a shutdown. it's hard to believe they would be callous about people's wants and needs. our economy has come a long way. inflation is slowing down. job growth remains strong and investments made through infrastructure law, chips and signs act. new project, new jobs and prices going down. we can't squander that now. a shutdown is unnecessary and would harm american families and businesses, just about everybody but both sides work in good faith and embrace bipartisanship

and avoid all or nothing tactics. the first desktop version of its mac os operating system. the first harry potter movie and the first lord of the rings movie both came out. alicia keys and destiny's child were topping the charts. and bill clinton left office. 22 years ago was also the last time that mortgage rates were as high as they are now. yes, they are higher now than they were during the 2008 financial crisis. mortgage rates were the lowest in american history in january of 2021. then joe biden became president. over the past two and a half years, mortgage rates have almost tripled. in the meantime, inflation

rates are still climbing higher. this past month, as i traveled nebraska during the senate's state work period, i visited with dozens and dozens of middle-class americans. it's truly the best part of my job, meeting with small business owners, ag producers, schoolteachers, nurses, students, and employees all across my home state. but this year it was so frustrating to hear about the economic struggles that nebraskans are facing. middle-class nebraskans are scraping by financially, and what's ironic is that they're doing it on the watch of a president who calls himself middle class joe. president biden's line recently

has been when the middle class does well, everyone does well. you know, i agree with him. i would just add that right now everyone is not doing well. that's especially true for the middle class, and it's because this administration's ill-advised policies keep pumping air into an economy that's already bloated. the so-called bidenomics agenda is poison, described as a cure-all for the middle-class americans, and that is not an exaggeration. last month i saw bidenomics up close in nebraska, so let me tell you how it's going. one saturday this august i visited a small town in western nebraska. that afternoon a small business owner told me that his electricity bills have shot up

over the past couple of years both for his home and for his business. electricity, groceries, gas, you name it, these essentials are tough to afford, if not impossible to afford for the average middle-class american. that is bidenomics in nebraska. business owners and families alike shared that they could hardly pay increasingly high rent and mortgage rates. in fact, all year an increasing number of middle-class nebraskans have resorted to asking the salvation army for money so that they can pay their utilities. that is bidenomics in nebraska. as i traveled the state of issue of child care affordability came up over and over and over again.

child care costs have skyrocket ed, and dads and moms are at a loss to how to afford these rising rates. that is bidenomics in nebraska. the bidenomics agenda has made many promises, but i haven't seen the administration keep a single one. remember the president's american families plan? almost two and a half years ago the president promised that low- and middle-income families would spend no more than 7% of their income on child care. but leading up to the fourth year of biden's presidency, here's what family life looks like. nebraska families are already struggling due to inflation. they've seen price increases on

bills, groceries, and almost everything else. in many cases both parents need to work so they can make enough so that they can pay off debt or afford those high mortgage rates. when child care costs are through the roof, it is impossible for both parents to work. according to the economic policy institute, child care costs rose 24.4% more per year than average rent and 53.5% more than in-state college tuition. 53.5% per year. that is bidenomics in nebraska. from the american families plan to the inflation reduction act, this administration's efforts to

grow our economy from the middle class out, they have totally failed. my message to the president is this -- when the middle class does badly, everyone does badly we need to undo the harmful, excessive regulations that are making middle-class americans suffer. we need to put the priority on reducing costs for everyday americans. we need to unleash american energy to lower our gas prices. we need to support an economic plan that will lower inflation. and we need to pull the plug on wasteful policies that don't help anyone.

so stop with the slogans, mr. president, and spend more time levinning -- listening to real americans' concerns. bidenomics is not working in nebraska. let's be honest, it is not working in the other 49 states either. this administration needs to hear this. it's two and a half years past time to make a change. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from north dakota. mr. hoeven: i rise today to discuss the high cost of energy, the high cost of gasoline prices that are the direct result of the biden administration's harmful energy policy. as americans hit the road over

the recent holiday weekend, many noticed something that has become all too familiar under the biden administration, and that's continued high prices at the gas pump. the average cost of gas, a gallon of gas was about $2.40 as they were driving over this past month. today consumers are paying at the pump about $3.80 a gallon for gasoline on average. that's 60% higher, 60% higher than when president biden took office. that hits every one of them right in the pocketbook, particularly those who can afford it the least. gas prices, like any commodity where prices are high because demand exceeds supply, and president biden's energy policy is the problem. there can be no doubt about that. the main problem is that president biden's green new deal policies are stifling domestic energy production.

