[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations]

>> the u.s. senate as catholic in to consider -- former assistant u.s. attorney in maryland. the votes to advance his nomination is set for 5:30 p.m. eastern today. later this week senators are expected to consider the nomination of jack lew to be u.s. ambassador to israel. we are also expecting more work on spending package with agriculture housing transportation and veterans affairs departments. live now to the senate floor here on c-span2. the presiding officer: the senate will come to order. the chaplain, dr. barry black, will lead the senate in prayer. the chaplain: let us pray. powerful god, we live in times

that test our resolve, but you remain in control of our world. we depend upon your might to empower our lawmakers to carve tunnels of hope through mountains of despair. mighty god, enable our senators to experience the blessings of your unfolding providence, as you empower them to find solutions for the problems of our nation and world. may your goodness and unfailing love pursue them all the days of their lives. and, lord, let there be peace on

earth. we pray in your merciful 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, october 30, 2023. to the senate: under the provisions of rule 1, paragraph 3, of the standing rules of the senate, i hereby appoint the honorable tammy duckworth,

a senator from the state of illinois, to perform the duties of the chair. signed: patty murray, president pro tempore. the presiding officer: under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. morning business is closed. under the previous order, the senate will proceed to executive session to resume consideration of the following nomination, which the clerk will report. the clerk: nomination, the judiciary, matthew james maddox, of maryland, to be united states district judge for the district of maryland.

founder and executive director for novation and research, . remind us about the work, the mission of the center and how

you are. >> election innovation research 5o1c3 nonprofit. primary election officials all over the country and secretaries of state down to the local election. municipal loan according them to promote election voters should and do the last several years we have seen the reality of job, fear, and we run complex elections of the united states on multiple counts and highly decentralized. despite success with security we know of millions of voters think elections are secure. >> you published a book last year called big truth of holy democracy in the age of the big

lie. he write about 2020 the most secure u.s. election ever so why do so many people believe it wasn't? >> what we have seen is it is entirely normal for people to be disappointed in the election. there are many people who voted for losing and i doubt anyone in the state doesn't know that feeling but unlike previous elections we have a candidate at the top of about running for president who continued to spread lies about the election and targeted disappointed supporters to raise money and drifted off those lies. it's unfortunate unprecedented the people support target of this great. >> , to ask you about pulled down by the associated press, gop confidence in 2024, vote

count low after years of postelection claims. put it up on the screen here integrity of the 2024 election, 44% of u.s. adults have confidence, 71% or democrat, only 24% of independents and 22% republicans have confidence, what you make of those numbers? >> what we have seen -- in: madam president, as you and i both know we're in the process about talking about spending bills long overdue. we're in our fiscal year as of october 1, here comes the end of october and we're still laboring how we're going to spend money for the next fiscal from octobe. there's a debate back and forth on the house and senate floor.

there are some issues that are a priority and i would like to address one that isn't getting a lot of attention but should. i don't -- i don't -- hiv-aids epidemic in some of the poorest parts of the world. 20 years ago, the program was called the president's plan for aids relief. one of the most eloquent expression of values in recent times. pepfa ranch the global fund to fight aids and malaria, dramatic liqueur tailed the aids epidemic that was ravaging the world. it has saved more than 2500 lives so far. it provided retro viral drugs for those with aids allowing them to live productive lives and prevent disease.

they have been so effective, some might have forgotten how devastating aids was in certain parts of the world. at one point it was killing more than two million people globally. in some of the most highly affected countries, life expectancy had dropped to 20 years. pepfar and the global fund dramatically help people around the world. these programs are not only the right thing to do, it is an example of america's soft power and international development effort and a stark contrast to what china and others are displaying in other parts of the world. imagine my concern and surprise that there is currently an effort by extreme republicans in the house of representatives to block the reauthorization of this hugely successful bipartisan george w. bush program over a false and hferred abortion concern.

taking the extreme position of blocking this lifesaving program is a short-sighted and siding with vladimir putin. madam president, just last week, the bush institute and a group of more than 30 retired ambassadors and foreign policy leaders urged congress to swiftly reauthorize pepfar. they said, abandoning it now would send a bleak message suggesting that we are no longer to set aside politics for the betterment of democratization in the world. with this, i agree completely. america -- but reauthorizing spep far is common sense to reinsurance the world that america can push past bipartisanship and use our influence, resources and power to save lives. some things are simply beyond

politics. former president bush acknowledged this when he wrote in "the washington post" recently, we are on the verge of ending the hiv-aids epidemic, to forfeit now would stop the progress. i would -- couldn't agree more and i call on my republican friends to help reauthorize this historic bipartisan lifesaving effort without further delay. bipartisan efforts are necessary toe get meaningful things done in washington. we accept that in the senate. and right now the most pressing item requiring a bipartisan effort is passing appropriations bills that fund the government for the next fiscal year. government shutdowns should not be commonplace in washington, yet under the other party's leadership they have been. almost a month ago congress

narrowly avoided a shutdown by passing a stopgap bill. 40 days could have been enough for the two parties in the two chambers to negotiate and have a plan, a compromise, but a few extreme republicans got in the way. without a speaker of the house of representatives for more than three weeks, the house was unable to take action. the house was rendered useless in helping to create a plan to fund the government and now with only 18 days until the government's lights are turned off, time is running out. while the house was paralyzed and unable to govern, here in the senate we were diligently working across party lines to negotiate a funding package. the senate has considered a package on three funding bills known as the minibus it provides funding for military construction and the department of veterans' affairs, agriculture, transportation, and

housing and urban development. i worked with the presiding officer to ensure that the package includes important funding for the people, families, and communities for the state of illinois. for example, it includes more than $5 million for agricultural related spung in our -- spending in our state that will send rural development dollars to small towns to make health care and emergency services more comprehensive in underserved areas, it will facilitate training and readiness for our men and women in uniform. it includes more than $35 million in earmarks for community development and infrastructure projects to improve roads, transit, airports, and community centers. this minibus will strengthen communities in illinois and is being worked on on a bipartisan basis. i'm glad to support its passage and urge my colleagues to do the same. madam president, 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.

printing ballots our bamboo ballots pervading so many people so i hope they will get out the and read our book go to other sources. there's a wonderful report written by conservatives, giant field with the goal cases and with regard to the rule changes something we are consistently, they are no further election.

there's a few more with more than ever before but 85% of all cases are won by republicans in the lead up and nobody likes all the rules in short the mantra the democrats don't like losing those before the election, short republicans who want using but we knew what the rules were and the idea you could complain about the rules knew about after election day because he didn't like the outcome is not very democratic. >> in michigan, republican line. >> that morning. i would like to make, about integrity. i don't think there should be any division on anything in america. we should all be sticking

together and also basically everybody in america is boiled priestesses in the greatest country in the world, everything we want and we should pray tried to protect that. also in deport support nikki haley. not only is she asked, she's smart, what she says makes sense and her husband is in the military. nose was going on, she knows what's going on. i have a son who just joined the military, he's gone to college and just joined -- >> any comments? >> thank you for your sons

service to our nation and i think that brings up an important thing about this. this is something our adversaries oversee, moscow and beijing have tried to insight and the american people a long time, they know america is weaker when we are divided, doubt our own democracy. they tried for decades and it didn't work. there was a piece a couple weeks ago moscow is writing up efforts designed to get us to doubt our own elections and hundreds of thousands of people are elections and they are somehow are enemy and they are suffering greatly despite having achieved election in 2020 in terms of security so whether it is ever

in the art inadvertent, they are largely doing the work dictatorships and adversaries are doing. >> morning, david. i am an evangelical christian and eight out of the last night elections have won the popular vote by democrats and republicans no more people get hold, the less chance the got and that's what this is about. if they can't keep pushing us off the border will get people to not vote, they will lose. his not an abortion vampire everybody in the country. it's not stopping black people in certain areas.

if he keeps spreading the can't push the lies to say in the states although it will all. i've had to show my drivers license every time, push people to not do it. >> more people vote democrat always went and republican party in some places seem to believe that but not everybody it's the second most votes, is just the person who received the most in 2020. we had the highest turnout in 2020 in history by 20 million in any election with our scene.

two out of every three bony and 20, a triumph for this nation, wonderful something we should all be celebrated. sometimes democrats one and sometimes congressman. the largest margin they have seen perhaps ever with the highest turnout in texas the same thing. you see republicans in places embracing the idea that we are going to persuade voters while democrats work to persuade voters and democracy in a place like georgia is largely working. >> what would you say are the biggest threats to election dignity and what concern on both

sides? >> it's what we do with the research. our elections actually secure? the answer is yes. they are secure as they ever have been, more audits and cooperation between federal, state and local authorities and that is a good thing and will continue to get better but the biggest threat to election security is supposedly in the they be convinced didn't lose and if we get to where half the country can't process idea the candidate lost in the country is divided 50/50, we are real trouble and democracy was all it can happen with the january 6 and we see people being convicted on january 6 charges saying we are sorry, we didn't

realize they were led astray. we are seeing in georgia saying they were led astray or did something wrong. we'll see a lot more of a and that one step toward writing this long we have seen. >> independent line in alabama. >> you keep talking about disinformation. how much disinformation do think cause people to vote differentlt chuck being able, intelligent agency thing hunter biden laptop was rushing to information, how does that affect it of been told

by the media, basically all democrats, impeached trump, that's all disinformation so when you talk about disinformation, there's probably more about what trump did this and that and the other than the election. >> i think disinformation that affects voters versus does exist and democrats would say it's rampant 2015 information that may have affected people to turn away from secretary clinton and it cause people to turn away from president trump and it is incumbent upon voters to be skeptical of the news they are getting and breakout of the

information and we are seeing that and other context as well. disinformation causing people to engage with reality so if you think there's disinformation, it's probably true genocide can take the same and trying to learn about both of them and break through and learn the truth about their positions. >> next, republican line. >> two things, what makes you think or others at capacity the rest of the nation has not? was sort of a rhetorical question. for voting balance, when you say

there was one and it's just the way it is -- about four. the registrar, how about states, various state that didn't go through to the legislature to change the voting rules? we got a lot of problems here, sir. >> first of all, texas is a state where it's difficult to get a mailing list. if that happens, that would be unusual and good he brought them back. tried to book them, there are two checks on every ballot in the country. one a check to receive about and one check to return the mail ballot in another color mentioned that is done everywhere.

it is appropriate should make sure people return ballots. if anyone tries to send a mail ballot wasn't supposed to, but will be rejected and prosecuted we are seeing that in some cases, the double but it and that is a good thing. in regards to the changes, they were done according to law prior to the election model were litigated. some were things that democrats fought for like more mail-in ballots, people getting sick in the polling place and some of them like in ohio, texas were made without the legislature to restrict drop boxes that they could securely return ballots in, one of the largest counties in the country and they were

limited to one dropbox and it was done without the legislature. these were all dedicated some democrats like, most republican liked. reviewed the rules on election day and you lose the super bowl by one, you can't complain the work with five and that is the way works in this country and would happen in proper, the losing candidate in 2016 who claimed it advance in 2016 or any rules somehow beneficial to the opponent after the election been documented early voting, how secure are those drop boxes for ballot? how do we know they can't be stolen or tampered with? they are secure in many cases they are monitored, more secure than mailboxes, no way to reach inside, elections were possibly

going in picking them up, they are not just sitting there for days on end. at least once a day multiple times day picking up development one really good thing supposed to return ballot by mail, when you return by mail goes to the postal service and is secure but they handle a huge volume of mail envelope parts go into it. you return by dropbox from your taking develop from the border giving it directly to the election. >> independent line. >> good morning. two points, one concern for

johnson, one country under god indivisible. >> we are talking about the election integrity and security. >> elections for everybody to vote in any state you are registered to vote, the concern about all these different lies and conspiracies here and people are not registered, as long as you have your id card. >> i want to ask you when boat start to be counted. mail-in ballots will vote early, do they wait until election day or after election day?

>> a much bigger issue and they have made it to raise issues about the account. want to be very clear, there's never election night in the united states, no constitutional requirement and that would be physically impossible a good thing because we have ballots coming in from the military overseas so it's always taking some time, think we do because the margins are large enough and make calls on those remaining balance out there. with regard to the ballots election officials as soon as they close. each one of us will be put in the machines that cap ballots

and they are easy as soon as polls close in the get counts and report them. they can be counted that quickly as well mail ballots might take more time for couple of reasons. one, in many places -- most places they process ballots in advance and take the ballots when they receive them and check signatures and confirmed that came from the right place and only then they moved the ball from the envelope but it is loaded up before the polls close in they can count those quickly and it's true in many states but states pennsylvania and michigan, they are not allowed to start processing until the day before the election for election day and you want them to take those ballots and make sure they are back and make sure every vote is coming was

supposed to end it will delay things. unfortunately the legislature's did not act to change that. >> democrat, good morning. >> do you hear me? >> yes, i can. go ahead. >> right now what is going on, it doesn't matter, autocare what you all do. i have signed to pass a bill, one of the schoolteachers mark mckee's bills are being passed trying to take their country back. president biden like to go to the football team the minority of people winning so other kids can get credit for winning the

game. we just have to work with the president, they want to take credit running for president. they go over there and they are running city so these people want to take credit for what everybody is doing and people see now. it's like this housing thing. >> i can understand why somebody voters feel their vote doesn't matter if it is disinformation from across the political spectrum thing the vote doesn't matter and there is reason to think about it for this and it didn't happen and it's very understandable but one thing

guaranteed if you want your vote not to matter, don't vote and it guaranteed you will. the more people boat, the more likely you will get what you want, no question the system is not working as intended, no question it's broken, saw something one of the other, it goes across the political spectrum but it is really important for people to understand their vote doesn't matter and it does get counted and we live in a divided democracy and every vote matters enemy of the presidential medical down trying to learn the school board county commission, etc., the rates matter a lot and often people only go at the top and not necessarily all the way down. >> republican, good morning. >> i'm wondering about the

nonprofit, a 5o1c3 nonpartisan, i hear words like immunity, divisiveness and disinformation all about the trump side of the ticket. it seems out of the gate divisiveness is happening so i wonder about the nonprofit and political partisanship. i think it is not fair to say people can have questions about integrity, the questions are automatically dismissed. i haven't heard a lot of answers to things like our group separate from the and not been verified, ids not be required. the machines connect to the

internet, basic things like that. people have a lot of questions and they do try to go in and look and automatically it is not allowed to share what it looks like inside. it doesn't seem to be anyone is interested in getting to the bottom of these questions, it's more divisive, divisive, divisive. putting up sheets over the windows. this organization could be a lot more helpful around integrity questions rather than automatically assuming that intentions from people who do have questions. >> first of all, i appreciate everything regard to the

nonprofit run, we are completely nonpartisan. i was one of the first to come out publicly and say the 2016 election because he did and disinformation is not entirely on the republican side. the claim about machines connected to the internet and possible hacking into the machines, a lot of those claims originated on the extreme left and we see draft executive order that was unprecedented would allow department of defense to : and he's there property. that was from a lawsuit by left leaning groups in georgia so it is true we should be looking for bipartisanship and nonpartisanship in his efforts with regard to whether voted should have questions. it's okay to have questions.