that's the main problem. but president biden has literally taken action to put america behind the barrel. it's not just that he's restricting domestic supply, he's also increased our dependence on foreign oil and our adversaries now it. let me tell you what i mean. the biden administration -- since the biden administration started, it's releaseed 260 million barrels from the strategic petroleum reserve, bringing our reserve to its lowest level since 1983. approximately 350 million barrels remain in the reserve. 350 million barrels. now that's down from the all-time high of more than 700 million barrels. so our reserve, our strategic petroleum reserve is at less than half of its capacity. and you might have noticed that on tuesday, september 5, saudi

arabia and russia extended a 1.3-million-barrel a day cut through december. they extended a reduction through the end of the year. saudi arabia is voluntarily cutting one million a day of production. following that announcement the price of crude rose to over $90 a barrel and intermediate crude to almost $87 a barrel. today they're up again. basically president biden has weakened our ability to respond just when we need to. as i say, our adversaries are well aware of it. that's why they're reducing supply to push the price up. the real problem, the real problem is that he's put handcuffs on our prow -- producers, restricting supply here at home which is the real solution. but to add insult to injury,

he's also depleted the reserve because he was trying to keep prices down earlier. our adversaries know it and now they're taking advantage of it. unbelievable. unbelievable. every successful economy depends on access to low-cost dependable sources of energy and our vast supply of coal and resources are one of our nation's most strategic assets. instead of harnessing our abundant taxpayer-owned energy reserves, the biden administration is taking every imaginable state to curtail new production. the interior department is failing to hold quarterly lease sales onshore and reducing available acreage onshore and offshore for leasing. today it was reported that the biden administration is canceling a congressionally mandated lease-sale in alaska that was awarded in 2021. alongside restricting lands available for leasing, the

biden administration is opposing new costs and burdens on federal energy leases. maximizing access to new leasing today is directly tied to growing production and supply not only for today, but for the long term. otherwise production will continue to fail to meet demand, and that means higher prices for american consumers. also our nation's refining capacity has fallen from 19 million barrels per day in 2020 to about 18 million barrels a day now. we've not we've not built a new refinery in the united states since 1977 and the biden administration's regulatory onslaught and rush to electric vehicle mandates only drives those gas prices higher. instead of empowering more u.s. energy production and encouraging much needed new investment, president biden drained our strategic petroleum reserve to its lowest level in

40 years while begging countries like venezuela and saudi arabia to produce more. and as i just said, russian opec knew it and they're restricting to push oil prices higher. it makes no sense to increase our reliance on russia and opec for energy. these are foreign producers that have little or no regard for environmental stewardship. so think about it. the biden administration is doing this in the name of environmental stewardship so they want oil produced in a way that is not environmentally friendly rather than the best environmental standards which we have here in the united states? again, it defies common sense. and it hurts every american consumer. the united states is a global energy powerhouse, and it's time we act like one. simply put, increasing u.s. energy production refining capacity is the ultimate

solution to bringing more supply thereby lowering prices at the pump and providing hardworking families and businesses the relief from high energy prices they need and they deserve. that's why president biden needs to take the handcuffs off and unleash the full potential of america's vast energy reserves. with that, mr. president, i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. a senator: mr. president, i recall the first time i sat down with the late great senator bob dole after i'd been elected to congress. mr. marshall: the purpose of that meeting was to get to know the senator, but i had a big issue that i wanted to get a vote on and wanted his advice. as i presented the legislation i was going to present the next day he stopped. he said roger, what you need to do is go back to kansas and listen to the people of kansas. they'll tell you the answer to that question. so this august was no different than any break i've had.

like many of my colleagues, we went back to our home states. i went to wichita, to small towns to big cities, from the inner city to rural america, and we listened. we sat down with unions, with small businesses, big businesses, folks from financial services and farmers and ranchers. we sat down with leaders from public schools and private schools. we had roundtables, did multiple roundtables on child care, homelessness. we sat down with multiple minority business owners, and we talked about the challenges they had, specifically about access to capital. we did roundtables on nutrition and health care. in abilene, kansas, we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the install business administration founded by -- of the small business administration founded by our 35th president, kansas' own dwight eisenhower. we participated in a trafficking event. i thought i'd seen all the history from kansas, but we found two more locations that

were underground railroads where they particularly housed freedom seekers, one in the ruins of kansas city, kansas and one, the john brown cabin. but of all the things they did that i think is important was our fentanyl awareness campaign that one pill can kill. i'm often asked about going from being a physician to a senator and what's the difference. and i would describe as a physician i could impact maybe 30, 40, 50 people in one day. but as a united states senator, i have the opportunity to impact thousands of people and to save lives. and in this case that's exactly what the goal of this one pill can kill campaign was. we thought as kids return to school it would be an ideal time to get out that message that indeed one pill, one fake pill laced with fentanyl can kill. our entire kansas delegation participated, and i'm grateful for their support.

we had over a hundred kansas organizations actively participate as well, reaching out to their own networks from law enforcement, the kbi was outstanding, sheriffs, our community health centers, colleges, high schools, health departments, anyone we could get to to get that message out that one pill can kill. every day our staff did an incredible job of arming every one of those organizations with information to help get that word out. it resulted in thousands of social media posts across the state. and i'm grateful for the local media, the newspapers, the radios, the television stations that rutted in hundreds -- resulted in hundreds of articles that indeed one pill can kill. and i think the story is easy to tell and that's what we tried to do, just tell this story of fentanyl, how the cartel is alive and well across the state of kansas, that they're lacing xanax and adderall and percocet