go talk to them. every single one of them in every state across the country will welcome washington they don't like being attacked. if you want to go in another and whether machines are secure in who is observing elections at all times, that is fair. one of the best things one of the reasons we wrote was to answer these questions. unfortunately many people were led astray from a they don't want to speak out. the book has interest in addition the website answers, go to alexa.org but primarily go to your election official, a great example people over windows michigan 2020 was hundreds of writing protesters, literally

200 observers on the other side of the door were preregistered and everyone knew would be the presidential campaigns observing affect going in. did the election officials allow them in to be maintained? of course they didn't. they were very open to transparency, detroit and atlanta not only were biased by present in the room but they were live streaming inside. >> line for democrat. >> hello and good morning and i appreciate this segment. this is all about trust as a country have to understand if we

have the most distressed we don't trust go to cap ballots integrity been we don't have a democracy anymore. the second thing -- i also want to remind people former president said before the election he lost the election would be rigged but i also want to talk about idea of demographic. we have a situation where every day in this country we have more and more quote unquote, minorities in this country. it means those people are going to vote hopefully and vote their

interests. the republicans continue to emigrate them from other want of losing elections year after year. the third thing i want to say is i think -- emphasis a theory or adulation, not a fact but i am wondering about the idea of questioning election integrity and i wonder if there are not people -- not interested in election integrity, creating much chaos and distrust people lose faith completely in the election process and say we don't believe in democracy, we want somebody to come in -- >> let's talk about some of this.

>> i think this is really important. one of the things we do is run a network where they work pro bono for election officials might need assistance because they are threatened or harassed. it's never been needed before but we have been running it for over two years and i can tell you the degree to which our friends and family, the people were the thousands all over, the people we go to church or mosque with, they are wonderful incredible strain because of the disinformation abuse because of the and the election officials network right now in the majority are republicans and it is a shame so many americans election was stolen.

that is what our adversaries want. another thing that is important is chaos postelection. we see a lot of grifters, i'm not talking or neck americans they are the ones sending the money, they are getting rich but the people at the top nothing election integrity while advocating ballots. it has been proven repeatedly to be accurate and you have to out of the machine cap we see this around the country it will be more expensive longer to do and leads to more chaos

postelection. while they advocate? they support election measures party and it is the chaos it is a real danger. >> independent in arkansas connect can you hear me? connect we can. >> about integrity and election worker for 23 years, never coded democrat but 2020 she voted democrat. she'd only been asked years and the way i found out was i was receiving medicare applications for her in the mail. a simple thing like that, i

found out she voted democrat but how many people out there medicare applications after they haven't been as a election my neighbor got five election ballot the mail. >> we are running out of time so i'll get a response to. >> first of all, arkansas is another place where is harder so if they are doing that, only they are appropriate because there is no evidence there returned and voted. second, all of our lives in the united states are literally no way to tell how an individual voted in any particular election no connection between the voting medicare application. unfortunately completely understanding the disappointment in the outcome of the election. i like to say when mother and

glenn and anyone else who works elections, thank you. we desperately need the volunteers to support our elections, it doesn't matter who you vote for, your service to our country is appreciated. we appreciate it directly appreciate you, founder and executive innovation research. you can find their work election innovation.org.

can you tell us about the latest polls is in a trump -- former president trump still way ahead. >> we just got a new goal yesterday more reliable, like president trump commanding lead over the past few months we have been covering these things, how many has been and it has not wavered. it's the mid- high 40s and

that stays the same in the polls in the high digits so commanding 35 -- 30 points as we have throughout the year. >> or any other candidates making any movement, is there any chance for anybody to seriously threaten the former president lead in iowa? >> we are starting to seek a little bit on nikki haley. she is tied in the pool so that is are part but the 16% there so there is time and maybe still

pulls not, they all pulled or informed candidate and there is still time for that to happen is a big amount to make up. it's not always critical who wins iowa, many of the candidate going on now, it's just moving forward. they come out iowa, it's at least a little closer on this moving forward. >> your publication, the des moines -- sorry, the des moines register says tim scott

resources to go all in on i will practice so senator tim scott florida governor desantis moving a lot of camping sources to iowa, what have you seen on the ground and any impact that might have? >> we did there as well so governor desantis has already made that calculation early on, senator grassley from iowa, the annual effort, i was 99 counties each year in the same with this will get there. all of i was 99, he has been focused on this.

i think the reason is it is time to make that clear moving forward. he's times are familiar indwelt be interesting to see the impact. >> here is a headline from you wrote is keeping the faith i was evangelical voters crucial to presidential candidate participating in opposite. talk about voting block are critical to primary elections.

it is the reason they are committed, they are reliable so they are looking to those people to come out. and the dedication to your voters and how they get. they are a voting flock here in these primaries they have multiple event pasted by faith-based organizations and the candidates have come to

speak so absolutely it is critical. >> one of the biggest issues i will voters care most about? >> when you get down to it which we hear from thought all the time, there is a lot of migration. i hear a lot about law enforcement. when you go to these faith-based events, you hear about abortion policies more often. but bobby speaking, i will republican primary voters are talking about the economy and immigration and now the conflict in ukraine and israel. ...

it is getting, you know the policies are shifting a bit. definitely in the who are not pleased with how the president

has responded to the conflict. they want to see who has responded. it is definitely putting a bit of pressure on the president. just last week he also had a conversation with arab-american and muslim american leaders for thursday zoom call. they expressed some frustration about the rhetoric of the war. again, he is trying to navigate this while also focusing on domestic priorities. he will be hosting an order on artificial intelligence. ai week at the white house. that will be the big focus for them this week. >> talk a little bit more. what is that executive order going to entail? >> that is right. this white house is really trying to show that ai is a big priority for them. it is a challenging balance.

they want to show that they are taking it seriously. national security risk, civil rights risk, for the same time they do not want to stifle any sort of information. this executive order aims to walk that delicate balance. it is going to set up some guardrails and demand a bit more transparency. at the same time, it will install different ai leaders at all the different federal agencies to make sure that the administration is taken seriously. >> back to the war in israel

the presiding officer: the majority leader. mr. schumer: i ask unanimous consent the quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. schumer: madam president, i just got back from an important event at the white house where president biden announced a first ever be executive order regulating a.i., artificial intelligence. i applaud the president for breaking new ground with his executive order and i told him that the senate will work very closely with the white house to do more on a.i. through legislation. tomorrow the senate's bipartisan a.i. gang, senators heinrich, rounds, young, and myself, will meet with president biden at the white house to talk about the next steps we can take to work together. while today's a.i. executive order is a massive step forward, everyone agrees there is no substitute for congressional action.

congress must act, must take the next steps to build on, augment and expand today's executive order by the president and we must do it through bipartisan legislation. we must act with urgency but also with humility, balancing both innovation and commonsense safeguards because you can't do one without the other. we must act with urgency because other countries may take a lead on a.i., and countries particularly with values we don't share. but we must act with humility because this is one of the hardest tasks congress can undertake because a.i. is so complicated, so far-reaching, and changing all the time. on wednesday morning the senate will bring some of the nation's leading minds in business and tech to talk about a.i.'s impact on america's workforce as part of our third a.i. insight forum. and wednesday afternoon we'll

hold our fourth a.i. insight forum to discuss areas where a.i. will have an especially high impact, including health care, financial services, and our justice system. if the senate's a.i. insight forums have made anything clear so far it's that the government must be involved in a.i., must be ready to invest significantly towards a.i. innovation, and that we don't have a lot of time. a.i. development is moving quickly. adversaries like the chinese government are moving quickly, so congress has to act quickly too. that's why i'm encouraged that the senate's efforts on a.i. so far have been both balanced and bipartisan. we need a lot of voices at the table, not just a.i. developersy must be there -- but critics worried about a.i.'s potential harms and advocates from labor, civil rights and other areas. everyone must have a hand in shaping the legislation. but our a.i. efforts must also remain bipartisan. they have to be because the goal

is to pass legislation, and that will only happen if both sides work together. so far thankfully bipartisanship is precisely what we've seen at the committee level, and through our bipartisan a.i. gang, which i'm proud to be part of alongside senators rounds, young, and heinrich, we are making very good progress. so again, i applaud the president's, the president for today's first ever a.i. executive order and note the senate will build on today's announcement by working to get closer to passing bipartisan legislation. we cannot afford to wait. on the supplemental, tomorrow morning the senate appropriations committee will hear testimony from defense secretary lloyd austin and secretary of state antony blinken about why congress must pass president biden's supplemental request with aid for israel, ukraine, the south pacific and humanitarian help for gaza, and to do so quickly. right now america faces an

unavoidable moment of truth. democracy and freedom are under attack around the globe in ways we have not seen since the end of the cold war. we must pass the president's supplemental as soon as we can with bipartisan support, for a simple and important reason. it will make the world safer for the united states, our allies, and our democratic values. in the middle east, hamas and its allies like iran and hezbollah, seek nothing less than the total annihilation of israel, the only democracy in the middle east and the only issue state on earth. in europe, putin continues his onslaught against the ukrainian people, with the goal of not just subjugating ukraine but reasserting russia as a world power along the science of the old soviet union. in the south pakistan aggression continues to magnify increasing military activities off the coast of twoon ramming into

philippine coast guard ships and having near misses with b-52 bombers over international airspace. that is what the chinese government is doing and this is all in just the past few weeks. and in gaza we must ensure that humanitarian aid gets to civilians who need it urgently. this is one of the things i pushed strongly for president biden to include in his supplemental request. all of these challenges share one thing in common, they directly impact, directly impact america's national security, america's democratic vacialtion and the international world order that has allowed democracy to take root. the way forward is exceptionally clear. we must pass the president's supplemental request which has funding for israel, ukraine, the south pacific, while also providing critical humanitarian aid for gaza. america does not have the luxury of burying our head in the sand or leaving our friends to fend for themselves. if we want the world to remain a safe place for freedom, for

democratic principles, and for america's prosperity, we must defend against those who are working hard to undermine us. so we need to pass this willcolleagues in the house to ensure all these forms of aido make it to the president's desk. we must not succumb to the false allures of isolationism the hard right now professes because the only thing that will achieve is to make america less safe. about what happened at cornell. i'm sickened and frightened by the news that has come out of cornell university where over the weekend messages appeared on a noncampus online forum calling for violence, violence against the school's jewish community. the post made specific references to a building on campus housing the center for jewish living and called for violence towards jewish students. cornell has decried this appalling act and has alerted the fbi.

the incident targeting cornell's jewish community is utterly revolting but unfortunately it was not an ice lace the occurrence. across the country, on campuses and public spaces the ancient poison of anti-semitism has found new life. the adl reports the incidents of anti-semitism are up over 300% since hamas' tack -- attack in israel. in cities ranging from l.a. to new york and in fact all around the world jews are receiving death threats, vandalism and public assaults for no other reason than because of who they are. in one instance reported by the adl a woman was punched in the face in grand central terminal in new york when she asked her assailant why he did that, he said, you are jewish. anti-semitism is absolutely on the rise here in america, and we have an obligation, an obligation, a strong obligation to condemn this behavior whenever we see it, wherever we

see it, and no matter who spreads it. every single american, no matter his or her background, no matter their beliefs, no matter how they feel about the awful violence in the middle east and its history, ought to condemn with full-throated clarity anti-semitism, islam islamophobia and all forms of racial and religious prejudice. we must condemn all forms of hate. nobody denies people of goodwill can have disagreements about the conflict in the middle east but the red line is crossed when these disagreements lead to violence or threats of violence like what is happening, unfortunately, in too many communities around the country. and no matter what our beliefs, all of us must remain vigilant, absolutely vigilant against critiques that quickly turn into threats of violence and outright anti-semitism. here in america, we must condemn anti-semitism always. we must conform -- condemn all

forms of islamophobia always. we must fight all discrimination and preserve the values that make us american to begin with, that all people have digital knit and a right -- dignity and a right to live securely always. and finally on the uaw, last wednesday night the uaw reached agreement with ford motor company for better wages, better benefits. last saturday the uaw reached a tentative 0 deal with stellantis mirroring the agreement with ford and today it has been reported that the uaw reached an agreement with g.m., the last of the three automakers the awe was negotiating with. it's simple, madam president, when unions win, workers win, the middle class wins, america wins. these announcements are very good news not just for auto workers but for all americas who want better paying jobs, better working conditions.

automakers made staggering profits in recent years after workers made enormous sacrifices in the aftermath of the great recession. so now workers deserve those profits, and these agreements rebalance things in a fairer way which had been unbalanced after 2008. i'm glad these tentative agreements have now been reached. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum: mr. cornyn: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from texas. mr. cornyn: i ask consent that the quorum call be rescinded. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. cornyn: thank you, madam president. last thursday i traveled back to my home state of texas, but this time to the u.s.-mexico border

along with senator cruz, my colleague from texas, as well as three of our nontexas senate colleagues, senators barasso, lee, and ricketts joined us for a series of tours and meetings in the rio grande valley, which is unlike any other place in america. this has been one of many times that senator cruz and i have welcomed our colleagues to the border because every time i hear people in washington, d.c., talk about the border, it's most likely something they've gleaned from movies or a novel that they've read somewhere, it's not based on reality. the truth is the reality at the border has changed substantially from years online when illegal immigration was primarily people coming to the united states to work and send money home. it's changed entirely to a global human smuggling

enterprise that enriches the criminal organizations who organize it and charging tens of thousands of dollars a head to people they smuggle into the united states and if you come from special interest countries like iran, syria, for example, you may have to pay tens of thousands of dollars, but you can still make your way in because of the broken border policies of the biden administration, which i'll talk about here in a moment. it really is a shame that such a beautiful vibrant region of our country has benefited tremendously from the opportunities that come from living along an international border have been damaged and hurt in such an unfortunate way by the flood of humanity and drugs coming across. legitimate trade and travel have shaped the unique culture of our

border and serve as a boon, not just to local economies, but to the entire american economy. but like so many other areas along the u.s.-mexico border, this region has become overwhelmed by the weight of the current border crisis. last month alone border patrols rio grande valley sector, one of the many sectors of border patrol, logged more than 45,000 border crossings, in the last year, nearly 340,000 migrants have crossed in the rio grande valley sector. overwhelmingly the biden administration has simply released them into the interior of the united states, which is in turn proved -- proved to be a magnet for more people to come. if, in fact, the biden administration wanted to deter illegal immigration that would stop people from coming to the

border and entering the country illegally and it would send people back who somehow had made it over, that would act as a deterrent, right now notwithstanding the messages of people like mayor adams of new york city, when he recently went to mexico city, he said don't come. don't come. well, the people who make the dangerous journey from their home to the border and into the interior of the united states, they frequently have access to this thing called television and this instrument we call a telephone so they can see people making their way across the border successfully and they can talk to relatives who made the trip on the telephone who say, i made it, you can too, and thus we've seen this huge flood of migrants across the border swell into a virtual tsunami.