with fentanyl. even marijuana they're lacing with it. this is the number one killer of young adults. i'm sad to say most every day we lose a kansan to fentanyl poisoning. we're using narcan 15, 20 times a day. i talked to a fireman in kansas city. he said every day they're making runs because of fentanyl. we wanted to share that story of where fentanyl is being sold, how it's sold. it's deceptiveness and the efforts required to combat it. i'll just close with this. it is easier to get a fentanyl tablet and cheaper to get a fentanyl tablet delivered to your home than it is to order a piece of pizza. for a dollar a pill, you can now get fentanyl delivered to your home and all it takes is just one of those pills to kill. for the sake of our children, i pray pray that can he -- i pray we can secure our borders and stop the influx of fentanyl into

kansas and the rest of the country. in doing so we can save literally hundreds if not thousands of lives. our week-long campaign pushed us closer to that goal. thank you, mr. president. i yield back. -- i yield back. k. a senator: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. ms. ernst: mr. president, while i was home in iowa this past month, i wrapped up my annual river-to-river tour where i hear directly from iowans in all 99

counties every single year. our government is designed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. and that's why i'm committed to hearing from iowans in every corner of our state and every county. it's my job to bring their voices loud and clear to washington where i have the honor and privilege of representing them in this great body. now that the senate is back in session, we have lots of unfinished business that impacts iowans' lives from funding the government to renewing the farm bill. it is here in the nation's capital that we gather to complete this work on behalf of our fellow americans. while the senate is once again bustling with activity, i see we even have a new class of senate

pages representing us and they are here for duty. you've reported for duty, right? welcome to all of our new pages. thank you for your service as well. and the halls of washington's bureaucracies as we look about this city, they remain largely empty and hollow. and that, folks, is a top issue for iowa taxpayers and folks across the county. excuse me, across the country. thousands of calls to the department of veterans affairs from veterans seeking mental health services are going unanswered. desperate travelers are waiting hours on the phone or in line hoping to speak with someone at the state department about passport delays that are causing

vacation cancellations. our seniors are calling the social security administration and are increasingly being greeted with busy messages, waiting, longer to speak to a representative, or having their calls go unanswered altogether as the agency shifts towards remote work. frustrated americans are being put on hold while too many federal employees are phoning it in. a mcof a v.a. -- a manager of a v.a. medical center responsible for overseeing veterans appointments, this is no joke, this is no joke, an over seer for scheduling of veterans' care appointments called into a meeting from a bubble bath and even posted a

selfie of it on social media with the caption, my office for the next hour. another v.a. staffer lamented, quote, it's almost as if this employee is making a mockery of all veterans. i can sit here in my bathtub and relax and you just have to wait. and that is exactly what is happening. the v.a. is still providing misleading wait times to hide the problem, but the heartbreaking stories of veterans continuing to go without urgent medically necessary care sometimes for months tells the whole story. taxpayers are also picking up the cost of maintaining mostly empty buildings in washington.

70% or -- 75% or more of the office space at the headquarters of most of our federal agencies is not being used. the vacant offices beg the question, where are all of the federal employees? only one out of every three bureaucrats is fully back in the office. one out of every three. according to a recent office of personnel management survey. some said they never report to a physical office. the work locations of over 281,000 employees were redacted

from data provided in response to a freedom of information request filed by the nonprofit group open the books. 281,000 employees. well, i have some questions. who are these folks and what exactly are they doing? has the biden administration been bamboozled into thinking these bureaucrats are operating out of some secret cave like batman? i'm working to find these secret locations which are more likely to turn out to be man caves than bat caves. in his 2022 state of the union address, president biden pledged that, quote, the vast majority of federal workers will once again work in person.

end quote. well, here we are a year and a half later and the nation's capital remains a ghost town and government employee unions are fighting efforts to bring bureaucrats back. folks, i am all for moving federal agencies out of washington. that's exactly what my bill, the swamp act would do. the intent is to make those creating the rules more accountable to the hardworking iowans and americans that have to live under them. but legal federal employees -- but letting federal employees work when and where and even if they want to is having the exact opposite effect. consider as many as 30% of

department of health and human services remote employees did not appear to be working on any given day during the pandemic and again, these are health and human services remote employees during a pandemic, you would think they would be working. they did not appear to be working. according to an internal review of employee log-ins to the agency's e-mail and file systems. so hello, federal employees, we actually can see when you are working and when you are not. folks, remote work should not be confused with flipping flaw channels with a tv remote. this, folks, is not remote work. growing up on a farm, i know

what working from home really means, and it ain't easy. it's not fair to let the responsibilities of running a federal agency and the country fall on the shoulders of hardwork being public servants who are showing up while others are out golfing on the taxpayers' dime. that is why i have asked the inspector general of every single federal department and agency to determine, first, the impact of telework on the delivery and response times of services and, second, how much taxpayer money could be saved by consolidating unused office space and adjusting government salaries for those who have relocated and chosen to remain out of the office.

most of america is back to work, and it's time for burrowed democrats in washington to answer the call of duty on behalf of taxpayers, veterans, seniors, and our great nation. thank you, madam chair. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from iowa. mr. graham: thank you, madam president. ladies and gentlemen of the senate, i come to report to you on some of the activities i did during the august break and what iowans were telling me. on august 29, i completed my annual 99-county meatings for the 43 reasonable doubt year in a d. -- for the 43rd year in

at that row. representative government is a two-way street. those of us antiquity elected to the senate and the house are one half of the process, and my constituents are the other half of that process. holding at let's one k & a in every county in every year is one way that i foster dialogue. no matter the setting, the format is the same -- my iowa constituents set the agenda. i spent the last five weeks while the senate was in session convening with iowans in every corner of the state of our -- with nearly 40q & a's that i had with those constituents in those counties h from factory floors

and rural hospitals to town meetings, iowans shared their point of view with meet. now, i'm bringing their concerns to my colleagues here in the congress, even though you don't represent iowans, you need to know what they're telling me. one consist sent theme that i gathered from my meetings, iowans are fed up with soaring inflation and high interest rates. the biden economy is not working for iowans. contrary to the sales pitch parroted by this administration, iowans aren't buying the biden economy. from the phoebes i got at -- from the feedbacks i got from my meet, the so-called biden nomination, quote, rebuilding our economy up and from the middle out, end of quote, that is not working.

as iowans see it. because iowans are emptying their pocketbooks just to make ends meet. i heard from iowa families about the highest cost of groceries at their supermarkets and the pain that they're feeling each time they fill up their gas tank. the administration's assault on fossil fuels and lackluster support for homegrown biofuels isn't helping. mr. grassley: young americans and iowans in particular are concerned about the record-high mortgage rates entering homeownership because iowans work hard but the biden economy is hardly working for them. another issue that iowans are especially attuned to, as you would expect because we're a great agricultural state, is the

timing of the upcoming farm bill. i held a meating with memoni food pantry to learn about their nutrition services there in decatur county and therm also concerned about the snap program within the farm bill. i also met with egg producers, pork producers, dairy producers, and cattlemen at the iowa state fair and their message was very clear. farmers need certainty, and a farm bill should be passed as soon as possible. i look forward to working in a bipartisan way to deliver a farm bill to the american people. after my 99 -- the 99th county meeting, i celebrated as usual i dough with a snickers blizzard

at the dairy queen in ottawa, iowa. all this doesn't mean that my work is over because i'm going to continue between now and the end of the year to hold more q & a's throughout this period of time, and i hope to see my fellow iowans soon at football games. businesses large and small or a dairy queen near any one of them. i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the democratic whip. mr. durbin: madam president, what is the senator from iowa going to do when they close the dairy queens? mr. grassley:s [inaudible] mr. durbin: thank you for filling me in on that. i appreciate it very much. it is that time of year again when students come back from their summer vacations to go to

school. this year some are breathing easier. they were the victims of a for-profit university, ashford university. i've come to the floor so many times to state the obvious. these for-profit universities are generally a terrific waste of taxpayers' dollars and students' time. there are going to be two questions on the final and the answers i will give you ahead of time are eight and 30678 the first question is, what percentage of high school kids go to for-profit universities, 8%. that's one of the questions. the second iss what percentage of student loan defaults involve students who went to for-profit colleges? is it the answer is 34%. 8% of the students, 30% of the defaults. thet overlie these students, lie to them, pile them up with debt and turn them loose. in ashford university, case,

that's what happened. the department of education announced last week that it's canceling $72 million in student loan debt for more than 2,3g 00 victims of ashford, university. ashford is a prime example of the pervasive abuse that exists in the for-profit college industry, an industry that enrolls 8% of the students with 30% of the defaults tells the story. in investigating it, the department of education found that ashford just lied to students about the cost of attendance by promising they would -- they wouldn't have any out-of-pocket costs when they graduated. not only it is what a lie, but much students reached their lifetime loan limits. and some students were forced to drop out leaving them with a debt and no degree. ashford consistently misrepresented the ability to transfer credits from their worthless university to any other school. they misled students will pennsylvania credittation and lied about the length of a

bachelor degree program. it was all a disaster from start to finish for these kids fresh out of high school. listen to this. ashford isn't disappearing. this is great. despite their record of deceitful behavior, the university of arizona acquired it in 2020, renamed it as the university of arizona's global campus, but even with its shine knee new name, this new campus is still the same predatory low-life, ashford. ashford brought over the same key staffers who perpetrated their deceit on these students for so many years. i urge the department to do its job. discharge the student lower class and recoup the funds from ashford. for-profit colleges have been taking a advantage of vulnerable students for far too long. it is time that these fraudulent

institutions, not the taxpayers, be on the hook. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: the clerk: ms. baldwin. mr. durbin: i ask unanimous consent that the quorum call be suspended. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. durbin: i ask that the vote begin. the presiding officer: without

objection. the question is on the nomination. 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.

the clerk: mr. crapo. mr. cruz. mr. daines. ms. duckworth. mr. durbin. ms. ernst. mrs. feinstein. mr. fetterman. mrs. fischer.

vote: mrs. gillibrand. mr. graham.

mr. grassley. mr. hagerty. ms. hassan. mr. hawley. mr. heinrich. mr. hickenlooper. ms. hirono. mr. hoeven. mrs. hyde-smith. the clerk: mr. johnson. mr. kaine. mr. kelly. mr. kennedy. mr. king. ms. klobuchar.

the clerk: 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.

the clerk: mr. ossoff. mr. padilla. mr. paul. mr. peters. mr. reed. mr. ricketts. mr. risch. mr. romney. ms. rosen. mr. rounds. mr. rubio.