it used that the overwhelming number of migrants came from mexico and the northern triangle countries, and that's when i hear vice president harris and others talk, secretary blinken talk about root causes like they want to go and nation build in order to discourage people from those countries to come to the united states, which tells me they really don't understand the nature of the current phenomenon. because it's not just people coming from mexico and central america. president biden's border policies have made it so that people virtually from anywhere in the world can come to the southern border, say the magic words and be released into the united states. in fact, we learned on our most recent trip that many migrants don't even claim asylum before they're released because there simply isn't enough capacity to

hold them once they cross the border, and then to return them where they came from. and there aren't anywhere near enough removal flights to deport migrants without valid legal claims to stay here. so it's no surprise that people are traveling from all over the world, literally, to take advantage of this open-border policy. agents in the rio grande valley center said that they apprehended migrants from china, russia, iran, saudi arabia, nigeria and other countries around the globe. america's southern border is the world's worst-kept secret. when we arrived on thursday night, we witnessed the sheer volume and diversity of migrants arriving at the border. some people spoke to a family from moldova. you will have to look it up on

the map, but it's not mexico, it's not central america. but they just crossed over the border moments earlier. you might ask yourself what would a man and his wife and 2-year-old or 3-year-old daughter how they make it from central europe to texas' rio grande valley. and the answers is simple, with human smugglers. cartels and other criminal organizations have hit the jackpot with the biden border crisis, you could say that president biden has outsourced u.s. immigration policy to these criminal organizations because they're running the show, not president biden. in 2021 alone they made an estimated $13 billion from human smuggling operations. that's just the human smuggling alone. since then, the number of border crossings, of course, has skyrocketed. they get paid by the head so that's good for business for the

cartels. and i imagine their profits have skyrocketed even further. cartel smuggling operations aren't limited to mexico and central america. for the right price, these criminal organizations will help anyone from anywhere reach the united states and make their way into the interior. as those who have made the journey can attest, it's an extremely dangerous one, particularly for vulnerable women and children. human smugglers tonight view these migrants as -- smugglers as fellow human beings, but as a commodity, migrants are abused and women are p often raped or sold for sex. some migrants have been simply abandoned and left for dead if they become injured or unable to continue their travel. in one checkpoint, which is

about 100 miles into the interior in falfurrias, texas, it's called brooks county. they have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in this little relatively poor texas county burying the bones of dead migrants who have died from exposure in their county. because what happens is once people come across the border, the smugglers, sometimes called coyotes, they put them in stash houses. we actually saw one stash house. when the time is right, they are loaded in the advance and transported up the highway, that's the reason for the checkpoint about 100 miles inland. but what the coyotes do is they tell the migrants, get out of the vehicle before we reach the checkpoint, walk around the checkpoint, and we'll meet you on the north side. well, for migrants who have come hundreds of miles or further

already suffering from exposure to make it in the hot texas summers where it effectually exceeds 100-degrees, it should be no surprise that some of them, many of them, unfortunately, do not make it. so that's another consequence of the biden border crisis and open border policies. and even after they cross the border, many migrants still owe massive debts to the cartels who will not hesitate to use them for forced labor or sex trafficking. in fact, if you go to parts of houston, texas, you will see women who basically are in -- are sex slaves because they're working off their debt to the people who smuggled to get them into the interior of the united states in the first place. as i mentioned, we also visited a stash house where we saw waiting -- awaiting the next step of the journey where the --

where the migrants were awaiting the next step of their journey, i hate to know what the cartels have in store for them. while agents are busy processing and transporting migrants, it creates an open highway for cartels and criminal organizations smuggling drugs into the united states. they have, of course, spotters, they use drones for telling to see where the border patrol is and where they are not. and they use that knowledge to smuggle fentanyl, heroin and god knows what else across the border and into our communities. here's a shocking statistic, at least it was it to me -- it was to me. i don't know if the president of the united states even knows this. but the number one killer of americans between the age of 18 and 45 is a synthetic drug

called fentanyl, leading cause of death for americans between 18 and 45. the precursors come from china and make their way to mexico where the cartels mix them up and run them through pill presses and make them look like relatively innocuous pharmaceuticals, and then a young man or young woman, like see eney, -- sienna, whose father gave me this blais let, they take -- bracelet, they take this thinking it is an innocuous pharmaceutical like xanax, and they don't wake up the next day and leave grieving families wondering what happened and how could this happen to them and their child? drug overdoses alone have taken the lives of about 110,000

americans a year currently and as i said fentanyl is responsible for about two-thirds of it. of course we aren't just worried about substances coming across the border, but dangerous people too, criminals. people on the terrorist watch list, people coming from special interest countries like the ones i mentioned. it used to be the number -- that the number of people on the terrorist watch list who were apprehended along the southern border by the border patrol was in single digits. in the past year at least 169 were apprehended and that doesn't account for the gotaways. the gotaways are the 1.5 million people who have been seen on cameras or detected on sensors but who evaded capture by the border patrol. and you can bet that they're up to no good because they simply -- if they actually wanted to make their way into the interior of the united states and didn't have a

criminal record or weren't transporting dprution or on a -- transfor transport -- transporting drugs or on a terrorist watch list, they can like everybody else, come to the border, say the magic words and the biden administration would release them into the interior in the united states -- of the united states. we have 1.5 million gotaways evade law enforcement since president biden took office, including 169 people on the terrorist watch list. it seems like a long time ago to many people, particularly if you're relatively young, but it was september 11, 2001, where 19 people killed 3,000 americans by flying airplanes into the world trade center and taking down a plane in -- over pennsylvania. so 19 terrorists killed 3,000

americans back in 2001. we know that at least 169 people on the terrorist watch list have been apprehended so far. we don't know how many actually have ahead their way into the united states, but it's a safe bet it's people from countries all around the world where the prevailing ideology is to kill americans and -- in the united states. so the truth is really is depressingly are stranger than fiction because the potential to wake up some day and have a terrorist attack in our country as a result of under controlled migration across the southern border is very real and it's growing by the day. yes there is a humanitarian and security crisis at the border and it's impacting all of our country. that's the reason you have

senators from nebraska, utah, and wyoming coming to the border because as several of them said, every state is now a border state. recently one of our colleagues from montana was there, and he said, you know, the fentanyl that comes across the border has made its way into the communities in my state and montana and the northern border of our country. so every state has become a border state as a result of the biden open border policies. well, we know that migrants are being exploited and abused. american families are being terrorized by the opioid epidemic. cities in texas and across the country are struggling to keep up with the massive humanitarian needs of migrants. and, yes, we've heard from mayor adams in new york. we've heard from mayor bowser here in d.c. the mayor of chicago, the

governors of massachusetts and illinois. this is a national crisis. the situation is extremely complex but the situation solution doesn't have to be. we need deterrence through consequences. that's what the border patrol tells me and tells anybody who will listen. if there are no consequences to entering the country illegally, people are just going to keep coming. and i think we all understand why. but if we're going to deliver consequences which means to deter more people from coming, that means ending catch and release, which is the policy of the biden administration, and we need to actually remove people who have no legal reason to remain in the united states. that means expedited removal. in other words, we need to send a message to people who have no legitimate reason to remain in the united states, that if they come, they will not be able to stay. it's really not any more

complicated than that. congress doesn't need to do a rewrite of our immigration laws in order to give president biden the authority to do these things. he already has that authority under existing law, but he won't use it. deterrence is a key component of a safe and secure border. until the administration starts deterring would-be migrants with frivolous asylum claims from even approaching our border, we will remain in a constant state of crisis. and i predict it will get worse. we've just seen a record number of people coming across the border. that number is going to continue to grow as more and more people know that if they show up at the border, say the magic words, president biden will say come on in. the only way to truly understand what's happening at the border is to see it firsthand and to speak with the individuals who live and work in our border

communities. i've had the pleasure, as i said earlier, of taking dozens of senators, both republicans and democrats, down to the border to hear from these men and women firsthand. and i appreciate all of our colleagues who have made the trip and continue to advocate for smart border policies, especially most recently senators barrasso, lee, and ricketts. and i want to thank the many men and women in the rio grande valley who took the time out of their schedule to speak with us. their input is absolutely invaluable to the work of the senate, and i am extremely grateful to each of them. i want to especially thank the law enforcement officers who are on the front lines of this crisis. every day federal, state, and local law enforcement put their lives on the line to safeguard our border and stop potentially dangerous individuals and drugs from reaching our communities. but they need our help, and they're not getting it today.