the clerk: 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. the clerk: mr. warner. mr. warnock. ms. warren. mr. welch. mr. whitehouse. mr. wicker. mr. wyden. mr. young.

the clerk: mr. merkley. senators voting in the affirmative -- cardin, cortez masto, durbin, fetterman, gillibrand, kelly, merkley, sinema, smith, stabenow. senators voting in the negative -- barrasso, blackburn, grassley.

mr. johnson, no.

the clerk: ms. cantwell, aye. the clerk: mr. mullin, no. ms. hassan, aye. mrs. capito, no.

the clerk: mr. tester, aye. mr. hickenlooper, aye.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no.

the clerk: mr. cornyn, no. the clerk: mrs. feinstein aye.

the clerk: mr. wyden, aye. cler. .

the clerk: mr. lankford, no. vo: vote:

the clerk: mrs. britt, no. mr. well much, aye -- mr. welch, aye are. mr. cruz, no mrs. shaheen, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no. the clerk: mr. casey, aye. mr. brown, aye. mr. vance, no. mr. crapo, no.

the clerk: mr. kaine, aye. ms. duckworth, aye. mr. rounds, aye. mr. scott of south carolina, no. mr. daines, no. mr. graham, no.

mrs. hyde-smith: no. the clerk: mr. marshall, no. mr. carper, aye. mr. scott of florida, no.

the clerk: ms. baldwin, aye. mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. wicker, no.

the clerk: mrs. murray, aye. mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. king, aye.

the clerk: mr. tillis, no. vote: the clerk: mr. ricketts, no. mr. cassidy, no.

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

mr. thune, no.

the clerk: mr. bennet, aye. mr. kennedy, no. mr. schmitt, no. mr. heinrich, aye.

mr. risch, no. the clerk: mr. padilla, aye.

the clerk: mr. ossoff, aye.

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye. ms. ernst, no.

mr. peters, aye. mr. blumenthal, aye. mr. menendez, aye. mr. markey, aye.

ms. murkowski, no. mr. schatz, aye. mr. tuberville, no.

the clerk: mr. romney, no.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no. mr. budd, no. the clerk: mr. cramer, no.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no. mr. boozman, no. mr. lujan, aye.

the clerk: ms. warren, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. young, no. mr. coons, aye.

the clerk: ms. klobuchar, aye. mr. warnock, aye.

the clerk: mr. whitehouse, aye. the clerk: mr. lee, no.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no. the clerk: mr. braun, no. mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye. the clerk: ms. lummis, no. ms. hirono, aye.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 51, the nays are 47. the nomination is confirmed. under the previous order, the motion to reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table and the president will be immediately notified of the senate's action. the clerk will report the motion to ipo voke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion: we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby move to bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 257, adriana debora kugler to be a member of the board of governors of the federal reserve system, signed by 17 senators. the presiding officer: by unanimous consent, the mandatory quorum call has been waived. the question is, is it the sense of the senate that debate on the nomination of adriana debora kugler of maryland to be a member of the board of governors of the federal reserve system shall be brought to a close. the yeas and nays are manned trid under the rule. 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. the clerk: senators voting in the affirmative, baldwin, blumenthal, carper, casey,

collins, cortez-masto, duckworth, durbin, feinstein, gillibrand, hassan, heinrich, hirono, kaine, king, lujan, manchin, menendez, merkley, murkowski, murphy, murray, padilla, peters, reed, rosen, sanders, schatz, schumer, shaheen, sinema, smith, van hollen, warnock, warren, welch, whitehouse, and wyden. mr. coons, aye. senators voting in the negative, boozman, budd, cassidy, cramer, crapo, daines, ernst, hawley,

hoeven, hyde-smith, lankford, lee, lummis, mcconnell, moran, paul, risch, romney, schmitt, scott of florida, thune, tillis, tuberville, vance, wicker, and young. mr. ossoff, aye.

the clerk: mr. graham, no. mr. ricketts, no. ms. klobuchar, aye.

the clerk: mr. warner, aye. the clerk: mr. kennedy, no. mr. fetterman, aye.

the clerk: mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: mr. braun, no. the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye.

mrs. capito, no. mr. johnson, no. ms. cantwell, aye.

the clerk: mr. sullivan, no.

vote:

the clerk: mr. hickenlooper, aye. the clerk: mr. rounds, aye.