they deserve more than our gratitude. they deserve our commitment to fix this crisis in any way we can. president biden has not only proven himself incapable but also unwilling to address this border crisis. so congress needs to step in and fill the void. in the coming weeks the senate will advance legislation to address some of our greatest national security threats, including action to address the border crisis. as my colleagues and i saw last week, this crisis cannot be fixed with no -- with more no strings attached funding. we will not fund current border policies urpd the biden add -- policies under the biden administration. as long as a flood of humanity is coming across the border at this pace, it doesn't matter how many border patrol agents or immigration judges we have. it won't be enough. the only way to address this

crisis is by deterring more illegal immigration, and the simplest way to do that is by delivering consequences for entering the country illegally. it's a tried and true strategy that has worked countless times before. so when the coming weeks i hope congress will step in where president biden has refused and establish deterrence once again. madam president, i yield the floor. mr. cassidy: madam president. the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. cassidy: madam president, only in the united states of america can the son of a shreveport firefighter, the first college graduate in his family, only in our country can a person like this win a seat in

congress and just a few years later be elected the 56th speaker of the house. speaker mike johnson made history for our country and for my home state by becoming the first speaker of the house of representatives ever from louisiana. now, if you are from louisiana but more particularly shreveport or northwest, louisiana or by the way, if you graduated from captain shreve, you know mike johnson. he is the pride of them all. he's a straight shooter, a family man, a diligent man. jim mccrairy was the congressman that held that same seat at a time in the past. when i was first elected he gave me this advice. he said keep your word, show up, do your homework. i'm sure he gave that same advice to mike johnson or if not mike was just naturally that way because it describes him to the t. it's the reason he's able to

unify house republicans winning every republican vote for speaker for the first time since 2011. he has the ability to bridge divides that a lot of very capable people were not able to do. mike brought together people who disagreed and kept them talking until they found a way forward. that's what leaders do. he's strong in his convictions, but he's not someone who is looking to steamroll others. he's a unifier and has a talent of working with folks to find common ground. we've all seen the push and pull between those who wish to govern and frankly those who are not very interested in governing. mike wishes to govern. he wants to govern with conservative principles to get things done for the country and hopefully for my state as well. he has the temperament, intelligence and integrity to do that as speaker. i look forward to working with him to address issues like investing in american energy, securing our southern border, addressing the insurance crisis in louisiana and nationwide, and

finally, dog doing something about the -- doing something about the long-term debt being driven among other things by a social security program going insolvent. with a conservative speaker working to secure conservative wins, the country will do well. we share a deep love for good and you can see his faith shine through in his speech when he won the vote. and, of course, we share a deep love for our home state of louisiana. having a speaker from louisiana will help bring some good louisiana values, perspective, priorities, and maybe even a little boiled crawfish to washington, d.c. so congratulations, speaker johnson and to his wife kelly, their four wonderful children.

♪♪ >> good afternoon, everyone. please have a seat. to our president joe biden, members of congress, members of our administration and our private sector and civil society partners. as leaders from government, civil society and the private

sector, i believe we have a moral, ethical and societal duty to make sure that ai was adopted in advance in a way that protected the public from potential harm. making sure everyone is able to enjoy its benefits. since we took office, president biden and i have worked to uphold that duty before ai captured global attention, president biden and i convened leaders from across our country from computer scientists to civil rights leaders, to legal scholars and business leaders. all to help make sure that the benefits of ai are shared equitably and to address predictable threats such as algorithmic discrimination, data privacy violations and deep fakes. we named it the deep print for

an ai bill of rights. after which, president biden and i had extensive engagement with the leading ai companies to help ensure the private sector commits to the principal in the blueprint and how to establish a minimum baseline of responsible ai practices. we intend that the actions we are taking domestically will serve as a model for international actions understanding that ai developed in one nation can impact the lives and livelihoods of billions of people around the world. fundamentally, it is our belief that technology with global impact requires global action. tomorrow, i will travel to the united kingdom to represent our nation at the global summit on ai safety. there we will work with our allies and our partners to apply

existing international rules and norms with a purpose to promote global order and stability. and where necessary to build support for additional rules and norms that meet this moment. let us be clear, when it comes to ai, america is a global leader. it is american companies that lead the world in ai innovation. it is america that can catalyze global action and build global consensus in a way that no other country can. and under president joe biden, it is america that will continue to lead on ai. there are many ways to define the leadership of our president joe biden. as even a quick review of his most recent -- [laughter] -- as even a quick review of his

most recent victories makes clear. from creating technology innovation hubs and 31 communities across our nation. [applause] to expanding america's semi conductor industry. [applause] dealmaking the largest investment ever in climate in america's history. [applause] so just a few points to say that president biden is a leader with a vision for our future. he has the ambition to meet the challenges of the moment here and around the globe. he has the courage and skill to

lead us forward including on ai. with that it is my great honor and privilege to introduce our president joe biden. [applause] >> thank you. thank you for that introduction and your leadership on this issue. i want to explain why i was delayed a few minutes. i had just spoken with the president of the united auto workers. let me say a few words about the uaw and the big three automakers they have reached a historic

agreement and a hard fought fate agreement that was really battled for a wild. it was all done in good faith. these record agreements award autoworkers that gave up to keep the industry working and going during the financial crisis more than a decade ago. these agreements ensure the iconic big three can still lead the world in quality and innovation. due to the commitment and solidarity of the workers who exercise their right, they are right to collectively bargain, they want a record contract with over 30% increase in wages, create a retirement security and more paid leave. the commitment to create more full-time middle-class jobs and invest tens of millions more dollars in plants and factories building automobile future here in america.

[applause] i of claude the uaw and the leaders of the company's four agreeing that all the workers on strike and all those that were walking the picket lines can go back to work immediately even before the vote is taken. the final word on this contract would be for the uaw membership themselves in the days in coming weeks as a vote. but here is what i know on what i shared with the united auto workers i met on the picket line i always believed that the middle class builds america and that unions built the middle class. that is especially the case for the autoworkers. for too long in my view the economy has not worked for working people middle-class folks. when they do well, everybody

does well. that is why came to office determined to build an economy to build from the middle up and said of the top down. a critical piece of work or power. showing how collective bargaining works. honoring their contributions to their employer success by securing pay and benefits they can raise a family on and retire with dignity and respect. it is showing how collective bargaining works for companies. how strong relationship workers and management can mean record profits leading to record contracts. we are also seeing across-the-board, we are seeing this everywhere, workers, teamsters, writers, health workers and others organizing by collective bargaining. today's historic agreement, another piece of good economic news showing something i always

believed. worker power. worker power is critical to building an economy from the middle out to the bottom up and so is economic growth. we just learned our economy grew 4.9% last quarter. such as inflation continues to come down. we have more to do but we finally began building an economy that works for working people, the middle class, the entire country including the company's. because when we do that, the poor have a ladder. the middle class does well in the wealthy still does very well we all do well. that brings me to today's announcement. i want to thank for the work she has done through her entire career to protect people and promote responsible innovation. she is traveling the united kingdom as she pointed out this week where she will highlight how america setting a standard for ai safety security and trust

i want to thank all of you for joining us here. members of my cabinet, members of congress, a real leader in this. thank you, pal. stay, senate and local officials business, labor, academia, civil rights. i know you know this, but we will see more technological change in the next five, 10 years. that is a fact. the most consequential technology of our time. accelerating that change. it will accelerate at a warp speed. ai is all around us. much of it is making our lives better. the national weather service predict weather events. helping web telescope managed half a million miles of galaxy away, billions away, ears away. i found it on my phone.