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

the clerk: mr. barrasso, no.

the clerk: mr. scott of south

carolina, no. the clerk: mr. kelly, aye.

the clerk: mr. markey, aye.

the clerk: mrs. fischer, no. mr. marshall, no.

the clerk: mr. brown, aye.

vote: the clerk: mr. bennet, aye.

the clerk: mr. targ, no. -- mr. hagerty, no. the clerk: mr. tester, aye. mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. rubio, no.

the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the presiding officer: the yeas are 52, the nays are 45, and the motion is agreed to. the clerk will report the nominees. federal reserve system, adriana kuglar, to be a member of the board of governance. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: i have four requests for committees to meet in

today's. the presiding officer: duly noted. ms. smith: i ask that the appointment at the desk appear separately in the record as if made by the chair. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: i ask that the senate proceed to s. res. 329. the clerk: to authorize testimony and reputation in united states v. horn. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the senate will proceed. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent the senate proceed to the consideration of senate res. 330, submitted earlier today. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 330, expressing support for the goals

and ideals for national child abuse prevention month. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection the the senate will proceed. the presiding officer: i -- the presiding officer: the question is on the resolution. all those in favor say aye. all opposed, no. the ayes appear to have it. the ayes do have it. the resolution is adopted. smitsd smyth i ask unanimous consent that the preamble be agreed to be agreed to and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. ms. smith: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the consideration of senate res. 331, which was submitted earlier today are. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. res. 331, designating august 2023 as national catfish month. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, the senate will proceed. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the motion be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motions to

reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that when the senate completes its business today, it stand adjourned until 10:00 a.m. on thursday, september 7, 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 be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed. that upon the conclusion of morning business, the senate proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the kuglar nomination, postcloture, further at 11:45 a.m., all postcloture time be considered expired and the senate on the confirmation of the nomination. if cloture is invoke on the gomez nomination, all postcloture time be considered expired. ifphy nominations are confirmed, the motion be considered made and laid upon the table, and the

president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask it standed a jurpd under the previous -- adjourned under the previous order, following the remarks of senator kennedy. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. kennedy: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. kennedy: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i'm going to talk for a few minutes about nato, but before i do that, i want to make two preliminary points. i believe that america's aid to ukraine is not charity. i believe that it is in america's security, national security, interest. and i have voted accordingly. i am convinced, madam president,

that vladimir putin, president xi jinping, and the ayatollah in iran are working together. i am convinced, madam president, that their objective is to have russia dominate central and eastern europe, the ayatollah from iran dominate the middle east, and china, through president xi, dominate the indo-pacific, subha harrah africa -- subsahara africa, and south america. and that is not a world that is safe for the united states of america. that certainly isn't a world that is safe for democracy. that's point one. point two, i have been sorely

disappointed at the refusal of the united states senate to appoint -- or to pass a bill that would allow the president to appoint, confirmed by the united states senate, a special inspector general to follow the money in ukraine. once again, i have voted to send that money to ukraine. not as an act of charity, because i believe it is in america's national security interest, but that money didn't just fall from heaven. that money that we sent to ukraine, we thank heaven for it, but it came out of the pockets of the american taxpayer. and i understand that we have an

inspector general from the department of defense following the money, and i don't mean to be overtly critical. i will point out, as an aside, that i find it somewhat ironic the department of defense inspector general says we've got this, but yet the department of defense has never been audited. ever. never. the department of defense is the only agency in the united states government that has never been audited. and the american people know that. that's why i and a number of my colleagues have asked, asked this senate to pass a bill to allow the president to pick a special inspector general, of his choosing, to be confirmed by the united states senate, to

follow every single dollar that we're sending to ukraine, and to answer to the members of the senate, members of the house, and most importantly to the american people. many republicans and many democrats have supported that effort, but many democrats and many republicans, on both sides of the aisle, have refused. now, i'm going to keep trying, madam president, but as i said this money didn't just fall from heaven. it came out of people's pockets. a word about nato -- for the past 18 months, the ups and our -- the united states and our nato allies have worked together to support our ukrainian friends as they push back against russian president vladimir putin's violent attack on its sovereignty. putin's war in ukraine is

illegal, and it has presented one of the most serious challenges that nato, the north atlantic treaty organization, has faced in decades. now, as with many challenges in life, madam president, i believe that the difficulties we face today can make nato stronger tomorrow. i believe that. but that will only happen if we are honest with each other. friends tell friends the truth. friends tell friends the truth. and here's the truth as i see it, nato was one of the most impactful defense packets in all of human history -- defense pacts in all of human history. the american people support nato. but it is also no secret that some of our friends in nato have

not been taking their own defense and defense spending seriously, and they have not been taking their own defense and defense spending seriously even before vladimir putin began his illegal assault on ukraine. as the full extent of putin's cruelty unfolded last year, madam president, nato leaders, they appeared at first to regard it as a wake-up call, and that's a good thing. it was a wake-up call for many people throughout the world. but sometime, somehow over the past year, those same countries fell back asleep. you see, when putin began his march into ukraine, key nato leaders said that they would start spending 2% of their gross

domestic product on defense. that's a promise that they had made before, but had reneged on until putin's assault. but it took less than a year after putin entered ukraine for those same leaders to begin to renege again. and that's just a fact, madam president. friends tell friends the truth. recent analysis shows that as of today just 11 out of the 31 countries currently in nato are on track to fulfill their 2% defense spending obligation. now, this is becoming a frustrating pattern for some of our nato allies. as a smart person once said, history doesn't repeat itself, but sometimes it rhymes, and that's the case here. and if you take a look at nato

today, and compare it to nato in 2024, it frankly would make michael avenatti blush. let me paint the picture for you, madam president. nato countries first agreed to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense in 2006. the 2% figure was designed, as you know, madam president, to be a floor, not a ceiling. this didn't mean, this promise made by all nato countries in 2006, this didn't mean that each country was required to cut a check to nato. that's not what it meant. it just meant that each country would spend 2% of its gross domestic product on itself.

on itself. and it's own military, and in its own national security. why? because all nato countries understood then that our alliance was stronger when everyone bulled their weight. now, we know a lot of what has happened since then. the world economy sank into a recession in 2008. we all felt the brunt of that, including the american people. but for some of our friends in nato that 2% commitment fell apart. and after the great recession, as we call it, just three nato members, three, fulfilled their promise to invest 2% or more in defense. and you know who took note?

vladimir putin. in 2014, fast forward a few years, putin invaded ukraine's crimean peninsula. putin made it clear he intended to take that key block of land on the black sea and make it his own, and he did. this was a blatant violation of ukrainian sovereignty. it was an unmistakable foreshadowing as well of what would come. now, putin's aggression outraged nato. it should have. it outraged all fair-minded, freedom-loving people. and at a conference that year, 2014, in wales, each member country of nato reaffirmed their commitment to be spend 2% of their gdp on defense by 2024. at the time, president obama was

president, and in a speech at the conference in wales, where each country pledged to spend 2%, the second time it made the pledge, president obama said, and i quote, this commitment makes clear that nato will not be complaisant -- complaisant. i remember when the president said that. president obama also said our alliance will reverse the decline in defense spending and rise to meet the challenges that we face in the 21st century. he later added, quote, here in wales, we also sent a strong message to russia that actions have consequences. well, that turned out to be debatable. by 2021, just a few years later, only seven nato members were

spending the minimum 2% on defense, and that's just a fact. friends tell friends the truth. in fact, president trump was met with scorn when he asked our friends in nato to keep their word and reinvest in defense. germany's foreign minister said, and i quote, our common response today to the president of the united states and his assertion of america first must be europe united. apparently, germany and others felt that upholding their pledge to spend 2% on their own defense was somehow an american -- america first policy. you know who took note? vladimir putin.

fast forward to 2022. putin's tanks are rolling further into ukraine. just like in 2014, our nato friends issued statements, a third time, once again pledging to spend 2%, 2% of their gross defense product on their own security. yet today, despite putin's ongoing attack on ukraine, today some of our friends in nato have already stopped or postponed their 2% spending plans. and that's just a fact. friends tell friends the truth. french president macron, for example, promised to increase

france's defense spending in the days following putin's invasion. i remember when he made that promise. but french officials have also announced that it will take until 2025 to hit the 2% defense spending threshold. similarly, italy announced it would not hit 2% until 2028. spain said it won't hit its 2% goal until 2029. and belgium said it won't hit its 2% goal until 2035. the war is going on. to be fair, belgium and spain, both good friends of america, have made some small progress in their defense spending over the

past year. i want to make that clear. they may come through eventually. but france's spending has hardly changed at all, and italy will actually spend less on defense this year, in the middle of the war which is happening in europe, than it did in 2021, before putin even entered ukraine. germany's failure to follow through on its 2% commitment is especially disappointing and consequential. as the world's fourth-largest economy, germany is the world's fourth-largest economy behind only the united states of america, china, and japan, the world's fourth-large economy. germany's defense spending shortfall, and it is a

shortfall, leaves a much bigger hole. we're talking about a lot of money. germany will only spend 1.6% of its gdp on defense in 2023. that's $18.1 billion short of the commitment that it has made not once, not twice, but three times. now nato is an alliance. it means we're friends, and we are. it means we know that we're stronger together. it means that if you come for one of us, you're going to have to fight all of us. that's what it means. and at the end of the day an alliance is just a promise. that's all it is. but it's built on mutual trust. and it states that we won't leave each other to fight threats alone. and that's what nato is supposed to stand for, and i'm very proud of that, and so are the american people.

we support nato. but when countries in nato choose not to keep their commitment to spend 2% on their own defense, they weaken the alliance of nato. it shows us and it shows our enemies that we cannot count on those countries to step up to help keep all of us safe, and it tells putin, it tells putin that some nato members are content sitting back and waiting rather than remaining strong together. and that's just the fact. friends tell friends the truth. now the united states of america, we keep our promises. and all along, every year through the history of nato, we have proudly invested in our defense to the benefit of our allies, to our own benefit,

but to the benefit of our allies. and it was important to our allies in europe. it was. i don't know what would have happened in europe had the american people not come to ukraine's rescue. putin may be in paris right now, for all i know. god forbid. now a few of our nato friends have kept their commitment, and i want to thank them. our friends in greece, for example, our friends in the united kingdom, our friends in estonia, they spent 2% of their gdp on defense before putin invaded. and our friends in lithuania and in hungary and romania and slovakia, they'll all reach the 2% threshold by the end of this

year, and that's a good thing. thank you, greece. thank you, united kingdom. thank you, estonia. thank you, lithuania and hungry and romaine -- hundred gather and romania and slovakia for keeping your word. our friends in finland spent 2% on defense before joining nato, but they didn't use the alliance as a reason to take the foot off the gas. instead, finland recently increased its defense spending even more, to 2.4% of gdp. thank you, finland. i hope our allies who have been nestled safely under the nato umbrella for years without pulling their financial weight will take note of finland's dedication. let me say it again. thank you, finland.