my god, what is this? science fiction. i am serious. did you have the same thought when you saw it? ai helping millions of computers in some cases making life worse. four example, using teenagers personal data to figure out what would keep them glued to the device to make social media more addictive. it is causing what our surgeon general caused the profound risk of harm to their mental health and well-being. over the past years we were met with a panel of experts, many of whom are here today. thank you for coming. the risk and incredible opportunities of ai. one thing is clear. to realize the promise of ai and avoid the risk we need to govern this tech analogy. there is no other way around it. we must be governed. that is why we are here today. i'm about to sign the executive

order that is the most significant action any government anywhere in the world has taken an ai safety security and trust. this order bills on the critical steps we have already taken to ensuring the ai bill of rights to bring together companies who agreed to voluntarily make certain commitments. to make sure ai is safe in the system is secure. with today's executive order i will soon be signing, i am determined to promote a demand responsible innovation. first, executive orders about ai safety and security. today i am invoking what is called the defense production act that federal government uses in the most urgent moments like mobilizing the nation during a nation time of war or developing covid vaccines during the pandemic. this executive order will use the same authority to make

companies prove that the most powerful systems are safe before allowing them to use, before allowing them to be used. they must tell the government about the large scale ai systems they are developing and share rigorous independent test results to prove they pose no national security or safety risks to the american people. at the same time, making sure ai systems don't pose chemical biological or nuclear risks at the same time. the wrong hands, ai can make it easier for hackers with software that makes our society run. that is why i am directing the department of defense and the department of homeland security, both of them to develop game changing cyber protections that would make our computers and our critical infrastructure more secure than it is today. that is why

my is very true. and we love the fact that we get to celebrate the creative community perve single year during country music month, and this week the senate should pass a resolution that senator kaine and i have filed. it is designating october as national country music month. now, bristol, tennessee -- bristol, virginia, right there on the state line -- that is the birthplace of country music. so is you've got a little bit of tennessee and a little bit of virginia and we share that richness and that history. and what our resolution does is to highlight our states -- tennessee and virginia's rich share history of fostering

creativity, of dreaming those big dreams, and then setting those dreams and thoughts to words and music. the music that these artists, songwriters and musicians create has had a profound impact, not only on country music as a genre but on the evolution of american music. tennessee artists have the unique power to unite us as americans. with that in this mind, i want to thank my colleagues in advance for celebrating our creative community with us and helping designate october as national country music month. but our work is not done. these musicians need our help getting paid for their art. controlling the business side of their careers and protecting their intellectual property. i want to

highlight a few bills this body must pass to maintain our position as a cultural and artistic leader and a creative hub. the united states is the only democratic nation in the world where artists are not compensated for the use of their songs on am-fm radio. now, madam president, as i said, we are the only democratic nation that does not compensate these artists. now iran and north korea are two of the only other countries with this distinction. senator padilla and i have introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, the american music fairness act, which would right this wrong and ensure performers are compensated when their songs are played on the radio.

now senator padilla and i could probably have a great discussion about does california have more artists and singers and songwriters, or does tennessee? but i think tennessee probably has more of those artists and songwriters. now not being paid for the use of their music on radio has been a decades-long injustice that hurts americans at home and abroad. as i said, the united states is the only democratic nation that does not pay for that radio play. so the majority of foreign nations, those who already pay their own artists for radio air play, currently withhold royalties from american music

creators simply because the u.s. does not reciprocate by paying their performers. this amounts to a massive financial hit for our american artists. now when you talk with them, what you will learn from different royalty rights organizations is our entertainers here are missing out on about $200 million each year in income to those musicians. $200 million a year. that's money that would come from other countries to our american artists if we were to pass the am-fm act. senator padilla and i have worked hard on this. it is bipartisan.

we think to not pay these artists is something that needs to be fixed, and that is why we should agree to get the american music fairness act to the president's desk without delay. now i also worked with the late senator dianne feinstein. and, madam president, we welcome you. we know you have big shoes to fill. and -- in senator feinstein's seat. senator feinstein and i often talked about the importance of keeping this american creative community here and keeping that community vibrant. and she and i worked together to introduce a bill that's called the hips act. this is the help independent tracks succeed, hips. this bill would allow

independent music creators including musicians, technicians, songwriters and producers to deduct 100% of recording production expenses in the year that those expenses are incurred. the federal tax code already allows film, television, theater productions to do this, and there is no reason not to give our music creators this same benefit. think about that. somebody goes in, they book that studio time, they lay down those tracks, they lay down those vocals. you get a producer that produces it. the musicians play on it. the technicians come in and tweak this, and they cannot deduct all of that expense. this is not fair, especially

when you consider that tv, film, theater, they can all deduct 100%. so we -- senator feinstein and i worked on this, got it ready to go. this is another one that needs to pass. these two pieces of legislation really have something very important in common. they recognize that entertainment as a career is both a creative pursuit and it is a very fragile business model. it requires that those individuals be able to exercise their intellectual property rights to benefit from their creations. and one of the top concerns i hear from entertainers and their teams is the extent to which a.i. will and already has

damaged their businesses. so we have another issue that has come on. in addition to not being fully compensated, then these entertainers are looking at the impact that artificial intelligence is going to have on their business. now congress is already late to the a.i. issue. we all know that, and i'm delighted that we are beginning to see bipartisan interest in moving forward some legislation on guidelines and guardrails for artificial intelligence. creators have already begun to see that their voices, their likenesses, and their styles of music are used without their consent, and the danger to their livelihoods is real

because they are not being compensated for their music that is used to train a.i. models that is actually going to take away the ability for them to make money on what they have created. so in addition to not being paid for radio play, in addition to not being able to deduct production expense, now here it comes, a.i. is going to mimic them and use name, image, likeness, voice cloning, and take away more of their ability. so senator coons and i have released a discussion draft on a piece of legislation to help protect these artists. it is called the no fakes act. the no fakes act would hold

individuals, companies, and platforms accountable for digital replicas created or used without the consent of the individual that is being cloned or depicted in that replica. so it allows an entertainer to protect themselves. the replication of their voice, of their mannerisms, of their musical style. while hank williams jr. has been quoted as saying country music singers have always been a real close family, he's pretty right about that. and just like any family, i love it when you see all of that entertainers who are in essence competitors competing for radio time and studio time and tours and dates on their tours.

they're competing for it all. but they come together and they let you know when they need something and when something need to be done. and addressing this a.i. issue is something that needs to be done. so i would encourage my colleagues to talk to entertainers in their states and talk with them about the american music fairness act, the hits act, and the no fakes act, and what it would do to give them that control over their art, their name, their image, their likeness. you know, here in the united states, whether we want to argue about is tennessee the biggest or does california have the most or is virginia the real home, and who produces the most records and lays down the most

recording, what we can all agree on is that the united states of america is the hub for entertainment. it is where everyone wants to come. and of course we like that ingenuity and that creativity, and we love it that artists come to nashville and say we want to record that nashville sound. let's keep this industry viable. thank you, madam president. i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

quorum call:

this week? >> $14.5 billion package is then there are appropriation being talked about going down robot schedule with say the past and then there centers in explosion coming down the pike also. this was introduced essentially

the resolution you can't challenge it, it goes to legislative days it will cause a lot of chatter on congress. >> let's talk about each of those but start with israel. mr. cardin: madam president, i rise today in support of the nomination of matthew maddox to be a u.s. district judge for the district of maryland, and i urge my senate colleagues to confirm his nomination. i joined with senator van hollen to recommend judge maddox to president biden. president biden nominated judge maddox to this position in march of this year in order to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of judge opinion ulgrom. senator van hollen and i worked

to establish a selection committee, including an open-application process and we sought out highly qualified and diverse applicant pool. our committee interviewed several dozen applicants, senator van hollen and i personally interviewed several finalists before recommending names to the white house. i strongly agree with president biden's role to nominate judges from diverse backgrounds from both a professional and demographic perspective and today we have such an example of an excellent nominee from maryland. judge maddox was born and raised in maryland and lives and works in baltimore, he graduated assume couple laud afrom bhcu in baltimore in 1999, where he majored in religious studies and minored in psychology. he was a full bright schoolor

and taught high school through the teach for america program. judge maddox received his j.d. degree from the yale law school in 2011. after working in private practice and serving in two judicial clerkships, he was appointed as an assistant united states attorney in the district of maryland. he prosecuted a range of criminal cases and conducted transportation for -- trainings for law enforcement on human trafficking and identity theft. he served -- in february 2022, judge maddox was sworn in as united states magistrate judge in baltimore. he now presides over preliminary criminal proceedings and civil lawsuits by consent of the parties. he brings a remarkable experience to this position having served as a federal prosecutor for nearly a decade and now having served as a

magistrate judge for over a year and a half. if confirmed, and elevated from a magistrate judge to district judge, he would continue to serve in the same court where he now sits and practices for many years. the judiciary committee favorably reported judge maddox by a bipartisan vote in september of this year and the american bar association's standing committee on the federal judiciary rated judge maddox a well-qualified rating. i was delighted to recommend the nomination of judge maddox to president biden, along with senator van hollen. judicial nominees must meet the highest standards of temperament. i'm sure he will uphold the constitution and rule of law and faithfully follow the judicial oath of equal rights to the poor and rich. judge maddox will serve the people of maryland well if confirmed, he has a strong legal

and judicial qualification and demonstrated a track record of public service. i know that public service is a family affair and sacrifice and i particularly want to thank judge maddox's family for sharing him with the people of maryland in the interest of public service. again, i urge my colleagues to support his confirmation, and with that i would suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: ms. baldwin.

for them they see it as a clinical going during campaigns.

jack it so there will be a lot. >> the voting record. >> he is a religious man unafraid to talk about the bible which is something that haven't seen in a while and he talked about being antiabortion and same-sex marriage but also was on fox the other day, as their personal belief note medicare does not put it over legislating so we'll see. >> i want to ask about the legislation, two of them.

>> marjorie taylor greene has measures for resolution rashida tlaib claiming being anti-semitic and -- objection. mr. cardin: i ask that the vote scheduled for 5:30 start immediately. the presiding officer: without objection. the clerk will report the motion to invoke cloture. the clerk: cloture motion, we, the undersigned senators, in accordance with the provisions of rule 22 of the standing rules of the senate, do hereby bring to a close debate on the nomination of executive calendar number 306, matthew james maddox, of maryland, to be united states district judge for the district of maryland, 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 nomination of matthew james maddox, of maryland, to be united states district judge for the district of maryland shall be brought to a close? the yeas and nays are mandatory under the 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. butler. 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. 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. the clerk: 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 -- bennet, brown, butler, cantwell, cardin, carper, duckworth, gillibrand,

hirono, lujan, manchin, menendez, murkowski, ossoff, tester, whitehouse. senators voting in the negative -- budd, cassidy, cotton, cramer, ernst, hyde-smith, johnson, lummis, paul, schmitt. the clerk: mr. crapo, no.

# vote: vote: the clerk: mr. mullin, no. mr. markey, aye. mr. reed, aye.

mr. murphy, aye.

the clerk: mr. lankford, no.

mr. rubio, no. mr. fischer, no. the clerk: mr. peters, aye. mr. ricketts, no. mr. padilla, aye.

ms. sinema, aye. mr. tuberville, no. mr. hickenlooper, aye. ms. baldwin, aye.

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

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

the clerk: mr. boozman, no. mr. welch, aye. mr. sanders, aye.

mr. moran, no.

the clerk: mr. hawley, no. the clerk: mr. heinrich, aye.

mr. kaine, aye. mr. vance, no. ms. smith, aye. mr. kennedy, aye. ms. collins, aye.

mr. warner, aye. the clerk: mr. schatz, aye. mr. sullivan, no. ms. hassan, aye. mrs. murray, aye.

mr. booker, aye. ms. cortez masto, aye. mr. cornyn, no. the clerk: ms. stabenow, aye.

mr. durbin, aye. mr. merkley, aye. mr. grassley, no.

the clerk: mr. kelly, aye. the clerk: ms. warren, aye.

mr. king, aye.

the clerk: ms. capito, no. mr. wicker, no. mr. daines, no. ms. klobuchar, aye. mrs. britt, no.

the clerk: mr. schumer, aye.

mr. thune, no. mr. young, no.

the clerk: mr. romney, no. mrs. blackburn, no.

the clerk: mr. casey, aye.

the clerk: mr. mcconnell, no.

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

the clerk: mr. blumenthal, aye.

vote:

the clerk: mr. braun, no.

the clerk: mrs. shaheen, aye. mr. coons, aye. the clerk: mr. cruz, no.

the clerk: mr. hoeven, no.

the clerk: ms. rosen, aye.

the clerk: mr. warnock, aye.

vote:

vote: vote:

vote: the presiding officer: on this vote, the yeas are 54, the nays are 40, and the motion is agreed to.

ms. smith: mr. president. the presiding officer: the senator from minnesota. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to legislative session and be in a period of morning business, with senators permitted to speak therein for up to ten minutes each. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: mr. president, i understand that there is a bill at the desk, and i ask for its first reading. the presiding officer: the clerk will read the title of the bill for the first time. the clerk: s. 3168, a bill making emergency summental appropriations for assistance -- supplemental assistance for the situation in israel for the year ending 2024, and for other purposes. ms. smith: i ask for a second reading, and in order to place the bill on the calendar under provisions of rule 14, i object to my own request. the presiding officer: objection is heard. the bill will be read for the second time on the next ledges lative day. ms. smith: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the finance committee be discharged

from further consideration of s. 1146 and the senate proceed to its immediate consideration. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 1146, a bill to amend part e. of title 4 of the social security act and so forth and for other purposes. the presiding officer: without objection, the committee is discharged and the senate will proceed to the measure. ms. smith: i ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed, and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table. 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 tuesday, october 31, 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 maddox nomination, postcloture. further, that all time be considered expired at 11:30 a.m. and that following the cloture vote on the lew nomination, the senate recess until 2:15 p.m. to allow for the weekly caucus meetings. further, that if cloture is invoked on the lew nomination, all time be considered expired at 2:30 p.m. and upon disposition of the nomination, the senate resume legislative session to consider calendar number 198 h.r. 4366. finally, if any nominations are confirmed during tuesday's session, the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table and the president be immediately notified of the senate's actions. the presiding officer: without objection. ms. smith: for the information of the senate, members should expect additional roll call votes during tuesday's session.

if there is no further business to come before the senate, i ask that it stand adjourned under the previous order. the presiding officer: the senate stands adjourned until 10:00 a.m.