and we've got to commend poland. poland spent 2% on defense long before putin invaded ukraine. but over the past two years it hasn't spent 2%, poland hasn't. it nearly doubled its defense spending to 4.3%. it's investing that money in part by buying american weapons, and it's showing putin that poland is serious about its sovereignty and that poland is serious about freedom. by the end of this decade, poland is on tap to have more tanks than the united kingdom, germany, belgium, italy put together. put together. thank you, poland. now i understand you don't have

to be, to be mensa material to understand that putin's threat is more visceral when it's happening next door. of course poland is much closer to russia than germany or france is. i get that. but when your allies, when your friends, when you've promised not once, not twice, but three times to have each other's back, you're not only supposed to think of yourself and your proximity to the threat. you know, as americans, we've got an entire ocean between us and russia. we've got an entire ocean as our buffer against putin's tanks, but i doubt that germany or france, both good friends, love them to death, but i doubt

that germany or france would support the united states backing away because we aren't close enough to the shelling to be bothered. let me be frank, allies through nato have pledged to have each other's backs, and i see no sense in bubble wrapping around it. that starts by putting your money where your mouth is. and let me be frank again. some of our friends in nato have engaged in a cycle of broken promises time and time and time again. putin shows his cruel aggression and horrified european leaders pledged to invest in defense. then putin's aggression maybe falls off the front page of the paper, and leaders forget their promise to invest until putin's rockets start blowing up another city. it has been more than a year, madam president, as you know as

well as i do, since putin sent russian tanks and troops into ukraine. and maybe for some the horror of it all has worn off. maybe. it hasn't worn off for most americans and it sure hasn't worn off for ukraine. citizens of the sovereign ukraine are still dodging missiles on their own streets, and putin is still watching too many nato members bury their heads and drag their feet. and so is president she jinping. i don't mean to offend anyone, i don't, but friends tell friends the truth. and everyone in nato is a friend. and i am so proud that the united states of america is a member of nato. but nato is only as strong as

our confidence in one another. if we want to strengthen nato's ability to deter bad actors from bad acts, we've each got to do our part. it's time for all of us in nato to start keeping our promises and investing in our defense. the american people have sent over $100 billion to fight putin in ukraine, and i don't regret a single penny. we've kept our word, but again, friends tell friends the truth. not all of our allies in nato have, and it is time they put their money where their mouth is. madam president, i suggest the absence of a quorum.

the presiding officer: will the senator withdraw his request? mr. kennedy: i will happily withdraw my request. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the senate stands adjourned until stands adjourned until >> today the u.s. senate confirmed to a president biden's nominees serve in the federal reserve and phyllis jefferson vice chair, and as a cook to a second term on the board, they also against the nomination of adriana kukes to the final board seat, sinners also confirmed going - to serve in the national labor relations been reticent returns, much like coverage, here on "c-span2". >> for your copy of the 119th congressional directory, now available as c-spanshop.org and if you access to federal government with filing contact

information for every house and senate member reported information congressional amenities the president's cabinet, federal agencies, and state governors, scan the code of the right to order your copy today or go to c-spanshop.org it is 995, plus shipping and handling, every purchase hopes nonprofit operations. earlier today immigration officials testify in the department procedures for migrants candidate the u.s. other border, their incomes nearly four months after the expiration of the title 42 emergency order, on border patrol officers to turn away asylum-seekers public health reasons watch tonight at eastern on "c-span2", cspan help free mobile pretty well for online is cspan.org. >> this fall watch cspan's new

series, chase america, join us as we embark on captivating turning partnership the library congress, which first created about the saved america lewis, keywords of literature from american history and the featured in our series that's thoughts it works, led to significant changes, vessel talk about today, here's some features are now experts it that light of the profound impact of how that works in virtual journeys through significant locations across the country tied to the celebrated authors and their unforgettable books, featured books, common sense by thomas. huckleberry finn mark twain in their eyes will watching god and when you choose, but milton and rose friedman watch our series, chase america, starting monday september 18 from it 9:00 p.m. eastern, on c-span, c-span now in a free mobile video out for online, cspan.org.

>> and join us on thursday, for preview of books that shaped america, library of congress, and historian and best-selling author is douglas life from auditorium and is the 14th librarian of congress and sitting in office since 20 ceasing and i was teaches at the rice university author of the book on several presence, famous americans many topics and watch a preview of our new sers books the chain got thursy 7:00 p.m. eastern on c-span and cspan down three mobile video out online cspan.org. >> armed services committee sure, jeffries, spoke on the senate floor earlier today, only on alabama republican senator, coming to prevail demand is old military promotions and he said that the senator, has achieved would america's enemies could only dream of instability the

ranks of our military leadership and he also said by the end of the year, nearly 90 percent of her general and flag officers are most senior military leaders, will be affected by the senator from alabama scolds. >> mr. president, all right rises morning to discuss the promotions of our military leaders. during the past month i have the opportunity many of my colleagues did, to visit our troops overseas around the country and is always i was mode by the selflessness and the courage, and i was impressed by the knowledge and skill of our military leaders this much of our service members and their families. it is a row gratitude and support.